Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Fourteen men at imminent risk of beheading as Saudi Arabia continues bloody execution spree
The Saudi Arabian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death sentences of 14 men after a grossly unfair mass trial is a worrying reminder of the country’s lethal crackdown on dissent, said Amnesty International today. The men who were found guilty of protest-related crimes now face imminent execution.
“By confirming these sentences Saudi Arabia’s authorities have displayed their ruthless commitment to the use of the death penalty as a weapon to crush dissent and neutralize political opponents,” said Samah Hadid, Director of campaigns for the Middle-East at Amnesty international.
“King Salman’s signature is now all that stands between them and their execution. He must immediately quash these death sentences which are a result of sham court proceedings that brazenly flout international fair trial standards,"
At least 66 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia since the start of 2017, including 26 in the past three weeks alone - more than one execution per day. Hussein al-Rabi’, Abdullah al-Tureif, Hussein al-Mosallem, Mohamed al-Naser, Mustafa al-Darwish, Fadel Labbad, Sa’id al-Sakafi, Salman al-Qureish, Mujtaba al-Suweyket, Munir al-Adam, Abdullah al-Asreeh, Ahmad al-Darwish, Abdulaziz al-Sahwi, Ahmad al-Rab’i were transferred from Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province to the capital, Riyadh on 15 July 2017 without prior notice.
Now that their sentences have been upheld by the Supreme Court the 14 men are at risk of execution as soon as the King ratifies their sentences. Due to the secrecy surrounding the Saudi Arabia judicial process, the families are given very little information, if any, about the current state of the case and usually not told about the scheduled execution of their relatives.
Yesterday, families of the 14 men learned that the death sentences were upheld after contacting the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) and they fear that the executions will take place imminently. The 14 men were initially sentenced to death on 1 June 2016 by the Specialized Criminal Court (SCC) in Riyadh, following a grosslyunfair mass trial. They were convicted of a range of charges that included “armed rebellion against the ruler” by, among other things “participating in shooting at security personnel, security vehicles”, “preparing and using Molotov Cocktail bombs”, “theft and armed robbery” and “inciting chaos, organizing and participating in riots”. Court documents show that the 14 men told the court they were subjected to prolonged pre-trial detention and had been tortured and otherwise ill-treated during their interrogation to extract their “confessions”, however the judge failed to order investigations into their allegations. The SCC appears to have largely based its decision on these forced “confessions”.
Background:
Amnesty International has recorded a worrying increase in death sentences against political dissidents in Saudi Arabia since 2013, including the Shia Muslim minority.
Amnesty International also learned on 23 July 2017 that the SCC court of appeal has upheld the death sentences of 15 men accused of spying for Iran and the case was transferred to the Supreme Court on 20 July 2017. The men were initially sentenced to death on 6 December 2016.
Amnesty International has documented the cases of at least 34 members of Saudi Arabia’s Shia community – making up 10 to 15 percent of the population – who are currently facing the death penalty. All were accused of activities deemed a risk to national security.
Saudi warplanes destroyed school, mosque, agricultural nursery in Yemen
A local source confirmed that the Air forces of US-Saudi coalition targeted a Mosque and school in the Bait-ul-Thaliah district Madan with five brutal air raids which led to the complete destruction.
The source added that the aggression targeted three raids on Nursery of the Agriculture office in the area of Al-Anad of Sehaar district of Saadah province, which also destroyed the nursery completely.
This comes in the context of the systematic destruction of the infrastructure of Yemen, which has been carrying out aggression for more than two and a half years, along with hundreds of crimes committees against civilians and their properties almost daily in criminal silence of Arab and International community.
The source added that the aggression targeted three raids on Nursery of the Agriculture office in the area of Al-Anad of Sehaar district of Saadah province, which also destroyed the nursery completely.
This comes in the context of the systematic destruction of the infrastructure of Yemen, which has been carrying out aggression for more than two and a half years, along with hundreds of crimes committees against civilians and their properties almost daily in criminal silence of Arab and International community.
http://en.abna24.com/news/middle-east/saudi-warplanes-destroyed-school-mosque-agricultural-nursery-in-yemen_844018.html
War in Yemen Kills or Wounds 4,000 Children
BY JESSE CHASE-LUBITZ, BETHANY ALLEN-EBRAHIMIAN
More than 90 civilians, including 25 children, died in a March 2016 Saudi airstrike on a market in Yemen. Months later, ten more children perished in another strike on a school in Saada. The next day, five children were killed when a bomb smashed into a hospital in Hajjah.
