Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Unprogressive mindsets of the masses and intolerance for social diversity: a development challenge for Pakistan
By Fatima Khalid
Just as Pakistan’s economy is grappling with limited natural resources, the social structure is also struggling with the issue of intolerance. The core issue is the lack of meaningful education leading to a lack of tolerance resulting in extremism in every sphere of life. Pakistan’s population is highly driven by religion, also being an extremely patriarchal society, the true value of religion has been lost in the cultural norms and the teachings of religion have been manipulated.Pakistan is a country rich in diversity, it is home to people from different religions. Yet, it is dominated by Islamic extremists, who fail to accept that every person has equal rights, regardless of gender, color, creed, caste, religion, and ethnicity. The people of Pakistan are divided in the name of provinces, religion and status quo as well. They have strong ethnic attachments and are intolerable towards diversity of culture. According to Max Weber’s Modernization Theory, every country needs to go through a process of modernization in order to achieve development. Pakistani society is highly critical of the modernization process which it believes interferes with the country’s traditions and cultural practices. The critics of modernization theory may be right in their own context but it will not be wrong to say that the unprogressive attitude of the Pakistani society is the greatest hindrance to the process of development in the country. There is a clear-cut division of liberals and extremists in the country. This duality in the society hampers all sorts of growth processes; economic and social. The characteristics of the society decide the future of the State. An important question that arises here is that, where do culture appreciation stop and culture appropriation begin?
The feeling of a nation needs to be engraved in the individuals, and openness of culture should be embraced as a norm of life because nothing can remain constant, every living thing needs to go through the process of change
Where the world is said to be in a transition phase, moving towards a post-modern society, Pakistan is still questioning the pros and cons of modernization and development. In this new millennium, creating the capacity to deal effectively with this development challenge and other conditions associated with the dual processes of under and over development stands as one of the greatest challenges for those who profess a commitment to modernism’s promise of ‘progress’ with respect to improving human well-being. The first and foremost step is to enlarge the thinking capacity of the population, which can only be possibly done by the right kind of education. This is the failure of the state and its institutions that have failed to tackle the problem of unprogressive mind sets of the masses by providing quality education and creating enough jobs to utilize the youth in order to make them productive and keep them away from extremist ideologies and activities.Pakistan needs to go through the social change process for development in its true essence. Most importantly, the society needs to open itself towards change, and give up the cultural norms which keep the society backward, restricted and restrained. We are living in the era of globalization, where anything in one country effects millions in the other country, state boundaries have been blurred in this neoliberal system. Freedom is everything, most superior of which is the freedom of thought and choice. Our society needs to treat men and women as equals and stop curbing women by making them economically self-sufficient, this not only is beneficial at the micro level for the household but equally beneficial at the macro level for the country as a whole. The country faces an unequal distribution of wealth, which is another cause of growing intolerance among the masses. The problems that Pakistan is confronted with arise from fundamental socioeconomic and class inequalities which have allowed the ruling classes to espouse, promote and encourage orthodox, rigid and fundamentalist versions of religion, as opposed to the more tolerant, peaceful ones that the dispossessed classes reflect.The local bodies system from Article 140 of the constitution states that power should be transferred to the lower levels of government. When this transition finally occurs, it will improve the condition of the public as well. So, it is extremely important that the government provides mechanisms for indulging the youth bulge as well as the structurally unemployed into the employment cycle. The time has come to support the long overdue goal of a ‘Naya Pakistan’ in which people from all walks of life can play a dynamic and meaningful role in national life. Naya Pakistan needs new, reformed, modern, progressive approach and mentality of the majority of the population, which is open towards development and social change. A serious revamping of socio-economic structures of the country is required. Policies that are comprehensive and well-planned as well as sustainable and have long term objectives are seriously needed in this time without any doubt. Quality education plays the most important role in creating tolerance and acceptance for diversity. There is need for changes in the educational system, it should be made uniform across the board and teachings of peace and acceptance for heterogeneity of population should be promoted through education. By meaningful education Pakistanis can rethink their identity and look at themselves as “Pakistanis”, instead of being divided in the name of religion or region. The feeling of a nation needs to be engraved in the individuals, and openness of culture should be embraced as a norm of life because nothing can remain constant, every living thing needs to go through the process of change. Education, without doubt will play the most important role in reconstructing the social structures. But there are other factors which cause intolerance in the society mainly because of income disparity which need to be tackled with institutional changes.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/539995/unprogressive-mindsets-of-the-masses-and-intolerance-for-social-diversity/
What can #Pakistan learn from #Bangladesh?
