https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/opinion/clarence-thomas-supreme-court.html
Sunday, May 15, 2022
OPINION BY JESSE WEGMAN: Justice Thomas Should Take a Long Look in the Mirror
Thanks to the unparalleled position of power he has held for three decades, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — perhaps the most distinctive voice in an institution that has the final say over many of the nation’s most fraught debates — has long enjoyed the luxury of knowing that 330 million Americans are bound to listen to him. The question is, does he ever listen to himself?
To go by his recent and repeated warnings about the dangers of a politicized court, it sure seems as if he doesn’t.
In a talk at Notre Dame last fall, Justice Thomas complained about what he considered unfair press coverage of the court’s decisions. “I think the media makes it sounds as though you are just always going right to your personal preference,” he said. That was before the nation learned that his wife, Virginia Thomas, a high-profile right-wing activist, had traded dozens of text messages with the White House chief of staff as part of a frantic effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and keep Donald Trump in power. When the Supreme Court later rejected Mr. Trump’s request to block the release to Congress of White House records that may well include some of Ms. Thomas’s communications, Justice Thomas was the sole dissenter.
This month, at a judicial conference in Atlanta, he expressed concern that declining respect for our institutions “bodes ill for a free society” and that young people today don’t have the same respect for the law as older generations. Those remarks came shortly after a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press — a shocking breach of Supreme Court protocol but, if the draft’s conclusion holds, only the most recent in a growing string of rulings that align suspiciously well with Republican political priorities.
Amid the ongoing outcry over the draft opinion, Justice Thomas took another opportunity to lament the fragile status of the court during an event on Friday night sponsored by conservative and libertarian groups. “What happened at the court is tremendously bad,” he said of the leak, comparing it to an “infidelity.” After the leak, he said, trust among the justices “is gone forever.” He added, “I wonder how long we’re going to have these institutions at the rate we’re undermining them.”
Great question. Not much longer, I would say, especially when the people who run them engage in openly partisan attacks, as Justice Thomas did on Friday, accusing liberals of tactics, such as protesting peacefully outside the justices’ homes, that conservatives supposedly never use.
“You would never visit Supreme Court justices’ houses when things didn’t go our way,” he said. “We didn’t throw temper tantrums. It is incumbent on us to always act appropriately and not to repay tit for tat.”
First, and please forgive the presumption, but perhaps His Honor has forgotten the reaction to certain cases that reached the Supreme Court — for example, Brown v. Board of Education? After that landmark 1954 ruling, which struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine and barred the racial segregation of schools, white conservatives across the South were so angry that they refused to obey it. State officials physically blocked Black children from entering schools, standing down only at gunpoint.
Justice Thomas also seems to have drawn a blank on the presidential election of 2000, in which a protracted recount in the pivotal state of Florida was interrupted by a posse of Republican operatives, campaign staffers and lawyers in suits, chanting loudly and angrily outside a Miami election office — an incident that became known as the Brooks Brothers Riot. A few weeks later, the Supreme Court shut down the recount for good, handing Florida’s electoral votes, and thus the White House, to the Republican candidate, George W. Bush. The vote was 5 to 4, with all Republican-nominated justices, including Justice Thomas, in the majority.
There is no question that the court has become politicized, to its and the nation’s great detriment. But to be subjected to a lecture on that fact by Clarence Thomas, of all people, is like listening to a plutocrat lounging by his infinity pool in a bathrobe, eating a gold-plated steak while bemoaning the horrors of extreme income inequality.
Has it really not occurred to the justice that by giving partisan political speeches in partisan political environments, he is precisely what is damaging the integrity of the Supreme Court? Perhaps being cosseted in prestige and power for so long makes it easy to ignore the consequences of your words and actions. Justice Thomas isn’t alone on that count, of course. In 2004, Justice Antonin Scalia went duck hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney and accepted free air travel from him, even as Mr. Cheney had a case pending before the court. In 2016, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called Mr. Trump “a faker” in a CNN interview. “I can’t imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president,” she told the Times in a previous interview. The Times editorial board criticized the justices’ behavior in both cases, arguing that, as we said at the time, they should watch what they say and do “in the interest of justice, and of the court’s reputation.”
These days, Justice Thomas and his fellow right-wingers are barely pretending to care about the court’s reputation; they’re just whining about public outrage at their rulings even as they flaunt the most politicized majority in memory. There are now two members of the court, Justice Thomas and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who have attacked Democrats and liberals, as a group, in public settings. (Small World Dept.: Justice Kavanaugh — who accused Democrats at his 2018 confirmation hearing of an “orchestrated political hit” against him and warned that they had “sowed the wind” — was a member of the legal team that helped Mr. Bush prevail in the 2000 election fight.)
Even Senate Republicans’ outrageous engineering of the court’s current right-wing supermajority seems to have escaped Justice Thomas’s concern. At the Friday event — again, remember, sponsored by conservative groups — he claimed that Republicans had “never trashed a Supreme Court nominee.” Yet doesn’t history record that they openly stole a vacancy from President Barack Obama in 2016 by refusing even to give a hearing to his third nominee, Merrick Garland? Au contraire, according to Justice Thomas: Mr. Garland “did not get a hearing, but he was not trashed.” As Tom Cruise’s hit man in “Collateral” said when asked if he’d killed a man he had just shot who then fell out of a tall building, “No, I shot him. The bullets and the fall killed him.”