These are just three of the 23 “grave violations” that have been committed against children in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, according to a new report by Save the Children and Watchlist. Released on Thursday, the report puts the total number of children killed or wounded by all sides in the conflict at around 4,000.
The grinding civil war in Yemen already had claimed civilian victims by the time the Saudis intervened with several other regional governments in March 2015 to back Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
The Saudi-led intervention has added a new dimension to the conflict, turning it into a proxy war between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Since the intervention kicked off in March 2015, 7,600 people have been killed and 42,000 injured in the bombings. The U.S. has supplied Saudi Arabia with many of the lethal munitions dropped by Saudi and Emirati jets, in 2015 approving over $20 billion in military sales, Human Rights Watch reported.
In addition to the massive casualties, the war has led to an outbreak of cholera. More than 1,614 people have died, with about 96,000 cases since 2014. Children are especially susceptible to the disease. Last year, the UN Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict initially included the Saudi-led coalition on its annual child rights blacklist, which lists countries that have committed crimes or violations against children, citing the deaths of 510 children. But U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon removed the coalition from the list after Saudi Arabia complained — a move which earned him fierce criticism from human rights groups.
This is not the first time human rights advocates have pushed for the coalition’s inclusion on the blacklist, which comes in response to documented cases of air strikes on funerals and markets.
Humanitarian aid such as food and medical supplies are funnelled mostly through a single port, Hodeida, which the Saudi coalition has threatened to take by force. The entire conflict has forced millions from their homes on a vast scale, with an estimated 3.27 million people displaced by 2016, according to a report published by Amnesty International. This year’s UN child rights blacklist is expected to be released in August. The report by Save the Children and Watchlist urges the United Nations to include the Saudi-led coalition on the list, as well as the Islamic State, al-Shabaab, and Boko Haram.
Apart from Riyadh, the Saudi-led coalition is now comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan. Qatar was expelled last month amid a feud with other Gulf powers.
Don't whitewash Saudi crimes against Yemen's children
Saudi Arabia is accused of 'grave violations' against children in Yemen
The United Nations has been urged by charities not to whitewash a report on violations of children's human rights, by omitting any mention of deaths and suffering caused by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
The call by Save the Children and Watchlist follows the release of research that showed that the military coalition could have killed or maimed over 120 children in airstrikes last year.
A briefing released by both charities accused the alliance of "grave violations against children" during a series of 23 attacks last year. Each attack listed involved the bombing of a school or hospital, or the killing and maiming of children.
The warning comes ahead of the release of a report next month by the UN that will blacklist violators of children's rights.
"[Children] are facing threats from all sides, they've got the threat of airstrikes from above, which are continuous – just in the past few weeks we've seen [bombs] landing on marketplaces where civilians have been killed," Caroline Anning, senior adviser at Save the Children, was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
The UN's last report into violations against children named Saudi Arabia on the blacklist, only to be removed a few days later after pressure from Riyadh.
The report said that the Saudi-led alliance was accountable for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen in 2015 - a claim that Riyadh described as "wildly exaggerated".
Riyadh threatened to withdraw funding for the UN and urged its allies to do the same, causing the international body to backtrack on its report.
Save the Children say that the UN will set a dangerous precedent if it fails to blacklist the Saudi-led alliance in this year's report.
"[Children] are facing threats from all sides, they've got the threat of airstrikes from above, which are continuous – just in the past few weeks we've seen [bombs] landing on marketplaces where civilians have been killed," Caroline Anning, senior adviser at Save the Children, was quoted by The Guardian as saying.
The UN's last report into violations against children named Saudi Arabia on the blacklist, only to be removed a few days later after pressure from Riyadh.
The report said that the Saudi-led alliance was accountable for 60 percent of child deaths and injuries in Yemen in 2015 - a claim that Riyadh described as "wildly exaggerated".
Riyadh threatened to withdraw funding for the UN and urged its allies to do the same, causing the international body to backtrack on its report.