By Dr Syed AkhterHenry Kissinger, the secretary of state during the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations, ominously dubbed Bangladesh a basket case, and the moniker stuck, causing disappointment and dismay among Bangladeshis. In the 1970s, the derogatory appellation painted a dire picture of a country struggling with negative growth rates, dismal export potentials, empty coffers, and, to top it all off, the burden of meeting the needs of a population traumatized by a brutal independence movement. The future of Bangladesh, at the time, looked very bleak indeed. Five decades later, Bangladesh has come out roaring. It has become one of the leading Asian economies and has, for over a decade, grown at a good clip. In fact, since 2011, Bangladesh’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate has been consistently over 6 %. In its latest report, the Asian Development Bank paints a promising picture of Bangladesh and puts it on a sure footing for achieving a growth rate of 8% in 2020, the highest in the region. Due to the constant economic upheaval, the Bangladeshi economy will cast off the status of a least developed economy in less than five years and will join the list of developing economies. Bangladesh’s story of economic success is strewn with lessons on how to exploit resource endowments, not only to achieve economic growth, but also inculcate human development. That is why Bangladesh is higher on the human development index (HDI) than Pakistan. It is somewhat ironic that it was Mahbubul Haq, a Pakistani economist, that developed the HDI along with Amartya Sen to assess the quality of life and standard of living of people within a country. Sen, a Nobel Laureate, called Haq an “outstanding economist and a visionary social thinker.” Haq believed that the policy outcomes that mattered the most were what a government did for its people so that they could lead a healthy and prosperous life. Taking a people-centric approach to judge the success of governmental policies, the HDI draws attention to three dimensions of people’s lives: education, health, and income. During the last two decades, Bangladesh has made great strides with regards to improving the lives of its people. To get a sense of where it stands today, we will compare Bangladesh with Pakistan on some of the key indicators of HDI, knowing full well that such a comparison can generate controversy due to the long standing friction between the two countries. When we look at the ranking of the two countries on the human development scale, Bangladesh is ahead on the 135th position as opposed to Pakistan’s 152nd. The average life expectancy in Bangladesh is also higher at 72.3 years in comparison to Pakistan’s 67.1 years whereas the mortality rate is also significantly lower in Bangladesh at 26.9 versus 61.2 in Pakistan. A child born in Bangladesh can expect to be in school longer than a child born in Pakistan at an average of 11.2 years versus 8.5 years while the mean years of schooling for females in Bangladesh is 5.3 years compared to 3.8 years in Pakistan. What is perhaps most surprising is that, according to the World Bank, Bangladesh now has a higher per capita Gross National Income than Pakistan, $1,750 versus $1,590 to be precise. Overall, Bangladeshis now enjoy a higher standard of living than their Pakistani counterparts. Among the different developmental policies that Bangladesh implemented to improve the standard of living for its people, the two that stand out are the economic empowerment of women and the focus on infrastructural development. Comparatively, while both Pakistan and Bangladesh essentially exported their unemployment problems by sending people to work in the restrictive environment of the Middle East, Bangladesh also looked for ways to create employment opportunities internally for its labour force. It slowly and steadily expanded the textile sector to create employment opportunities, especially for women, who now form the backbone of the industry. As a result, female labour now accounts for more than 90% of the workforce in the textile sector which currently employs over four million people. These jobs have not only improved the lives of families, but have also given women discretionary purchasing power and access to financial instruments. Bangladesh has become a textile powerhouse, exporting apparel products and producing for retailers such as Zara, Gap, Uniqlo, Hugo Boss, H&M and other multinationals. A