Pakistan Army’s Atrocities in Balochistan - Free #Balochistan Movement condemns abduction of Baloch professor

 The head of the Information Department of the Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) in a statement strongly condemned the abduction of Prof. Dr. Liaquat Sani, Nizam Baloch and Shabir Shahwani by Pakistani state officials from the Mastung area of ​​Balochistan yesterday.

The FBM statement added that the kidnappers released Shabir Shahwani and Nizam Baloch three hours after insulting the Baloch teachers and torturing them in various ways, while Professor Dr. Liaqat Sani is still in their custody.

“We call on Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the rest of the civilised world to fulfil their international obligations by immediately putting pressure on the state of Pakistan to release all missing Baloch, including Professor Liaquat Sani.”

The atrocities and barbarism of the Pakistani army and its intelligence agencies in Balochistan have made it impossible for thousands of peaceful political activists to be to move freely in Balochistan. However, dozens of armed men in vehicles not only roam free but also abducted people and easily shift them from one place to the other in presence of military checkpoints without any state impediment, it is in itself proof that the state is directly involved in the enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

Such conditions have forced thousands of political activists to leave everything behind and migrate to other countries and live in political exile in Europe, the United States and the Gulf states.

We call on the international media to expose the atrocities perpetrated on the Baloch people by the rogue terrorist state of Pakistan, including the kidnapping of professors of higher education institutions in Balochistan, and to present the voice of truth to the world and play their part in saving this region from further destruction.

In its party policy statement the FBM said, it wants to bring to the notice of the Baloch nation and the world that the Baloch nation has been suffering from all kinds of atrocities and subjugation of these two occupying and terrorist states Iran and Pakistan from day one. Today, because of Iran and Pakistan, the global peace and security of the region, including the Middle East, Afghanistan and India, is in grave danger.

It should be made clear to the world Balochistan has been the ancestral land Baloch nation for thousands of years but Baloch people are living a life of slavery due to the illegal occupation of Pakistan and Iran and longing for peace, tranquillity and prosperity.

The Baloch enemy states continue to create difficulties for Baloch in walks of life including quality education for the new generation of Baloch, basic human needs, unavailability of health facilities, political, social, cultural and economic subjugation.

Pakistan and its intelligence agencies are systematically pursuing the abduction of peaceful and unarmed political activists and as a collective punishment throughout society to counter the Baloch national liberation movement.

The international media is dependent on the Pakistani state-controlled media, which is why they have so far failed to expose these heinous crimes of the Pakistani state to the world, and that is why the state of Pakistan continuously targets the oppressed Baloch, Pashtun and Sindhi nations.

In the past such atrocities, the inhuman and degrading tactic of Pakistan went unnoticed and unchecked which the Pakistani state considered a success as a counter-insurgency policy. Today, however, the tireless efforts of the social media activists of the oppressed and occupied nations and the public awareness have exposed the past heinous crimes and criminal acts of the state which has led Pakistan to resort to such abductions against Baloch people. It is now trying to employ new tactics in an attempt to deceive the world to cover up its state’s war crimes.

https://balochwarna.com/2020/11/29/free-balochistan-movement-condemns-abduction-of-baloch-professor/

Bilawal Zardari demands an immediate recovery of Prof Liaquat Sunni

By Mehreen Saqib

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned the enforced disappearance of Professor Liaquat Sunni.

Baaghi TV: Bilawal Zardari strongly condemns the disappearance of Professor Liaquat Sunni of Balochistan University and demanded his immediate recovery.

In a statement issued, the PPP Chairman said that the reported incident of kidnapping of three professors of the University of Balochistan was a highly condemnable act and appears to be aimed at further alienating the people of the province.
Liaquat Shahwani, the provincial spokesperson, said three professors of the Balochistan University Professor Shabbir Shahwani, Professor Nizam and Professor Liaquat Sunni were going to Khuzdar to review the arrangements for BA exams when they went missing in Mastung.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Professor Liaquat Sunni should be recovered and his freedom restored without any delay.
https://en.baaghitv.com/bilawal-zardari-demands-an-immediate-recovery-of-prof-liaquat-sunni/

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari greets the Sikh community in Pakistan and the world over on the eve of 551st birthday anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

 Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has extended greetings to the Sikh community living in Pakistan as well as the world over on the eve of 551st birthday anniversary Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

In a message, the PPP Chairman said that Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached peace and harmony among humanity through promoting human equality, brotherhood and cohesive society.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Pakistan hosts very important religious and spiritual pilgrim places adding that the unanimously-passed Constitution of the country guarantees equal rights to all its citizens including the Sikh community.


https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24134/

President Asif Ali Zardari’s message on 53rd Founding Day of the PPP


Former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliament, Asif Ali Zardari on the 53rd Founding Day of the PPP has said that there will never be a compromise on the rule of people and the supremacy of Parliament.

Former President Zardari in a message to the party workers said that the time has come to achieve the rule of the people and supremacy of the parliament. The struggle has started and we will achieve this goal. The PPP is steadfast of the ideology of the founder of PPP, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and our great leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto offered supreme sacrifice for these ideals. The PPP workers also offered great sacrifices in this struggle.

President Zardari said that PPP will continue to resist the effort to impose anti-people ideology on Pakistan and its people. The PPP believes in the power of the people and whenever comes to power works for the benefit of the people, he said. This selected government has started sacking government employees and conspiring to snatch the right of pension from the government employees.
The selected government has usurped the political rights of the people and weakened the parliament. The PPP will resist any effort to disfigure the constitution of Pakistan by this selected government. President Zardari asked the party workers to strengthen Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s efforts to liberate the country from the shackles of anti-people forces and take Chairman Bilawal’s message to every corner of the country.

