Saturday, May 16, 2020
#Pakistan - Unaffordable food inflation
By: Mohammad Ishaq Dar (Ex-Finance Minister)
Unprecedented food inflation in a short period of first 18 months of PTI govt caused hue and cry all over the country as people are unable to afford the prices of essential commodities of daily use as well as medicines.
According to official data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 4.2% and food inflation was 1% in May 2018 when PML-N‘s government tenure completed. Since then CPI rose to 14.6% and food inflation peaked at 19.5% in urban and 23.8% in rural areas of Pakistan in January 2020. Such level of food inflation hasn’t been seen in last few decades except in 2008-09 when global financial crisis led to steep rise in commodity prices.
Pakistan witnessed raging inflation which averaged at annual 12% over five years 2008-13 and PML-N worked diligently to rapidly bring it down through it’s economic policies during its tenure 2013-18; the average inflation of PML-N five years was 4.82% which was in single digit and ideal to incentivise growth. The exchange rate stability and rapid decline in interest rate during PML-N tenure were the results of an all-round macroeconomic stability and unprecedented build-up of forex reserves which resulted in steep decline in inflation.
Regrettably, PTI government’s incompetence and failed economic policies destroyed the price stability it inherited from PMLN and ended up at high inflation with massive increase in prices of food items of daily use of common man. Additionally, the mafias within PTI played havoc with sugar and flour (aata) prices and made around Rs 100 billion by artificially raising the prices of these items after mindless export permission of sugar by the economic coordinator committee of the cabinet (ECC), duly approved by the Cabinet.
Unlike PMLN, monthly meetings of the National Pricing Monitoring Committee (NPMC), which had federal and provincial governments’ representatives including from food departments, are not held or chaired by Advisor Finance to take notice of erratic movements in prices of essential commodities and to decide corrective and counter measures to manage these.
There has been overall mis-governance and economic mismanagement which has resulted in overall grounding of the economy. The main reasons for alarming inflation are imprudent devaluation of rupee and high interest rate which this government has pursued blindly.
Unfortunately, it has become a habit of PTI government to lay the blame of it’s imprudent and thoughtless devaluation and interest rate hike on the policies of the previous government. Nothing is farther from the truth and PTI government is only looking for an alibi to cover it’s failure. In the last three months, PTI has a new excuse of Covid-19 pandemic to which will be associated its future failures.
The government, before entering into IMF program, allowed free fall of rupee which triggered inflation, particularly of food prices; then to control inflation it used the monetary tool of jacking up interest rate. This vicious circle continued even after agreeing for an IMF program and rupee/$ rate reached 160s. Interest rate peaked at 13.25% as opposed to 6.25% when PML-N left; reluctantly it has recently been brought down to 9% in three phases in post Covid-19 adjustments which were compulsory and widely demanded by business community in line with international phenomena.
Sadly, PTI government had also been raising dollars by issuing short term treasury bills with 13.5% interest rate known as ‘Hot Money’; an amount of $3.7 billion was raised since July 2019 but with Covid-19 and fall in interest rate, $2.9 billion has already been repatriation from Pakistan.
For the purpose of record, PML-N had never agreed with IMF of any condition that required self-slided devaluation of rupee or raising of interest rate. What PML-N prudently agreed in July 2013 was forex reserves accumulation targets and a commitment to maintain positive real interest rates and these principles were religiously followed and targets achieved with margins till IMF program successfully completed in September 2016.
PTI claim that PML-N government artificially controlled the exchange rate is absolutely baseless. How can that be possible for long four years period and in December 2017 the Bloomberg reported that Pak Rupee had been most stable currency in South Asia since 2014. It was only possible with building up of forex reserves and achieving macroeconomic stability which was globally recognised and documented. There was no other way to hold the exchange rate stable.
In post nuclear detonation, $/rupee parity touched 67/69 in Sep 1998 due to havoc played by some speculators but PML-N handled it timely and effectively which brought $/rupee parity back to 52 and remained stable there for months till the Oct 1999 coup.
The exchange rate regime pursued by the PML-N government in recent tenure was no different than what it established in early 1999 where the inter-bank market in forex was established which is the sole determinant of the exchange rate. PML-N’s two decades old introduced regime continues to this day, no matter the hype created regarding market determined exchange rate or real effective exchange rate (REER).
The myth of artificiality has been contrived by an ill prepared PTI government which got installed without having any plan, policy or road map. It immediately lost the market’s confidence as it failed to present any credible economic plan to the national and global institutions.
Devaluation was advocated by some as the panacea for increasing exports and they should now serious reflect the ground realities. Exports for FY16 and FY17 were $22 Bio each.
Having completed IMF Program in Sep 2016, PML-N engaged the Exporters’ Associations to work out with the government a relief package with which they would deliver growth in exports. On 10 January 2017 mutually agreed Rs 180 billion exporters package was announced by PML-N which was later beefed up with another Rs 67 billion in Aug 2017, thereby making it total of Rs247 billion which led the exports to grow by 12.7% to $24.8 Bio in FY18.
Had this formula been followed by PTI in coming FY19 and FY20, we would have ended with exports figure of around $31 Bio by June 2020. But PTI government chose to follow pseudo intellectuals’ bookish theory, who were demanding a slide of $/rupee to 127 to boost exports, and allowed self slide of rupee devaluation but could not manage till it slided to 160s. Soon after it crossed $/127, such pseudos publicaly distanced themselves from PTI’s policy and criticised them on camera. Despite massive devaluation, FY19 ended up with negative growth of 2% with $24.2Bio and in current FY20, there has been no impressive results so far on this account.
