Saturday, June 30, 2018

Arabic Music Video - Haifa Wehbe - Ana Haifa

PROTEST RALLIES HELD ACROSS PAKISTAN TO CONDEMN SAUDI WAR ON YEMEN

Rallies and demonstrations were held all over Pakistan on a call from Imamia Students Organization (ISO) in which people from all walks of life participated largely to condemn Saudi Arabia led war against poor people of Yemen.

The participants in these protest gatherings were carrying banners and placards against Saudi Arabia, the US and Zionist regime.
‘Stop killing innocent children in Yemen, ‘Stop Saudi war against Yemen’, ‘Down with US’, ‘Down with Zionist regime’, ‘Down with Al-e-Saud’ were written on the placards.
Protestors demanded international bodies and international community to take effective measures to stop Saudi attacks on Yemen.
Earlier Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi had strongly denounced recent Saudi-Emirati air strikes on civilian targets in various Yemeni cities which killed dozens of innocent Yemenis including children and women.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly and indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians in an attempt to restore power to fugitive president, Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Over 14,000 Yemenis, including thousands of women and children, have lost their lives in the deadly Saudi aggression.
http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/pakistan/item/34898-protest-rallies-held-across-pakistan-to-condemn-saudi-war-on-yemen

ISRAEL GIVES GO-AHEAD TO RAILWAY LINK WITH SAUDI ARABIA

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Israel Katz have agreed to promote a rail link with Saudi Arabia, Israeli media reports say.
Katz and Netanyahu agreed in a meeting this week on the details of the project which would link Haifa’s seaport to Jordan’s rail network and that of Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, the Times of Israel quoted Hadashot news as saying.
Netanyahu then instructed his office to begin advancing the plan in consultations with the US, European Union, and various countries in the Middle East and Asia, the report said.
The line will also include a stop in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, connecting Palestinians to the network.
According to a new PR video from Netanyahu and Katz’s offices, the project is expected to take a relatively short time due to the existing transportation infrastructure in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf Arab states.
“Beyond its contribution to Israel’s economy … the initiative will connect Israel economically and politically to the region and will consolidate the pragmatic camp in the region,” Katz explained when discussing the plan back in April.
Dennis Weiss, a political pundit on Israel's channel 2, said the administration of US President Donald Trump supports the project which comes amid reports of warming ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Katz has said that he has spoken with the leaders of the relevant countries regarding the initiative, but there is no indication that any of them have agreed to its application.
In March, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to Air India flights to and from the Israeli-occupied territories.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, but their relations have been rapidly growing over the past months, according to reports.
The regime in Riyadh has even drawn up a roadmap to normalize ties with Israel and go public about their long secret cooperation.
Netanyahu recently described Israel's relations with the Arab world as at their “best ever.”
On Friday, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Netanyahu had held secret meetings in Amman.
Jacky Hugi, the political analyst of the newspaper, said, “A close friend told me about the incident, claiming that there were direct contacts between the two parties, both Saudi and Israeli, under the auspices of King Abdullah of Jordan.”

http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/saudi-arab/item/34828-israel-gives-go-ahead-to-railway-link-with-saudi-arabia

BIN SALMAN, NETANYAHU MET SECRETLY IN AMMAN: REPORT

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have held secret meetings in Amman, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported Friday.
The two leaders met at the Royal Palace in the Jordanian capital on the sidelines of a visit to Amman by White House special adviser Jared Kushner and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt.
Citing an informed source, the report said bin Salman's meetings with Netanyahu took place both with and without the presence of Jordan’s King Abdullah.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have no diplomatic relations, but they are widely believed to have secret liaisons. Latest reports say the two regimes are working behind the scenes to establish formal relations.
Kushner and Greenblatt are on a regional tour to discuss Washington's so-called peace plan with officials in the occupied territories, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar.
As part of the tour, US President Donald Trump's envoys met with bin Salman on Wednesday.
The two sides discussed "increasing cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia, the need to facilitate humanitarian relief to Gaza, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to facilitate peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," a White House statement read.
The meeting came one day after the envoys spoke about similar topics with the Jordanian king in Amman. Separately, Netanyahu met with King Abdullah in Amman on Monday.
Riyadh has been supporting the US initiative purported to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Saudi crown prince recently sparked controversy by telling the Palestinians that they should either accept peace proposals or "shut up."
“It’s about time that the Palestinians accept the offers, and agree to come to the negotiating table — or they should shut up and stop complaining," Israel's Channel 10 news quoted Salman as saying during a trip to New York in March.
http://www.shiitenews.org/index.php/saudi-arab/item/34806-bin-salman-netanyahu-met-secretly-in-amman-report

#YEMEN: THE FORGOTTEN WAR - #SaudiArabia Committing War Crime in Yemen

The Amnesty International has accused the Saudi-led coalition of committing war crimes by blocking the delivery of food, fuel and aid during its aggression on Hudaydah in Yemen’s western coast.
More than eight million people in Yemen are at risk of starvation and aid groups fear the battle for Hudaydah, which imports most of the aid and commercial supplies shipped in to Yemen, could have widespread and fatal consequences.
The Saudi-led coalition has imposed a blockade on Yemeni ports controlled by the Yemeni army and popular committees. The blockade has played a significant role in the collapse of the health system and exacerbated suffering that Amnesty International said could “constitute a war crime”.
“Millions of lives are at risk in Yemen because food, fuel and medical supplies are being deliberately delayed on entry to the war-torn country by the Saudi-led coalition,” Amnesty International said.
In a 22-page report, the Amnesty shows how the Saudi-led coalition has imposed excessive restrictions on the entry of essential goods and aid.
“The Saudi-led coalition must end hampering the commercial imports of essential goods destined for Yemen’s Red Sea ports and allow the reopening of Sana’a airport to commercial flights. States providing the coalition with support, in particular the USA, United Kingdom and France, should pressure them to do so,” Lynn Maalouf, the Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said.
“This man-made humanitarian crisis cannot be ignored any longer. The world must stop looking the other way while the life is slowly suffocated out of Yemen,” Maalouf added.
“By delaying the delivery of vital supplies such as fuel and medicine to the country, the Saudi-led coalition is abusing its powers to cruelly inflict additional hardship on the most vulnerable civilians in Yemen.”
“Blockades that cause substantial, disproportionate harm to civilians are prohibited under international law,” Maalouf stressed.
http://ifpnews.com/exclusive/saudi-arabia-committing-war-crime-in-yemen-amnesty-intl/

