Saturday, December 4, 2021
U.S. to Urge Democracies to Sanction Corrupt Foreign Officials, Human-Rights Abusers
By Ian Talley and Dustin Volz
Biden administration will unveil sanctions in run-up to Summit for Democracy.
The U.S. next week will levy sanctions against foreign-government officials and people it accuses of corruption and human-rights abuse, and urge other nations to join its pressure campaign at its coming Summit for Democracy, administration officials said.
The sanctions will be imposed in the lead-up to the two-day virtual summit on Thursday and Friday, at which administration officials hope to persuade government officials from more than 100 nations to impose similar measures, according to the officials.White House officials have said they see the sanctions as an important tool in the Biden administration’s efforts to spark what it calls a Democratic renewal around the globe. The administration has also said it would give priority to securing coordinated international action as critical to ensuring the sanctions are effective.
The U.S. will impose the sanctions under a variety of authorities, including the so-called Global Magnitsky powers, named after a Russian whistleblowing lawyer who died in a Moscow jail after accusing the government of corruption.
“Over the course of the week, Treasury will take a series of actions to designate individuals who are engaged in malign activities that undermine democracy and democratic institutions around the world including corruption, repression, organized crime, and serious human-rights abuse,” an official said.U.S. officials haven’t said whom the new sanctions would target. Lawmakers and activists outside the government have called for the administration to sanction more Russian oligarchs, Chinese officials, and other notable alleged corrupt actors and human-rights abusers. Iran is also a possible target, given the widespread allegations in the West of corruption in the government and torture and killing of dissidents.The Treasury Department, which oversees sanctions policy, is also taking other actions to counter corruption, the official said, including closing loopholes that allow corrupt officials to exploit the real-estate market and increasing transparency of corporate ownership.
Australia on Thursday adopted new rules enabling it more easily to sanction accused human-rights abusers, becoming the latest U.S. ally to pass a law styled after the U.S.’s Magnitsky laws. Canada, the European Union and the U.K. have also updated their rules to better target human-rights violators.
Coordinated international Magnitsky sanctions are part of a broader set of commitments and initiatives the administration aims to secure at the summit, a senior administration official said. Some of those initiatives include safeguarding media rights and fair elections, fighting corruption, and encouraging political leadership of women, girls and marginalized populations.In addition, the Biden administration aims to limit export of surveillance tools and other technologies that authoritarian governments can use to suppress human rights, the Biden administration said, an alleged practice in China.Daniel Fried, a former State Department diplomat who crafted several of the Obama administration’s sanction policies, said the White House believes tackling corruption is an essential element of reinvigorating democracy.
“We expect its commitments to be more focused there than in other issue areas,” he said.
The summit offers the administration a good opportunity to expand the number of countries coordinating action against corruption and human-rights abuse, said Mr. Fried, now a fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank.
“This could look like other nations adopting versions of the United States’ Russia-specific Magnitsky Act and the subsequent Global Magnitsky Act, or even creating a broader mechanism for coordinated, multilateral sanctions,“ he said.
Administration officials say corruption and human-rights abuse are scourges of democracy, activities committed by authoritarian regimes and their supporters to preserve their power and enrich themselves at the expense of their citizens.The blacklisting of government and military officials and their allies in the private sector is meant to stem abuse and corruption by both the targets and other offenders around the world.The Magnitsky sanctions involve freezing any assets individuals have within U.S. jurisdiction and complicating their financial and real estate dealings overseas. By detailing allegations justifying sanctions, the action is also intended to discredit them at home and abroad.
Among those targeted in the past include Saudi Arabian officials and entities involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Chinese gangster known as “Broken Tooth” allegedly involved in corruption in Myanmar and other Asian nations, and an Israeli businessman involved in corrupt mining and oil deals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-to-urge-democracies-to-sanction-corrupt-foreign-officials-human-rights-abusers-11638566102?mod=politics_lead_pos6
