Wednesday, May 22, 2019
#میں_بھی_افغان_ہوں #FarishtaMohmand #Farishta: Outrage over #Pakistan child murder
The family of a 10-year-old Pakistani girl who was abducted and murdered have said they were ignored by police when they tried to report her missing.
They say police told them the child might have eloped, and they were made to carry out errands for officers
Farishta vanished in Islamabad on 15 May and a body believed to be hers was found on 20 May.
Police are investigating if she was raped and tortured, and protests are being held to demand justice.
The individual police officers involved deny wrongdoing.
Hundreds protested in central Islamabad on Tuesday calling for justice.
The case has been compared to the rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab Ansari in January 2018 - which sparked outrage and protests across the country. Calls for action are being made on social media, under the hashtag #JusticeFor Farishta.
What do the family say?
"The police didn't help us at all," Farishta's father Ghulam Nabi told the BBC at Tuesday's protest, which blocked a major intersection. "They would ask me to clean their office, to move their furniture, and to go get fruit for their Iftar [fast-breaking] dinner from the market.
"I was so distressed during those [four] days that I couldn't tell night from day."
n Wednesday, a case was formally registered against several police officials, alleging negligence. The chief of Shahzad Town police station, Muhammad Abbas Rana, has been suspended.
But he defended his and his officers' conduct, saying they had pursued the case and interviewed the family and neighbours on 16 May. He said the family were responsible for the delays in registering the case and that they did not follow it up properly. He denied they had been made to clean the police station.
Separately three people have been arrested in connection with Farishta's disappearance, Dawn newspaper reports.
A formal investigation was only launched on Sunday after a politician raised the case with the inspector general of Islamabad police.
The mutilated body of Farishta was found the following evening, triggering complaints that her life could have been saved had the police acted promptly.
Mr Nabi said that Mr Abbas Rana had initially refused to register a case - known as an FIR - telling him that his daughter might have "eloped with someone of her own free will". Mr Rana denied this.
Farishta went missing on Wednesday 15 May after she went out to play in the eastern Islamabad neighbourhood where her family lives. She did not return as expected when the evening call for prayer began at the local mosque - signalling the breaking of the daily fast.
At that time, families gather for a meal known as Iftar - and Farishta's absence triggered a panic.
After scouring the neighbourhood and checking with friends, her family went to the police to file a missing person report.
On Monday evening, their worst fears were realised when Farishta's body was found. After being told that the doctor meant to conduct the autopsy was on leave - and so it would be delayed - the family decided to stage a sit-in at the hospital.
They were joined by leaders and activists from the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), a group which advocates for the rights of Pakistan's minority Pashtun community, to which Farishta's family belongs.
They come from Mohmand, in north-west Pakistan, and are among tens of thousands of families displaced by Pakistan's war on terror in that region.
"The dead body lying in this coffin is not just mine but everybody's daughter," said Mr Nabi.
Iran gas pipeline deal with Pakistan hampered by US sanctions
Pakistan has backed out of a joint gas pipeline deal with Iran due to the threat of US sanctions. Pakistan could face a heavy financial penalty, as it promised to complete the project in a bilateral agreement with Iran.
Plans to complete a pipeline delivering Iranian gas to Pakistan stalled after Pakistan's energy ministry said last week that it could not continue with the project as long as Tehran was subject to US sanctions.
The pipeline agreement was first signed by Iran and Pakistan in 1995, and the US has repeatedly opposed the deal.
Iran completed its section of the pipeline in 2011, and reportedly offered Pakistan $500 million (€448 million) to help with construction. The estimated total cost of the pipeline is $7 billion (€6.2 billion).
The deal was originally conceived to deliver Iranian gas to India via Pakistan, but New Delhi withdrew from the agreement because of security issues and high costs.
Pakistan had singed an agreement to construct its section of the pipeline by the end of 2014. Under the conditions of the agreement, Pakistan could be subject to billions of dollars in penalties if it abandons the project.