The Supreme Court has always operated within and not outside politics; like the rest of our government, it consists of human beings. Still, the justices have generally striven to stay above the fray. In the interest of protecting and promoting their institutional legitimacy, they have come together to decide some of the most contentious cases; the vote in Brown was 9 to 0, in Roe 7 to 2. Today’s right-wing justices appear to have no qualms about narrow victories, even though five of them were appointed by presidents who first won the presidency after losing the popular vote. Perhaps their brazenness is not in spite of this fact but because of it. They ascended to their high position in a manner that disregarded a majority of the American people, so why not rule that way, too?
The Supreme Court is not there to vindicate the demands of the majority, but neither is it there to thumb its nose at that majority again and again, in a nakedly partisan way. If Justice Thomas is genuinely concerned about the eroding faith in his own institution, the first thing he can do is look in the mirror. The next thing he can do — I’ll say it again — is step aside and give the job to someone who will actually work to protect the integrity of the court.
#Pakistan - Protection of minorities demand
All the members of civil society and minority communities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here Sunday grieved and sorrow over the brutal killing of two Sikh men in Batatal Bazar and expressed annoyance over the act.
The Sikhs of Peshawar alongwith residents of the city have blocked the G.T.Road road near Balahisar Fort demanding protection of minority’s communities. The participants chanted slogans for early arrest of the killers and said that government should take steps for eradication of frustration and fear that was being felt in the community.Chairman National Minority Commission Pakistan, Chela Ram Kewalani expressed heartfelt condolence over the killing of two Sikh brothers in Peshawar and said that the killing was tantamount to killing humanity. He asked for detailed report from the administration concerned and said that killers should be caught as soon as possible.
Meanwhile in a statement issued by President Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC), Ameer Singh Pardhan said that all Sikh community residing in Pakistan strongly condemn the brutal assassination of our two brothers in Peshawar. They also demanded government for early arrest of the killers.
Similarly, Chairman Pakistan Council for World Religion (PCWR)-Faith Friends, Qari Roohullah Madani and other members expressed condolence over the killing of two Sikh members and marked the incident as a inhumane act to sabotage peace in the society. He said all the residents in the province were interrelated with interfaith harmony while this barbaric act could only be committed by the enemies of motherlands.
He also demanded provincial government for taking coherent steps for the safety of lives and properties of the people.
https://thefrontierpost.com/protection-of-minorities-demand/
#Pakistan - Imran Khan was trying to turn every institution into his tiger force, alleges Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari alleged on Sunday that former prime minister Imran Khan wanted to turn "every institution" into his "tiger force”.
Addressing a crowd upon his arrival in Karachi for the first time since joining Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet, the PPP chairman congratulated his supporters — referred to as jiyalas — for their victory in removing the PTI government from power.
“Democracy has won, all four provinces have won. We have sent the selected, puppet and incompetent prime minister home,” said Bilawal.
The PPP chairman, who is the foreign minister in Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet, said that his jiyalas are “always successful” when they come out for the protection of the Constitution and take on the dictator of the time. He added that his supporters started their movement when Imran Khan came to power.
“We were standing against this undemocratic person since day one. We looked into his eyes and said you were not elected but selected. We faced injustice but did not sell our principles,” said Bilawal.
The PPP chairman went on to say that when he began his long march, he asked Khan to dissolve the assembly but he was under the influence of power and did not listen to the then Opposition.
Bilawal said that the then Opposition submitted the no-confidence motion against Khan when his caravan reached Islamabad.
“We used democratic means to send an undemocratic person home,” said Bilawal and added that the PTI chairman’s government was removed as part of the democratic process compared to what he claimed was a foreign conspiracy.
The foreign minister said that Khan's removal from power was not a foreign conspiracy but a win for political workers, adding that Khan’s ouster was a victory of the Parliament, the Constitution, and democracy.
“White House did not conspire against you but the Bilawal House did,” said the PPP chairman while referring to his residence.
Bilawal said that members of the current government “forgot” their “political differences and formed” the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He said that the PPP convinced the allied parties not to leave the Parliament and send Khan home via the no-confidence motion.
Continuing his tirade against Khan, Bilawal said that the former government stole people’s jobs and instead of ending corruption, it broke all records of corruption.
“Imran wanted every institution to turn into his tiger force. Imran wanted the establishment to turn into a tiger force and support him,” claimed Bilawal, adding that the PTI chairman caused harm to the country as he was leaving.
“The coward would not even come and stand in the Parliament. Khan attacked the Constitution while running away from the no-confidence motion,” said Bilawal, adding that the PTI chairman is running a
"why was I not saved movement".
“What kind of a prime minister was he as he ruined the economy during his tenure. He emptied the treasury and left an economic crisis to torture people,” said Bilawal.
The foreign minister also said that the former premier “isolated the country for the sake of his ego” and harmed Pakistan’s foreign policy.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/958025-imran-khan-was-trying-to-turn-every-institution-into-his-tiger-force-alleges-bilawal-bhutto-zardari
#Pakistan - Foreign Minister Bilawal’s New York visit ‘a balancing act’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1689749/bilawals-new-york-visit-a-balancing-act
#Pakistan - Foreign Minister, Chairman Bilawal condemns the killings of Sikh citizens in Peshawar
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has condemned and expressed concern over the killing of Sikh citizens in Peshawar.
