By Ruchir SharmaAfter 2000, globalization and surging commodity prices astronomically boosted economic growth among nations with emerging economies. Over the next decade their share of the global economy nearly doubled, growing to 35 percent. By 2007, 107 of the 110 developing economies featured in the Penn World Table were catching up to the United States in average income, helping millions to escape poverty. The celebratory mood was captured in a popular phrase: “The rise of the rest.” Then came the crisis of 2008. Trade and capital flows plunged and commodity prices tanked, while slowing global population growth started to shrink work forces. Instead of rising again, developing economies saw their share of the global economy stagnate in the 2010s. Half the countries in the Penn World Table fell behind the United States in average income. Recently hyped stars like Brazil and Russia are growing slower than the U.S. economy is. With the exception of China, “the rest” have fallen off the radar of the global media and financial markets. This would be more disheartening if it weren’t normal. In most decades after World War II, developed and emerging economies grew at a similar pace. Since nations with emerging economies tended to have populations that were growing faster, their per capita income was in fact often falling behind. These nations might leap forward for a decade or two, and possibly rise up an income class, only to stumble into crisis and find themselves back where they started. Of 195 economies tracked by the International Monetary Fund, only 39 are “advanced,” and most of those were already advanced by 1945. The few that rose out of poverty and into the developed class are celebrated as “miracles,” such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Their secret: export manufacturing, which by bringing in revenue from all over the world can sustain growth rates that would be impossible in a domestic market alone. Today, however, manufacturing and exports are shrinking as forces in the global economy, so it can be hard to imagine what would power the next growth miracles. This explains the silence that engulfs emerging economies. But in economies, as in nature, nothing is created, nothing is destroyed — everything is transformed. And the transformations of the pandemic are already providing energizing possibilities for at least a few emerging economies. Those transformations include an accelerating digital revolution, economic reform and a revival of commodity prices. The pandemic is accelerating the adoption of digital technology, which has a particularly strong effect on immature economies. Digital technology is unlikely to generate double-digit growth because its impact is largely limited to domestic economies, with no added boost from exports. But it can simultaneously and sustainably transform domestic emerging economies. Countries with developing economies are less attached to a “legacy infrastructure” of brick stores and land lines, so they are adopting wireless tech faster than countries with developed economies. Despite trouble in its old state-run industries, China is still growing significantly faster than the United States, catching up in average income, thanks to the rapid emergence of its cashless “new economy.” New internet companies are rising quickly outside China as well, from Russia and Poland to Argentina and Kenya. With deep knowledge of local tastes and languages, they are expanding access to a wide variety of services such as banking and back-office operations, making it easy for start-ups to get going. On average, digital revenue is rising, and the cost of starting a business is falling, faster in countries with emerging economies than in countries with developed ones. From the steam engine to cars, the economic effect of tech revolutions has tended to gain momentum over time and peak decades after the original invention. The digital revolution is young; its biggest influence on the growth of emerging economies is most likely still to come. Another major development is economic reform. One of the biggest drags on the long-term prospects of these nations is that they tend to get stuck in a cycle of success and failure, reforming only when forced to in a crisis, frittering away the gains during the ensuing boom, then falling back into crisis. A crisis as big as the pandemic could be relied on to force major reforms — and it has. The United States and other nations with developed economies are ramping up spending to ease the financial pain of the pandemic, but there will be negative consequences for growth in the future. Lacking the means to spend, poorer countries are pushing reform that, while often unpopular, should boost productivity and promote growth. India is relaxing labor laws and rules that have protected farmers from market forces for decades. Indonesia is cutting taxes and red tape to generate investment and jobs. Brazil is pushing ahead with plans to downsize its unaffordably generous pension system. Saudi Arabia is overhauling its immigration rules to open labor market competition. Similar campaigns are underway in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other nations. Unfortunately, many emerging economies depend on exports of oil, metals, farm products and other commodities, so their prospects shift with the prices of those commodities. Long booms and busts have left commodity prices essentially flat in inflation-adjusted terms since records began in 1850. That explains why so many economies are stuck in the developing stage. The per capita income of Brazil, a major commodity exporter, is no higher today, relative to the United States, than it was in 1850. Most leading oil exporters are no richer today, relative to Western nations, than in the year they discovered oil. Still, in decades when commodity prices rise, the number of developing economies catching up to their developed counterparts spikes. Now, after a down decade, which forced producers to cut back on excess supply, market forces point to a revival for commodity prices in the 2020s. That in turn should lift the fortunes of emerging markets like Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia, at least until the commodity cycle turns again. It’s also worth noting that although the path to prosperity through manufacturing is narrowing, it hasn’t closed. In the past, manufacturing accounted for more than 15 percent of G.D.P. in export powerhouses. Today the economies in this class include Vietnam, Bangladesh, Poland and the Czech Republic. They are among the big winners as companies seeking lower wages and shorter supply lines move factories out of China. The transformative effect of manufacturing is visible in a country like Poland, where multinational corporations are now making cars, light fixtures and other goods. Before the pandemic, a quarter century of unbroken growth had increased Polish incomes nearly tenfold to almost $16,000 — on the cusp of the advanced economic class. A similar transformation is underway in Vietnam, which is investing not only in new factories, roads and ports, but also in programs to eliminate poverty. If only a few nations stand to gain from export manufacturing, many more have a chance to thrive on the back of economic reform, a possible revival in commodity prices or the accelerating digital revolution. These growth engines won’t bring back the “rise of the rest,” which lifted virtually every developing economy in the 2000s. But they will be enough to power a few growth stars. In the 2020s, some of the rest will likely rise again. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/opinion/developing-economies-covid.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Monday, December 28, 2020
Opinion: Which Developing Economies Will Rise After the Pandemic?
Peshawar’s women polio workers accuse seniors of harassment, threaten to boycott vaccine drive
Female polio workers hold protest, urge heath minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district to take note of situation that has allegedly led to some of them losing their jobs.
A group of women polio workers from the Hayatabad Union Council in Peshawar, staged a protest against harassment by senior officers Saturday. The polio workers alleged that officials called them for meetings at any time and threatened them with removal if they did not oblige.
The protestors also submitted a written application against the officers responsible.
The workers highlighted how several women had lost their jobs because they refused to entertain the demands of seniors and many suffered from mental stress due to the rude behaviour of the officers.
The workers urged the health minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district, Taimur Khan Jhagra, to take note of the situation or threatened to boycott the entire polio campaign.
According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Pakistan is the only country with consistent barriers preventing vaccination and the eradication of polio, which are linked to religious extremism and harassment of polio workers.
Polio workers are often harassed, and even killed in some cases, due to the narrative that vaccination is a western agenda forced upon Pakistan.
OP-ED: #BenazirBhuttoShaheed - Would anyone fill the political vacuum left by Benazir Bhutto?
