Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Violations of Human Rights in Yemen and the Continuation of Saudi Crimes
By Amin Bagheri
Saudi Arabia is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.
It is natural that when the name of the war comes up or the news of an attack on another country is heard to seize it and seize the national and cultural resources of the destination country, the issue of human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Convention on Human Rights will be addressed. In the current situation where the Yemeni people are in complete food and medical poverty. As the initiator of the aggression against the territorial sovereignty of Yemen, Saudi Arabia is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in this country. The war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the Yemeni people are not only unforgivable, but it is an undeniable necessity for the continued efforts of international human rights organizations, as well as UN agencies, to immediately stop Saudi Arabia’s inhumane acts. The war-mongering and inhumane actions of the Saudi regime and its belligerent allies in recent years, and the continuation of the belligerent and interventionist approach of the Saudi leaders, have exacerbated the plight of the oppressed people and put the oppressed Yemeni people in more trouble.
In the current situation where the Yemeni people are in complete poverty and medical poverty, given the fact that Saudi Arabia, as the initiator of the aggression against the territorial sovereignty of Yemen, is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in this country. The world’s corona climate has caused some of the oppression that is taking place in a corner of the globe to be forgotten. It is not fair that the whole world has mobilized to fight the coronavirus, but it has been indifferent to the death of the innocent and oppressed people of Yemen for more than five years. On the other hand, after the outbreak of the coronavirus in the world, the United Nations called on the parties involved, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to stop the wave of attacks on Yemen for humanitarian reasons so that the World Health Organization (WHO) could strengthen its medical infrastructure and monitor the possible treatment of people with corona.. But in an inhumane act by the Saudi-UAE coalition, it rejected the UN humanitarian request and continued its wave of attacks.
Over the past five years, the devastating presence of the Saudi coalition in Yemen has resulted in nothing but the destruction of Yemen’s vital infrastructure and the severe violation of human rights. The destruction of farms under cultivation of agricultural products, especially coffee, the destruction of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and cultural centers, which has placed a heavy financial burden on the Yemeni government. The displacement of thousands of women, children and civilians, the closure of factories or offices due to heavy bombardment and the attack on enemy forces, unemployment, poverty, all together have turned Yemen into a wounded country with thousands of bullets and shrapnel. But this wounded land is still standing, and it continues to live on, hoping that powerful and pro-human rights governments will hear their voices..
Is Saudi Arabia the only one violating human rights?
The Saudi regime has a long history of violating human rights at home by suppressing and destroying dissidents, and the Saudi coalition has committed many crimes since the start of the war against Yemen in March 2015. While such behavior has always been ignored for some reason by seemingly pro-human rights authorities. But pressure from global public opinion, as well as people in the West, led them to issue a statement condemning human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four European countries, expressed concern on Monday, September ,2019, about the torture, illegal detention and unfair trial of critics, including women activists in Saudi Arabia.
The other focus of the Western statement is concerns about reports of torture, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, unfair trials and harassment of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia. In fact, the recent publication of 24 Western countries is a sign of a vague policy towards the Saudi regime. Major European countries such as Germany, France and Britain have apparently condemned the Saudi regime for human rights abuses, while having extensive military and weapons ties with Riyadh. Therefore, it can be said that these countries, despite their claims about special attention to human rights, have turned a blind eye to the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi regime’s illegal and inhumane actions, such as the assassination of Khashkechi and the massive crimes committed by the Saudi coalition in the Yemeni war. In other words, a country cannot support human rights while supporting inhumane acts in its own interests. For example, Saudi Arabia is one of the most important customers of French weapons and has used these weapons directly in the Yemeni war and the killing of the oppressed people of Yemen. However, the French government claims that it has not recently issued a weapon that was used directly in the Yemeni war. But the claim has been denied by human rights organizations. According to Patrice Buffer, director of the French Arms Watch, published video tapes prove that French weapons are being used in a way that violates international law. Despite the sanctions, Paris continues to export weapons to Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the common position of Europe and the arms sales of these countries indicates that arms exports from European countries to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue. Paris continues to export weapons to Saudi Arabia. Pixabay Also Read: Exercise can Slow Down or Prevent Vision Loss In conclusion, the Middle East today faces a regime that has no understanding of human rights. Saudi Arabia, along with its warring allies with its inhumane crimes against the oppressed people of Yemen, not only ignores the current unfavorable situation and the increase in casualties in the country, but also continues its anti-human rights actions.
While everyone is waiting for the Western governments to work to prevent these inhumane acts in Yemen, it seems that these countries are not taking any effective action to stop the inhumane actions of the Saudis and their Emirati partners in Yemen because of their material interests, and especially the interests of the major arms companies. Accordingly, it is not only Saudi Arabia that violates human rights in Yemen, but other seemingly pro-human rights governments, including France and Germany which continue to sell their weapons, violate human rights as much as Saudis do..
