Saturday, November 9, 2019
Bilawal calls upon courts to deliver justice to Benazir
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday questioned that when would his mother and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto get justice.
Addressing Multan Bar Association here, the PPP chief said he and his family have stood witness to the kind of justice imparted by the judicial system in Pakistan. “Today, we are still talking, thinking and fighting for justice, democracy and human rights,” he said, adding, “You can’t simply separate this struggle from the Bhutto family […] those who performed the legislation were hanged.”
“We respect our honourable judges and lawyers who fought against dictatorship and stood by democracy,” he said, while praising brave judges who, despite oppression, wrote dissenting notes which had put their lives at risk. “Ten years ago, then president Zardari sent a presidential reference to the Supreme Court to review the judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, but after 10 years, I went and knocked on the doors of the court and tried to become party in the petition but we are still waiting for justice,” he said.
“In Naya Pakistan, there shouldn’t be any place for political victimisation […] in Naya Pakistan, we are still facing fake cases,” he said, while asking for the release of Zardari in all cases. “Why new laws are made for PPP?” he asked.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/496328/bilawal-calls-upon-courts-to-deliver-justice-to-benazir/
Pakistan authorities demolish mosque of Ahmadi Muslims - Op-Ed - What ails Pakistan
Yasser Latif Hamdani
While the powers that be and politicians fight for the control of the state, there are festering wounds in our body politic that remain unaddressed. Real issues are persistently ignored and swept under the carpet with devastating results.On Friday yet another Ahmadi “place of worship” was desecrated by the state in Bahawalpur. Countless individuals remain behind bars on blasphemy charges including the young professor Junaid Hafeez. Countless young women from minority communities will continue to converted forcibly to Islam in Sindh. The Federal Capital will see yet another Dharna where inevitably religion will be misused. Fundamental rights such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression will continue be trampled for political expediency and freedom of press will continue to be denied. Meanwhile the economy continues to nosedive. By February 2020, we may even be on the FATF blacklist. Our brightest minds continue to flee the country. Such is the state of affairs in Pakistan in the closing months of 2019.
The tragedy is that this country has everything that can make it one of the leading economies of the world. It is blessed with geography, climate and a rich cultural heritage that should make it the destination of choice for tourists. It has mega cities like Karachi and Lahore and a capital city that ought to be the envy of the world. The Government tells us that Pakistan has jumped 28 places on the Ease of Doing Business index. Yet the tourists by and large do not want to come to Pakistan and hardly anyone wants to do business with us. This is because of the festering wounds. We have an image problem and all of it is our own doing. The powers that be have always tried to be clever by half and in the process ruined the country. They lost us half the country in 1971 and since then we have slipped deeper into the abyss. We have dug ourselves into a hole we cannot dig out of. It is important to take stock of it.
Consider the so-called religion card. We could learn much from history. When Gandhi invoked Ram Rajya, he did not have Modi in mind. He was warned against it but he did not listen. When the framers of Objectives’ Resolution in Pakistan tried to strike the balance between religion and modern democracy in 1949, they probably could not imagine General Zia ulHaq and his 11 years in power. They too were warned but did not listen. Today the PTI government speaks about Maulana Fazlur Rahman using the religion card but they fail to realize that their own rhetoric has opened the door. What the Prime Minister does not realize is that while he might interpret Riyasat-e-Medina as a progressive and humane democracy, there may be others who might have a very different idea of what that means. Then there is the obvious misuse of religion that PTI engaged in with their unthinking support of TLP in 2017. Who would want to visit such a country or invest in it? No number of Royal Visits will change the perception that the world has.
The only way this country can progress is through an unwavering and uncompromising stand on civilian rule, liberal democracy and a practical separation of religion from state.
So what do we do? The old man had it right when he spoke on 11 August 1947, but it was too fine for philistines. Yet it really is the only panacea for our ills. Hence one harps about it. Nothing less than a faithful implementation will do. That is easier said than done. We have gone too far into the deep end to do it though. Hence we have a decaying and rusting state that creaks more than it works. Instead of concentrating wholly and solely on the well being of the poor in the country and delivering them from illiteracy and poverty, we are more interested in point scoring. Corruption is a symptom of the disease not its cause. Cause is the cynical manner in which the powers that be have run it. Consequently we have not been able to foster a genuine spirit of selflessness and public service. Everyone is in it for themselves.
The ruling party had come on the promise of change but what change do we see in this government. The people who were the aiders and abettors of General Musharraf are in power yet again. While civilian politicians continue to be punished for crimes real and imagined, the military dictator who did much harm not just to the country but to his own institution continues to live a happy life abroad. The last minute de-notification of the prosecution team in the case against him is just another example of his friends taking care of him. Musharraf had spoken a great game on some of these key issues but eventually the unconstitutional and illegal nature of his regime forced him to make compromises that meant that his much-vaunted idea of enlightened moderation turned out to be a farce. When he left power in 2008, he had virtually rolled back all that he had attempted to bring about in the beginning. In the final analysis though he had promised to be Pakistan’s Ataturk, Musharraf was no better than General Zia. This should have been a cautionary tale for those who think anything good can come out of unconstitutional regimes and really the fruits of a poisonous tree can never be wholesome. Yet powers that be went back to the drawing board. Today Pakistan is something less than a hybrid. Since August 2018, Pakistan has ceased to be a democratic state all but in name.
The only way this country can progress is through an unwavering and uncompromising stand on civilian rule, liberal democracy and a practical separation of religion from state. If these three things are achieved, Pakistan will rise and these are sine qua non for its progress. Unless this happens we are bound to go in circles that we have been stuck in ever since independence.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/490614/what-ails-pakistan-2/
#Pakistan - Nimrita’s Murder
The final post mortem report of Nimrita, a student who was found dead in her hostel in Larkana, suggests that she was sexually assaulted and died due to asphyxiation. The initial speculation made by the police and university administration was that she had committed suicide but no evidence confirmed the idea. Sexual assault and murder are quite prevalent in Pakistan and the murder of Nimrita reaffirms this fact. Nimrita’s brother Dr Vishal, a medical consultant at Dow Medical College in Karachi, had told the media that the marks around her neck suggested that she had not committed suicide. He had further claimed that the marks on her neck looked like those made by cable wires, while the wounds on her arms suggested that someone was holding her down.
Now that the reason for her death has been affirmed, it is imperative that the government takes action. They should question the security provided by the university to the students residing in the hostel. A steady investigation should also be launched to find the culprits behind the act and penalise them in order to set a precedent. It is even more important to safeguard the minorities of this country due to the prevalent bias against them, which undermines their safety.
The judicial inquiry was also made on the request of Nimrita’s brother, whereas, the judge at the Sindh High Court (SHC) was reluctant to initiate the inquiry due to a lack of fulfillment of bureaucratic norms. In cases of assault, the government should urge law enforcement agencies to be more responsive and initiate an investigation as soon as possible. At the same time, the courts should also be vigilant to provide any support they can in order to assist in the matter.
https://nation.com.pk/08-Nov-2019/nimrita-s-murder
#Pakistan - The army and politics
Addressing the JUI-F’s Islamabad sit-in, Maulana Fazlur Rehman complained of interference from above in every election in the past, including the one in 2018. He called on the Army to stop this or it would become controversial. Later, PPP chief Bilwal Bhutto-Zardari maintained that the Army’s presence inside and outside polling stations in the 2018 elections had made it controversial which should not have happened. Responding to the criticism, the DG ISPR has claimed that the Army is not interested in politics. “The country’s defence doesn’t allow us to answer such allegations,” he said. “We are busy in defending the country.”