While PML-N insulated 92% of the economy (exports being 8%) from damage of devaluation and got growth of 12.7% in exports with targeted support, PTI has ruined the entire economy by massive slide of the rupee which resulted in sky high inflation for the common man and shrunk the GDP growth of 5.8%, that it inherited from PML-N, to 3.3% in FY19 and now projected to be negative 2% in FY20.
However, due to Covid-19 pandemic in last three months, millions have been made jobless and multi millions pushed below poverty line as a result of which people’s disposable incomes have heavily shrunk, most of industry closed and GDP has nose dived; this has led to demand compression and resultantly CPI came down to 10.2% with food inflation at 13% and 15.5% in urban and rural areas respectively in March 2020 with latest numbers of CPI 8.5% and food inflation 10.4% urban and 12.9% rural in April 2020.
Comparing with PMLN’s food inflation of 1% in FY18 that was inherited by PTI, the Covid-19 pushed down latest inflation numbers are still very alarming and unaffordable not only for the common man but also for middle and upper middle class.
PTI government must take urgent monetary, fiscal and administrative measures to curb the inflation, specially food.COMMENTARY: What is wrong with Pakistan #coronavirus control strategy?
Let’s test the actions one by one on these principles.1. There should be one in charge! This is the first thing all teams need to do before attempting to do anything else. Agree on one person who will be the lead of this outbreak control team. Normally this person will be an epidemiologist with actual experience of outbreak control. In my own professional life I have been lead of many outbreak investigations even though I was most junior officer in many instances. Unified leadership is the critical component in any pandemic control strategy as decisions based on evolving data needs to be made on daily basis which requires understanding of epidemiology, data science and outbreak dynamics. It’s just like military operations. There should be a clear authority before you send your troops to an active fight. Everyone should know their role and responsibilities. Any ambiguity in authority cost lives in combat. Responding to a pandemic is no different. I have a simple question: who is the in charge here?
Pandemics are also local. That means pandemics do behave differently in different parts of the same country
2. Decisions should be based on health intelligence. Disease surveillance is not just a daily list of numbers of dead and sick but a step ahead to predict virus next moves based on its observed strengths and weaknesses and understanding of our own vulnerability. No combat leader will rely on computer models but get the real feedback from an ongoing battle and modify his response in real time. COVID19 pandemic is like third World War and this is high stake war of survival of our specie. Our enemy is not Nazi Germany but a microscopic foe which is stealth in infecting and killing us. We are still trying to learn about it so it become very critical that whatever health intelligence we have about SARSCOV2 (the virus which gives us COVID-19) we use it for our greatest advantage. “Are we making or evolving our decisions based on our data”?
3. Decision should be made based on science. That does not mean that political leaders should not be the final authority in the decision making. However they should get the best technical team of disciplines concerned, and listen to them before they make a decision. No doubt we all have technical committees but they don’t sit on the table when the decisions are made. This helps others to ignore their advice. Look around the world and every political leader is flanked by the country top epidemiologists and public health professionals. The technical committees in these countries are not at second or third tier of decision making but have seats in the top decision maker bodies. The simple reason is that our enemy is not a human whose actions and reactions we could predict but a microscopic virus which has evolved our billions of years. Even with top administrative professionals and military genius will need those who understand viruses and know how to manage them in an outbreak setting. “Do we have right technical experts sitting in top decision making bodies?”
4. One of the most important principles of pandemic management is that the government officials should not be seen fighting with each other in public. That confuses public and they ignore important guidelines being issued by the government because they are not sure who is right and who is wrong. “Are our government officials/ministers are being seen in public in conflict in their opinion on how to respond to an outbreak?”
#CoronaInPakistan - #PTI govt: a short-lived respite
By Hasaan Khawar
The PTI government has been witnessing a roller-coaster ride since the time it came to power. After an initial honeymoon period, reality started to set in, as the government tried to juggle with multiple challenges one after the other. Economic uncertainty prevailed, opposition gathered momentum, and the weak governance in Punjab became the talk of the town.
Realising the gravity of the situation, the government made multiple adjustments through tough economic measures, political concessions, alterations in the cabinet, overhaul of the economic team, and administrative changes. Finally, after 15 months into the government it seems that the situation has calmed down. If there was ever a moment of respite for the PTI government, it is now.
On the political front, the Supreme Court’s decision on the army chief’s extension laid many rumours to rest. The JUI-F dharna fizzled out without any untoward situation. And with Nawaz Sharif in London and Asif Zardari on bail, the political temperature is cooling off.On the economic front, after a turbulent ride, the dust is finally settling. The macro-economic indicators show some cautious optimism, with twin deficits improving, exchange rate in control, an impeccable first quarter review by IMF, donor money pouring in, and the stock market recovering.
On governance, Punjab has been a sore point since Usman Buzdar was appointed as chief minister. Critics started questioning his candidature right away but with time even the sympathisers joined hands in critiquing the Buzdar-led regime, characterised with frequent transfers, postings, indecision and corruption. After months of reluctance, the government recently provided a bureaucratic antidote, with a new team parachuted to Lahore, fully empowered to do what’s necessary to bring back the semblance of good governance. Although the lawyers’ fiasco has not been a good omen for the new team, even this crisis is likely to taper off with time.
And on reforms, the initial narrative of PTI’s unreal promises of five million houses and ten million jobs has given way to talks of more concrete initiatives like the Ehsaas programme, Sehat Insaf Card and Digital Pakistan.
