Wednesday, August 22, 2018
It’s time to end America’s war in Afghanistan
Michael H Fuchs
A child born on this date in 2001 – just before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 – is old enough to be fighting today in the war in Afghanistan.
This week – almost 17 years after the war began – the Taliban attacked Ghazni, killing more than 100 Afghan army soldiers. The Taliban also overran a base, where they killed another 17 soldiers.
It’s not hard to imagine that some of the fighters on both sides of this week’s battles – those fighting for the Afghan army and the Taliban – were not yet born on 9/11.
As America’s longest war continues in Afghanistan, it is sapping America’s resources and strategic focus while the list of far more serious national security threats – from climate change to the rise of China – continues to grow. It is time to find a way to wind down America’s war in Afghanistan, one way or another.
The United States remains stuck in strategic limbo in Afghanistan. No matter how many allied forces deploy to Afghanistan, there is no victory to be had on the battlefield. But Afghanistan is where the 9/11 attacks were planned. This is a fact that imprisons US presidents and policymakers – imagine being the president who withdrew US troops from Afghanistan, only to then suffer another terrorist attack on US soil planned in Afghanistan. There is no good option.
And so, America fights. As the reporter CJ Chivers describes America’s current policies in Afghanistan: “They continue today without an end in sight, reauthorized in Pentagon budgets almost as if distant war is a presumed government action.”
While the US and its allies continue to send young men and women to fight and die, certain facts remain constant: the Taliban are not going anywhere. Terrorists are not going anywhere – 17 years later, the Islamic State has joined al-Qaida as a threat. The Afghan state will not achieve a level of “stability” that will put American policymakers at ease in the foreseeable future. Pakistan will not change its two-sided policy of working with the US in Afghanistan with one hand while quietly enabling the Taliban with the other. As these facts remain unchanged, the war continues to blight the daily lives of Afghans, who have been at war on and off for almost 40 years now. There is no telling when this horrific cycle of war and violence will end for them. But it also seems clear that the US cannot end it with the military alone.
In welcome news, the US recently began direct talks with the Taliban. The United States engaged in direct negotiations with the Taliban during the Obama administration, but those talks produced little. There has long been a debate over whether to talk to the Taliban, but there will be no end to the war without some sort of political agreement that includes the Taliban. A ceasefire in June this year signaled that this time could be different, and the United States must urgently press forward with these diplomatic negotiations to end the war.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the United States is not the only player interested in stability and with leverage to wield. China, Russia, Iran and India are all heavily invested in the outcome of the war, and despite very divergent strategies and views of the war, all have an interest in preventing Afghanistan from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorists and a source of regional instability. They must be forced to put skin in the game in a diplomatic process to urgently end the war or be forced to deal with the consequences when America withdraws.
While America must seize this new potential diplomatic opportunity with the Taliban, regardless of where the diplomacy leads, America’s role in the war must begin to come to an end. Right now, America is attempting to prevent potential terrorist attacks from one country by sacrificing the lives of American soldiers, with no strategy to end the threat other than a perpetual war. That hardly seems sensible.
Most importantly, American leaders must remember that the war in Afghanistan takes place in a much larger strategic context for the United States. A US withdrawal – with or without a negotiated end to the war – could lead to more instability in Afghanistan. But how does that compare with the alternative? Afghanistan – along with Iraq – has shaped the way an entire generation in America thinks about its country’s role in the world. The threats posed by Afghanistan today rank nowhere close to the top of America’s national security concerns, dwarfed by challenges like climate change, Russia, China and the erosion of liberal democracy abroad.
The forever war fatigue runs a very real risk of draining support in the United States for a robust American role in the world, which is necessary to tackle any of these threats. And that would truly devastate American national security. Donald Trump’s “America First” policies – and the damage they are inflicting – are already a symptom of this national frustration with America’s seemingly unending wars.
Inertia and fear of the unknown are not good enough reasons to fight a war. It’s time for America to end its war in Afghanistan.
Bakhtawar Bhutto reminds Pakistanis of neglected civic duty this Eid-ul-Azha
Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, sister of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, reminded Pakistanis on Wednesday of a concern that often goes overlooked on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
Taking to Twitter, the 28-year-old, spoke of a concern colossal enough to be the cause behind various problems and yet becomes target of negligence by Pakistanis as they indulge in the religious practice of sacrificing animals.
“Very unsanitary the way animal remains are thrown and where animals are slaughtered we need allocated, hygienic areas to prevent spread of disease & where clean up is immediate - everywhere else in the world has this! #Pakistan #LetsStartWithSindhGov #PPP,” read her tweet.
Very unsanitary the way animal remains are thrown and where animals are slaughtered we need allocated, hygienic areas to prevent spread of disease & where clean up is immediate - everywhere else in the world has this! #Pakistan #LetsStartWithSindhGov #PPP
Her tweet came amid media reports that remains of the sacrificed animals were left on roadsides instead of disposing them off at designated places in Karachi.
Future of largest minority in Naya #Pakistan
Elbowed out to peripheries, Pakistan’s largest minority now pins its hopes on the promised Naya Pakistan. This minority is named as per unique challenges that its members face: ‘crippled’ if they have reduced mobility or ‘retarded’ if they face intellectual challenges. Let’s instead call them Persons with Disability (PWD) as recommended in Mainstreaming Persons with Disabilities in Pakistan, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) report produced for the British Council.