once fledgling industry has now been transformed into a $30 billion business which has established Bangladesh as the second largest exporter of garments and apparel products in the world after China. The experience and the network of relationships that its executives have developed along with the business prowess they have gained will be instrumental in moving Bangladesh towards the next phase of development which is the production and marketing of high value-added products. Unfortunately, in the case of Pakistan, the data on human development looks bleak. Its story is one of lost opportunities. Once a beacon of development and modernity in South Asia, Pakistan’s economy has stagnated due to rampant corruption and mismanagement. Successive governments have failed to construct a growth-conducive economic model whereas a feudal mentality has curtailed the entrepreneurial spirit that propelled growth during the early years of Pakistan’s existence in the financial, educational, healthcare, aviation, and transportation sectors. Therefore, sooner rather than later, Pakistan will need to create conducive conditions in order achieve what Mahbub ul Haq valued – a good life for the general populace. https://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/92997/bangladesh-not-a-basket-case-anymore/
پاکستانی صارفین کرپشن سے نہیں مہنگائی سے پریشان، رپورٹ
مارکیٹ ریسرچ کی دنیا کی تیسری بڑی کمپنی IPSOS کی طرف سے جاری کیےجانے والے گلوبل کنزیومر کانفیڈنس انڈیکس کی تازہ ترین سروے رپورٹ میں پاکستان کے حوالے
سے کئی اہم انکشافات سامنے آئے ہیں۔
اس انڈیکس کی تیاری کے لیے پاکستان میں کیے جانے والے ایک حالیہ سروے میں صارفین سے پوچھا گیا تھا کہ ان کے نزدیک سب سے زیادہ پریشان کن بات کیا ہے؟ اس سوال کے جواب میں سب سے زیادہ لوگوں کا کہنا تھا کہ وہ مہنگائی (29 فیصد) اور بے روز گاری (30 فیصد) کی وجہ سے پریشان ہیں، اس کے بعد زیادہ تر لوگوں نے ٹیکسوں کے بڑھتے ہوئے بوجھ (11 فیصد) کو اپنی پریشانی بتایا۔ پاکستانی صارفین کی دیگر پریشانیوں میں بڑھتی ہوئے غربت اور بجلی کے نرخوں میں ہونے والا اضافہ بھی ہیں۔
دلچسپ بات یہ ہے کہ ان سارے اعداد وشمار کے مقابلے میں صرف دو فیصد صارفین نے کرپشن، اقربا پروری اور رشوت ستانی جیسے امور کو اپنی سب سے بڑی پریشانی قرار دیا۔
گلوبل کنزیومر کانفیڈنس انڈیکس 2019 میں پاکستان دنیا کی ابھرتی ہوئی معیشتوں بھارت، ترکی، جنوبی امریکا، روس، چین، اور برازیل سمیت 27 ممالک سے پیچھے ہے۔
اپنے 17 ہزار ملازمین کے ساتھ دنیا کے 89 ممالک میں کام کرنے والی فرانسیسی کمپنی IPSOS نے دسمبر 2019ء میں پاکستان کے 120 سے زائد شہروں اور دیہاتوں میں 18 سال سے زائد عمر کے مرد و خواتین سے معلومات حاصل کی تھیں۔ اس سروے میں 2900 افراد سے مقامی معاشی حالات اور ملک کی مجموعی اقتصادی صورتحال، تحفظ روزگار، قوت خرید، بچت اور سرمایہ کاری کے امکانات کے بارے میں پاکستانی شہریوں کی رائے حاصل کی گئی تھی۔اسی سروے میں لوگوں سے انہی امور کے بارے میں مستقبل کی توقعات کے حوالے سے بھی سوالات کیے گئے تھے۔
سرمایہ کاری، بچت، معاشی حالات اور روزگار کے حوالے سے صارفین کی آرا سےتیار کیے جانے والے گلوبل کنزیومر کانفیڈنس انڈیکس 2019 میں پاکستان دنیا کی ابھرتی ہوئی معیشتوں بھارت، ترکی، جنوبی امریکا، روس، چین، اور برازیل سمیت 27 ممالک سے پیچھے ہے۔ سروے کے مطابق اگست 2019ء کے مقابلے میں دسمبر 2019ء میں ملک کے معاشی حالات میں زیادہ خرابی نوٹ کی گئی اور صارفین کا کہنا ہے کہ ایک سال پہلے وہ معاشی طور پر قدرے بہتر حالات میں تھے۔ تحفظ روزگار، قوت خرید، بچت اور سرمایہ کاری کے حوالے سے اس سروے میں پاکستان کی معاشی صورتحال میں پچھلے چھ ماہ کے دوران ابتری کو نوٹ کیا گیا ہے۔
IPSOS کی تازہ سروے رپورٹ میں سامنے آنے والے انکشافات نے حکومتی حلقوں کے ان دعووں کی نفی کر دی ہے کہ ملک کی معیشت کو پٹڑی پر ڈالا اور بہتر بنایا جا رہا ہے۔
ڈی ڈبلیو کے ساتھ خصوصی گفتگو میں IPSOS پاکستان کے منیجنگ ڈائریکٹر عبدالستار بابر کا کہنا تھا کہ اس مرتبہ گلوبل کنزیومر کانفیڈنس انڈیکس میں پاکستان کا نمبر 32.8 ہے جو کہ پچھلے سال سے بھی ایک درجہ کم ہے۔ اس انڈیکس کا عالمی طور پر اوسط نمبر 48.5 ہے۔ بھارت اس انڈیکس میں 61.1 پر جبکہ ترکی 33.7 نمبر پر ہے۔
IPSOS کی تازہ سروے رپورٹ میں سامنے آنے والے انکشافات نے حکومتی حلقوں کے ان دعووں کی نفی کر دی ہے کہ ملک کی معیشت کو پٹڑی پر ڈالا اور بہتر بنایا جا رہا ہے۔
عبدالستار بابر کے مطابق گلوبل کنزیومر کانفیڈنس انڈیکس کی تازہ رپورٹ میں یہ بات سامنے آئی ہے کہ پچھلے سال کے مقابلے میں گھر، گاڑی یا روز مرہ کی اشیاہ خریدنے کے حوالے سے 90 فیصد پاکستانوں کے اعتماد میں کمی آئی ہے۔ اسی طرح اس سال تحفظ روزگار اور مستقبل کے لیے سرمایہ کاری یا بچت کرنے کے حوالے سے 80 فیصد پاکستانیوں کے اعتماد میں کمی نوٹ کی گئی ہے۔ اس سروے میں حصہ لینے والے افراد میں سے 40 فیصد لوگوں کا کہنا تھا کہ اس سال وہ یا ان کا کوئی جاننے والا معاشی صورتحال کی وجہ سے بے روزگار ہو گیا ہے۔ ان کے بقول ہر چار میں سے تین پاکستانی ملکی حالات کے حوالے سے عدم اطمینان کا شکار ہیں، جبکہ پانچ میں سے چار پاکستانیوں کا خیال ہے کہ ملکی معیشت کی حالت بری ہے۔