But knowing the political climate of the country, this respite is likely to be short-lived. The army chief’s extension still needs a legislative fix, which might necessitate more concessions for the opposition. The early signs of economic stability have yet to give way to growth and job creation. The fiscal discipline necessary for the IMF programme would mean hardly any money left for real development. And Punjab’s new governance model, which may solve the administrative crisis, is likely to lead to a new political debacle as soon as the PTI MPAs realise that with the CM being marginalised they have also been excluded from the power corridors.
The government should therefore use this time to consolidate its successes and take some strategic decisions to pre-empt any future crises. The first is to look for a more permanent political solution to Punjab’s governance challenge, creating a fine balance between a high performing meritocratic regime and a participatory setup, where legislators are not altogether alienated. The second is to cement the fissures within the ruling coalition. There is a strong feeling that too many outsiders are calling the shots, with party stalwarts playing second fiddle. Thirdly, there is an immediate need to address the more difficult structural economic challenges like state-owned enterprises and circular debt to create much-needed fiscal space to deliver on the ambitious electoral promises.
The government must realise that at best, the present signs of stability take us back to 2017 and that’s not going to fly in the next elections. If the PTI is serious about creating a lasting legacy, this is just the starting point of a very long road ahead.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2119218/6-pti-govt-short-lived-respite/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=4c7b326ef370c3c6bd1c271fd1865c35b025e5dd-1589653536-0-AWD_LIblf3nRfPH_xQZ1I6nnUidSjwxZJZRW3PBk47rtglUFrNUEx9kabrJ-7XgDZuP1krBz0Eg3zEKO03UZF_yXUdEhmDB9LpVl18S5-aAtJFezmEkWZcV6EPtLNrGHPA45xJ49TLp_stwS7_PbPQ8x-HbWmD3U-_XeHNHZF10z-15mzBD6HbiidiZYXM7UcRmyXGPy7eJISY7OyE4Hv1JgvyOPQu-2-s0revFjMgevlLofYU6QBQUov7bS1sRgYp_e95zSUu85YhgMhJuo--IV2ItfPiW443NudU1XH64lQV_1i6LDAYtJjyaY3irYlOzmUp2Nd_97Z4u0n7mCKnM
#Pakistan - Imran Khan proved to be failed Prime Minister
Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Dr. Nafisa Shah MNA said that either prime minister Imran Khan is an absconder or missing or is highly irresponsible that is why he did not attend the national assembly session.
Dr. Shah said that Imran Khan did not attend the whole session and did not take the nation in confidence amid Covid-19. Imran Khan addresses press conferences with unelected associates and blames the people for getting sick because of Covid-19. Other treasury bench members instead of talking on the pandemic, in the parliament, attacked opposition.
Dr. Nafisa Shah said that it is usual for Imran Khan to leave the nation alone in every crisis and sabotaging every positive measures taken by the opposition. Imran Khan has failed miserably to function as prime minister, Dr. Shah concluded.
#Pakistan - #PPP will go to any length to protect 18th amendment and the constitution
Pakistan Peoples Party is ready to go to any length on the issue of 18th amendment in the constitution whether it is to courts or on the streets.This was said by the Information Minister Sindh Syed Nasir Ali Shah while addressing a press conference at the PPP media office Islamabad with Nazir Dhoki.
Syed Nasir Ali Shah said that the criticism and bad-mouthing was started during the session of national assembly by the foreign minister when he was asked first to deliver his speech on Covid-19 so its response had to come from opposition. He accused Prime Minister and the federal government of spreading confusion about the lockdown amid Covid-19. When the government witnessed that the entire world and media was appreciating the measures by Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah under the guidance of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the prime minister and his cabinet as well as PTI members went berserk and started abusing the Sindh government and the PPP. The only crime of Sindh government and PPP was that they took appropriate measures to contain Covid-19 in time.
Syed Nasir Ali Shah said that if Pakistan had imposed a very strict lockdown for about two weeks as Sindh had suggested instead of giving confused signals to the people, then we would have been in a way better situation to deal with this pandemic. He said that the difference between PPP and PTI is of awareness and ignorance. After Sindh every other province and federation imposed lockdown within days but PTI criticised only Sindh for lockdown. Similarly different areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Punjab were sealed but only Sindh was criticised for sealing a few UCs in Karachi.
Regarding allowing the so-called tiger force to function in Sindh Syed Nasir Shah said that Sindh will facilitate the tiger force despite objection on the name. He said that if Imran Khan decides to open transport then he should come out and say so but he does not want to take responsibility. Similar was the case of opening businesses and shops but Imran Khan is continuously shying away from leading the country. He said that Sindh and Balochistan both had reservations on allowing transport to start.
Shah accused PTI and federal government that they start talking about NFC and 18th amendment just to hide their failures. We have to fully implement NFC and 18th amendment first before we talk about them. On the issue of 18th amendment, the PPP is ready to go to courts and the streets, he warned.
He said that when the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Pakistan, Sindh had a capacity of conducting only 80 tests per day which has now been increased to 6000 tests per day. Sindh has 12000 beds and the capacity will soon be increased to 20,000 beds. Sindh has 280 ventilators and 200 more are on the way. He also said that not a single ventilator has been provided by the federal government yet.