In conclusion, the Middle East today faces a regime that has no understanding of human rights. Saudi Arabia, along with its warring allies with its inhumane crimes against the oppressed people of Yemen, not only ignores the current unfavorable situation and the increase in casualties in the country, but also continues its anti-human rights actions. While everyone is waiting for the Western governments to work to prevent these inhumane acts in Yemen, it seems that these countries are not taking any effective action to stop the inhumane actions of the Saudis and their Emirati partners in Yemen because of their material interests, and especially the interests of the major arms companies. Accordingly, it is not only Saudi Arabia that violates human rights in Yemen, but other seemingly pro-human rights governments, including France and Germany which continue to sell their weapons, violate human rights as much as Saudis do..
Read more at: https://www.newsgram.com/violations-human-rights-yemen-continuation-saudi-crimes/
Saudi Arabia is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.
It is natural that when the name of the war comes up or the news of an attack on another country is heard to seize it and seize the national and cultural resources of the destination country, the issue of human rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the Convention on Human Rights will be addressed. In the current situation where the Yemeni people are in complete food and medical poverty. As the initiator of the aggression against the territorial sovereignty of Yemen, Saudi Arabia is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in this country. The war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and its allies against the Yemeni people are not only unforgivable, but it is an undeniable necessity for the continued efforts of international human rights organizations, as well as UN agencies, to immediately stop Saudi Arabia’s inhumane acts. The war-mongering and inhumane actions of the Saudi regime and its belligerent allies in recent years, and the continuation of the belligerent and interventionist approach of the Saudi leaders, have exacerbated the plight of the oppressed people and put the oppressed Yemeni people in more trouble.
In the current situation where the Yemeni people are in complete poverty and medical poverty, given the fact that Saudi Arabia, as the initiator of the aggression against the territorial sovereignty of Yemen, is the main cause of the dire humanitarian situation in this country. The world’s corona climate has caused some of the oppression that is taking place in a corner of the globe to be forgotten. It is not fair that the whole world has mobilized to fight the coronavirus, but it has been indifferent to the death of the innocent and oppressed people of Yemen for more than five years. On the other hand, after the outbreak of the coronavirus in the world, the United Nations called on the parties involved, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to stop the wave of attacks on Yemen for humanitarian reasons so that the World Health Organization (WHO) could strengthen its medical infrastructure and monitor the possible treatment of people with corona.. But in an inhumane act by the Saudi-UAE coalition, it rejected the UN humanitarian request and continued its wave of attacks.
Over the past five years, the devastating presence of the Saudi coalition in Yemen has resulted in nothing but the destruction of Yemen’s vital infrastructure and the severe violation of human rights. The destruction of farms under cultivation of agricultural products, especially coffee, the destruction of thousands of homes, schools, hospitals and cultural centers, which has placed a heavy financial burden on the Yemeni government. The displacement of thousands of women, children and civilians, the closure of factories or offices due to heavy bombardment and the attack on enemy forces, unemployment, poverty, all together have turned Yemen into a wounded country with thousands of bullets and shrapnel. But this wounded land is still standing, and it continues to live on, hoping that powerful and pro-human rights governments will hear their voices..
Is Saudi Arabia the only one violating human rights?
The Saudi regime has a long history of violating human rights at home by suppressing and destroying dissidents, and the Saudi coalition has committed many crimes since the start of the war against Yemen in March 2015. While such behavior has always been ignored for some reason by seemingly pro-human rights authorities. But pressure from global public opinion, as well as people in the West, led them to issue a statement condemning human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four European countries, expressed concern on Monday, September ,2019, about the torture, illegal detention and unfair trial of critics, including women activists in Saudi Arabia.
The other focus of the Western statement is concerns about reports of torture, arbitrary detention, forced disappearances, unfair trials and harassment of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia. In fact, the recent publication of 24 Western countries is a sign of a vague policy towards the Saudi regime. Major European countries such as Germany, France and Britain have apparently condemned the Saudi regime for human rights abuses, while having extensive military and weapons ties with Riyadh. Therefore, it can be said that these countries, despite their claims about special attention to human rights, have turned a blind eye to the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi regime’s illegal and inhumane actions, such as the assassination of Khashkechi and the massive crimes committed by the Saudi coalition in the Yemeni war. In other words, a country cannot support human rights while supporting inhumane acts in its own interests. For example, Saudi Arabia is one of the most important customers of French weapons and has used these weapons directly in the Yemeni war and the killing of the oppressed people of Yemen. However, the French government claims that it has not recently issued a weapon that was used directly in the Yemeni war. But the claim has been denied by human rights organizations. According to Patrice Buffer, director of the French Arms Watch, published video tapes prove that French weapons are being used in a way that violates international law. Despite the sanctions, Paris continues to export weapons to Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the common position of Europe and the arms sales of these countries indicates that arms exports from European countries to countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates continue. Paris continues to export weapons to Saudi Arabia. Pixabay Also Read: Exercise can Slow Down or Prevent Vision Loss In conclusion, the Middle East today faces a regime that has no understanding of human rights. Saudi Arabia, along with its warring allies with its inhumane crimes against the oppressed people of Yemen, not only ignores the current unfavorable situation and the increase in casualties in the country, but also continues its anti-human rights actions.