Although the latest census astonishingly qualifies only 0.48% Pakistanis as PWDs, the EIU report estimates that the actual percentage is about 15% (nearly 27 million). The discrepancy arises from a shocking shortage of professionals who can diagnose intellectual disorders: 0.49 psychologists/ psychiatrists per 100,000 (2008 WHO report). Even when diagnosed, cultural barriers prohibit asking such questions during enumeration. Furthermore, a model disability survey conducted by the WHO in 2015 in Attock district also found the percentage to be 15%.
The report impressively recommends mainstreaming people with disabilities as productive and respectable contributors to society from being objects of pity, indifference or contempt. It establishes that people with disabilities are entitled to choice in life and livelihood like anyone else, and they should be so developed as to eventually contribute to economic and societal growth. This shatters the stereotype that PWDs should be hidden away from public view only to feed on charity. But then there is so much else ails the country, such as energy crisis, budget deficits and security challenges. Mainstreaming disadvantaged communities can wait — so goes the argument. Hold tight then because the EIU estimates that the cost of excluding PWDs from employment will exceed $20 billion per year in 2018. The cumulative loss will exceed the total investment in CPEC in only three years!
Meanwhile, the country faces a foreign exchange crisis, and the PM called upon the overseas Pakistanis to park their life savings in Pakistan. But parents to children with disabilities immigrate to developed world where their children not only access better facilities but are also considered a natural part of human diversity. Instead, in Pakistan, admitting disability can be disabling itself: conservative circles may shame the family as serving a punishment from God, while ‘milder’ critics diagnose parenting failures without lending a helping hand to exhausted parents, who themselves develop stress disorders.
Why should then such expatriates deposit lifeline of their children in a country where they have no future?
In 2011, Pakistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). The CRPD requires the signatories to bring persons with disabilities to forefront of public life. The EIU report offers several measures to this purpose; here are a few. First, do not confine children with disabilities to special schools; instead, the CRPD requires them to be taught in mainstream schools and well-supported according to a specialised ‘assessment of needs’. Teachers must be repeatedly trained to deal with special needs and Special Needs Assistants must also be present in class, where required. Schools must practise non-negotiable anti-bullying policies to protect these children.
Segregate PWDs into special centres only if they really need it; otherwise, it impedes their growth and breeds unfamiliarity in society. These centres must primarily act as integrated assessment units, and advise and monitor mainstream schools for delivery of services.
Enforce the legal quota of PWDs in employment (2% in a workforce of 100+) and collect fines when companies fall short.
Desensitise general public by assigning customer facing roles to PWDs. Pakistan already has such case studies from Telenor and MCR. These companies acknowledge that such initiatives are not charitable; instead, they allow tapping into a greater talent pool. Create visibility with parliamentary seats for people with disabilities; currently, there is none.
Essentially, the EIU report identifies attitudes as the most important barrier to persons with disabilities. After all, maturity of a society is measured by how it treats its most disadvantaged.
Sindh cabinet proposes to turn Governor House into museum
In its maiden meeting on Monday, the Sindh Cabinet took some important decisions that included declaring Thar and parts of Umerkot as drought-hit areas, allocation of land for a graveyard in Karachi and establishment of a desalination plant to provide drinking water to people of the port city. The meeting also discussed the matter of Governor House and proposed to turn it into a museum if left unutilised by the federal government.
The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. It was attended by all the eight ministers and two advisers who took oath on Sunday along with the chief secretary, inspector-general of police and other secretaries.
Addressing the cabinet, the CM said the last Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government had only passed a three-month budget to enable the caretaker and new government to make necessary expenditures till September. “Now, we have to make a new budget before September 30 and present it in the House,” he said. According to the CM, the financial condition of the province was not very good as it had not received the funds it was expecting from the federal government.
The cabinet also discussed a case being heard in the apex court regarding utilisation of luxury vehicles. The CM directed the chief secretary to put the item on the agenda of the next cabinet meeting so that appropriate action could be taken in this regard.
The cabinet also took up the issue of Governor House which would not be inhabited by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf governor as pledged by Prime Minister Imran Khan while he addressed the nation on Sunday. The CM asked a senior Board of Revenue (BoR) member, Iqbal Durrani, regarding the title of the property of Governor House.
The meeting was informed that Governor House belonged to the Sindh government. It was proposed that the building of Governor House be converted into a museum and its open space into a public park if the governor chose to vacate it.
Law and order
The IG and Home Secretary Mohammad Haroon briefed the cabinet about the law and order situation in the province.
The home secretary informed the cabinet that the overall law and order situation in the province was under control. Regarding security preparations for Eidul Azha, the meeting was informed that necessary instructions had been issued to commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs) and DIGs regarding maintenance of law and order and cleanliness during Eid.
All the DCs have been authorised to issue licences for collection and sale of animal hides during Eid after necessary verification and completion of legal formalities, the cabinet was informed.
The cabinet was also informed that a code of conduct had been issued in both English and Urdu regarding the collection of hides during Eid. The list of banned organisations had been publicised and provided to all the authorities concerned so that strict vigilance could be kept on their activities.