ڈی ڈبلیو سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے اوکاڑہ یونیورسٹی کے وائس چانسلر ڈاکٹر ذکریا ذاکر کا کہنا تھا کہ ملک کی معاشی صورتحال کی ابتری کے اثرات سماج پر ضرور پڑتے ہیں: ''اگر اقتصادی صورتحال ٹھیک نہیں ہوگی تو معاشرے میں تناؤ اور بے چینی میں اضافہ ہوتا ہے اور جرائم بڑھ جاتے ہیں۔‘‘ ان کے بقول اس صورتحال کو سنجیدگی کے ساتھ دیکھنے کی ضرورت ہے۔
Pakistan again fails to raise Kashmir issue in UNSC, members say bilateral matter
India on Wednesday slammed Pakistan for again trying to raise the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council where it failed yet again to find any support, with New Delhi asserting that Islamabad needs to focus on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India.
India on Wednesday slammed Pakistan for again trying to raise the Kashmir issue in the UN Security Council where it failed yet again to find any support, with New Delhi asserting that Islamabad needs to focus on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India.
China, Pakistan's 'all-weather ally', stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue.
The attempt failed as other member countries felt Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.
Earlier on Wednesday, China made the fresh pitch to raise the Kashmir issue under "other matters" during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said: "We once again saw an effort made by one member state of the UN, fail in plain view of all others".
"We are happy that neither alarmist scenario painted by the representatives of Pakistan nor any of the baseless allegations made repeatedly by representatives of Pakistan in the UN fora were found to be credible today," Akbaruddin told PTI.
"We are glad that the effort was viewed as a distraction and it was pointed by many friends that bilateral mechanisms are available to raise and address issues that Pakistan may have in its ties with India," he said.
A European source, heading into the Security Council meeting, had described the discussions on Kashmir during the closed consultations to be "low key."
A top European diplomat said the issue should be resolved bilaterally and it was a "domestic affair."
Akbaruddin further said that "Pakistan's practice of using false pretences to distract from addressing the malaise that afflicts it has run its course. We hope that Pakistan pays heed to the clear signals sent out here today and focusses on the hard tasks it has to address in order to ensure normal relations with India."
Coming out of the meeting, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said: "We had a meeting on Jammu and Kashmir. And I'm sure you all know that Foreign Minister of Pakistan wrote letters to the Security Council asking the Security Council to pay attention to the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The issue of India and Pakistan has always been on the agenda of the Security Council and today we have also seen some tensions, so the Security Council had a briefing and heard at the briefing from the Secretariat concerning the current situation on the ground. Members exchanged views on that".
Zhang later said China "has stated our position very clearly. We remain concern about the situation on the ground (in Kashmir)."
When asked if the meeting advanced anything, he said: " I am sure the meeting will be helping both parties to understand the risk of further escalation and will encourage them to approach to each other and to have dialogue and to seek means, to seek solutions through dialogue. I think that will be helpful".
The current move by China was the third such attempt since August when the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution was scrapped by the government, and the state was bifurcated into two union territories.
In August, China pushed for a UNSC meeting on Kashmir after the government scrapped J-K's special status. However, the meeting did not yield the desired results for China as the member-states maintained that India's move was an internal issue.
Last month, France, the US, the UK and Russia foiled an attempt by China to discuss Kashmir at a closed-door meeting of the UNSC.
China has been critical of India's reorganisation of J-K and has particularly criticised New Delhi for making Ladakh a union territory. China lays claim over several parts of Ladakh.