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24132/

The arrests and torture of the political workers to stop the jalsa in Multan is the worst kind of fascism.

 Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the spokesman to the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that people’s power is impossible to be crushed by the use of state machinery. The arrests and torture of the political workers to stop the jalsa in Multan is the worst kind of fascism.

Senator Khokhar said that imprisonment of Ali Qasim Gilani and other political workers for a month displayed that the government is defeated and there is chaos in its ranks. When the government starts using such tactics then it shows that its days are numbered. 

A government which is frightened of a few jalsas is enough proof of its weakness. Now the fate of the government has been decided as Pakistan Democratic Movement workers are arriving in Multan in great numbers. The PDM jalsa on the Founding Day of the PPP will be held tomorrow in Multan at any cost, Senator Khokhar concluded. 

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24136/

Trump’s tariffs set a trap for incoming Biden administration

 


The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs on Chinese twist-ties, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, in a worrying sign that the US-China economic conflict may be rekindled.


While the move's impact is relatively limited, it actually does not bode well for the two countries, possibly reigniting their past and controversial dispute and fight on currency value. 

This is because the US justified the new-tariff decision with claims that China undervalued its currency in order to gain market share for Chinese-made products, a familiar accusation the world has heard of before. This latest allegation of currency manipulation is expected to set a bad precedent for US companies facing rising competition with imported products.

Apparently, what has struck the world is that the tariff decision by the Trump administration is made at a time when the Chinese yuan has steadily strengthened for nearly five months now. On Thursday, the central parity rate of the yuan against the US dollar reached 6.5780, representing a sustained broad rally compared with the market level in May. 

And with the COVID-19 epidemic largely put under control, the rapid recovery of the Chinese economy and the country's resilient export performance, the appreciation of the yuan is fully in line with market expectations. Under such circumstances, the imposition of the new punitive tariffs on the allegation that China's currency is undervalued sounds particularly absurd and ridiculous.

In fact, observers watching China's exchange rate policy and its financial system reform and upgrade, would not believe that Chinese government would want to pursue a weak yuan. This is because even though depreciation of the Chinese currency may be conducive to exports, it could actually do more harm than good to the overall Chinese economy by delivering a blow to market confidence which is significant for its money market stability at a time of growing global uncertainties. 

Maintaining a stable and steady yuan exchange rate with the world's major currencies will be the long-term goal for China's macro-economic regulators.

The yuan's exchange rate used to be a bone of contention throughout US-China economic and trade relations. They turned the page when signing the phase one trade deal earlier this year that stipulates that "each party shall respect the other party's autonomy in monetary policy, in accordance with the domestic law."

In this sense, the latest tariff imposition on twist-ties by the Trump administration reflects a sinister intention to create more traps for the incoming Joe Biden administration which is most likely to reset severely fraught ties with China in the past four years. Trump's resort to leaving the sordid political legacy before his term comes to an end, may put Biden administration's relationship with a crucial trade partner under pressure. For the benefit of both countries, we hope Biden's team could extend a friendly hand and re-engage with China, constructively.

Opinion: ‘Democracy Should Not Be Taken for Granted’

 