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی آئین کی اٹھارہویں ترمیم کی حفاظت کے لئے کسی حد تک بھی جانے کے لئے تیار ہے چاہے وہ عدالتیں ہوں یا سڑکیں ہوں۔ یہ بات سندھ کے وزیر اطلاعات سید ناصر علی شاہ نے پی پی پی میڈیا آفس اسلام آباد میں نذیر ڈھوکی کے ہمراہ ایک پریس کانفرنس سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کہی۔ سید ناصر شاہ نے کہا کہ پیپلزپارٹی کے خلاف قومی اسمبلی میں الزامات اور مغلضات بکنے کی ابتداءاس وقت ہوئی جب وزیر خارجہ نے کورونا پر بات کرنے کی بجائے پیپلزپارٹی پر الزامات لگانا شروع کر دئیے۔ انہوں نے وزیراعظم اور ان کے وزراءکے متعلق یہ کہا کہ ان لوگوں نے اپنے بیانات کے ذریعے عوام میں کنفیوژن پھیلا دی۔ جب وفاقی حکومت اور پی ٹی آئی کو یہ پتہ چلا کہ ساری دنیا اور میڈیا چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کی ہدایات کے مطابق سید مراد علی شاہ اور سندھ حکومت کے کورونا کے خلاف بروقت اور مناسب اقدامات لینے پر اس کی تعریف کر رہا ہے تو وزیراعظم ان کی کابینہ کے افراد اور پی ٹی آئی کے اراکین نے سندھ حکومت اور پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پر الزامات لگانے شروع کر دئیے اور گالم گلوچ کا وطیرہ اختیار کر لیا۔
سید ناصرشاہ نے کہا کہ اگر پاکستان اس وباءکے شروع ہی میں دو ہفتوں کا سخت لاک ڈاﺅن کر لیتا تو حالات بہت بہتر ہو سکتے تھے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ حکومت نے ایسا کرنے کی تجویز دی تھی لیکن وزیراعظم کنفیوژن کا شکار رہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پی پی پی اور پی ٹی آئی میں فرق شعور وار شور کا ہے۔ جب سندھ نے لاک ڈاﺅن کا اعلان کیا تو پھر سارے صوبوں اور وفاق نے بھی لاک ڈاﺅن کر دیا۔ اسی طرح جب کے پی، اسلام آباد اور پنجاب کے علاقوں کو سیل کیا گیا تو کوئی شور نہیں مچایا گیا لیکن جب سندھ حکومت نے کراچی کی کچھ یونین کونسلوں کو سیل کیا تو طوفان بدتمیزی مچایا گیا۔ سندھ میں نام نہاد ٹائیگر فورس کو کام کرنے کی اجازت دینے کے بارے میں انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ حکومت ان کے لئے سہل کاری پیدا کرے گی حالانکہ ٹائیگر فورس کے نام پر سندھ حکومت کو اعتراض ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر عمران خان یہ فیصلہ کرتے ہیں کہ ملک بھر میں ٹرانسپورٹ کھولی جائے تو سندھ ایسا کرنے کے لئے تیار ہے لیکن اس کے مضمرات کی ذمہ داری عمران خان کو لینا ہوگی۔ عمران خان پہلے ہی کورونا کے خلاف ملک کی قیادت کرنے سے ہچکچا رہے ہیں۔ انہوں نے یہ بھی بتایا کہ بلوچستان اور سندھ کی حکومتوں نے ٹرانسپورٹ کھولنے پر اپنے خدشات کا اظہار کیا تھا۔ سید ناصر شاہ نے کہا کہ جب بھی یہ حکومت ناکامی شکار ہوتی ہے تو اٹھارہویں ترمیم اور این ایف سی کی باتیں کرنا شروع کر دیتی ہے۔ جب پاکستان میں کورونا کا پہلا مریض سامنے آیا تھا تواس وقت سندھ حکومت کی ٹیسٹنگ کی استعداد 80ٹیسٹ روزانہ تھی جو اب بڑھ کر 6000ٹیسٹ روزانہ ہو گئی ہے۔ انہوں نے یہ بھی بتایا کہ سندھ کے پاس اس وقت 12ہزار بستروں کی گنجائش موجود ہے جسے جلد ہی بڑھا کر 20ہزار کر دیا جائے گا۔ سندھ کے پاس اس وقت 280وینٹی لیٹر ہیں جبکہ 200 مزید وینٹی لیٹر آرہے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ کو وفاقی حکومت کی جانب سے اب تک ایک بھی وینٹی لیٹر نہیں دیا گیا
Friday, May 15, 2020
#coronavirusinpakistan - #COVID-19 – can it shake us into action?
Dr. Kamal Monnoo
Pakistan, a nuclear power, albeit one where nearly 30 percent live by or under the poverty line, supports one of the youngest populations of the world with nearly 3 million entering the job market every year amidst a paltry annual GDP growth rate that hovers around the 3 percent mark. The financial budget consistently runs in a deficit (by some account close to a double digit deficit), periodic external account pressures invariably force successive governments to enter into compromising (on sovereignty) debt agreements with institutions such as the IMF, and one without a (decision-making) seat or special status on any of the key global forums or institutions, such as the G-20, FATF, WTO, IMF, WB, WHO and others. Today, in the midst of the twin crises that we face – the coronavirus pandemic and an imminent meltdown of the Pakistani economy – it is imperative that we re-examine some of the foundations of Pakistani society, understand why they are failing us, and fight for a fairer and more efficient nation.
The absurdity and the cruelty of our health system is now apparent to all like never before – a state health system plagued by corruption, lack of transparent management, an in-disciplined bunch of young doctors and paramedics and a case of sheer neglect spanning over decades by now. As tens of millions of Pakistanis are losing their jobs and incomes as a result of the pandemic, many of them are also losing the option to take care of themselves, should they or any of their family members falls sick. That is what happens when healthcare does not get its due allocation in annual budgets and the right of everyone to basic healthcare is not guaranteed. As we move forward beyond the pandemic, a key legislation that we need to pass should be on mandatory minimum (constitutional) budgetary allocation to healthcare in future national budgets with a guaranteed right to healthcare to every man, woman and child – available to people employed or unemployed, at every age.