By M Alam Brohi
بینظیر بھٹو کی تیرہویں برسی
ماہ دسمبر پاکستان کیلئے نہایت دکھ اور رنج و الم کا مہینہ ہے جس میں سقوط ڈھاکہ، سانحہ آرمی پبلک اسکول اور بینظیر بھٹو کی شہادت جیسے دلخراش واقعات پیش آئے۔ زندہ قومیں ملک کی قسمت بدلنے والے لیڈروں کو ہمیشہ یاد رکھتی ہیں۔ اللہ تعالیٰ نے پاکستان کو بھی قائداعظم محمد علی جناحؒ کے بعد شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو اور بینظیر بھٹو جیسے عظیم لیڈرز عطا کئے جنہوں نے بے شمارقربانیاں دے کر پاکستان کو ناقابل تسخیر بنادیا۔ میرا اور میری فیملی کا شہید بینظیر بھٹو سے انتہائی قریبی تعلق تھا اور یہ میری خوش نصیبی ہے کہ مجھے ان کے قریب رہ کر کام کرنے کا موقع ملا۔ آج میں شہید بینظیر بھٹو کی تیرہویں برسی پر ان کے ساتھ گزارے گئے کچھ تاریخی لمحات قارئین سے شیئر کرنا چاہوں گا۔
شہید بینظیر بھٹوسے میری پہلی ملاقات 1994میں سائٹ ایسوسی ایشن ایوارڈ کی تقریب میں ہوئی جس میں انہوں نے مجھے صنعتوں کی بحالی کا ایوارڈ دیا تھا۔ بعد میں محترمہ کی درخواست پر میں انہیں مختلف اوقات پر بیمار صنعتوں کی بحالی، ملکی معیشت اور توانائی کے بحران کے حل کے حوالے سے مختلف تجاویز دیتا رہا جس کی بناء پر مجھے ان کی قربت حاصل ہوئی۔ وہ مجھے اپنے ساتھ کئی ممالک کے سرکاری دوروں پر وفاقی وزراء کے ہمراہ لے کرگئیں۔ بی بی عموماً اپنے خصوصی طیارے کی روانی کے بعد وفد کے ارکان کو فرداً فرداً بلاکر ان کی تجاویز اپنے دورے کے ایجنڈے میں شامل کرتی تھیں۔ 2002کے الیکشن میں شہید بینظیر بھٹو نے مجھے کراچی کے قومی اسمبلی کے حلقہ NA-250سے پیپلزپارٹی کے ٹکٹ پر الیکشن لڑنے کیلئے کہا جس کیلئے میں بالکل تیار نہ تھا لیکن بی بی، مخدوم امین فہیم اور سینیٹر رضاربانی کے اصرار پر میں محترمہ کو انکار نہ کرسکا۔ یہ الیکشن میری سیاسی زندگی کا آغاز تھا۔
بینظیر بھٹو کا شایانِ شان استقبال اور سانحہ کارساز تاریخ کا حصہ ہیں۔ محترمہ اپنے قریبی ساتھیوں کومختلف ذمہ داریاں دے کر آزماتی تھیں۔ کراچی میںمحترمہ نے اپنے کاغذات نامزدگی جمع کراتے وقت الیکشن آفس میں ہنگامے کے بعد واپسی پر بلاول ہائوس میں ایک اہم میٹنگ کی جس میں فہمیدہ مرزا، ذوالفقار مرزا، شیری رحمٰن، رضا ربانی، رحمٰن ملک، شاہ محمود قریشی، قائم علی شاہ اور دیگر اہم پارٹی رہنما بھی شریک تھے۔ اجلاس میں طے پایا کہ سیکورٹی کے پیش نظر محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو اپنے کاغذات نامزدگی کی تصدیق کیلئے دوبارہ الیکشن کمیشن آفس نہیں جائیں گی۔ اس موقع پر میں نے محترمہ کو مشورہ دیا کہ ہمیں الیکشن کمیشن سے آپ کی حاضری کا استثنیٰ حاصل کرنا چاہئے۔ میں نے فوراً الیکشن کمیشن کے اس وقت کے سیکریٹری کنور دلشاد سے رابطہ کرکے بینظیر بھٹوکا الیکشن کمیشن میں حاضری سے استثنیٰ حاصل کیا۔ میں یہ بات محترمہ کو بتانا ہی چاہتا تھا کہ رحمن ملک نے مجھے الیکشن کمیشن سے تحریری اجازت نامہ لینے کا مشورہ دیا۔ اتوار ہونے کے باوجود کنور دلشاد نے تحریری اجازت نامہ بلاول ہائوس فیکس کیا جسے میں نے فخریہ انداز میں محترمہ کو پیش کیا۔ تحریری استثنیٰ دیکھ کر محترمہ نے مجھے Welldon کہا۔محترمہ نے مجھے لندن کے پارٹی اجلاس میں 2008کے انتخابات کیلئے کراچی سے قومی اسمبلی کے حلقہ NA-250کا پارٹی ٹکٹ دیا۔ 2008کے الیکشن میں بی بی اور نواز شریف کی خواہش پر پاکستان بھر میں مجھے پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی اور مسلم لیگ (ن) کا مشترکہ امیدوار نامزد کیا گیا تھا جبکہ اے این پی، جے یو آئی اور سنی تحریک کی حمایت بھیحاصل تھی۔ شام کو میرے قریبی دوست فرخ مظہر نے اپنی ڈیفنس رہائش گاہ پر میری انتخابی کارنر میٹنگ رکھی تھی۔ میں نے جیسے ہی اپنی تقریر شروع کی، آغا خان اسپتال کے ڈاکٹر مختار بھٹو تیزی سے بھاگتے ہوئے میرے پاس آئے اور روتے ہوئے بتایا کہ سب کچھ ختم ہو گیا۔ میں اپنے دوست فرخ مظہر کے ساتھ ان کے ڈرائنگ روم کی طرف بھاگا جہاں ٹی وی پر ہمیں یہ اندوہناک خبر سننے کو ملی کہ بینظیر بھٹو کو شہید کردیا گیاہے۔ یہ دلخراش خبر سنتے ہی میں سیدھا بلاول ہائوس بھاگا جہاں پیپلزپارٹی کے سینیٹرز اور قومی و صوبائی اسمبلیوں کے امیدوار بڑی تعداد میں جمع تھے اور اپنے عظیم لیڈر سے بچھڑ جانے پر ایک دوسرے سے گلے لگ کر زار و قطار رو رہے تھے۔ رات گئے جب میں ٹوٹا ہوا بلاول ہائوس سے اپنے گھر کی جانب روانہ ہوا تو لوگ سڑکوں پر جگہ جگہ آگ لگا کر اپنے غم و غصے کا اظہار کررہے تھے۔ پارٹی کی درخواست پر میں نے نوڈیرو جانے کیلئے دبئی اور مختلف جگہوں سے چارٹر فلائٹ کیلئے رابطے کئے۔ طیارے میں میرے ساتھ مخدوم امین فہیم، رضا ربانی، شیری رحمٰن، فاروق ایچ نائیک اور پارٹی کے دیگر رہنما موجود تھے جنہیں یہ یقین نہیں آرہا تھا کہ بینظیر بھٹو انہیں ہمیشہ کیلئے چھوڑ گئی ہیں۔ میں شہید بینظیر بھٹو کا جسد خاکی نوڈیرو سے گڑھی خدا بخش لے جانے اور مجھ سمیت لاکھوں افراد کی آہوں و سسکیوں میں ان کی تدفین کا منظر کبھی نہیں بھول سکتا۔ بینظیر بھٹو کی شہادت کے کئی روز بعد اُن کی بلیک بیری سے شریک چیئرمین آصف زرداری کا ایک میسج آیا کہ ’’شہید بی بی کے آخری پیغامات میں آپ کو کیا گیا یہ ایس ایم ایس بھی شامل ہے‘‘۔
"Are you happy, now you must win this seat, good luck"
دراصل یہ میسج میں نے اپنے حلقہ NA-250 میں مسلم لیگ (ن) کے ساتھ سیٹ ایڈجسٹمنٹ پر شکریہ کیلئے کیا تھا جس کے جواب میں بی بی نے مجھے میسج کیا تھا۔ میں تصور بھی نہیں کرسکتا تھا کہ بی بی سے یہ میری آخری گفتگو ہوگی۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/864119
مریم نواز، بھٹو کی چوکھٹ پر
تحریر: ملک سراج احمد
