Video Report - Breaking News - Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Press Conference in Washington - USA

Video Report - Leaked audio exposes Imran Khan’s lies & deceit, stolen copy of cipher endangers nat. security

#Pakistan - Return of the ‘Dar’ Ages

Zahid Hussain

IN yet another interesting twist in the ongoing political soap opera, Ishaq Dar is back, picking up from where he left off some five years ago. The so-called financial wizard promises to fix everything that has gone wrong with the country’s economy. What is described as ‘Daronomics’ is supposed to bring down the dollar and contain the spiralling inflation. Just wait for the magic to start working.

In fact, the return of Dar as the country’s next finance minister and the unceremonious exit of Miftah Ismail have not come as a surprise. It was evident that a Karachi businessman with a doctorate in economics was there just as a stopgap arrangement for getting some hard tasks done. Miftah Ismail successfully negotiated an extremely tough deal with the IMF. But once the tranche was received, he was deemed dispensable. The former finance minister will now be a convenient scapegoat for the government’s failure to stabilise the economy and stem the rot. Dar has been one of the harshest critics of the steps taken by the former finance minister who secured the bailout package needed to prevent an imminent default. Sitting in London, Dar did everything he could to undermine his predecessor. The ground was already prepared for his return.

More importantly, being a close confidant and more or less a member of the Sharif family, Dar has the blessings of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Within six months of its formation, the government will now have its second finance minister.

The new finance minister has apparently been tasked to regain his party’s lost ‘political capital’. But can Dar, despite his self-proclaimed ‘wizardry’, turn around an economy in a state of free fall? Sitting in London, Dar did everything he could to undermine the previous finance minister. His previous record as finance minister in Nawaz Sharif’s second and third governments has not been without blemish. He was a de facto deputy prime minister in Sharif’s last government. Besides his main responsibility of dealing with the economy, he also headed dozens of government committees dealing with issues ranging from the economy and politics to legal matters.

During his previous term, his controversial efforts to control the exchange rate by pumping dollars into the market worsened Pakistan’s current account deficit problem and were also the reason for the country going back to the IMF for a bailout in 2019.

It may not be possible for Dar to use the same prescription to contain the free fall of the rupee today, with foreign exchange reserves already in a precarious situation.A more serious challenge for him would be to bring down the runaway inflation that is being driven by both internal and external factors. A weak government with limited political control and little fiscal space is hardly in a position to undertake any major reforms. Being in an IMF programme with stringent conditionalities will make it harder for the incoming finance minister to deliver on his promises.

Dar has also been known for his tendency to control regulatory bodies including the State Bank. But with a new rule protecting the autonomy of the State Bank (a part of IMF conditionalities), it may be extremely difficult for him to manipulate the exchange rate as he did in the past. The challenges for the returning ‘economic czar’ are extremely daunting in the current economic and political milieu. His pledge to turn around a sick economy within a few months — before the next elections — will be severely tested.

Dar’s return means more than just a change of guard at the finance ministry. Unlike Miftah Ismail, he has the backing of not only PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif but also other senior party leaders. That may change the power balance within the government. His return to the most powerful cabinet position would certainly strengthen the former prime minister’s control over the government’s policy-framing process on important national issues.

As in the previous PML-N government, this time too he might act as deputy prime minister, taking his direction from Nawaz Sharif. That could make Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extremely uncomfortable, raising serious questions about who wields the real authority in guiding the policies of the PML-N-led government. It is evident that all major decisions are taken in London rather than Islamabad. Hence it was not surprising that the decision regarding Dar’s appointment was apparently made in the meeting between the Sharif brothers in London recently. According to media reports, the meeting, which was also attended by some cabinet ministers and other Sharif family members, discussed the party’s future course of action.

The latest audio leaks saga shows that even minor decisions, for example, which ‘resigning’ PTI MNA is to be de-seated, requires Nawaz Sharif’s approval. The very optics of Shehbaz Sharif making two trips to London within days and consulting his elder brother and other family members is disconcerting, and also raises eyebrows because the prime minister was out of the country although tens of millions of people at home were suffering the consequences of one of the worst natural calamities to have struck Pakistan. How can we expect the international community to respond to our appeal for support to deal with the calamity when the government doesn’t seem serious about fully mobilising its own resources? It makes it much harder for the ruling party and the government to regain their ‘lost political capital’. Dar is not likely to perform any miracles to salvage a deteriorating economy. The existing polarised political environment and growing opposition pressure have further complicated the situation. Yet the PDM government doesn’t seem to have any understating of the gravity of the crisis. A massive cabinet is not expected to deliver on key challenges confronting the country. Many of the ministers, advisers and special assistants do not even have a portfolio or have not been assigned any responsibility. They are a huge burden on the exchequer during a serious financial crunch. Th