The accused involved in the killings of Sikh citizens should be arrested immediately, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
No one will be allowed to disturb inter-faith harmony in the country and harm national unity. PPP is the real representative party of all sections of the country and will not leave the Sikh community alone.
Chairman Bilawal expressed heartfelt sympathy and solidarity with the bereaved families.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/27015/
Saturday, May 14, 2022
We will not forgive those behind attack on Chinese teachers: FM Bilawal Bhutto
- Perpetrators to be given exemplary punishment, FM Bilawal says.
- "We will not forgive the enemies of Pak-China friendship," he says.
- Bilawal says Pakistan will defeat terrorism.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/416844-we-will-not-forgive-those-behind-ku-attack-fm-bilawal-bhutto
Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto to leave for US on 16th
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/957323-bilawal-to-leave-for-us-on-16th
Friday, May 13, 2022
#Pakistan #PPP - Expectations from Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
After much trepidation, it appears, that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has taken up the challenging role as the new Foreign Minister of Pakistan. That is almost six decades after his illustrious grandfather became the foreign minister to begin a transformative political career in earnest. Credited with lending a new direction to Pakistan’s foreign policy, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made his mark for eternity during his years at Scheherazade. Does Bilawal have similar capacity and aspirations?
While it may be too early to form a definitive opinion, so far this is not evident by any changes that may have been brought about. A Foreign Office bruised and battered by the “cablegate scandal” on the one hand and a mediocre, non-imaginative leadership on the other stands demoralised, dishevelled and despondent with not much capacity for robust diplomacy in any direction.
Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had kept an iron grip on the institution to use it to pursue his own political ambitions, in the process stifling it to the point that it lost all relevance in the national scheme of things other than being his handmaiden.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/934002/expectations-from-bilawal-bhutto-zardari/
China calls for ‘resolute’ action from Pakistan against terror attacks on Chinese nationals
- Chinese foreign minister urges Pakistani counterpart to ensure thorough probe into deadly Karachi attack claimed by Baloch insurgents.
- Analyst tells of frustration on the Chinese side that Pakistan seems unable to bring such attacks under control.
- China has called on Pakistan to help take “resolute and effective measures” immediately against attacks targeting Chinese nationals on its soil.
The call from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi came during a virtual meeting with Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, just weeks after a deadly suicide bombing outside a Confucius Institute in Karachi.Security for Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan needed to be tightened and security loopholes plugged to avoid similar attacks in the future, Wang told Bhutto Zardari, according to a Chinese read-out of the meeting.
China has invested heavily in Pakistan through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a series of road, rail and energy projects worth US$60 billion that form the main plank of its belt and road plans in the country.“There is frustration on the Chinese side that Pakistan seems unable to bring [the attacks] under control,” said Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.“You can see that in the escalating rhetoric around each incident that we see emanate from the Chinese government.” In 2018, the BLA’s armed attackers stormed the Chinese consulate in Karachi and killed four people, none of them Chinese. Afterwards the foreign ministry asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals there.In August last year, the BLA claimed it had carried out a suicide bombing that targeted Chinese people in Gwadar, killing two children and injuring a Chinese national, prompting a request from China’s embassy for Pakistan to “speed up the upgrading of security policies” to prevent another attack.Pantucci said the attack against the Confucius Institute staff members showed the BLA was no longer just targeting Chinese nationals involved with CPEC projects, which are protected by around 15,000 Pakistani troops. China could share intelligence and provide equipment to help protect Chinese nationals in Pakistan, he said, adding that China’s attempt to stabilise Balochistan by investing in the province had not been effective.Wang Dehua, a Shanghai-based analyst on South Asia, said China could also send security advisers to improve vigilance, but would not need to send troops, because Islamabad was still determined to tackle the issue. He said he had experienced Pakistan’s resolve during a group visit to Gwadar port. “The Pakistani side used armoured cars to protect us when we visited the port. So, to Chinese experts, the protection was very adequate.”Pakistan’s newly anointed prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has taken a personal interest in the case, according to interior minister Rana Sanaullah who updated Pang Chunxue, China’s representative in Islamabad, about the progress of the investigation on Tuesday.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3177532/china-calls-resolute-action-pakistan-against-terror-attacks
Thursday, May 12, 2022
#Pakistan - Imran Khan’s dangerous narrative
By Samina Yasmeen
It could further weaken a Pakistan increasingly divided along ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines, between supporters and opponents of jihad, and between the exceptionally rich and poor masses.
In the hands of a master narrator, carefully crafted narratives, that employ easily understandable and culturally relevant symbols and stories, can mobilise individuals and groups for particular causes. The recently-deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, is trying to establish himself as a master narrator who can mobilise the masses despite his failure to improve the economy and living standards of 220 million Pakistanis. Economic mismanagement, rising inflation, and the concentration of power in the hands of a select few had dissipated support from his erstwhile backers in the military. In response, Khan is crafting a narrative that his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), can deploy to mobilise the masses.