While the DG ISPR’s reply to the Maulana provides some clarification on the matter, a perception has now been formed that the army is heavily involved in politics no matter how far it may be from reality. And recent events have contributed to this. How does one explain the phenomenon of the TLP? How come the party which claimed that it did not believe in the country’s Constitution was allowed to occupy Faizabad, paralysing all traffic between Rawalpindi and Islamabad for about three weeks? Who paid money to its workers for traveling back home? A supreme court judge asked the same questions in his decision on the Faizabad dharna and is currently being tried by SJC- the merits, timing and urgency of the case against him have been questioned by senior members of the legal fraternity.
There was a time when many people in Pakistan believed whatever was said by Army spokesmen. But things have changed after Army dictators ruled the country directly for 30 years and indirectly controlled it for the rest. Pakistan was made to pay a heavy price on account of the acts of commission and omission by military rulers including the separation of East Pakistan under Gen Yahya Khan, the loss of Siachen under Gen Zia ul Haq and a costly military misadventure under Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Currently the media in Pakistan is facing an unprecedented level of censorship and control that no particular institution wants to own up to it making it all the more suspicious. But there is a good idea where instruction, directions and advice originate from. Unfortunately for them the electronic media has demolished all iron curtains with the result that things kept secret in the past can no more be hidden.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/11/07/the-army-and-politics/
Bilawal alleges Zardari not given access to specialist doctors, personal physician
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto on Tuesday alleged that his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, has not been given access to specialist doctors and his personal physician.
"Our family is increasingly concerned about his health. If anything happens to our father, this government will be held responsible," he said on Twitter. Zardari was brought to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on Oct 22 and admitted to the cardiology department’s VIP ward. He underwent a number of tests and was declared to be out of danger.
The former president had complaints of backache, weakness and anxiety.
On Monday, a medical board at Pims attached Zardari to a Holter monitor to check variations in his heartbeat.
“The device has been put on because of the continuous variation in the patient’s heartbeat,” Pims media coordinator Dr Waseem Khawaja told Dawn.
He added that the patient would stay at the hospital until all his tests come back normal.
A Holter monitor is a battery-operated portable device that measures and records the heart’s activity for 24 to 48 hours, or longer, depending on the type of monitoring used.A Cardiac Centre doctor said the device has four or five electrodes that are attached to the chest.
He said patients are put on the device when they complain of dizziness because this can occur due to a low heartbeat. “Zardari is sick, as he is diabetic, has arthritis and has received stents,” he said, adding that he had all these medical issues when he was president as well.
PPP leader Rehman Malik, a day earlier, sought relief for Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on the pattern of legal remedy provided to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam.“Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur are high-profile under-trial political personalities and they must not be treated like convicted prisoners,” he remarked.
Zardari was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 10 after cancellation of his pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court in the fake bank accounts case.
Prior to his arrest, additional prosecutor general of NAB Jahanzeb Bharwana had told the court that the anti-graft watchdog was investigating billions of rupees transactions through 28 bank accounts for which the investigation team required custody of the accused persons.
Shahbaz 'deeply concerned'
Also on Tuesday, PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif said he was "deeply concerned and extremely alarmed" over Zardari's ailment.
"The government must ensure the provision of the former President's legal rights. Adequate medical treatment is Asif Ali Zardari's basic human and legal right!" the former Punjab chief minister tweeted.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1515043
Bilawal Bhutto vows to keep fight on for public rights
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari says he will continue his fight for the people’s rights as the “selected” government has failed to resolve their issues.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he was happy to be in Muzaffargarh because of district’s attachment to his party. In 2008, the PPP won all five NA seats from the district, in 2013 one and in 2018 three seats. He said he visited the district during electioneering and his campaign was disrupted; later, on July 25, the polls were rigged and “selected” government was installed. He said in his first speech on the floor of the house, he asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to meet his promise of jobs and housing. He said accountability was for opposition parties only and his father former president Asif Ali Zardari was in illegal detention.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1515714
He said this at a big rally here on Friday at the same venue where his mother Benazir Bhutto addressed a rally just two days before her assassination in December 2007.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he was happy to be in Muzaffargarh because of district’s attachment to his party. In 2008, the PPP won all five NA seats from the district, in 2013 one and in 2018 three seats. He said he visited the district during electioneering and his campaign was disrupted; later, on July 25, the polls were rigged and “selected” government was installed. He said in his first speech on the floor of the house, he asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to meet his promise of jobs and housing. He said accountability was for opposition parties only and his father former president Asif Ali Zardari was in illegal detention.
He said the PPP government in 2008 brave terrorism, recession and calamities but despite all these odds, the government accorded relief to farmers and government officials. The incumbent government, however, devalued currency and increased prices of kitchen items. The charged crowd chanted slogans after him: “Go, selected, go”.
Earlier, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, MNAs Raza Rabbani Khar, Mehr Irshad Sial and Nawab Iftikhar Ahmed, and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also spoke.PPP MNAs came to the venue with big processions. The party wanted to have the rally at the Faisal Stadium but the deputy commissioner allowed the event in the college sports ground.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1515714
Pakistan Failed to ‘Significantly Limit’ Funding, Recruitment by LeT, JeM on its Soil: US Report
Taking note of Pakistan's efforts in connection to the implementation of conditions laid down by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the US slammed the country for failing to uniformly implement UN sanctions against outfits like LeT and its affiliates.Pakistan has failed to “significantly limit” major terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) from funding, recruiting and training their fighters on its soil and has allowed candidates “overtly” affiliated with their front organisations to contest the general elections in July last year, according to a report released by the US State Department. According to the ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2018’, Pakistan has failed to restrict the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network from operating in safe havens on its soil, despite Islamabad’s open support for a political reconciliation between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government. While the report noted Pakistan’s efforts in connection to the implementation of conditions laid down by Financial Action Task Force (FATF), it slammed the country for failing to uniformly implement UN sanctions against outfits like LeT and its affiliates. “Although the Pakistani government voiced support for political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban, it did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network (HQN) from operating in Pakistan-based safe havens and threatening the US and Afghan forces in Afghanistan,” it said.“The government failed to significantly limit Lashkar e- Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) from raising money, recruiting, and training in Pakistan – and allowed candidates overtly affiliated with LeT front organisations to contest the July general elections,” the report said, referring to the Milli Muslim League (MML) founded by global terrorist Hafiz Saeed, which fielded candidates in the 2018 polls.The document highlighted significant terror attacks in Pakistan in 2018, which was conducted by several outfits like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), and the sectarian group Lashkar-e- Jhangvi al-Alami (LJA).