#Sialkot blasphemy: The murder of a Sri Lankan is the latest example of a rising trend
Even if the murder of a Sri Lankan in a Sialkot factory was not bad enough, the burning of his body showed a vindictiveness that reflects the rising of an odd spirit of intolerance. The burning of a police station in Charsadda last week, in attempt to get the police to surrender an accused to a similar mob, shows that the blasphemy accusation is not being left to the law enforcing authorities.
Did the Sri Lankan commit blasphemy? We will never know, because no court has pronounced on the question. Was the Charsadda accused liable for trial? The crowd burning down the police station did not wait for a judicial decision. The courts, unfortunately, are seen as places where blasphemers are let off, or where they escape and go abroad. Blasphemy is not the only provocation.
Ten years ago, two teenage brothers were beaten to death by a mob in Sialkot, the killers acusing them of dacoity and murder. True, people are ready to let the legal machinery deal with most crimes, but the lack of trust in the law enforcing machinery seems to be greater in blasphemy cases.
However, the entire purpose of making blasphemy a crime cognisable by the police and the courts is to prevent mobs taking the law into their own hands.
The role of such religious parties as the Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan, which provoke public anger by laying charges of blasphemy, but do not propose a reform programme or enunciate any policies driven by religious principles, is worth examining. They are quick to seize on the legal remedies afforded by the system, but do not seem ready to concede these protections to others. It is actually a matter of tolerance: Blasphemy may be intolerable, but it is supposed to be tolerated enough for the alleged blasphemer to be brought to trial. Religious fervour and extremism have apparently gone so far that a remedy can only be provided by an inculcation of tolerance in people. Also, the state has got to enforce its writ. No one can be allowed to get away with murder, no matter how holy he thinks his cause.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/12/04/sialkot-blasphemy/
سیالکوٹ میں قتل: یہ ایک جرم نہیں، قومی مزاج کا پرتو ہے
سیالکوٹ میں لاقانونیت کے ایک واقعہ پر وزیر اعظم اور آرمی چیف کی مذمت اور قصور واروں کو عبرت ناک سزائیں دینے کے بیانات سے کیا یہ سمجھا جاسکتا ہے کہ پاکستانی حکومت اور ریاست ماضی کی غلطیوں سے سبق سیکھنے پر آمادہ ہے اور مذہب کی آڑ میں انسانی جانوں کو ضائع کرنے کا طریقہ قومی سطح پر ناقابل قبول عمل کہلائے گا؟ بادی النظر میں یہ قیاس کرلینا ممکن نہیں ہے۔
پاکستان میں توہین مذہب کے شبہ میں ایک فیکٹری منیجر کو زد و کوب کر کے ہلاک کرنے کے بعد اس کی لاش کو جلا کر بھسم کرنے کا واقعہ عقیدہ کی وجہ سے قانون کو ہاتھ میں لینے کا نہ تو پہلا واقعہ ہے اور نہ ہی یہ امکان ہے کہ یہ آخری واقعہ ثابت ہو گا۔ حالیہ تاریخ میں لاقانونیت کے ملتے جلتے ایک واقعہ میں گورنر پنجاب سلمان تاثیر کے قاتل ممتاز قادری کو موت کی سزا ہوئی تھی جس پر عمل بھی کیا گیا تھا۔ تاہم اسلام آباد کے نواح میں اس قانون شکن اور قاتل کا عالیشان مقبرہ اور وہاں ’حاضری‘ دینے والوں کی کثیر تعداد، اب بھی یہ چغلی کھاتی ہے کہ توہین مذہب و رسالت کے معاملہ کو عوامی جذبات کی نفسیات کا یوں حصہ بنا دیا گیا ہے کہ ایسے واقعات میں دلیل یا عقل کا استعمال ضروری نہیں سمجھا جاتا۔ ملکی نصاب سے لے کر سیاسی مزاج اور ضرورتوں تک نے اس شدت پسندانہ مذہبی رویہ کی آبیاری کی ہے اور اب یہ اتنا تناور درخت بن چکا ہے کہ وزیر اعظم اور آرمی چیف کے ایک بیان سے اسے شاخوں سمیت گرا دینا کسی کے بس میں نہیں ہے۔
سیالکوٹ کی ایک فیکٹری میں منیجر کے عہدے پر کام کرنے والے سری لنکا کے ایک شخص کے بارے میں یہ افواہیں پھیلائی گئیں کہ اس نے توہین رسالت کی ہے۔ کسی بھی ذریعہ سے ابھی تک یہ تصدیق نہیں ہو سکی کہ متوفی پریا نتھا کمارا سے کیا قصور سرزد ہوا تھا۔ کوئی کہتا ہے اس نے کوئی ایسے کاغذ نذر آتش کر دیے تھے جن پر قرآنی آیات درج تھیں۔ کسی کا کہنا ہے کہ دیوار پر لگا ہوا کوئی پوسٹر اتار پھینکا تھا جس پر مقدس ہستیوں کے اسمائے گرامی درج تھے یا ایک بیان یہ کہ کسی پرنٹر پر رسول پاک ﷺ کے اسٹیکر لگے ہوئے تھے جنہیں منیجر نے اتار دیا تھا۔
تاہم فیکٹری میں کام کا آغاز ہوتے ہی یہ افواہ زور پکڑ گئی کہ توہین رسالت کی گئی ہے پھر حالات کسی کے کنٹرول میں نہ رہے۔ بعینہ جیسا کہ ملک میں ایسے جذبات، مزاج اور طریقہ کار کو کنٹرول کرنا کسی کے بس میں نہیں ہے کیوں کہ انہیں پروان چڑھانے کے لئے ہر حکومت اور ریاست نے گزشتہ کئی دہائیوں سے مسلسل کوشش کی ہے۔ وزیر اعظم عمران خان کی سیاست کی بنیاد تو مدینہ ریاست کے بیانیہ سے شروع ہو کر رحمت اللعالمین اتھارٹی کے قیام تک پہنچ چکی ہے۔
وہ دنیا میں اسلامو فوبیا کے خلاف خود کو ’مجاہد اعظم‘ کا درجہ دیتے ہیں عمران خان کا سیاسی پیغام کرپشن ختم کرنے کے وعدوں کی ناکامی کے بعد اب قوم کا اخلاق سدھارنے اور انہیں دین کے راستے پر لگانے کے عظیم مشن کی تکمیل میں تبدیل ہو چکا ہے۔ ایسی حکومت اور اس کا سربراہ کس منہ سے سیالکوٹ میں اپنا ’دینی فریضہ‘ ادا کرنے والوں کو سزا دلوانے کا اہتمام کرسکے گا؟
حکومت نے حال ہی میں ممتاز قادری کی پھانسی کے واقعہ سے جنم لینے والی تحریک لبیک پاکستان کے ساتھ معاہدہ کیا ہے اور اسے محب وطن مذہبی اور سیاسی پارٹی تسلیم کیا گیا ہے۔ اس کے لیڈروں کے خلاف ہمہ قسم الزامات واپس لے لئے گئے ہیں، پارٹی کے فنڈز بحال کر دیے گئے ہیں اور اس کے لیڈر کو باعزت طریقے سے جیل سے گھر بھیجنے کے بعد حکمران جماعت کا ایک مقامی لیڈر، سعد رضوی کو پھولوں کے ہار پیش کر کے مستقبل کے سیاسی عزائم کے لئے اس انتہاپسند گروہ کی ضرورت کا اعتراف کرچکا ہے۔