While everyone is waiting for the Western governments to work to prevent these inhumane acts in Yemen, it seems that these countries are not taking any effective action to stop the inhumane actions of the Saudis and their Emirati partners in Yemen because of their material interests, and especially the interests of the major arms companies. Accordingly, it is not only Saudi Arabia that violates human rights in Yemen, but other seemingly pro-human rights governments, including France and Germany which continue to sell their weapons, violate human rights as much as Saudis do..
In conclusion, the Middle East today faces a regime that has no understanding of human rights. Saudi Arabia, along with its warring allies with its inhumane crimes against the oppressed people of Yemen, not only ignores the current unfavorable situation and the increase in casualties in the country, but also continues its anti-human rights actions. While everyone is waiting for the Western governments to work to prevent these inhumane acts in Yemen, it seems that these countries are not taking any effective action to stop the inhumane actions of the Saudis and their Emirati partners in Yemen because of their material interests, and especially the interests of the major arms companies. Accordingly, it is not only Saudi Arabia that violates human rights in Yemen, but other seemingly pro-human rights governments, including France and Germany which continue to sell their weapons, violate human rights as much as Saudis do..
Read more at: https://www.newsgram.com/violations-human-rights-yemen-continuation-saudi-crimes/
UK to resume issuing Saudi Arabia arms export licenses
Licensing had been suspended last year after a British court ruled that the government violated British law by selling arms without examining whether the weapons may be used to harm noncombatants.
Amnesty International activists march with homemade replica missiles bearing the message "Made in Britain, destroying lives in Yemen," across Westminster Bridge toward Downing Street during a protest over UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia on March 18, 2016, in London, England. Photo by Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images.
The British government can legally resume issuing licenses to export weapons to Saudi Arabia, the country’s trade minister said yesterday.
Licensing was suspended last year after a court ruled that the government violated British law by covertly selling arms to Riyadh without duly examining whether the weapons may be used to harm noncombatants.
The ruling came after a rights group presented evidence that the weapons posed a clear risk to civilians in Yemen’s civil war.
UK Trade Secretary Liz Truss said Tuesday that the licensing process had been adjusted to comply with the ruling and licensing would continue.
In a letter to the British Parliament, Truss wrote that the specified cases of Saudi Arabia's alleged violation of international humanitarian law were “isolated incidents.” The Saudi-led coalition has serially misrepresented incidents of civilian casualties in Yemen.
Andrew Smith, a spokesperson for the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which brought the suit against the government, called the decision to resume arms sales “disgraceful and morally bankrupt.”
“The Saudi-led bombardment of Yemen has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and the government itself admits that UK-made arms have played a central role on the bombing,” Smith said, according to Reuters.
Smith also said his organization will consult its lawyers about the decision and “will be exploring all options available to challenge it.” Britain’s opposition Labor Party also slammed the decision.
The announcement came only a day after the British government announced it would sanction 20 Saudi individuals accused by Turkey of involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.
The sanctions included Saud al-Qahtani, former adviser to Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the former deputy chief of Saudi’s General Intelligence Directorate, Ahmed Asiri.
Labor Party representative Emily Thornberry said the decision marked “at the very least a case of mixed messages, undermining the government’s claim to be human rights defenders,” according to The New York Times.
Similar criticisms have been levied at the United States government. The Donald Trump administration has signaled its intent to continue arming Saudi Arabia while Congress is renewing its opposition.
Riyadh is among the top buyers of British weapons. The UK has licensed at least $5.9 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia since the outbreak of the Yemen civil war in 2015.
Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/uk-resume-arms-sales-export-licenses-saudi-arabia-riyadh.html#ixzz6RebA25jc
Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/uk-resume-arms-sales-export-licenses-saudi-arabia-riyadh.html#ixzz6Reb3Hf3w
#WHO withdrawal US’ worst global retreat ever: Global Times editorial
Such an erratic move comes after the WHO refused to "hold China accountable." US election politics and partisan interests have affected US foreign policy in such a brutal and arbitrary way, which is appalling.
What is whimsical is that this decision, which obviously goes against the need of the US to cooperate with the world to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, is claimed to have a high moral ground. Washington has publicly smeared the WHO as China's "puppet," which wasted the money of American taxpayers. It is believed such a show could help the current administration win the election this November. The US political system has become too old, or even suffered from the Alzheimer's disease.
The coronavirus pandemic has swept across the world for months, and most countries are engaged in the anti-virus fight on their own. But only Washington recklessly blamed China and the WHO for its anti-virus failure, while it boasted of its "excellent performance."
Such brazenness in confusing right and wrong works well in the US, and many voters buy it, which shows how distorted the US politics and opinions have become.
