پاکستان خوشبخته دی چې د پښتونخوا ځوانان ټوپک نه اوچتوي: بلاول

د پاکستان زياترو سياسي ګوندونو د پاکستاني پوځ وياند اصف غفور لخوا پر پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ لګول شوي تورونه ناسم بللي. دوی وايي که له رياست سره د غورځنګ پرضد ثبوتونه وي نو په رسنيو کې پرې د خبرو کولو پرځای دې هغه عدالت ته وړاندې کړي.

د پيپلز پارټۍ مشر بلاول بوټو زرداري د اپرېل پر ۲۹ مه په اسلام اباد کې د پي ټي اېم په اړه د يوې پوښتنې په ځواب کې وويل، کومې ډلې چې د جمهوريت، بشري حقونو او د ریښتيا او پخلاينې کمېشن خبرې کوي نو زه د هغو خبرو ملاتړ کوم:

''دا ځوانان چې له قبايلي سيمو سره تعلق لري. نو څلوېښت کاله د ترهګرۍ برداشتولو او له پوځي عملياتو وروسته دا امکانات وو چې دا ځوانان د تشدد لور ته تللي وی خو پاکستان خوش قسمته دی چې د پښتونخوا ځوانان پر دغه لار نه دي روان او هغوی د جمهوريت، بشري حقونو او د ریښتيا او پخلاينې د کمېشن خبرې کوي. زه ويم چې له داسې ځوانانو سره بايد خبرې وشي او د پيپلز پارټۍ د مشر په حیث زه هم له دوی سره خبرو کولو ته تيار يم.''

همداراز څرګندونې د اپريل په ۳۰ مه د جماعت اسلامي يو مشر پروفیسر ابراهيم مشال رېډيو ته وکړې. د ده په خبره که د پوځ وياند وايي چې له پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ سره د هندوستان او افغانستان استخباراتي ادارې مرستې کوي نو پوځ دې د خبري غونډو کولو پرځای ثبوتونه عدالت ته وړاندې کړي او د ثبوتونو ثابتېدو په صورت کې دې د غورځنګ مشرانو ته سزا ورکړي:

''د پي ټي اېم خبرو سره اتفاق او اختلاف کېدای شي خو چې زموږ ادارو کوم کارونه کړي نو د هغو له وجې زموږ په سيمو کې خلکو ته ډېر تاوانونه اوړېدلې دي. اوس هم يوشمېر علاقې ويجاړې دي نو بايد چې د دې زمه واران په ډاګه کړل شي. هېڅوک د پوځ پرضد څوک نه شي راپارولی. زموږ اصله مسله هم دغه ده چې يوه اداره هم په خپلو اييني حدودو کې کار نه کوي. زموږ په عدالتونو کې اوس هم د لادرکه کسانو کېسونه روان دي او هرچا ته مالومه ده چې دا کسان له چا سره دي. که چرې دا مسلې حل شي نو نه به پي ټي اېم وي او نه به چا ته د پوځ خلاف د خبرو کولو ضرورت وي.''

د عوامي نېشنل ګوند يو مخکښ سردار حسېن بابک بيا تېره ورځ مشال رېډيو ته وويل چې د پوځ لخوا د د پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ سره موجوده چلند د رياست په ګټه نه دی:

''که ادارو باندې دغه خبرې بدې لګي نو د هغو وجه هم دا ده چې په دې عوامي،حکومتي او انتظامي چارو کې د دې ادارو څرګنده مداخلت دی. نو پکار ده چې دا ادارې د خپلو پاليسيو له سره کتنه وکړي. او که پر دوی تنقيد کيږي نو د هغو ځواب دې په حکومتي کچه ورکړل شي نه چې د ادارو په کچه.''

دا له هغو وروسته ده چې د پاکستان د پوځ وياند اصف غفور د اپريل په ۲۹ د پنډۍ په پوځي هېډکواټر کې د خبري غونډې پرمهال تور پورې کړ چې پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ ته د هندوستان او افغانستان استخباراتي ادارو لخوا مالي مرستې ورکړل شوي.خو د پښتون ژغورنې غورځنګ یوه مخکښ او پارلېماني غړي محسن داوړ د اپرېل پر ۲۹مه قامي اسمبلۍ ته په خپله وینا کې د پاکستاني پوځي ویاند تورونه رد کړل او ویې ویل چې په نړیواله کچه دې یو ازاد کمېشن جوړ کړل شي چې معلومه کړي دوی ته له کومه ځایه پیسې راځي، هرڅه به په ډاګه شي.

https://www.mashaalradio.com/a/29912943.html

#WorldLabourDay #LabourDay #Pakistan - #PPP will continue fighting for labourers’ rights: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday said that the labourers’ rights remain the cornerstone of his party’s democratic ideology, and that the Constitution of 1973 guarantees justified wages, personal security and equal rights.