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#PPP will kickstart its election campaign from Sunday. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will visit different places in his Lyari constituency



The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will kickstart its election campaign from Sunday. Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will visit different places in his Lyari constituency.
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari went to the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi to pay homage to the sufi saint today. Mr Bhutto-Zardari then condoled with the family in Lyari who had lost six members in an unfortunate incident a few days ago. Chairman PPP also inaugurated his main campaign office in Lyari. Speaking to party workers, he said he is looking forward to representing the people of Lyari. “I will be directly working with the people to resolve their problems just like my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She struggled for the rights of the people of this country and I will continue her mission”, said Chairman Bilawal.
Later, he visited the shrine of Dhulley Shah Sabzwari in Lyari. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a regular visitor of the same shrine. It was an emotional moment for the PPP Chairman to see a tree that was planted by his late mother, which has now bloomed into a full-grown tree.
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will start campaigning in the rest of the Sindh province from Monday (July 2). After Sindh, he will campaign in South Punjab and then the rest of the country. Chairman PPP will be greeting his supporters all over the country during the PPP’s election campaign.

https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/ppp-will-kickstart-its-election-campaign-from-sunday-chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-will-visit-different-places-in-his-lyari-constituency/

#Pakistan - #PPP - Those who thrived on corruption now lecturing others, Bilawal slams Imran

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Saturday criticised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan saying that those thriving on corruption are now preaching others against it.
Imran earlier alleged that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari took the value of one dollar to Rs125 from Rs60 over the past 10 years.
Bilawal said that when the PTI ticket sale scandal will emerge then Imran will "go into hiding."
“Those who ended Ihtesab Bureau in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are speaking about corruption,” he said.
“Up till now Nawaz was defaming politics but now Imran Niazi has taken up this task.”
The PPP chairman also kick-started his party's election campaign from Karachi on Saturday.
He visited Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine after which he went to Lyari, from where he would be contesting the forthcoming election, and inaugurated his party's election office in the town. 
Speaking to party workers, Bilawal said that he is looking forward to representing the people of Lyari and working with them. 
“I will be directly working with the people to resolve their problems just like my mother, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She struggled for the rights of the people of this country and I will continue her mission”, he said.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will start campaigning in the rest of Sindh province from Monday. 
After Sindh, he will lead the party's campaign in southern Punjab and then across the country.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/201408-those-thriving-on-corruption-lecturing-others-bilawal-to-imran

#Pakistan - Bilawal asks caretakers to halt attempts to jack up PoL prices


Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has criticized the caretaker government’s move to increase PoL prices and asked it to desist from any such decision.
In statement on Saturday, the PPP chairman expressed concerns over the reports that caretaker government was initiating attempts to hike the PoL prices and advised it to concentrate on ensuring free and fair elections instead of putting more economic burden on the masses.
He asked the caretaker government to immediately halt the moves aimed at increasing the petrol prices.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/335686-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-asks-caretakers-to-halt-attempts-to-jack-up-pol-prices

#PTI - IMRAN NIAZI - Ignorance is bliss


CAN you create a naya or new Pakistan if your mind is rooted in the past? Despite the fact that Imran Khan is, apparently, well educated, his thinking does not reflect the changes that have taken place in his lifetime. “Intelligence,” as Stephen Hawking once remarked, “is the ability to adapt to change.”
Take, for instance, the firestorm he caused recently with his misogynist remarks by saying in a TV interview that he ‘disagreed with Western feminism’, and that it caused a ‘degeneration of motherhood’. He was ignorant of the fact that the Suffragette movement led to women finally getting the right to vote. And he was blissfully unaware that it was feminists who fought for, and obtained, basic rights like paid leave from jobs to have babies.
Much progressive, pro-women legislation around the world has been passed as a result of the pressure exerted by determined and organised women’s organisations. Khan is clearly oblivious of the incredible effort that goes into child-bearing and then the care that mothers everywhere lavish on their children. To declare that any feminist loves her kids less because of her activism is a calumny.
Why does Imran Khan want to be elected to parliament?
But let’s move on. In a recent interview on BBC’s HARDtalk, Khan expressed his admiration for the jirga system prevalent in the tribal areas, and imposed by the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan. According to him, it consisted of a jury that handed out quick justice, and could serve as a model for the rest of Pakistan.
Really? These stone-age, so-called juries include no women, and have no knowledge of the law, nor recourse to modern investigative methods. They have often ordered young women to be handed over to aggrieved parties as punishment for the crimes their fathers are supposed to have committed. Granted that our judiciary is totally dysfunctional and currently has almost two million pending cases. But the way forward is surely to reform the existing system rather than impose a backward institution.
Recently, Imran Khan pledged to create 10m jobs over the next five years if he was elected prime minister. I know politicians lie to voters before an election, but surely this is a whopper too big to overlook. In the event, his promise was overtaken by Asif Zardari who declared that, if voted into power, he would create a government job for every Pakistani family that did not currently have a member who was a state employee.
Again, really? And who will pay for this artificial growth in employment? Let me remind the two leaders of a Club of Rome study in the 1970s that estimated the cost of creating a single industrial job to be around $20,000 over 40 years ago. Let’s double the cost now, and it works out to $400 billion. Try running that past the IMF.
And if Khan, like Zardari, is talking about recruiting millions into an already bloated bureaucracy, the public exchequer doesn’t have that kind of money. Even if he manages to raise tax revenue and reduce corruption, this will hardly pay for this populist gesture. His party didn’t succeed in creating many jobs in KP over these last five years. Agricultural land is being fragmented, and the large farms are rapidly mechanising.
In the absence of coherent manifestoes that spell out the costs of programmes, I suppose it’s easy to throw around any figure that will make a good sound bite on TV. This does not mean it will make good policy. Thus far, Khan’s rise has been largely media-driven, and his personal charisma has certainly helped. People are desperate for change, but to make irresponsible and impossible pled­ges erodes the PTI leader’s credibility.
But as he said recently, he is willing to do anything to prevent a PML-N victory in next month’s elections. ‘Anything’ apparently includes issuing tickets to the so-called electables who have flocked to his flag, seeing him as the establishment’s candidate. And if this upsets his many supporters, well, too bad.
Over 10 years ago, Khan wrote an article in which he dismissed Darwin’s theory of evolution as ‘half-baked’. I took issue with him in a column and asked how he was qualified to reject a complex scientific explanation for the slow, gradual evolution of life on our planet. Over the last 150 years, a mountain of evidence has been painstakingly collected by thousands of scientists around the world in support of Darwin’s pioneering work. To simply dismiss it as ‘half-baked’ reveals either ignorance or a lack of humility, or both.
As I watch Khan’s single-minded march towards the Prime Minister’s House, I wonder why he wants to be elected to parliament in the first place. His attendance record was the poorest in the National Assembly over the last five years. And he sent 100,000 curses on that body not long ago. Surely he wouldn’t want to be elected to a parliament he clearly despises.