The IG briefed the cabinet on the monitoring of Sindh’s borders with Balochistan and Punjab. The CM recalled that terrorists were successful in carrying out an explosion in Shikarpur during last Eidul Azhar. He specifically directed the police to take strict measures in the entire belt of Jacobabad, Shikarpur and their adjoining districts.
Water crisis
While discussing water supply schemes in Karachi, the CM directed the local government minister to start work on war footing for a desalination plant in Karachi so that water issue in the city is resolved as early as possible.
Irrigation Secretary Jamal Shah informed the cabinet that water shortage had severely affected rice crop in the province.
The meeting was briefed that the provincial government was misled by an optimistic forecast issued by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) in March. According to the forecast, Sindh was to face 31% water shortage in early kharif season. Later, Irsa revised the estimate in another forecast to 42%. However, the actual water shortage was recorded at 58%, the cabinet was informed.
The irrigation department said construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam would help resolve water shortage for crops. The department also suggested adopting water conservation techniques to save water, including replacing conventional practices of irrigation to more efficient modern ways. It was also suggested that rice sowing season be delayed by one month.
The irrigation department proposed strict implementation of embargo on rice cultivation on command of perennial canals such as Rohri and Nara canals. The cabinet also discussed tapping underground water resources for agriculture and promotion of saline water agriculture. The department also suggested construction of Sehwan carrage complex with Manchhar Lake as reservoir and conversion of Phuleli Canal into a perennial canal.
Kinjhar, Haleji and Hadero lakes can also be developed as a reservoir for water supply to Karachi and KB Feeder, the CM remarked.
The CM directed cabinet members to visit barrages to get briefing on the spot and report him. Mir Shabbir Bijarani was asked to visit Guddu Barrage while Adviser to CM Mohammad Bux Maher was told to visit Sukkur Barrage. Visit to Kotri Barrage was assigned to Ismail Rahu while Syed Sardar Ali Shah and Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman were asked visit left bank canals of Sukkur Barrage.
The CM said he had banned cultivation of rice on the left bank of Indus River. He directed the chief secretary to seek reports from all the DCs concerned about rice cultivation on the left bank of the river so that action could be taken.
Thar drought
Durrani briefed the cabinet on drought situation in Thar.
The cabinet was informed that Mithi taluka received only 58 millimetres (mm) of rainfall between June and August. Islamkot received 24 mm, Diplo 51mm, Kaloi 10 mm, Chachhro 105 mm, Dahli 120 mm and Nagarparkar 40 mm of rainfall.
All the 167 dehs of all talukas of Tharparkar and 25 dehs of Umerkot were declared calamity-hit areas. The cabinet was informed that of the 1,617,175 total population of Thar, 216,206 people had been affected by drought.
The BoR recommended distribution of wheat and release of funds for relief work in the drought-affected areas. The cabinet approved a relief package for Thar which included free monthly distribution of 50 kilogrammes of wheat per family.
The CM tasked Zaman and Sardar with visiting Thar to recommend relief measures so that proper relief could be provided to the drought-affected people.
'Chinese-only colony' in Pakistan to house half a million Chinese nationals
The proposed city will be a financial district that Beijing is planning to set up in the Pakistan's port city of Gwadar to house Chinese workforce.
Taking its partnership with China a notch further, Pakistan is reportedly building a city to house half a million Chinese nationals at a cost of $150 million in port city of Gwadar. The planned city is a part of ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which aims to improve connectivity between the two countries.
According to a report in The Economic Times, only Chinese citizens will live in this gated zone, thereby paving way for China's colony within Pakistan. The proposed city will be a financial district that Beijing is planning to set up in the Pakistan's port city to house Chinese workforce.
China-Pak Investment Corporation has bought the 3.6-million square foot International Port City and will build a gated community for the anticipated 5,00,000 Chinese professionals who will be located by 2022, the report said.
The CPEC is Pakistan's most important national project that aims to revive the country's sputtering economy. Both Islamabad and Beijing have worked together on this 'flagship' project under the ambitious Belt and Road initiative (BRI) to develop railway infrastructure, pipelines, highways and maritime links. This is part of China's larger plan to gain influence in the region. Over 20 CPEC projects worth over $27 billion are currently being implemented all across Pakistan.
China already has exclusive townships for its citizens in Africa and Central Asia.
The first agreement between the two countries was signed in 2014, as per which China would invest in projects worth over $46 billion under the CPEC framework; the amount could grow up to $62 billion in a few years. In the name of CPEC, China has been consistently helping its 'all-weather friend' with financial loans.
Pakistan received $4.5 billion worth of loans from China in the fiscal year 2017-18 in addition to a $1.5 billion trade finance facility. In the preceding year, China had extended loans worth $3.9 billion to Pakistan. This year, China aims to pump in $2 billion to help Islamabad meet its foreign currency needs of which over $1 billion have already been disbursed.
In the last fiscal, Pakistan managed to obtain roughly $10 billion dollars to service the foreign debt. The CPEC repayments will start from 2020, and by 2024 Islamabad will have to pay Beijing $4.5 billion annually. This, in addition to the $22 billion capital goods import required in next three years for completion of these projects.
A Year On, Pakistan Still the Weak Link in U.S. South Asia Strategy
One year on, the Donald J. Trump administration's South Asia strategy has not resulted in definitive improvements along its pillars, and the Trump administration could do more to increase pressure on Pakistan, which remains a safe haven for terrorist groups.