گڑھی خدا بخش پر حاضری کا مطلب بنیادی طورپر اس جمہوری فلسفے پر یقین کرنا ہے جو شہید بھٹو نے دیا جس پر ساری زندگی شہید رانی نے عمل کیا اور جدوجہد کی۔جمہوریت کی بحالی کی حالیہ جدوجہد میں بس یہی ایک کمی تھی اور وہ مریم نواز شریف کی حاضری کے بعد پوری ہوگئی۔رہی بات منزل کی تو سفر شرط ہے آج نہیں تو کل منزل تو مل ہی جائے گی۔حقیقی جمہوریت کی خاطر اور عوام کے حق حاکمیت کی خاطر جدوجہد بنیادی فرض ہے نتائج سے بے پرواہ ہو کر سفر جاری رہے گا تو منزل ملے گی۔ اور جمہوریت کی منزل کی طرف ہر رواں دواں ہرکارواں کا پڑاو گڑھی خدا بخش میں ضرور ہوتا ہے ۔یہاں پر شہدا کی قبریں دیکھ کرسفر کی بے یقینی کی کیفیت ختم ہوجاتی ہے۔عزم و ارادہ مصمم ہوجاتا ہے۔ حوصلے بلند ہوجاتے ہیں۔زاد راہ کے طورپر بھٹو کا فلسفہ مل جاتا ہے۔
گڑھی خدا بخش کے شہدا کو دیکھ کر یقین ہوجاتا ہے کہ جمہوریت ہی طرز سیاست ہونی چاہیے ۔وہاں پر آئے ہوئے جیالوں کو دیکھ کر یقین ہوجاتا ہے کہ طاقت کا سرچشمہ عوام ہی ہے ۔تیسری دنیا کے انسانوں کا المیہ ہی یہی ہے کہ ان کو دہائیاں لگ گئیں انسانی حقوق کے حصول کی خاطر اور وہ تاحال اس میں کامیاب نہیں ہوسکے ۔پرآسائش زندگی کی خاطر نہیں بلکہ بنیادی انسانی حقوق کی خاطر اپنی بنیادی ضروریات کی خاطر اور چند لمحے آسودگی کے حصول کی خاطر یہ تیسری دنیا کے انسان جئیے جاتے ہیں اپنی زندگی گذارے جارہے ہیں۔پاکستان کی اشرافیہ اور بالادست طبقات نے گویا کچھ نا دینے کی قسم اٹھا رکھی ہے۔ اور اس طرح کا رویہ اپنایا ہوا ہے جیسے اپنی جیب سے کسی کو کچھ دینا ہو۔حالانکہ جو کچھ یہ بدنصیب عوام مانگ رہے ہیں یہ ان کا بنیادی حق ہے ۔ان کی ملکیت ہے ۔یہ اس سرزمین پر موجود اور اس کی تہہ میں موجود ہر نعمت کے مالک و حق دار ہیں۔مگر اپنے حق سے محروم ہیں
اسی حق سے متعلق بھٹو نے بتایا کہ عوام کو یہ حق لینا چاہیے ۔عوام کو شعور دیا کہ اپنے حق کی خاطر جدوجہد کرو آواز بلند کرو۔جو نا دے اس سے حق چھین لو۔یہ جرات بھٹو نے دی کہ ایک ہاری زمیندار کے برابر بیٹھنا شروع ہوا۔ایک صنعت کار اپنے ورکر کے ساتھ مصافحہ کرنے لگا۔ معاشرے کے پسے ہوے اور محروم طبقات کو زندگی کی امید دینا بہتر مستقبل کی آس دینا ، مایوس آنکھوں کو خواب دینا ، سہمے ہوے لوگوں کو زبان دینا کوئی معمولی بات نہیں۔ بالادست طبقات کے نزدیک یہ اسٹیٹس کو کے خلاف بغاوت کے مترادف ہے اور بھٹو اس بغاوت کا مرتکب ہوا۔بھٹو کو خبر تھی کہ بغاوت ناقابل معافی ہے اوراس کی سزا ضرور ملے گی مگر وہ انجام سے بے پروا تھا۔ بھٹو تاریخ کے اس سفر میں اپنا متعین کردہ کردار ادا کرچکا تھا۔بھٹو وہ سوچ پیدا کرنے میں کامیاب ہوگیا تھا جس سوچ کے تحت محروم طبقات نے سوال کرنا تھے۔
اور آج کے ارباب اختیار اسی دھوکے میں ہیں۔ان کو لگتا ہے کہ شاید معاملات سنبھل جائیں گے مگر ان کو اندازہ نہیں ہورہا کہ وقت گذرنے کے ساتھ ساتھ پاکستان کی سیاست میچور ہوتی جارہی ہے۔سیاست دان اپنی انا کے بت گرا کر اور اپنی زات سے بالاتر ہوکر ملک وقوم سے متعلق سوچ رہے ہیں ۔میثاق جمہوریت وہ دستاویز ہے جس نے سیاسی جماعتوں کے لیے سیاسی قبلے کی شکل اختیار کرلی ہے ۔اگر سیاست کرنی ہے تو میثاق جمہوریت کو ہر سیاسی جماعت کو من وعن تسلیم کرنا ہوگا اس کی روح کو ماننا ہوگا اس پر عمل کرنا ہوگا۔
مریم نواز شریف نے اگر کوئی آسان راستہ نا چنا اور کسی کے کہنے پر شارٹ کٹ نا لیا تو بلاشبہ ان کا سیاسی سفر بہت دیر تک جاری رہے گا۔ان کی گڑھی خدا بخش حاضری سے ان کے سیاسی نظریات کو مزید تقویت ملی ہوگی۔ان کے سیاسی شعور کا دائرہ مزید بڑا ہوا ہوگا۔شہید رانی کے مزار پر پھول نچھاور کرتے ہوے مریم نواز شریف کو ضرور فخر ہوا ہوگا کہ وہ ایک عورت کے مزارپر حاضر ہوئی ہیں۔ایک ایسی عورت جس نے ہر ستم سہا مگر اپنے مقصد سے پیچھے نہیں ہٹی اپنی راہ کو نہیں چھوڑا اوراپنی عوام سے اپنا رومانس کبھی کم نہیں ہونے دیا۔حرف آخریہ کہ اگر مریم نوازشریف نے اس فلسفے پر یقین کرلیا کہ جمہوریت بہترین انتقام ہے تو ن لیگ کی سیاست میں واضح تبدیلی دیکھنے کو ملے گی اور یہ تبدیلی خوشگوار ہوگی۔ اور اس کے اثرات ملکی سیاست پر ضرور پڑیں گے۔رہی بات بھٹوز کی تو یہ اس خاندان کا سیاسی قبلہ ہی گڑھی خدا بخش ہے ۔اور گڑھی خدا بخش کے ماننے والوں کے لیے جمہوریت کے لیے قربانی دینا نئی بات نہیں اس بات کی گواہی گڑھی خدابخش میں شہدا کے مزارات دے رہے ہیں
https://samachar.pk/
Sunday, December 27, 2020
بلاول بھٹو نے شہید بینظیر بھٹو کو کن الفاظ میں یاد کیا؟
بینظیر بھٹو کی 13ویں برسی پر تقریب سے خطاب میں بلاول بھٹو نے کئی بار اپنی والدہ شہید بینظیر بھٹو کو خراجِ تحسین پیش کیا اور سیاسی جرات اور بہادری کا تذکرہ کیا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ شہید بینظیر بھٹو آج ہوتیں تو ان کٹھ پتلیوں کی کیا اوقات تھی کہ وہ ہمارا مقابلہ بھی کرسکتے، انہوں نے ضیا الحق جیسے آمر کے خلاف تحریک چلائی تو ایوانوں کے در و دیوار کانپ اٹھے۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے مزید کہا کہ وہ دہشت گردوں کے لیے دہشت کی علامت تھیں، وہ جانتی تھی کہ قاتل گھاٹ لگائے بیٹھا ہے، پھر بھی جرات اور بہادری دکھائی۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ضیا الحق کی قبر ویران ہے اور پرویز مشرف موت سے بدتر بزدلی کی زندگی گزار رہا ہے جبکہ شہید بینظیر بھٹو ہمارے دلوں میں زندہ ہیں، ان کا احترام ہمارے دلوں میں ہے اور رہے گا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے یہ بھی کہا کہ شہید محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو کا سبق ہمیں یاد ہے، جبر کے مقابلے میں صبر کا سبق، ہمیں ان کا عوام سے محبت کا درس وراثت میں ملا تھا، ہم آج اُن سے تجدید عہد کرنے آئے ہیں، اُن سے طاقت لینے آئے ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ہمارے دلوں میں آج غم ہے، آنکھیں پرنم ہے مگر حوصلے بلند ہیں، ہم شہیدوں کے وارث ہیں، ہم آئین کے خالق اور عوام کی آواز ہیں۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ تاریخ کا فیصلہ حسین کے حق میں ہے اور رہے گا، تاریخ کا فیصلہ شہید محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو کے حق میں ہے اور رہے گا، خون شہدا کو خراج اہل حق ملتا رہے گا اور ہر دور کے یزید رسوا رہیں گے۔