By Rachel L. Harris and 

Readers around the world tell us about the global ripple effect of the U.S. election. “Mr. Biden has vowed to turn the page on the ‘aberration’ of Mr. Trump’s foreign policy,” wrote Robert Malley and Philip H. Gordon in the Op-Ed “Trump Still Has 70 Days to Wreak Havoc Around the World.” But is that what people around the world really want?
We asked readers living outside of the United States to give us their perspectives on the election and the way that President Trump and President-elect Biden have handled the transition. Some were disappointed in the results. “Trump is not popular in Korea, but his actions to break through the long-frozen U.S. and North Korean relationship were very promising,” wrote Youngsook Soahn in Seoul, South Korea. “I doubt a President Biden and the Democrats will do any good for the Korean Peninsula.”
For others, the race itself was a cautionary tale:
“To see the U.S. move away from a slide into autocratic leadership was gratifying, but everything that has happened since has only reinforced the idea that this may be a brief sojourn from the madness,” wrote Jack McColl in Melbourne, Australia. “It seems the time we could rely on the U.S. to play a consistent leading role in global society has come to an end.”
More reactions from international readers follow. They have been edited for clarity and length. South America
‘Biden understands the necessity of ending the Maduro regime’
Fernando Coca Ruiz, Tarija, Bolivia: America has shown the world that democracy should not be taken for granted, that it requires our willingness to participate constantly in order to make sure it actually represents “The People.” As for my own country, I’m sure Joe Biden understands the necessity of ending the Maduro regime. It would be a major win for him and for the Venezuelan people. But I’m concerned that hard-line progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will influence the administration to support socialist presidents like Alberto Fernández in Argentina and Luis Arce in Bolivia. If this were to happen, Latinos and the new administration will move further apart. Just look at the election results in Miami.
‘Biden will have a very hard time reversing the damage’
Saul Zambrano, Mexico City: The U.S. presidential election has made the limits and shortcomings of its electoral system more evident than ever. Biden will have a very hard time reversing the damage that has been done in a short Trump administration. And I’m appalled and ashamed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s refusal to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. Looking at the club of countries that haven’t congratulated him, it’s clear we shouldn’t be a part of it.
‘It will be business as usual’
Uziel Nogueira, Florianópolis, Brazil: Even Pinochet accepted the results that ended his dictatorship of 25 years. As far as the impact to Brazil, it will be business as usual. The good news is Bolsonaro’s foreign policy will now be guided by national interest and not to please Donald Trump.
North America
‘America had chosen a racist’
Liza, Bequia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: I’m on the formation committee of Democrats Abroad, Caribbean Islands Group. We’re thrilled that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected and our overall sense is that throughout the plethora of Caribbean island nations, most people are relieved by this win. They recognize that Trump threatened to destroy democracy itself. And in a region where the Indigenous are primarily Black, they were saddened and appalled that America had chosen a racist to lead it. Black Lives Matter gave them hope, and so do Biden and Harris.
Harris’s Jamaican heritage, and her many accomplishments, fuel a particularly deep-welled source of pride throughout the region. She coolly exhales benevolent messaging over the seemingly endless conflagrations of our outgoing leadership. Likewise, the Biden/Harris “unity first” and “facts matter” prescriptive is resoundingly joyful and heartening.
‘The rot in your democracy will continue to spread’
Glen Rowe, Nanaimo, British Columbia: As a neighbor and a friend, I am deeply concerned for the well-being of your country. While I am profoundly relieved that Biden and Harris have won your election, I worry that they will be rendered largely ineffective by Mitch McConnell and his obstructive, anti-democratic crew of Republican senators and the rot in your democracy will continue to spread. My country’s well-being is tied to yours.
The Middle East
‘Trump has been unintentionally beneficial to Middle Eastern peace’
Terry Plasse, Sde Yaakov, Israel: I’m a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and have lived in northern Israel the past six years. Most of the American expats I know in Israel share my negative view of Donald Trump. Israelis without ties to the U.S. are mostly concerned with how he has affected Israel and most favored moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. I think Trump has been unintentionally beneficial to Middle Eastern peace. Not because he did any negotiating, but because several Arab countries in the region have decided that they share more interests with Israel than the U.S. And those shared interests or alliances with Israel may be more valuable than those with the U.S. (an example of transactional diplomacy, which is not a bad thing).
‘Biden needs to show no leniency’
Mohammad Reza Mohammad Karimi, Karaj, Iran: President-elect Biden is expected to correct the global perception that Americans condone lies, violate international commitments, commit fraud, abuse offices and support dictators — as long as they remain economically strong. To do this, Biden needs to show no leniency to Donald Trump and let the law take its natural course. If a court were to sentence Trump to prison, Biden should not try to protect him. This alone will ensure that Trump’s type of misrule is never, ever repeated and the havoc unleashed on the world will become a lesson for all future generations.
Asia
Hope for ‘an ambitious climate policy’
Pratik Londhe, Pune, India: The new administration gives me hope, especially for an ambitious climate policy. The U.S. can take the lead and set the example for the rest of the world with something like the Green New Deal. This could set off a chain of events across the globe in favor of renewable energy and sustainable development. The politics in my country repeatedly sidestep this issue.
‘We do not need a hot war nearby’
C.K. Ung, George Town, Penang, Malaysia: The chaos in the U.S. before and after Election Day was a big concern for countries in Southeast Asia. In the months before the election, the U.S. had escalated its military movements in the South China Sea and around Taiwan, maybe to show voters that Trump’s administration is tough on China. With Trump and his supporters taking actions on multiple fronts to retain his presidency, there is a risk that he may actually provoke a shooting war in the South China Sea, which would cause economic hardship to countries in Southeast Asia. Times are bad and people are suffering under the Covid-19 pandemic. We do not need a hot war nearby to add to our suffering.
They are ‘amused by his Twitter feed’
Jeff Axelrod, Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China: Some of my students at the Chinese high school where I teach say they’re a little sad Trump will be leaving. They’ve been entertained and amused by his Twitter feed. But as an American expat, I’ve had several local adults ask for my opinion — they don’t want to offend by stating theirs first — and they’ve been greatly relieved when I’ve told them I’m not a fan. They see him as immature, petty and dangerous.
Australia
America has ‘missed the boat, badly’
Leslie Michael Anderson, Orange, New South Wales: I don’t really believe that Biden is strong or smart enough or has the ability to do much good for the American people. After more than four decades in politics his contributions have basically been to agree with whatever was happening, including the invasion of Iraq. I don’t like Trump but I don’t believe that Biden can be trusted to do more than make promises. If America is looking for a leader with the ability to make a real difference they have missed the boat, badly.
Africa
‘We should not be so reliant on the U.S.’
Faadiel Essop, Paarl, South Africa: I’m glad Trump’s presidency is (hopefully!) coming to an end so President-elect Biden can begin to restore U.S. relations with Africa. Maybe he could increase support to help counter major burdens of diseases such as H.I.V.-AIDS and Covid-19. However, the Trump years made us realize that we should not be so reliant on the U.S. and to gaze elsewhere for supporters and allies. On a personal level, I used to attend at least one major science congress in the U.S. until Trump took over, and I imposed a “travel ban” on myself. I’m not sure if I will return now that I am collaborating with scientists in other countries that are far more welcoming and helpful.
Europe
‘The E.U. has become less dependent on its “big brother”’
Charlotte Raab, Leuven, Belgium: I cannot recall ever following an election that closely and anxiously before, not even ones in which I’m allowed to vote. I’m confident this new administration will re-establish the bonds that exist between the United States and the European Union, but the past years have also shown that the E.U. has become less dependent on its “big brother” and can stand up for itself. Biden and Harris will have a lot of work to do rebuilding trust in institutions.
‘Biden will bring more interventionist foreign policy’
Joshua Rice, Adana, Turkey: I’m an American expat living in Turkey. People here think Biden will bring more interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East. Turks are anti-Kurdish thanks to P.K.K. terrorist attacks and they like that Trump moved our troops away from the border to allow Erdogan to establish a security buffer.
‘Johnson eagerly imitated Trump’s insults to the international order’
Abigail Maxwell, Northamptonshire, England: As do many Britons, I hope Trump’s defeat will make Mr. Johnson, our prime minister, think again about his threat to break the Good Friday Agreement, by which there is no hard border in Ireland. I hope Mr. Johnson will use his last few days to make a trade agreement with the E.U., on which the British economy depends. While Johnson eagerly imitated Trump’s insults to the international order, I hope he will see that there is more cost to that position now that Trump is gone.
‘A giant needs to take care where and on what he steps’
Larus Jon Gudmundsson, Iceland: It’s the old story of the fluttering of a butterfly wing in one corner of the world resulting in a hurricane in another. But in this case it’s the kicking of an elephant in an Oval Office whose multiple effects can and will be felt in every corner of the earth. A giant needs to take care where and on what he steps. Being a member of a small nation, I’m very much aware of the effects of your president’s actions. Leaving international treaties and institutions should not be left to the whim of one person.
‘Others will take up the baton elsewhere’
Diego, Crespos, Spain: I’m certainly glad that Mr. Trump lost the election, but I’m still shocked by the fact that almost half of Americans voted for him. Trump has shown authoritarian leaders all over the world that you can lie shamelessly and despise international organizations and get away with it. We’ll be suffering his legacy for years to come as others will take up the baton elsewhere. That is something that Mr. Biden can’t undo.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/opinion/2020-us-election-world-relations.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