تحریک لبیک تو پھر چند پولیس والوں کو ہلاک کرنے، چند ارب روپے کی املاک کی تباہی اور عوام کو چند روز پریشان کرنے کا موجب بنی تھی لیکن حکومت تو تحریک طالبان پاکستان کے ساتھ بھی معاہدہ کر کے اس کے خوں خوار لیڈروں کو عام معافی دینے کے عزم کا اظہار کر رہی ہے جس نے گزشتہ بیس سال کے دوران 80 ہزار پاکستانیوں کو ناحق قتل کیا ہے۔
ان میں سب سے ہولناک واقعہ 16 دسمبر 2014 کو پشاور کے آرمی پبلک اسکول میں پیش آیا تھا جہاں دہشت گردوں نے حملہ کر کے اسکول کے ڈیڑھ سو کے لگ بھگ نوجوان طالب علموں کو گولیوں سے بھون دیا تھا۔ ایسا لگتا تھا کہ یہ واقعہ پاکستانی ریاست اور فوج کے لئے ویک اپ کال کی حیثیت رکھتا تھا اور دہشت گردی اور مذہب کے نام پر قانون ہاتھوں میں لینے والوں سے ہمہ قسم تعلق اور رشتہ توڑ لیا جائے گا۔ تاہم ہمارا سفر حقانی نیٹ ورک کی دوستی سے لے کر تحریک لبیک کی سرپرستی اور سیاسی مقاصد کے لئے ان کے استعمال تک جاری رہا۔
اب بھی ہم دنیا کو افغان طالبان کی انسان دوستی کا یقین دلاتے ہوئے ان کی سرپرستی پر آمادہ کرنے کی کوشش کر رہے ہیں اور انہی افغان طالبان کے مشورہ و ہدایت پر ٹی ایل پی کے ساتھ ’مذاکرات‘ کیے جا رہے ہیں۔ یوں آپریشن ضرب عضب کے بعد آپریشن رد الفساد بھی ان عوامل کا خاتمہ کرنے میں کامیاب نہیں ہوسکا جن کا اعتراف اے پی ایس کے سانحہ کے بعد ’قومی ایکشن پلان‘ کے تحت کیا گیا تھا۔ وزیر اعظم عمران خان ایک سے زائد بار ان دونوں فوجی آپریشنز کو مسترد کرتے ہوئے اسے ماضی کی غلطی قرار دے چکے ہیں۔ تاہم انہوں نے ابھی تک واضح نہیں کیا ہے کہ مستقبل میں درست راستہ کا تعین کیوں کر ہو گا؟
ہونا تو یہ چاہیے تھا کہ سیالکوٹ میں جس بے رحمی سے ایک غیر ملکی منیجر کو ہلاک کیا گیا ہے، اس کے بعد محض بیانات جاری کرنے اور کسی صورت معاف نہ کرنے کے مبہم اور ناقابل عمل دعوؤں کی بجائے بطور قوم اس بات کا جائزہ لینے کی کوشش کی جاتی کہ قوم کو اس دلدل سے کیسے نکالا جاسکتا ہے۔ کسی سانحہ کی تکلیف کو پر زور بیانوں کے جوش سے رفع کرنے والے لیڈر البتہ ایسا کوئی قدم اٹھانے کی تاب نہیں رکھتے۔ اس موقع پر سرکاری عہدوں پر متمکن یا سرکار کی خوشنودی کے لئے دین کی لاٹھی فراہم کرنے والے ملاؤں کے ان بیانات سے کیا فرق پڑے گا کہ ’یہ واقعہ انسانی عمل نہیں ہے۔ جب پاکستان میں توہین مذہب کے قوانین موجود ہیں۔ تو ان کے ہوتے ہوئے اس طرح کی حرکت کرنا یہ واضح کرتا ہے کہ یہ جہالت اور وحشت ہے جس کا اسلام اور انسانیت سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے‘ ۔
وزیر اعظم کے معاون خصوصی علامہ طاہر اشرفی یہ بیان دیتے ہوئے اس سچ سے دامن بچانے کی کوشش کر رہے ہیں کہ درحقیقت ملک کے بلاسفیمی قوانین جو فوجی آمر ضیا الحق کی ملک و قوم کو دین ہیں، ملک میں دہشت، لاقانونیت، جھوٹی دینی حمیت اور عقیدے کو ذاتی عناد نکالنے کا ذریعہ بنانے کا سبب بنے ہوئے ہیں۔ توہین مذہب کے نام پر بے گناہوں کو ہلاک کرنے والے لوگوں کو انہی قوانین کے ذریعے طاقت فراہم کی گئی ہے ورنہ کیا وجہ ہے کہ سپریم کورٹ کی طرف سے انسان کے بنائے ہوئے ایک قانون پر تنقید کو درست و جائز قرار دینے کے باوجود اور توہین مذہب کے عذر پر گورنر پنجاب کو ہلاک کرنے والے ممتاز قادری کو موت کی سزا دینے کے باوصف، ملک میں اس نام کو حرمت رسولﷺ کی علامت بنا دیا گیا ہے۔ کسی حکومت میں حوصلہ نہیں کی وہ توہین مذہب کے مروجہ قوانین کی ہلاکت خیزی کو سمجھتے ہوئے ان میں ترمیم کا لفظ بھی زبان پر لا سکے اور کوئی یہ اعلان نہیں کر سکتا کہ ان کمزور، ناجائز اور متعصبانہ قوانین کے تحت درجنوں افراد کو کسی مقدمہ کے بغیر جیلوں میں قید رکھنا خلاف انسانیت فعل ہے۔
مسئلہ کسی شخص کو سزا دینے کا طریقہ نہیں ہے۔ بلکہ مسئلہ یہ ہے کہ کسی معاملہ کو کیوں کر دین کی ضرورت سے منسلک کرتے ہوئے عام شہریوں کو یہ باور کروا دیا گیا ہے کہ اگر کوئی شخص ’توہین مذہب‘ کا مرتکب ہوا ہے تو اسے بہر طور سزا دینا اہم ہے۔ اگر ایسے قوانین بنا کر انہیں قبول کرنے کا مزاج بنایا جائے گا تو پھر عام لوگوں کو کیسے یہ یقین دلایا جائے گا کہ مذہب کے احترام میں اگر وہ کسی دنیاوی قانون کو ہاتھ میں لیتے ہیں تو یہ کوئی ’جرم‘ نہیں ہے؟
چند روز پہلے چارسدہ میں ایک شخص کو ایسے ہی الزام میں پکڑا گیا۔ مشتعل ہجوم کا دعویٰ تھا کہ اسے اس کے حوالے کر دیا جائے تاکہ وہ اپنی دینی حمیت و جذبہ کے مطابق ’انصاف‘ کرسکیں۔ پولیس نے جب یہ مطالبہ ماننے سے انکار کر دیا تو ناراض ہجوم نے پولیس اسٹیشن کو آگ لگا دی۔ تاکہ نہ بانس رہے گا اور نہ بانسری بجے گی۔
سیالکوٹ میں ایک انسان کی بے حرمتی اور المناک قتل کی واردات اگر کسی طور سے بھی اس قوم کے ضمیر کو بیدار کرنے کا سبب بن سکتی ہے تو اس کا اظہار بیانات اور گرفتاریوں کے دعوؤں کی بجائے سیاسی اقدامات سے ہونا چاہیے۔ اس سے مرنے والے یا اسے مارنے کی تڑپ رکھنے والوں کو کوئی فرق نہیں پڑے گا کہ ملک کا وزیر اعظم اور آرمی چیف ایک معاملہ پر متفق ہیں اور اپوزیشن لیڈر بھی ان کی ہاں میں ہاں ملا رہے ہیں۔ یہ مزاج اسی وقت ختم ہو گا اگر اس ملک میں دین کے دعوے دار یہ جواب دینے کی زحمت کریں گے کہ عقیدے کے نام پر انسانوں کو ہلاک کرنے کا جو کام دنیا کے کسی دوسرے اسلامی ملک میں نہیں ہوتا اور نہ ہی وہاں کے قوانین اس کی حوصلہ افزائی کرتے ہیں، وہ پاکستان میں کیوں مروج ہو چکا ہے۔ جب تک یہ جاننے کی کوشش نہیں کی جائے گی کہ اسلامی شعائر کے بارے میں ضیا الحق کی ’تحقیق‘ سے پہلے کیوں اس ملک میں ’توہین مذہب و رسالت‘ کا کوئی واقعہ دیکھنے سننے میں نہیں آتا تھا یا اس کی پرواہ نہیں کی جاتی تھی۔
وقت آ گیا ہے کہ عقیدہ کے نام پر ہلاکت کا اصول اسکولوں و کالجوں میں ازبر کروانے کی بجائے یہ پیغام عام کیا جائے کہ ہر عقیدہ محبت کا داعی ہوتا ہے۔ مذہب کے نام پر خوں ریزی کا سبق سکھانے والے خود بھی مذہب سے دور ہیں اور ملک کو بھی خود ساختہ تباہی کے گڑھے میں دھکیل رہے ہیں۔ یہ رویہ ملک میں شدت پسندی کو پروان چڑھاتا رہے گا اور دنیا دن بدن پاکستان کو مسائل کا حل سمجھنے کی بجائے مسئلہ کی وجہ قرار دینے لگے گی۔
https://www.humsub.com.pk/432615/syed-mujahid-ali-1980/
انتہا پسندی کی فیکٹریاں!