As the pandemic situation in the US spirals out of control while China sees few or no infected cases each day, Washington will find it harder and harder to sustain its show. Its announcement of withdrawing from the WHO can be seen as its last attempt to pass the buck. There will surely be worse situations, but Washington can hardly justify itself, no matter how harsh its words and deeds might be.
A Chinese proverb describes someone as quenching one's thirst with poisoned wine, and now the proverb can be used on the hysteric US government.
We condemn Washington's move to withdraw from the WHO at this critical juncture. Its decision will inevitably split world unity that is much needed in the ongoing virus fight.
Because of the WHO's coordination role, the global fight has slowed the spread of the virus to some extent. The situation in quite a number of countries has eased. But the US federal government has almost given up its efforts, making the US the worst bruise in the global virus prevention system. Though a superpower, the US has no right to reverse the world's improving situation.
We also deeply regret that Americans are unable to prevent their government from making such an erroneous decision. US decision-making and self-correction have encountered big problems. The political selfishness of the two parties and the leadership are making publicity in such a blatant way, while US society has become accustomed to it and even cooperated with it, which is degeneration.
The Trump administration is leading the country to "co-exist with the novel coronavirus." But we must tell Americans that such inaction is terrible. People's understanding of the virus is insufficient, but it has been proven that it can spread fast and infect humans, and the death rate of COVID-19 is much higher than the common flu. If the US keeps the status quo, its number of deaths will be incalculable, and so will be the lasting of the raging virus and its long-term impact on the economy.
We hope the harm caused by the pandemic on American lives and health can lead them to eventually wake up. The value that lives and people's health are above everything should become the motto of US politics again.
Washington's withdrawal from the WHO is the worst among its retreat from various international organizations and treaties. The world should hold Washington accountable for betraying the common interests of humanity.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1193940.shtml
Opinion: Biden Should Not Debate Trump Unless … Here are two conditions the Democrat should set.
I worry about Joe Biden debating Donald Trump. He should do it only under two conditions. Otherwise, he’s giving Trump unfair advantages.
First, Biden should declare that he will take part in a debate only if Trump releases his tax returns for 2016 through 2018. Biden has already done so, and they are on his website. Trump must, too. No more gifting Trump something he can attack while hiding his own questionable finances.
And second, Biden should insist that a real-time fact-checking team approved by both candidates be hired by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates — and that 10 minutes before the scheduled conclusion of the debate this team report on any misleading statements, phony numbers or outright lies either candidate had uttered. That way no one in that massive television audience can go away easily misled.
Debates always have ground rules. Why can’t telling the truth and equal transparency on taxes be conditions for this one?
Yes, the fact that we have to make truth-telling an explicit condition is an incredibly sad statement about our time; normally such things are unspoken and understood. But if the past teaches us anything, Trump might very well lie and mislead for the entire debate, forcing Biden to have to spend the majority of his time correcting Trump before making his own points.
That is not a good way for Biden to reintroduce himself to the American people. And, let’s not kid ourselves, these debates will be his reintroduction to most Americans, who have neither seen nor heard from him for months if not years.
Because of Covid-19, Biden has been sticking close to home, wearing a mask and social distancing. And with the coronavirus now spreading further, and Biden being a responsible individual and role model, it’s likely that he won’t be able to engage with any large groups of voters before Election Day. Therefore, the three scheduled televised debates, which will garner huge audiences, will carry more weight for him than ever.
He should not go into such a high-stakes moment ceding any advantages to Trump. Trump is badly trailing in the polls, and he needs these debates much more than Biden does to win over undecided voters. So Biden needs to make Trump pay for them in the currency of transparency and fact-checking — universal principles that will level the playing field for him and illuminate and enrich the debates for all citizens.Of course, Trump will stomp and protest and say, “No way.” Fine. Let Trump cancel. Let Trump look American voters in the eye and say: “There will be no debate, because I should be able to continue hiding my tax returns from you all, even though I promised that I wouldn’t and even though Biden has shown you his. And there will be no debate, because I should be able to make any statement I want without any independent fact-checking.”
If Trump says that, Biden can retort: “Well, that’s not a debate then, that’s a circus. If that’s what you want, why don’t we just arm wrestle or flip a coin to see who wins?”
I get why Republican senators and Fox News don’t press Trump on his taxes or call out his lies. They’re afraid of him and his base and unconcerned about the truth. But why should Biden, or the rest of us, play along?After all, these issues around taxes and truth are more vital than ever for voters to make an informed choice.Trump, you will recall, never sold his Trump Organization holdings or put them into a blind trust — as past presidents did with their investments — to avoid any conflicts of interest. Rather, his assets are in a revocable trust, whose trustees are his eldest son, Donald Jr., and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer. Which is a joke. Trump promised during the last campaign to release his tax returns after an I.R.S. “audit” was finished. Which turned out to have been another joke.