One year ago, President Donald J. Trump outlined a new South Asia strategy in a speech at Fort Myer. In his speech, the president did three things: one, he shifted the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan from a timetable approach to a conditions-based approach; two, he publicly upbraided Pakistan for ostensibly being a U.S. ally while simultaneously providing safe haven to terrorists, the Afghan Taliban, and others; and three, he called upon India to do more in Afghanistan as an economic assistance and development partner.
Here’s what I wrote about this speech at the time: “The Not-So-New ‘New’ South Asia Strategy.” The upshot: the supposedly “new” approach drew on elements of the Barack Obama administration’s strategy that were already in place, and marked in many ways a continuation of past policies. (The president’s sharp remarks about Pakistan—“we can no longer be silent”—did mark a departure in tone, and certainly elevated the level of public U.S. dissatisfaction. Trump’s New Year’s Day tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit” further abandoned all diplomatic niceties.)
One year on, it’s fair to ask how things are going. The answer: not terribly well.
In Afghanistan, recent headlines show that the question of a negotiation with the Taliban is back on the table. This marks a step toward some kind of potential solution, but we know little about the content of these talks and whether they will succeed, drag on interminably, or fail. Continued Taliban attacks in Afghanistan, including in Ghazni most recently, create further confusion about the Taliban’s intentions; are they ready to discuss politics? Does renewed violence indicate a lack of interest in negotiation, or is the Taliban jockeying for a better bargaining position?
To the south, the Trump administration is trying disincentives to gain greater Pakistani cooperation on terror, after previous administrations attempted to use security assistance as an incentive. We are now eight months into this tougher approach. The Trump administration suspended all security assistance in January to increase pressure, and Pakistan has been named to the Financial Action Task Force “gray list” for its insufficient controls on financial flows to terrorist groups. Further, we learned earlier this month that Pakistani participation in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs has been curtailed. Has the assistance cut shaped Pakistan’s approach to fighting terrorists? Well, in Pakistan’s recent national elections, “hundreds with terror ties” ran for office. That doesn’t look like a country taking every step to tackle terrorism.
Pakistan just swore in a new prime minister, Imran Khan. His early statements have suggested interest in better ties with Afghanistan, with India, and with the United States. But Khan has a long record of blaming the region’s terrorist problem on the United States rather than on the terrorist groups themselves, or acknowledging the Pakistan army’s well-documented role in nurturing them. Moreover, it’s the military that makes key national security decisions in Pakistan. We shall see soon whether Khan can shape a different outcome. A Pakistan that remains a safe haven for terrorist groups that threaten stability in Afghanistan will—as has been the case for seventeen years—continue to undermine hard-won progress. That’s why Pakistan has been the weak link in regional strategies all these years.
What about the third element of the strategy, India’s role? U.S.-India ties continue to strengthen, despite ongoing problems on trade that the Trump administration has made worse. On the security and defense side, things are going well, though they could move faster. The first U.S.-India “2+2” ministerial meeting, bringing together Secretaries Mike Pompeo and Jim Mattis with their Indian counterparts, Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman, will be held in New Delhi on September 6. They are sure to discuss Afghanistan, where India is the fifth-largest bilateral donor. They are also sure to discuss the Chabahar port in Iran, India’s gateway to Afghanistan.
Unfortunately the snapback sanctions on Iran—due to the president’s decision to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in May of this year—create new uncertainty for India about this port. (More on this issue, plus some maps, here.) So the country that the president called upon to support further development in Afghanistan faces questions about its overland access to Afghanistan because of U.S. tensions with Iran. Indian strategic thinkers are worried. Here’s a special report on this complex issue from India’s Observer Research Foundation.
All this adds up to limited change, a year in, with the central questions still unanswered. Of course, prior to 9/11, Afghanistan was unstable and a source of regional and global terrorist activity. Against that yardstick, things have surely improved.
The Trump administration should give its strategy a little more time, and indeed could still take additional steps to ratchet up the pressure on Pakistan. These include actions such as those outlined in a 2017 report from the Hudson Institute, inclusive of revoking the “major non-NATO ally” designation, possibly barring individuals from travel to the United States, and holding out the prospect of the state sponsor of terror designation as a last resort.
But Americans are asking, rightly, how long the United States should support a continued presence there without clear markers of progress. I am not very hopeful that Pakistan will change course and help create a solution, but would welcome being surprised on this front.
https://www.cfr.org/blog/year-pakistan-still-weak-link-us-south-asia-strategy
Video - عید کے پر مسرت موقع پر قائد بلاول بھٹو کا قوم کو خصوصی پیغام..
عید کے پر مسرت موقع پر نوجوان قائد بلاول بھٹو صاحب کا قوم کو خصوصی پیغام..
— Shumaila Malik (@shumailaPPP) August 22, 2018
امید پاکستان بلاول بھٹو زرداری صاحب@BakhtawarBZ @BBhuttoZardari @FidaShaikhPPP @AseefaBZ @MediaCellPPP @MalaikaSRaza @FaryalTalpurPk @AAliZardari @drabdulqayoom @SeharKamran pic.twitter.com/uTjr50EijC
Bilawal urges the people to remember less fortunate brethren on Eidul Azha
In a message on the occasion, he urged the people to remember on this festive occasion their less fortunate brethren who are deprived and are shackled by poverty by sharing with them the God gifted bountiesbestowed on us.