#Pakistan - OP-ED - Keep banned terror outfits away from elections



By Ailia Zehra

Participation of ASWJ members in the upcoming general elections is not only a blatant violation of the Constitution and NAP, but also puts the general public's security at risk.

Three years ago, after the Army Public School (APS) attack, Pakistan’s civil and military leadership vowed to ‘avenge’ the blood of innocent Pakistanis by taking concrete steps aimed at elimination of terrorism and extremism. Regret was expressed about the flawed policies of the past and promises were made to carry out non-discriminatory action against terrorists and their apologists. It was announced that the policy of distinguishing between terrorists on their status as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ would be put to rest. A comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP) detailing steps needed to eliminate terrorism was unanimously agreed upon by the civil and military leadership. As the nation mourned the blood of innocent schoolchildren, while remembering countless other victims, a new road-map for fighting the menace of terrorism was chalked out with a resolve to implement it in letter and spirit.
Three years later, not only have the promises of adopting a zero tolerance policy against terrorism been forgotten, but terrorist organisations are also being given an open field to operate in what seems to be a bid to ‘mainstream’ them. Banned terror outfits continue to enjoy impunity, despite Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to escape Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklisting.
On Wednesday, head of banned sectarian organisation Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Ahmed Ludhianvi was taken off Fourth Schedule of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). His assets were unfrozen and travel restrictions removed. What is even more shocking is that the development came the same day Pakistan announced a 26-point plan against financing of terrorist groups in order to avoid FATF blacklisting. Some news reports suggested that the ban on ASWJ has also been lifted, but Punjab caretaker interior minister has denied removal of the ban on the proscribed outfit. Nevertheless, giving relief to a known criminal weeks before elections indicates that the deep state is up to no good.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) recently finalised the list of candidates cleared to contest the general elections. It is concerning that among those who have been given a clean chit are extremist elements associated with the banned ASWJ. These candidates are contesting from a new platform called Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party to avoid being questioned about the ‘banned’ status of their outfit. But the ECP does not find it problematic that members of banned outfits are eyeing seats in National and Provincial Assemblies using a different name for their actual groups. That our electoral system has failed to track such blatant dishonesty says a lot about how ‘free’ and ‘fair’ the upcoming elections will be. It also goes to show that action against individuals with terror and extremist links is not a priority for those responsible to oversee and conduct the general elections. One of the points of the NAP states that banned outfits “will not be allowed to operate with a different name”. Yet these outfits are not only operating with new names, but are also aspiring to reach the Parliament.
A sectarian terror organisation, ASWJ is included in the list of proscribed organisations formed by National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). ASWJ can be described as the political wing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), an anti-Shia militant organisation that has claimed responsibility for several small and large-scale attacks across the country, mainly targeting the Shia community. The LeJ also recently pledged allegiance to global terror group Islamic State (IS) and the two groups have jointly carried out a number of bombings in the past few years. LeJ has mainly been involved in attacks on Shia community across the country for decades, but recently the anti-Shia militant group seemed to have expanded its operations to target non-Shias as well.
In October 2016, a police academy in Quetta came under attack, killing 61 young cadets. LeJ claimed responsibility for the attack. In a separate attack on the lawyers fraternity in Quetta that took place in August 2016, over 70 lawyers lost their lives. Both LeJ and IS had claimed responsibility for the incident. This year, in addition to continuing its actions against the persecuted Shia-Hazaras of Quetta, the group targeted another vulnerable religious minority. The Christian community of Quetta fell victim to a bombing incident at a local church in April. 15 members of the community were killed and LeJ accepted responsibility once again. Hazara-Shias of Quetta have been on the receiving end of targeted killing and mass bombings from LeJ for far too long (and their plight remains under-reported), but now Christians in the city also live under constant threat and many have claimed that they are being forced out of the city.
Among those cleared by ECP to contest the elections are extremist elements associated with banned terrorist organisations. These candidates are contesting from a new platform to avoid being questioned about their ‘banned’ status
ASWJ’s relation with LeJ is hardly a secret, but it is still pertinent to mention, for those unaware of the issue at hand, that ASWJ leaders have supported and justified the actions of LeJ and other terror groups on multiple occasions.
The same ASWJ has fielded its candidates for various National and Provincial Assembly seats across the country from a new platform. And instead of doing its job – ECP made a mockery of the Constitution as well as NAP – by allowing terror suspects and criminals to contest the elections.
ASWJ Sindh leader Aurangzeb Farooqi who has indulged in hate speech against the Shia community and called for their public murder several times was also cleared by the ECP. In 2016, Farooqi was named in an FIR registered after the murder of Karachi-based Shia activist Khurram Zaki, but Farooqi did not declare this information while filing his nomination papers. Some members of the civil society in Karachi approached Election Tribunal, challenging the nomination papers of Farooqi and drew the attention of the authorities towards the fact that the candidate did not disclose his criminal history by concealing the FIR. But the Election Tribunal on Monday dismissed the request on grounds that concealing information does not merit a disqualification.
The tribunal’s verdict is yet another reminder of the impunity enjoyed by sectarian terrorists.
Meanwhile, another Election Tribunal in Islamabad has disqualified former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for ‘withholding information’ in his nomination papers. It is bizarre that candidates are being disqualified for petty reasons while extremists like Ahmed Ludhianvi and Aurangzeb Farooqi remain untouchable despite misleading the ECP.
While the ECP and election tribunals have disqualified politicians for hiding dual nationalities, submitting fake documents and unpaid dues among other misdoings, individuals involved in terrorism – which is a much bigger crime – have been given a free hand. It appears as if the law does not apply to them.
Moreover, most members of the ASWJ aka Rah-e-Haq Party including Aurangzeb Farooqi whose nomination papers have been accepted by the ECP are listed on the Fourth Schedule. Individuals whose names are placed on the Fourth Schedule (a watch-list of the Anti-Terrorism Act) are barred from visiting public places or addressing public meetings without obtaining written permission from the local police. Their movement is restricted due to suspected involvement in terrorism, incitement to violence and they are considered a security threat by the state. It is the failure of the country’s electoral system that such people were allowed to submit nomination papers in the first place.
Participation of banned terror outfits’ members in the general elections is not only the violation of Constitution and National Action Plan, but also puts the security of the general public at risk. It is therefore imperative for the authorities to wake up and act before it’s too late.