ہم دہشت گردی کو تو شاید مات دے چکے لیکن انتہا پسندی کے نتیجے میں ہم اتنے سانحات در سانحات کا شکار ہوئے لیکن یہ کنفیوژن ختم ہونے کا نام ہی نہیں لیتی۔ آیا ہم نے اس سے نمٹنا کیسے ہے؟
اقبال ؒ کے شہر میں صبح سے ہی افواہیں زیرِ گردش تھیں کہ کوئی توہین مذہب کا مرتکب پایا گیا ہے۔ لہٰذا بڑی عدالت لگنے سے پہلے ہی ایک عدالت لگ چکی تھی۔
سیالکوٹ میں وزیر آباد کی ایک فیکٹری سے نکلنے والی افواہ بہت تیزی سے پھیل چکی تھی، ایسی کے ’گلی کوچوں کے خود ساختہ مفتیوں‘ کے بھی کان کھڑے ہوگئے اور وہ جا پہنچے اس کارخانے میں جہاں پہلے سے موجود ایک مشتعل ہجوم کسی پر چڑھ دوڑنے کے لیے تیار بیٹھا تھا۔ کسی پر صرف یہ الزام لگا تھا کہ اس نے مذہب کی توہین کر دی ہے۔
لیکن الزام لگانے والے فیصلہ لکھ چکے تھے اور اس فیصلے پر عمل درآمد کی تیاری بھی کرچکے تھے۔ وزیر آباد کی فیکٹری کا ایکسپورٹ مینیجر پریانتھا کمارا سری لنکن نژاد شہری تھا۔ وہ شاید اپنے انجام سے بےخبر تھا۔
پہلے تو ’افواہ کاروں‘ نے فیکٹری کے اندر احتجاج کیا اور پھر جتھے کی شکل میں فیکٹری کے اندر جا گھسے اور گھسیٹتے مارتے پیٹتے اس شخص کو باہر لے آئے۔ ہجوم مشتعل تھا لہٰذا پولیس اور ریسکیو ٹیمیں موقع پر موجود تو تھیں لیکن کسی انجام کے انجانے خوف نے انہیں بھی آگے بڑھنے سے روک رکھا تھا۔ اس موقع پر کسی بھی قسم کی مداخلت کا مطلب موت کو گلے لگانے کے مترادف تھا۔
پریانتھا کمارا ہجوم کے بہیمانہ تشدد سے ہلاک ہو چکا تھا۔ لیکن ابھی ایک اور انسانیت سوز کام انجام دیا جانا باقی تھا۔ کیمرے کی آنکھ نے یہ ظلم بھی دیکھا کہ مقتول کی لاش کو گھسیٹ کر بیچ چوراہے لے جا کر جلایا گیا۔
یہاں نامور شاعر افتخار عارف کا شعر یاد آ رہا ہے کہ
رحمتِ سیدِ لولاک پہ کامل ایمان
اُمت سیدِ لولاک سے خوف آتا ہے
مقتول کی لاش تقریبا راکھ بن چکی تھی جب ہسپتال کی چوکھٹ پہ پہنچائی گئی۔ اس طرح سیالکوٹ میں انسانیت کا گلا گھونٹ دیا گیا۔ لیکن حالات اب قابو میں ہیں کیونکہ جو ہونا تھا ہو چکا۔ ایک شخص نے مشتعل ہجوم کے ہتھے چڑھنا تھا وہ چڑھ چکا۔ مقتول کی لاش کے ڈھیر سے اب کڑے سوالات کی صورت میں دھواں اٹھ رہا ہے۔
سوال ان زندہ لاشوں سے جو اس غیراسلامی غیرانسانی فعل کے ذمہ دار ہیں۔ کون ذمہ دار ہے انسانیت کی اس توہین کا؟ کون ہے جس نے پیغمبر اِسلام اور دین کی تعلیمات کو پس پشت ڈال دیا۔ ماورائے عدالت قتل کی اجازت تو دنیا کا کوئی دین نہیں دیتا۔ تو پھر توہین مذہب کی آڑ میں رحمت اللعالمین کے دین پر ڈاکہ کیوں؟
امت کو کتاب کی بجائے جذبات کا یہ بیانیہ تھمایا کس نے؟ کیا کسی نے یہ جاننے کی کوشش کی کہ توہین کی تشریح کیا ہے اور ایسی صورت حال میں نبی کریم کی حکمت عملی کیا ہوا کرتی تھی۔ کیا تاجدار ریاست مدینہ کی حیات مبارکہ میں ہمیں کوئی ایسا عمل دیکھنے کو ملا؟ یقینا نہیں، تو پھر کتاب اور سنت کے منہج سے ہٹ کر دلیل کی بجائے تلوار اور تیر سے جواب کیوں دیے جا رہے ہیں؟
جذبات نے کتاب سے اس قدر دور کر دیا کہ اب گلی گلی انسانیت کا قتل ہو رہا ہے۔ جو نام نہاد دین کی جذباتی ڈاکٹرائن کھڑی کی جا چکی ہے اس کے خوفناک نتائج تو پہلے سے ہی ہم بھگت رہے ہیں۔ دنیا اب امت کو نفرت کی نگاہ سے دیکھ رہی ہے۔ دین پر براہ راست سوالات اٹھائے جا رہے ہیں۔
بجائے کے جس ہستی کو رول ماڈل بنا کر دنیا کے سامنے پیش کرنا چاہیے ہم اسی ہستی کے دین کی جگ ہنسائی کا سبب بن رہے ہیں۔ یہ ایک بڑا لمحہ فکریہ ہے۔ حکمرانِ وقت تو واقعے کی مذمت کر رہے یہ کہہ کر کے یہ غیرانسانی اور غیراسلامی فعل ہے اور کسی کو اجازت نہیں قانون ہاتھ میں لینے کی لیکن افسوس صد افسوس؛ واقعات رونما ہو جانے کے بعد ایسے بیانات پر ماتم ہی کیا جا سکتا ہے۔
کیوں ریاست اور حکومت ان ہجوموں کے سامنے بے بس ہو جاتی ہے؟ آخر یہ رجحان بڑھتا ہی کیوں چلا جا رہا ہے۔ بات عدم برداشت کے فقدان سے کہیں آگے ہی بڑھتی چلی جا رہی ہے۔ افسوسناک اور شرمناک جیسے الفاظ بھی اب تو چھوٹے پڑ گئے ہیں۔
یقینا یہ کوئی پہلا واقعہ نہیں۔ ہر واقعے کے بعد توقع کی جاتی ہے کہ شاید یہ آخری واقعہ ہوا۔ پاکستان میں شدت پسندی کا عنصر وقت گزرنے کے ساتھ ساتھ بڑھتا ہی چلا جا رہا ہے۔ دہشت گردی کو تو ہم شکست دے چکے لیکن انتہا پسندی کے خلاف ابھی تک خاطر خواہ نتائج پر مبنی کوئی آپریشن نہیں ہوا۔
ستم ظریفی تو یہ ہے کہ ریاست اور حکومت انتہا پسندوں کے آگے گھٹنے ٹیک دیتی ہے۔ انتہا پسند سڑکوں پر آ جائیں تو ریاست کی ٹانگیں کپکپانے لگتی ہیں۔ پھر انہی انتہا پسندوں کو ’اپنے لوگ‘ قرار دے دیا جاتا ہے اور جب اس بارے میں حکومت سے سوال کریں تو کہا جاتا ہے یہ ’حساس‘ معاملہ ہے۔ یعنی ریاست اور حکومت بالکل مجبور معذور اور لاچار ہے۔
لیکن آج اس مجبوری معذوری اور لاچاری کی کنفیوژن کو ہمیں دور کرنا ہوگا۔ ایک وقت تھا جب پوری قوم دہشت گردی کے خلاف کنفیوژن کا شکار تھی لیکن 2014 کے ایک سانحہ (سانحہ اے پی ایس) نے پوری قوم کو یکسو کر دیا اور دہشت گردی کے خلاف وہ ابہام ختم ہوگیا اور سب ایک پیج پر آگئے جس کے بعد دہشت گردوں کو شکست سے دوچار کیا۔
ہم دہشت گردی کو تو شاید مات دے چکے لیکن انتہا پسندی کے نتیجے میں ہم اتنے سانحات در سانحات کا شکار ہوئے لیکن یہ کنفیوژن ختم ہونے کا نام ہی نہیں لیتی۔ آیا ہم نے اس سے نمٹنا کیسے ہے؟
ایک طرف ہم سیالکوٹ جیسے واقعات کی مذمت بھی کرتے ہیں اور دوسری طرف ایسے انتہا پسندوں کو سپورٹ بھی کرتے ہیں۔ صرف مذمتی بیانات ریاستی اور حکومتی سطح پر کافی نہیں ہیں۔ ایک فیصلہ کن آپریشن کی اس ملکِ پاکستان کو اشد ضرورت ہے جو کہ انتہا پسندی کی ’فیکٹریوں‘ کے خلاف کیا جائے۔
https://www.independenturdu.com/node/86651
Friday, December 3, 2021
Britain Has Created Millions of Refugees and It Must Face Its Responsibilities
Nicholas Pritchard
On 24 November, Mohammed Shekha clung to the side of a flimsy boat in the waters between France and the United Kingdom while around him at least 27 people drowned. The 21-year-old had left his home in Iraqi-Kurdistan a month before, travelled through Belarus, and attempted the 20-mile journey across the Channel in the freezing conditions of the northern European winter. According to Muhammad, who spoke to Rudaw, 15 of those who died on the journey were Kurds. Mohammed and a man from Somalia are the only survivors.Almost 26,000 people are thought to have crossed the Channel in small boats in 2021, an increase of nearly 8,700% in three years. Politicians in the UK have pinned the blame firmly on those who profit from the dangerous journeys. The Home Secretary Priti Patel responded to the deaths by saying the UK will “stop the vile people-smuggling gangs”, insisting the journeys across the Channel are “absolutely unnecessary.” The migration crisis, as far as the British government is concerned, is that people are trying to enter the UK, rather than people being forced to leave their homes. However, British foreign policies over the past twenty years have increased the number of refugees around the world. Furthermore, the UK has one of the least generous refugee policies of any wealthy nation and there are plans to make it even harsher, threatening to push tens of thousands of people deeper into misery, poison public debate in the UK with more xenophobic rhetoric, and disalow the British public a chance to acknowledge the effects recent wars have had on their society.