Once elected, Trump claimed that the American people were not interested in seeing his tax returns. Actually, we are now more interested than ever — and not just because it’s utterly unfair that Biden go into the debate with all his income exposed (he and his wife, Jill, earned more than $15 million in the two years after they left the Obama administration, largely from speaking engagements and books) while Trump doesn’t have to do the same.
There must be something in those tax returns that Trump really does not want the American public to see. It may be just silly — that he’s actually not all that rich. It may have to do with the fact that foreign delegations and domestic lobbyists, who want to curry favor with him, stay in his hotel in Washington or use it for corporate entertaining.
Or, more ominously, it may be related to Trump’s incomprehensible willingness to give Russian President Vladimir Putin the benefit of every doubt for the last three-plus years. Virtually every time there has been a major public dispute between Putin and U.S. intelligence agencies alleging Russian misdeeds — including, of late, that the Kremlin offered bounties for the killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan — Trump has sided with Putin.
The notion that Putin may have leverage over him is not crazy, given little previous hints by his sons.
As Michael Hirsh recalled in a 2018 article in Foreign Policy about how Russian money helped to save the Trump empire from bankruptcy: “In September 2008, at the ‘Bridging U.S. and Emerging Markets Real Estate’ conference in New York, the president’s eldest son, Donald Jr., said: ‘In terms of high-end product influx into the United States, Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. Say, in Dubai, and certainly with our project in SoHo, and anywhere in New York. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.’”
The American people need to know if Trump is in debt in any way to Russian banks and financiers who might be close to Putin. Because if Trump is re-elected, and unconstrained from needing to run again, he will most likely act even more slavishly toward Putin, and that is a national security threat.
At the same time, debating Trump is unlike debating any other human being. Trump literally lies as he breathes, and because he has absolutely no shame, there are no guardrails. According to the Fact Checker team at The Washington Post, between Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, and May 29, 2020, he made 19,127 false or misleading claims.
Biden has been dogged by bone-headed issues of plagiarism in his career, but nothing compared to Trump’s daily fire hose of dishonesty, which has no rival in U.S. presidential history. That’s why it’s so important to insist that the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates hire independent fact-checkers who, after the two candidates give their closing arguments — but before the debate goes off the air — would present a rundown of any statements that were false or only partly true.Only if leading into the debate, American voters have a clear picture of Trump’s tax returns alongside Biden’s, and only if, coming out of the debate, they have a clear picture of who was telling the truth and who was not, will they be able to make a fair judgment between the two candidates.
That kind of debate and only that kind of debate would be worthy of voters’ consideration and Biden’s participation.
Otherwise, Joe, stay in your basement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/07/opinion/biden-trump-debate.html
#Pakistan - Opinion: 'Martyr bin Laden' and Khan's 'slip of the tongue'
By Shamil Shams
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has sparked a big controversy by calling ex al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr." DW's Shamil Shams believes it is consistent with the premier's personal and political views.
It is not a secret that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has a soft spot for Islamists, even for those who carry out militant attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He blames the United States for destabilizing the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and justifies the Taliban militancy as a reaction to an imperialist invasion. But calling former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr" is a new low even for Khan.
Some people say it was a "slip of the tongue." I'd say it was a "Freudian slip" and revealed his unconscious thought.
In his June 25 parliamentary speech, Khan was supposed to allay opposition's concerns that his government has badly mismanaged the coronavirus crisis in Pakistan. But he tends to digress. In an extensive speech, he spoke about many issues, including the war on terror and how it damaged Pakistan. This has been his political narrative for the past 19 years.
Pakistan's state narrative
Bin Laden was killed by US forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in 2011. Islamabad appeared to have cooperated with then US President Barack Obama in the bin Laden operation. It probably had no other choice but to support it. But the fact that the ex al-Qaida leader had been hiding in the garrison city raised many questions about Pakistan's anti-terrorism support. Let's not forget that Islamabad had received billions of dollars from Washington to go after al-Qaida and the Taliban leadership.
Khan's close ties with the military are also no secret. Therefore, what Khan said about bin Laden is actually a reflection of the state policy. So let us not just blame the premier for saying something that many in the country's power corridors actually believe in. It is, however, not said openly, and definitely not in parliament.Pakistan's dubious role in the war on terror has always been a problem for the West, which needs Islamabad's support to manage the crisis but does not have control over the country's foreign and domestic policies. Islamist sympathy runs deep in Pakistan — both at state and societal levels. It is an instrument to stir up anti-India sentiment and keep the military generals in a powerful role.
Battle lines
Khan is entitled to his views, of course. If he actually thinks that bin Laden was a "martyr," then he should stick to his opinion. He should make it clear to the US that his government would not cooperate in the war against terror. It is an unnecessary facade — Islamabad has never really cooperated in the war against terror.
Pakistan should also stop playing victim. Khan keeps reminding the world that Pakistan paid a heavy price for participating in the war on terror. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed by militant groups since 2001. If those who killed innocent people are "martyrs," then the premier has no right to talk about his country's "sacrifice."