#Pakistan - The election blues




Afrasiab Khattak
The much talked about democratic transition that was supposed to have started with the general elections in 2008 and continued through the general elections of 2013 has for all practical purposes died down. The so called soft creeping coup which was conceived by the deep state and midwifed by judiciary during the last few years has not only culminated in full fledged authoritarian control but has also acquired some hard dimensions as the polling day of the elections 2018 draws closer. Democratic freedoms have come under growing squeeze and freedom of expression has received the main brunt of the fascist type strangulation. Tv channels are put off the air and distribution of newspapers is blocked by using brute force as long as the concerned media groups aren’t ready to toe the line of authoritarian circles. Political engineering for achieving “ positive results “ in the forthcoming elections is in full swing. PML ( N) is at the receiving end of every types of manipulation. From judicial onslaught to weaponised religion and psychological warfare, every trick in the trade is being used to break the vote bank of the party. Lot of pressure is coming on the so called electable candidates to leave the party for joining the PTI (by now notorious for being the new king’s party). Those who do not oblige the movers and shakers of the deep state by remaining loyal to their party are effortlessly disqualified by NAB and judiciary. Accountability is becoming a farce while large scale pre election rigging is turning the electoral process into a mere selection by the deep state. If this post election rigging isn’t immediately stopped the process would have zero credibility.
The scariest thing in the latest political scenario is the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan for sourcing out of electoral process to security institutions. According to the recent decisions by ECP, army personnel will be responsible for secure transfer of ballot papers from the printing press to ECP. Similarly they will also be there to ensure the safe delivery of the aforementioned material to polling stations and collecting it back. In the past army personnel were deployed along side police and other civilian armed forces out side the sensitive polling stations. But this time round the army personnel will also be deployed inside polling stations. This development gives rise to two questions. One, Constitution was amended and laws were framed in recent years to strengthen ECP for holding free and fair elections. But under what law, rule or procedure ECP is sourcing out its functions to security institutions and does it not kill the very purpose of electoral reforms and strengthening of ECP? Two, from Zia-ul-Haq’s quest for positive results to Parvez Musharraf’s public confession about wheeling and dealing with political leaders on number of seats which were to be “ given” to them prove the role of security institutions in rigging the elections. If the past experience is anything to go by the sourcing out of coming election to security institutions will increase the possibility of rigging.
Interestingly, while level playing field is denied to the “undesirable “ political elements in general and PML ( N) in particular, doors are being opened for proscribed organisations and suspected terrorists to participate in the forthcoming elections. When ECP refused to allot election symbol to the Milli Muslim League ( a new name for JUD) , the outfit managed to remain in field for contesting elections by adopting a new identity. Just on the very day when the news about Pakistan making it to the grey-list under FATF emerged from Europe, Pakistan decided to unfreeze the assets of a previously proscribed organisation ASWJ and allowed it to take part in elections. This is certainly not a good news for both the fight against terrorism and future of democracy. The most disappointing thing about present situation is the passive attitude of most of the political parties towards dwindling democratic freedoms. They are completely silent over latent attacks on media freedoms and political engineering for crushing of PML (N). Some of political leaders are silenced by the NAB files while others are promised a share in the future power pie. But they don’t realise that there can’t be a democratic system without democratic freedoms. As the recently held Senate election has demonstrated the deep state would ultimately prefer non political stooges ( in partisan sense) over even the most pliable political parties. If the political parties don’t overcome their political feuds to join hands for defending democratic freedoms , they will not only soon find themselves suffocated in an undeclared martial law but they wouldn’t be left with enough credibility to launch a movement for the restoration of democracy in the near future.
In the meanwhile all the major decisions on foreign policy, economy and national security don’t have even any semblance of civilian footprint. Pakistan is drifting into the middle eastern quagmire despite Parliament previous resolution against it and “ good Taliban “ have no problem in flourishing inside Pakistan. The country’s isolation is intensifying as the relationship with western powers is worsening and as China is teaming up with India for promoting regional connectivity and economic cooperation. One wonders how will the future civilian government be different in lack of power and control from the previous political government or the present care taker government?
The only silver lining in the otherwise bleak situation is the growing resistance in Punjab to the growing shadow of authoritarianism. The people of Punjab owe a sustained and determined struggle to history as they had not actively and systematically participated in the national liberation struggle against colonial rule in 20th century. Their struggle can attract support and solidarity from all other oppressed people of the other regions if the Punjabi political leadership broadens the charter of their demands to include the aspirations of all the disempowered segments of society. Political parties should go for mass mobilisation in coming weeks for not just winning seats in elections but also for defeating authoritarian onslaught.