ان کا کہنا تھا کہ بینظیر بھٹو نے آخری ملاقات میں کہا تھا کہ عوام کا ساتھ کبھی نہیں چھوڑنا، ہمیں شہید بھٹو کا وعدہ نبھانا ہے، پاکستان بچانا ہے، میری والدہ نے جس صبح کے لیے شہادت دی وہ صبح ضرور آئے گی۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ والدہ چاہتی تھیں کہ ملک میں اسلامی جمہوری آئین کی حکمرانی ہو، خواتین کو برابری کے حق ملیں، مذہب کے نام پر ظلم نہ ہو، پاکستان کا دفاع ناقابلِ تسخیر ہو اور پاکستان کو دنیا میں وقار ملے، وہ چاہتی تھیں کہ ملک میں عدل و انصاف ہو، برداشت ہو، بات کرنے کی آزادی ہو۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ شہید بینظیر بھٹو کے خلاف سازشیں ہوئیں، انہوں نے اس کی پرواہ نہیں کی، جمہوری طاقتوں کی قیادت کے لیے وہ نہیں ہیں لیکن ان کے اصول ہمارے لیے رہنما ہیں۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/863996
بینظیر کی شہادت پر میری والدہ سمیت سب رو رہے تھے، مریم نواز
پاکستان مسلم لیگ ن کی نائب صدر مریم نواز کا کہنا ہے کہ سابق وزیراعظم محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو کی شہادت پر میری والدہ سمیت سب رو رہے تھے۔
گڑھی خدا بخش میں خطاب کے دوران مریم نواز جذباتی ہوگئیں۔
مریم نواز نے کہا کہ بی بی شہید کی موت کا زخم صرف آپ کے دلوں پر نہیں، ہم پر بھی لگا، بےنظیر بھٹو کی موت پاکستان کا قومی سانحہ ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ بھٹو شہید اور بےنظیر شہید کو خراجِ تحسین پیش کرتی ہوں، بھٹو اور بینظیر کے قاتلوں کا آج کوئی نام لیوا نہیں ہے۔
مریم نواز نے کہا کہ بھٹو اور بی بی کے چاہنے والے ہزاروں لاکھوں ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ٹی وی پر محترمہ کے جان لیوا حملے کی خبر آئی تھی، خبر سنتے ہی نواز شریف سب سے پہلے اسپتال پہنچے، نواز شریف ان چند لوگوں میں سے تھے جنہیں ڈاکٹروں نے بی بی کی شہادت کی خبردی۔
مریم نواز نے کہا کہ میں نے تو کچھ سال اپنی والدہ کیساتھ گزارے، لیکن بلاول نے بچپن میں ماں کو کھودیا، میری بینظیر سے نسبت باپ اور بیٹی سے لازوال محبت والی ہے۔
رہنما مسلم لیگ ن نے کہا کہ مجھے اپنے باپ کے نظریہ سے محبت ہے، ملک سے محبت ہے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/864022
BENAZIR BHUTTO - A tribute to "a woman of tremendous courage and a symbol of freedom in tumultuous times."
By M Waqar
A tribute to "a woman of tremendous courage and a symbol of freedom in tumultuous times."
Benazir Bhutto, Her name, which translates to the “One without equal” signifies and trails her uniqueness.
She had gone to university at the age of 16 and had emerged from Harvard University with startling distinctions, having earned a Cum laude degree in Comparative Government. Benazir was a true leader. A woman of heart, a woman of mind, a person is driven by the courage and passion of heart to maintain democracy as a way of life on this globe and to defeat those determined to take the liberties of democracy away and to keep those liberties from those who have never known such freedoms of thought and the dreams associated with democracy.
To millions of her supporters, she was a brave daughter of a brave father who died while fighting for democracy and self-rule. To them, she was a woman of unflinching determination who returned to Pakistan to reclaim what rightfully belongs to the people of Pakistan.
Benazir was, by all accounts, a devoted patriot, a loyal friend, and a loving mother. Benazir Bhutto was a woman of immense personal courage and bravery. Knowing the threats to her life she risked everything in her attempt to win democracy in Pakistan. She would be remembered for her long struggle for the return of democracy in Pakistan. Forced reluctantly into politics by her circumstances, she proved better than what her father could have ever hoped for. She led the persecuted family in the aftermath of her father's assassination, Spent five precious years of her youth in the jail. She saw two younger brothers killed. To the end, she looked after an old heart-broken mother. She traveled vast distances battling for her country, party, and family.
In between, she even found time to raise a family, and check the homework of her kids, drop her son at the mosque for Friday prayer in Dubai. She persuaded Musharraf to give up the military positions. From the Sindhi haris to the Western politicians she could hold forth before anyone. She had become the most seasoned and wise leader of not just the country but the world beyond as well. She had become the symbol of the promise that this wretched land of ours holds. But she was not to be forgiven one small discretion of standing up to respond to her enthusiastic supporters from the safety of her transport. But then as Ali, the cousin of the Prophet and husband of Ummay Abeeha has said, "I found my creator in my broken resolve" and "Death is a man's greatest lifeguard".It is amazing that even under such trying circumstances, she stayed strong and fought for what she believed in. It takes a tremendous amount of inner strength to spread your message and fight for what you believe in when you know that you are in danger. I think that Ms. Bhutto showed us the definition of a leader. It is so hard to believe that this amazing woman's life has ended. Her death came too sudden and unexpected.
