Friday, October 1, 2021

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#Pakistan #PPP questions why parliament not taken into confidence over talks with TTP

PPP leaders on Friday criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement during an interview in which he said the government was holding talks with some factions of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), terming the move akin to "sprinkling salt on the wounds of martyrs' families" and questioning why parliament was not taken into confidence over such a "sensitive issue".
The party called for the government to clarify in parliament the terms under which the talks were being held.

Earlier today, PM Imran said the government would "forgive [TTP members] and they [would] become normal citizens" if they lay down arms.
"We might not reach some sort of conclusion or settlement in the end but we are talking," he added.
Reacting to the prime minister's interview, PPP Vice President Sherry Rehman questioned whether PM Imran had "asked parliament what we think about that". She also questioned whether the premier had heard the TTP's response to the government's offer of reconciliation.
Meanwhile, PPP secretary general Nayyar Bokhari termed the prime minister's disclosure that talks were being held a "very sensitive statement" and demanded that a session of parliament be called immediately to discuss it.
"The statement of forgiving TTP [members] is akin to sprinkling salt on the wounds of martyrs' relatives," he said.
Bokhari pointed out that the parliament had been "bypassed" and called on the government to clarify the terms on which the talks were being held.
"Why were parliament and political parties kept uninformed about negotiations with the TTP?" he questioned, adding that a "negative perception" would be built about Pakistan on the international level because of such steps.
In a separate statement, PPP information secretary Shazia Marri said the party "strongly condemned" such a big step by the government without first taking parliament into confidence.
She too termed the prime minister's statement "very sensitive" and said it had raised a number of questions.
"On what basis and under what conditions are talks being held with the TTP? Why was the parliament not taken into confidence? Why did the government feel the need to hold secret talks with the TTP in this way?" she asked. Last month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had expressed serious concerns about the "potential blowbacks of the developments in Afghanistan as well as the links between Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan".
https://www.dawn.com/news/1649531/ppp-questions-why-parliament-not-taken-into-confidence-over-talks-with-ttp

ISIS-K claims killing of Sikh physician in Pakistan’s Peshawar city

Sardar Satnam Singh, a well-known figure in the Sikh community, was running his clinic ‘Dharmandar Pharmacy' on Charsadda Road in Peshawar. He had been living in the city for the past 20 years.
The Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, dubbed Islamic State Khorasan or ISIS-K, has claimed responsibility for the killing of a well-known Sikh ‘hakeem’ in Pakistan’s restive northwestern city of Peshawar’Hakeem’ Sardar Satnam Singh (Khalsa), 45, was at his clinic on Thursday when unidentified gunmen barged into his cabin and opened fire at him, police said. The killers managed to escape from the crime scene.
Singh, who practised Unani medicine, received four bullets, died instantly, police said.
In a message posted on social media late on Thursday, the ISIS-K claimed the killing of Singh.
The ISIS-K, which has stepped up attacks in several Afghan cities since the Taliban seized power in Kabul on August 15, had also claimed the deadly suicide attack at Kabul airport on August 26 that killed nearly 170 Afghans and 13 US military personnel.
According to Punjab Police, Singh had arrived in Peshawar from Hassan Abdaal a day earlier.
Singh, a well-known figure in the Sikh community, was running his clinic ‘Dharmandar Pharmacy’ on Charsadda Road in Peshawar. He had been living in the city for the past 20 years.
Singh is survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons.
About 15,000 Sikhs live in Peshawar, mostly in the Jogan Shah neighborhood of the provincial capital. Most of the Sikh community members in Peshawar are involved in business, while some also run pharmacies.In 2018, Charanjit Singh, a prominent Sikh community member, was killed by unknown men in Peshawar. Similarly, news channel anchor Ravinder Singh was killed in 2020 in the city. In 2016, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s National Assembly member Soren Singh was killed in Peshawar.According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan. Christians make up the second largest religious minority. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsis are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan.
https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/sardar-satnam-singh-killing-peshawar-isis-7546768/