Dear Prime Minister, the people of Pakistan have indeed suffered immensely due to terrorism. Liberal politicians who took a stand against extremists were killed by militants. You, on the other hand, have maintained friendly ties with the Taliban. You didn't have to pay the price for challenging extremism and militancy.
Lastly, Mr Khan, progressive and secular people will continue to challenge the state narrative and your policies. There wasn't any doubt that you sympathize with Islamists, but now you exposed yourself even more. The fight against extremism will continue in Pakistan. You have made it clear which side you are on by glorifying bin Laden.
Fatal crash, fake pilots, piling losses expose how broken Pakistan’s PIA is
FASEEH MANGI and ANURAG KOTOKY
PIA hasn’t made a profit in 15 years & liabilities amounted to $3.8 billion last year. It has some 14,000 employees for a fleet of only about 30 planes.
For decades Pakistan International Airlines Corp. stood for a resurgent post-colonial nation, flying the flag from New York to Tokyo. Now the airline is struggling to recover from a fatal crash, years of losses, a collapse in global air travel and the stunning revelation that almost a third of the nation’s pilots obtained fake licenses.
That latest admission, from Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, tipped the airline from crisis to full-blown catastrophe. Khan didn’t say whether the pilots of the crashed Airbus SE jet, who were discussing the coronavirus when they retracted the landing gear just before touching down in Karachi, were among those who held dubious licenses. But his announcement came on the same evening that investigators held the cockpit crew responsible for the accident.
Investigations into at least three major crashes in Pakistan in the past decade found the pilots were either at fault or didn’t follow guidelines. Khan said that 262 of over 850 pilots in Pakistan had fake qualifications and many didn’t even sit the exams themselves.
“I’m not shocked by this,” said Nasrullah Khan Afridi, President of Pakistan Airlines Cabin Crew Association. “In our culture, unfortunately, there is so much wrongdoing among politicians and others that everyone is looking for a short cut. Everyone with dubious records, including the regulator which issues pilot licenses, should be punished.”
The shock is reverberating beyond Pakistan, which is not the only country in Asia to have reported problems in the past over the certification of pilots as a slew of new budget carriers competed to sign up cockpit crews. In the past few years, India and some nations in Southeast Asia have also come under scrutiny for cases of exaggerated flight hours or simulator time.
“This is not just a PIA or Pakistan only issue, it is widespread in India, Indonesia and also the Philippines,” said Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation safety consultant and former pilot based in the southern Indian city of Chennai. In 2011-12, several hundred pilots working for airlines in India were found to have fake certificates, he said. “A similar charade takes place from flying schools in Indonesia, Philippines etc. They collect the full fees from trainees but actual flying is done only on paper.”
Arun Kumar, head of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said the country has no cases of pilots with fake documents, even for those who qualified overseas. “All documents are duly checked and verified,” he said. “We have a robust system in place.”
Adita Irawati, a spokeswoman for Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry, said the country has never uncovered any abuse of documentation similar to what was found in Pakistan, and Indonesia has a mechanism in place to prevent such practices.
Representatives for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. As of Dec. 13, almost half of the flying schools in Philippines were inactive, with about a dozen of them either facing stop orders or having their licenses revoked or denied, data from the regulator showed.
The deluge of disasters at PIA has galvanized the government to speed up reform of the industry in Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the nation’s Civil Aviation Authority to fast track further actions for the nation’s airlines, and the authority itself, including cutting jobs.
“It takes a lot of courage to come out and say our industry is broken,” said Faaiz Amir, a former Air Vice Marshal who investigated a 2012 crash of a Bhoja Air flight near Islamabad. “The system needs to be revamped. Civil aviation needs to be restructured and reorganized.”
They have their work cut out. PIA is the most likely airline in the world to fail in the absence of a bailout as Covid-19 cuts demand for air travel, according to a Bloomberg News analysis. The carrier has one of the highest staff-to-planes ratios, after successive governments shied away from major payroll cuts on concern they would spark labor unrest. The fake pilots disclosure prompted the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to ban airlines from Pakistan flying to its member states. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it was “assessing the situation.”
Even without the latest round of catastrophes, the airline was struggling from high costs and increased competition from rivals such as Emirates, a carrier it ironically helped establish in 1985. PIA hasn’t made a profit in 15 years and liabilities amounted to $3.8 billion at the end of last year. It has some 14,000 employees for a fleet of only about 30 planes.
After years of propping up the carrier with cash bailouts — the latest was 3.2 billion rupees ($19 million) last month for PIA to pay interest payments — the government has promised to carry out measures including job cuts and the sale of non-core assets.
“It’s a belated, welcome and decisive realization,” said A.A.H. Soomro, managing director at Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities. “The conoravirus-induced travel decline coupled with plunging tax revenues have motivated the government to fix bleeding public sector entities.”