India's decisions on Kashmir had also cast a shadow over Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in October for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Notwithstanding the acrimony over the issue between the two countries, Modi and Xi held "successful" talks in the ancient coastal town of Mamallapuram, signalling a recalibration of bilateral ties.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Pakistan’s Lost Hope of Civilian Supremacy
When Pakistan’s opposition joined forces with the government to extend General Bajwa’s term as army chief, it was a blow to pro-democracy activists.
When ex-premier Nawaz Sharif embarked on a road trip to his hometown Lahore soon after his sacking due to a controversial court case in November 2017, his goal was to stoke public sentiments in support of civilian supremacy.
Sharif’s party blamed the proverbial “hidden hand,” a euphemism referring to Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and the country’s military establishment, for his fall.
Within days, Sharif’s narrative of “Vote Ko Ezzat Do” or “respect the vote” was resounding in Pakistan’s mainland Punjab, the ex-premier’s main support base, raising the hope that the powerful military establishment could ultimately be challenged over its meddling in politics.
But Pakistan witnessed the deathblow to the nascent resistance movement spearheaded by Sharif and his charismatic daughter Maryam when his party voted in favor of legislation earlier this month extending the service term of Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa for another three years.
In Pakistan, two mainstream political parties – Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of former President Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Pakistan’s first-ever woman prime minister, Benazir Bhutto – have, among others, rendered sacrifices and struggled for the cause of democracy and civilian supremacy in Pakistan. But to the dismay of many, these two parties also helped keep in power the very general whom they accuse, albeit privately, of orchestrating what they call one of the country’s most-rigged elections in July 2018.
Bajwa is not the first, and will not be the last, army chief whose service term was extended upon retirement. Several ruling army chiefs have extended their service period or had it extended by the civilian authorities in the past. Similarly, Imran Khan is not the first Pakistani prime minister who extended the army chief’s term of service.
However, the circumstances in which Bajwa sought his extension are different this time in several respects.
First, in 2016, then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif refused to extend the service period of then-Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, whose predecessor General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani’s service term had been extended by the previous government.
Second, the peaceful and somewhat uninterrupted transfer of power from one civilian government to another twice in a row had created and strengthened the impression of political maturity and civilian authority.
Third, and most importantly, the Supreme Court of Pakistan struck down Khan’s decision extending Bajwa service term and ordered proper legislation in the parliament before his reappointment or extension of service period. The Supreme Court questioned the legality of the prime minister’s prerogative of extending the army chief’s service period for three years or re-hiring him upon retirement.
Bajwa had become the most controversial army chief in Pakistan’s recent history due to the accusations of “large-scale” rigging in the July 2018 parliamentary elections that allegedly favored Imran Khan’s Justice Movement. Pakistan’s social media played a role in raising questions about the service extension of the army chief.
Raised Stakes and Dashed Hopes
On January 7, Pakistan’s lower house of parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a bill providing legal grounds to extending the service tenure of General Bajwa. This rare show of unity by the parliamentarians in an otherwise divided National Assembly — 315 of the 342 members voted in favor of the bill — was unprecedented in the past 18 months.
The unity, however, buried the hope of civilian supremacy for the foreseeable future as both the government and opposition favored the controversial extension only to stay on the right side of the military establishment.
The PML-N and PPP, the two mainstream parties, alternatively ruled Pakistan for most of the country’s democratic history and have a record of clashing with the military for civilian supremacy. The duo are believed to be sitting in the opposition mainly because they had lost favor with the generals. Their support for Bajwa’s extension is believed to be a bid to avoid further confrontation with the military and regain the generals’ trust.
Notwithstanding serious reservations by both ideologues inside the two parties and pro-democracy activists on social media about the military’s political role, the so-called pragmatists prevailed to accede to Bajwa’s extension with the hope of endearing themselves to the military.
This unpopular but calculated move may or may not put the two mainstream parties back in the establishment’s good books to replace the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the party being seen as the military’s B-team. But the concession by the PML-N and PPP has definitely put an end to Nawaz Sharif’s “Vote Ko Ezzat Do” narrative.
This new arrangement will further strengthen the army’s grip on power as both the government and opposition have now entered the race to court favor with the military establishment instead of claiming their constitutional authority.
The step has also discouraged the ideologues in the mainstream political parties as well as the political workers and pro-democracy activists who firmly stood behind a bid to reclaim civilian authority with the symbolic move of not prolonging the army chief’s tenure.
However, the rare opportunity provided by Pakistan’s top court in its November 28, 2019 verdict was lost. And with that, many pro-democracy activists also lost hope in the political leadership.
