Tuesday, May 5, 2020
#PTMWorldWideProtests - Thousands rally against fatal attack on Pashtun leader in NW
Thousands of residents of Pakistan's former tribal districts in the northwest defied a government ban on gatherings meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus to rally Tuesday against a recent attack on their top leader.
Most of the protesters were not wearing face masks and did not adhere to social distancing guidelines when they gathered in Wana, a town in the former Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan that borders Afghanistan.
Rallygoers demanded the arrest of the assailants who wounded Arif Wazir in his hometown of Wana last week. Wazir, who died in a hospital over the weekend, was a top leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement, which has emerged as a force among the country's Pashtun minority in recent years.
Similar rallies were held in the nearby North Waziristan district and elsewhere.
Wazir was a vocal critic of the army. His group contends the military is waging a campaign of intimidation as it battles Islamist militants in the rugged border region. The military and the government deny the charge.
Pakistan on Tuesday reported another spike in deaths from the coronavirus with 28 new fatalities in the past 24 hours.
So far, 514 Pakistanis have died from the illness caused by the virus and most of the deaths were reported in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where 194 people have died from the virus, which has infected more than 21,000.
Killing of 4 dissidents in a week shows #Covid has not slowed down Pakistani ‘deep state’
SRIJAN SHUKLA
Activists living abroad allege that Pakistani 'deep state' is using the cover of the Covid-19 pandemic to act on dissidents.
The relatively unnoticed killing of four leaders of the Baloch and Pashtun movements have rocked the Pakistani activist and dissident community in the country and abroad.
Arif Wazir, a senior leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, was shot several times outside his home in Wana in Southern Waziristan Friday. On the same day, Sajid Hussain — an exiled dissident and editor of Balochistan Times — was found dead next to the Fyris river in Sweden after he went missing in March. Two other student activists Ihsan Baloch and Shahdad Baloch were also killed in Balochistan over the past week.
Wazir succumbed to his injuries Saturday.
All of this has happened while debt-ridden Pakistan has been grappling with the coronavirus pandemic that is rapidly engulfing the country.
Some critics of the military-intelligence establishment say that the “deep state” — a reference to the all-powerful military-intelligence consensus — has used the cover of the pandemic to kill dissidents and activists since the world is focussed on Covid-19. However, others see these killings as part of the broader problem of exclusion and intolerance in the Pakistani state.
“All these deaths or if you call them, murders, compress into a matter of days the coordinates of all spatio-temporal oppression embedded in exclusionist idea of a country with no ethnic diversity. Their deaths are sobering reminders of the hard path that the struggle for an alternative future is,” wrote Hurmat Ali Shah of the Ryerson University, who researches Pashtun socio-cultural issues.
A suppression of free press in Pakistan over the past year has ensured that these killings received no real coverage in mainstream media, and all collective anger and sorrow was manifested on social media.
“Arif Wazir’s murder is a reminder of the days when hundreds of our elders were martyred. Back then these games had no consequences for Establishment. But now v (we) know the power of unity & protest. This is a long struggle & our martyrs only solidify our resolve #StateKilledArifWazir,” tweeted Mohsin Dawar, one of the two members of the national assembly from the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM).
Deep state acting under the shadow of Covid’
Given that these killings are occurring at almost the same time, critics allege that the Pakistani deep state is using the Covid-19 crisis to eliminate the leadership of both the Baloch and Pashtun movements.
“Arif Wazir and Sajid Hussain are both victims of state action but without the state being visible. That is how the military operates in Pakistan — in shadows, without leaving footprints,” Taha Siddiqui, exiled Pakistani journalist and founder of Safenewsrooms, told ThePrint.
The PTM is a peaceful people’s movement that has been demanding rights for the country’s Pashtun population for the past year and a half. Its anti-army and anti-terrorism stances are what have made PTM a target of the Pakistani military establishment, often leading to its leaders being detained and arrested. Meanwhile, the members of Baloch movement have for long been termed as enemies of the state by the Pakistani Army.
“It is very clear given the profiles of the people that they were enemies of the Pakistani state … at least that’s how the deep state perceives them to be,” said Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at Observer Research Foundation and an expert on Pakistan and its terrorism groups.