Save the Children say that the UN will set a dangerous precedent if it fails to blacklist the Saudi-led alliance in this year's report.
"If there is no accountability, if groups that are fighting think they can use their political influence - and if they're powerful enough and rich enough, then they can get away with killing and injuring children, or bombing schools and hospitals - it sets a really dangerous precedent not just for Yemen but for conflicts around the world," said Anning.
Human rights groups also say that by blacklisting the Saudi-led coalition, states will find it harder to sell arms to the oil-rich Gulf state.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015 in a bid to restore the authority of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
Human rights groups also say that by blacklisting the Saudi-led coalition, states will find it harder to sell arms to the oil-rich Gulf state.
Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen's civil war in March 2015 in a bid to restore the authority of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
The war has been in stalemate for much of the last two years, with more than 10,000 civilians killed and three million displaced.
Over 4,000 children have been killed or injured in the conflict.
Over 4,000 children have been killed or injured in the conflict.
The fighting has pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine, and a cholera outbreak in recent months has killed more than 1,700 people.
The West On Brink Of Failing In Afghanistan – OpEd
The US and NATO mission in Afghanistan was to eliminate the Al Qaeda terrorist network, dismantle the hardline Taliban, and ensure some important Western values such as democracy, women’s rights and women’s education in the country.
Sixteen years on, the country still is in turmoil. According to US intelligence reports about 20 terrorist groups including Al Qaeda, Taliban and ISIS are active in Afghanistan.
The Afghan forces are losing grounds to insurgents. Taliban fighters have reached the doorsteps of Kabul. The Afghan government is dysfunctional with all its three branches of power acting illegally and against the Afghan Constitution.
The international community’s financial and military efforts in Afghanistan will go into vain if it does not engage fully and impartially in resolving the current political dispute among different parties. The dissatisfaction of major players within the government can lead to a civil war and the collapse of political system, which will only pave the way for the Taliban and ISIS to gain more territory.
The current system of government—a coalition government—was not foreseen in the constitution, and is therefore in contrast with it. The base of this coalition government, as prescribed by the US Secretary of State John Kerry, is a political agreement between the two front runners in the 2014 presidential election run off – both of whom publicly accused each other of orchestrating massive fraud in the elections. The truth is that former Secretary Kerry destroyed the very democratic system of the government in which the US and other international community invested men and money.
Three years down the road from the establishment of the National Unity Government (NUG), the government has failed to fulfill any of the three major articles of the agreement: reforming the electoral system and the electoral commission, distributing the long awaited electronic or digital national ID cards and convening a grand assembly to amend the Constitution to legalize the position of the Chief Executive Officer.
Even putting these failures to one side, the government is three years into its five-year term yet still needs to appoint all its cabinet ministers. Eleven ministries, nearly 45 percent of Afghan cabinet, are run by acting ministers, seven of whom were given no confidence votes by the MPs last November for their failure in spending the development budgets in their ministries.
By law, those ministers should have been out of office within a couple of weeks, but the president ordered them all to continue in their positions to date. An order that is in complete contrast with the Afghan Constitution. The acting ministers’ limited authority has added to the already corrupt system and has slowed down the public services even more.
The president appeared in a press conference on 11 July 2017 and told reporters that he plans to introduce the new candidate ministers to the Afghan Parliament in the next six months.
The parliament, which in a real democratic government is a check on the executive branch, also lacks the legitimacy to stand against the president, because their paychecks are dependent on the president issued decree.
The parliamentary election is nearly three years overdue. The MPs sitting in House of Representatives are illegal and against the law, while the Senate is one-third short of its members because the district council election never took place in the past 16 years.
Putting the corruption aside, the judiciary system is incomplete with three judges in the Supreme Court yet to be appointed by the president.
A major turn back to democracy in the formation of National Unity Government (NUG) was the demolition of true political opposition. Since both front-runners running the government, there’s no real opposition to hold them accountable to the people.
The only opposition the government has is the civil society with its very limited resources. When the civil society raise the people’s voices through organizing demonstrations and public gatherings, the government suppress them in a completely totalitarian method.
Instead of taking measures to improve security, the government continued to cover up the shortcomings of the security officials, partly for ethnic and partisan biases. The government’s culture of impunity to officials made the security officials even more irresponsible and indifferent to the situation. While this foul approach encouraged the Taliban and ISIS to become even more proactive.