Rich people do indeed get the virus and rich people do also die due to it. However, it is also true that poor and working-class people are suffering higher rates of sickness and are dying at much higher rates than the affluent; and this despite a skewed testing percentage whereby very few poor are tested in any case in the total number of COVID-19 tests carried out.
COVID-19 is vicious and ironically, rather opportunistic in attacking people with pre-existing conditions and weakened immune systems. For a wide variety of socio-economic reasons, it is the poor and the working class in this country who fall in exactly this category, as they suffer higher rates of ailments like stress, depression, blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and heart diseases – and thereby are the most vulnerable to the virus.
Since the data we have is limited and the testing is fairly narrow-based, we do not even know the actual damage that may exist in this category. Poor people in general have lower life expectancies than the affluent, and this tragic unfairness remains even truer with regard to this pandemic. Further, a pandemic situation or not, there are simply some hard realities of life that one has to contend with and there is no escaping them. While doctors, minister and chief ministers tell us that we should isolate ourselves and stay at home, the reality is that most working people do not have such an option. When you are living paycheck to paycheck, and you lack medical coverage, staying home is not an option. If you are going to feed your family and pay the rent, you have to go to work. And the people for whom it is necessary to earn living on a daily basis, it means leaving your home and do work that requires them to interact with other people, who may or may not be carrying the virus. Anyway, having said all this, the good news is that if there is any silver lining in this horrible period of pandemic and the looming economic collapse that we are experiencing, it is that finally it is beginning to dawn on the majority to rethink the basic bedrock of Pakistan’s value system.
Should we continue to use obsolete styles of management and governance that are rife with incompetence, greed, political-opportunism, and conflict-of-interest or should we go forward in a new direction? The choices we face today are the same choices that perhaps Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew faced back in 1959 or President Franklin D Roosevelt grappled with in the 1930s, which convinced them that in order to get to a truly developed society, economic rights must be considered human rights. This was true more than 80 years ago and it remains true today.
The new Pakistan that we fight for should look inwards, end starvation, ensure basic necessities for all and more importantly, do so by ensuring education and skill development on war footing in order to become competitive in the global economy. The country must undertake strong industrialisation and construction programmes that generate sufficient employment while at the same time end homelessness. At the end of the day, it is the government’s duty to see to it that our communities are free of pollution in our air and water, and that we come across as standing with the responsible nations in combating the existential threat of climate change. For leaders, love and respect comes only from performance and while there is no denying that bringing about fundamental changes in a society and a country tend to be herculean tasks, they at least need to set the direction right. It is now time for us to think ahead and showcase how this pandemic has made us wiser and going forward, what can we do differently to change our fortunes, post COVID-19. In Nelson Mandela’s words: “It always seems impossible until it is done. Let’s go to work and get it done.”
Pakistan: Minor Hindu girl abducted and forcibly converted to Islam, watch how influential Islamic cleric Mian Mithoo makes her embrace Islam
In the incident which was reported from Barjhundi in Ghotki area of Sindh province, Pakistan, a thirteen-year-old Kavita Kumari was abducted and allegedly taken to Mian Mithoo, who then forced the Hindu minor to embrace Islam.
The brutalities against minorities continue unabated in the terrorist state of Pakistan as multiple instances of atrocities against minorities especially Hindus and Sikhs have been emerging regularly in recent times. In yet another deplorable act of forced conversion to Islam in the terror state of Pakistan, a young Hindu girl named Kavita Kumari was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam. Mian Mithoo, the extremist Muslim cleric and an influential politician that Hindu families dread in Sindh, is believed to be behind the incident.
Mian Mithu is accused of kidnapping and forcing religious conversions of Hindu teenage girls in Pakistan.
In the incident which was reported from Barjhundi in Ghotki area of Sindh province, Pakistan, a thirteen-year-old Kavita Kumari was abducted and allegedly taken to Mian Mithoo, who then forced the Hindu minor to embrace Islam.
Pakistani human rights activist Rahat Austin had taken to Twitter to post a video where the Hindu girl can be sitting next to the extremist Muslim cleric Mian Mithoo, who guides her into embracing Islam.
Kavita Kumari, a 13 Years old, Hindu girl abducted, raped, converted. Tell me if you are a human. if you have a sister or daughter of this poor girl's age & someone forcefully take her like this? If you were helpless like her family is. Will you still be silent or justify this? twitter.com/johnaustin47/s…
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Past incidents where Mian Mithoo has been instrumental in converting Hindu underage girls
This is, however, not the first incident where the ‘Mithoo mafia’, as the Mian Mithoo’s goons are commonly referred to, has been instrumental in carrying out abductions and forced conversions of several Hindu underage girls in the area. Prior to this, he was accused of abductions and forceful conversions of one Hindu named Mahek Keswani and two other underage Hindu girls Raveena (13) and Reena (15), who were abducted from the Ghotki in Pakistan’s Sindh on the eve of Holi. The girls were later forcefully converted and married off to older Muslim men.
Similarly, Rinkle Kumari, was abducted and forced to convert to Islam, and marry a young Muslim man named Naveed Shah under his supervision. Rinkle Kumari, the daughter of a local school teacher Nand Laal, was a mere teenager at the time of her abduction. Nand Laal had allegedly fled to Lahore soon after accusing Mian Mithu of the abduction and forced conversion.