Joe Biden expected to name Cindy McCain as ambassador to UK

By Joe Middleton
The widow of the late Republican Senator John McCain has been a fierce critic of Donald Trump and crossed party lines to endorse Mr Biden.
President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly expected to name Cindy McCain as his ambassador to the UK.
The widow of the late Republican Senator John McCain has been a fierce critic of Donald Trump and crossed party lines to endorse Mr Biden.Ms McCain, 66, is a known Anglophile and thought to be a frontrunner for the job as a reward for helping to win the state of Arizona for the Democrats.
A source told The Times: “It’s hers if she wants it. She delivered Arizona. They know that.”
It is not clear if Ms McCain would be interested in the role. After her husband’s death, she has concentrated on philanthropic work related to her husband’s charitable foundation.
Ms McCain’s employment by the incoming administration would be seen as a fitting end to a feud between her husband and President Trump.
Mr Trump upset Senator McCain after mocking his status as a former prisoner of war. The Republican’s plane was shot down over Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1967.His captors found out his father was a senior officer for US forces and offered him early release - he refused and spent five years as a prisoner.The President angered Mr McCain, by saying he was not “a war hero because he was captured.”The former senator, who was one of the few Republicans to stand up to Mr Trump, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and later died in August 2018. The President was not invited to the funeral.
In September Ms McCain backed Mr Biden’s White House campaign after the President had called veterans “suckers and losers”.
She told 60 minutes on CBS: “For me, the final straw was the, you know, ‘They’re losers and suckers.’”
“It angered me a great deal. It angered me. And so I thought, you know, I can either sit here and be angry or I can do something.”
“You know, I’m the mother of two veterans and a wife of a veteran, and my father was a veteran. They were not losers and suckers by any chance.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/biden-cindy-mccain-ambassador-uk-b1763151.html

Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warns the government to desist from carrying out crackdown against PPP workers in Multan and other parts of Punjab.

  

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has warned the government to desist from carrying out crackdown against PPP workers in Multan and other parts of Punjab otherwise there will be protests in each nook and corner of the country.

In a statement, the PPP Chairman said that there were reports that PTI government was initiating a crackdown against the Jiyalas create hurdles in the holding of PPP Foundation Day and PDM Jalsa in Multan. Misuse of the state machinery against the democratic workers will add fuel to fire and every responsibility of the situation thereafter would lay on the PTI regime.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Foundation Day Jalsa will be held any how and PPP and other PDM Parties won't be cowed down by the highhandedness of the regime.

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24120/

Pakistani TV asks if it’s time to accept Israel. The answer is above Imran Khan’s paygrade

 

 

The idea of recognising Israel is a hard sell for the people of Pakistan who have been brought up for over 70 years on the idea of having permanent enemies — India and Israel.

Fire got fuel in Pakistan that something was about to happen between Israel and Pakistan — a secret meeting was reported between the Saudi Crown Prince, US Secretary of State and Israeli Prime Minister. The question being asked was, “Is this the time for Pakistan to establish a diplomatic relationship with Israel?” The time is nigh, that’s the vibe. But what the government of Pakistan is saying about all this is no surprise.

This is the second wave of denials on Israel. 

It is “baseless speculation” was the word from the Pakistan foreign office. But is it really baseless when the prime minister mentions how the country is being pressured to formalise relations with Israel? Twice, since the accord between the UAE and Israel, PM Imran Khan has spoken on the subject — once categorically saying that Pakistan will not accept Israel until Palestinians get their rights and then mentioning the pressure being exerted to do the same. It is hard for the Pakistan government to complain about the pressures of Saudi Arabia or the US when it has been financially dependent on these two countries.

Pakistan wants to know

So when we see ‘selected’ news anchors, all animated over the reality that Israel is giving a hundred reasons why Pakistan should be in a relationship or giving the vibes of ‘abhi nahin toh kabhi nahin (it is now or never)’, forgive us for thinking the ‘thinkable’ — probably a decision has already been made by those who run Pakistan. The new-found touch with the reality of Israel is so overwhelming that the sentiments for the Palestinians just get lost in old tweets.