The oppositions became so courageous that they went inside a fortified military corps in relatively safe and secure province of Balkh in northern Afghanistan. Ten Taliban insurgents wearing the Afghan security forces uniform and using the Afghan defense ministry vehicle managed to enter the 209 Shaheen Military Corps and carry out an unprecedented attack where they killed more than 150 military personnel and wounded about 250 more.
The outburst of public frustration forced the government to take action. But to public surprise, the government disappointed them even more. After severe criticism of the public in mainstream and social media the Afghan Defense Minister and his Joints Chief of Staff appeared in a press conference and announced their resignations. But just two days after the announcement, the president appointed both men as Afghan ambassadors to Jordan and Kazakhstan.
Following a deadly blast in the heart of Kabul in May that according to Afghan media killed more than 230 and injured more than 800 others the people came to streets and demanded the resignation of security ministers. To disperse the protesters, the Afghan police opened fire on the protesters and killed six people. No government ministers were fired or brought to justice for failure in the job or incompetence.
The Afghan president, an economist with delusion, trusts a finger counted number of people in the government who are all Pashtoon—the same ethnic background as president Ghani. The president’s dictatorship approach and his way of bypassing all players except people in his close circle have created lots of political opponents, including the first vice-president.
Recently the top government players such as first Vice President General Abdul Rashi Dostum, the Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, the deputy to Afghan CEO Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and the Provincial Governor of Balkh Atta Mohammad Noor created a coalition in Turkey calling for reform in the government and inclusion of political players from other ethnic backgrounds in decision making processes. Upon return to the country governor Noor spoke among his supporters. Warning the Afghan government and the international community, governor Noor said that if the government doesn’t bring reform and if the international community continues to side with one group while ignoring all parties involved, he will seek and accept “any support, from anyone”.
The first vice-president who is in exile in Turkey, because of the accusation of abuse of authority and sexual harassment, wanted to come back to country, but his plane was not granted permission to land in the Afghan territory. His plane was forced to return back to Turkey. Afghans across the country worry that the vice-president will definitely show serious reaction.
The president still runs the office his way and the West continues to back him politically and financially. President Ghani measures success with obtaining funds from international community. Enjoying the unconditional backing international community, the US specifically, having no powerful political opposition, and having no legal parliament to impeach him, president Ghani has his luckiest days in office.
However, the recent statements by the UN, US and NATO high-ranking officials indicate that the West has come to a realization that it will fail in Afghanistan and will fail badly unless it changes course and takes some serious actions to resolve the matters soon.
In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on 21 June 2017, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto said, “Political fault-lines that emerged are increasingly along an ethnic basis, which is particularly worrying at a time when the Islamic State (Daesh) is attempting to provoke sectarian strife in the country through attacks against Shia Muslims.”
Expressing concerns over deteriorating political situation Mr. Yamamoto said, “I remain concerned, however, that without changes in governance practices we are likely to face future crises that might be more difficult to contain.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of defense ministerial meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted lack of success in Afghanistan. Emphasizing on the complexity of war in Afghanistan he said, “We don’t think this operation in Afghanistan is going to be easy and we don’t think its going to be peaceful … this year or next year or in the near future.” In contrast to the Afghan government’s approach for peace talk with the Taliban, he said, “As long as the Taliban believe they can win the war they will not negotiate. We need to break the stalemate and to enable the Afghans to make advances.”
NATO pledged more troops to Afghanistan and 15 nations have shown green light. It is said that NATO will deploy about 3000 more troops to Afghanistan. Currently NATO has 5000 men on the ground to train and support the Afghan troops under the organization’s Resolute Mission.
Unlike Obama administration officials who often boasted about winning in Afghanistan, the new US administration officials are careful with their words and analysis of the situation in Afghanistan. Learning from the imperfect and nearsighted policies of Obama administration, the Trump administration officials admit their defeat in Afghanistan, while promising a workable and thorough strategy for the Afghan war.
Testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee, the US Defense Secretary James Mattis said, “We’re not winning in Afghanistan right now and we will correct this as soon as possible.”
The US is currently considering sending around 3,900 troops to Afghanistan, which will bring the total number of American troops in the country to 12,400.