“Pakistan experienced significant terrorist threats in 2018, although the number of attacks and casualties has continued to decrease from previous years. The major terrorist groups that focused on conducting attacks in Pakistan included Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jamaat-ul- Ahrar (JuA), Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), and the sectarian group Lashkar-e- Jhangvi al-Alami (LJA). ISIS-K claimed several major attacks against Pakistani targets, some of which may have been conducted in collaboration with other terrorist groups,” the report said.Terror groups conducted attacks against governmental, non-governmental, and diplomatic targets in Balochistan and Sindh provinces, it continued. “Groups located in Pakistan, but focused on conducting attacks outside the country, included the Afghan Taliban, HQN, LeT and its affiliated front organisations, and JeM. Terrorists used a range of tactics to attack individuals, schools, markets, government institutions, and places of worship, including IEDs, VBIEDs, suicide bombings, targeted assassinations, and rocket-propelled grenades,” the report underlined. The terror outfits targetted civilians, journalists, community leaders, security forces, law enforcement agents, and schools killing and injuring hundreds in 2018, the report noted adding, that religious minorities faced significant threats from the terror groups. The report said that Pakistan, being a member of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a FATF-style regional body, agreed to implement international standards to combat money laundering, terrorism finance, and proliferation finance. While the country “criminalises terrorist financing through the Antiterrorism Act, the implementation remains uneven”. “In June 2018, the FATF placed Pakistan on its ‘grey list’ for deficiencies across its AML/CFT regimes, specifically citing concerns over Pakistan’s failure to fully implement the UN Security Council ISIL (Daesh) and al-Qaeda sanctions regime. FATF noted that UN-listed entities, including LeT and its affiliates, were not effectively prohibited from raising funds in Pakistan, or being denied financial services,” it said. “Although Pakistan’s laws technically comply with international AML/CFT standards, authorities failed to uniformly implement UN sanctions related to designated entities and individuals such as LeT and its affiliates, which continued to make use of economic resources and raise funds,” the report noted. https://www.india.com/news/world/pakistan-failed-to-significantly-limit-funding-recruitment-by-let-jem-on-its-soil-us-report-3828128/
Pakistan among worst countries for internet freedom: report
The report also found election manipulation in Pakistan through informational tactics through hyper-partisan commentators, bots, or news sites to disseminate false or misleading content.
Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in the world for internet and digital media freedom, according to a report by an internet watchdog.The Freedom House, an international internet rights group, on Tuesday released its ‘Freedom on the Net’ (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled ‘The Crisis of Social Media’, recording an overall decline in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.
The watchdog in its report placed Pakistan at 26, out of 100 (100 being the worst) — one place down from last year’s ranking, Dawn News quoted the report as saying.
The country scored 5 out of 25 for obstacles to access, 14 out of 35 for limits on content, and 7 out of 40 for violation of user rights index.
Globally, Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in terms of internet and digital media freedom. In terms of regional ranking, Pakistan emerged as the third worst country after Vietnam and China, the report said.
Besides decline in internet freedom, the report found election manipulation in Pakistan through informational tactics such as the coordinated use of hyper-partisan commentators, bots, or news sites to disseminate false or misleading content as well as technical tactics, including intentional restrictions on connectivity and blocking of websites, it said.
Regressive policies
The report for Pakistan was authored by the Digital Rights Foundation. DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad said: “The score this year is the culmination of short-term and regressive policies by successive governments. Years worth of draconian legislation and investment in structures that stymie freedom of expression has led to an environment where the internet in Pakistan is more unsafe and less inclusive.”
Internet penetration registered only marginal increases during the reporting period. There are 67 million broadband connections in Pakistan, an increase of 10m since the last report. However, it added that government initiatives to provide access to remote areas had progressed in recent years.
The report observed that authorities frequently disrupt telecommunication services during protests, elections, and religious and national holidays, often citing security concerns. During the 2018 general elections, mobile internet services were notably suspended in parts of Balochistan, and in all of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) during both the election period and in the lead-up, the report saids.
The report noted that authorities had upped their efforts to silence critical journalists and activists using a range of techniques. Users were sentenced to death on charges of posting blasphemous content online, although their convictions were under appeal.
Over 800,000 websites hosting political, religious and social content remain blocked while the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority continued to restrict content in a nontransparent and arbitrary fashion, the report said.
It added that state and other actors were known to exert extralegal pressure on publishers and content producers to remove content, and these instances frequently went unreported.
It observed that most online commentators exercised a degree of self-censorship when writing on topics such as religion, blasphemy, civil-military relations, separatist movements, and women’s and other minority communities’ rights.
Increasingly, the report found, coordinated and inauthentic accounts were manipulating online content and spreading disinformation. Online journalists and activists, especially those scrutinising the military or intelligence agencies, had testified to the existence of state-sponsored troll armies being employed to silence dissent.The report that governments around the world were increasingly using social media to manipulate elections and monitor their citizens, tilting the technology toward digital authoritarianism.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-among-worst-countries-for-internet-freedom-report/article29896711.ece
I am targeted for being a defender of religious minorities, alleges Pak Christian activist
A Pakistani Christian human rights defender has accused the country's government and security agencies of targetting him and his colleagues for helping the victims of religious violence.
Naveed Walter, who recently migrated to the United States, and runs an NGO called Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) in Faisalabad, said, "I am targetted for being a defender of religious minorities and religious liberties, particularly for assisting minorities through legal proceedings for their protection and bringing culprits to justice."
The HRFP has been defending human rights since 1994. The NGO runs a 24-hour telephone line (0800-09494) and supports religious minorities in legal proceedings, as well as provides all possible assistance to victims of religious violence.
The reason for the crackdown against the NGO is a recent speech that Naveed gave at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in which he denounced the violence perpetrated in the name of religion in Pakistan.
The government claims that Naveed did not mention the Kashmir issue in his address and presented a negative image of the country at the international level, both in the address and the side meetings.Naveed told ANI, "Different government departments have pressurised me during international advocacy efforts, whenever I have addressed international forums. They even visited HRFP's office, and pressurised my colleague, followed me and tried to scare my family at home and field."
"They created problems in the renewal of the organisation's registration, blocked HRFP's bank account and when they couldn't stop me from doing my work by any of these hurdles, they threatened severely. We immediately relocated to the United States to be safe," Naveed said.
He further said that human rights defenders in Pakistan are being targeted when they raise their voices internationally.
"The authorities in Pakistan blame human rights defenders for damaging the country's image, just as how they blamed me, but they don't make the situation better and safer for minorities," he said.
"The HRFP staff is not afraid and will continue to work for the marginalised minorities and to protect the minority girls who are being abducted, forcefully converted and married off," he added.
He said that his organisation will continue to assist the families and victims of blasphemy by way of releasing them from prisons and raising the issues of discriminatory practices against the minorities.
The advocacy and awareness activities will also continue on local, national and international levels, Naveed said.
Religious minorities in Pakistan, be it Christians, Hindus or Sikhs, are being persecuted by state and non-state actors.
An estimated 1,000 women and girls from religious minorities are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and then married off to their abductors every year.
Naveed Walter, who recently migrated to the United States, and runs an NGO called Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) in Faisalabad, said, "I am targetted for being a defender of religious minorities and religious liberties, particularly for assisting minorities through legal proceedings for their protection and bringing culprits to justice."
The HRFP has been defending human rights since 1994. The NGO runs a 24-hour telephone line (0800-09494) and supports religious minorities in legal proceedings, as well as provides all possible assistance to victims of religious violence.
The reason for the crackdown against the NGO is a recent speech that Naveed gave at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in which he denounced the violence perpetrated in the name of religion in Pakistan.
The government claims that Naveed did not mention the Kashmir issue in his address and presented a negative image of the country at the international level, both in the address and the side meetings.Naveed told ANI, "Different government departments have pressurised me during international advocacy efforts, whenever I have addressed international forums. They even visited HRFP's office, and pressurised my colleague, followed me and tried to scare my family at home and field."
"They created problems in the renewal of the organisation's registration, blocked HRFP's bank account and when they couldn't stop me from doing my work by any of these hurdles, they threatened severely. We immediately relocated to the United States to be safe," Naveed said.