Instead, Britain needs to acknowledge that post-9/11 wars led to the displacement of millions of people and provide routes for safe access for the very small numbers, when compared with countries in the Middle East and the European Union example, who wish to settle in the UK.
Asylum Requests in the UK
Contrary to popular belief, the number of asylum requests in the UK is tiny. There were 37,562 claims for asylum made over the last 12 months.
This is low compared with other EU nations and extremely low compared with less wealthy states in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. For example, Germany received 122,015 and France 93,475 applications. Per head of the population, the UK has the 17th highest intake of refugees compared with EU states.
UK and US Wars and ISIS
Britain’s wars following 9/11, undertaken hand-in-hand with the US, have resulted in the displacement of between 37m and 59m people. By 2007, the Iraq War had left 4.7m people displaced within their own country or as refugees or asylum seekers elsewhere.
The rise of Islamic State and the bloody years in the second decade of the century caused the displacement of at least a further 2m people. Last year, 9.2m people were internally displaced or refugees abroad as a result of the invasion. Tellingly, there has been no thorough study on the number of refugees created from the conflict.
The UK has never had a proper scheme for the resettlement of Iraqis. Even now, Iraqis are far less likely than other nationalities to be granted asylum.
Following the civil war period in Iraq, Britain only accepted 69, 355, and 432 Iraqi refugees each year from 2007 to 2009 through a scheme designed to resettle Iraqis who had worked with British forces. In the same period, Sweden, France, and Germany accepted many more.
The UK has not improved in its obligations to Iraqis fleeing violence. In the year preceding June 2021, for example, only 30% of requests from Iraqi asylum seekers were granted on the first decision.
Some of these decisions are eventually overturned and for those who are waiting for a decision, often for years, it’s a grueling period; unable to work and given only £5.64 a day for food, sanitation, and clothing.
Displacement After Invasion of Iraq
Jason Hart, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath, points out that the invasion of Iraq led to wider forced displacement in the Middle East. “It’s fair to link the destabilization in Iraq experienced since the invasion of 2003 to destabilization across the region", he told Al Bawaba. “This has not been properly discussed in the mainstream British media.
“When I was working in Jordan in 2014, looking at the response to the Iraqi displacement, the UK did not want to talk about it or acknowledge its role in creating the conditions for that displacement. It was surprising to me that the US were willing to do that, which just showed the UK in an even worse light.”
Every day more people attempt the same deadly journey across the Channel as Mohammed Shekha and those who died in horrific circumstances last week. The British government treats them as subhuman; housing them in inadequate accommodation and forcing them to sleep on concrete floors with only one toilet for up to 250 people.
The UK’s recent wars created millions of refugees. It needs to stand up to its responsibilities to those who want to flee the violence.
https://www.albawaba.com/news/britain-has-created-millions-refugees-and-it-must-face-its-responsibilities-1457254
United Nations Should Create New Yemen War-Crimes Investigation
Louis Charbonneau
Saudi Arabia and UAE Fight for Impunity in Yemen Conflict.Last month, the Netherlands’ ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had “failed the people of Yemen” by rejecting the renewal of an investigation into alleged human rights abuses and war crimes there. UN member countries have a chance to reverse that failure and create something better as the conflict in Yemen continues to rage. Last week, the Netherlands delivered a joint statement on behalf of 37 countries to the UN General Assembly voicing deep regret at the UNHRC’s failure to renew the mandate of the Group of Eminent Experts (GoEE), which since 2017 has been investigating alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Yemen. The statement urged UN member countries to “use all opportunities within the UN-system to assess facts on the ground in an impartial manner, and work towards accountability.” In response, some two dozen mostly Arab governments endorsed a Saudi-drafted statement welcoming the demise of the GoEE. The UNHRC could seek to create a new Yemen accountability mechanism at its next session in March. But why wait? The General Assembly could establish a standing independent and impartial investigative body that would not only report on alleged violations to UN member countries but also gather and preserve evidence and prepare cases for possible future prosecutions.In 2016, the General Assembly created the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) for Syria in response to Russia and China using their Security Council vetoes to thwart accountability for war crimes and abuses. The IIIM’s job is to “assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes.” In 2018, the UNHRC created a similar mechanism for Myanmar in the wake of the 2017 ethnic cleansing and possible genocide of Rohingya Muslims. Since 2015, the conflict between the Saudi and UAE-led coalition and the Houthi armed group has resulted in abuses and laws of war violations that have killed and injured thousands of civilians, and sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis . Some delegations fear failure. Creating the IIIM wasn’t easy but the efforts were successful. The Saudis and Emiratis will fight hard to prevent such a mechanism from seeing the light of day. But their joint statement backed by some two dozen states hardly represents an insurmountable obstacle at the General Assembly. And even if a push for a new mechanism fails, the people of Yemen will be no worse off than they are today. We owe it to the people of Yemen to try.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/11/03/un-should-create-new-yemen-war-crimes-investigation
France Should Stop Selling Arms to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Elvire Fondacci
@elvirefondacci
Macron Should Address Rights Abuses in Gulf Region.This week, French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a large delegation of French ministers and major business executives. In the UAE, he will apparently be finalizing a weapons deal, when in all three countries he should be speaking out against human rights abuses. According to media reports, Emmanuel Macron's visit to the UAE on December 3, in addition to celebrating the country’s 50th anniversary, would have as its main purpose finalizing the sale of dozens of Rafales fighter jets produced by the French company Dassault Aviation. France is promoting these sales even though the UAE has played a prominent role in the Saudi and UAE-led coalition's atrocity-ridden military operations in Yemen. The UAE also took part in the latest conflict in Libya, which ended in June 2020, where UAE forces killed civilians in unlawful air and drone strikes, while also supplying abusive local forces with weapons and ammunition. Yet, the UAE ranks as France's 5th largest arms customer between 2011 and 2020. Macron's will next go to Saudi Arabia, the largest buyer of French weapons in 2020. France has stubbornly continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia in defiance of UN experts who have called on France and others to halt exports to the coalition as they could be used to commit unlawful attacks or even war crimes. France's support for the UAE and Saudi Arabia is even more objectionable as their leaders have failed to improve their countries’ disastrous human rights records domestically, although their public relations efforts to present themselves as progressive and tolerant internationally is in full swing. While there is little hope that Macron will condition France's support on concrete progress in this area, he should at the very least publicly call for the UAE to release Ahmed Mansoor and other dissidents. Likewise, in Saudi Arabia, he should address the atrocious 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Remaining silent on these matters would be tantamount to turning a blind eye to serious human rights violations. In Qatar, Macron should address human rights violations against migrant workers in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held there. France's arms sales to and protection of dubious military partnerships in the name of counterterrorism and at the cost of human rights will remain a stain on Macron's diplomatic record.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/02/france-should-stop-selling-arms-united-arab-emirates-saudi-arabia#