All in all, if approved the total number of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan could rise to 20,400. It is worth noting that at the height of war in Afghanistan US had more than 100,000 troops there.
While the US is focused on a military win in Afghanistan, the truth is that there won’t be any long lasting peace or security in country unless the international community gets involved thoroughly in the Afghan situation. Providing funding to corrupt officials with no or little oversight will do no good to Afghan citizens.
To win in Afghanistan, in addition to training the Afghan security forces, the international community must put pressure on Pakistan to close down the terrorist training camps inside Pakistan and to act honestly in targeting terrorists inside its territory. But perhaps most importantly, the international community needs to engage in stabilizing the country politically by listening to all Afghans, making sure that equal distribution of power takes place among all ethnic groups and by holding the government accountable to its citizens.
Pakistan - A corruption crisis rocks the most dangerous country in the world
Bruce Riedel
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is in deep political trouble arising from a corruption scandal over his family fortune. The 67-year-old Sharif is in his third term as prime minister, having served twice in the 1990s before a decade in exile in Saudi Arabia. He has struggled to keep the army under civilian control throughout and unsuccessfully sought to reduce tensions with India. Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world, where terrorists and nuclear weapons overlap.
CORRUPTION CONTROVERSY
The corruption scandal emerged more than a year ago, when the so-called Panama Papers were leaked from an offshore law firm in Panama. Investigators found that Sharif’s family had sizable amounts of money and assets in London, including four luxury flats that allegedly had been purchased with illegal proceeds. This week, a Joint Investigation Tribunal concluded that the family had assets far beyond their income and recommended the case to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Sharif’s daughter, Maryam, is accused of producing fraudulent documents as well, including one that allegedly uses a type font that was only available after the date on the document. His sons are also under a cloud of suspicion.
A key part of Sharif’s defense rests on the testimony of the former Qatari prime minister, Hamid bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani (HBJ). HBJ was a business partner of Sharif and has provided written evidence to corroborate Sharif’s claims about how he legitimately acquired the London properties. But the tribunal has rejected the Qatari’s letters.
Opposition parties and influential media outlets are now calling for Sharif to resign. So far the family is refusing, instead demanding their day in court. A decision could come soon. The prime minister’s term in office expires next year, but he can call for early elections.
ENTER THE ARMY?
The army is the most powerful institution in Pakistan and has a long history of removing prime ministers its leadership dislikes. Sharif has been in the army’s crosshairs since he accepted President Bill Clinton’s call for a unilateral cease fire during the 1999 Kargil war with India. When Sharif pulled back Pakistani troops in the ceasefire, he set the stage for the coup that ousted him months later and resulted in his exile to Saudi Arabia. He was able to return only after the 2007 collapse of General Pervez Musharraf’s dictatorship. His 2013 election was the first time in the country’s history that one elected government turned over power to another elected government.
There has been an uneasy accommodation between the army and Sharif.
In the last four years, there has been an uneasy accommodation between the army and Sharif. The generals have stayed on the sidelines in the Panama Papers scandal, although several of the members of the tribunal are army appointees. There is little doubt, however, that the army would like to see the civilian administration weakened and its old foe ousted.
Sharif’s fitful attempts to improve Pakistan’s troubled relations with India since the 1990s lie at the core of the army’s dislike for him. He has also sought to persuade the Afghan Taliban to negotiate with the government in Kabul, a stance that the army opposes as well. Sharif has kept Pakistan out of the Saudi war in Yemen for over two years, producing serious strains in Pakistan’s ties to Riyadh, and more recently he has been neutral in the Qatari dispute with the Kingdom.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
If Nawaz did step down, he could be replaced by his brother Shahbaz Sharif, who is currently the chief minister of Punjab—Pakistan’s most important province and the family’s power base. Shahbaz is a capable and experienced leader who would govern with continuity. He has so far largely escaped the taint of the scandal and he is popular among the ruling party. However, he would be inheriting an ongoing scandal and crisis.
Instability in Pakistan is dangerous for the United States and the world. Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear weapons program in the world, along with intermediate-range ballistic missiles, American supplied F16 jets, and efforts to develop tactical nuclear weapons. It is also home to numerous terrorist organizations, including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, the Haqqani network, and al-Qaida’s emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. It has been the target of dozens of terrorist attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The border with India is tense after a series of violent incidents. It is also China’s closest ally, and Sharif is responsible for negotiating an enormous $50 billion development deal with Beijing.