My heart ‘wept’ in shock the moment I saw the newsflash of Benazir Bhutto’s violent death. Who could have thought that her departure would come so soon? I always thought that nothing would happen to her. She will remain safe. No harm will be inflicted on her. Even the day and the time when the news came that she is injured, it did not cross my mind that any fatal harm could be done to her. We always saw her hail and hearty, fighting, and surviving. For eleven long years, she fought for her honor. She fought for her lost respect. For eleven long years, she was the subject of a malicious campaign. Not a day would pass by when a "cock and bull" story would not adorn the front page of a newspaper. Today she is no longer with us, but her absence will always be missed forever.
History will remember her as a great leader and as the only Muslim woman leader, who stood the tests of time, who never betrayed the trust of the people and who accepted every challenge that life threw at her. What is the difference between a politician and a leader? A politician asks for sacrifices, a leader gives one. She gave the ultimate sacrifice for her nation. One does not need the power to be a leader. A leader needs followers, and she had plenty of them, even when out of power. How many prime ministers, presidents, and generals can claim that? Power does not make leaders. History and followers do.
Benazir Bhutto was brave and courageous then her male counterparts and coward opponents, determined to succeed and deliver the agenda of moderation and reform, she had the drive to put Pakistan onto the right track. Far bolder than any male leader, she told the Afghan president hours before her tragic assassination on December 27 that "life and death is in the hands of Allah, and that is why I have the courage to stare in the eyes of death without any fear", just like her great and brave father Z A BHUTTO, who refused to bow his head in front of dictator Zia.
Her sophistication and diplomacy established a large network of friends and admirers around the world. At the World Political Forum in Italy in 2003, when she walked into the conference hall, almost forty world leaders stood up and applauded her, was not that honor for Pakistan and the Muslim World? She would stop a conversation or an activity just by walking into a room. She lectured regularly at universities globally where she would dazzle a large audience, In the preceding decade of political struggle, Ms. Bhutto was arrested on numerous occasions; in all, she spent nearly 6 years either in prison or under detention for her dedicated leadership of the then opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, while her one political opponent couldn’t stay in jail for a year and ran to Saudi Arabia by making a deal with General Mush.
Throughout the years in opposition, she pledged to transform Pakistani society by focusing attention on programs for health, social welfare, and education for the underprivileged. Benazir was God’s gift to Pakistan. A brave woman who knew no fear and wanted for her country and its children things that all civilized world cherishes; food, clothing, housing, education, and a future. She saw the evil of religious extremism for what it is; a self-defeating disease and was not afraid to define it and fight it. Despite the controversies, which may never be resolved, her accomplishments as a woman in a Moslem society are remarkable.
To many Pakistanis, she was a leader who spoke for them, their needs, and their hopes. If you asked an ordinary person what they achieved when Benazir Bhutto was in power, they would say at least she gave us a voice and she talked about us and our problems. That was her real achievement."
Benazir was a person of great character and she never forgot her traditions, although she spent most of her life in the West during her education years she had arranged marriage.
The arranged marriage of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari was not expected. Benazir when asked "Why would someone as independent as you accept marriage to someone you hardly knew? She said, Actually, I had reconciled myself to a life without marriage or children for the sake of my career ... So keeping in mind that many people in Pakistan looked to me, I decided to make a personal sacrifice in what I thought would be, more or less, a loveless marriage, a marriage of convenience. The surprising part is that we are very close and that it's been a very good match ... I'd love to arrange my own children's marriages. I say that because I've been so happy." She also inherited the legacy of by far the most pro-people tradition in the otherwise elite-oriented political process of the country. Before coming back to Pakistan, she, herself, observed that there were two most important battles going on in the country. One, between dictatorship and democracy, the other, between moderation and extremism. Benazir was a woman of extraordinary power. Her critics often dismissed her credentials by saying that she was a privileged woman who did not reflect the true status of Pakistani women, Yet they seemed to miss the point in their critique - precisely because of her privilege and status she could have led a life of luxury and seclusion but instead chose to embrace many of the shackles of tradition. She married a landlord, had three children, and acquired the Islamic garb of modesty. Since entering politics, she never let her /dupatta/ (or head covering) slip down for more than a few seconds in public and played by most of the rules.
As the first Muslim woman to become a head of state, Benazir Bhutto will remain an icon for generations to come. The fact that even a privileged woman could reach her level in a society where traditional tribal elders are still debating whether or not it is permissible to beat your wife, makes her story particularly inspirational.Her acquiescence in benign traditions was matched with her astonishing ability to move masses in a male-dominated society. What she managed to accomplish as a Muslim woman by breaking the taboo of female leadership was her least appreciated and most lasting legacy. Talking about Benazir’s political history would require a long article to include her successes, failures, disappointments, and official triumphs. But she was a charismatic unique character coming from Kurdish-Farsi roots with a vision that believed in the Pakistani community regardless of its different ethnicities. She believed strongly that the country had so much potential to progress and advance so that its citizens would achieve success strongly.
ڈرتے تھے بندوقوں والے ایک نھتی لڑکی سے ڈرتے ہیں اُن کے حواری اب اُس کے نام سے اسکی سوچ سے -اسکے نظریہ سے اسکے ذکر سے - اسکی فکر سے اسکی وراثت سے-اسکے وارث سے اسکے نام سے -اسکے کام سے اسکی آن سے -اسکی شان سے اور آج بھی ڈرتے ہیں بی بی شھید سے
Benazir was only 25 years old when her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Rawalpindi in April 1979. She was 32 when her younger brother Shahnawaz was mysteriously killed in France in 1985. She was 43 when her other brother Murtaza was killed by the police in 1996. Murtaza's killing was a great tragedy for her. Benazir spent more than nine years in exile without her husband. She raised her children as a single parent. She used to teach them the Holy Quran regularly with English translation. She tried her best to ensure the children did not feel the absence of their father. When her husband was released on medical grounds, he was sent to the United States for treatment. Once again Benazir was alone with her children in Dubai. She did not allow her husband and three children to accompany her to Pakistan when she returned on Oct 18, 2007, the last 30 years of her life were full of struggle and trouble, but she proved to be a woman of strong nerve. She was a caring wife, a loving mother, and a courageous leader. Her agenda for better Pakistan was to seek reconciliation, peace, ending militancy, eradicating poverty, building institutions of civil rule and democracy, spreading education and providing hope to the people of Pakistan for a better future.
Benazir’s platform had been leftist, including food for the hungry, health care, jobs, slum clearance, and a monthly minimum wage. She has been opposed by Islamic fundamentalists who have been suspicious of the PPP because of its alleged leftist. According to Western media and intelligence agencies reports Hamid Gul, Nawaz Sharif, and Osama bin Laden conspired to assassinate Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Husein Haqqani, a Pakistani journalist who claims to have been involved in the plot, will later say that ISI Director Hamid Gul contacted Osama bin Laden, who was then known to provide financial support to Afghan mujaheddin, to pay for a coup/assassination of Bhutto.