Almost all the sordid sagas of the Hindu teenager’s abduction and marriage in Pakistan’s Sindh province is said to be masterminded and supported by Mian Mithu.
The notorious Islamic cleric Mian Mithoo
Mithoo is feared by the local Hindus as they accuse him of kidnapping and forced conversions of Hindu girls. The minority Hindus of the area claim that Mithoo provides protection to those who kidnap underage Hindu girls and forcibly converts them to Islam before marrying them off to their kidnappers. Further, he also wields his political power to influence legal processes in case families of kidnapped girls decide to go to court.
Mian Mithoo, the chief of Bharchundi mosque is accused of systematically carrying out the kidnapping and forced conversions of underage Hindu girls in the area.
Ghotki riots pre-planned by Mithoo to cover up abduction of Hindu girl
Last year, temples belonging to the minority Hindu community were vandalised and violence was unleashed against Hindus in Pakistan’s Ghotki after a principal Notan Das had allegedly made some ‘blasphemous’ remark. The violence had broken out after a student accused the school principal Das of making ‘blasphemous’ remarks.
In a twist to the whole incident, a news report in Pakistani media outlet Naya Daur had stated that the attacks against the Hindu community were pre-planned by the goons of notorious Radical Islamic leader Mian Mithoo.
School principal Notan Das had reportedly saved an abducted Hindu girl by giving refuge to her and the attack against him was an attempt to cover up the crime by Mian Mithoo’s goons.
As of 2016, 117 cases had been registered against the Islamic cleric who is allegedly known to be a close aid of Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan and the Pakistani general Qamar Javed Bajwa. In Pakistan, Hindus have many times reportedly taken to the streets demanding the arrest of Mian Mittoo.https://www.opindia.com/2020/05/pakistan-minor-hindu-girl-abducted-and-forcibly-converted-to-islam-watch-how-influential-islamic-cleric-mian-mithoo-makes-her-embrace-islam/
Pakistan pays price for failed doctrine
As the country struggles with an economic crisis and a pandemic, the PTI regime fails to come up with a coherent plan.
The hybrid regime ruling Pakistan – a political party backed by the military establishment – has been doing everything to suppress the opposition and dissenting voices in the press but has failed miserably to change the economic fortunes of the country or to bring normalcy to the political discourse.
Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan is paying the price for failing to devise a plan to stop the spread of the disease and lacking a strategy to keep the economy ticking: economic turmoil and possibly human lives lost.
There is clearly no strategy to strengthen the health-care system, and both the government and its backers are only concerned about getting loans and aid from the international financial institutions and friendly countries.
The post-pandemic fiscal deficit according to government insiders is expected to reach 9.4%, while the poverty rate is expected to rise from 24.35% to 29%, and in the worst-case scenario, it could reach 33.5%. Also, at least 3 million people will likely lose their jobs, a million in the industrial sector and the rest in the services sector.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has already projected negative-1.5% growth for Pakistan’s economy this year. The automobile sector has seen a 52% decrease in sales, and for the first time in the country’s history not a single car was sold in the month of April. Tax collection from the services sector in the month of March was 20% short of target because of the imploding economy.
But if one examines any aspect of the current regime, one will find that since Day 1 of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) assuming power it has been a tale of blunders and incompetence in the domains of economy, foreign policy, and governance.
Even in these testing times when the country is faced with economic distress due to the pandemic, opposition leaders are being sent notices by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in regard to very weak and vague corruption allegations.
Most recently, a former prime minister and stalwart of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, along with his son was sent a notice by the NAB on Thursday in regard to a scandal involving the import of liquified natural gas (LNG). The day before, Abbasi in the National Assembly had taken the PTI government to task, not only pointing out its inability to govern but also by challenging it to present even a two-page plan on combating the pandemic.
Of course, neither the government nor the establishment has any plans or vision to free the country from its shackles. In fact, if any among them had any vision they would not have interrupted the economy of the country that was growing at 5.8% annually, and just to increase their share of the cake got rid of the non-obedient prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the blatantly rigged general elections of 2018. It is no secret that the help the Imran Khan-led PTI has received from the establishment is unprecedented, as no Pakistani government in the past has enjoyed such overwhelming support from the military elite. However, from the economy to governance and from foreign policy to political discourse, everything has gone gradually into decline.The famous “Bajwa Doctrine” thought to have been perceived by Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa to help the PTI government and to remove the PML-N from the power chessboard while cutting the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) down to size may have brought some good results for a while as far as the power brokers were concerned. The PML-N is out of power and the PPP is not only fighting the pandemic but also has to save its government in Sindh province, which could easily be toppled at any time on the tried and tested formula of leveling corruption charges against it and imposing governor’s rule.
So given this situation, the Bajwa Doctrine should have been prevailing by now, and the country should have been at least seeing a little bit of stability on the political front and a good future as far as the economy is concerned. But this is not the case, as the doctrine itself is flawed and the person the establishment chose to implement the doctrine, Imran Khan, is not up to the task.
So not only has parliament become a laughing stock as most of the cabinet members along with the prime minister are playing the role of opposition instead of the government, but their ignorance about running state affairs has virtually made them all a joke in the eyes of a large section of the masses.
Yet many do not bother to criticize the PTI government any more; rather, they blame the Bajwa Doctrine for the problems the country is facing, as it was this doctrine that brought PTI to power and paved the way for a journey that has no goal other than clinging to power and keeping the status quo intact.