In his message on the eve of Labour Day being commemorated today across the world, he pledged that the PPP would continue to fight for the labourers’ rights until the labour class “gets what the constitution has guaranteed” for them.

The PPP chairman saluted Pakistani labourers who laid down their lives for the rights of their class during the struggle for restoration and strengthening of democracy, which “is still continuing”. However, they have achieved certain targets during their struggle for the rights, mainly during the PPP governments, he added.

Bilawal said the working class of Pakistan was still being deprived of their due rights, while those denying them their just rights and privileges were also at work. “Hence, the incumbent government of Imran [Khan] Niazi and the collective interests of the working and labour classes of Pakistan stand poles apart from each other. The present Niazi government has deprived the poor and labourers of bread after the prices of the commodities and utility items rocketed during the past nine months of his misrule,” he pointed out.

He said that the flawed policies of the present government had almost buried the economy and such policies ruined the lives of the people across the board. “Amid these devastating situations, only the PPP is capable of creating a balance between the employers and the employees through fair and workable policies and programmes,” he added. Bilawal reminded that PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had in his time pioneered the labour policy and trade unions’ rights, and again it was the PPP government that introduced “Benazir Employees Stake Option Scheme” through which the employees benefitted from free shares in their respective company. It is also a major breakthrough that the PPP’s present provincial Sindh government has launched a tripartite labour policy, in which a mechanism has been devised to facilitate both sides – the employees and the employers. However, much is still needed to be done for the improvement in the policies to resolve all pending issues,” he said.

Bilawal urged the labourers and trade unions to join hands for the speedy resolution of the pending and other issues.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/386032/ppp-will-continue-fighting-for-labourers-rights-bilawal/

No meeting between Imran Khan & Putin in Beijing a major diplomatic failure

PM Imran Khan could only manage meeting the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali & the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, besides Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

In what is seen as a major diplomatic setback, Pakistan could not convince Russia for a bilateral meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of a high-profile meeting in Beijing, a media report said on Monday.

Other than his meetings with the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, Imran could only manage meeting the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali and the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon despite the fact that at least 37 heads of state and government attended the two-day Belt and Road Forum (BRF) that concluded on Sunday, The Express Tribune reported.

There was no immediate explanation from the government as to why more bilateral meetings could not be arranged between Khan and other world leaders, it said.

The Pakistan Foreign Office, in a statement ahead of Imran’s visit had said that he would not only attend the BRF but would also hold meetings with “several heads of state/governments and corporate and business leaders” on the sidelines of the summit hosted by President Xi.

On the sidelines of the BRF, Khan had separate meetings with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and the CEO of World Bank Kristalina Georgieva and discussed cash-strapped Pakistan’s efforts to tide over the financial woes with the help of the two global lenders.

“The biggest setback for Pakistan was its failure to arrange a meeting between President Putin and Prime Minister Imran,” the paper commented.

The BRF was one of the major international meetings the cricketer-turned-politician has attended after assuming charge as Prime Minister in August last year.

Quoting official sources, the report said the Pakistan government did request Russia for a meeting between the two leaders but it could not be materialised.

When contacted, Foreign Office Spokesperson Muhammad Faisal said he was not aware of any request from Pakistan for a meeting between Imran and Putin.

However, former diplomats were surprised at Pakistan’s inability to arrange more meetings of prime minister Khan with world leaders in Beijing.

“I cannot imagine our side could have missed seeking a bilateral with President Putin,” wondered former ambassador Abdul Basit.

“Perhaps, the latter’s tight schedule didn’t permit. I would not like to assume there were reasons other than that,” Basit, the former high commissioner of Pakistan to India, told the paper.

But another former diplomat, who wished not to be named, said this was a clear diplomatic failure of Pakistan.

The diplomat was of the view that a meeting between Putin and Imran at this juncture would have carried a huge significance even if it was just the optic.

