Monday, September 21, 2020
Pakistan opposition, backed by ex-premier, to protest Khan
MUNIR AHMED
Pakistan's ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif broke a nearly yearlong silence from exile in London to vow to oust Imran Khan from office, accusing him of only reaching power through a vote rigged by the country's powerful military.
The 70-year-old former premier offered an emotional, direct attack late Sunday on Khan and the military, with which he has a long, uneasy relationship. Khan's government on Monday dismissed his remarks, with Information Minister Shibli Faraz saying the Pakistani opposition is only united because they fear ongoing corruption cases targeting them.
Sharif thrice served as Pakistan's prime minister, first removed by a president in 1993, then by military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 1999. A court in 2017 ousted him from power over corruption allegations. Khan, a former cricketer, came to power in 2018.
“Our struggle is not just against Imran Khan,” Sharif told an opposition rally in Islamabad via videoconferencing. "Our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated the vote to bring an incompetent man like him to power and thus destroyed the country."
Sharif spoke from London, where he has been since last November when he was released on bail to seek medical treatment abroad. At the time, a court permitted Sharif to leave the country for four weeks, but he did not return. A court last week issued arrest warrants for Sharif, previously sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption and money laundering charges stemming from disclosures in the Panama Papers.
On Sunday, Pakistan's opposition parties held a meeting in which they agreed to hold nationwide rallies in October to pressure Khan to resign. Sharif was targeted by similar mass protests during his rule, which also .
Pakistan's military has ruled the country of 220 million people — directly or indirectly — for most of its history. Successive attempts at protracted democracy have been interrupted by military coups, the last one in 1999.
Pakistanis went to the polls in 2008 and elected their first civilian government in 12 years.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Monday launched its latest five-day vaccination drive against polio in an effort aimed at eliminating the crippling children’s disease. Some 40 million children will be vaccinated during the effort by a team of 275,000 polio workers, said Faisal Sultan, who advises Khan on health issues.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio is still endemic.
https://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-opposition-backed-ex-premier-074447153.html
#APC2020 #APCbyPPP #UnitedForDemocracyWhat - The Opposition APC Has Already Achieved
Earlier, Information Minister Shibli Faraz, in what came across as a desperate plea, had called on the state institutions to take notice of Nawaz Sharif’s speech at the APC. If government officials’ reaction is anything to go by, it is safe to say that the APC was a success.The achievement The resolution passed by the multiparty conference was comprehensive in that it addressed issues that media and civil society cannot freely discuss thanks to the wave of censorship where every word of dissent ends up putting one in trouble. Some observers argue that speeches mean nothing until they translate into action on the ground. While mobilisation and on-ground action remains the key to the success of these alliance, even token statements by politicians under this authoritarian regime hold significant value. Such clear positions from political leaders help break the silence and reassure the citizens at a time when civil liberties are being stifled by those who are supposed to protect them. Therefore, the strong line adopted by the APC will certainly not be in vain. Mainstream politicians’ clarity on the ‘sensitive’ issues will serve to break the shackles and the wave of fear under which Pakistan’s media is currently operating. The news report about CPEC Authority Chairman Asim Bajwa, for instance, was censored on media until the former military spokesman issued a ‘rebuttal’ to it. Pakistani media did report his clarification on the matter, but stopped short of giving space to the said investigative story about his wealth. But now that the opposition has demanded probe into the charges against Asim Bajwa, it is hoped that this issue of national importance will no longer be censored. The PTI government must be pushed to apply its own ‘accountability’ principles on the case of Gen (r) Asim Bajwa’s assets. It must also be stated clearly that demanding answers from the CPEC Authority chairman does not in any way undermine the success or security of the project. Another key point of the APC resolution is the formation of a ‘Truth Commission’ to document the ‘real history’ of Pakistan since the country’s inception in 1947. Pakistan’s opposition collectively acknowledging the way propaganda and twisted facts are peddled as ‘history’ in Pakistan textbooks and as state narrative is unprecedented. Never before have the politicians united in denouncing the flaws in state narrative and lies that are fed to our children to hinder their ability to question and think rationally. This particular step is praiseworthy and must be followed through. It will be a great service to the country if the political parties use their following to educate the masses about the real history and the historical facts that was systematically censored over the years. Finally, the opposition must also engage in introspection and acknowledge its own mistakes of the past. For starters, PPP and PML-N must announce action against their MPs who were absent from the joint session of the parliament on FATF-related bills last week, resulting in the opposition’s defeat. PPP should apologise for acting as the B-team of establishment during Senate elections. The opposition parties should make it clear if their objective is to achieve the ‘selected’ status that Imran Khan currently enjoys or to put an end to military’s interference in politics and work towards course correction. https://nayadaur.tv/2020/09/what-the-opposition-apc-has-already-achieved/#comment-2189
Pakistan: Opposition parties protest against role of army in Pakistan's politics
The alliance of opposition parties plan a wave of rallies and protests starting next month. Former PM Nawaz Sharif said that the army has gone from a "state within a state" to a "state above the state."
Opposition parties of Pakistan rallied against the ruling party and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, at a day-long multi-party meeting. The parties called for Khan's resignation and a nationwide protest movement to unseat the PM.
The alliance of the opposition parties, called the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), plans a wave of rallies and protests, starting next month.
Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrive to attend the PDM meeting
The opposition parties are primarily protesting against the role of the army in Pakistan's politics and demanding for a new law of accountability.
Former PM calls out army generals
Nawaz Sharif, the former PM of Pakistan and current leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), addressed the meeting through video, stating that the army has gone from a "state within a state" to a "state above the state."
Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif
Sharif's audio was reportedly muted on some TV channels when he named army generals for their involvement in politics and embezzlement.