The “corrupt” Nawaz Sharif according to Imran Khan and his backers ate up the resources of the country and destroyed the economy, whereas the fact of the matter is that now lacking Sharif’s mega-projects like highways, Metro bus service, big power plants and reforms in health and education, Pakistan has achieved nothing as far as infrastructure or reforms are concerned.
Likewise, former finance minister Ishaq Dar is constantly blamed for maintaining the economy artificially and accused in imaginary corruption cases, yet the reality is he transformed a weakened economy to 5.8% GDP growth in 2018. No sane mind can believe that Dar was maintaining the economy artificially, as none of the global financial institutions came to that conclusion. So, in a nutshell, we are back to the era of General Pervez Musharraf, when during the last days of his dictatorship, Pakistan was faced with a severe economic crisis and the establishment was blamed openly by the masses for interfering in politics and as a result, bringing the country to the verge of economic collapse.
At the moment it is an undeclared coup where the men in the establishment are mostly calling the shots and even are appointed to key posts.
The economy is in shambles, and since neither Khan nor the architect of the prevailing doctrine has the ability to turn the tables and fix the economy and government issues, the controlled media and spin doctors are given the task of repeating 24 hours a day that both the PML-N and PPP are responsible for the mess, and that it was their corruption that not only increased the external debt but also resulted in the demise of social sectors like health and education.
It indeed is nothing less than a joke as a country where dictators ruled directly for almost three decades and for the rest of the time the military establishment either ruled indirectly through hybrid regimes or by manipulating the political discourse, it needs no genius to find that it is the establishment and its propaganda that always uses politicians and democracy as the scapegoats for its failures.
The question, however, is how long this Bajwa Doctrine will persist, as with every passing day the country is paying the price for the misadventure of bringing Imran Khan to power and in the process making the economy weak and vulnerable.
Perhaps it is time to put this doctrine to rest, or else it will be a dead-end street from where not even a genuine political leadership will be able to push the invisible forces back. As they say, life punishes those who come too late.Neither Sharif nor Zardari has anything to lose in this battle, as they being experienced and season politicians know that with the deteriorating economy and now with the pandemic that will cause a global recession the establishment will not be able to keep intact the current status quo, and the frustration of the masses will prove the catalyst for a regime change.So the doctrine that in the start was about ruling the country through PTI for 10 years has to be replaced, as the dwindling foreign reserves and the crippled economy will not give any further margin of error to Prime Minister Imran Khan or the establishment.It is not a matter of how this doctrine will collapse, as it is already collapsing under the weight of its own failures. The question is how long this doctrine will be kept intact by force, and at what cost. It is the cost factor that always has to be kept in the mind, as in the Musharraf case we paid the cost of a surrendered foreign policy while General Ayub Khan and General Yahya Khan cost us the debacle of East Pakistan.
Fingers crossed that the final scuttling of this doctrine will prove beneficial for the strengthening of democracy and the country.
https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/pakistan-pays-price-for-failed-doctrine/
خیبر پختونخوا کے ہسپتالوں میں نامناسب سہولتوں پر ڈاکٹروں کے استعفے اور احتجاج
رپورٹ: محمد زبیر خان
پاکستان کے صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا کے بڑے ہسپتالوں میں ڈاکٹر مناسب سہولتوں کی عدم دستیابی پر احتجاج کے علاوہ استعفے بھی دے رہے ہیں۔
پاکستان کے صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا کے بڑے ہسپتالوں میں ڈاکٹر مناسب سہولتوں کی عدم دستیابی پر احتجاج کے علاوہ استعفے بھی دے رہے ہیں۔
صوبے کے بڑے ہسپتال لیڈی ریڈنگ پشاور میں آئی سی یو میں فرائض ادا کرنے والے دو ڈاکٹروں نے احتجاجاً استعفی دے دیا ہے۔
استعفی دینے والوں میں ایک ڈاکٹر عائشہ مفتی لیڈی ریڈنگ ہسپتال پشاور میں واحد کوالیفائی آئی سی یو ماہر تھیں۔ انھوں نے اپنے استعفے میں کہا ہے کہ آئی سی یو میں کورونا مریضوں اور نہ ہی طبی عملے کے لیے کوئی سہولتیں ہیں۔
لیڈی ریڈنگ ہسپتال پشاور کے ترجمان محمد عاصم نے استعفے میں عائد کردہ تمام الزامات مسترد کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ ایل آر ایچ کے دو ڈاکٹرز نے استعفٰی دیا ہے جس کی وجوہات کے بارے میں مذکورہ ڈاکٹرز نے لوگوں کو گمراہ کرنے کی کوشش کی ہے اور غلط بیانی سے کام لیا ہے۔
دوسری جانب ایوب ٹیچنگ انسٹیٹوٹ ایبٹ آباد میں بھی ایمرجنسی ڈاکٹر فرخ ترین نے دوران فرائض احتجاج کیا۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ آج جب وہ ڈیوٹی پر آئے تو آرٹیکل روم والوں سے حفاظتی کٹ کی درخواست کی تو معلوم ہوا کہ کوئی حفاظتی کٹ موجود ہی نہیں بلکہ ختم ہو گئی ہیں۔
ادھر ایوب میڈیکل انسٹیٹوٹ انتظامیہ کے مطابق حفاظتی سامان دستیاب ہے اور ڈاکٹر فرخ ترین کو مہیا کر دیا گیا ہے تاہم اس بات کی تحقیق ہو رہی ہے کہ ان کو حفاظتی سامان کیوں نہیں دیا گیا تھا۔
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Imran Khan is binge-watching Ertuğrul during Covid, recommending Turkish shows to Pakistanis
NAILA INAYAT
To say that Pakistan’s roots lie in India is borderline blasphemy. We are the first Arabs or Turks. So it’s not a surprise that Pakistanis have localized Ertuğrul.