The narrative focuses on the dichotomy between Pakistan’s ideal and current state. The ideal state is presented as one designed along the lines of the first Islamic state established by Prophet Mohammad in Medina in 622 AD. Pakistan’s failure to secure a respected status in the international community since the 1960s is contrasted with the progress made by India which became independent at the same time — New Delhi has earned respect for its refusal to compromise on national interest. The heavy criticism levelled against Khan for his visit to Moscow at a time Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine is presented as evidence. US and European envoys criticised and demanded that Pakistan, notably Imran Khan, not side with Russia. On the other hand, the Indian success story meant that the Narendra Modi government withstood external pressure and asserted its right to purchase oil from Russia at the height of the Ukraine conflict.Khan portrays corrupt and self-serving Pakistani politicians as obstacles on the path toward true independence. He blames them for pushing Pakistan into a subservient relationship with Western powers. They have pursued conflicting policies, siding with the West to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan in the 1980s and then joining hands with the US to invade and occupy the same country in the War on Terror. The Pakistani media is also incriminated for joining hands with the country’s rulers to prevent Pakistan from realising its true potential.
The portrayal of the ruling elite as willing accomplices of the West in exploiting and subjugating the Pakistani people resembles a neo-Marxist analysis of the world system. “Core” states exploit those at the “periphery” in an exploitative yet collaborative relationship with the ruling elite of the peripheral states.
Rival political parties that collaborated to oust Khan’s regime through a no-confidence vote are accused of working at the behest of the Western powers, especially the United States. The former PM has alleged that the US Assistant Secretary of State, Donald Lu, had warned of severe consequences for US-Pakistan relations if he stayed in power. Echoing the Gramscian idea of a counter-hegemonic struggle to create a new historical bloc, Khan has called upon ordinary Pakistanis to become activists in thwarting the collaboration between the corrupt politicians and the US. The newly-appointed prime minister and his coalition partners are labelled an “imported government” lacking legitimacy and requiring a response from those who stand for independence, integrity, and fairness. The Pakistani youth, which comprises 60 per cent of the country’s population, is allocated pride of place in this schema: They are urged to think about the future they expect and deserve despite all the machinations of the corrupt politicians and the imported government.
Khan has delivered this narrative in simple language easily understood by the masses in a country with a literacy rate of just 60 per cent. He has portrayed himself as a selfless individual who did not need to be in politics but struggled for more than two decades to secure true independence for Pakistan and international respect for it. Repeated by other members of his cabinet and the PTI, this narrative has proved successful. Overnight, those complaining of economic mismanagement and rising inflation have come out on the streets declaring their support for Khan as the true leader and rejecting the “imported government”.
However, this narrative is fraught with danger for Pakistan. It runs the risk of further weakening the cohesion of a society increasingly divided along ethnic, religious, and sectarian lines, between supporters and opponents of jihad, and between the exceptionally rich and poor masses. The defiance narrative is dividing the country between supporters and opponents of Imran Khan — and by extension the PTI. Equally concerning is the fast-emerging public anger against the military and the judiciary as “collaborators” in ousting Khan as the PM. This anger was apparent in responses to a tweet from DG ISPR about the successful launch of the Shaheen III missile on April 9. Congratulatory messages were interspersed with extremely critical assessments of the military’s role and capability to thwart Pakistan’s real threats. According to some reports, dissenting voices are also emerging within the military, insisting on Khan’s narrative as the guiding principle for Pakistan. If the fate of narratives employed by jihadi groups is any indication, once a message has been delivered to an audience, some among the audience attach their own meanings to the message and the ensuing activism does not necessarily correlate to the intended aims of the master narrator(s). Khan’s narrative could also motivate some groups to resort to actions with far-reaching implications for civil-military relations and Pakistan’s stability.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/imran-khan-power-pakistan-politics-economy-7914389/
Bilawal Bhutto says PTI minister threatened him on eve of no-trust vote
In his address to the National Assembly, Bilawal told the house that the PTI minister asked him to either accept early elections or martial law would be imposed in the country.
The foreign minister said that despite PTI's repeated attempts to defeat the no-confidence motion against the former premier, their bids were foiled and the no-trust vote was successful.
Bilawal then demanded an investigation into the events leading up to and post the no-confidence motion that led to former prime minister Imran Khan's ouster.
Ex-deputy speaker Qasim Suri had termed the no-trust motion against Khan "unconstitutional" and dismissed it on April 3, and following this, the then-prime minister advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the assemblies and he followed suit.
But the then-Opposition filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking the nullification of the government's move. The top court then on April 7, declared the government's decision to dissolve the assembly and Suri's ruling against the constitution.
The SC had asked to hold the voting on the no-confidence motion on April 9, but Khan had the speaker prolong the session. But near midnight, the speaker resigned from office.
Being the senior member of the panel of chairs, PML-N MNA Ayaz Sadiq chaired a session on early April 10 and held the voting no-confidence motion which ultimately led to Khan's ouster.
High-level committee should probe matter: Bilawal
"This house must form a high-level parliamentary commission or committee to investigate the events leading up to April 3, post-April 3, of the night of April 9 and 10, and the events that have taken place to date after [the no-confidence motion was successful]," Bilawal said on the floor of the National Assembly.
The PPP chairman said the "attacks on the constitution and the house" should be taken seriously, and an investigation should be held to determine who was at fault.
"Even the Supreme Court termed the previous government's acts of April 3 as unconstitutional. In the way that the former government tried to escape from the challenge of the no-confidence motion, it was unconstitutional and the people of Pakistan demand accountability," he added.
Bilawal said the acts of undermining the constitution had taken place in the past as well and the parliament remained mum on it, therefore, these events should be investigated.
