Saturday, June 27, 2020
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan slammed for saying Osama bin Laden was ‘martyred’
- Martyrs are greatly revered in Islam and the term is generally used for people who die or are killed in the service of religion, or in formidable circumstances
- Khan made the comment in parliament while describing the history of Pakistan’s troubled relations with the US since bin Laden was killed in 2011
- Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan faced a growing backlash Thursday after he said former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been “martyred”. Khan made the comment in parliament as he was describing the history of Pakistan’s troubled relations with the US since American special forces killed bin Laden in 2011 in the northern city of Abbottabad.
“The Americans came to Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden. Martyred him,” Khan said.
Martyrs are greatly revered in Islam and the term is generally used for people who die or are killed while in the service of the religion, or in formidable circumstances.
The prime minister faced blowback from opposition figures and observers following the televised speech.
“Imran Khan has fiddled with history, declaring Osama bin Laden as a martyr today,” former foreign minister Khawaja Asif told parliament. “Muslims all over the world are struggling because of the discrimination they face due to recent terrorism & our PM makes it worse by calling obl a martyr of Islam!” Meena Gabeena, a Pakistani activist, said on Twitter.
Pakistan has officially denied knowing bin Laden was hiding in the country until he was shot dead in a nighttime raid on May 2, 2011. The incident was a major national embarrassment and caused already-tenuous ties between the US and Pakistan to fray further. Asad Durrani, a former spymaster, told Al Jazeera in 2015 that Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency likely knew where he was hiding and hoped to use him as a bargaining chip. The 9/11 mastermind was tracked down after a 10-year manhunt to Abbottabad, a garrison town north of Islamabad where Pakistan’s military academy is headquartered, sparking allegations authorities were colluding with the terror group. Khan has made repeated controversial statements over the years, including during a trip to the US in 2019 when he claimed the ISI provided Washington with a lead that helped them find and kill bin Laden. The former cricketer has long been criticised by opponents for sympathising with militants, with rivals once dubbing him “Taliban Khan”.
#Pakistan - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan: A Taliban Goebbels???
By —Dr. Mohammad Taqi
Daily times (Published 08/05/2010)
The PTI and its leader are perhaps politically insignificant, but conceding space to such Ziaist propaganda has the potential to radicalize the nation, especially our youth. Fortunately, Mr. Khan is not perceived as an American stooge — he is seen as a Taliban apologist
“The lowest form of popular culture — lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people’s lives — has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage” — Carl Bernstein, US journalist.
Perhaps ordinary Pakistanis are not much better off either. But it is not just the journalists embedded with the jihadists who are peddling nonsense. Among the politicians, Mr Imran Khan keeps outdoing himself in the craft of black propaganda. He has been stuffing people with this Goebbels-speak for years and, unfortunately, the western print media is one such avenue he uses to push his outlandish assertions.
While the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman, Muslim Khan, had the dubious courage to clearly own up to the savagery of his outfit, Mr Imran Khan, who is the head and de facto chief spokesman of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, stoops to the lowest levels of skulduggery in defending Taliban atrocities. Sheer disinformation, misinformation, contempt for truth, and an utter disregard for the realities of people’s lives, particularly of the Pashtuns, are what Mr Khan’s spoken and written words are all about.
He seems to have perfected the art of repeating half-truths and quite often just plain lies over and over again. In his article ‘Don’t blame Pakistan for the failure of the war’ (The Times, UK, July 27, 2010), he has some real gems to share. He writes: “Before the West invaded Afghanistan, my country had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talibanisation.”
Perhaps Mr Khan had been too busy playing cricket to take note of al Qaeda’s activities in the early 1990s at Abdullah Azzam’s Maktab-al-Khidmat — a base camp in Peshawar for Arab jihadists. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden met each other in Peshawar courtesy Professor Azzam. Suicide bombings were not a norm then, but Azzam himself was killed in a car bombing in November 1989, allegedly orchestrated by his more extremist friends. He disagreed with their concept of takfir, i.e. declaring people who did not meet their definition of Muslim as infidels, who they believed deserved to be murdered. Benazir Bhutto, Dr Najibullah, several Arab rulers and Muslim minorities were placed in this category.