On this occasion our thoughts also go to those who have laid down their lives in fighting against militants and extremists, he said.
It is because of their sacrifices that we are able to celebrate this Eid. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to them, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
“Eid-ul-Azha is readiness to sacrifice for a cause. Let us therefore on this occasion also pledge to strive for a cause larger than one’s own self. May the blessings of Eid ul Azha remain with you all,” PPP Chairman stated.
Bilawal Bhutto felicitates nation on Eid ul Azha
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Chairman Pakistan People’s Party has felicitated the Muslims throughout the world and particularly those in Pakistan on the occasion of Eidul Azha being celebrated on Wednesday.
In a message on the occasion, he urged the people to remember on this festive occasion their less fortunate brethren who are deprived and are shackled by poverty by sharing with them the God gifted bounties bestowed on us.
On this occasion our thoughts also go to those who have laid down their lives in fighting against militants and extremists, he said.
It is because of their sacrifices that we are able to celebrate this Eid. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to them, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
“Eid-ul-Azha is readiness to sacrifice for a cause. Let us therefore on this occasion also pledge to strive for a cause larger than one’s own self. May the blessings of Eid ul Azha remain with you all,” PPP Chairman stated.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2018/08/21/bilawal-bhutto-felicitates-nation-on-eid-ul-azha/
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
US Concerned Over Presence Of Terrorist Groups In Pakistan: Official
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Alice Wells said Afghanistan needs to be "stitched back into the region" and that includes both north-south trade as well as east-west trade. The US has expressed concern over terrorist groups continuing to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan and is asking the country to do more against "externally oriented" extremist outfits, a top official in the Trump administration said. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Alice Wells at the same time welcomed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks on the importance of having peace on both sides of the country's borders.
"Pakistan has an important role to play in furthering stability in Afghanistan. We have expressed our concern over the fact that terrorist proxy groups continue to be able to enjoy safe haven in Pakistan. We are urging the government to do more to bring pressure to bear against these organisations, externally oriented terrorists groups," Wells told reporters yesterday.
She was asked whether the US has seen any progress in its demand that Pakistan take action against terror groups like the Haqqani network and Taliban.
Wells was addressing a Foreign Press Centre video conference from Washington on 'US Policy in the Indian Ocean Region' during which she previewed her upcoming travel to the Indian Ocean Conference hosted by the India Foundation in Hanoi on August 27-28.
Wells said the US looks forward to working with the new government of Pakistan and "we welcome the words of Prime Minister Imran Khan when he discussed the importance of having peace on both sides of Pakistan's borders."
Responding to questions on Afghanistan and the security situation in the region, she said Pakistan "obviously" has a critical role to play in the stabilization of Afghanistan.
"We have encouraged Pakistan to take stronger steps to ensure that the Taliban either come to the negotiating table or expelled back into Afghanistan rather than enjoy safe haven outside of the country."
She noted that Pakistan and Afghanistan have embarked over the last several months on an effort to improve the bilateral relationship with the negotiation of a solidarity document which the US strongly supports.
"At a time when President Ashraf Ghani has been so forward leaning in putting forward a peace proposal that the international community has rallied around, at a time when the Afghan people are calling for peace...this is the time for all parties to come to the negotiating table and we very much look to Pakistan to reinforce that message," she said.
On a question on President Donald Trump's South Asia Strategy announced last year encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Central Asian nations and extending into Southeast Asia, Wells said the South Asia strategy "obviously pointed to the role that India can and should play in supporting the stabilisation of Afghanistan."
"I think that was one of the key new features of the strategy, tapping what has been India's three billion dollar commitment to date upto 2020 in support of Afghanistan's economic development." Wells said Afghanistan needs to be "stitched back into the region" and that includes both north-south trade as well as east-west trade.
"We welcome the fact that India has stepped up and has evinced this new commitment and enjoys a strategic relationship with Afghanistan that does not have to come at the expense of any other country in the region."
During the press briefing, Wells previewed her upcoming travel to the Indian Ocean Conference and how it supports the Trump administration's Indo-Pacific strategy. The annual conference, hosted by the India Foundation along with its partners from Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, will focus on the theme of 'Building Regional Architectures'.