Bilawal emphasised that PPP was never in the favour of political engineering and noted that his party's demand still stands that first electoral reforms should take place, and general elections should be held after them.
"We are a democratic force and demand transparent elections. We had earlier demanded that electoral reforms should take place first. This is PPP's clear stance," Bilawal said.
'Situation in Pakistan is at crisis point'
Berating Khan, he said the former prime minister should be asked about his performance during his tenure, he should be questioned about the economy, and how his "ego" damaged Pakistan internationally, in a reference to the PTI chairman's alleged US threat.
"The former prime minister thinks he is a 'sacred cow' as he is currently speaking against the constitution, national security, and economic stability," the foreign minister said.
The PPP chairman said the government left a mess in terms of the economy as it has left sugar, wheat, and energy crises for the incumbent government.
"Wherever we see, there is a crisis [...] the conditions are even worst than we had thought when we were in the Opposition. The situation in Pakistan is at a crisis point — there should be no difference of opinion in this regard," Bilawal said.
Resolution passed condemning Indian actions in IOJK
In other matters of business, the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the latest Indian attempt for demographic engineering in occupied Jammu and Kashmir through a so-called "delimitation commission".
The foreign minister had moved the resolution, which stated that India aims to artificially alter the electoral strength of the Muslim majority in occupied Kashmir.
Noting that the commission’s recommendations have been rejected by a cross-section of political parties in the occupied region, the resolution categorically rejected the report of the so-called delimitation commission that seeks to convert the Muslim majority territory into minority and further marginalise, disenfranchise, and disempower the Kashmiri population and advance the political and electoral objectives of the BJP.
The resolution noted that through the delimitation exercise, India is making attempts to further its illegal actions of 5th August 2019 and subsequent measures.
The resolution recalled that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised dispute and a long-standing item on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
It declared that no façade of elections based on a sham delimitation exercise can substitute the legitimacy and indispensability of a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the UN.
The resolution demanded that India should honour and fulfil its obligations under international law, UNSC resolutions, and the fourth Geneva Convention, whilst refraining from bringing about any illegal demographic changes in the occupied territory.
It urged the Indian government to forthwith end its oppression and widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in IIOJK and enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the Security Council resolutions.
The resolution called upon the international community to ensure accountability for India’s grave and persistent violations of human rights and war crimes in IOJK.
The resolution reiterated Pakistan’s unflinching commitment and solidarity with Kashmiri, reaffirming that Pakistan will continue to extend all possible support in their just struggle for freedom and self-determination.
It also asked the government to continue to expose and counter the Indian moves before the international community and to highlight and forcefully project the Kashmir cause at all bilateral and multilateral forums including the UN and the OIC.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/416461-people-demand-accountability-fm-bilawal-bhutto-demands-investigation-into-events-surrounding-no-trust-motion
وزیر خارجہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے قومی اسمبلی میں مقبوضہ جموں و کشمیر کے حوالے سے قرارداد پیش کردی
وزیر خارجہ چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے قومی اسمبلی میں مقبوضہ جموں و کشمیر کے حوالے سے ایک قرارداد پیش کی جس میں بین الاقوامی برادری سے کہا گیا ہے کہ وہ بھارت کی جانب سے مقبوضہ جموں و کشمیر میں انسانی حقوق کی سنگین خلاف ورزیوں اور جنگی جرائم کا نوٹس لیں اور مقبوضہ کشمیر میں بھارت کے مظالم اور یکطرفہ اور غیرقانونی اقدامات کو روکنے کا کہیں اور بھارت سے یہ بھی کہیں کہ وہ اقوام متحدہ کی سکیورٹی کونسل کی متعلقہ قراردادوں پر عملدرآمد کرے۔ قرارداد میں بھارت کی جانب سے غیرقانونی اور ظالمانہ اقدامات اور کشمیر کی متنازعہ حیثیت کو تبدیل کرنے کے خلاف قرارداد منظور کی گئی۔ قرارداد میں اس بات پر سخت تشویش کا اظہار کیا گیا کہ بھارت کی قابض فوج کی جانب سے غیرقانونی اقدامات لئے گئے ہیں جن سے مقبوضہ کشمیر کی آزادی تناسب بگڑ گیا ہے جو کہ بین الاقوامی قوانین کی خلاف ورزی ہے۔ بھارت کے نام نہاد ڈی لیمیٹیشن کمیشن کو مارچ 2020ءمیں قائم کیا گیا جس سے مقبوضہ جموں و کشمیر کے مسلمانوں کی اکثریت کو مصنوعی طور پر تبدیل کر دیا گیا ہے۔ قرارداد میں کہا گیا ہے کہ پاکستان کشمیری عوام سے مکمل یکجہتی اور حمایت کا اعادہ کرتا ہے۔ پاکستان اور کشمیری عوام کی جانب سے بھارت کے 5اگست 2019ءکے غیرقانونی اقدامات پر تشویش کا اظہار کیا گیا۔ قرارداد میں یہ بھی کہا گیا کہ جموں و کشمیر بین الاقوامی طور پر ایک متنازعہ مسئلہ ہے جو کہ اقوام متحدہ کی سکیورٹی کونسل میںایک طویل عرصہ سے قابل توجہ ہے۔ اب اس جعلی ڈی لیمٹیشن کے بعد جو بھی انتخابات ہوں گے وہ اقوام متحدہ کے تحت غیرجانبدرانہ حق خود ارادیت کا نعمل البدل نہیں ہو سکتے۔ قرارداد میں مطالبہ بھی کیا گیا کہ بھارت بین الاقوامی قوانین، اقوام متحدہ کی سکیورٹی کونسل کی قراردادوں اور جینوا کنونشن پر عمل کرے اور مقبوضہ علاقے میں کسی قسم کی غیرقانونی طور پر آبادی میں تبدیلی کی کوشش سے باز رہے۔ قرارداد میں بھارت سے بھی کہا گیا کہ وہ مقبوضہ جموں و کشمیر میں انسانی حقوق کی خلاف ورزیوں سے باز رہے اور کشمیری عوام کو ان کا حق خود ارادیت کی راہ میں رکاوٹ نہ بنیں۔ قرارداد میں پاکستان اور پاکستانی عوام کی جانب سے کشمیری بھائی بہنوں سے یکجہتی کا اظہار کیا گیا اور کہا گیا کہ پاکستان کشمیریوں کی آزادی کی جدوجہد اور حق خودارادیت کی حمایت کرتا رہے گا۔
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Enforced disappearances in Pakistan: Baloch Voice Association urges UN body to appoint rapporteur
Representatives of the Baloch Voice Association (BVA) met with the United Nations Working Group over the issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan and urged the UN body to appoint a special rapporteur.