PIA traces its roots to 1946 when Orient Airways flew in the then-undivided India. After partition it was one of the first in Asia to begin a regular service to London and in the heady days of expansion in the 1960’s and 70’s was considered a model for new national airlines in other parts of the region.
With prestige and growth came mismanagement and losses as the airline became a source of foreign revenue and a conduit for jobs and contracts at home. PIA is managed by either generalist bureaucrats, or military officers, or both, fostering a bureaucratic and unaccountable system, according to Mosharraf Zaidi, a senior fellow at Islamabad-based think tank, Tabadlab.
The state of the nation’s aviation industry began to be reflected in its accident record. In 2010, an Airblue flight slammed into a rain-soaked hillside near Islamabad, killing 152, an incident also blamed on pilot error. Two years later, the nation suffered another major disaster when a Bhoja Air Boeing 737-200 carrying 118 passengers and 9 crew members crashed on approach at the capital. In both cases, the official reports identified pilot errors.
The recent PIA disaster was the first fatal plane crash for the airline since 47 people were killed in an ATR-42 in 2016.
Amid calls for reform and a change of government, the airline has had six chief executive officers in five years. The current administration says current CEO Arshad Mahmood Malik, a Vice Chief of Air Staff in the nation’s air force who was appointed in October 2018, is trying to restore the airline.
“The tragic recent crashes are a lingering legacy of past mismanagement and corruption that is in the process of being cleared up,” said Shireen Mazari, the minister for human rights in Khan’s cabinet and a close aide to the Prime Minister. Malik is taking steps such as “ferreting out pilots, engineers and others with fake licenses and qualifications, implementing a modern cost-efficient reservation system, and returning to service costly planes that had been cannibalized for parts,” she said.
Other actions include selling or monetizing non-core assets, built up over the years when the company was a conduit for national prestige. Its prime asset, the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, which was previously valued at $1 billion, may be turned primarily into an office tower with retail space on the ground floor.
But with no flights to Europe and possibly to other countries as aviation authorities weigh the concern about the training of its staff, the core airline itself may need substantial government support to survive.
Ali Wahab, Head of Debt Capital Markets at Sharjah Islamic Bank, said the minister’s revelation has put its future in jeopardy. “When an airline will not fly and has no revenue, how will it repay its debts?”-
اسلام آباد میں مندر، ایک سوڈانی مسلمان کے سوالات
انور ہاسٹل میں میرا ہمسایہ ہے۔ ہم اکثر شام میں اکٹھے بیٹھتے ہیں اور باتیں کرتے ہیں۔ وہ مجھے سوڈان کی کہانیاں سناتا ہے اور میں اسے پاکستان کے بارے میں بتاتی ہوں۔
ایسی ہی ایک شام جب ہم ساتھ بیٹھے کھانا کھا رہے تھے، میں نے اسے بتایا کہ ’پاکستان کے دارالحکومت اسلام آباد میں حکومت کی معاونت سے ہندوؤں کا ایک مندر تعمیر ہونے والا تھا لیکن اب اس کی تعمیر