Gul also brings Nawaz Sharif, then the governor of Punjab province and a rival of Bhutto, into the plot. Bin Laden agrees to provide $10 million on the condition that Sharif transforms Pakistan into a strict Islamic state, which Sharif accepts but he puts all the money in his pocket. Benazir was not assassinated at this time, but bin Laden allegedly helps Sharif replace Bhutto one year later. In October 1990, Nawaz Sharif is running for election to replace Benazir Bhutto as the prime minister of Pakistan. According to a senior Pakistani intelligence source, bin Laden passes a considerable amount of money to Sharif and his party, since Sharif promises to introduce a hard-line Islamic government.
Bin Laden has been supporting Sharif for several years. There is said to be a photograph of Sharif chatting with bin Laden. Sharif wins the election and while he does not introduce a hard-line Islamic government, his rule is more amenable to bin Laden’s interests than Bhutto’s had been. Sharif will stay in power until 1993, they will take over from Bhutto again in 1996 and rule for three more years.
Former ISI official Khalid Khawaja, a self-proclaimed close friend of bin Laden, will later claim that Sharif and bin Laden had a relationship going back to when they first met face to face in the late 1980s. This tells us that there were people who wanted to kill her a long time ago. Independent Investigators appointed by the UN must find out who are the real murderers of Benazir. Chaudry Pervaiz Elahi; Chaudry Shujhat; and the son of Zia Ul Haq, all haters and sworn enemies of the Bhutto family and of Benazir in particular, and former officials of ISI must be investigated. She never believed in violence and revenge, in her own words, ‘’ democracy is the best revenge’’. She was innocent. Before her tragic death, she wrote Reconciliation, Islam, Democracy and the West, which is one of the greatest books I ever read., according to Arianna Huffington,’’ This is a courageous and powerful answer to hatred and intolerance, written by an extraordinary woman.’’She believed in democracy, freedom, and openness -- not as slogans, but as a way of life, she remained the most potent Pakistani voice for liberalism, tolerance, and change. Her place in history will be written with golden words and she would be remembered and honored by generations to come. Benazir Bhutto was a symbol of Democracy in Pakistan.
Her killing is the Killing of Democracy in Pakistan. She was a great daughter of a great Father. The most popular leader and Chairperson of the Peoples Party fell victim to the murderous and cowardly act of terrorism. One can cite many examples of the courage and determination of the fallen leader and the domestic and international media is not lacking in enumerating her qualities of courage and intelligence, democratic credentials, popularity, charisma, farsightedness, and bravery in the face of adversity, love for her people and country, her abhorrence of and determination to root out terrorism and her rightful understanding that terrorist supporters still exist in the Establishment and political circles of the country.
Benazir had also fought for women's health, social, and discrimination issues. She had plans to set up police stations of women, banks, and also courts. She always spoke against abortion. She was one of the forefronts to form the council of women world leaders. As a politician, wife, and mother, Benazir fulfilled her responsibilities to the fullest. Thus being an icon to many women. Especially Muslim women. Benazir was against violence on women. Benazir's zest for life, her charisma was so good that she became a role model to many. From getting the best of education and being a great leader. Benazir has done it all. She fought for democracy until death. Her intelligence and charm has an everlasting print in everybody's mind. Her proudest accomplishment, as Benazir Bhutto said, is her success as a woman in a man's world. "My greatest contribution lies in that my success as a woman in a Muslim society, where tradition and tribal taboos held sway, has emancipated other women," she said. "My success helped other women make choices that were not available to them before, not only in Pakistan but all over the Muslim world."
One of the most disgusting aspects of the murder of Benazir is that Ms. Benazir Bhutto was callously murdered by people who were SCARED of her return to power. The fact remains, that she was perhaps amongst the very few Pakistani Women and indeed from Asia who could have changed the political scenario. Benazir Bhutto’s brutal and gruesome slaughter equates a decline in the quality of the democracy prevailing in our world today. To have watched, helplessly or conveniently, while such a stunningly charming, charismatic, cerebral, and flamboyant political giant is slain reduces the world’s claim to civilization and to humane ideals. Today as we are celebrating her birthday; she lies buried next to her father, her life cut short at a time when she seemed the only symbol of hope for leading Pakistan to a semblance of democratic normalcy, the tsunami of chaos and unanswered questions, comments, and commentaries, flooded all airwaves and social gatherings globally. Her assassination, the fear of an uncertain future not just of her party but Pakistan is an ongoing topic of discussion. Needless to say, its impact is being felt the world over, and what happens in Pakistan will have repercussions on the international community as well.
There are many who remember her as a warm, generous, and extremely lovable woman; a fantastic mother, wife, and friend. Those who love her also say that as a politician Benazir tried her best in spite of the many roadblocks put in her path, loved her country, its people, and wanted to lead it towards a democratic path once again. Hers was a life that was meant for something special...for something more. Hers was a life that was meant to change the world. And change the world she did. She felt the hand of destiny upon her and she never wavered from following its direction. Benazir Bhutto made extraordinary choices of bravery and self-sacrifice. When her father was about to be hanged, he told her that she did not have to stay in Pakistan, that she could leave and live in safety and comfort elsewhere. She promised him that she would stay and take up his fight for democracy. She never swayed or faltered, not from her promise, nor in her commitment. In 2007 - some 28 years since she first made that promise - she once again made an extraordinary choice. She left a life of comfort and safety to return to Pakistan - knowing the risk, knowing the peril - to continue her fight and her struggle to fulfill that promise. And fulfill it she did. In life and in death, Benazir Bhutto lit a flame, a flame of hope, of courage, of commitment - a flame for the birth, realization, and hope of peace and democracy.
The flame she lit is a flame we must commit ourselves to carry, to embrace, to rise high, and to never let be extinguished. We must all become keepers of the flame. In this way, she lives. Benazir lives. Her promise lives and will see fulfillment each day we carry, raise, and keep the flame. A flame that will live, and will burn, and will inspire people the world over for the duration of time. Her life here on this earth may have ended but her spirit lives on. And her cause goes on. It goes on within all of us who embrace her courage and her spirit - and who believe in the hope and vision that were the mission of her life. What makes a martyr is not the who or the how of the person's murder, but the why. Joan of Arc was martyred because she fought for and spoke for her beliefs - and because she was willing to pay the ultimate price for continue fighting for, and standing for, and speaking for what she believed in regardless of anything else.
Patrick Henry who famously said "Give me liberty or give me death," was willing to die - to lay down his life for his vision, hopes, beliefs, and convictions - and his commitment to such was stronger in his heart than the fear of death. Socrates made people think. Most people fear the truth as if it were death. Socrates did not, believing in the immortality of the soul. He went to his death not afraid, but eager to go and enjoy the fortunes of the blessed, drank poison like wine but did not bow his head. And so was Benazir Bhutto martyred - for standing up, speaking out, and struggling and fighting for her beliefs, for her vision, and for her hopes for her country, and for the rights, opportunities, and freedoms of its people. Her commitment, dedication, and belief in her cause and her vision called her to make the ultimate sacrifice, to pay the ultimate price. It was a sacrifice and a price that, throughout her life, she seemed to know in all her prescience and wisdom that she would one day have to pay. And she marched on. Ever onward. With spirit and strength; with faith in God; with conviction and commitment to her beliefs and her vision and her cause; with hope; and always with courage, undaunted, unblinking, undying courage.