شاباش بلاول بھٹو اور عمران خان کا خطاب
سہیل وڑائچ نے اپنے ایک کالم میں یووال نوح ہراری کی کتاب
کیا ہے اور بونوں کی اس نسل کا حوالہ دیا ہے جن کی وراثت ہم تک پہنچی ہے۔ آج ہم اسی کتاب سے ایک واقعہ آپ کے سامنے پیش کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔ آپ کو یاد ہو گا کہ جولائی 1969 میں انسان نے چاند کی سطح پر قدم رکھا تھا۔ چاند پر پہنچنے سے کئی مہینے پہلے امریکی خلابازوں کو مغربی امریکہ کے ایک ایسے ریگستانی علاقے میں تربیت دی جا رہی تھی جس کے بارے میں خیال تھا کہ وہ چاند کی سطح جیسا ہو گا۔ اس علاقے میں امریکہ کے اصل باشندے (ریڈ انڈینز) ابھی موجود تھے۔ کہتے ہیں ایک دن امریکہ کا ایک بوڑھا اصل باشندہ ان خلابازوں کو وہاں ملا۔ اس نے پو چھا ’’آپ لوگ یہاں کیا کر رہے ہیں؟‘‘ جب خلا بازوں نے اسے بتایا کہ ہم چاند پر جانے کی تیاریاں کر رہے ہیں، تو وہ چند لمحے خاموش رہا، پھر بولا ’’آپ ایک مہربانی کر سکتے ہیں؟‘‘ خلا بازوں نے جواب دیا ’’کیوں نہیں؟ بتائو کیا کرنا ہے؟‘‘ وہ بوڑھا بولا ’’ہمارے قبیلے کے لوگوں کا عقیدہ ہے کہ چاند پر مقدس روحیں رہتی ہیں۔ کیا آپ ان روحوں کو میرے قبیلے کا پیغام پہنچا دیں گے؟‘‘ خلا بازوں نے پوچھا ’’کیا پیغام ہے؟‘‘ اس پر اس بوڑھے نے اپنی زبان میں کچھ کہا اور خلا بازوں سے کہا ’’میں جو کہہ رہا ہوں اسے بار بار دہرائو تاکہ تمہیں یہ ازبر ہو جائے۔‘‘ خلا بازوں نے سوال کیا کہ اس کا مطلب کیا ہے؟ تو بوڑھے نے جواب دیا ’’یہ میں تمہیں نہیں بتا سکتا۔ یہ ایک راز ہے جو صرف میرے قبیلے اور چاند کی مقدس روحوں کو ہی جاننے کی اجازت ہے‘‘۔ خلا بازوں نے بوڑھے کے بتائے ہوئے جملے یاد کر لیے۔ تربیت کے بعد جب وہ اپنے اڈے پر واپس پہنچے تو انہوں نے کسی ایسے آدمی کی تلاش شروع کر دی جو بوڑھے کی بات کا ترجمہ کر سکے۔ بسیار تلاش کے بعد آخر ایک آدمی ایسا مل گیا جو وہ زبان جانتا تھا۔ خلا بازوں نے اس کے سامنے وہی دہرایا جو اس بوڑھے نے انہیں یاد کرایا تھا۔ یہ سن کر وہ آدمی پہلے تو خوب ہنسا، پھر کہنے لگا کہ آپ نے اتنی محنت سے جو جملہ یاد کیا ہے، اس کا مطلب ہے ’’یہ لوگ کچھ بھی کہیں، ان کے ایک لفظ کا بھی اعتبار نہ کرنا۔ یہ آپ کی زمین ہتھیانے آئے ہیں‘‘۔ یہاں یہ واقعہ درج کرنے کا ہرگز وہ مقصد نہیں ہے جو آپ سمجھ رہے ہیں۔ ہمارا مقصد تو صرف وہ واقعہ بیان کرنا ہے جو اس کتاب میں موجود ہے۔ اب لگے ہاتھوں ہم یہ بھی بتا دیں کہ امریکی خلا نورد جو پتھریلی مٹی چاند سے لائے تھے اس کا کچھ حصہ ہمارے گھر میں بھی موجود ہے۔ ان دنوں امریکی پاکستان پر بہت مہربان تھے (سوویت یونین کے مقابلے کی وجہ سے)۔ لاہور میں امریکی سنٹر موجود تھا۔ اس سنٹر کے ڈائریکٹر شیشے کے ایک جار میں بند وہ مٹی اٹھائے پاکستان کے شہر شہر گھوم رہے تھے۔ اب اسے ہماری خوش قسمتی ہی کہہ لیجئے کہ ان ڈائریکٹر صاحب نے چاند کی مٹی والے جار کے ساتھ ہماری تصویر بھی کھینچی تھی۔ یہ تاریخی تصویر ہمارے گھر کی زینت ہے۔ خیر، آپ اسے جملہ ہائے معترضہ سمجھ لیجئے۔ ہم نے تو یہ کالم صرف اپنی اس خوشی کا اظہار کرنے کے لیے باندھا ہے کہ پاکستان کے سیاسی افق پر ایک روشن ستارہ نمودار ہو گیا ہے۔ ہالی وڈ کی ایک بہت ہی مقبول فلم تھی A Star is Born۔تو صاحب، وزیر اعظم کے الیکشن کے دن بلا ول بھٹو نے جو تقریر کی اسے سن کر ہمارے منہ سے بے ساختہ نکلا A Star is Born۔اس دن عمران خان نے تو ثابت کیا کہ وہ ذرا سے اشتعال پر بھی پھلجھڑی کی طرح بھڑک اٹھتے ہیں۔ اب ہم کیا کہیں، سب یہی کہہ رہے ہیں کہ وہ کسی ایسے سیاسی رہنما کی تقریر نہیں تھی جو وزیر اعظم کا عہدہ سنبھال رہا ہے بلکہ کنٹینر پر کھڑے اورغصے میں بھرے ہوئے کسی اپوزیشن لیڈر کی تقریر تھی۔ شاہ محمود قریشی کا یہ کہنا کہ عمران خان کہنا تو کچھ اور چاہتے تھے لیکن نون لیگ کے شور شرابے نے انہیں غصہ دلا دیا تھا، ایک ایسی معذرت اور ایسی صفائی ہے جس پر خود انہیں بھی یقین نہیں ہو گا۔
وہ