Wazir was a prominent PTM leader and is the 18th member in his family to have been killed in Waziristan by terrorist groups operating in the region. His cousin Ali Wazir is the second member of the national assembly from the PTM. The Wazir clan has been staunch proponents of Pashtun rights and has fought with local terrorist groups such as the Pakistani Taliban — often resulting in loss of lives.
“Usually these kind of murders lead to first a statement and then an investigation. But when it came to murders in the family of Ali Wazir, there was never a statement made, no investigation was launched, and we have never seen an outcome,” said Xenia Rasul, of Cambridge University.
While there is a history of killings when it comes to the family of Wazir, the mysterious death of Sajid Hussain in a foreign land appears more murky.
“A death of a Pakistani dissident in Sweden would have created a lot of global uproar under ordinary times. But Covid definitely offers you a cover. It gives you the camouflage to take out someone in a foreign land that is not really possible in ordinary times,” said Sareen.
Pakistan’s overseas dissidents live in fear
Hussain’s death coupled with a few more recent events has led to the overseas Pakistani dissident and exiled community increasingly fear for lives.
“The death of an exiled journalist Sajid Hussain in Europe after he mysteriously went missing for 2 months is alarming. Just like me, he left Pakistan because of threats from the army,” said Siddiqui, who is currently living in France.
Hussain apparently went missing in an area populated with Pakistanis who have links to the Pakistan embassy and the drug cartel there, according to a report in Nyazamana.
This, according to Sareen, points to a new trend in how Pakistani authorities are potentially using diaspora assets to harass and intimidate Pakistani dissidents living overseas.
Over the past few months, there have been other instances of Pakistani dissidents being targeted overseas. In February, a Pakistani dissident blogger was attacked outside his home in The Netherlands.
“In the past, Pakistan Army officials, including the former military dictator General Musharraf in a recent interview, have suggested killing dissidents abroad and it seems like they are now putting that plan in action. This is following the Saudi, Chinese, Turkish and Russian playbook,” remarked Siddiqui.
#CoronaInPakistan - #Pakistan becomes 29th country with 500 Covid-19 deaths
Ikram Junaidi
While around 1,000 cases and over 20 deaths have been reported daily in the country during the last five days, in global ranking Pakistan has been ranked 24th in terms of most number of cases and has become 29th country in which over 500 deaths have been reported due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
Moreover in Asia, Pakistan has been ranked sixth in terms of most number of cases and eighth in terms of most number of deaths.
According to data available on the website of the Ministry of National Health Services, the countries in which most number of deaths have been reported are: the United States with around 70,000 deaths, Italy over 29,000, United Kingdom over 28,000, Spain 25,000 and India more than 1,500 deaths.
On the other hand the neighbouring countries China and Iran, which were initially at topmost ranks respectively in terms of number of cases, have now been dropped to double digit ranks.
Situation to start improving next month, hopes official
Executive Director of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Maj Gen Prof Dr Aamer Ikram told Dawn that things would start improving for Pakistan next month.
He said according to different models, the total number of cases in Pakistan could go up to 150,000 but hoped that the number of cases would remain less than 100,000 by May 30.
“The curves in top nine countries, including Italy and Spain, have started straightening. Brazil and Russia are going to become new hubs of coronavirus. Curve will start flattening in Pakistan after May 30,” he said.
Prof Ikram said that he was hoping that surge in the number of cases would slow due to increase in temperature but a sudden spell of rain helped the virus to spread.
“However still the situation is under control and we believe that Pakistan will be able to pass through difficult time without a major damage,” he hoped.
Microbiologist Prof Dr Javed Usman, while talking to Dawn, said that the virus got destroyed at 56 degree Celsius which was not possible to attain in the human body as human cells were destroyed at over 42 degree Celsius. Moreover temperature inside buildings usually remained at 30s degree Celsius, he said.
“However it is a fact the behaviour of the virus is not as aggressive in the subcontinent as it is in the US and Italy. As the virus is made of RNA (ribonucleic acid) it has 100 times more tendency to change or mutate itself. That is why it is most difficult to invent vaccines for RNA viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C viruses,” he said.
However, an expert working at the NIH, requesting not to be quoted, differed with the opinion that the virus would be controlled in Pakistan after May 30.
“Though it is being claimed that the first phase of the virus spread has completed in Pakistan, I believe that escalation of the first wave has just started due to which we are getting around 1,000 cases and over 20 deaths on daily basis. It shows that the month of May will be problematic,” he said. “On the other hand the government is going to relax restrictions on public movement and our masses are not responsible. It will further increase the problems for the health sector, which may collapse,” he feared.