Education in Balochistan under threat

 

Maria Nadir

Education in Balochistan under threat. Balochistan is one of the under privileged provinces of Pakistan that has been struggling to seek its basic needs and rights to be equally facilitated with other provinces of Pakistan. Despite being the largest province of Pakistan in geography and smallest in number, the population inside is suffering their basic rights such as: education, health facilities, employment and sanitation etc.

What I focus here is that where countries of the world are investing in education and where the investment in education sector has guided those countries to prosperity and up to the demands of modern world, the dearth of such investments and focus makes the situation, in Pakistan in general and Balochistan in particular, more appalling. Quetta, the capital of Balochistan is at least facilitated with education facilities containing very weak standard education system. The rest 32 districts suffer with no school space even. If there exists any, students travel for long distances to reach the nearby schools. In addition, a number of teachers were either target killed or have fled the province for search of security. And lastly, lack of awareness among the natives led to another number of students out of schools even if it is available.

There is always equal to no investment on education by government authorities and electable, both on provincial and national level. Each year budgets are allocated for education purposes but invisible when seen its fruit on ground. If it is documented that 17% of its budget is allocated for education, it has never been accounted for investigation nor has the public ever known to the facts and figures behind such investment.

Local NGOs, international NGOs and UN organizations worked with different perspectives/approaches to improve the neglected education; but, in a more generalized way, failed to do so. There is no transparency in the budgets spent on education sector nor it has any continuity with long term plans to carry initiatives and maintain it through a policy until it gets better. Girl’s education in Balochistan

Although illiteracy in Pakistan as a whole stands at 80% and growing, the literacy rate among rural women in Balochistan is bleaker. It is estimated that less than 2% of rural female in Balochistan are literate. Literate and illiterate traditions assign the women certain responsibilities such as cooking food, cleaning the house, child-bearing and rearing, and all other domestic support needed by her husband and other family members. The benefits of education for girls in rural Balochistan have only recently being recognized.

Ratio of girl’s education over all in Baluchistan, as per Alif-Ailan, is only 15% compare to the 37% male education.

Distance to school is an issue not only for girls but for boys as well. However, the nature and extent of issue is dominantly different considering the local value system, cultural norms, traditional beliefs and concerns for security related to adolescent girls which often lead to exclusion of girls from school in some cases.

Education in Pakistan

According to a research, the largest education service delivery system is managed by the government of Pakistan. Among this, 38% is managed by private schooling system and the very least number is covered by NGOs.

In a research according to International Rescue Committee IRC, there are 63 million school going aged children in Pakistan. In which 42% attend government schools which is almost 27 million. 32% or over 20 million children are out of school & 317,323 schools in the country equal to 38% are private schools. When it comes to Balochistan, the numbers are more horrifying. According to the statistics of Alif-Ailaan, out of total population of the province, 27 million children need to be in school. Among this, only 9 million children are attending school and the rest are deprived of opportunity of going to school. Out of 12347 schools, only 6% are higher schools. According to Alif-Ailan, 216 schools are not functional. Rest of the schools consist of single room where 14% of teachers receive their monthly stipends without giving their services.

Challenges/ Barriers

One of the biggest challenges to education in Balochistan is poverty. In a geography where people lacks basic facilities of life and where people are deprived from standards of life, education is always secondary to them. Secondly, the government has always kept education sector at pace when it comes to allocating a sum total amount for its development. And when the allocated budget is on board, it is again filtered among the various stakeholders and corruption finds its way. Thirdly, and as discussed earlier, the existence of no proper awareness among the people in both urban and rural areas of the province makes the situation more worsening and leads to gender inequality in assessing education as the fourth challenge. Education for both, and female equally is never considered in rural areas of the province.

Lastly, and above all, there is no policy on behalf of the government that might tend to provide equal access to education beyond gender. The lack of infrastructure plus updated curriculum along with trained teachers is another challenge to the long list of challenges.

What could be done?