“I urge this body to appoint a special rapporteur on the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan” Senior Baloch Human Rights defender Waja Ali Arjemandi in a statement asked the UN body on Monday.The representatives of BVA also expressed their thanks to the UN for inviting them to United Nations in Geneva.
“I am also thankful to this body and her office holders to be conterminously with us in the search of Ehsan Arjemandi and other victims of enforced disappearances,” Waja Ali Arjemandi said.
In his statement, the Baloch representative said that his brother Ehsan Arjemandi was kidnapped by Pakistani security forces on August 9, 2009 and was released on August 29, 2021.“The situation in Balochistan is alarming. Every day we are getting news about cases of enforced disappearances. The process of registering a case with the UN body for them is very difficult due to many factors,” the representative further said.The representatives of BVA said that there are reports that Pakistani forces have threatened and disappeared family members of the victims for raising voices over enforced disappearances.
UN Working body Vice President said: “We are looking towards Ehsan Arjemandi to help us to trace the other victims of enforced disappearances. The Secretary-General of the body thanked Ehsan Arjemandi for his commitment to fight against enforced disappearances.”
Munir Munir, the President of Baloch Voice Association, said that even in a verdict the Pakistani supreme court has said that the “commission has failed to solve the issue of enforced disappearances”.
Enforced disappearances are used as a tool by Pakistani authorities to terrorize people who question the all-powerful army establishment of the country, or seek individual or social rights. Cases of enforced disappearances have been majorly recorded in the Balochistan and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces of the country which host active separatist movements.
A recent report unveiled by the US revealed that over 8000 people were missing in the country during 2021 including 1,200 missing in Sindh province in the last six months.
https://theprint.in/world/enforced-disappearances-in-pakistan-baloch-voice-association-urges-un-body-to-appoint-rapporteur/951289/
یہ پتہ لگ گیا کہ فوج نیوٹرل رہ سکتی ہے: آصف زرداری
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے شریک چیئرمین اور سابق صدر آصف علی زرداری کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ الیکشن سے ڈرتے نہیں بلکہ الیکشن سے قبل انتخابی اصلاحات کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔
آصف علی زرداری نے بدھ کو کراچی میں ایک پریس کانفرنس سے خطاب میں کہا کہ ’ہم نے کب کہا کہ ہم الیکشن سے ڈرتے ہیں۔‘
انہوں نے کہا کہ ’ہمارے گیم پلان میں الیکٹورل اور نیب ریفارمز ہیں۔ آئندہ انتخابات کا انعقاد ضروری مسائل کے حل اور انتخابی اصلاحات کے فوری بعد کیا جائے گا۔‘
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ’عمران خان کہتے ہیں الیکشن کروائیں، وہ کیا کر لیں گے الیکشن کروا کے، انہوں نے پہلے چار سال میں کیا کر لیا۔‘
’یہ بات تو ہم کہتے آئے ہیں کہ دھاندلی ہوئی، الیکشن کروائیں، لیکن کبھی کسی نے ہماری بات نہیں سنی۔‘
انہوں نے صحافیوں سے کہا کہ ’میں میاں صاحب سے مشاورت کے بعد ہی آپ سے بات کر رہا ہوں۔‘
آصف علی زرداری نے کہا کہ ’جو یہ لوگ گانا گا رہے ہیں کہ فریش الیکشن کراؤ۔ جو بھی آئے گا اسے ایسے ہی مسائل حل کرنا پڑیں گے، اس لیے ہم کو ہی کرنے دو۔‘
واضح رہے کہ مسلم لیگ ن کا ایک وفد بھی گذشتہ روز سابق وزیر اعظم نواز شریف سے مشاورت کے لیے لندن کے لیے روانہ ہوا۔
مسلم لیگ ن کا یہ وفد جس میں وزیراعظم شہباز شریف بھی شامل ہیں نوازشریف کے بلانے پر لندن گیا ہے۔
اس حوالے سے بعض تجزیہ کاروں کا کہنا ہے کہ مسلم لیگ ن کے وفد کے اس وقت لندن جانے کے بعد ’قبل از وقت انتخابات کے قوی امکانات پیدا ہو گئے ہیں۔‘
دوسری جانب سابق وزیراعظم عمران خان پہلے ہی عوامی رابطے کی مہم کا آغاز کر چکے ہیں اور وہ وزارتِ عظمیٰ کے عہدے سے ہٹائے جانے کے بعد سے مسلسل انتخابات کرائے جانے کا مطالبہ ہی کر رہے ہیں۔
تاہم عمران خان کی ایبٹ آباد جلسے میں تقریر کے بعد انہیں تنقید کا نشانہ بنایا جا رہا ہے اور کہا جا رہا ہے کہ انہوں نے اس تقریر میں پاکستان فوج کو ’نشانہ‘ بنایا ہے۔