He further said that human rights defenders in Pakistan are being targeted when they raise their voices internationally.
"The authorities in Pakistan blame human rights defenders for damaging the country's image, just as how they blamed me, but they don't make the situation better and safer for minorities," he said.
"The HRFP staff is not afraid and will continue to work for the marginalised minorities and to protect the minority girls who are being abducted, forcefully converted and married off," he added.
He said that his organisation will continue to assist the families and victims of blasphemy by way of releasing them from prisons and raising the issues of discriminatory practices against the minorities.
The advocacy and awareness activities will also continue on local, national and international levels, Naveed said.
Religious minorities in Pakistan, be it Christians, Hindus or Sikhs, are being persecuted by state and non-state actors.
An estimated 1,000 women and girls from religious minorities are abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and then married off to their abductors every year.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Bollywood Movie #Panipat - ‘Panipat’ Faces Backlash From The Afghan People – OpEd
By Hamayun Khan
Bollywood Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker enters the ground with another epic movie, of which the teaser was just released a couple of days ago which takes the audience back to the 1700s. Some think the movie will be a huge success in the box office and be a blockbuster, yet others are not too impressed with the film’s lead actor Arjun Kapoor as the Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau because of the unfair matching of his image to the role. The trailer has grand sets, a lot of sword-wielding and a blood bath. “We hope that the audience likes the trailer. We have tried to live up to the expectations,” said Ashutosh.
The release of the teaser prompted the people of Afghanistan, many people went on to social media and expressed harsh reactions towards the content of the movie, calling it an alleged picture of the great Afghan emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali. Although the lead actor Sanjay Dutt expressed in an interview that if the movie were an insult for Ahmad Shah Abdali he would not play the role, yet many of the Afghans are still concerned claiming that the movie highlights a negative image of Ahmad Shah Abdali and an insult for the Afghan history.
Former Afghan ambassador to India Shaida Abdali has tweeted: “The Indian cinema has historically played a key role in strengthening India-Afghanistan relations. I hope that our shared values and history have been taken into consideration.” Indian journalist Awik Sign also tweeted: “People of Afghanistan have huge respect to Abdali, but people in India hate him. I don’t think history has been displayed properly. India and Afghanistan have strong relations but these kinds of movies only earn money, serving no other purpose.”
Acting Afghan Ambassador to India Tahir Qadiri told Pajhwok News Agency that the movie was yet to be released and its content was yet to be determined. he added “We are in contact with Indian officials and have shared them the Afghans’ concerns. Ajmal Alamzai, cultural attaché at the Afghan embassy (New Delhi), said he knew about the movie two years ago and has already launched an investigation in this regard. “We have emailed the film director to share the scenario with us but no response from their side yet. We have tried several times to contact the director, but failed.” He further added that the film officials had told them that sharing the movie content was against their policy because it would diminish the value of the film in the market.
Bollywood Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker enters the ground with another epic movie, of which the teaser was just released a couple of days ago which takes the audience back to the 1700s. Some think the movie will be a huge success in the box office and be a blockbuster, yet others are not too impressed with the film’s lead actor Arjun Kapoor as the Maratha warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau because of the unfair matching of his image to the role. The trailer has grand sets, a lot of sword-wielding and a blood bath. “We hope that the audience likes the trailer. We have tried to live up to the expectations,” said Ashutosh.
The release of the teaser prompted the people of Afghanistan, many people went on to social media and expressed harsh reactions towards the content of the movie, calling it an alleged picture of the great Afghan emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali. Although the lead actor Sanjay Dutt expressed in an interview that if the movie were an insult for Ahmad Shah Abdali he would not play the role, yet many of the Afghans are still concerned claiming that the movie highlights a negative image of Ahmad Shah Abdali and an insult for the Afghan history.
Former Afghan ambassador to India Shaida Abdali has tweeted: “The Indian cinema has historically played a key role in strengthening India-Afghanistan relations. I hope that our shared values and history have been taken into consideration.” Indian journalist Awik Sign also tweeted: “People of Afghanistan have huge respect to Abdali, but people in India hate him. I don’t think history has been displayed properly. India and Afghanistan have strong relations but these kinds of movies only earn money, serving no other purpose.”
Acting Afghan Ambassador to India Tahir Qadiri told Pajhwok News Agency that the movie was yet to be released and its content was yet to be determined. he added “We are in contact with Indian officials and have shared them the Afghans’ concerns. Ajmal Alamzai, cultural attaché at the Afghan embassy (New Delhi), said he knew about the movie two years ago and has already launched an investigation in this regard. “We have emailed the film director to share the scenario with us but no response from their side yet. We have tried several times to contact the director, but failed.” He further added that the film officials had told them that sharing the movie content was against their policy because it would diminish the value of the film in the market.
The movie showcases the Third Battle of Panipat between the Maratha Empire and the Afghan King Abdali Baba that happened on January 14, 1761. Abdali won the battle after killing more than 50,000 Indian soldiers. The director of the movie is veteran Indian film director Ashutosh Gowarikerm, who has also previously directed some controversial movies such as Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar.
Afghan critics of the film think that:
that the movie is only for business purpose and not for any political or any other purpose, on the other hand the content postured in the movie has sparked concerns among ordinary Afghans, with many in social media expressing their fear saying that making such controversial movies could possibly harm the relations between India and Afghanistan.
Former Pakistani Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa says Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has a bright future
Rattan Mall
FORMER Attorney General for Pakistan Sardar Latif Khosa told The VOICE this week that even youth who were mesmerized by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are now frustrated because of the meltdown of the economy and the policies he has pursued. Khan had made “lofty promises” during the election campaign, but not one of them had been fulfilled.
‘Youth frustrated by Imran Khan’s unfulfilled promises will vote for Bilawal’
Khosa, who was on a visit to B.C. this week pointed out that Khan as part of his election manifesto had promised 10 million jobs and 5 million houses. Instead the country was facing a recession and a trade deficit.
Now those very youth whom Khan had inspired to come out and vote for him in the last election were going to vote for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who at the age of 31 is Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Khosa called Bilawal “a young, talented and dynamic leader.”
Bilawal is the grandson of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. His father, Asif Ali Zardari, was President of Pakistan and co-chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party.
Khosa said: “I think he’s shaping up very well and he is very vibrant. He’s outspoken as well. He faces the international fora very eloquently. He has the command over languages; he has the vision and passion for politics just like his grandfather and the strength of character and perseverance of his mother. He is also courageous and conciliatory like his father. And I am sure he is going to shape up and People’s Party has a definite future. He has a very brilliant and very bright future ahead of him. He’s certainly the only young leader of the country because Imran Khan who claims to be 67 years, you can’t call him a young person!”
Khosa was pointing out a very interesting feature of Pakistan’s population. A 2018 report states “64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 (an age group which we define as the youth). Pakistan now has more young people than it has ever had, and this is forecasted to continue to increase until at least 2050.”
The Pakistan People’s Party is the governing party of the province of Sindh. Sindh has Pakistan’s second largest economy, while its provincial capital Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city and financial hub.