Pakistan's energy politics
Pakistan has stepped up its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, and has also been importing LNG from the US since 2017. At the end of 2018, more than 40% of Pakistan's power demand was met by LNG.
Omid Shokri Kalehsar, a Washington-based energy security analyst, told DW that Pakistan was planning to diversify its energy supply while investing in renewable energy.
"If Pakistan can attract foreign capital to build its infrastructure in the energy sector, it will not be easy to realize the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project," he said. "US sanctions are another factor that forces Pakistan to find a better alternative to Iran."
According to Kalshsar, increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has spurred Saudi Arabia to try and reduce Iran's role in providing regional energy security.
Additionally, during his visit to Pakistan in February, Saudi King Salman proposed various energy projects, suggesting that Saudi Arabia could replace Iran as Pakistan's energy provider — at least in the short term.
Tehran threatens legal action
In February, Iran sent a formal letter to Pakistan and said that it was going to seek legal recourse if Pakistan backed out of the pipeline deal.
Pakistan reportedly asked Iran to reconsider, and said it was seeking funds to construct the pipeline, but had failed to find international support due to US sanctions on Iran.
Despite dropping out of the gas deal, Islamabad has been working to strengthen ties with Tehran. In April, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Tehran and met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss boosting bilateral economic development.
However, Peter Frankopan, professor of global history at Oxford University, told DW that the pipeline deal would have been problematic even without US sanctions for "cost, security and strategic" reasons.
A 'dead' project
Tehran is desperately seeking allies after renewed sanctions from Washington. Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif visited New Delhi, shortly after India decided to follow US restrictions on buying Iranian oil.
Although Iran has massive natural gas reserves, sanctions, political tension and technology deficits prevent the country from taking full advantage of its gas resources.
Iran currently exports 36.24 million cubic meters of gas every day. And although Tehran has announced plans to increase gas exports, its current share in the global natural gas market is less than 1%.
"This project appears to be dead in the water," Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, told DW.
"Tensions between India and Pakistan, resistance from Pakistan's Saudi ally, and the US sanctions regime on Iran are also formidable obstacles and preclude any forward movement."
Fatemeh Aman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a US international affairs think tank, told DW that Pakistan lacks both the funds and the will to complete the pipeline, and it does not want to spoil relations with its allies.
"Pakistan's economic situation is much worse than when the project started," said Aman, adding that the pipeline would have had an enormous impact on the geopolitics of the region.
"Any multinational economic project, especially in the volatile South Asia region, could benefit the entire region and enhance its security," she said. "However, considering the current standoff between Iran and the US, along with the opposition of Iran's neighboring Arab states to this pipeline project, it seems that the project will not survive."
د ماشومې فرشتې د حيا پر لوټلو او وژلو د خواشينۍ ځانګړی پيغام #میں_بھی_افغان_ہوں
له هغې ورځې چې د لوی افغانستان جغرافيه په وجود نيمه شوې ده، له هماغه ورځې بیا تر ننه په لروبر کې د ناخوالو، وژنو شاهدان پاتې شوي يوو.
تر کله به زموږ په محکوم افغانستان کې زموږ پر حيا، ناموس او عزت ته د پنجابي تور لاسونه اوږديږي او د هرې ورځې په تېرېدو سره دغه جرايم پورته ځي او موږ پر دې يقيني يوو، چې پنجاب د پې، ټې، ايم په وجود کې د خپلې جغرافيې د ماتېدو حقيقي تصوير ويني.
په جنوبي او شمالي وزیرستان سربېره چې هلته پنجابي فوځ او ترهګرو وحشتونه کړي دي، ټول خبر يوو، خو دا چې اوس زموږ ولس د خپل حالت د بدلون او پنجابي عذاب څخه د خلاصون غږ پورته کړی دی، نو پنجابي اسټبلشمنټ، استخباراتي او فوځي ادارې د پښتون افغان د وژلو او پر ناموس يې د داغ لګولو هڅې زياتې شوې دي.