UN urged to restart Yemen war crimes probe after Saudis halted earlier efforts
More than 60 rights and humanitarian groups say investigators should 'publicly report on the most serious violations' in YemenDozens of rights and humanitarian groups on Thursday called on the United Nations to create a new independent panel to collect evidence of possible war crimes committed by all parties in Yemen's bitter conflict, after Saudi Arabia reportedly lobbied to shut down the previous investigation. The organisations said a new independent body should "investigate and publicly report on the most serious violations and abuses of international law committed in Yemen", while also preserving this evidence for possible criminal prosecution in the future. "The undersigned organisations call upon the UN General Assembly to move quickly and establish a new international accountability mechanism for Yemen," the groups said in a statement. In October, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted against extending the mandate for an independent war crimes investigation in Yemen by the Group of Eminent Experts (GEE).Earlier this week, a report by The Guardian found Riyadh used “incentives and threats” to force members of the Council to vote against extending the mandate.One such incentive was warning Indonesia - the most populous Muslim country in the world - that it would make it difficult for Indonesians to travel to the holy city of Mecca if Indonesian officials didn't vote against the 7 October resolution. "The international community cannot stand by and allow that vote to be the last word on accountability efforts for abuses and war crimes in Yemen," the statement said. "The people of Yemen need justice. And justice begins with investigations and accountability. The time to act is now." The 64 organisations that signed on to the statement include the human rights clinics at Yale University and Columbia University, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED). 'Widespread and systematic abuses' Saudi Arabia and its allies, primarily the United Arab Emirates, militarily intervened in Yemen in March 2015, after Houthi rebels seized control of the capital, Sanaa, and began closing in on Aden, prompting Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, president of the internationally recognised government, to flee to Riyadh. Fighting has displaced millions of people within the country, while shortages of fuel have severely impacted the economy and services. The death toll of the war, now in its seventh year, will reach an estimated 377,000 by the end of 2021, according to a recent report from the UN's Development Programme. The report's authors say 60 percent of deaths were caused by indirect effects of the conflict, such as hunger and disease and a lack of healthcare facilities.Meanwhile, some 150,000 deaths were caused by fighting between the Houthi rebels and Saudi coalition-backed government forces."All parties to the conflict in Yemen have perpetrated widespread and systematic abuses, including the killing and injuring of tens of thousands of civilians," the groups' statement said. The fighting has also seen some 80 percent of the population, or 24 million people, relying on aid and assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/yemen-war-crimes-un-urged-new-probe-after-saudi-blocked-investigation
Pakistan’s Surging Religious Extremism
By Umair Jamal
Its political class has neither the will nor the intent to tackle religious extremism as all have benefited from it.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said last month that the Pakistani state and government are not ready to tackle the rising extremism in the country.
“Many people think that the remedial steps taken by us [the government] are inadequate while the truth is that neither the government nor the state is completely ready to fight extremism,” Fawad said, while addressing a seminar organized by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies in Islamabad.
Fawad’s admission that growing extremism in the country poses a serious challenge to Pakistan’s stability comes after a series of recent setbacks that forced the state into making deals with right-wing Islamist groups of different sects.
Last month, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a Barelvi religious group, forced the government into allowing it to operate as a political party even as the TLP’s workers had killed several law enforcement officials in clashes. In recent years, the group has openly challenged Pakistan’s foreign policy decisions and shown intent to take on the state without any hesitation.
Simultaneously, Pakistan has been negotiating a deal with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an organization of the Deobandi sect that has killed thousands of Pakistanis over the last decade. Pakistan’s decision to negotiate with the TTP comes years after the Pakistan military carried out a massive military operation against the group in the country’s tribal areas. The group has not only rebounded from that crippling military offensive but has also managed to unite numerous factions under its leadership.
Some groups in Pakistan carry agendas with an intent to spread their operations globally; others keep Afghanistan as a focus; some are India-oriented while many consider the domestic landscape their target and are sectarian. As a result, some of these groups wouldn’t shy away from inciting violence against the state if their political interests are not fulfilled by the ruling elite.
Some of these groups thrive as they receive support from state institutions. For instance, one of the reasons that the TLP has become a significant challenge for the Pakistani state is that the state itself adheres to the narratives that are propagated by the radical group. Unfortunately, what we see now is a race between different radical groups and the government to prove who is the bigger and better Muslim and win over the public’s support.
A few days ago, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan asked universities to research the harmful effects of Western culture on Pakistan’s family system. There is not a single speech of the prime minister where he doesn’t link Pakistan’s economic troubles with citizens being lesser Muslims.
The issue is further complicated by political parties. They not only make electoral alliances with radical groups but also preach the same sectarian hate when in need of public support against their political foes.
Since the TLP’s restoration as a political party, leaders from all major parties have visited the group’s headquarters. Reportedly, the ruling party could even be considering making an alliance with the TLP in the upcoming local body elections.
On the other hand, when opposition parties need to weaken a government, their go-to weapon is bringing in religion to accuse the ruling party of either working for the United States or Israel. They accuse the government of attempting to make Pakistan a liberal country.
Unable to draw people to join its protest marches with its raising of political and economic issues, the Pakistan Democratic Movement, an opposition alliance, is now calling on the public to join a jihad against the Imran Khan government, as religious rhetoric resonate with the masses. Its main reason for appointing Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), as the president of the alliance is due to his ability to mobilize and bring onto the streets thousands of students from his massive madrassa network across Pakistan.
These moves by parties in government and the opposition show that there is little will and intent in Pakistan’s political class to tackle the issue of religious extremism as everyone has benefited from radicalism one way or the other.
The country has become so radicalized that any attempt by the state or the government to push back against the rising extremism could very well backfire. Thus, for some, it’s too much risk and for others, it doesn’t even constitute a problem.
The last major opportunity to challenge rising extremism was when the country formed the National Action Plan (NAP) against extremism in 2014. However, that plan has not moved beyond reports and briefings.