The sense within the diplomatic community is that the Russian decision to stay away from the bilateral engagement could be linked to its cautious approach.

“Perhaps, Russia may not want to send a wrong message to India at this stage,” said one source referring to Moscow’s close ties with New Delhi.

Relations between Pakistan and Russia, especially the military-to-military ties, have seen steady improvement during the last few years with both the sides agreeing to bury their bitter past.

In 2016, after the Uri terror attack in Kashmir, New Delhi pushed Moscow to cancel first-ever joint military exercises with Pakistan. Russia, however, went ahead with the war games, the paper noted.

Against this backdrop, it was difficult to comprehend that why Putin-Khan meeting could not take place, said the diplomat. 

Mass Panic, Propaganda, And Mobs: How An Anti-Polio Drive Came To A Screeching Halt In Pakistan

Frud Bezhan

It started with rumors of children fainting or vomiting after they received a vaccination against the polio virus in a village in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Then clerics at local mosques in the region blared warnings through loudspeakers, ordering parents not to let health workers immunize their children against the deadly disease.

Meanwhile, anti-vaccination propaganda videos rapidly went viral on social media, with one claiming children had been "poisoned" by the drops.

Rumors originating from a suburb of the provincial capital, Peshawar, then claimed that children were dropping dead after receiving the vaccine.

As the rumors spread, thousands of panicked parents rushed their children by car, motorcycle, and foot to major hospitals in the city, forcing the stunned health facilities to declare emergencies.

Panic then turned into anger, with one mob burning down a local medical clinic in a Peshawar suburb.

The rumors turned out to be wildly exaggerated. Health officials said only several children out of the 25,000 rushed to hospitals were suffering from vomiting or stomach pain; there were no deaths.

The dramatic events of April 22 highlighted the major obstacles to eradicating polio in Pakistan, one of only three countries, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, that suffer from the disease, a childhood virus that can cause paralysis or death.

Authorities arrested members of the mob that burned down the clinic and detained those behind the propaganda videos. The health minister went on television in a plead to parents to convince them that the vaccines were safe.

But the damage was done. The mass panic halted the April 23-25 immunization drive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, dealing a fresh blow to ongoing efforts to finally eliminate the disease from the deeply religious and conservative South Asian nation.

Many residents of the poor, largely rural Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have long been suspicious of the vaccine, with conservative Islamic clerics and militants claiming it is a Western conspiracy to harm or sterilize children.

Meanwhile, on April 27, Pakistani health officials announced they had suspended the anti-polio drive across the entire country following the killings of a health worker and two policemen escorting vaccination teams.

'A Nightmare'

Riaz Khan was at work in Peshawar when he received a call from friends living in the Mashokhel suburb of the city.

"They said some children have died there after taking the vaccine," he said. "I got so scared for my children that I couldn't even think about the authenticity of the news."

The 35-year-old hurried home to his children, who had received the vaccination that day, and rushed them to the hospital. "At the hospital, the doctors told me that there was nothing wrong with my kids," Khan said.

Muhammad Asim, an official at the Lady Reading Hospital, one of three major health facilities in the city, described what he said was "a nightmare."

"For the last 15 years, we have been through many emergencies because of bomb blasts and terrorism-related casualties, but this was a nightmare," he said.

Asim said the 500-bed hospital was overwhelmed with around 5,000 children and their families in the first 12 hours after the rumors spread."They literally choked our system," he said, adding that the three major hospitals in Peshawar were flooded with more than 25,000 children within 24 hours.

"All our doctors and nurses were trying to assure the worried parents that nothing had happened to their kids," he said. "We put announcements by well-known doctors on social media to calm the people, but it was like no one was ready to hear or believe it. I personally asked hundreds of kids and they told me that they are feeling just normal."

'It Backfired'

Dr. Shabeer Ahmad, a coordinator of the anti-polio campaign at the provincial health department, said they had decided to add Vitamin A to the polio vaccine to help malnourished children.

He said if taken on an empty stomach, Vitamin A can cause vomiting or stomach pain.

Ahmad said this happened to a few children in Mashokhel, where he said angry parents set fire to a local health clinic that was administering the vaccines. Nobody was hurt in the blaze.