An appropriate portion of funding for education is primary to any society. But, what is more significant in case of Baluchistan is that the sort of statistics needs to be properly used, audited, accounted and documented. I assume that the sort of allocated budget if used sincerely and purposely, it would indeed lessen the kind of deprivation among the masses and a reasonable number of population will benefit from it. Additionally, transparency on both provincial as well as local level might add to the benefit.

Moreover, linking schools with higher education is another need of the hour. It would help in finding admission opportunities for students for their higher studies. Besides, modern text books along with well qualified teachers might prove more organic for the creation of a class of educated youth of the province. Transport allowance both for teachers and students managed by district education offices would lessen the distance problem. Not to remain un-emphasized “transparency and consistency” would led to at least play the part for betterment.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/987861/education-in-balochistan-under-threat/

#Pakistan - Bilawal Bhutto said that Pakistan opposes any reforms that expand the United Nations Security Council to bring India into the fold

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Thursday that Pakistan opposes any reforms that expand the United Nations Security Council to bring India into the fold.

Pakistan’s UN mission and its allies have worked to foil such efforts repeatedly and even quite recently as well, the foreign minister said adding that the UN reforms are a possibility but expanding the Security Council membership would not be a correct reform. Addressing a press conference at the Pakistan Embassy, Bilawal also said climate crisis would be one issue where Pakistan would be willing to work with India and other countries. He said that the 10 climate stressed nations should become one voice to press developed countries to form a green financing mechanism.Responding to a question about forming a regional bloc for the purpose, the foreign minister said, “With all the caveats that I have already given, principally it’s right, that on climate change issue we should work together. When I urge the US and China to work together on this, I should have the moral strength to admit that whatever the differences, India and Pakistan should work together on this topic too.”

He further said, “We have difficulties, we don’t have a reciprocal partner over there, August 2019 has made it impossible for us to engage, a whole host of reasons, but if there is any one area where on a principal basis, not only Pakistan and India -- but other powers and other countries that don’t necessarily get along -- this is perhaps the one issue that we should regardless of everything else be working towards combating [climate change], because whatever have seen, what we have experienced, I would not wish this upon my worst enemy.”

Bilawal said that Imran Khan government’s policies had hurt Pakistan, its people and its foreign policy but over the last six months the country’s relations with other countries, including the US, had significantly improved.

He said that Imran Khan’s demands were not about restoring democracy or that civil supremacy should prevail, his demands had been that the establishment should not play its constitutional role but a controversial role to bring him back into power.

Referring to the cipher message that was sent from the Pakistani Embassy here that Imran Khan later termed “foreign conspiracy to topple his government”, the foreign minister said that Asad Majeed, the former ambassador to the US, was merely doing his job by sending a telegram, whereas it was Imran Khan who did an irresponsible thing. “I expect my ambassadors to tell me facts, and they should have confidence that whatever they’re reporting through telegram communication would remain classified and secret between the ministry and embassy,” Bilawal said, adding when Imran Khan is at fault and punishing Asad Majeed would be unfair.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a meeting with Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, lauded the US assistance for flood relief, saying that magnitude of the disaster necessitated sustained and long-term cooperation.

The foreign minister shared with Chairman Menendez impact of the devastation caused by the floods. He underscored that it was a compound crisis with humanitarian, health, food security and economic dimensions. He urged personal leadership of Chairman Menendez in mobilising support in the US Congress, which historically had stood by the people of Pakistan during such natural disasters. The foreign minister said that the flood crisis provided an opportunity to Pakistan to build back better, greener and resilient infrastructure.

Given the huge investment required, Pakistan viewed the US government and private sector as important partners in this task. Chairman Menendez conveyed his condolences and sympathies to the people and the Government of Pakistan on the devastation caused by the floods.

He assured his support in enabling Pakistan to overcome this challenge. He said the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the US was an important milestone.Both countries had achieved a lot working together. Chairman Menendez praised the Pakistani diaspora’s role in strengthening Pakistan-US ties. He underscored the importance of Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s regular engagement with the foreign minister.Both sides also discussed peace and stability in the region, including Afghanistan, Indian repression in IIOJK and its illegal actions of August 5, 2019. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a meeting with Senator James Risch, Ranking Member US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, highlighted the ongoing devastating impact of the floods in Pakistan, which resulted in more than one-third of the country being submerged in water.

The floods affected 33 million people, more than the population of Australia, the foreign minister stressed. Appreciating the $66.1 million US assistance, he highlighted “Pakistan needs much more as initial estimates indicate damages of more than $30 billion.”