"Been Very Honest About Concerns With Pak" Over Terrorist Safe Havens: US

As Afghanistan's neighbor, Pakistan certainly has equities and responsibilities with respect to terrorism in that part of the world, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
The US has been very honest about its concerns with Pakistan for a long time about the terrorist safe havens along with the border areas of Afghanistan, the Pentagon has said. Afghanistan and the US have criticised Pakistan in the past for allowing Taliban fighters to cross into Pakistan where they are provided safe havens and also receive medical treatment. "We've been very honest about our concerns with Pakistan for a long time, about the safe havens that exist on their side of the border along that spine. And those concerns are still valid today," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Thursday at a news conference. As Afghanistan's neighbour, Pakistan certainly has equities and responsibilities with respect to terrorism in that part of the world, Mr Kirby said.
"We continue to have candid conversations with Pakistani leaders about our concerns," he said in response to a question.
"I think it's important to continue to remind that the Pakistani people, likewise, have been rendered victim by terrorist threats that emanate from those groups and along that same border," he said.
While Kabul claims that Islamabad is sending thousands of militants to fight in the war-ravaged country and providing safe haven for the Taliban, Pakistan alleges that Afghanistan harbours the anti-Pakistani group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan -- the Pakistani Taliban -- and also the secessionist Balochistan Liberation Army.
Mr Kirby also said that the United States is within its rights to continue drone strikes inside Afghanistan.
"We believe we have the authorities that we need to continue to protect the nation," he said.
The Taliban has accused the US of violating the withdrawal agreement by continuing to fly drones over Afghanistan and warned Americans against doing that in the future.
"We have the authorities that we need to continue to defend our interests and the security of the American people there and around the world, and we're going to do that," John Kirby said.
"Over-the-horizon operations don't always have to include unmanned aerial assets, and they don't. That we use unmanned aerial assets clearly is true, and the Secretary (of Defence) cited one that was just a week or two ago in Syria. But over-the-horizon doesn't have to mean unmanned. It doesn't even always have to mean aviation," he said.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-very-honest-about-its-concerns-on-safe-havens-with-pakistan-says-pentagon-2559774

September inflation edges up to 9% in Pakistan

 

  • On a monthly basis, inflation records an increase of 2.1% owing to significant changes in food, housing, construction indices.
  • Core inflation surges to 6.4% in urban areas in September, reports the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  • The average inflation rate for July-September of the current fiscal year stands at 8.58%, according to the PBS.


The month of September saw a new round of increased prices of consumer items as inflation edged up to 9% from 8.4% in August, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Friday.

On a month-on-month basis, inflation increased by 2.1% owing to significant changes in three indices — food, housing, and construction.

Speaking to Geo.tv, an analyst from Arif Habib Limited, Sana Tawfiq, said that the inflation rate was way above the market expectation.

“A significant increase of 2.1% on a month-on-month basis came on the back of three sectors — food, transport, and housing," she said.

Tawfiq elaborated that the increase in the prices of perishable items in the food group, rising oil prices internationally and locally, and the surge in electricity prices in Pakistan have impacted the three sectors. Resultantly, this impact was significantly observed in the inflation rate.

The national data collection agency has reported the latest inflation figures after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, which announced a 25bps hike in the policy rate for the next two months.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which captures prices in the wholesale market, also rose sharply by 19.6% in September compared to 4.3% in the same month a year ago.

The government has set the average inflation target for the ongoing fiscal year at 8.5%, indicating that the year-on-year inflation may remain in double digits in the fiscal year 2021-22.

Tawfiq said that keeping in view the economic indicators, it is expected that inflation will remain on the higher side by the end of this year.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/373445-september-inflation-edges-up-to-9-in-pakistan


چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کٹھ پتلی وزیراعظم عمران خان کی جانب سے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کو مسترد کردیا


 پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کٹھ پتلی وزیراعظم عمران خان کی جانب سے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں اضافے کو مسترد کردیا ہے۔ میڈیا سیل بلاول ہاوَس کی جانب سے جاری کردہ بیان کے مطابق پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ عوام پہلے ہی تاریخی مہنگائی کی آگ میں جل رہے ہیں، اور اب پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں مزید اضافہ کرنا، مہنگائی کے شعلوں کو ہوا دینے کے مترادف ہے۔ 

انہوں نے کہا کہ معیشت برباد کرنے کے بعد پی ٹی آئی حکومت کے لیئے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات پر ٹیکس و محصولات آمدنی کا اہم ذریعہ ہیں۔ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ عمران خان کی حکومت میں عوام ریلیف اور کسی اچھی خبر سننے کے لیئے ترس گئے، کیونکہ موجودہ حکومت کی جانب سے ملک میں لوٹ مار سیل جاری ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ خان صاحب نے اپنا تین سالہ دورِ اقتدار صرف عوام کا تیل نکالنے پر ضائع کردیا، اور فائدہ صرف اے ٹی ایمز کو عطا کیا ہے۔

 انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ سلیکٹڈ وزیراعظم عمران خان کو وسیع تر قومی مفاد میں ایک اور یوٹرن لینا چاہیئے، اور اپنی پالیسیوں کو 180 ڈگری پر موڑ دینا چاہیئے۔ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے مطالبہ کیا کہ پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں میں ہوشربا اضافہ اور ان پر عائد اضافی ٹیکس و محصولات بلاتاخیر واپس لیئے جائیں۔

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25542/