Bilawal Bhutto dominates a parliament which is missing both leader of house & the one heading opposition - A long journey ahead

ARIFA NOOR

IT is a small garden considering the address in Islamabad; in fact, the height of the boundary walls is more indicative of the inhabitants within. Alert men can be seen around every corner as one is led through a maze of doorways and entrances to the small lawn. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sits on the sparse garden furniture in the middle. Clad in a blue shalwar kameez, with his trademark unruly hair, he gets up and meets his visitors, smiling widely. Both the gesture of coming forward and the smile are unusual. The wide, unhesitant smile reminds one of his youth. It’s disarming and eager, hinting at an effort to reach out, to be liked — but whatever the reason, it is noticeable.

If it’s possible, the smile becomes wider still when his recent speeches in parliament are mentioned; it is a cause of celebration for his entire party, as they all seem to light up when Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s speeches or wit are mentioned.

Indeed, the young Zardari-Bhutto is the talk of the town these days, as he dominates a parliament which is missing both the leader of the house and the one heading the opposition. And as he enjoys being in the spotlight, there have been some informal interactions with the press.

The young politician has not just discovered his wit; he also appears to be informed on many political issues. He doesn’t hesitate.

Bilawal dominates a parliament that is missing the leaders of the house and opposition.

Asked why he is constantly attacking the government for a possible rollback of the 18th Amendment when the real assault has come from the courts, he is quick to acknowledge the latter’s role and can even cite the cases in detail, from the one on hospitals to the police.

He is equally unreserved with his reply when asked about Sindh’s refusal to give three per cent towards the former Fata’s integration. Saying that perhaps he has not been able to communicate his views effectively, he argues that 1pc agreed to earlier — for the burden that KP bore for the war against terrorism — is already there for the region. (In the seventh NFC award, 1pc had been set aside for the province because of the fight against militancy.) He argues that if a precedent is set by the provinces by parting with 3pc now, in the future more such deductions could be justified by declaring a national security emergency.

It seems as if he sees the demand for the 3pc as another effort to roll back the constitutional amendment.

But his answer doesn’t address the political aspects of the PPP government’s decision — that for many Sindh’s refusal to agree to the 3pc is simply acceptance that the PPP is no longer vying for non-Sindhi voters. Ziaur Rehman, a journalist who recently visited the former Fata region, had observed this during a chat with me earlier; he pointed out that the PPP, which had been the first to work on Fata reforms, now was being perceived as a party of Sindh. And this may be particularly relevant as elections are due in the conflict-hit area.Bhutto-Zardari’s tone is just as confident when the conversation turns to politics but the details are few. Punjab is obviously central to any discussion with him, as for many this is the greatest challenge the party faces. He concedes this frankly; in fact, he mentions more than once the paucity of candidates from Punjab in the past election. As to why the PPP lost the province, he once again turns to the 18th Amendment — the people in Punjab have been made to believe that the amendment served the province poorly, and this was to the party’s disadvantage.He doesn’t mention the governance record of the party or perceptions of the PPP’s corruption which are also seen to have played a large part in the virtual demise of the party for the voter in Punjab. But as someone pointed out later, no party head will ever admit to their mistakes in public.

Instead, Bhutto-Zardari speaks of the need to move forward from the progress the PPP made in the 2018 election. But the details of how he can do it are not divulged; whether he withheld them or hasn’t worked them out yet is unclear. He is just confident that he has the time as it is not something that can be done soon.

His voice becomes more confident, perhaps even more assertive when he turns to Sindh. It is his government, and his chief minister. The sense of ownership is hard to miss. He is proud of the difference his new chief minister has made, as he is of the young faces in cabinet. He claims it is the youngest cabinet in the country.

The fake accounts cases are ‘political’ for him and without any substance but they have prevented him from focusing on Sindh. If he and his party are constantly in crisis mode, how can he break from the past and forge a new path, he asks.

But does he feel the need to break with the past — including the past 10 years — in Sindh? Yes, he does. He says so assertively. While he doesn’t explain the need for this break from the immediate past, he is more forthcoming when discussing the larger challenges confronting the party. He agrees that the party needs a new message to stay relevant and adds that he is not his grandfather or his mother. But it seems as if he is still to decide on what this new message is. His speeches at rallies also point to this.

He doesn’t say so but it seems that he feels he has the time to find the message and much more. Perhaps he is right in that age is his weapon — but at the same time his challenges are not easy. For reviving a party while it enjoys power is not for the faint-hearted and neither will it depend solely on his acts and decisions.