The foreign minister underscored the challenges being faced by the affected population, including impending health catastrophes, particularly outbreaks of malaria, dengue and water-borne diseases in the affected population, food insecurity and more. He emphasised Pakistan is a victim of climate change despite being minimally responsible for greenhouse emissions. Pakistan is committed to building back better and greener climate resilient infrastructure but the scale of calamity necessitated international support, Bilawal said and added that the US Congress had historically stood by Pakistan in natural disasters and urged continuing cooperation.

Referring to people in waist-deep waters searching for signs of their devastated towns, the senator empathised with the foreign minister on the devastation wreaked by the floods. Both sides also discussed regional issues, including the need for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. The foreign minister invited the senator to visit Pakistan to witness the first-hand impact of the floods.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/995806-pakistan-opposes-unsc-membership-to-india-bilawal

Video Report - Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's Media Talk | 28 September 2022

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Video Report - Foreign Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's interview with Associated Press

#Pakistan - Bilawal warns of consequences to Taliban isolation

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari wants the world to engage the Taliban and has warned of dangerous consequences if Afghanistan’s rulers are again isolated.

In an interview with AFP on a visit to Washington, Bilawal cautioned against creating “parallel governance” after the United States, distrustful of the Taliban, put Afghanistan’s frozen assets in a professional fund in Switzerland. “We’ve learned from the past that when we wash our hands and turn our backs, we end up creating unintended consequences and more problems for ourselves,” Bilawal said on Tuesday. “I believe that our concerns of an economic collapse, of an exodus of refugees, of a threat of new recruits for organisations such as ISIS-K and others, outweigh concerns that there may be about their financial institutions,” he added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed similar views while addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly last week.

In contrast to some previous officials, Bilawal offered no warm words for the Taliban in the interview with AFP.

But he said the Taliban needed “political space” on concerns such as women’s rights, which have been sharply curtailed.

“Throughout history, theocratic, autocratic regimes haven’t exactly tended to expand rights at times of economic strife,” he said. “In fact, they tend to hold on to cultural issues and other issues to engage their population.” The US came away unpersuaded from a series of talks with the Taliban and in August said they had violated promises by welcoming Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was found at a house in Kabul and killed in a US strike.

‘Great power rivalries’

Bilawal, the Oxford-educated 34-year-old scion of a preeminent political dynasty, took office five months ago amid political turbulence after a no-confidence vote saw the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan.The strife comes as the country is ravaged by floods that have submerged one-third of the country, displacing millions.At a meeting Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised long-term support. In a message less welcome by Pakistan, the top US diplomat also called on Islamabad to ask China to restructure debt accumulated as Beijing builds billions of dollars of infrastructure in a quest for Indian Ocean port access.

Asked about Blinken’s remarks, Bilawal said he has had “very productive conversations” with China and said he hoped that assistance after the historic floods “does not fall prey to great power rivalries and geostrategic issues”.

With Beijing seen by many Pakistanis as an uncritical ally, successive governments in Islamabad have rebuffed US calls to weigh in on the mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim people, a campaign Washington calls genocide. “I’m sure that the United States would like for us to comment more on China’s internal affairs,” Bilawal said. “But maybe if we start by addressing disputes that are recognised by bodies such as the United Nations as disputes of an international nature, that would be more productive.”

He was referring to the Kashmir issue, which has triggered two of the three full-fledged wars between India and Pakistan.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, in 2019 stripped Muslim-majority occupied Kashmir of its historic autonomy and opened the way for other Indian citizens to live there.

Bilawal recalled that when the PPP was in power in 2010, it moved to open trade with India, then led by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

“We were willing to take the political risk, stick our necks on the line, and touch the third rail of Pakistani politics — but because we knew that there was a rational, reasonable player on the other end who would perhaps be willing to reciprocate,” Bilawal said.

“Unfortunately, that space does not exist today. It’s a very different India. “

https://www.dawn.com/news/1712404

Pakistan Army, Taliban involved in narco trade: NATO investigation

The unholy nexus of the Pakistan Army and the Taliban’s involvement in the narco trade was revealed by the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) report.According to this 2022 report titled “Narco-Insecurity, Inc, the convergence of Pakistan and Afghanistan narco-trade was made possible with the help of Pakistan’s military spy agency the ISI, which launched several covert operations with sympathetic jihadist groups, all of whom relied heavily on narcotics trafficking to fund their operations,” reported South Asia Press.