Khosa was on a three-day visit to attend the award ceremony of his son Dr. Faisal Khosa who is an Associate Professor of Radiology at University of British Columbia and is the winner of numerous national and international awards. The senior Khosa, who is a lawyer as well, was secretary of the Pakistan People’s Party for four years but decided not to run for election this time because of his professional commitments. However, he is still a member of the central executive committee of the party and also heads its lawyers’ forum. He is also the lawyer for Asif Ali Zardari and also represented Benazir Bhutto in her judicial matters. He was President of the High Court Bar Association three times and has been chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council. Khosa was also governor of Punjab – the largest province of Pakistan. His Khosa Law Chambers is the oldest law firm in the country and has branches all over the country.
THE VOICE asked Khosa about the massive protest that Imran Khan has been facing in recent days. Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has been leading the “Azadi March” in Pakistan, which entered the seventh day on Wednesday, to pressure Imran Khan to resign.
Khosa said that nine Opposition parties “have united to voice their grievance because there were reservations over the electoral process that was held in which Imran Khan emerged as the victor and the Opposition had their reservations that it was not a free and fair reflection of the people’s choice.”
Nevertheless, the opposition gave the government about 15 months to deliver results, but it has consistently failed to do so. Khosa noted the irony of the current march as Imran Khan had pioneered and championed this tactic of agitation in 2014. Now Khan’s own invention has come back to haunt him.
Khosa said that the Pakistan People’s Party wants a change to take place through constitutional methods whether it’s a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister or the government or even mid-term elections. He added that PPP remains opposed to any extraconstitutional steps for the removal of the Prime Minister.
He said the government had been “obstinately rebuffing all the demands that were being raised.” and Parliament had been “made into a rubber stamp,” because no decisions are being taken in it. The Parliamentary forums “are also being made redundant and the Opposition doesn’t have any other choice but to go on the streets.”
But he added: “I see no danger to democracy. I see no violation of the constitutional rule in the country and we stand firmly behind the Constitution. So, if Imran Khan is replaced or [not], it doesn’t matter because the state should be strong. The state institutions should be strong. Individuals come and go, so it doesn’t really matter.”
He said the opposition would like free and fair elections and that “the new Parliament that comes into power should be the voice of the people of Pakistan.”
He said that there would definitely be difficulties because the GDP growth had gone down from 5.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent. Prices were skyrocketing. “This year more than millions have been rendered jobless. … So I think there are horrendous challenges that the state of Pakistan will have to [tackle],” Khosa added.
He said that there would definitely be difficulties because the GDP growth had gone down from 5.8 per cent to 2.8 per cent. Prices were skyrocketing. “This year more than millions have been rendered jobless. … So I think there are horrendous challenges that the state of Pakistan will have to [tackle],” Khosa added.
However, he also stressed: “Certainly the opposition doesn’t want chaos, the opposition doesn’t want any clash, the opposition believes that the institutions should be impartial, neutral, independent, respected and strong. Maybe it does take some time. I am not foreseeing that the government is readily going to surrender. But sense should prevail on both the sides because from the opposition side we are always prepared to talk to the government.”
He advised the government not to “continue ridiculing the opposition and all their leaders” and added: “But from our side, we are in no hurry and we want the constitutional dispensation to prevail.”
ASKED if he anticipated any military intervention as had taken in the past, Khosa very confidently replied: “I do not see any reason [for it] this time because the Supreme Court had very emphatically taken a stand that no military intervention will be tolerated and you’ve seen already with General [Pervez] Musharraf facing a high treason case. We will always stand with our uniformed services, especially in the current scenario when there are many security challenges at the border.”
Khosa added: “Pakistan already has problems on the eastern side with India and Kashmir – India, unfortunately, annexed Kashmir by removing Article 370 from their Constitution. This was in total violation of international covenants and commitments made way back in the year 1948. India was committed to a plebiscite and unfortunately India has never held one – absolute obduracy on that. And the curfew imposed in Kashmir for the last 90 days – enslaved the people of Kashmir, not giving them the rights.”
Khosa felt that with Pakistan facing challenges on both its eastern and western sides, the army would remain neutral on the political front, especially with the judiciary “very firmly backing the constitutional dispensation and with General Pervez Musharraf’s fate still hanging [in the balance] and [he] being declared an absconder, a fugitive from law and justice, no one would like to have the same fate.” He added: “The army is very patriotic and committed and they are a professional force and Pakistani nation feels proud of their army. I don’t see the army interfering.”
REGARDING peace between India and Pakistan, Khosa recalled what he told a visiting delegation of lawyers from India when he was governor of Punjab many years ago: “I said we have thrown 1.5 billion people in the abysmal dismay of poverty over the tensions created between India and Pakistan. These borders have been created by human beings and not God and this bickering should end. Why can’t we really follow the rule of law?”
He added: “The rule of law necessarily demands that the United Nations resolution [on holding a plebiscite in Kashmir] should be acted upon and it would end the entire hatred and the bickering and all that we are spending on the mad race for armaments.”
With that money, both countries could be transformed into developed countries.
“These hate speeches must end. There should be interaction between the people of both countries. We believe in peace and amity and resolution of disputes through mutual dialogue and through discussions. So why can’t we sit and talk and resolve all these issues? There is a lot of goodwill between people of both the sides. Nobody wants this tension to escalate,” he asserted.
He wanted more exchanges of intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, Parliamentarians and showbiz people. He hoped that people from both countries would bring about peace and amity in this region because this was vital to their well-being.
“We don’t want our future generations again to go into the hate and be again inflicted by wars,” he said.
Pakistan Heading Towards A Second Bhutto Moment Courtesy Of Army – OpEd
By Dr Subhash Kapila
Pakistan Army is notorious in exterminating duly elected Pakistani Prime Ministers who politically dare to assert civilian supremacy over Pakistan Army Generals. PM Bhutto was executed in 1979 after being deposed in a military coup by General Zia. PM Nawaz Sharif was deposed in a “Judicial Coup” by Army in 2017and left to rot in Pakistani jails denied expert medical treatment.
Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was President of Pakistan from 1971-1973 and Prime Minister from 1973-1977 when he was deposed in a military coup. Thereafter, on trumped up charges he was imprisoned and executed in 1979, in a retrial after being acquitted the first time.
Ailing Nawaz Sharif a three time Prime Minister of Pakistan was deposed by the Pakistan Army Generals through ISI sponsored weeks long sieges of Islamabad colluded by Imran Khan to emerge as Prime Minister. Pakistan Army considered Imran Khan would be a compliant PM not questioning Pakistan Army by “being on the same page” with them.
The final nail was getting then PM Nawaz Sharifs’ “Political Disqualification” for life by Pakistan’s judiciary forcing him to demit as PM three months short of competing his five year term. Pakistan Army Generals had assessed that in the ensuing General Elections PM Nawaz Sharif would be back as Prime Minister and he would be more emboldened to establish civilian supremacy over Pakistan Army.This time Pakistan Army did not dare a direct military coup but with collusion of then Pakistan Supreme Court Justice got him “Disqualified” on corruption charges which had yet to be proved legally in Court, three months before he could complete his full term. In my Paper at that time I was the first to term this as a “Judicial Coup”.Thereafter Former PM Nawaz Sharif stood lodged in jails and denied both bail as well as expert medical treatment. It is only lately when doctors raised alarms on his rapidly declining platelet counts and kidney disease that he was given limited bail for medical treatment, Pakistan Army did not want that the end of Nawaz Sharif takes place in jail as such a martyrdom would endow him with the halo of a “Shaheed of Punjab” felled by Pakistan Army.