For those in power, staying in power at any cost is what matters, but Pakistan is suffering.
https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/pakistans-surging-religious-extremism/
Pakistani hardline Islamist party supporters lynch Sri Lankan citizen over ‘blasphemy’
Several videos were circulated on social media showing hundreds of men gathered at the site surrounding the body of the Sri Lankan national. They were chanting slogans of the TLP.
In a grisly incident, a top Sri Lankan executive of a garment factory was lynched and his body burnt by angry supporters of a hardline Islamist party which attacked the facility in Pakistan’s Punjab province over blasphemy allegations on Friday, police said.Priyantha Kumara, who was in his 40s, was working as the general manager of the garment factory in Sialkot district, some 100 kms from here, a Punjab police official told PTI.
“Mr Kumara allegedly tore a poster of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in which Quranic verses were inscribed and threw it in the dustbin. The poster of the Islamist party was pasted on the wall adjoining the office of Kumara. A couple of factory workers saw him removing the poster and spread the word in the factory,” the official said.
Hundreds of men, enraged over the “blasphemy” incident, started gathering outside the factory from adjoining areas. Most of them were activists and supporters of the TLP.
“The mob dragged the suspect (the Sri Lankan national) from the factory and severely tortured him. After he succumbed to his wounds, the mob burnt his body before police reached there,” the official said.Several videos were circulated on social media showing hundreds of men gathered at the site surrounding the body of the Sri Lankan national. They were chanting slogans of the TLP.The Imran Khan government had recently lifted a ban on the TLP after signing a secret agreement with it after which its chief Saad Rizvi and over 1,500 activists accused of terrorism were released from jail. The TLP in return had ended its week-long sit-in in Punjab after withdrawing its demand of expelling the French ambassador on the issue of blasphemous cartoons in France.Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik told reporters that a heavy contingent of police has been deployed in the area to control the situation after the lynching of the Sri Lankan national.
The situation in the area is tense while all factories are shut, the police added. Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar said that “approximately 50 people have been arrested,” Geo News reported. “CCTV footage is being obtained so that those who were responsible can be identified. The IG has directed law enforcement personnel to produce results in 48 hours after which the probe will be extended,” the spokesperson said.“PAKISTAN: Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation. Authorities must immediately conduct an independent, impartial and prompt investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable. “Today’s event underscores the urgency with which an environment that enables abuse and puts lives at risk must be rectified,” it said in a series of tweets. Pakistan has extremely strict laws against defaming Islam, including the death penalty, and rights campaigners say they are often used to settle personal disputes in the Muslim-majority country. A US government advisory panel report says Pakistan used blasphemy laws more than any other country in the world. Mere allegations of blasphemy have triggered violence against minorities like Christians. Several persons accused of committing blasphemy have been lynched in recent years. https://indianexpress.com/article/world/mob-lynching-blasphemy-sri-lankan-killed-7654648/
Sri Lankan manager killed by mob of workers at Pakistan factory
By Mubasher Bukhari
A mob of factory employees in eastern Pakistan tortured and burned a Sri Lankan manager on Friday over apparent blasphemy in a "horrific" attack.
A police official in the eastern town of Sialkot, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said investigators believed the attackers had accused the manager of blasphemy for tearing down a poster with Islamic holy verses.
"The factory workers tortured the manager," said provincial government spokesman Hassan Khawar. "A total of 50 people so far have been identified and arrested."Television footage showed crowds of hundreds of people in the streets of Sialkot, in the heart of Pakistan's most heavily industrialised region where much of the country's export industry is based. Mob killings over accusations of blasphemy - a crime that can carry the death sentence - have been frequent in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Friday's killing came only weeks after days of violent protests by the radical Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan movement, a Sunni Muslim group founded in 2015 to address actions it considers blasphemous to Islam. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lankan-manager-killed-by-mob-workers-pakistan-garment-factory-2021-12-03/
Thursday, December 2, 2021
#Pakistan - Silencing opposition - Pakistan must cut away from its royal, colonial and dictatorial legacy.
DESPITE a democratic Constitution, there seems to have been a move towards authoritarian rule in Pakistan with a concerted effort to silence and delegitimise any voices of opposition, political or otherwise. These efforts have been augmented through regulatory directives, undemocratic ordinances, extra-legal measures, and aggressive public messaging. The only capitulation by the state seems to be in the case of opposing parties that direct violence towards it under the pretence of religion.
Whether it is media, social media, human rights movements, political leaders, or even judges, there have been concerted efforts to silence them and get them to toe the line of the state.
Through attempts to put restrictions on the media, first through covert pressure on media houses to fire columnists and TV anchors who do not toe the state line, and then by proposing draconian ordinances such as the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), press freedom guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution is routinely violated. This was also seen when channels and newspapers with critical opinions were relegated to the end of the channels list by cable operators and banned from circulation in cantonment areas respectively. The government also stopped its advertisements for media groups that were critical, violating the right to information of citizens as guaranteed by Article 19-A as they were deprived of public messaging.
The state response to human rights movements has been even worse. The peaceful Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) has ruffled feathers due to young and unarmed Pakhtuns demanding basic rights and protections guaranteed by the Constitution in a region ravaged by the war on terror brought to their lands by a reckless dictator. Instead of embracing the young of the former tribal areas, even their popular elected representatives have been imprisoned by the state with complete disregard for the democratic mandate they hold.
It is time that Pakistan cut away from its royal, colonial and dictatorial legacy.
Ali Wazir still remains incarcerated despite being granted bail by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with other cases pending against him, while members of the movement and others have contrasted the treatment meted out to them with the olive branch consistently extended by the state to the violent TTP that killed thousands, and the violent TLP that on many occasions has held entire cities hostage. Such capitulation should only be extended to peaceful groups and certainly not to those who commit grave crimes including mass murder.
Similarly, the state has cracked down on NGOs by introducing stringent registration requirements that make functioning almost impossible under the excuse of foreign funding, overlooking the fact that the most foreign-funded entity in the country is the state itself. This was seen again last month with the government officials’ outburst at the Asma Jahangir Conference in Lahore where thrice-elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif was invited to address the closing ceremony in line with the tradition of the annual conference.
Even if he is considered a ‘convict and absconder’, despite the partiality with which the National Accountability Bureau targets opposition politicians, there is nothing in Pakistani law that prohibits convicted political leaders from addressing gatherings. However, the high-handedness and paranoia of the state was apparent in the suspension of internet services by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority in the vicinity of the conference in the centre of Lahore, something that ought to be seen as illegal, disproportionate and excessive.
This is not about Nawaz Sharif. This is about selective attacks against civilian politicians whose ability to compete in a democratic system is constantly undermined through all sorts of innovative tactics, ranging from blasphemy insinuations weaponised through extremist groups to the all-time favourite accountability laws that only seem to apply to opposition politicians to the use of treason clauses of the law that are used to accuse everyone that the state is displeased with, with the exception of those whom they should actually apply to for abrogating the Constitution. But these attacks haven’t even spared the apex court for raising questions regarding interference in politics by those who are meant to guard our borders.The onslaught on social media freedoms has been building since 2015 with Peca being passed the next year, and the latest social media rules, despite constant questions over their constitutionality including by the Islamabad High court, being incorporated. TikTok has been banned four times, most likely out of fear of the digital inclusion it enables for people at the margins and how it lends them the ability to have a voice with the viral factor. And Peca continues to be abused to silence journalists, activists, young citizens and political opponents for daring to exercise their guaranteed freedom of speech on the internet.It is time that Pakistan cut away from its royal, colonial and dictatorial legacy to become the completely democratic state that its Constitution envisages. This is not possible without the pressure of its citizens that have always been eager to resist attempts to put them under control, and political parties that must learn to mobilise without considering backroom deals to save their slice of the power pie that history shows always gets eaten by another eager entity.