اب سابق صدر آصف زراداری کا کہنا ہے کہ ’فوج اگر اے پولیٹیکل ہوتی ہے تو مجھے باجوہ کو سیلوٹ کرنا چاہیے یا اس سے لڑنا چاہیے، کہ تم کیوں اے پولیٹیکل ہوئے ہو۔‘
انہوں نے کہا کہ ’جنرل باجوہ نے کسی سے یہ نہیں کہا کہ جا کر زرداری صاحب کو ووٹ دو یا شہباز صاحب کو ووٹ دو۔ وہ صرف اے پولیٹکل ہوئے کہ ہم مداخلت نہیں کریں گے۔‘
آصف زرداری کا مزید کہنا تھا کہ ’انہوں نے آئین کے مطابق حلف اٹھایا ہے اور وہ حلف پر رہے ہیں۔ حلف پر رہیں تو غلط ہیں اور نہ رہیں تو غلط ہیں۔‘
انہوں نے کہا کہ ’یہ شکر ہے میرے مولا کا کہ اس ساری ایکسرسائز میں ہمیں یہ پتہ لگ گیا کہ وہ (فوج) نیوٹرل رہ سکتے ہیں، وہ اے پولیٹیکل ہو سکتے ہیں اور ہم کوشش کرتے رہیں گے کہ وہ اے پولیٹیکل رہ سکتے ہیں۔
عمران خان کی جانب سے سراج الدولہ کا حوالہ دیے جانے آصف زرداری نے کہا کہ ’وہ کون سا بنگال کے نواب ہیں۔‘
انہوں نے کہا کہ ’اس کا (عمران خان) کیا واسطہ ہے ملک کے سیاسی حالات سے۔ ہماری کوشش ہے کہ دوبارہ کوئی سلیکٹڈ نہ آئے۔‘
https://www.independenturdu.com/node/102091
اصلاحات سے پہلے الیکشن نہیں ہوں گے، آصف زرداری
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) شریک چیئرمین آصف علی زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ تین ماہ لگیں یا چار ماہ، انتخابی اصلاحات سے پہلے عام انتخابات نہیں کرائیں گے۔
آصف زرداری نے خواجہ آصف کا وقت سے پہلے انتخابات کے امکان کو مسترد کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ ن لیگ سے طے ہے کہ پہلے قوانین بہتر بنانے ہیں پھر الیکشن میں جانا ہے، جو بات کر رہا ہوں میاں صاحب کی مشاورت سے کر رہا ہوں۔
کراچی میں پریس کانفرنس کرتے ہوئے سابق حکومت سے متعلق آصف زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ میری نظر میں پاکستان اگر کوئی چلاسکتا ہے تو ہم چلاسکتے ہیں، یہ نہیں چلا سکتا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ میں نے پہلے دن کہا تھا کہ یہ نہیں چلاسکیں گے، یہ اپنے زور سے ہیں گریں گے، ان کے اپنے ہی دوستوں نے ان کو چھوڑ دیا۔
سابق صدر کا کہنا تھا کہ ان کے اپنے لوگوں نے انہوں نے چھوڑا کیونکہ انہوں نے اپنے لوگوں کے سیاسی وعدے پورے نہیں کیے۔
آج تک میں کہتا آیا ہوں کہ الیکشن کروائیں، ہم نے حکومت بنالی ہے وہ چاہ رہے ہیں کہ الیکشن کروائیں۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ جب کہتا تھا یہ دھاندلی کی حکومت ہے الیکشن کروائیں تو کوئی نہیں سنتا تھا۔
اسٹاک مارکیٹ کے بارے میں بات کرتے ہوئے ان کا کہنا تھا کہ آپ کا اسٹاک ایکسچینج اب کھڑا ہو گیا ہے، پرویز مشرف کے دور کے بعد بھی ہم نے اسٹاک ایکسچینج کو اٹھایا تھا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ جب تک آئی ایم ایف کا پروگرام نہیں آجاتا ہمیں مشکلات ہوں گی۔
سابق صدر کا کہنا تھا کہ ہم نے کب کہا کہ ہم الیکشن نہیں کروائیں گے، انتخابی اصلاحات کے بعد الیکشن کی طرف جائیں گے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ سلیکٹڈ کو ہم نے مل کر ہٹایا ہے، مجھے لوگوں کے بند چولہے جلانے ہیں۔
عمران خان کی جانب سے نئے انتخابات کے مطالبے پر آصف علی زرداری نے کہا کہ الیکشن میں جاکر یہ کیا کرے گا؟ اپنے چار سال میں کیا کام کیا؟ الیکشن جلدی کروا کر یہ کیا کر لے گا؟
انہوں نے یہ بھی کہا کہ ابھی نئی حکومت آئی ہے حالات کنٹرول کرنے میں تھوڑا وقت لگتا ہے۔
سابق صدر نے کہا کہ فوج غیر سیاسی ہوتی ہے تو جنرل باجوہ کو سیلوٹ کرنا چاہیے یا لڑنا چاہیے؟ پتہ چل گیا ہے کہ وہ نیوٹرل اور غیر سیاسی رہ سکتے ہیں، ہم کوشش کریں گے کہ وہ غیر سیاسی رہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ میں پاکستان کی آبادی 20 کروڑ نہیں مانتا، میرے نزدیک ملک کی آبادی 30 کروڑ ہے اور انہی کے ساتھ ہمیں پاکستان کو بنانا ہے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1084935
Sunday, May 8, 2022
#Pakistan-#US: Bringing Back Diplomacy - Antony Blinken - Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto
After several years of escalating US hostility towards Pakistan, a diplomatic exchange between Pakistani and US representatives has indicated signs of a warming relationship. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and invited him to a food security meeting at the UN headquarters in New York in mid-May—a first personal invitation to a UN event by the US. Both sides also discussed various aspects of the bilateral cooperation and expressed keen interest in re-engaging.