Pakistan Army could get away from the contrived execution of late PM Bhutto because he hailed from Sindh and was a Shia.. This did not raise the hackles in Punjab’s Heartland Punjab Province. But ailing Former PM Nawaz Sharif hails from Punjab and his Party had ruled Punjab for years with wide political support. Can the Pakistan Army weather the political storm and disturbances likely to follow in the wake of what can be termed as a ‘slow death’ perpetrated by Pakistan Army and the colluding PM Imran Khan though from Lahore but a Pathan by descent.
Why were the Pakistan Army Generals afraid of former PM Bhutto forty years back and lately PM Nawaz Sharif? Why did the Pakistan Army need “Judicial Collusion” of Pakistan’s Supreme Court in the execution of Bhutto and the ‘slow death’ of Nawaz Sharif? Which factors embolden Pakistan Army Generals to attempt extermination of strong Prime Ministers? Why Pakistani mainstream political leaders cannot unite to put an end to Pakistan Army Generals stranglehold over Pakistan’s political dynamics?
Pakistan Army Generals were afraid of Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif because after long years in elected political office at the political helm of Pakistan they both felt politically empowered to attempt establishing civilian supremacy of the politically errant Pakistan Army Generals. Pakistan Army Generals considered this as an existential threat to their hold on Pakistan’s political governance and foreign affairs.
Pakistan Army Generals, even those with democratic instincts, were loath to return to military barracks and view civilian supremacy as a threat to their over-riding claims on outlandish oversized Defence Budgets and their vested corporate interests in the Fauji Foundation industrial empire. In short Pakistan Army Generals combine at any moment of time is hungry for political power having tasted it for decades.Furthermore, since both Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were initially ‘political creations’ of Pakistan Army Generals they considered it as an affront that the very hand hat fed them was now ungratefully ready to bite that hand.Ironically, by the same token, Prime Ministers Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were deposed by Pakistan Army Chiefs handpicked and selected by these two Prime Ministers bypassing Generals senior to them—General Zia ul Haq in case of Bhutto and General Qamar Bajwa in case of Nawaz Sharif. In case of PM Nawaz Sharif the Pakistan Army Chief did not resort to direct military coup but under corporate pressure of Pakistan Collegium of Corps Commanders contrived a ‘Judicial Coup” abetted by then Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court.
Pakistan Army over the last seven decades having lost all wars of aggression to India and contributed to the fragmentation of the 1947 Pakistan by genocide in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, has manged to project itself as the ‘Saviours of Pakistan & Defenders of Islamic Faith of Pakistan”. This has been achieved by Pakistan Army by a mixture of public deceit in suppressing reports like the Hamidur ur Rahman Commission condemning Pakistan Army for the breakup of Pakistan by its genocidal actions and misleading propaganda to the gullible Pakistani masses.
Pakistan Army also stands emboldened to liquidate Prime Ministers considered inconvenient to Pakistan Army or threatening its stranglehold over Pakistan’s governance mainly because it well knew that the external Powers that matter to Pakistan Army—United States earlier and China now—would not intervene to stop Pakistan Army Generals from heinous acts of exterminating their Prime Ministers. The United States and China have to historically share this blame of thwarting Pakistan’s democracy.
The last question is the most significant and that is as to why Pakistan’s mainstream political leaders have failed for seven decades to discipline the Pakistan Army Generals and establish civilian supremacy over the Army Generals. Multiple reasons can be ascribed for this failure. To begin with Pakistan Army Generals followed the British colonial practice of ‘Divide & Rule’ of the Pakistani polity. This has been achieved by a mixture of political inducements, political threats, blackmail and intimidation.
The above process could have been averted if Pakistan’s Supreme Court had the spine to uphold Constitutional provisions and democratic norms. Sadly for Pakistan, it's Supreme Court at various stages critical for Pakistan political dynamics entered into collusive suppression of democracy with Pakistan Army Generals either out of fear or own volition to further personal ends.
Pakistan today seems to be heading towards a ‘Second Bhutto Moment” where Former thrice elected PM Nawaz Sharif has virtually been on ‘death row’ and placed in a ‘slow death’ mode by denial of necessary expert medical facilities and advanced medical treatment abroad to save his life. The last minute temporary reprieve given by the Pakistan Army Generals through their selectee PM Imran Khan of temporary bail was to pre-empt Nawaz Sharif’s death in jail.
Concluding, it needs to be emphasised that Former PM Nawaz would be more dangerous dead than alive for Pakistan Army Generals as his ‘slow death’ by denial of medical treatment would make Nawaz Sharif a “Shaheed (Martyr)of Pakistan’s Heartland-Punjab” with unpredictable consequences. Turbulence so generated will not only hit Pakistan but more tellingly on China which today holds Pakistan in a colonial grip- courtesy Pakistan Army.
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https://www.eurasiareview.com/08112019-pakistan-heading-towards-a-second-bhutto-moment-courtesy-of-army-oped/
What Can We Learn from the US State Department’s Terrorism Report on Pakistan?
By Umair Jamal
Pakistan took some serious criticism irrespective of the country’s efforts.
Pakistan took some serious criticism irrespective of the country’s efforts.
The United States Department of State recently published its annual Country Report on Terrorism. The report, which criticized Pakistan for failing to uniformly implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations and not taking action against regionally-focused terrorist groups, is important for several reasons.
What is encouraging for Pakistan is that the 2018 report doesn’t carry the punitive language which was prevalent in the 2017 report. For instance, the 2017 annual report notes that “Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan.” In the 2018 report, however, Pakistan’s action against the JeM and LeT is described in terms of the groups still retaining their “capability and intent to target Indian and Afghan targets.” Still, the report considers Pakistan’s actions to contain regionally focused groups ineffective.
Islamabad, for its part, claims that the country has taken credible action against India-focused militant groups. During the last six months, Pakistan’s prime minister has not only condemned individuals and groups trying to endorse the use of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, but has also termed it a threat to regional peace and Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the issue internationally.
However, beyond rhetoric, there appears no convincing evidence that could suggest that Pakistan has choked India-focused groups’ operational capability or capacity to act in the future. Arguably, the focus on Pakistan’s part appears to be aimed at placing the group away from the media’s glare and signifying small steps against these groups’ activities as part of the state’s broad plan to defang the organizations.
Moreover, the report’s content largely focuses on reminding Pakistan that a further expansion of the country’s counterterrorism actions can serve Islamabad’s interests effectively. The noted “uneven implementation” of Pakistan’s National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism is considered flawed as it remains selective when it comes to acting against all forms of terrorist groups.
While the report may not have an impact on Pakistan’s bilateral relationship with the United States, the findings can be noticed by other institutions such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), where Pakistan’s fate hangs in the balance. Pakistan has another four months to implement major reforms required by the FATF to not only tighten its policy against terror financing but also to show that the country has taken verifiable actions to undermine groups such as JeM and LeT.
The report’s content concerning Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan’s instability largely focuses on the support that the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network enjoy from Islamabad. Interestingly, the report calls the Afghan Taliban a terrorist group that has “safe havens” in Pakistan and still targets U.S. interests. This, to an extent, confirms that for the United States, the issue of Afghanistan remains central in its relationship with Pakistan. Additionally, this also confirms that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s personal rapport, which he developed with President Trump recently, won’t help Islamabad in evading criticism from various other state institutions in the United States.