#Pakistan - #CoronaInPakistan - Imran will be responsible if #coronavirus situation worsens: Kaira
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira on Tuesday has
While addressing a press conference after the PPP Lahore Division (Rural) video-link meeting in the PPP Punjab Secretariat, flanked by general secretary Chaudhary Manzoor Ahmed, and Information Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza and other leaders, Kaira said that nowadays there is a debate lack of national consensus on coronavirus crises, and it was the responsibility of the federal government to establish the national consensus, and not the opposition’s job, in which it failed miserably.
“At the onset of the coronavirus, Bilawal Bhutto has offered full cooperation to the government to create a national consensus, but the federal government did not respond positively,” he said.
“The PPP leader said that war with corona is only possible through mutual cooperation and consensus if the situation worsens across the country, the prime minister and his cabinet would be responsible,” he warned.
“The Sindh government consulted with all to deal with the crisis,” he added.
“The Punjab government which is already suffering from financial difficulties has not been able to meet its target in collecting taxes, and its development, health, education and welfare budgets have been cut.,” he said.
“The federal government did not give a single rupee to Sindh for the corona crisis, in fact, it did not extend help to Punjab against the pandemic,” he added.
“Nothing was provided to the doctors who are front line soldiers in the war against corona,” he said.
“The Sindh government had proposed a complete lockdown in the first 15 days, and all the provinces of the country followed the steps of the Sindh government,” he recalled.The PPP Central Punjab president noted that there is always room for amendments in the constitution for improvement but no compromise will be made on the fundamental human rights and the financial and administrative powers of the provinces.He demanded the federal government should release the entire share under the NFC so the provinces, including Punjab, can deal with the coronavirus in a better way.He alleged that the government had announced a package of Rs1,240 billion, but not a single penny delivered yet while quoting figures the PPP leader reminded that we had sought an explanation in this regard but did not get any reply.“Punjab had to receive Rs1,601 billion but got Rs1,046 billion, the remaining is a shortfall, Punjab had a target of 284 in terms of taxes but 154 billion was collected, 693 billion was a debt which has reached 943 billion rupees, Rs63 billion are to be paid in interest, budgets of various departments in Punjab have been cut,” he said.
Qamar Zaman Kaira said that now the 18th Amendment is itself constitution, main forum of the 18th amendment is the parliament. The government has left the 18th Amendment to hide its incompetence from the coronavirus.
While criticising Imran Khan’s policies, Qamar Zaman Kaira warned that with this mindset and practice, corona cannot be dealt with. He maintained that the federal and Punjab government has failed to provide a national response to the coronavirus crisis.
The government is making matters controversial rather than developing national consensus.
“The government has started a debate on the 18th amendment to hide its incompetence from the coronavirus,” he alleged.
#Pakistan - #CoronaInPakistan - Bilawal blasts PTI govt for not supporting provinces amid #coronavirus crisis
Addressing the People’s Doctors Forum at his residence in Karachi on Tuesday, Bilawal said he has been demanding the relief package for all the provinces not only for Sindh “but instead of helping, the federal government is creating obstacles in our way”.
The PTI government’s response to the Covid-19, he said, has not only made Covid-19 induced lockdown less effective “but further spread the coronavirus in the country”.In a bid to create difficulties for the Sindh government, the PPP leader said Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, who is a federal government’s representative, is not signing relief package ordinance proposed by the provincial government.The relief package includes job and salary protection for the people of the province, rebates on utility bills, relief in school fees and rebates on house rent,” he added.Bilawal also announced to give a special package to the frontline doctors “bravely fighting” the Covid-19 pandemic similar to the one given to the soldiers fighting against terrorism.He announced the package after third doctor, Furqanul Haq, succumbed to the deadly virus reportedly due to the unavailability of ventilators in Karachi.
However, Sindh health department officials, denied the reports of shortage of ventilators after initiating an inquiry into the matter.
Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the province’s health authorities carried out 2,250 tests and 307 were positive during the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases to over 8,000.