#Pakistan - EDITORIAL - #PPP’s human rights’ agenda




The PPP appears to have rediscovered its mojo. Not only is it the first party to have released its manifesto — it has, for all intents and purposes, returned to its socialist roots. Indeed, there is a little something there for everyone. At least in terms of avowals.
The title itself is a reminder of the sacrifices that the PPP has made for democracy’s sake: “BB ka wada nibhana hai Pakistan bachana hai” (We have to fulfil BB’s promise and save Pakistan). In short, the country must be liberated from the clutches of the fear of hunger, thirst and helplessness. Indeed, in a nod to escalating inflation, the new and improved slogan has been updated from the traditional “bread, clothing and shelter” to include “education, health and jobs for everyone”.
Yet the point is that these are all issues currently facing Pakistan; indeed, much of the world, both in the industrialised north as well as here in the Global South. Moreover, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari belongs to a new generation that knows it must appear as inclusive as possible to woo over the youth vote that Imran Khan has long claimed to have in the bag. Thus the PPP manifesto is careful to define the phrase “all our people” as “men, women and transgender people” and “people of all faiths, ethnicities, provinces and regions”.
In essence, what is being showcased is a public pledge to position human rights centre stage by prioritising: prevention of the misuse of the blasphemy law; reviewing and reforming the definition of terrorism under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997; protection of journalists and human rights defenders; protection of transgender and transgender identity; protection against religious discrimination in the education system; and criminalising enforced disappearances.
While this looks good on paper, all bets are still off as to whether this is enough to secure a PPP victory beyond Sindh. Many pundits have already ruled out the PPP securing the Punjab. On the grounds that the battle there is being fought between the PTI and the PMLN; with certain mainstreamed extremist groups being promoted to further undercut the Sharifs’ traditional vote-bank. Indeed, the PPP has already lost a number of electables to Khan’s party; with disgruntled PTI workers jumping ship to run as independents rather than taking a chance on the Bhutto dynasty. The latter’s hope therefore rests in presenting a third way; a real and viable alternative to the political conservatism of the Punjab. And this is exactly what the PPP has tried to come up with in the form of its progressive agenda. Yet it may not be enough.
In reality, it is hard to judge a party mandate on merit alone. For the nature of the political beast is such that a comparative prism is always required. Thus it is hoped that the incoming regime will do the needful in terms of setting a date whereby all manifestos will be published on the very same day: ideally, a good three months before polls. After all, in the absence of informed debate lie mere sound bites. The Pakistani people deserve better.

Friday, June 29, 2018

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Pakistan Pulls Sunni Extremist From Terror Watch List



Madeeha Anwar
Pakistan's government has lifted a ban on extremist religious leader Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, at a time when the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed the country on its terror watch list for its alleged failure to curb terror financing.
Ludhianvi, known to be a staunch Sunni Islamist, is the leader of Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), a radical sectarian outfit that is accused of orchestrating several deadly attacks against minority Shiites in Pakistan over the past two decades.
Some experts in Pakistan believe the decision will undermine the state's counterterrorism regulations and its narrative that the country is targeting militant groups, along with their money-laundering and terror-financing efforts.
"We've just been placed on FATF's gray list and this decision would further complicate the situation," Rasul Baksh Raees, a Lahore-based political analyst, told VOA. "Two days ago, Pakistan presented a 26 point anti-terror-financing strategy in front of the FATF countries. Who will take it seriously if people like Ludhianvi are set free?"
​Retaliation? While viewing the move as "irrational," Raees dismissed the notion that Ludhianvi's freedom is some sort of retaliation against the FATF's decision.
"The country has a caretaker government setup and cannot afford to take any such rash and foolish measures," Raees added.
Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, the head of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the announcement of setting Ludhianvi free has placed a question mark on the integrity of the caretaker government.
"The decision could be a result of any political pressure. I'm still unable to comprehend why would the caretaker provincial government set free the ASWJ leader, a group that has established terror ties," Mehboob said. According to Pakistani laws, with his name cleared, Ludhianvi can run in the upcoming general elections and will have access to his previously frozen financial assets. He also can freely travel within and outside the country.
Punjab recommendation
Speaking to VOA, provincial government officials have downplayed the lifting of the ban on Ludhianvi.
"It is a routine matter for the provincial home department to revisit names on the terror list and remove those who are acting according to the law," Shaukat Javed, Punjab's provincial interior minister, told VOA.
"Ahmed Ludhianvi's name was taken out of the watch list after a close review of his case by the provincial government," Javed added.
Hasan Askari Rizvi, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab province, told Reuters the decision was made by the federal government. The "Punjab government is implementing decisions of [the] election commission and the federal government in this regard," Rizvi said. Raees is among the experts saying the decision is a "sheer mistake that should be corrected" and "it doesn't matter whether the decision was taken by the federal government, Punjab government or NACTA."
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat
ASWJ is a sectarian Sunni militant group established in Punjab province in 1985 to counter the Shiite Islam in the country. It was previously known as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP).