وړوکي لس کلنه پرښته چې پنجابي پوځ له ځان سره وړې وه، ډله ييز جنسي تېری کړی او بیا يې په شهادت رسولې ده، پنجابي پوځ زموږ په مال، سر او ناموس باندې هيڅ لاس نه نيسي، بلکې زموږ د تيت او پرک کولو لپاره له هرې حربې کار اخلي.
پنجاب دې حقيقت ته رسېدلی دی، چې نور يې په محکومه خاوره د اشغال او استبداد لړۍ خاتمه مومي او پښتون افغان له سره ژوند پيلوي.
موږ ډېر درېدلي يوو، د زېبا مومند د عزت لوټلو په هڅه کې پنجابی پوځي مردار شو، د خیسورې د حیات خان او اوس بیا د وړه فرښته مومند باندې جنسي تېری او مرګ د دوی د وحشت ښکاره بېلګې دي.
دې ملت د يووالي اراده لري، د خپل پت، عزت او سر خونديتوب د پنجاب په بربادۍ او ورکه کې ګوري، پنجاب به د خپلو ټولو وحشتونو پور پرې کوي.
په درنښت
جميل وقار
تر کله به زموږ په محکوم افغانستان کې زموږ پر حيا، ناموس او عزت ته د پنجابي تور لاسونه اوږديږي او د هرې ورځې په تېرېدو سره دغه جرايم پورته ځي او موږ پر دې يقيني يوو، چې پنجاب د پې، ټې، ايم په وجود کې د خپلې جغرافيې د ماتېدو حقيقي تصوير ويني.
په جنوبي او شمالي وزیرستان سربېره چې هلته پنجابي فوځ او ترهګرو وحشتونه کړي دي، ټول خبر يوو، خو دا چې اوس زموږ ولس د خپل حالت د بدلون او پنجابي عذاب څخه د خلاصون غږ پورته کړی دی، نو پنجابي اسټبلشمنټ، استخباراتي او فوځي ادارې د پښتون افغان د وژلو او پر ناموس يې د داغ لګولو هڅې زياتې شوې دي.
وړوکي لس کلنه پرښته چې پنجابي پوځ له ځان سره وړې وه، ډله ييز جنسي تېری کړی او بیا يې په شهادت رسولې ده، پنجابي پوځ زموږ په مال، سر او ناموس باندې هيڅ لاس نه نيسي، بلکې زموږ د تيت او پرک کولو لپاره له هرې حربې کار اخلي.
پنجاب دې حقيقت ته رسېدلی دی، چې نور يې په محکومه خاوره د اشغال او استبداد لړۍ خاتمه مومي او پښتون افغان له سره ژوند پيلوي.
موږ ډېر درېدلي يوو، د زېبا مومند د عزت لوټلو په هڅه کې پنجابی پوځي مردار شو، د خیسورې د حیات خان او اوس بیا د وړه فرښته مومند باندې جنسي تېری او مرګ د دوی د وحشت ښکاره بېلګې دي.
دې ملت د يووالي اراده لري، د خپل پت، عزت او سر خونديتوب د پنجاب په بربادۍ او ورکه کې ګوري، پنجاب به د خپلو ټولو وحشتونو پور پرې کوي.
په درنښت
جميل وقار
د لوی افغانستان تحريک ریس
پاکستان امریکی ڈالر سے جان چھڑا بھی سکتا ہے یا نہیں
12 مئی 2019 کو پاکستانی حکومت کے عالمی مالیاتی ادارے (آئی ایم ایف) کے ساتھ چھ ارب ڈالر قرض کے معاہدے پر اتفاقِ رائے ہوا تو اُس وقت ملک میں ایک ڈالر کے مقابلے میں روپے کی قدر 141 روپے تھی۔