What she gave to the world, to humanity, to time itself - courage, faith, spirit, bravery, love, kindness, self-sacrifice, optimism, and hope - will live forever. Her life was a light in an oft-darkened world. She was the embodiment of courage, beauty, and strength. She never failed to put her country and her people above and before herself. Her light has gone out of this world but will shine forever in the hearts of those who loved her. Her memory is enshrined forever in the fabric of time. And I know and believe that her courage and spirit will live forever in the hearts of those whose lives she touched; in the warm, immortal wind; and in the dusty earth of the land she loved. Hers truly was and forever will be in every way, a heart, a spirit, and a life without comparison.
She had longed to walk once again upon the dusty roads of her homeland. Now she walks there forever. Now she walks with God. Now she is free. As the "Daughter of Destiny" that she was, it was fated before her time on this earth even began that she would be a martyr for her country, her people, and for freedom and democracy. She died as she lived, embracing those who loved her with her beautiful smile and a heart full of love for Pakistan and its people. The idea and vision of a democratic Pakistan was the cause, the struggle, and the dream for which Benazir Bhutto so courageously gave her life. And it is an idea, a cause, and a dream that must not die with her - it is an idea, a cause, and a dream that must live and breathe and come to fruition. It is a struggle and a fight that she began - and it is a struggle and a fight that we must finish. when a reporter from the Times suggested that her life was the stuff of Greek tragedy, she laughed. "Well, I hope not so tragic," she said. "Don't all Greek dramas end in tragedy?"
Benazir’s Bhutto's assassination was a blow to people all over Pakistan, and the world, who hold life sacred and believe in the basics precepts of democracy. It is also a blow to women worldwide who took strength from seeing such a courageous, articulate, and charismatic woman playing a leadership role in a powerful Muslim country. Inside Pakistan, even her most bitter critics wept at the news of her death, understanding that it is indeed a dark day when assassination becomes a tool for eliminating opposing viewpoints.
She gave her life serving the cause and hope of democracy, equality, justice, freedom, and humanity. She was one of the greatest leaders and advocates for democracy and human rights that our world has ever known. She was a mother. She was a wife. She was a daughter and a sister. She was a friend. She was a remarkably special person. She was, is, and forever will be everyone's inspiration. Benazir Bhutto lives. Her spirit lives forever in the hearts of those who loved her; in those to whom she gave hope; in those who were touched by her unbreakable, beautiful, and special spirit; in those who were inspired by her courage, her bravery, and her largeness of soul. Those of us whose lives and hearts were forever touched and changed by hers - those of us who loved her - will forever carry her extraordinary spirit in our hearts. Hers was an extraordinary, epic life of tragedy, triumph, love, bravery, and sacrifice. She died as she lived - and as she will forever be remembered - a woman of great faith in God and of tremendous courage. Forever brave. Forever beautiful.
Forever BENAZIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Benazir, They killed you, you knew they were going to kill you, the same people who killed your father, the same group of generals, politicians, mullahs and bourgeois, who did not want to see you as a liberal, educated leader, but you fought for us, you fought for democracy and freedom. You are our HERO and will always be... YOU WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AND WILL BE ALIVE LIKE THEY NEVER WANTED YOU TO BE.
May God give the people of Pakistan to fight the tyrants. Benazir! our hearts will cry for you on every beat until alive. She lives on. And her courage lives on. As is the legacy of a martyr. Benazir Bhutto for the past 30 years has been a part of our life, I dare say that for most of us she will remain a part of our lives as long as we live. The Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto & Mohtarma BB shall always respectfully be remembered by all democratic masses of Pakistan in particular & those of the world in general. We are very unfortunate people of this Country that we lost Zulfiqar Bhutto and now Benazir. She was the last hope for the unity and prosperous Pakistan.
You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea." Long Live Bhuttoism.
BB, we miss you. We love you, we salute you for your courage. !!!!!
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Editorial: #BenazirBhutto - Benazir the matchless
Benazir Bhutto, the two-term prime minister of Pakistan seen widely as poised for a third term in the high office, was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi. Her tragic death became a catalyst for the downfall of an entrenched dictatorship in Pakistan. A Harvard and Oxford alumnus, she is remembered by those who had the occasion to meet her as eloquent, persuasive, charming and confident. She was a firm advocate of women’s rights and their representation in all fields of life. During her two stints in power - from 1988 to 1990 and 1993 to 1996, she initiated liberal and progressive policies. Her impact on foreign policy, media and labour laws was huge.
She freed the media from the Zia era restrictions. Also, she successfully projected a soft image of the country during her numerous foreign visits. She also continued some of her father ZA Bhutto’s popular policies. Her detractors used fake news and other underhand tactics to discredit her governments. After the dismissal of both her governments, she had to face politically-motivated prosecution and victimization. However, she stood firm and tall.
To many, she was a symbol of women empowerment, their education and emancipation throughout her life and afterwards. Her dominant presence on the Pakistani political scene irked most conservatives and made her a target of extremists. However, she refused to condone extremism, militancy in the name of religion and voiced her opposition to the growing threat of militancy. This eventually led to her assassination on her return to Pakistan.
In the subsequent elections, her party formed the national government that completed its tenure. It was she who laid the groundwork for the restoration of democracy in the country both after the Zia and Musharraf eras.
Thirteen years after her death, given the crisis of leadership and the mess the national politics are in, a look at her legacy may be instructive.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/764230-editorial
China backing away from funding BRI due to Pakistan's rising debt
Beijing is backing away from Pakistan's USD 60 billion commitment to the global Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Asia Times reported.
"The CPEC's future is not only clouded by China's apparent new, more conservative lending policy but also Pakistan's overborrowing, which is fast driving the country toward a debt crisis. Pakistan's debt to GDP ratio is now at a high 107% of GDP," FM Shakil said in his article.
Pakistan has slipped into a debt trap due to the government's failure to bring reforms and weak fiscal management.
Recent media reports, citing data compiled by Boston University researchers in the United States, noted that overall lending by the state-backed China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China declined from a peak of USD 75 billion in 2016 to just USD 4 billion last year. Provisional 2020 figures show that the amount shrunk to around USD 3 billion in 2020, reported Asia Times.
FM Shakil, writing for Asia Times attributed Beijing's trade war with the US and corruption by the Chinese companies involved in the CPEC as the main reason behind the drying up of funds in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC).
Several projects related to BRI are now stalled or are running behind schedule due to lack of financing. Of 122 announced CPEC projects, only 32 have been completed as of the third quarter of this fiscal year, reported Asia Times.
The writer mentioned that as per CPEC commitments by China, it had to build eight Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in four provinces of Pakistan.
Barring the Gwadar zone, the Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Punjab, and Rashakai Economic Zone in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the other seven SEZs are either still in pre-feasibility or post-feasibility stages with no tangible development on the ground, reported Asia Times.
The writer of the article argued that China was reluctant to invite non-Chinese companies to invest in the SEZs but the situation has changed with the dried up financing.
Beijing has principally agreed to allow Pakistan to form a new joint venture mechanism with companies other than Chinese state-owned or private enterprises to stimulate CPEC project progress including on a multi-billion dollar railway upgrade, said a source placed in Pakistan's Planning Ministry to Asia Times on condition of anonymity.