While Imran Khan and the country’s national security establishment need to work on developing ties that can diffuse international pressures on the country, Islamabad needs to ensure that such acts are followed by comprehensive progress on the ground. Even one of Pakistan’s closest allies, China, which holds the FATF’s president warned the country of serious implications if steps are not taken to control terror financing in the country. “Pak needs to do more and faster. Pakistan’s failure to fulfill FATF global standards is an issue we take very seriously. If by February 2020, Pakistan doesn’t make significant progress, it will be put on the group’s ‘Black List,’” said Xiangmin Liu who recently become the head of the FATF.
On the whole, Pakistan took some serious criticism irrespective of the country’s efforts to manage militancy domestically. However, such reports are annual and Pakistan still has the chance to truly implement its plans that Islamabad has long talked about.
https://thediplomat.com/2019/10/the-return-of-the-pakistani-taliban/
Asif Ghafoor's audacious public dismissal of Imran Khan's waivers to Kartarpur pilgrims demolishes idea that army, govt are on 'same page'
Tara KarthaInstead of informing the government and requesting a change in procedure, for whatever complicated reason it had in mind, the Pakistan Army simply announced that pilgrims would indeed need a passport. Consider that when Imran Khan chose to make his first official visit to the US in a commercial aircraft, his army chief and his entourage came in their own aircraft. When Islamabad chose to promptly release the captured Wing Commander Abhinandan, was that an Imran initiative accepted by the army or the other way around?
Pakistan can always be relied upon to provide political theatre, usually in the form of satire. There are after all few countries in the world where a prime minister makes a statement that is then immediately shot down publicly by a mere Major General. That’s however what happened recently, when Imran Khan in a burst of camaraderie directed at the Sikh community, declared that no passport would be required for the entry of pilgrims to the revered Darbar Sahib, a mere four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur. The Pakistani Army didn’t agree.Instead of informing the government and requesting a change in procedure, for whatever complicated reason it had in mind, it simply announced that pilgrims would indeed need a passport; and in parenthesis, the Prime Minister’s Office could go and chase itself around a tree. Unpalatable but true. All this despite the fact that an agreement had been inked between India and Pakistan, and that all hitches, glitches and such like had been removed well before. In negotiations, India had observed that levying a fee of $20 was inappropriate given the ‘religious and spiritual’ sentiments of the pilgrims. But given that several thousand pilgrims are expected to visit the shrine, Islamabad was hardly likely to give up a nice and easy source of hard cash, that too in dollars. After all, that balance of payment crisis is not going to go away by itself. In fact, the agreement itself finally did specify the passport as a valid document of identification, but that no visa would be required. In other words, a valid concern of Sikhs who are prone to travel far and wide on business and pleasure was addressed since no Pakistani visa would be evident on their passports. A Pakistani visa stamp is guaranteed to prevent entry into almost any country. Yes, that is the state of Pakistan. Then came Imran Khan’s generous offer, waiving even the passport requirement and a 10-day prior notification. That when the Major General Asif Ghafoor, DG ISPR stepped in. In an interview on Pakistan Today, he was specific in observing that first, it’s a one-way corridor. No, Sikhs in Pakistan can forget about using this to come into India. Second, the entry would be legal, with due passport verification and all other official actions ensuring Pakistan ‘sovereignty’. Then came a rider with a sting. The DG ‘advised’ that this issue should not be politicised. That was directed at his own leadership, not at India who was merely wondering what the new protocol was now going to be. That was an insult to the prime minister, and no amount of talk of the two sides being like conjoined twins is going to erase that. It’s not that Pakistan army generals have exactly kowtowed to the elected representatives at any time. For instance, the then president Asif Ali Zardari probably got a facer when he suggested that the ISI chief visit India immediately after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. That would have been a wise move, but the ISI chief never came, nor even a deputy. But the point is that any twisting of arms of the civilian leadership was done in private. Today that veneer has disappeared. Consider that when Khan chose to make his first official visit to the US in a commercial aircraft, his army chief and his entourage came in their own aircraft. At the meeting at the Oval Office, a Pakistani source quoted a US official as saying that the most powerful president in the world shook hands with the most powerful general in the world. At the meeting itself, there was no attempt to hide who was running the show in Pakistan. Inside Pakistan, the curtain on the civil-military relations has been raised with the army chief made part of the National Development Council. Later he also chose to confer with a group of Pakistan’s top businessmen shortly before they were to meet the prime minister. The veneer of a ‘civilian government’ has also gone. Same page? It would be difficult to find Imran anywhere in the rule book. None of this is any surprise to Delhi who had quietly accepted the ‘selected’ prime minister's narrative. But it raises some interesting questions. When Islamabad chose to promptly release the captured Wing Commander Abhinandan, was that an Imran initiative accepted by the army or the other way around? When he seemed to most reasonably advise restraint after the Pulwama terrorist strike, was it his own script or that of a cautious army? When Khan then went to the other extreme in taking the unprecedented and disgusting step of abusing the Indian government in print and at the United Nations, was the script written by the army or the work of the foreign ministry? In short — and this is important — does the military want a Khan frothing at the mouth or one that is offering a mending of fences. From the recent ‘corrective statement’ by the DG ISPR on the Kartarpur corridor, they would rather have that table-thumping Khan as prime minister. A second issue is also clear. Any mending of fences with India will be at a pace decided by the army, not by the Prime Minister’s Office. Oddly enough, the façade of a prime minister and army being on the ‘same page’ was blown apart by an unlikely political actor. Mufti Kifayatullah of the religious party now agitating for the removal of Khan rather sarcastically berated Major General Ghafoor on a television channel. The impassive DGISPR, apparently responding to theories of army backing of the protest, denied the army has nothing whatsoever to do with it, and rather egregiously stating that the army did not side with any political party. To which the Mufti retorted that in that case, the army should have corrected Khan when he was assuring one and all that he was on exactly and totally on the ‘same page’ as the army. He then advised the Major General to remove himself from his post. While the officer is unlikely to follow his sage advice, there’s no doubt that the ‘same page’ story has fallen apart at its seams. That page if it ever existed, is now part of the familiar archival history of Pakistan. A leader comes in, wants to change everything, and then is changed himself. That’s the only page that exists. Too bad, they didn’t copy that to Khan from day one. https://www.firstpost.com/india/asif-ghafoors-audacious-public-dismissal-of-imran-khans-waivers-to-kartarpur-pilgrims-demolishes-idea-that-army-govt-are-on-same-page-7621491.html
Thursday, November 7, 2019
All conspiracies against PPP hatched in Rawalpindi, Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the PTI government is not elected but selected. It has destroyed economy, leaving all segments of the society including traders in the state of anxiety.
Addressing lawyers at the Multan High Court Bar Association on Wednesday, he said the selected government has no worry about reducing people’s miseries.
The rulers do not have people’s mandate. He told the lawyers community that the country needs their role to save constitution, democracy and federation. The PPP and lawyers can jointly save the country through collective struggle. He said the PPP and lawyers have remained part and parcel in struggle against dictators for the supremacy of rule of law and parliament.
He said lawyers played a key role for the protection of people’s rights. The country is passing through 2019 and political workers are thinking about justice and empowerment of judiciary. The story of justice cannot be detached from the history of the Bhutto family. The PPP believes in respect to honorable judges. The brave judges always rejected compromise on principles despite facing life threats.