سیاسی رہنما ہی کیا جو ذرا سے ہنگامے پر ہتھے سے اکھڑ جائے؟ اب رہے شہباز شریف؟ تونعرے بازی ان کی پرانی عادت ہے۔ یہ عادت ان کا پیچھا چھوڑ ہی نہیں سکتی۔ وہ اس کے بغیر رہ ہی نہیں سکتے۔ لیکن اسی ہنگامے اور اسی شور شرابے میں نوجوان اور نووارد بلاول بھٹو نے بھی تقریر کی۔ کیا تحمل تھا، کیسی بردباری تھی اور کیا سیاسی پختگی تھی۔ ماتھے پر بل ڈالے بغیر نہایت ہی نپے تلے الفاظ میں اس نوجوان نے وہ تمام باتیں کہہ دیں جو شور شرابہ کرنے اور نعرے لگانے والے نہیں کہہ سکے۔ یہ اس کے بولنے کا مدبرانہ انداز اور الفاظ کا چنائو ہی تو تھا کہ جب اس نے ’’وزیر اعظم سلیکٹ‘‘ کہا تو عمران خان اور شاہ محمود قریشی سمجھ ہی نہ سکے کہ ان پر کتنی بھاری چوٹ کر دی گئی ہے۔ ان دونوں نے آ گے جھک کر ڈیسک بجائے اور بلاول کی تعریف کی۔ بعد میں وہ ضرور پریشان ہوئے ہوں گے کہ ہم نے یہ کیا کر دیا۔ اب کہا جا رہا ہے کہ بلاول کو یہ تقریر اردو میں کرنا چا ہیے تھی تاکہ سب کی سمجھ میں آتی۔ آپ فکر نہ کیجئے، تھوڑا توقف کر لیجئے۔ اگر اسی طرح بلاول کو موقع ملتا رہا تو وہ اردو میں بھی تقریر کرنے لگے گا اور یہ موقع آصف علی زرداری کو فراہم کرنا ہو گا۔ انہیں مان لینا چاہیے کہ اب ان کا وقت ختم ہو چکا ہے۔ اب بلاول کا وقت اور بلاول کا زمانہ ہے۔ اگر پیپلز پارٹی کا سنہری ماضی واپس لانا ہے تو زرداری صاحب کو گھر میں بیٹھنا ہو گا اور پارٹی بلاول کے ہاتھ میں دینا ہو گی۔
اتوار کی رات عمران خان نے وزیر اعظم کی حیثیت سے قوم سے جو خطاب کیا ہے ہمیں اس کا خیر مقدم کرنا چاہیے۔ انہوں نے ایک گھنٹے سے زیادہ کے خطاب میں ایک ایک کر کے ان تمام مسائل کی نشاندہی کی ہے جو اس ملک اور اس قوم کو درپیش ہیں۔ اس کے ساتھ ہی انہوں نے ان مسائل کا حل بھی بتایا ہے۔ اگرچہ یہ وہ حل ہے جس کا ذکر وہ اس سے پہلے بھی بار بار کرتے رہے ہیں لیکن پہلے وہ وزیر اعظم نہیں تھے، اب وہ وزیر اعظم ہیں۔ اس لئے ان سے توقع ہے کہ انہوں نے اپنے خطاب میں جو وعدے کیے ہیں وہ انہیں پورا کر کے بھی دکھائیں گے۔ انہوں نے تو یہاں تک کہہ دیا ہے کہ ان کے مجوزہ پروگرام پر عمل ہو جانے کے بعد پاکستان اس قابل ہو جائے گا کہ دوسرے ملکوں سے امداد لینے کے بجائے وہ خود دوسرے غریب ملکوں کی مدد کرے گا۔ تری آواز مکے اور مدینے۔ اس سے اچھی بات اور کیا ہو سکتی ہے۔ تو کیا ایسا نہیں ہو سکتا کہ عمران خان ہر مہینے اسی طرح قوم سے خطاب کیا کریں اور قوم کو یہ بتایا کریں کہ اب تک ان کے پروگرام پر کہاں تک عمل ہو گیا ہے اور اب ان کے پروگرام نے کیا رخ اختیار کیا ہے؟
https://jang.com.pk/news/538360
#Pakistan - #EidMubarak - Bilawal Bhutto felicitates nation on Eid ul Azha
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Chairman Pakistan People’s Party has felicitated the Muslims throughout the world and particularly those in Pakistan on the occasion of Eidul Azha being celebrated on Wednesday.
In a message on the occasion, he urged the people to remember on this festive occasion their less fortunate brethren who are deprived and are shackled by poverty by sharing with them the God gifted bounties bestowed on us.
On this occasion our thoughts also go to those who have laid down their lives in fighting against militants and extremists, he said.
It is because of their sacrifices that we are able to celebrate this Eid. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to them, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
“Eid-ul-Azha is readiness to sacrifice for a cause. Let us therefore on this occasion also pledge to strive for a cause larger than one’s own self. May the blessings of Eid ul Azha remain with you all,” PPP Chairman stated.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/
Monday, August 20, 2018
Saudi Arabia is using Canada to test a wobbling international order
But it's far from a foregone conclusion that liberalism has completely lost its global ideological hold.
The unusual fit of rage with which Saudi Arabia reacted to Canada's routine criticism of the kingdom's human rights situation is a reflection of not just the nature of the current regime in Riyadh, but also of the transitory world order in which we are now living.