#Pakistan: Crackdown on Expression Grows
Pakistan’s government intensified its clampdown on the media, political opposition, and nongovernmental organizations in 2019, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2020.
Media outlets in Pakistan came under increased pressure from authorities for perceived criticism of the government. In some cases, regulatory agencies blocked cable operators from broadcasting networks that aired critical programs. GEO TV, a private television channel, was forced off the air or had its audience’s access restricted as punishment for editorials criticizing the government. On July 9, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) blocked three television news channels – Capital TV, 24 News HD, and Abbtakk News Network – after they broadcast speeches by opposition leaders. On July 1, PEMRA terminated a live interview with former President Asif Ali Zardari on GEO TV shortly after it began.
“Pakistan’s government is failing in one of the basic duties of a democratic government – providing an enabling environment for free expression and critical voices,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government should focus on addressing longstanding human rights issues rather than muzzling those who bring attention to them.”
In the 652-page World Report 2020, its 30th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in nearly 100 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth says that the Chinese government, which depends on repression to stay in power, is carrying out the most intense attack on the global human rights system in decades. He finds that Beijing’s actions both encourage and gain support from autocratic populists around the globe, while Chinese authorities use their economic clout to deter criticism from other governments. It is urgent to resist this assault, which threatens decades of progress on human rights and our future.
Human Rights Watch received several credible reports of intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various organizations and their staff by government officials. The government used the Regulation of INGOs (international nongovernmental organizations) in Pakistan policy to impede the registration and functioning of international humanitarian and human rights organizations.
The government also cracked down on members and supporters of political parties. Lawyers and rights groups expressed concerns of denial of due process and fair trial rights after several opposition leaders, including a former head of state and cabinet ministers, were arrested on corruption allegations.
In 2019, the Pakistani government failed to amend or repeal blasphemy law provisions that provide a pretext for violence against religious minorities, as well as arbitrary arrests and prosecution.
While numerous cases of violence against women and girls highlighted the difficulty survivors face getting justice, authorities succeeded in enforcing some key reforms. The Sindh provincial cabinet approved a new law in August providing the right of women agricultural workers to have a written contract, minimum wage, welfare benefits, and gender parity in wages. It was the first time that Pakistan recognized the right of women agricultural workers to unionize.
Pakistani law enforcement agencies were responsible for human rights violations including detention without charge and extrajudicial killings. Pakistan failed to enact a law criminalizing torture despite Pakistan’s obligation to do so under the Convention against Torture.
“Pakistani authorities should acknowledge diversity of opinion as a strength, not a weakness,” Adams said. “Instead of stifling dissent, the government needs to take urgent steps to hold its security forces accountable, repeal discriminatory laws, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to the rule of law.”
Monday, January 13, 2020
U.S - New Iowa Poll Shows Tight Race, With Joe Biden Jumping Ahead
By
The poll, conducted by Monmouth University, found Mr. Biden’s top three competitors in close pursuit.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. has regained some of his strength in Iowa, but his three closest rivals for the Democratic nomination remain clustered at his heels, according to a Monmouth University poll released on Monday.
The poll, published three weeks before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation nominating contest, found the former vice president with support from 24 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers, a bump of five percentage points since Monmouth’s most recent Iowa poll, in November.
Mr. Biden’s three closest competitors are clumped together in a statistical tie, with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont earning 18 percent support, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., 17 percent, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts earning 15 percent. The poll had a five-point margin of error.
Mr. Sanders has leapt five points since the last Monmouth poll of the state, Mr. Buttigieg experienced a five-point drop, and Ms. Warren experienced a three-point drop.
The Monmouth poll’s results differ somewhat from those of a CNN/Des Moines Register poll released late last week that showed Mr. Sanders atop the Democratic field, with 20 percent support, though Ms. Warren and Mr. Buttigieg were in a statistical tie with him. That poll, which was taken in the days just before the Monmouth poll was conducted, found Mr. Biden at just 15 percent.
Taken together, those polls — while conflicting — affirm the general impression that this race remains competitive for each of the four leading candidates, at least in the first two nominating states. All have robust field operations in Iowa and have consistently polled in the double-digits there since early fall. And in New Hampshire, which will hold the country’s first primary just a week after the Iowa caucuses, polls suggest that all four candidates have a viable shot at winning.
The Monmouth poll of Iowa was taken from Jan. 9 to Jan. 12, and surveyed 405 likely caucusgoers. It found that a slim majority of Democratic voters still have not firmly decided on a candidate, meaning that there is still a great deal of fluidity in the state.