The illegal narcotics trade constitutes one of the main financial sources of the insurgency groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but, more importantly, it feeds narco-terror, globally.

Moreover, Af-Pak heroin networks, drug lords and their nexus with the Taliban and Pakistani military present a principal impediment to security, state-building, and democratic governance in Afghanistan and the region. Pakistan’s role in drug proliferation is validated by a number of arrests of its nationals in other countries on charges of drug trafficking. It is reported that Pakistan has established smuggling networks over the last years into India – and especially within the Kashmir valley – so as to ensure a steady supply of narcotics and weapons, reported South Asia Press.

The central aim of this NATO academic report written by David R Winston is to analyse the growth of the narcotics industry stemming from Afghanistan as well as Pakistan and the nexus that has formed between narcotics trafficking and terrorism.

The Taliban have long used narcotics as their main source of revenue. Without the poppy crop, they may never have grown to be the massive organisation that they are today that was capable of toppling the Ghani government, as per the writer. With the control of Afghanistan by the Taliban last year, the terror group has acquired control over the opium cultivation in the country, reported South Asia Press. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) November 2021 Report, Afghanistan accounted for around 85 per cent of global opium production in the year 2020 and supplied approximately 80 per cent of the world’s opium consumers.

The total value of opiates (opium, morphine, and heroin) was 9 per cent to 14 per cent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. Methamphetamine and cannabis are two other major drugs which have expanded production in Afghanistan in recent years, reported South Asia Press.

With Pakistan sharing 2,400 kilometres of the largely porous border with Afghanistan, it has served as a transit corridor for drug traffickers. According to independent estimates, more than 40 per cent of Afghan drugs transit Pakistan before they reach the international markets. Tonnes of opiates and meth are trafficked from Afghanistan to the Torkham border crossing, Ghulam Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, from where they are sent to Lahore and Faisalabad, reassembled into huge consignments, reported South Asia Press.

Beyond the region, Afghan-originated drugs create enormous challenges for international security by financing terrorism, instigating corruption, and creating health emergencies. It is time to put an end to such “narco” trade originating from Afghanistan and supported by Pakistan, reported South Asia Press.

https://theprint.in/world/pak-army-taliban-involved-in-narco-trade-nato-investigation/1145952/

زه خو شرابي يم، زه خو شرابي يم شیخه څه راسره جنګ کړې - پښتو غزل

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#Pakistan - Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calls upon US and China to work together on climate change to save planet

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Pakistan-US ties were no longer hyphenated with Afghanistan and India as Washington and Islamabad were discussing ways to enhance trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

“Not only I am presently surprised but I am absolutely impressed by the new foreign policy approach of the US towards Pakistan,” said Bilawal while responding to a question related to Pakistan-US ties at Wilson Centre in Washington.

“There is also an increased feeling in our [Pak-US] interaction that we are no longer hyphenated — Af-Pak or Pak-India. Only Pak-US that’s a good thing,” he remarked.

Bilawal said Pakistan and US have for long time seen each other through the prism of Afghanistan. “It is heartening to know that [this time] during engagements with [US officials] we just didn’t think and talked about Afghanistan. We talked about enhancing trade and economic cooperation,” he remarked.Bilawal also cited a recent visit of US Special Representative on Business and Commercial Affairs Dilawar Syed to Pakistan, saying that bilateral ties between the two countries were improving.“We had an incredibly pleasant conversation not only recently but from the first day I took over as foreign minister,” said Bilawal while responding to a question about his meeting with US Secretary of State Blinken.

While responding to a question that some sections of the media were reporting that “US schooled Pakistan” on maintaining ties with India and China, Bilawal dismissed the reports, saying “he [Blinken] is an incredible human being and can never talk in such tone”.

The foreign minister said that maintaining relations with India were difficult today than it was in 2010 as “Mr Modi is not Mr Manmohan Singh”.

“He [Modi] is quiet actively engaged in taking India away from its secular roots in line with his Hindutva ideology.”

PM Narendra Modi-led regime is violating human rights in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and trying to covert Muslim-majority region into a Hindu majority one.Speaking about Afghanistan, Bilawal urged the international community to increase engagement with the interim-government led by Taliban to increase their capability to take on terrorists outfit.

On dealing with the menace of climate change, Bilawal said world cannot save the planet unless US and China work together.