He also said 237 of the 307 cases were from Karachi. The chief minister confirmed 11 new deaths in Sindh, which took the provincial death toll to 148.Currently, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients have surpassed 22,000 mark. with 8,133 cases in Punjab 3,499 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 1,495 in Balochistan, 386 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 464 in Islamabad and 71 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2214845/3-bilawal-blasts-pti-govt-not-supporting-provinces-amid-coronavirus-crisis/
کورونا سے لڑنے والے ڈاکٹرز قومی ہیرو ہیں، بلاول - #CoronaInPakistan
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ کورونا جیسی وباء سے لڑنے والے ڈاکٹرز ہمارے قومی ہیرو ہیں، جو اس جنگ میں بہت بہادری کے ساتھ لڑ رہے ہیں۔ میں نے سندھ حکومت کو ہدایت کی ہے کہ جس طرح دہشتگردی کے خلاف لڑنے والے بہادر سپاہیوں کے لئے پیکیج دیا گیا تھا، اسی طرز کا خصوصی پیکیج ان کو بھی دیا جائے، جس کا اعلان جلد کردیا جائے گا۔
ان خیالات کا اظہار انہوں نے بلاول ہاؤس کراچی میں ملک بھر سے پیپلز ڈاکٹرز فورم کے رہنماؤں سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کیا۔
ویڈیو لنک کے ذریعے ہونے والے اجلاس میں ڈاکٹر کریم خواجہ، پنجاب کے صدر ڈاکٹرخیام حفیظ، ڈاکٹر جاوید اقبال، ڈاکٹر ارسلان دیوان، سندھ کے صدر ڈاکٹر رزاق شیخ، ڈاکٹر یار علی جمالی، کے پی کے صدر ڈاکٹر نثار احمد خان، ڈاکٹر داؤد اقبال، ڈاکٹر عاشق حسین شاہ اور افضل ابڑو کے علاوہ دیگر نےشرکت کی۔
اجلاس سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے چیئرمین پی پی پی بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ وفاقی حکومت کے اکنامک بیل آؤٹ پیکیج نہ آنے سے لاک ڈاؤن میں نرمی ہوئی اور وباء پھیلی۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ پوری دنیا میں وفاقی حکومتوں نے ریلیف پیکیج دیئے ہیں، ہماری وفاقی حکومت نے شہید بے نظیر اِنکم سپورٹ پروگرام کے علاوہ کچھ نہیں دیا ہے، ہم صرف سندھ کو نہیں بلکہ تمام صوبوں کو ریلیف پیکیج دینے کی بات کرتے ہیں۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا یہ بھی کہنا تھا کہ مدد کرنے کے بجائے ہماری راہ میں رکاوٹیں کھڑی کی جارہی ہیں، سندھ میں وفاق کے نمائندہ، سندھ حکومت کے عوام کو دیئے گئے ریلیف پیکیج آرڈیننس پر دستخط ہی نہیں کررہے ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ اس پیکیج کے تحت صوبے کے عوام کو ملازمتوں اور تنخواہوں کا تحفظ، یوٹیلٹی بلز میں چھوٹ، اسکول فیسوں کی مد میں ریلیف اور گھروں کے کرائے میں چھوٹ شامل ہے، جبکہ سندھ حکومت اس آرڈیننس کے ذریعے تمام صوبائی ٹیکسز میں بھی صوبے کے عوام کو ریلیف دینا چاہتی ہے۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ ہم بھی چاہتے ہیں کہ لاک ڈاؤن ختم ہو، مگر اس سے پہلے ہمیں لوگوں کی جان کے تحفظ کو یقینی بنانا ہوگا۔ ٹیسٹ کٹس وافر مقدار میں صوبوں کو دینا ہوں گی اور اسپتالوں میں سہولتوں میں بھی اضافہ کرنا ہوگا۔
طبی سہولتوں پر بات کرتے ہوئے چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کا کہنا تھا کہ وفاقی حکومت کے پی کے میں بھی کچھ نہیں کررہی، جہاں کے عوام نے انہیں مینڈیٹ دیا، ہم کہتے ہیں صرف سندھ ہی نہیں وفاق تمام صوبوں کی مدد کرے، اس وقت صوبوں کو اس کی ضرورت ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ وفاق اور تمام صوبوں کو اس بات کا ادراک ہونا چاہیے کہ سندھ کے بروقت اقدامات نے اس وباء کو پھیلنے نہیں دیا۔ انہوں نے پیپلز ڈاکٹرز فورم کو ہدایت کی کہ وہ عوام کو کورونا جیسی وباء سے محفوظ رہنے اور حفاظتی اقدامات سے آگاہ کرنے کی عوامی مہم کو مزید تیز کریں۔
اس سے قبل اجلاس میں پارٹی چیئرمین کو ملک میں طبی سہولیات کے بارے میں بتایا گیا، کے پی کے سے ڈاکٹر داؤد اقبال کا کہنا تھا کہ اس وقت سب سے زیادہ اموات کے پی کے میں ہوئی ہیں اور سب سے زیادہ ڈاکٹرز بھی وہیں پر متاثر ہوئے ہیں۔
جس کی وجہ پی پی ای (ڈاکٹرز اور طبی عملے کی حفاظت کی اشیا) کی عدم فراہمی ہے، کورونا سے لڑتے ہوئے جن ڈاکٹرز نے جان کا نذرانہ دیا، کے پی کے حکومت کے کسی بھی نمائندے نے ان کی فیملی سے رابطہ نہیں کیا، جس سے ڈاکٹرز، نرسز اور پیرا میڈیکل اسٹاف کا مورال بری طرح سے متاثر ہوا ہے، کے پی کے میں ٹیسٹ کی سہولیات بھی بہت کم ہیں۔