This is the reason why Pakistan Railways (PR) globally advertised for tender openings to modernize its rail system.
In order to overcome Beijing's reluctance to fund CPEC, Pakistan introduced a bill in parliament to give the army a holdover and take near-total control of CPEC.
It is aimed to reassure Beijing that their investments will be more secure amid attacks on Chinese engineers and others facilitating the infrastructure projects, said FM Shakil.
Meanwhile, the Baluchis have intensified their attacks on CPEC projects and Chinese nationals working on them, raising the security costs and political risks of the projects.
Shakil opined that Islamabad's move to give the military more control over the scheme is a clear attempt to mollify China's rising security concerns.
Initiated in 2013, the BRI is Xi Jinping's grand plan to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime trade networks to create new routes for China.
https://in.news.yahoo.com/china-backing-away-funding-bri-051953347.html
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pays glowing tributes to former PM Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on her 13th martyrdom anniversary
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto not only inspired women in a male-dominated society but she unified the whole nation and led it valiantly during the struggle for restoration of democracy and human rights. Her vision lives on in the form of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as she had challenged the dictatorial forces that, ‘You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea,’ he added.
PPP Chairman said that from bringing in ballistic missile technology to strengthening national defence, from provision of land to landless women farmers to the establishment of First Women Bank, to establishing separate women police stations to introducing anti-polio vaccination, creating employment opportunities, striving for basic freedoms for the people, she spent every moment of her life for working for the nation and its poor citizens, youth, children, and women.
He said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto struggled for the rights of downtrodden masses, empowerment of women and the marginalized, braving solitary confinement, imprisonment, victimisation and character-assassinations, but never fell silent. “The forces of darkness finally killed her through a conspiracy but they couldn’t defeat her even, after her martyrdom,” he added.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pledged that the mission left behind by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will continue to be pursued vigorously with every sacrifice and asked the Party workers to get ready for a grand struggle for the restoration of true democracy, the supremacy of the Constitution and the Parliament together with full empowerment of the people of the country.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24215/
بےنظیر بھٹو کی تیرہویں برسی کیلئے گڑھی خدا بخش میں انتظامات مکمل
سابق وزیر اعظم بےنظیر بھٹو کی تیرہویں برسی منانے کے لئے گڑھی خدا بخش میں انتظامات مکمل کرلئے گئے ہیں۔ مزار میں پارٹی رہنما فاتحہ خوانی کر رہے ہیں اور پھولوں کی چادر چڑھا رہے ہیں۔
سابق وزیراعظم شہید محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو کی 13 ویں برسی27 دسمبر کو منائی جائے گی، پیپلزپارٹی نےبرسی کی تیاریاں مکمل کرلی ہیں۔
برسی کےموقع پر گڑھی خدابخش میں جلسہ بھی منعقد کیاجائےگا۔
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو، آصف علی زرداری اور دیگر پارٹی رہنماجلسہ عام سے خطاب کریں گے۔
بے نظیر بھٹو کی برسی میں اپوزیشن کےدیگر رہنماؤں کی شرکت بھی متوقع ہے۔
مزار میں وزیراعلی مراد علی شاہ، وائس چیئرمین سینیٹ سلیم مانڈوی والا، شیری رحمان، پیپلز پارٹی ورکرز کے رہنما ڈاکٹر صفدر عباسی اور ناہید خان سمیت مختلف رہنماؤں نے حاضری دی اور پھول چڑھائے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/863664
Friday, December 25, 2020
Trump Golfs In Florida While COVID Relief Swings In The Balance
Jill Colvin. Washington is reeling over the president’s demand as failure to agree on the bill puts millions of Americans in peril. After tossing a grenade that threatens to blow up a massive COVID relief and government funding bill and force a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic, President Donald Trump was golfing on Christmas for a second straight day. Failure to agree on the bill could deny checks to millions of Americans on the brink. Trump had no events on his public schedule on the first day of his winter vacation Thursday but traveled to his Palm Beach golf club, where he was spotted by CNN cameras on the links. Reporters were given no details of his schedule for the day but told that “As the Holiday season approaches, President Trump will continue to work tirelessly for the American People. His schedule includes many meetings and calls.” Trump’s departure came as Washington was still reeling over his surprise, eleventh-hour demand that an end-of-year spending bill that congressional leaders spent months negotiating to give most Americans $2,000 COVID relief checks — far more than the $600 members of his own party had agreed to. The idea was swiftly rejected by House Republicans during a rare Christmas Eve session, leaving the proposal in limbo. The bipartisan compromise had been considered a done deal and had won sweeping approval in the House and Senate this week after the White House assured GOP leaders that Trump supported it. If Trump refuses to sign the deal, which is attached to a $1.4 trillion government funding bill, it will force a federal government shutdown, in addition to delaying aid checks and halting unemployment benefits and eviction protections in the midst of the direst stretch of the pandemic. It was an apparent act of antagonism toward congressional Republicans from a president who has been raging over his Nov. 3 loss to President-elect Joe Biden and trying to come up with new, increasingly outrageous schemes to try to overturn the results of a Democratic election. He has been egged on by allies like his lawyer, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who accompanied the president to Florida aboard Air Force One. Trump’s ire has been focused, in part, on Republicans in Congress whom he believes have been insufficiently supportive of his quest to delegitimize Biden’s win by lobbing unfounded claims of mass voter fraud before Congress meets to tally the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6.
In Florida, Trump continued to rail against the results, complaining to members that he had been robbed of the election and voicing frustrations about the year-end spending bill.“At a meeting in Florida today, everyone was asking why aren’t the Republicans up in arms & fighting over the fact that the Democrats stole the rigged presidential election?” Trump tweeted after he’d returned to his private Mar-a-Lago club. “Especially in the Senate, they said, where you helped 8 Senators win their races.” “I will NEVER FORGET!” he wrote in another, The statements underscored concerns that Trump is blowing up negotiations to punish lawmakers for what he sees as their insufficient support loyalty. Trump has provided no credible evidence to support his election claims, which have also been refuted by a long list of officials, from former Attorney General William Barr to Republican governors, judges, and local election administrators. Meanwhile, the nation continues to reel as the coronavirus spreads, with record infections and hospitalizations and more than 327,000 now dead. And millions are now facing the prospect of spending the holidays alone or struggling to make ends meet without adequate income, food, or shelter thanks to the pandemic’s economic toll. To mark the holiday, the president and first lady Melania Trump tweeted out a pre-recorded video message in which they wished Americans a Merry Christmas and thanked first responders and members of the military. “As you know, this Christmas is different than years past,” said Mrs. Trump, who focused on the acts of “kindness and courage” the pandemic had inspired. Trump hailed the vaccine doses now being delivered and thanked those responsible for it. “It is a truly a Christmas miracle,” he said. Meanwhile, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been trying to salvage the year-end legislation to try to prevent a shutdown. Democrats will recall House lawmakers to Washington for a vote Monday on Trump’s $2,000 proposal, though it would likely die in the GOP-controlled Senate. They are also considering a Monday vote on a stop-gap measure to at least avert a federal shutdown and keep the government running until Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. In addition to the relief checks, the COVID bill that passed would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit, provide a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses, restaurants and theaters and money for schools, and provide money for health care providers and help with COVID vaccine distribution.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-golfs-in-florida-while-covid-relief-hangs-in-the-balance_n_5fe6268bc5b6ff747980ffea
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)