This is a different tune from what we have witnessed in the past few years, which included constant passive-aggressive statements, withdrawal of aid, and instigation of financial cases against Pakistani institutions abroad. In fact, this is the first contact between the foreign ministers of the two countries since September 2021; it speaks volumes of the nature of the relationship that there had been radio silence between the representatives for the last seven months.This positive start will no doubt fuel the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)’s allegations of a foreign conspiracy to oust the previous government. Regardless, non-hostile relations with major powers and Pakistan’s material involvement in international affairs that gravely impact us are a necessary cornerstone of good diplomacy. It is important to know how to navigate foreign relations tactfully and deal with disagreements between countries respectfully, and not take any ill-timed inappropriate actions that could unnecessarily make a political statement on the world stage.
In that respect, the new Foreign Minister is on the right path by engaging encouragingly and stressing the importance of partnership. Issues like food security affect developing countries like Pakistan gravely; a global discussion at the UN Security Council level can have material consequences on the world, and any isolation and lack of contact are detrimental to us. The engagement must continue, and we must take this forward positively.
https://nation.com.pk/2022/05/08/bringing-back-diplomacy/
Pakistan-US: 'Engagement with mutual respect', Bilawal tells Blinken
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sought to strengthen a “mutually beneficial and broad-based” relationship with the United States in a maiden telephone call with his American counterpart Anthony Blinken on Friday.
Using his Twitter handle, Bilawal said he had received the telephone from Secretary Blinken, who felicitated him on his assumption of the Foreign Office.
Saying he was grateful for “warm felicitations”, the foreign minister said he had exchanged views with the US secretary on “strengthening mutually beneficial and broad-based relationship” with the United States.
The two foreign ministers also discussed the promotion of peace, development and security. “Agreed engagement with mutual respect is the way forward,” Bilawal added.
This was the first telephonic conversation between the Pakistani foreign minister and the US Secretary of State in nine months. The last time Blinken spoke to Shah Mehmood Qureshi was in August 2021 when the US-led foreign forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Secretary Blinken’s telephone call to the new foreign minister came amid no let-up in former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations that he was ousted from power through a US-backed conspiracy.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to form an “independent commission” to look into the allegations but Imran has rejected the proposal and sought a judicial commission on the matter.
The controversy revolves around a diplomatic cable the then Pakistani ambassador in Washington sent to the Foreign Office on March 7. The cable was based on Ambassador Asad Majid’s conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu.
In that cable, according to Imran, the US official "threatened" Pakistan of dire consequences if the vote of no confidence against the PTI leader did not succeed. The former premier claimed that he was ousted from power because he had pursued an independent foreign policy and undertook a visit to Russia despite the US opposition.
The National Security Committee (NSC), the country’s highest forum on such matters, met twice – first on March 31 when Imran was still the premier and second on April 22 when Shehbaz Sharif was the country’s chief executive. In both meetings, the NSC agreed that the language used by the American official was undiplomatic and tantamount to ‘blatant interference’ but found no evidence to suggest that there was a conspiracy against Imran Khan.
The PTI chairman, nevertheless, has kept building this narrative that the NSC has endorsed his claims. The controversy has complicated the already fraught relationship between Pakistan and the US.
The new government, however, has been trying to bring some semblance of certainty with statements underlining the importance of a relationship with the West particularly with the United States.
The US officials have also issued statements in favour of engagement with Pakistan. The latest telephone call, observers believe, suggests the eagerness from both sides to reset their troubled ties.
Despite the US pullout of Afghanistan, Washington still has stakes in the neighbouring country given that any instability would allow terrorist groups to regroup that may not just pose threat to the region but the US interests too.
Pakistan is worried over the recent spike in cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghanistan and considers counter-terrorism cooperation vital to deny the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups space in Afghanistan.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2355437/engagement-with-mutual-respect-bilawal-tells-blinken
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