“This is a time of multilateralism. This is not a time for war. You cannot lecture us on climate and green energy while you are continuously engaged in pointless conflicts,” he added.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2378866/new-us-approach-towards-pakistan-excites-bilawal

آرمی چیف کی تقرری کا اختیار وزیر اعظم کے پاس ہے، بلاول بھٹو

وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ آرمی چیف کی تقرری کا اختیار وزیراعظم کا ہے، پاکستان کے تمام ادارے خودمختار ہیں، جمہوری حکومت میڈیا کی آزادی پر یقین رکھتی ہے۔

واشنگٹن میں امریکی ادارے ’فارن پالیسی‘ کے ایڈیٹر ان چیف سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ بھارت نے ہمیں امداد کی آفر نہیں کی اور نہ ہم بھارت سے امداد چاہتے ہیں۔

انہوں نے کہا کہ سیلاب سے پاکستان میں بڑی تباہی ہوئی، متاثرین کی بحالی کے لیے اقدامات کر رہے ہیں، عالمی برادری مصیبت کی گھڑی میں ہمارا ساتھ دے۔

ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ہم نے معیشت کی بحالی کے لیے سخت فیصلے کیے ہیں، امریکا کے ساتھ بہتر تعلقات چاہتے ہیں، مستقبل میں امریکا کے ساتھ تعلقات کو نئی سمت میں لے جانا چاہیں گے۔

وزیر خارجہ نے مزید کہا کہ چین نے ہمیشہ مشکل وقت میں پاکستان کی مدد کی ہے، پاکستان پڑوسی ملکوں کے ساتھ اچھے تعلقات چاہتا ہے۔

بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ افغانستان میں جنگ سے ہمسایہ ملکوں کا نقصان ہوا، ہم پر امن افغانستان چاہتے ہیں۔

انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ جمہوریت کیسی بھی ہو آمریت سے بہتر ہے، ہم جمہوری روایات پر یقین رکھتے ہیں، غیر جمہوری اقدامات کی حمایت نہیں کریں گے۔

https://jang.com.pk/news/1140922 

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In UNGA address, PM Shehbaz highlights Pakistan’s plight and urges global leaders to ‘act now’ on climate change

Naveed Siddiqui

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his address to the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Friday, highlighted Pakistan’s plight due to the flooding crisis caused by global climate change, and urged global leaders to come together and “act now” before it’s too late.

At the outset of his speech, the prime minister said the purpose of his speech was to explain the scale and magnitude of the climate catastrophe that has put one third of Pakistan in a situation that “no one had seen in living memory”.“For 40 days and 40 nights, biblical flood poured on us. Even today, huge swathes of the country are still underwater. 33 million people including women, and children are at high risk of health hazards. More than 1,500 of my people have gone from the world including 400 children. Far more are in peril.”

He noted that Pakistan had never seen such a devastating example of global warming. “Life in Pakistan has changed forever.”

The premier said people in the country were asking for reasons for the destruction caused. “The undeniable truth is that the calamity has not been triggered by anything we have done,” he said.

“It is time to ask why… time to ask what must be done. Our forests are burning. More heatwaves are coming. We had a monster monsoon. It was the monsoon on steroids as was described by the UN secretary-general. Pakistan emits less than 1 per cent of greenhouse gases.”

The prime minister said the impact on the health and wealth of Pakistan was beyond calculation at this point.

“So my real worry, is about the next stage of this challenge. When the cameras leave, and the story just shifts away to conflicts like the Ukraine, my question is, will we be left alone, to cope with a crisis we did not create?” he asked.

He stated that the future was “dimmed by new fragility, lost homes, decimated livelihoods, deluged croplands, permanent food insecurity and exposure to uncertain futures”.

“Some 11 million people will be pushed further below the poverty line, while others will drift to cramped urban shelters, leaving little room for climate-smart rebuilding.”

The prime minister detailed the measures taken by his government, saying: “We have mobilized all available resources towards the national relief effort, and repurposed all budget priorities including development funds, to the rescue and first-order needs of millions.”

The premier said the country’s manpower and resources were totally overwhelmed. “The question to raise here though is quite a simple one. Why are my people paying the price of such high global warming through no fault of their own?”

“Nature has unleashed her fury on Pakistan without looking at our carbon footprint, which is next to nothing. Our actions did not contribute to this,” he reiterated.