Now, speculating on the speculation that, for long, has been forbidden is no coincidence. The controlled ‘awakening’ is that why should Pakistan fight others’ battles and not think of its own interests? Fair enough. But if, as a country, your survival has been as a proxy State fighting others’ battles, taking up causes that destroyed your society and divided it, how does one hypothetical Israel recognition change that? The bigger question remains how does Pakistan get out of its own self-imposed position as a contractor of the Muslim world?

The idea of recognising Israel is a hard sell for the people of Pakistan who have been brought up for over 70 years on the idea of having permanent enemies. India is one, Israel is the other. And it is ingrained into their brains that no good can come from either of them. In the end, for Pakistanis, it will not be so much about Israel’s ideology or even the concerns around its human rights excesses, rather the political divide he/she is part of in a polarised Pakistan.

Imran Khan Shalom Netanyahu

While foreign policy experts say that the politics of the world has changed and Pakistan can’t remain static, does the country not continue to choose its stance as per its convenience? Is the idea now to promote Fauda and forget Ertugrul? That it is Pakistan which will free Palestine and Kashmir still remains our passionate conviction since birth.

No political party in Pakistan has ever had the guts to call Israel anything less than an enemy. The only official meeting with Israel came during the reign of General Pervez Musharraf in 2005, when the foreign minister of Pakistan sat down with the Israeli counterpart. Interestingly, in this hybrid regime, Imran Khan will become the face of any overture with Israel. In tweet-driven diplomacy, it will be PM Imran Khan writing Shalom to Benjamin Netanyahu. Or even driving Netanyahu around, after all, driving is the cornerstone of Khan’s diplomacy.

While the decision on the subject might be above his paygrade, PM Khan is bound to become a direct target of his critics who already add losing Kashmir to India to his list of ‘successes’ that no other Pakistani prime minister could achieve. That is why he is wary when he says that, “if we accept normalisation of ties with Israel then we would have to give up the Kashmir cause.” Of course, the prime minister’s own extreme political rhetoric for the last two years and failure at governance doesn’t help his cause.

For now, denial is the best defence for PM Khan. Taking a U-turn, he is now reassuring us that there is no pressure whatsoever on the country over Israel. For that, he pats himself on the back, becausse it is under his dynamic leadership that Pakistan’s foreign policy has been a success — like never before. Wonder which country he’s talking about. Like never before, Saudi Arabia wants its loan repaid and things haven’t smoothed ever since Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s ultimatum to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for inaction on Kashmir. And as the UAE suspends visas for Pakistan and other countries, there are thousands of Pakistanis fearing losing the job market to India. But let’s just bask in the glory that the US doesn’t tell Pakistan “to do more” anymore.

It is difficult to envisage a Pakistan post-acceptance of Israel. If Israel will become our yaar then will we find no yahood conspiracy in everything that’ll go wrong in Pakistan? Thank god India will still be around. And what about those who were called yahoodi agents all these years for even breathing — will they go out of work? One should investigate if the chameleons giving sermons on reality of Israel today are the real agents. Acceptance of Israel or not, will the real yahoodi agents please stand up.

https://theprint.in/opinion/letter-from-pakistan/pakistani-tv-asks-if-its-time-to-accept-israel-the-answer-is-above-imran-khans-paygrade/552067/

Dear Pakistan Army, I would have made an excellent DG ISPR: Khadim Rizvi’s letter from heaven

 

In my life, people thought I was against the Pakistani Army. Reality is I was just their fauji.

Iam dead, but I can write. Don’t you think I am still alive? People come, people go but what stays in the world are my 18+ jokes.

O dallay, I address this letter to General Twitter, for my heart is oozing with hateful gratitude over my passing-away parade. I want to make it clear that as an “austere religious scholar”, I was first approached by the New York Times to be their columnist from jannat. But I decided to reach the other side of the tunnel.

Who would have imagined the Pakistan Army’s love for me? Even before I had breathed my last, Army chief Qamar Bajwa tweeted condolences — staying true to his army’s Rs 1,000 promise of “kya hum aapke sath nahin? Did he know something that I didn’t? Seems like both Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan had the condolences saved in their twitter drafts. Pe** di siri.

In my life, people thought I was against the Pakistani Army. Reality is — I was just their fauji. If I were in uniform, I would have been the DG ISPR, better than Asif Ghafoor, and I would have taken several extensions over my death, like Bajwa. Influence, I had. Why else do you think CENTCOM (US Central Command) was crying over my demise? Wish Alia Bhatt cried too. I thought I meant something to her.

Me, my menace and mazhab

When I was born, my mother taught me just one thing. Ammi jaan kehti thi mazhab se bada koi dhanda nahin hota. I stuck to it and look where I am now. There is no slogan bigger than saving Islam in Pakistan. Why else do you think we created Pakistan in the first place?

I was no Taliban, I was no Al-Qaeda — I was my own menace.

Everyone wants to know how is it that I am dead. Here is exactly what happened.

As you know, I was the Gabbar Singh for blasphemers. Mothers used to tell their children, ‘So ja warna Khadim aa jaeyga’. But when I left the earth, all of it became history. One blasphemer on my radar was France. I urge why Pakistan keeps an atom bomb when it is not going to use it? What’s the fun in that? For as long as I was alive, I wanted to nuke France and all the countries I ever heard the name of, but everyone thought I was joking. Then I decided to do a suicide nuke attack on Emmanuel Macron’s country. Little did I know that in this blast-phemy, I will bomb myself to bits. Sh*t happens.