روک دی گئی ہے۔‘ انور نے وجہ پوچھی تو میں نے اسے بتایا کہ ’ایک تو اس کا بلڈنگ پلان منظور نہیں تھا، دوم علما نے اس مندر کی تعمیر پر اعتراض کیا ہے۔ وہ کہتے ہیں کہ حکومت کسی نئی عبادت گاہ کی تعمیر کے لیے پیسے نہیں دے سکتی البتہ پہلے سے قائم عبادت گاہوں کی دیکھ بھال ، مرمت اور تزئین و آرائش کے لیے مدد کر سکتی ہے۔‘ انور نے پوچھا: ’حکومت یہ کام نہیں کرے گی تو کون کرے گا؟‘ میں اس کی شکل دیکھنے لگی۔ شاید میں بتانا بھول گئی، انور بھی میری طرح مسلمان ہے۔ ایک مسلمان کے منہ سے ایسے سوال سننا کچھ عجیب سا لگ رہا تھا۔ اسے تو پوچھنا چاہیے تھا کہ ایک اسلامی ملک
کے دارالحکومت میں مندر بنانے کا سوچا ہی کیوں گیا پر وہ تو یہاں عجیب و غریب سوال پوچھ رہا تھا۔ میں نے اسے بتایا کہ ’پاکستان اسلام کے نام پر بنایا گیا ہے، اس کے دارالحکومت میں مندر کیسے بن سکتا ہے اور وہ بھی حکومت کے خرچ سے؟‘
اس نے پوچھا: ’اسلام آباد میں کتنے ہندو رہتے ہیں؟‘
میں نے کہا: ’تقریباً تین ہزار۔‘
اس نے پوچھا: ’ان کے لیے وہاں کتنے مندر موجود ہیں؟‘
میں نے کہا: ’ایک بھی نہیں لیکن وہ اپنے اپنے گھروں میں اپنے مذہب کے مطابق عبادت کرنے کے لیے آزاد ہیں (اور محفوظ بھی)۔‘
انور نے کہا: ’ہاں وہ تو ان کا حق ہے لیکن اگر وہ مندر جا کر عبادت کرنا چاہیں تو اس کا حق بھی انہیں حاصل ہونا چاہیے۔‘
میں نے کہا: ’ہاں بالکل ہونا چاہیے۔ وہ فوراً بولا: ’لیکن ان کے لیے تو وہاں مندر ہی موجود نہیں، وہ کہاں جائیں گے؟‘ سوال تو واقعی غور طلب تھا، پر سانوں کی۔ ہمارے لیے تو ہر گلی میں مسجد موجود ہے۔ جہاں نہیں ہے وہاں کسی بھی خالی پلاٹ پر تعمیر کا کام شروع کیا جا سکتا ہے۔ خیر یہ بھی مردوں کی ٹینشن ہے، ہم عورتوں کے لیے تو گھر میں عبادت کرنا ہی افضل ہے۔ میں مندر سے نکل کر مسجد میں داخل ہو چکی تھی لیکن انور ابھی تک مندر کی چوکھٹ پکڑے بیٹھا تھا۔ پوچھنے لگا: ’کیا پاکستان کے ہندو حکومت کو ٹیکس نہیں دیتے؟‘ میں نے کہا: ’بالکل دیتے ہیں۔ اس معاملے میں وہ بھی ہمارے جیسے ہیں۔ سانس بھی لیں تو ٹیکس دینا پڑتا ہے۔‘ انور بولا: ’پاکستان میں رہنے والے ہندو ٹیکس بھی دیتے ہیں اور پاکستان کے قوانین کا احترام بھی کرتے ہیں، اس کے باوجود حکومت انہیں ایک مندر تک بنا کر نہیں دے سکتی؟‘
میں نے کہا: ’کیونکہ وہ ہندو ہیں۔‘ یہ سنتے ہی انور ہنس پڑا۔ اس کی ہنسی رکی تو بولا: ’یہاں بات مذہب کی نہیں قومیت کی ہے۔ ان کا مذہب جو بھی ہو، وہ پاکستانی ہیں۔ ان کا بھی پاکستان پر اتنا ہی حق ہے جتنا تمہارا۔ اگر تم حکومت سے بطور مسلمان مدد مانگ سکتی ہو تو وہ کیوں نہیں مانگ سکتے۔‘ اب معاملہ میری سمجھ سے اوپر جا چکا تھا۔ شاید میری جگہ کوئی عالمِ دین ہوتا تو اسے بہتر طور پر اس مندر کی تعمیر سے ہونے والے نقصانات کے بارے میں بتا پاتا۔ میں ادھر ادھر دیکھنے لگی۔ ایک
کرسی کی پشت پر جائے نماز رکھی ہوئی نظر آئی اور پاس ہی ایک میز پر رکھا قرآن بھی نظر آیا، یعنی وہ باقاعدگی سے نماز بھی پڑھتا ہے اور قرآن بھی لیکن اپنی باتوں سے تو مسلمان نہیں لگ رہا تھا۔ اب یہی بات سن لیں۔ کہتا ہے مذاہب انسانوں کے لیے ہوتے ہیں، ریاستوں کے لیے نہیں۔ ریاست کا کام ہے کہ وہ اپنی حدود میں رہنے والے ہر انسان کو برابر کے حقوق فراہم کرے، اب چاہے کوئی مسلمان ہو، ہندو ہو، عیسائی ہو، پارسی ہو یا کسی اور مذہب کا ماننے والا۔ ریاست کا اس کے مذہب سے کوئی لینا دینا نہیں۔ اب میری بس ہو چکی تھی۔ میں نے اس سے اجازت لی اور اس کے کمرے سے نکل آئی۔ وہ میرے پیچھے دروازے تک آیا۔ کہنے لگا: ’تم لوگوں کا مسئلہ مذہب نہیں بلکہ احساسِ برتری ہے۔ تم لوگ خود کو مسلمان ہونے کی وجہ سے دوسروں سے برتر سمجھتے ہو حالانکہ تمہارے مسلمان ہونے میں تمہارا کوئی اختیار نہیں۔ اللہ کے فضل سے تم لوگ مسلمان گھرانوں میں پیدا ہو گئے، بس اسی لیے مسلمان ہو۔ تم لوگ اپنے ملک میں رہنے والی مذہبی اقلیتوں کو خود سے کمتر سمجھتے ہو۔ تم لوگ اپنے لیے تو حقوق چاہتے ہو لیکن انہیں کوئی حق نہیں دینا چاہتے۔ کسی بھی مسلمان کا دل اتنا تنگ نہیں ہو سکتا۔‘
وہ غالباً کچھ اور بھی کہنا چاہ رہا تھا پر یقین مانیں میری بس ہو چکی تھی۔ میں نے اسے خدا حافظ کہا اور اپنے کمرے میں چلی گئی۔
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