“We want elected leaders to run the affairs of the country, to manage the economy and to decide on the foreign policy,” he said.
The former PM claimed that the military had rigged elections to elect Imran Khan.
"Our struggle is against those who installed Imran Khan and who manipulated elections to bring an incapable man like him into power and thus, destroyed the country," said Sharif, who is in London since November for medical treatment.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the head of the centre-left Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said that the army should not have any role in politics.
Pakistani Taliban regrouping
The PDM meeting comes at a time when Pakistan is dealing with the possible regrouping of the Pakistani Taliban in some regions.
On Sunday, the military said that two soldiers were killed in a shootout with militants in northwest Pakistan. In early September, the Pakistani Taliban said that they were responsible for killing three soldiers when a bomb exploded on the roadside in northwest Pakistan.
https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-opposition-parties-protest-against-role-of-army-in-pakistans-politics/a-54997927
پیپلزپارٹی دنیا کی واحد پارٹی ہے جس کے دو چیئرمینوں نے جمہوریت،آئین،پارلیمان کی بالادستی اور غریبوں کی آواز اٹھاتے ہوئے جان کا نذرانہ پیش کیا ہے، سیکرٹری جنرل فرحت اللہ بابر
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹیرین کے سیکرٹری جنرل فرحت اللہ بابر نے کہا ہے کہ پیپلزپارٹی دنیا کی واحد پارٹی ہے جس کے دو چیئرمینوں نے
جمہوریت،آئین،پارلیمان کی بالادستی اور غریبوں کی آواز اٹھاتے ہوئے جان کا نذرانہ پیش کیا ہے اور بلاول بھٹو زرداری اپنے نانا اور والدہ کے الم کو اٹھا کر جدوجہد کر رہے ہیں۔آل پارٹیز کانفرنس کے رد عمل میں حکومتی وزراء جس طرح کی باتیں کر رہے ہیں اس سے لگتا ہے کہ نشانہ ٹھیک جگہ پر لگا ہے۔ان خیالات کا اظہار انہوںنے پیپلزپارٹی اسلام آباد کی خواتین ونگ کی جانب سے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سالگرہ کی تقریب کے موقع پر میڈیا سے گفتگو میں کیا۔ان کے ہمراہ نرگس فیض ملک،نذیر ڈھوکی،سبط الحسن بخاری، نورالہی،صدف مرتضی،ساجد حسین ساجد،گلزاری بیگم ، ، شکیل عباسی، سہیل رومی ، خالد ڈار ، شادق نورا ، دانیال ودیگر شامل تھے۔انہوں نے کہا کہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی قیادت میں بڑے لمبے عرصے کے بعد آل پارٹیز کانفرنس کا انعقاد ہوا،جس میں تمام اپوزیشن پارٹیوں نے شرکت کی اور آل پارٹیز کانفرنس کے اعلامیے اور ایکشن پلان کے رد عمل میں جو حکومتی وزراءباتیں کرر ہے ہیں اس سے لگتا ہے کہ نشانہ ٹھیک جگہ پر لگا ہے،اگرنشانہ ٹھیک جگہ پر نہ لگتا تو حکومتی وزراءایسی گفتگو نہ کرتے۔انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی دنیا کی واحد پارٹی ہے،جس کے دو چیئرمین ذوالفقار علی بھٹو اور بے بنظیر بھٹو نے جمہوریت،آئین،پارلیمان کی بالادستی اور غریبوں کی آواز اٹھاتے ہوئے اپنی جان کا نذرانہ پیش کیا ہے،ایسی پارٹی پوری دنیا میں نہیں ملے گی،آج چیئرمین پیپلزپارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری اپنے نانا اور والدہ کا علم اٹھائے جدوجہد کر رہے ہیں۔انہوں نے کہا کہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سالگرہ کے موقع پر آل پارٹیز کانفرنس نے ایک اعلامیہ جاری کیا اور پاکستان بار کونسل نے بھی اپنا اعلامیہ جاری کیا،جس کو آل پارٹیز کانفرنس میں بھی تسلیم کیا گیا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ یہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سالگرہ یاد رکھی جائے گی کہ ان کی قیادت میں تمام پارٹیوں نے کہا ہے کہ ہماری جنگ سلیکٹر اور سلیکٹڈ دونوں سے ہے اور پہلی بار ذمہ داری دونوں پر آئی ہے،بلوچستان میں سول حکمرانی نہیں ہے اور ایف سی کو لگام دی جائے اور وزیراعظم کے معاون خصوصی عاصم سلیم باجوہ پر جائیداد کے حوالے سے لگنے والے الزامات کی بھی تحقیقات ہونی چاہئیں۔انہوں نے کہا کہ احتساب سب کا ہونا چاہئے اور سب کو قانون کے تحت ہی احتساب کیا جانا چاہئے۔سبط الحسن بخاری نے کہا کہ ہم اپنے چیئرمین کو ان کی سالگرہ پر مبارکباد پیش کرتے ہیں،پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین نوجوان لیڈر ہیں،جو جمہوریت کے لئے کام کر رہے ہیں۔نذیر ڈھوکی نے کہا کہ آل پارٹیز کانفرنس کامیاب رہی ہے اور برساتی مینڈک باہر نکلنا شروع ہوگئے ہیں،صدف مرتضی نے کہا کہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری پاکستان کا مستقبل ہیں اوروہ اپنے نانا اور والدہ کے نقش قدم پر چل رہے ہیں،ہم ان کو سالگرہ پر مبارکباد پیش کرتے ہیں۔میڈیا سے گفتگو کے بعد چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی سالگرہ کا کیک بھی کاٹا گیا،جس میں اسلام آباد سٹی کے عہدیدار و ورکرز شامل تھے
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/23804/