The Trump administration is still reviewing U.S. policy toward Pakistan. The president avoided a bilateral meeting with Sharif when they both were in Saudi Arabia in May, which has been interpreted in Islamabad as a signal of cooling ties. The corruption scandal is outside of Washington’s influence, but how it plays out will have significant consequences for South Asia and beyond.
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2017/07/13/a-corruption-crisis-rocks-the-most-dangerous-country-in-the-world/?utm_campaign=Brookings%20Brief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=54256802
Pakistan - ‘Sharif family made botched attempts to subvert judiciary’, says Bilawal
Inaugurating Drigh Road underpass, Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that he anticipates a ‘fair judgment’ by Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Panama Papers case, ARY News reported.
Speaking to party workers on the occasion, Bilawal said that the Sharif family has made several botched attempts to subvert the judiciary. “They have committed forgery and perjury besides corruption. I am hopeful for a verdict upholding justice,” he added.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan reserved its judgment in the Panama Papers implementation case with the bench observing that matters related to the prime minister’s disqualification would be evaluated.
The PPP is expected to announce its future course of action after the verdict of the Supreme Court.
He was accompanied by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Local Bodies Minister Jam Khan Shoro and Chairman District Council Salman Abdullah Murad.
The construction work of Drigh Road underpass took four months and completed with the total cost of Rs660 million.
Early today, Opposition Leader in the National Assemby, Khursheed Shah called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down by tonight and replace himself with a new prime minister from the party.
“We want Parliament to complete its tenure and resignation of the premier will be in the best interest of democracy,” remarked Shah.
Cautioning PM Sharif, he said that the premier should act smart and select a new premier to lead the country.
He conceded objections concerning Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar with regard to Panama Papers case and PM’s resignation as he said: “Despite my differences with Nisar, I see his objections justified over PM Sharif consulting with the junior members of his party and ignoring the senior leadership.”
Bilawal congratulates party leaders, workers for successful ‘Go Nawaz Go’ rallies
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appreciated and congratulated party leaders, workers and masses for taking to streets against corrupt ruling elite in Punjab and said that the successful Go Nawaz Go rallies have irked Takht-e-Raiwind and the PML-N-led provincial govt has started victimizing the PPP workers in the province.
In his press statement issued here, PPP Chairman said initiating fabricated cases against Jeyalas’ in Sahiwal particularly and in Punjab generally has proved that rulers are nervous, adding that such draconian tactics would not be successful as the Jeyalas have not learnt to bow down before the tyrants.
He condemned the Punjab government for filing trumped-up cases against more than 50 workers including Zaki Chaudhry and said that despite the cases being lodged against workers and supporters, the PPP would not stop sloganeering Go Nawaz Go unless the premier announces his resignation from the office.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appreciated the determination of Punjab’s workers and people and demanded immediate withdrawal of the trumped-up cases because holding peaceful demonstrations was a democratic and constitutional right of every citizen.
Pakistan - Birthday of former President Asif Ali Zardari celebrated
Member National Assembly and Central Leader Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma Faryal Talpur addressing the event of Birthday of former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari said that former President took every measure to fulfill the mission of founder of the Party Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Mohtarma Faryal Talpur said that during his tenure as President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari restored constitution in original form and hoisted the Pakistani flag in Swat valley. Asif Ali Zardari also gave identity to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistan-China Economic corridor was the vision of Asif Ali Zardari who wanted the fruit of this project to be distributed among people of every province including Gilgit-Baltistan. He provided provincial autonomy to all provinces and economic justice to provinces through NFC award.
Mohtarma Faryal Talpur said that record increase in salaries was given to government employees from 2008 to 2013 and Benazir Income Support Program is still financially helping poor women of this country. Workers of PPP are proud to have such a great leader, Ms. Talpur concluded.
The event was also attended by PPP Punjab General Secretary Nadeem Afzal Chan, Rana Farooq Saeed, Nargis Faiz Malik and a large number of Party workers.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2017/07/26/birthday-of-former-president-asif-ali-zardari-celebrated/