Financial Action Task Force puts Pakistan on grey list

By Ramananda Sengupta
Sources said despite Pakistan's desperate attempts to avert or at least delay the listing, the financial watchdog believed that Pakistan had failed to curb terror financing on its soil. In a major political and economic blow, Pakistan was placed on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) late on Wednesday after a plenary meeting in Paris, according to diplomatic sources. The FATF however, is yet to make a formal announcement.
Sources said despite Pakistan's desperate attempts to avert or at least delay the listing, the financial watchdog believed that Pakistan had failed to curb terror financing on its soil.
In February, after a US proposal endorsed by Britain, France and Germany, to nominate Pakistan as a country having “strategic deficiencies” in “countering financing of terrorism,” the 37-nation Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body that combats terrorist financing and money laundering, had placed Pakistan on a watchlist of countries where terrorist outfits are still allowed to raise funds. Islamabad was given till June to get its act together and submit a report explaining why it should not be placed on the grey list.
The proposal was initially opposed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and China, but China later withdrew its opposition, saying it did not want to “lose face by supporting a move that’s doomed to fail,” the Dawn quoted official sources as saying.
“Assuming the listing is true, it is hardly surprising,” said a senior Indian official. “What is surprising is that Pakistan was not moved to the black list, of Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories, given that its so-called actions against terror financing are pure hogwash,” he said. “Just the other day, the government removed a ban on the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, earlier known as Sipah-e-Sahaba, a proscribed extremist group, and unfroze the accounts assets of its leader Ahmed Ludhianvi. Which means he can legally continue to raise funds for his outfit, which has close ties with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. ”
“If indeed Pakistan is sincerely trying to curb terrorist financing as it claims, then who is financing the terrorists that operate in Afghanistan, and the LeT and other assorted scum that are openly targeting India?” asked another official.
If Pakistan is officially put on the grey list, it will impact it’s economy badly, and that too at a time when the nation is gearing up for the elections slated for July 25. Even before the FATF meeting, international credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded Pakistan’s rating from stable to negative June 20, citing “heightened external vulnerability risks.”
http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2018/jun/28/financial-action-task-force-puts-pakistan-on-grey-list-1835126.html

#Pakistan: Ensure Ahmadi Muslim's Voting Rights







Repeal Discriminatory Laws Against Religious Community.
The Pakistani government should immediately act to allow the full and equal participation of members of the Ahmadiyya religious community in the general elections scheduled for July 25, 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should drop discriminatory provisions in the electoral law that effectively exclude Ahmadis because of their religious beliefs.
The Ahmadiyya community regards Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of their sect, as a prophet, a claim that the dominant Muslim faiths and Pakistani law reject. To register as voters, Ahmadis must either renounce their faith or agree to be placed in a separate electoral list and accept their status as “non-Muslim.” Self-identification as Muslims, however, is the cornerstone of Ahmadiyya religious belief, and thus they end up not voting at all.
“The elections in Pakistan can’t be ‘free and fair’ if an entire community is effectively excluded from the electoral process,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Religious disagreements cannot justify denying people their right to vote.”

The choice is between practically renouncing our faith or vote. This is not a real choice. 