پنجاب سے ڈاکٹر ارسلان دیوان نے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کو بتایا کہ پنجاب کے ایکسپو سینٹر میں قائم کورونا سینٹر میں آکسیجن تک کی سہولت موجود نہیں ہے، پانی کی عدم دستیابی پر بھی مریض احتجاج کررہے ہیں۔
#CoronaInPakistan - Sindh to announce special package for doctors like soldiers fighting against terrorism, Chairman #PPP
PPP Chairmain expressed these views while addressing the People’s Doctors Forum office-bearers at Bilawal House Karachi through video link.
PDF President Dr Karim Khawaja, Punjab President Dr Khayyam Hafeez, Dr Javed Iqbal and Dr Arsalan Dewan, Sindh President Dr Razzaq Sheikh Dr Yar Ali Jamali, KP President Dr Nisar Ahmad Khan and Dr Dawood Iqbal, Dr Ashiq Hussain Shah and Afzal Abro and others participated.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the non-arrival of the federal government’s economic bailout package reduced the effectiveness of the lockdown and further spread the COVID-19 outbreak.
He said that the federal governments all over the world have given such relief packages but ours has given nothing except continuing the Benazir Income Support Program funding started by PPP, he slammed.
PPP Chairman said he has been talking about giving relief package not only to Sindh but to all the provinces alike but instead of helping, federal government is placing obstacles in our way.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the federal representative – Governor – Sindh is not even signing the relief package ordinance given to the people by the Sindh government as an attempt to create hinderance. The package includes job and salary protection for the people of the province, rebates on utility bills, relief in school fees and rebates on house rent. Sindh government wants to give relief to the people of the province in all provincial taxes through this ordinance, he added.
He further said that we also want the lockdown to end but before that we have to ensure the safety of people’s lives and urged that abundant test kits will have to be given to the provinces and facilities in hospitals will also have to be increased to cope with the situation.
On medical facilities, he said that the federal government is not doing anything even in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa where the people had given them a mandate. We say that not only Sindh but the federation should help all the provinces as they need it, he added.
PPP Chairmain said that the federation and all the provinces should realise that timely measures taken by Sindh did not allow the COVID-19 outbreak epidemic to worsen.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari directed the People’s Doctors Forum (PDF) to intensify the public campaign to keep the people safe from pandemics like COVID19 and to make them aware of safety measures.
Earlier, in the meeting, the Party Chairman was briefed about the medical facilities in the country.
Dr Dawood Iqbal from KPK said that at that time most of the deaths from COVID19 occurred in KPK and most of the doctors were also affected due to lack of safety equipment. No representative of the KPK government who lost his life while fighting COVID19 has yet contacted the bereaved family, which has severely affected the morale of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff. Test facilities are also very limited in KPK, he informed.
Dr Arsalan Dewan from Punjab told the PPP Chairmain that the Center for COVID19 set up at the Expo Center in Punjab did not even have oxygen facilities and patients are protesting against the unavailability of potable water.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/05/05/sindh-to-announce-special-package-for-doctors-like-soldiers-fighting-against-terrorism-chairman-ppp/