The diplomatic row, wherein the petulant Saudis have recalled their ambassador from Ottawa and threatened to pull out thousands of their students and patients from Canadian universities and hospitals, is emblematic of a liberal international system that is wobbling, though it still has proponents.
By now, it is evident that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a hardliner who does not brook any dissent against the kingdom's monarchical absolutism. His loosening of social restrictions on Saudi women and imposition of restraints on the conservative Wahhabi clerical establishment impressed many, but political persecution of activists has simultaneously increased since the 32-year-old crown prince became the de facto king in 2017.
Partial reforms
The liberalisation bin Salman is overseeing through measures like introducing cinema to an entertainment-starved Saudi society is a controlled experiment, with no room for political opening-up. Like Deng Xiaoping in China of the 1980s, bin Salman is attempting a two-faced manoeuvre of partial reforms that act as a safety valve to let off steam in the pressure cooker, while keeping the lid of monarchical authoritarianism in place.
Bin Salman's progressive plan to reduce his country's dependence on oil through his "Vision 2030" program, while at the same time detaining thousands of political prisoners reveals the paradox of the Chinese-style reform model that he has adopted. Such a contradictory and selective reform agenda produces externalities that complicate a country's foreign policy. Bin Salman expects appreciation and applause from the international community for his bold, symbolic step to grant Saudi women the right to drive. But instead, Western liberals are pointing fingers at the underlying structural iniquities which continue to impair human rights in Saudi Arabia.
Here's where Canada comes in. Under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada has made advocacy for universal rights central to its foreign policy agenda. He confronted Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte about the wave of extrajudicial killings he has carried out in the name of a "war on drugs" — so trenchantly, in fact, that Duterte decried it as a "personal and official insult."
Trudeau also delivered what was called a "very direct" talk with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi over state violence and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya minorities. At international forums, Trudeau has been forthright about Canada's own dark history of its treatment of Indigenous peoples.
Trudeau's championing of human rights and democracy distinguishes Canada from the path the United States is pursuing under President Donald Trump. Indeed, the more Trump has assaulted liberal values of tolerance, multilateral cooperation and human dignity, the deeper Trudeau seems to have dug in to defend them.
Together with French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trudeau forms a triumvirate within the West that is resisting the populist, nationalistic tide that has inverted domestic and foreign policy priorities of industrialised nations. Tweets and statements from the Trudeau government condemning Saudi Arabia have to be understood in this broader context.
Yielding to China
There are, of course, limits to Trudeau's idealism. He has not sermonized to China over its deteriorating human rights record under President Xi Jinping, presumably because the stakes of China-Canada trade ($93 billion in 2017) and investment are sizeable. Nor has Trudeau stood up for environmental protection as much as activists and civil society movements would wish.
Yet in spite of the constraints and compromises of practical diplomacy, a seasoned ideological liberal like Trudeau cannot be deterred from slamming a rank abusive country like Saudi Arabia. Bin Salman's foreign policy score sheet has thus far been a series of reckless blunders based on illusions. His military entanglements in Yemen and Syria, and his political arm-twisting of Qatar and Lebanon to beat back the challenge from Iran, have backfired.
The assumption behind his diplomatic tussle against Canada seems to be that the liberal world order has already caved in, and authoritarian governments now have untrammelled freedom to crush dissent at home and browbeat opponents abroad. The Saudi reckoning appears to be that with Trump heading the anti-liberal camp and several right-wing populist European countries joining it, the time is ripe to vigorously counter and corner liberal holdouts like Canada.Going by the detached American — and even British — attitude to the Saudi diplomatic offensive against Canada, Riyadh might reason that Trudeau is indeed marginalized in the emerging new international system. The fact that Canada's historic allies have not lined up solidly behind Trudeau as he locks horns with bin Salman does indicate Canada's relative isolation. It also speaks volumes about the liberal versus conservative/populist polarization sharply dividing Western democracies, which had hitherto formed a fairly coherent ideological bloc.
But if Trudeau has been shortchanged by Trump, then over-reliance on Trump has cost bin Salman dearly too. Saudi Arabia tried to bully Qatar into submission in 2017 by banking on the expectation of undiluted American support. Doha rode out the storm and eventually secured reaffirmation as a top U.S. ally. The mercurial Trump reversed himself and heaped fulsome praise on Qatar in April 2018, much to the chagrin of the Saudis.
Trump has previously mocked Trudeau as "dishonest and weak," a broadside that may have emboldened the crown prince to go after Canada. But with Canada standing by its objections to denial of political rights in Saudi Arabia, bin Salman has scored nothing more than a self-goal that highlights the kingdom's vulnerabilities.
By escalating the row with Canada, bin Salman has attracted adverse international publicity to Saudi Arabia's jailing and ill-treatment of young human rights activists like Samar and Raif Badawi. Ironically, the unwanted foreign attention from which bin Salman seeks to shield Saudi Arabia is likely to intensify as a result of his Canadian misadventure, not lessen.
It is far from a foregone conclusion that liberalism has completely lost its international ideological hold. No one can be sure of the final result of what is shaping up to be a zigzag tug-of-war between liberalism and populism. And until this epic contest is settled, bin Salman would be wiser to err on the side of caution rather than his trademark brashness.
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