The PM said the dual costs of global inaction and climate injustice were having a crippling effect on both our treasury and our people.“

“It is high time we took a pause from the preoccupations of the 20th century to return to the challenges of the 21st. The entire definition of national security has changed today, and unless the leaders of the world come together to act now behind minimum agreed agenda, there will be no earth to fight wars over. Nature will be fighting back, and for that humanity is no match.”

He said Pakistan’s urgent priority right now was to ensure rapid economic growth and lift millions out of destitution and hunger. To enable any such policy momentum, he said, Pakistan needed a stable external environment.

‘Peace in South Asia contingent upon lasting solution of IOK’

Talking about the regional situation, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was seeking peace with all its neighbours, including India. “Sustainable peace and stability in South Asia, however, remains contingent upon a just and lasting solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.”

He said India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019, to change the internationally recognised “disputed” status of Jammu and Kashmir undermined the prospects of peace and inflamed regional tensions.

India’s relentless campaign of repression against Kashmiris has continued to grow in scale and intensity, he said, adding New Delhi had ramped up its military deployments in occupied Jammu and Kashmir to 900,000 troops, thus making it the most militarised zone in the world.

“The serial brutalisation of Kashmiris takes many forms: extrajudicial killings, incarceration, custodial torture and death, indiscriminate use of force, deliberate targeting of Kashmiri youth with pellet guns, and ‘collective punishments’ imposed on entire communities.”

‘India turning IOK into a Hindu-majority territory’

The premier said India was trying to turn the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir into a Hindu-majority territory, through illegal demographic changes.

“Millions of fake “domicile certificates” have been issued to non-Kashmiris; Kashmiri land and properties are being seized; electoral districts have been gerrymandered; and over 2.5m non-Kashmiri illegal voters fraudulently registered. All this is in blatant violation of Security Council resolutions and international law,” he rued.

For our part, he said, the Pakistani people had always stood by its “Kashmiri brothers and sisters” in complete solidarity, and will continue to do so until their right to self-determination was fully realized in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

While apprising the session of Pakistan’s “consistent commitment to peace in South Asia”, he said India must take credible steps to create enabling environment for constructive engagement.

“It should demonstrate its sincerity and willingness, to walk the path of peace and dialogue by reversing its illegal steps of 15 August 2019, and ending forth-with, the process of demographic change.”

World must release Afghan reserves: PM Shehbaz

Discussing the Afghanistan’s situation, the premier said the neighbouring country was facing a unique challenge. “Around 30 million Afghans are left without a functional economy and banking system that allows ordinary Afghans to make a living to be able to build a better future.”

He said Pakistan was working to encourage respect for the rights of Afghan girls and women to education and work.

Yet, at this point, isolating the Afghan Interim Government could aggravate the suffering of the Afghan people, who are already destitute, he stressed.

He maintained that Pakistan had a vital stake in peace and stability in Afghanistan. “We must avoid another civil war, rising terrorism, drug trafficking or new refugees — which none of Afghanistan’s neighbours are in a position to accommodate.”

He urged the international community to respond in a positive way to the UN secretary-general’s appeal for $4.2 billion in humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan and release the country’s financial reserves, essential to revive its banking system.

‘Pakistan continues to be targeted by regional adversary’

The prime minister said that Pakistan shared the key concern of the international community regarding “the threat posed by the major terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, especially ISIL-K and TTP as well as Al-Qaida, ETIM and IMU”.

“They all need to be dealt with comprehensively, with the support and cooperation of the Interim Afghan authorities,” he said, while urging the international community that, in turn, it should address Afghanistan’s “dire humanitarian needs”.

He highlighted that Pakistan was the principal victim of terrorism. “Over the last two decades, we have suffered more than 80,000 casualties and over $150 billion in economic losses due to terrorist attacks.”

He, however, added that the country’s armed forces had broken the back of terrorism within Pakistan. Yet, we continue to suffer terrorist attacks from across our borders, sponsored and financed by our regional adversary, he added.

PM urges UN to take ‘concrete measures’ against Islamophobia

The premier also discussed Islamophobia, saying it was a “global phenomenon”. “Since 9/11, suspicion and fear of Muslims and discrimination against them have escalated to epidemic proportions,” he said.

The officially sponsored campaign of oppression against India’s over 200 million Muslims is the worst manifestation of Islamophobia, he said, as he detailed that they were subjected to discriminatory laws and policies, hijab bans, attacks on mosques, and lynchings by Hindu mobs.

“I am particularly concerned by the calls for ‘genocide’ against India’s Muslims by some extremist groups.”