There is gain in all pain. Now I sit in jannat, still filled with immense hate. That is just what my fate is. But with my ideas, revolution is just around the corner in jannat, not much different from General Twitter’s corner plots in which he enjoys pepperoni pizzas.

People called me an enigma, an Allama (scholar). But, in reality, I was just a guy next door, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him. I was the shaheen of Allama Iqbal. You can credit me for this — only I could understand the real meaning of Iqbal’s poetry. You Pakistanis just wanted a holiday, so that you could sleep on Iqbal Day.

In Jannat, no hoors, no Tinder

I am asked if I have any regrets. The only one I can think of is that I wasn’t able to use Tinder before Imran Khan banned it. I had several exciting options but was too shy to swipe. If I could go in the past, casual hook-ups is one thing I would like to add to my dharnas. Why should Imran Khan have all the fun in his dharnas?

After death did us apart, I became an entrepreneur. My colourful vibrant language made it possible for me to open several food joints across the land of kufar, especially in The Netherlands and France. Next, I plan to venture into the world of music, based on my galam-galoch. After all, I inspired many singers into writing songs over my flowery mouth, not to forget those MTVish remixes. A Coke Studio from jannat is in the works, and even this music will blow your brains, literally.

My days start, my days end. It is kind of anticlimactic for all the fuss we created about life after death. My companion is Ludo and my guilty pleasure remains offering jannat to all my neighbours in jannat.

Wish one day Maulana Tariq Jameel could join me here and see for himself that all those stories about hoors were just hoax.

https://theprint.in/opinion/dear-pakistan-army-i-would-have-made-an-excellent-dg-ispr-khadim-rizvis-letter-from-heaven/553531/

محترمہ آصفہ بھٹو زرداری - بی بی آرہی ہیں

تحریر: نذیر ڈھوکی

محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو شہید نے جب عملی سیاست میں حصہ لیا تھا اس وقت ان کی عمر 26 سال تھی اب ان کی صاحبزادی محترمہ آصفہ بھٹو زرداری بی بی تو ان کی عمر بھی اتنی ہے، 30 نومبر کو بی بی آصفہ بھٹو زرداری ملتان میں پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارٹی کے یوم تاسیس کے موقع پر ہونے والے عوامی اجتماع سے خطاب کریں گی ۔ توجہہ طلب پہلو یہ ہے کہ جب محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو شہید نے عملی سیاست میں حصہ لیا تھا اس وقت فوجی ڈکٹیٹر نے سیاسی آزادیوں کو ختم کرکے ملک کو جیل بنادیا تھا ،اب جب محترمہ آصفہ بی بی پارٹی کے یوم تاسیس سے خطاب کرنے آ رہی ہیں تو ملتان جیل کی طرح دکھائی دے رہا ہے۔ اور سیاسی کارکنوں کی گرفتاریاں جاری ہیں۔

آج فوجی راج نہیں مگر کٹھپتلی راج ہے۔ محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو شہید نے ایک نہیں دو فوجی آمروں کی مزاحمت کی تھی اور اپنے والد قائد عوام ذوالفقار علی بھٹو شہید کو قیدی دیکھا تھا جبکہ بی بی آصفہ بھٹو زرداری نے اپنے والد صدر آصف علی زرداری کو نہ صرف بچپن بلکہ ہوش سنھبالنے کے بعد بھی قیدی دیکھا، ایک وہ وقت تھا جب وہ قیدی بابا کی انگلی پکڑ کر چلتی تھیں ایک وقت یہ بھی آیا جب وہ اپنے بابا کا ہاتھ تھامے احتساب عدالت میں آتی رہی۔

حقیقت یہ ہے کہ آج کی سلیکٹڈ حکومت آمروں کی بے نامی حکومت ہے جس کا طرز عمل بھی آمروں جیسا ہے۔

برسوں پہلے پیپلز پارٹی کے رہنما تاج حیدر سے فوجی آمر پرویز مشرف کے ایک چیلے نے سوال کیا تھا کہ آپ بہت اچھے ہیں۔ اعتزاز احسن بھی اچھے ہیں پیپلزپارٹی کی قیادت کیوں نہیں سنبھالتے تو تاج حیدر نے جواب دیا تھا کہ ہم محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو کو قائد مانتے ہیں اسلیئے کہ تم محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو سے ڈرتے ہو یہ ہی ہمارے لیئے اطمینان کی بات ہے کہ تم جس سے
ڈرتے ہو وہ محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو ہیں، کچھ دہائیاں قبل بزرگ صحافی اور کالم نویس نذیر ناجی نے اپنے کالم میں لکھا تھا کہ ، پیپلزپارٹی اس لیئے زیر عتاب رہتی ہے کیونکہ وہ طاقت کا سرچشمہ عوام کو قرار دیتی ہے۔
اب جب پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کا 53 واں یوم تاسیس ہو رہا ہے تو کورونا کے باعث چیئرمین پیپلز پارٹی جناب بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی عدم شرکت پر شہید محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو کی تصویر محترمہ آصفہ بھٹو زرداری بی بی پارٹی کے یوم تاسیس کے موقع پر ملتان تشریف لا رہی ہیں جس کا انداز بھی اپنی عظیم والدہ کی طرح ہے وہ غریب اور بے سہارا خواتین کے دکھ اور درد ایسے
ہی سنتی ہیں جیسے شہید بی بی سنا کرتی تھیں، چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے اپنے نانا شہید اور بی بی آصفہ بھٹو زرداری نے شہید بی بی کی کمی دور کر دی ہے، اللہ پاک صدر آصف علی زرداری کو صحت ،تندرستی اور عمر دراز عطا فرمائے جس نے جیالوں کو چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی صورت میں
قائد عوام ذوالفقار علی بھٹو اور آصفہ بھٹو زرداری کی صورت میں محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو شہید دی ہے۔