One has to feel for the leaders trying to contain the spread of coronavirus or worrying about their country’s position in the new world order that the current pandemic will create in its aftermath. Because in a parallel universe, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is binge-watching Turkish drama serials and giving us recommendations.
Oh, the luxury of someone else running the country for you.
Imran Khan is smitten by the period drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul, upon which he has showered lavish praise, much to the dismay of Pakistani filmmakers who crave for their PM to promote their projects. But Imran Khan’s love for the historical-adventure series, which has been billed as a ‘Turkish Game of Thrones’, is cultural.
He says “our children and youth” should watch Ertuğrul, so that they can learn to differentiate between the real Islamic culture and the “third-hand” one that reaches Pakistan via Hollywood and Bollywood. “It (the Turkish show) also has romance, history… (and) has Islamic values.” That was a five-star review from the PM, and Turkey duly noted it.
But wait, don’t be so quick to tune into your Bollywood or Hollywood favourite after dutifully watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul. The PM has another Turkish serial recommendation for you — Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu. If you are too American to mind the subtitles, then the PM has decided to get the show dubbed in Urdu. In time, he will have more suggestions.
Sharing Islamic history with Turk Ertuğrul
So, what’s the fuss about Diriliş: Ertuğrul? Titled Ghazi Ertuğrul, the dubbed version of the show running on Pakistan Television is based on the life of 12th century Oghuz Turk, Ertuğrul (whose son Osman Gazi founded the Ottoman Empire). The series documents the valour of Muslim Oghuz Turks fighting and invading the Mongols, Christians and the Knights Templars in Anatolia. The show is a hit among period-adventure buffs in many countries. In Pakistan, it knocked PM Khan’s socks off because of what he often describes as ‘a shared Islamic history’ (if at all there is such a thing). Ever since his promotional speech, Ertuğrul has been creating waves in Pakistan.
But is the latest craze good for a country whose people are perpetually embroiled in discussions, debates and confusion over who their national heroes are? All that the show does is add another entry to the list: Ghazi Ertuğrul. Only last week Pakistanis were trying to choose between Muhammad bin Qasim and Raja Dahir.
Even though we revere the Afghan emperors — we named our nuclear missiles Ghauri, Abdali and Ghaznavi after them — we still smear Pashtuns who take pride in their Afghan heritage. To say that Pakistan’s roots lie in India is borderline blasphemy, for we are first Arabs or Turks and only then Pakistanis. In the national discourse, heritage is a blurred line and the idea of shared religious history has many takers.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that Pakistanis have owned Ertuğrul. Guess what, now Ertuğrul will free Kashmir for them. Basically, we just need someone else to do our work and then bask in its glory once it’s done.
In the company of Ertuğrul
Like they say, no publicity is bad, so the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is hell-bent on promoting Imran Khan as Pakistan’s Ertuğrul. Not that Khan sahib himself has to fight political opponents and invade hidden adversaries; most of his work is done by those who actually run the country. But this is 2020, and Ertugrul has to be on the same page as his selectors.
Taking the matter a bit too far was Ali Muhammad Khan, state minister of parliamentary affairs, who tweeted a photo praying to Allah to bring back the ‘golden era of Muslims’. In the photo, Imran Khan (as Ertuğrul) was flocked by Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and DG ISI Faiz Hameed. Other ministers were in the background. The post was taken down as some thought the order of men in the poster might not be what it perhaps is in reality.
After constant calls for donating to the PM’s relief fund, it seems promoting Turkish serials is the only job left for the PTI government.
Not a Turkish Delight
It is not for the first time that a Turkish serial has been dubbed for Pakistani audiences. In 2012, Turkish drama Ishq-e-Mamnoon (Ask-i Memnu) or ‘The Forbidden Love’ became a rage in the country. The story revolving around a modern family and incestuous relationships changed the dynamics of viewership. Turks dressed in Western clothes with modern outlook were a revelation for Pakistani viewers. Similarly, Mera Sultan (Muhtesem Yüzyil), an extravagant historical show, or a low-budget Fatima Gul, about the life of a gang-rape survivor, changed the landscape of drama industry. Turkish productions were banned soon after because of local industry opposition.
Like then, even now local artists aren’t happy about Pakistan importing foreign dramas and not promoting its own serials, considering how Pakistani dramas have been loved and watched by people in the country and elsewhere. Actor Shan Shahid expressed his concern about PM Imran Khan promoting and helping import Turkish serials instead of empowering local talent and own national heroes.
@ImranKhanPTI sir I believe in this economic crisis we were not supporting imports .then why cultural imports are open . Why Ptv showing imported dramas believe in your own talent and history .With your supportive policies we can bringon the entertainment map of the world
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While everyone is free to watch any content they wish to, it is somewhat problematic when the government promotes foreign serials, and uses public broadcaster to push a myopic sense of belonging.
Pakistanis have taken Ertuğrul’s history to heart and genuinely started believing that the 12th century Turk belongs to them. If the Instagram moral policing of leading actors is anything to go by, then Halime Hatun is Halima baji now and Astaghfirullah she needs to behave like a Muslim woman from the 12th century.
And just in case you miss it, Ertuğrul is hanging out with his dog. How is that even possible, bro? Don’t you know dogs are haram in Islam? But Pakistanis don’t care about all that. As Imran Khan once told us that he is “half Muhajir”, his followers have taken it a notch higher — they are on their way to becoming ‘full Ertuğrul’.
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