He recalled that the UNGA had earlier this year adopted a landmark resolution, introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC, designating 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

It is my sincere hope that this should lead to concrete measures by the UN and Member States to combat Islamophobia and promote interfaith harmony, he said.

He called upon the nations of the world to take a step back from the precipice. “We must restore peace in Europe, avoid a war in Asia and resolve festering conflicts across the world. We must revive the vision which created the United Nations, a vision which is often blurred by national interests and hegemonic designs,” the premier noted.

Industrialised countries need to help developing nations against climate change: Bilawal

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari thanked G77 countries for their “generous support” in providing relief to Pakistan during the catastrophic floods as he called on industrialised nations of the world to compensate their developing counterparts for the loss from damage caused by climate change.

He passed these remarks while chairing the G77 Ministerial Meeting of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UNGA.

At the outset of his address, Bilawal said that these were challenging times for the developing countries.

“We have suffered disproportionately from a series of shocks: the Covid-19 pandemic, rising commodity prices, the proliferation of conflicts, and the growing impacts of climate change.

“Our challenges have been exacerbated by a deficit in solidarity from our developed country “partners”, he highlighted, adding that as a consequence the world now faced the triple interlocking crises of food, fuel and finance.

“To overcome these cascading crises, restore our economies and achieve the SDGs [sustainable development goals], we need to secure implementation of a series of emergency measures and simultaneously promote structural changes in the unequal and unjust international economic system.”

Bilawal then outlined emergency actions that could be taken to deal with the situation.

“One, mobilize urgent humanitarian, economic and financial support to the more than 50 developing countries which are in economic distress,” he said. “This implies larger ODA and concessional finance. We welcome the proposal (of the Secretary-General) for a “SDG stimulus” of $500 billion to enable those countries which are in extreme economic distress to revive their economies and development objectives.”

“Secondly, provide emergency food supplies through the WFP to the 250 million people in food distress; further moderate prices by enlarging food production and supplies; and support small farmers access to seeds, fertilizer and finance.”

The third action pointed out by the foreign minister talked about ensuring the availability of energy, especially gas, for developing countries and exploring mechanisms to reduce the financial burden of energy imports.

He also talked about mobilising the universal availability of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments and expanding vaccine production to end the Covid pandemic decisively;

“Five, provide urgent and adequate assistance to countries suffering from the impacts of climate change.”

Citing the floods in Pakistan, Bilawal said that the country emits less than 1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is now the epicenter of the impacts of climate change.

“One-third of the country — an area the size of the UK — is under water. A thousand people were killed and thousands more injured; thirty-three million have been affected and 6 million are absolutely destitute. 1.7 million homes, over twelve thousand kilometers of roads, 350 bridges and 5 million acres of crops, have been destroyed. The total damage is estimated at over $30 billion, almost 10pc of Pakistan’s GDP.

“The entire Pakistani nation — government, armed forces and common people — has rallied to provide relief to their compatriots in need,” he said.

Subsequently, the minister thanked members of the Group of 77 and China for the “generous support they have provided Pakistan in our relief efforts”.

We are confident that their support will be sustained as Pakistan moves to the daunting task of rehabilitation and reconstruction, he added.

Apart from the immediate measures, Bilawal also suggested long-run goals that were required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

He started off with the importance of the implementation of the climate change agenda in accordance with the principles of “common but differentiated responsibility”.

“By COP27, we must secure the fulfillment of the pledge by the industrialised countries to provide a $100 billion-plus annually in climate finance, allocate half of this in climate adaptation and establish a financing facility to compensate developing countries for loss in damage from climate impact.”

The minister said the developed countries must assume the burden of mitigation to reach net zero emissions well before 2050. “The international trade system should be restructured to contribute to the achievement of SDGs through export-led growth in developing countries,” he said.

Bilawal pointed out that the induction of a fair international tax regime, including digital trade, was essential for developing countries to mobilise larger domestic resources for development.

“We should negotiate an international technology agreement aligned with SDTs. It should offer preferential access to developing countries to relevant advanced technologies and end discriminatory restrictions.”

The foreign minister highlighted that global research, scientific breakthroughs and development should be focused.

“We should also seek an equitable international information technology regime which bridges the divide and enables the developing countries to leapfrog into the global digital economy of the future.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1711591/bilawal-thanks-g77-members-for-support-in-flood-crisis-urges-industrialised-countries-to-compensate-developing-nations