عجب منظر ہے جس کو تاریخ قلمبند کر رہی ہے شہید قائد عوام ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کا داماد ہونے کی قیمت جبر مسلسل برداشت کرنے والا آصف علی زرداری جب اپنے اکلوتے بیٹے کےبعد لاڈلی بیٹی کو سیاست کے خاردار میدان میں اتار رہے ہیں، تو یہ ان کی عظمت کی دلیل ہے۔ 

https://samachar.pk

ملتان میں جیالوں نے حکومت کو پسپا کردیا ہے، مولابخش چانڈیو

پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے مرکزی رہنما مولا بخش چانڈیو کا کہنا ہے کہ ملتان میں جیالوں نےحکومت کو پسپا کردیا ہے۔

مولابخش چانڈیو نے اپنے بیان میں کہا کہ جیالے آصفہ بھٹو کے استقبال کے لیےدو دن پہلے ہی جلسہ گاہ پہنچ گئے ہیں۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ عمران خان کا جانا ٹھہر گیا ہے، کٹھ پتلی نےجانا ہی ہے۔

سینیٹر مولابخش چانڈیو نے کہا کہ سلیکٹڈ کا کاغذی رعب اور جھوٹا بھرم ختم ہو چکاہے۔

https://jang.com.pk/news/850889 

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, Mahmood Choudhry 'officially engaged' at Bilawal House Karachi

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, late Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari's eldest daughter, on Friday exchanged the rings with Mahmood Choudhry as the city's prominent names — including politicians, business tycoons, and lawyers — at the engagement ceremony at the Bilawal House.

Held in the open area of Bilawal House Karachi, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari's engagement ceremony was without the presence of her brother and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto, who is quarantined after testing positive for the COVID-19.

Both Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and her fiancé, Mahmood Choudhry, wore traditional oriental attires.

Bilawal virtually attended his sister's engagement ceremony as he was in quarantine. Bakhtawar's sister, Aseefa, introduced the PPP boss to the guests via video call.

Bilawal thanked the guests individually through the video call, while Asif Zardari continued meeting guests and receive congratulations from them at the event.

According to sources, at least 100-150 guests attended Bakhtawar's engagement ceremony, with Zardari also in attendance.

The former president reached the venue from the hospitals after his doctors gave the go-ahead. He reached the venue from the hospitals after his doctors gave the go-ahead.

Geo News reported citing sources that there were more than a dozen family members of Mahmood Choudhry at the event, with some Pakistani business magnates among the more than 100 guests as well.

Guests and traditional food

Sources said the late Benazir Bhutto's sister and Bakhtawar's aunt, Sanam Bhutto, Zardari's sister Faryal Talpur, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, and Omni Group Chief Executive Anwar Majeed and his son, A.G. Majeed, were at the event

Also among the guests were business tycoon Riaz Laljee, former adviser to the prime minister and chief of the Ziauddin Group of Hospitals, Dr Asim Hussain, and former law minister and Zardari's legal counsel, Farooq H. Naek, the sources added.

Foreign guests, who had arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were also in attendance, the sources said.

Guests were treated to Pakistani and English food, such as koftay [meatballs], biryani, chicken broast, and fish, the sources said, adding that special meals were prepared for kids.

'Very sentimental & emotional day'

Bakhtawar had earlier today thanked people for their "love & prayers", saying she would "be able to celebrate in a post-Covid world".

"Very sentimental & emotional day," she had said on Twitter. "So grateful for everyone’s love & prayers. Especially our PPP family who, I know, are eager to participate."

However, Bakhtawar's father only attended the engagement ceremony for a short duration due to his health condition, sources had revealed a day prior. Zardari had to be shifted to a private hospital in Karachi on November 22 after he fell ill once again.

Bilawal skips event after contracting COVID-19

A few days ago, Bakhtawar had clarified that the videos and clips shared on the Internet purportedly from her engagement celebrations were "not my videos nor have anything to do with me".

The former president's daughter was upset at social media users for recklessly sharing videos without any verifying them first.

Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari's fiance-to-be, Mahmood Choudhry, reportedly arrived in Karachi on Thursday alongside his family, Geo News had reported citing sources.

A group of employees of the Bilawal House Karachi were selected to entertain Choudhry's family, the sources had said. They also mentioned that samples of the staffers and the security personnel were taken for their coronavirus tests after an aide of the PPP chairperson contracted COVID-19.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/750143-bakhtawar-bhutto-zardari-ppp-mahmood-chaudhry-get-engaged-at-bilawal-house-karachi