Omer, an Ahmadi activist in Rabwah


Anti-Ahmadiyya violence has intensified in the past year, exemplified by the government’s pandering to groups using inflammatory language against the Ahmadis and seeking to exclude them from the political process. Human Rights Watch interviewed 13 members of the Ahmadi community to discuss entrenched problems in their participation in elections. Elections held in 1985 under the military dictatorship of President Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq reversed universal voting rights and introduced a system of separate electorates that required non-Muslims to register as a separate category and vote for non-Muslim candidates. To vote, the Ahmadis had to register as non-Muslims. Since then, Ahmadis have in practice been denied the right to vote in local, provincial, and national elections.
In 2002, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf abolished the separate electorate system and restored the original joint electorate scheme with one major amendment. Through an executive order, he created a separate category for Ahmadis. Executive Order No. 15 states that elections for the members of the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies shall be held on the basis of a joint electorate, but the “status of Ahmadis [was] to remain unchanged.” As a result, Pakistani citizens have been moved to a single electoral list, leaving only Ahmadis on a “non-Muslim” list. The new Election Act 2017 retains the provisions regarding the status of the Ahmadis. If anyone raises an objection against a particular voter identifying them as non-Muslim, the election commission can summon the person and ask that they declare they are not Ahmadi or be put on a supplementary special voter list.
“The choice is between practically renouncing our faith or vote,” said an Ahmadi activist. “This is not a real choice. It would have been better had the government outright banned Ahmadis from voting since then they would rightly receive international criticism for doing that.”
In addition to being denied suffrage, the Ahmadiyya community has faced deadly violence by militant Islamist groups. The separate list of all registered Ahmadi voters with contact information places them at greater risk of targeted attacks. In recent years, hundreds of Ahmadis have been injured and killed in bombings and other attacks by militants.
The government effectively legalizes and even encourages persecution of the Ahmadiyya community. The penal code explicitly discriminates against religious minorities and targets Ahmadis in particular by prohibiting them from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim.” Ahmadis are prohibited from declaring or propagating their faith publicly, building mosques, or making the call for Muslim prayer. Pakistan’s “Blasphemy Law,” as section 295-C of the Penal Code is known, makes the death penalty mandatory for blasphemy. Under this law, the Ahmadi belief in the prophethood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is considered blasphemous insofar as it “defiles the name of Prophet Muhammad.”
“This is a vicious cycle,” said an Ahmadi businessman. “We are persecuted and discriminated by laws which ensure that we don’t get a voice in the parliament, and since we don’t have a voice, there is nothing that we can do to have these laws changed.” The authorities continue to arrest, jail, and charge Ahmadis for blasphemy and other offenses because of their religious beliefs. In several instances, the police have been complicit in harassment and filing of false charges against Ahmadis, or stood by in the face of anti-Ahmadi violence.
Pakistani laws against the Ahmadiyya community violate Pakistan’s international legal obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including the rights to freedom of conscience, religion, expression, and association; to profess and practice their own religion; and to vote and be elected at genuine periodic elections. Pakistan ratified the ICCPR in 2010. The government of Pakistan should also investigate and prosecute as appropriate intimidation, threats, and violence against the Ahmadiyya community by militant Islamist groups.
“The Pakistani government’s continued use of discriminatory laws against Ahmadis and other religious minorities is indefensible,” Adams said. “As long as such laws remain on the books, the Pakistani government will be seen as a persecutor of minorities and an enabler of abuses.”
Persecution of the Ahmadiyya Community in Pakistan The Ahmadiyya community has long been persecuted in Pakistan. Since 1953, when the first post-independence anti-Ahmadiyya riots broke out, the relatively small number of Ahmadis in Pakistan have lived under threat. The community boycotts the census but estimates that there are approximately four million Ahmadis in Pakistan out of a total population of 220 million.
Between 1953 and 1973, this persecution was sporadic, but in 1974 a new wave of anti-Ahmadi disturbances spread across Pakistan. In response, Pakistan’s parliament, instead of acting to protect the community, introduced constitutional amendments that defined the term “Muslim” in the Pakistani context and listed groups that were deemed to be non-Muslim under Pakistani law. The amendment, which went into effect on September 6, 1974, explicitly deprived Ahmadis of their identity as Muslims.
In 1984, Pakistan amended its penal code, giving legal status to five ordinances that explicitly targeted religious minorities, including a law against blasphemy; a law punishing defiling the Quran; a prohibition against insulting the wives, family, or companions of the Prophet of Islam; and two laws specifically restricting the activities of Ahmadis. On April 26, 1984, General Zia-ul-Haq issued these last two laws as part of Martial Law Ordinance XX, which amended Pakistan’s Penal Code, sections 298-B and 298-C.
Ordinance XX undercut the activities of religious minorities generally, but struck at Ahmadis in particular by prohibiting them from “indirectly or directly posing as a Muslim.” Ahmadis thus could no longer profess their faith, either orally or in writing. Pakistani police destroyed Ahmadi translations of and commentaries on the Quran. They banned Ahmadi publications, as well as using any Islamic terminology on Ahmadi wedding invitations, offering Ahmadi funeral prayers, or displaying the Kalima – the statement that “there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is Allah’s prophet,” the principal creed of Muslims – on Ahmadi gravestones. In addition, Ordinance XX prohibited Ahmadis from declaring their faith publicly, propagating their faith, building mosques, or making the call for Muslim prayer. In effect, virtually any public act of worship or devotion by an Ahmadi could be treated as a criminal offense.
With the passage of the Criminal Law Act of 1986, parliament added section 295-C to the Pakistan Penal Code. The “Blasphemy Law,” as it came to be known, made the death penalty mandatory for blasphemy. General Zia-ul-Haq and his military government institutionalized the persecution of Ahmadis as well as other minorities in Pakistan with section 295-C. The Ahmadi belief in the prophethood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was considered blasphemous because it “defiled the name of Prophet Muhammad,” meaning that Ahmadis can be sentenced to death for simply professing their faith. Though the numbers vary from year to year, Ahmadis have been charged every year under the Blasphemy Law.
In October 2017, after parliament changed the language of the oath for incoming members by replacing the words “I solemnly swear” with “I believe” in a proclamation of Muhammad as the religion’s last prophet, hardline Islamist groups held protests in the federal capital, Islamabad. They viewed the change to be “blasphemous” and to be extending a concession to Ahmadi beliefs. The government blamed a “clerical” error for the change and quickly restored the earlier wording.
Ahmadis also face legal barriers in obtaining government identification and travel documents. Pakistani law requires citizens to declare their religion when applying for a Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) or passport. Every person who declares themselves a Muslim when applying for a passport has to sign a declaration titled “Declaration in the Case of Muslims” that states, “I consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani to be an imposter nabi and also consider his followers … to be Non-Muslims.” The identification card application process requires a similar declaration. The requirement effectively mandates Ahmadis to renounce a tenet of their faith to obtain basic travel documents. One consequence of the passport declaration has been to bar Ahmadis from performing the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage that Ahmadis believe to be a religious duty.
Selected Personal Accounts
Human Rights Watch spoke to 13 members of the Ahmadiyya community from June 18 to 23, 2018, regarding exclusion from the electoral process, obstacles to obtaining travel and identification, and other discrimination. All interviews were conducted in Lahore. Selected accounts are below. All names have been changed to protect the people quoted.
Exclusion from the Electoral Process
Raza, 35, an Ahmadi lawyer: Since 2002 there is a patently unjust situation where there are two electoral lists, one for the Ahmadis and the other for everyone else living in Pakistan. An Ahmadi can only vote if he acknowledges that he is a non-Muslim, and that violates the very basic tenet of an Ahmadi’s faith. Omer, an activist working in the town of Rabwah, the largest residential settlement of Ahmadis in Pakistan: The choice is between practically renouncing our faith or vote. This is not a real choice. It would have been better had the government outright banned Ahmadis from voting since then they would rightly receive international criticism for doing that. Whereas now, the government tries to represent at international forums as if the Ahmadiyya community “boycotts” elections, which is not true. We want to vote, just not at the cost of our freedom of conscience.
Ramiz, 70, community elder residing in Lahore:
The exclusion from the elections has a devastating effect since we are left without a voice in the parliament, leaving the field open for those who want to demonize the Ahmadiyya community. It is similar to what happens in Pakistani media, where no Ahmadi spokesperson is invited and a bunch of clerics first [wrongly] explain what our faith is and then demolish it.
Mansoor, a businessman based in Lahore:
There is not one election poster in the town of Rabwah [which has a 95 percent Ahmadi population]. Political parties do not even bother campaigning and asking for our vote. This is a vicious cycle – we are persecuted and discriminated by laws which ensure that we don’t get a voice in the parliament, and since we don’t have a voice there is nothing that we can do to have these laws changed.
Passport and National Identification Card
Mahmood, a 65-year-old retired teacher, on being barred from making the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj to Saudi Arabia:
I cannot put down “Islam” as my religion on the passport since then I will have to sign a statement which declares my faith as a fraud. I consider myself a devout Muslim. However, I have no choice but to admit that I am a non-Muslim. This is awful since I have always wanted to go for the Hajj pilgrimage but “non-Muslims” are not allowed.
Bashir, a banker based in Lahore:
The National Database and Registration Authority [NADRA] officials sometimes don’t even ask the religion or sect and simply assume it to be Muslim and put that down. This happened to my daughter. She has not had it changed to “Ahmadi” since then somebody might make an accusation of apostasy on her.
Asma, currently living in the United States, spoke about the difficulty of having his religion changed from “Islam” to “Ahmadi” on the CNIC:
My national identification card had “Islam” as my religion for the past many years, and I attempted to rectify the error four years ago. The NADRA official refused and said that this will make him complicit in “apostasy.” He shouted at me and told me that I will burn in hell for this, while I pleaded with him that it was a clerical error. I finally had it changed after paying bribe money to an official.