It was conducted before the departure of Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who dropped out of the race on Monday and who pulled 4 percent support in the poll.Under the rules of the Iowa caucuses, many voters who support less popular candidates will have to back someone other than their top choice in the final balloting. Ms. Warren has strength in this regard: She is by far the most popular second-choice pick among voters, with 23 percent naming her as their personal runner-up, according to the poll. No candidate enjoys a higher favorability rating than Ms. Warren, who is seen positively by 73 percent of likely caucusgoers.
Still, when voters were asked to choose from among only the top four candidates, it was Mr. Sanders and Mr. Buttigieg who benefited the most. In this scenario, Mr. Biden, Mr. Buttigieg and Mr. Sanders were all bunched up in the mid-to-high 20-percent range, while Ms. Warren’s support was at 16 percent.
The Iowa Democratic electorate remains focused mostly on domestic issues, with 45 percent calling health care their top concern and another 18 percent naming either jobs or income inequality, according to the Monmouth poll.
But with President Trump embroiled in a tense standoff with Iran this month, some voters have also turned more attention to foreign policy. The share of likely caucusgoers who named international affairs as their main focus jumped by 10 points since November, to 16 percent.
Also on Monday, Quinnipiac University released a national poll that showed Mr. Biden at the top of the heap, with 25 percent support among Democratic voters nationwide, followed by Mr. Sanders at 19 percent and Ms. Warren at 16 percent. Mr. Buttigieg commanded just 8 percent nationwide. Since the primaries and caucuses take place over a series of months, the national picture is almost certain to shift as the season continues.
#PashtunTahafuzMovement - EXCLUSIVE: Massive Protest Erupts In Pakistan, Atrocities Inflicted By Pakistani Army Exposed
By Akhil Oka
On Sunday, thousands of Pakistanis gathered in Bannu city of Khyber Pakthunkhwa province demanding an end to the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army.
On Sunday, thousands of Pakistanis gathered in Bannu city of Khyber Pakthunkhwa province demanding an end to the atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army. The rally organised by Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) also demonstrated against the Imran Khan-led government. Alleging that the Pakistani Army treated the Pashtuns as third-class citizens, the protesters also revealed that the former indulged in torture and killings.
They also pointed out the lack of development in the areas where the Pashtuns lived. On this occasion, the Pakistani government has ensured a complete media blackout of the protests besides snapping internet services in the region. Meanwhile, the local administration organized sporting events to keep the people away from the PTM protest.
What is the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement?
Occupying the north-western territory of the country, Pashtuns are the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan, representing approximately 15.42% of the population. Despite having a huge representation in the Pakistani Army, they have consistently suffered discrimination at the hands of the authorities. The killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young Pashtun in Karachi on January 13, 2018, led to the advent of the PTM led by Manzoor Pashteen.
Since then, the PTM organized massive rallies in major cities of Pakistan such as Lahore, Karachi, Swat, Peshawar, and Quetta seeking justice for the death of innocent Pashtuns. As the ire of the protesters was directed at the Pakistani Army, the latter started propaganda about a foreign conspiracy. Despite the opposition’s charge of massive rigging in the 2019 General Election in Pakistan, the Army was unable to prevent the election of PTM members Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir.
Attempts to crush PTM
Both the Pakistani government as well as the Army has done everything possible to crush the spirit of the PTM. For instance, parliamentarians Dawar and Wazir were arrested on charges of terrorism after a clash between PTM activists and Army troops at a security post in May 2018. They languished in jail for 4 months before being granted bail.
Apart from seeking justice for Pashtuns, the PTM leaders have also been at the forefront of the struggle for civilian supremacy. This was evident from the fact that Dawar and Wazir were the only parliamentarians to vote against the extension of Pakistani Army Chief Qamar Bajwa. On the other hand, all the mainstream parties including the opposition PML-N and PPP gave unconditional support to the extension.
China-Pakistan Naval Drills: More Than Just Symbolism
Beyond symbolism, the substance behind the latest iteration of exercises between the two countries also deserves emphasis.
Earlier in the week, the navies of China and Pakistan began their sixth bilateral naval exercise, titled Sea Guardians-2020, in the northern Arabian Sea. Such military exercises are expected to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries, who are already “iron brothers.” According to Chinese media reports, the naval drills are aimed at exploring new methods of conducting China-Pakistan joint naval drills while stepping up the capabilities to jointly addresses issues such as maritime terrorism and crime.
The exercise is also sensitive because it is taking place on India’s west coast, a critical security area from New Delhi’s perspective. Clearly, the exercise will be very important for China because it increases the PLA Navy’s familiarity and understanding of the operational conditions in this part of the Arabian Sea. Moreover, gaining greater access to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan is also likely an attractive incentive for China. If it works, it can be an alternate route for China in the event of a naval blockade by an adversary that closes the Malacca Straits choke point.