Bilawal Bhutto Tests Positive For COVID-19, In Self-isolation With Mild Symptoms

By Aanchal Nigam
The chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on November 26 said that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in home isolation.
The chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on November 26 said that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in home isolation. Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said that he is currently experiencing “mild symptoms” of the highly-infectious disease and informed that he will continue to work remotely. The PPP chairman also said that he will address the party’s foundation day through video link.
Bilawal announced his COVID-19 diagnosis just a day before the engagement of his sister, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari to a Dubai-based businessman and also before the upcoming rally of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on November 30. PPP Senator Rehman Malik along with KP Health Minister Taimur Jhagra wished the party’s chairman a fast recovery. Taimur also urged the people staging at PDM Jalsa to get tested for the novel coronavirus.
Imran Khan refuses to shut factories amid COVID-19
Even though the country continues to record more and more positive cases of COVID-19, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated that the government will not shut down the factories and businesses amid the resurgence of infections and deaths. As of November 26 according to Johns Hopkins University tally, Pakistan has recorded over 386,190 COVID-19 cases with at least 7,843 deaths. But Khan said a Lahore on November 25 that the government will not “lead people to death due to hunger while saving them from coronavirus”
Pakistan PM made an appeal that the nation should unite with the government in controlling the surge in COVID-19 cases and tackle the second wave by adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs). Imran Khan also made it evident that his government will not allow the opposition to hold public meetings and “creating potential threat to masses’ lives” while referring to an observation made in an order by Islamabad High Court that said public gatherings pose a greater threat to public health safety.
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/pakistan-news/bilawal-bhutto-tests-positive-for-covid-19-in-self-isolation-with-mild-symptoms.html

#Pakistan's deep state support for terror on full display – opinion

By ANIL TRIGUNAYAT
Islamabad and the Pakistani people have become collateral damage due to malicious acts of terrorism perpetrated by their deep state and its surrogates.
Twelve years ago, on November 26, 2008, 12 well-coordinated attacks and shootings were carried out for four days by 10 Pakistani terrorists against innocent civilians in Mumbai. One hundred and seventy-four people, including several foreigners, were killed and more than 300 were injured. Wounds on the national psyche are still alive. It was the 9/11 moment for India. Ajmal Kasab was caught and eventually hanged in 2012 after due legal process, but he left a trail of evidence and information pointing to the complicity of Pakistan-based terrorist groups and his handlers there.
Although the Pakistani political leadership did condemn the attacks and offered full cooperation, no real progress has been made, suggesting their complicity or ill intent. It was neither the first time nor the last time our northwestern neighbors vowed to inflict 1,000 cuts on India. New Delhi provided all the evidence and documents against the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists led by Hafiz Saeed, who roams freely and rather majestically in Pakistan, lives at the courtesy of state institutions, and enjoys the blessings of successive governments in the so-called “failed state of Pakistan.”
It is a known fact that Pakistan has been a state sponsor of terrorism, especially against India and Afghanistan. Its fingerprints have been reported from Chechnya to Nagorno-Karabakh. It has given shelter to the largest number of extremists and terrorists, and has acknowledged their presence in the country, according to various reports. Only in November did the Pakistani Federal Investigative Agency finally admitted to the presence of 11 Lashkar terrorists in Pakistan who were involved and facilitated 2008 attacks. In fact, the agency published a list of 1,210 high-profile and most-wanted terrorists, however, it strategically deleted the names of Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim. They are already listed as terrorists by the United States and the United Nations, and have been operating in the haven of terrorism for decades now. Earlier, in 2009, Pakistan had admitted that the Mumbai attacks were indeed planned and carried out from Lashkar-e-Taiba camps in Karachi and Thatta. Despite all the information, Pakistan refused to take decisive action and prevaricated on one account or the other. Even the judiciary was made a pawn in the game by the deep state.
THE PAKISTANI leadership had repeated opportunities to come clean and join the ranks of responsible nations. Alas, the deep-seated malaise and rancor against India have blinded them so much that they have not only antagonized their Arab benefactors but others, including China, which found it difficult to shield them from the wrath of the international community. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has not only continued to place Pakistan on the “Gray List,” but has reprimanded it for not complying with the most important requirements to stop terrorist-financing networks. India, which despite several terrorist attacks from Pakistan or its surrogates, did try to work on a bilateral relationship. But every time an effort was made to move forward a more lethal terrorist attack followed, whether in Uri or Pathankot. India had no option but to follow a policy of exposing and isolating Pakistan in international forums as the fountain of terrorism and extremism and haven of radicalization. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took upon himself the task of waking the world out of its myopic stupor of “good terrorist” and “bad terrorist” by urging it to have a uniform definition of a terrorist. After constant persuasion, India’s proposal for a comprehensive convention on international terrorism is finding some traction. Terrorism is the single greatest threat to humanity, and its incubators must be dried up by a globally committed fight, without exception.
To defend itself against nefarious state and non-state actors from across the border, India has decided to strike back decisively. Surgical strikes after Uri and Balakot after Pulwama are the vectors of this counter-terrorism policy. International collaboration though intelligence exchange has increased India’s international partners, who are equally committed to eradicate this scourge against humanity. At the CICA ministerial meeting in September, India clearly stated, “Pakistan is the global epicenter of terrorism and continues to be the source of terrorist activities in India. We advise Pakistan to cease its sponsorship and overt and covert support for terrorism against India. This will enable the two countries to engage and address issues bilaterally rather than distract this important forum from its agenda.” The choice now lies with Islamabad and the Pakistani people, who have become collateral damage due to malicious acts of terrorism perpetrated by their deep state and its surrogates.
India unequivocally condemns terrorism and believes there cannot be any reason or justification for violence against innocent civilians. Most recently, India condemned the beheading and terrorist attacks in France and Austria, reiterating that there is no justification for terrorism, for any reason or under any circumstance. When will justice be done for the victims of November
26? If this question gets resolved and justice is done, perhaps the two neighbors can move forward, but “terrorism and talks” can’t go together.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/pakistani-deep-states-terror-support-is-on-full-display-opinion-650269