#Pakistan - OP-ED - A hung parliament would be disastrous




Talimand Khan
Twisting arms to shape the election results for a hung parliament and government will only create deep internal chasms, causing instability and isolation from the international community.

The uncertainty regarding the post-election scenario is gradually replacing the uncertainty of whether elections are even going to be held on time or not. Despite the appointment of the caretaker governments, fears persisted for some time about the fate of the elections.
Such fears are the direct outcome of four years of non-stop intrigues and political engineering to hamstring the elected dispensation and, if possible, overthrow it to disrupt the continuity of the democratic process. The role of certain vital state institutions, particularly the higher judiciary since the Panama issue, further compounded these fears.
These covert machinations, some under the cover of ultra-judicial activism, did not bear the desired fruits and are bound to create frustration and anger. Thus, the forthcoming July 25, 2018 elections are turning into a do or die situation for each side. It would be appropriate to hypothesise as to whether this political engineering will continue unabashedly during polling and after the elections.
Among many other instances, the arrest of Qamarul Islam Raja by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) soon after the granting of ticket to him by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to contest against Chaudhry Nisar from NA-59 and PP-10, Rawalpindi, has been interpreted as pre-poll rigging by the beleaguered party.
In the presence of access to multiple sources of information, the prevailing social and political environment has opened a window of opportunity for informed debates on basic human, constitutional, and economic rights. The ECP’s partiality and the ultra vires judicial activism are under severe criticism through those same multiple sources of information, facilitating political education that has the potential to sharpen and shape an alternate political discourse.
The recent social and political dynamics have torn asunder conundrums to challenge the hitherto unchallengeable precepts. Pakistani society is awakening from a long slumber and passiveness to confront traditional immunities and privileges.
A classic example is the PTM’s questioning of the extra-constitutional status and acts of powerful state institutions undermining the concept of citizenry. This new social and political phenomenon not only found acceptability across the board, but also established a precedent of demanding accountability of each state institution.
No longer should the voter be seen as a flock to be shepherded in a specific direction or to be kept tied with personality cult. Two recent precedents, both reported in the South Punjab, a region traditionally in grip of feudalism and Sajada Nasheens (successors to spiritual persons), allude to the beginning of the end of blind following.
Two video clips went viral on social media that calibrate the emerging trend of public accountability by the voters. Confronting the powerful candidates during election campaign might not have happened for the first time, but certainly the uniqueness of the incident is made public through the alternate media.
In one video a voter publicly questioned Sardar Jamal Laghari during his election campaign in DG Khan about his previous performance as representative of the constituency. The second clip showed a group of youths questioning Sikandar Bosan in Multan, not only about what he delivered as a member of the Federal Cabinet and Parliament but also faced embarrassment when the group called him a turncoat. Mr Bosan, who remained part of PML-N’s government till its last day, switched to PTI to contest the forthcoming election on its ticket, which created an uproar among PTI workers and aspirants.
Imran gambled by inducting wholesale electables in the hope of increasing his prospects of ascending to the coveted office of premiership. Imran is bulldozing and imposing his decisions on the charged workers whose imagination of transparency, inter and intra party democratic norms and good governance were fired by him for two decades.
Gone are the days when the geese layed golden eggs. The security establishment is gradually losing its levers to capitalise on its rental and transactional relations. In this changed scenario, only a genuinely elected dispensation would be well placed to negotiate Pakistan’s case abroad
Today these workers are being forced to accept what they were brain washed against. Such blatant political opportunism and clashing of vested interests of PTI’s stalwarts like Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Jehangir Tareen are testing the limits of the party. The sit-ins in front of Imran’s Banigala residence have seriously fractured the party’s position as a serious contender to dislodge the PML-N in the Punjab. Currently, with polling just a month away, if not all, a revolt like situation exists in the majority constituencies.
The PTI’s internal situation and Imran’s rigid position on electables indicate that he is no longer capitalising on his party’s organisational strength, political program or principles and loyalty factors. This is clear negation of his past claims of struggling for these values. Perhaps, he is relying heavily only on the ability of political engineering, promises and assurance by the power to be.
However, the ground realities as mentioned above are different from the past. The political machinations and engineering are not going without public notice which has stirred counter narratives and resistance. Moreover, in the present international and regional scenario, the naked interference in the political process by the establishment further increased the political and economic cost for Pakistan.
As many commentators have predicted, the establishment prefers a hung parliament. If a coalition government is formed, it can ensure its hold on the policy levers of the state. But what will be the cost for Pakistan when the situation, particularly the internal, regional and international, requires a strong Parliament for crucial political consensus (a cobbled together coalition under the king’s party is not synonymous of consensus) to steer the country out of a mounting storm?
Politically and economically, the state paid a heavy price — particularly after the Panama debacle — due to the imposed political uncertainty. The economic indicators already show a downward trend not helped by the ominously looming FATF sword. In these circumstances, a weak coalition government cobbled together through political engineering receiving policy dictates from somewhere else instead of the Parliament will be unable to face the incoming challenges.
Gone are the days when the geese were laying golden eggs. The security establishment is gradually losing its levers to capitalise on its rental and transactional relations in the western capitals. Currently, they only dial Rawalpindi for delivery according to the previous contracts. In this changed scenario, only a genuinely elected dispensation would be well placed to negotiate Pakistan’s case, particularly when it comes to the economy.
Twisting arms to shape the election results for a plaint parliament and government will only create deep internal chasms, causing instability and isolation from the international community that will compound the crises we face.