In addition, India will also have concerns because India’s Arabian Sea coast hosts several major Indian ports including Kandla, Okha, Mumbai, Nhava Sheva (Navi Mumbai), Mormugão, New Mangalore, and Kochi. For China, the Arabian Sea is also important in the context of its air and naval facility, Jiwani, close to the Gwadar Port and the Iranian Chahabar Port that is jointly developed by India and Iran.
China appears enthusiastic about undertaking these naval exercises on a regular basis. In a story about these exercises in the Chinese newspaper Global Times, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, argues that “serializing the drills and making them a routine will further enhance China and Pakistan’s friendship and cooperation.” Similarly, Zhou Hanwen, an executive director of the exercise, stated that “the training involving submarine will boost the two navies’ combat capabilities and show a high level of strategic mutual trust.” Commenting on the exercise, China’s ambassador to Pakistan Ambassador Yao Jing said that the exercise “fully reflects the good wishes of the Chinese and Pakistani navies in jointly building a community of shared maritime destiny, and demonstrates the confidence and capability to jointly guard marine peace and security.”
The exercise that began at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard in Karachi will go on for nine days from January 6 to 14. The opening ceremony had Vice Admiral Dong Jun, general director of the Chinese side and deputy commander of PLA Southern Theater Command, and Vice Admiral Asif Khaliq, general director of the Pakistani side and commander of the Pakistani Naval Fleet deliver speeches emphasizing the importance of their joint collaboration. China has continued to reiterate that the naval drills have nothing to do with the prevailing situation in the Middle East and that it is not aimed at any third country. The PLA reportedly stated that the joint exercise will involve two sessions – “joint training in Karachi and live-fire drills in northern parts of the Arabian Sea－and will include workshops, tactical simulation, joint patrol, air and missile defense, law enforcement inspection and anti-submarine operation.”
It has also been reported that the two navies will engage in a number of training exercises including joint patrol, air-defense, joint anti-submarine, maritime live-firing, and joint marine training. The Pakistan Navy reportedly said that the overall aim of the exercise is to enhance the two navies’ technical and tactical capabilities, exchange of professional experiences against maritime threats, evolve a synergistic approach between the two sides and preserve regional maritime security. The Chinese navy’s new website navy.81.cn provides a detailed summary of the exercise, including the naval platforms that have been deployed. It is also noteworthy that the joint naval exercise is in addition the “warrior” series of exercises between the two armies and the “eagle” series exercises between the two air forces.
China and Pakistan have had a decades-long strategic partnership, and they have conducted many military exercises. But it does appear as if these exercises are now getting more complex and are designed for more than simply symbolic demonstration of China-Pakistan friendship. These bilateral exercises need to be seen also in the context of the recent China-Pakistan-Iran-Russia naval exercise, all of which is likely to worry India as well others such as the United States.
Top Pakistan general & Bajwa’s successor ‘forced to resign after weeks in house arrest’
SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP
Gen. Sarfraz Sattar is one of the senior Pakistan Army officers who reportedly vocally opposed the recent three-year extension for army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.
The second-most senior Pakistan Army officer, General Sarfraz Sattar, has allegedly been forced to resign after being kept under house arrest with his family for weeks. The claim was made by Pakistan journalist Gul Bukhari on Twitter.
General Sattar was next in line to be General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s successor as army chief until his extension scuppered the former’s prospects.
Sources in the Indian security establishment told ThePrint that there was no independent confirmation of his forced resignation.
As director general of the strategic plans division, Sattar headed the operations of Pakistan’s nuclear command until November, when the charge was given to Lt Gen. Nadeem Zaki Manj. At the time, Pakistani media had reported that Sattar had retired.
A ‘vocal critic of Bajwa’s extension’
Gen. Sattar has been known to be close to Bajwa’s predecessor Gen. Raheel Sharif, and was one of the senior army officers who reportedly vocally opposed an extension for Bajwa. The latter was to retire in November but has now been given a three-year extension.
“He had a sure shot chance at becoming the chief had Bajwa not got an extension. He was groomed by Gen. Sharif to ensure that he could become the chief of army staff,” a source in the Indian establishment said.
The source added that Sattar was a “hardcore Punjabi soldier” and many saw him as the one reimposing the Punjab regiment’s dominance in the army. Gen. Bajwa, the source pointed out, was from the Baloch regiment.
“A number of campaigns were run against Gen. Bajwa to ensure he does not become chief and then to ensure he does not get an extension. This included a whisper campaign that suggested Bajwa was an Ahmadi,” a second source said.
The Ahmadis are a persecuted Islamic minority in Pakistan who are prohibited by law from recognising themselves as Muslim.
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