Enforced disappearances, bogus cases, dictatorial tactics and online attacks to skew narratives have to be controlled. It is crucial that the independence of the judiciary is upheld, which may not be possible if the press is not free. Constitutional protections exist for a reason, and the roots are in our history of resistance against anyone who tries to impose their will on us.
Presidential systems or one-party systems do not belong in our vibrant democracy with a diverse populace, which is why the autonomy that the 18th Amendment gives to provinces was welcomed across the board. Let us work together to reap its benefits rather than try to upstage one another.
The censorship of opposing voices cannot continue, and the future belongs to an inclusive democratic system. If the government insists on burying its head in the sand, it must realise that the grains of sand around its head belong to the people who lend them legitimacy, and the people are not fools.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1661474/silencing-opposition
#Pakistan - The wages of the #IMF
Durdana Najam
IMF, World Bank have been of no use other than exacerbating Pakistan’s economic woes, says American economist.Despite having some of the best internationally recognised minds to manage Pakistan’s financial affairs, why is there no exit from the economic woes? Is there a probability that these able minds have been working as the so-called economic hitmen to keep Pakistan financially bankrupt? This is not an illusion of a conspiratorial mind as the readers might be tempted to think. There are reasons for the doubt. For instance, take the case of the IMF’s six billion dollar package. We have not even received half of the total package as the debt is released in bits and pieces. With every new tranche, a list of dos and don’ts is handed down for compliance. Being negotiated currently is a tranche worth $1 billion. So far, the walk on the tightrope has been made possible with the massive devaluation of the rupee, high electricity and gas tariffs, elimination of Rs350 billion worth of subsidies, the reincarnation of petroleum levy by Rs33, cut in the development budget to the tune of Rs300 billion and imposition of new taxes. Soon a mini-budget will be floated to give a legal cover to these demands. According to experts, this will be one of the biggest mini-budgets in the history of Pakistan. How will this affect a common man? That is not on the agenda of the government economic wizards. What is on their hit list is compliance with the IMF demand. Now let us talk about the illusion part. As compared to the $1billion IMF tranche, which is so far behaving like a sinking boat that may tumble the country with it if not rescued, Pakistan has earned $6 billion from textile export in the first four mounts of the current fiscal year. Juxtapose the part receipts of the IMF package with $6 billion from only four months of textile export, and you will find yourself questioning the justification for the anxiety to keep the IMF boat afloat. With an industrial output sufficient to overcome the so-called current account deficit, why have we tied ourselves to the IMF programme, which for all its purposes is only tightening the noose around common men’s neck? The question is: what justifies our eagerness to meet the IMF unjust demands for a $1 billion tranche, especially when our economy has the potential to wade us out of solvency — if there is any? Recently, Dr Arthur Betz Laffer, an American economist, was in Pakistan to attend Pakistan Prosperity Forum — 2021 arranged by the Prime Institute in Islamabad. During his address, he advised Pakistan’s economic heads to refrain from taking dictation from the IMF and the World Bank. Adding further to his anguish against the lending institutions, he said that the IMF and the World Bank have been of no use other than deliberately exacerbating Pakistan’s economic woes. He reminded us that we were not their slaves and that we should act independently. This advice of acting ‘independently’ brings to mind the ardent opposer of the IMF and the World Bank, Mr Yanis Varoufakis, a Greek-Australian economist and politician. He served as Greek Minister of Finance from January to July 2015. During his stint as finance minister, he refused to bend to the demands of the lending institutions and instead said that “…we are insolvent, and we have to embrace our insolvency.” Varoufakis equated these creditors with terrorists. Like terrorists, they instil fear and trepidation so that their targets bend and give in. The weapons used in this warfare are the economic experts drawn usually from the targeted countries. They deliberately make flawed policies. Each policy digs a hole in the exchequer. Eventually, a time comes when this leaking bucket becomes a burden to the community of greedy and expedient politicians, military personals and businessmen, who had been raised over the period to make this leaking bucket a reality. Later, each hole is patched from the creditor’s debt in return for more taxes, exorbitant utility bills, and inflationary pressures. Varoufakis met Barack Obama at the Greek Independence Day celebration in the East Room of the White House and was asked to “swallow bitter stuff” like he did to survive the 2008 economic crisis. Varoufakis replied, “You inherited a mess when you came to office, but at least you had your central bank behind you. We inherited a mess and we have a central bank” — the European Central Bank — “trying to choke us”. The creditors wanted Greece “to privatize state assets, such as Athens’s port; reform institutions and practices perceived to be inefficient, including its health-care and welfare systems, in ways likely to result in mass dismissals; and adjust its budget through further tax increases and spending cuts, to the point where Greece’s income significantly exceeded its spending on everything but its repayments”. From Laffer to economic experts like Dr Ikramulhaq, government is advised to downgrade income and sales tax to widen the tax net. However, the government has no appetite to hear sane voices. Instead, it is fuelling the 134 non-functioning state-owned organisations with an annual injection of $4 million. How does Pakistan’s economic wizard justify this loss is anybody’s guess.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2331970/the-wages-of-the-imf
#Pakistan - Chairman #PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s message on International Day of Persons with Special Abilities
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the time has come for the state to stop resorting to excuses and depriving those with special abilities of their rights. Everyone must now come to the same page on the issue of rights, health, education, and employment of more than 3 million special people.
According to a statement issued by Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman PPP in his message on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities further said that people with special abilities do not need our attention and help, but the aid we provide them is a test of our responsibility and humanity. Creating a balanced and equitable society without full implementation of the rights of persons with special abilities is a dream that needs to be accomplished.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that during the tenure of the selected Prime Minister, special people have been severely affected by historical inflation, unemployment and poverty. The government has left them helpless like other downtrodden sections of the society.
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also said that the PPP has always been responsible and committed in including the talents of specially qualified persons in the national development. The introduction of 5% quota for employment in government departments and the interest-free loan scheme of Rs. 1 – 2 lakh with the Benazir Income Support Programme are a few groundbreaking initiatives taken by PPP.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Sindh government of Pakistan Peoples Party has shown remarkable performance in all the standards of implementation of UN conventions on persons with special qualifications. The Sindh Assembly passed the Sindh Differently Abled Persons Act-2014 in 2017, under which persons with disabilities were declared as persons with special abilities.
The issuance of driving licenses for the deaf and the establishment of a Center for Autism Rehabilitation and Training in Karachi are the hallmarks of the peoples government of Sindh. The Department of Special Education in Sindh is also in the process of setting up special children’s schools along modern lines.
The PPP chairman said that Pakistan Peoples Party is the only political party in the country whose manifesto includes a revolutionary strategy for the protection of the rights and development of persons with special abilities. He said that the Pakistan Peoples Party government to be formed after the forthcoming elections, would take effective measures to ensure full implementation of the rights of persons with special abilities. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has promised to abide by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the government led by former President Asif Ali Zardari in 2011.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25863/
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