He said all conspiracies against the PPP took place in Rawalpindi. The PPP has always been victimized, targeted and hanged in Rawalpindi. He said how he could respond to workers when Rawalpindi has become centre of victimization and conspiracies against the PPP? The judiciary hanged PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Rawalpindi. PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had sent a reference to the Supreme Court of Pakistan ten years ago for the retrial of Bhutto’s judicial murder. The whole Bhutto family has been waiting since long when the case is fixed for hearing. Bhutto’s judicial murder was a serious blunder and the judiciary must accept that Bhutto was innocent. The Bhutto family has been deprived of justice even after 70 years.
He said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had given a complete code of life to the country in term of the 1973 Constitution but he was hanged. Even the judiciary could not give justice to Benazir Bhutto after her assassination in a suicide blast again in Rawalpindi, he added. Benazir launched countrywide agitation for the independence of judiciary and sacrificed her life for people’s rights.
He said the National Accountability Bureau is targeting democratic leadership instead conducting unbiased accountability in Naya Pakistan. NAB laws introduced by a dictator are ridiculing justice. The media is facing censorship. Political victimization should not have a role in Naya Pakistan, he said. The PPP chairman said Asif Ali Zardari is in jail without any charge and conviction. He said new laws are enacted to sentence the PPP leadership. He said all cases against Zardari belong to Sindh or Karachi but he is facing trial in Rawalpindi. He said Zardari has faced imprisonment for eleven years without any charge and now he is again in jail without any conviction.
He said conspiracies are being hatched to bring honorable judges under pressure for desired verdicts like in the Musharraf rule when he sacked Supreme Court of Pakistan judges. He said the country could only be saved through struggle against undemocratic forces. He said lawyers should launch struggle for the independence of judiciary.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/551848-all-conspiracies-against-ppp-hatched-in-rawalpindi-claims-bilawal
Pakistan accused of cover-up over fresh polio outbreak
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
A source claims government plans secret vaccinations after 12 children fall prey to disease.
Officials in Pakistan have been accused of covering up an outbreak of the most dangerous strain of polio and planning a covert vaccination programme to contain the disease.According to a source in Pakistan’s polio eradication programme and documentation seen by the Guardian, a dozen children have been infected with the P2 strain of polio, which causes paralysis and primarily effects those under five.
Dr Malik Safi, coordinator of the national emergency operation centre of the Pakistan polio eradication programme, confirmed the P2 outbreak, but would not give any further comment.
The P2 strain had previously been eliminated from the country. However, the new cases were allegedly kept hidden from the government and from international donors, including the UK’s Department for International Development, under direct instruction from Babar Bin Atta, the prime minister’s focal representative on polio eradication, who was last month forced to resign after he was accused of corruption. DfID has donated millions to Pakistan’s polio eradication programme.
The alleged cases, which have all resulted in paralysis, have been discovered mainly in Diamer district, with one in the capital, Islamabad.
Under Pakistani law, every new case of polio in the country has to be officially registered with the government, which then alerts international health bodies. “But to hide their negligence and their poor performance, Babar Bin Atta decided not disclose the cases to anyone,” said the source.
The re-emergence of P2 would not only be a dramatic step back in Pakistan’s fight against the polio, it would also be symptomatic of what those in the programme have described as “terrible mismanagement” under Bin Atta.Alongside Afghanistan, Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world that has not entirely eradicated polio. It was a key milestone in 2014, when Pakistan officially declared it had entirely eradicated P2 polio.Polio exists in three different strands, P1, P2, and P3, with P2 notorious as the most contagious and most vicious in its impact on those infected.According to the source within the programme, the renewed outbreak of the P2 strand came from a mismanagement of vaccines, which carry a live strain of the disease to create immunity.
After the strand was eliminated from Pakistan five years ago, all P2 vaccines should have been collected from hospitals and clinics and not used. However, it appears a P2 vaccine was administered accidentally and a child became a carrier for the disease. Tests on the new cases allegedly show the children are all carrying a form of the disease that originates in vaccine form.
“Somewhere, somebody has inaccurately used this vaccine and because of this negligence … this virus was brought back into the environment and our children are again getting infected with P2,” alleged the source.
However, it is understood that, instead of publicly declaring the renewed outbreak and beginning a public vaccination campaign, a “secret” vaccination campaign will begin on Monday in Rawalpindi and surrounding cities in an attempt at containment. It is understood that only senior members of the polio programme are aware of the P2 campaign, with others – even those who will be administering the vaccines – led to believe it is a standard P1 and P3 polio vaccination programme.
“This P2 outbreak can only be contained if they do a quality vaccination campaign, and how can you do a quality campaign if you are carrying it out in secret, without any awareness or accountability?” said the source.
“If anything goes wrong and this P2 polio spreads throughout the whole country, who will take responsibility? Will they just keep telling more lies to cover up their mistakes and put more children at risk?”Since 2018, there has been an “alarming” rise in polio cases in Pakistan, according to experts, with 77 official cases this year. Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, who served as the prime minister’s focal person on polio eradication from November 2013 to August 2018, said Bin Atta had “ruined” the programme through corruption and mismanagement.
Farooq accused the prime minister, Imran Khan, of refusing to listen to complaints against Bin Atta for the past 10 months. “PM Khan did not take heed to the programme and ignored the complaints which were coming to him against Babar Bin Atta,” she said. “They covered up the refusals and they allegedly used fake markers on kids’ to show they were vaccinated who actually were not. The damage that has been done to the programme has literally reversed many of our achievements.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/nov/07/pakistan-accused-of-cover-up-over-fresh-polio-outbreak
Record-high 44,000 dengue cases reported in Pakistan
Mosquito-borne infections soar to record-high number in the country this year with 66 deaths so far.
A record-breaking 44,000 people have been infected with mosquito-borne dengue in Pakistan this year, a senior health official said, as increased outbreaks linked to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall ravage other parts of Asia.
Rana Safdar, a senior official at the National Institute of Health (NIH), told AFP news agency on Wednesday the figure is a huge leap from the previous record of 27,000 infections in 2011.
Safdar said 66 people were killed by the disease so far in 2019, compared with 370 in 2011.
He blamed climate change for the surge, but would not elaborate. The government was "employing all available resources at its disposal to contain the problem", he said.
The highest number of patients was recorded in the capital, Islamabad, and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi, where 12,433 people were found infected with the virus, with 22 deaths.
The southern province of Sindh had 10,142 cases and 26 deaths, according to NIH data shared with local media outlet the Dawn. There were 9,260 cases in Punjab, the most populous province.
Dr Mahseema Siddique, who treats dengue patients, blamed the government for the rise in cases, saying local authorities in Punjab and Islamabad, in particular, failed to take precautions such as covering up water reservoirs or spraying anti-dengue chemicals.
"They woke up only after hundreds of people got infected and that was too late. There are a large number of areas where spray teams could not make it," he said.
'Breakbone fever'
Dengue is transmitted mainly by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which thrives in densely populated tropical climates and breeds in stagnant pools of water.
Mosquitoes pick up the virus from infected humans - even asymptomatic ones - and pass it along to other people through bites.
Infections have steadily climbed across the globe since the 1970s because of rising temperatures and irregular monsoon rains linked to climate change, which allow for ideal mosquito breeding conditions.
This year outbreaks have rampaged through Southeast Asia in particular, infecting hundreds of thousands, killing hundreds, and crippling healthcare systems as governments struggle to contain the untreatable virus.
Dengue is mostly found in crowded areas, and breakneck urbanisation across the globe has helped the virus thrive.
Dubbed "breakbone fever", it inflicts suffering, with intense flu-like symptoms: severe headache, pain behind the eyes, full-body aches, high fever, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands and rashes.
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