The early 1990s were the formative years of world jihadism and these men in Peshawar were not confined to just Afghanistan. The Afghan-Arabs, as they became known, worked hand in glove with all varieties of Pakistani jihadists and after 1992, Afghan territory was used for their cause. For example, training and sanctuary were provided at the Al-Badr camp in Khost to terrorists who unleashed havoc in Pakistan and around the world.
Mr Khan has completely glossed over the terrorist acts of the jihadists trained in the Pak-Afghan border regions. Riaz Basra of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was one such figure who was involved in over 300 acts of terror on Pakistani soil, including an attempt on Mian Nawaz Sharif’s life, way before the US forces had set foot in Afghanistan. Along with Akram Lahori and Malik Ishaq, Basra had used the training facilities in Sarobi (near Jalalabad). This was the beginning of Talibanisation in Pakistan.
While the terrorist cadres were trained in Afghanistan, their leadership was groomed at various madrassas in Pakistan. However, Mr Imran Khan is either ignorant of this fact or is protecting such nefarious characters when he writes, “Until that point [army action in FATA in 2004], we had no militant Taliban in Pakistan. We had militant groups, but our own military establishment was able to control them. We had madrassas, but none of them produced militants intent on jihad until we became a frontline state in the war on terror.”
Only two entities from what is literally the Ivy League of the jihadist network need a mention to refute Mr Khan’s claim. Karachi’s Jamia Islamia aka Binori Mosque has produced hundreds of jihadist leaders that include Maulana Azam Tariq of Sipah-e-Sahaba, Qari Saifullah Akhtar and Maulana Fazlur Rahman Khalil, the leaders of Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami, and the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Maulana Masood Azhar. The association of this madrassa’s patron (Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai) with the Afghan Taliban, especially Mullah Omar, is well known.
It might not have dawned on Mr Imran Khan but Jalaluddin Haqqani carries the title Haqqani for a reason — he had spent six years at Darul-Uloom Haqqaniah in Akora Khattak. Among the top 32 officials in Mullah Omar’s government, 11 — including six top ministers — were educated in madrassas in Pakistan. Out of these 11, seven were students at the Haqqaniah seminary. The US was nowhere in the picture when the alumni of these madrassas were on a killing spree in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mr Khan betters himself still when he claims, “After the WikiLeaks revelations yesterday, reports are being floated that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is aiding the Afghan militancy. The fact is that the ISI is not that powerful, but certainly in an environment of chaos and uncertainty Pakistan will need to protect its interests through all means necessary.” Even the ISI may take serious offense to this, as it is positioning itself as the power that can deliver the Taliban, especially the Haqqani network, provided the new set-up in Kabul is to its liking.
These assertions by Mr Khan might even be amusing if he was not capable of even worse assertions. Blaming the US for all ills is one thing, but he has as easily blamed the victims of terrorism. Writing about the Karsaz bombing in ‘Benazir Bhutto has only herself to blame’ (The Telegraph, UK, October 21, 2007), he noted, “I am sorry to say this, but the bombing of Benazir Bhutto’s cavalcade as she paraded through Karachi on Thursday night was a tragedy almost waiting to happen. You could argue it was inevitable...it is different for me campaigning in public, even in the frontier region, because I am not perceived as an American stooge or a supporter of the war on terror.” Benazir and not the takfiris were to be blamed as per Mr Khan’s views!
The PTI and its leader are perhaps politically insignificant, but conceding space to such Ziaist propaganda has the potential to radicalise the nation, especially our youth. Fortunately, Mr Khan is not perceived as an American stooge — he is seen as a Taliban apologist.
Daily times (Published 08/05/2010)
The PTI and its leader are perhaps politically insignificant, but conceding space to such Ziaist propaganda has the potential to radicalize the nation, especially our youth. Fortunately, Mr. Khan is not perceived as an American stooge — he is seen as a Taliban apologist
“The lowest form of popular culture — lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people’s lives — has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage” — Carl Bernstein, US journalist.
Perhaps ordinary Pakistanis are not much better off either. But it is not just the journalists embedded with the jihadists who are peddling nonsense. Among the politicians, Mr Imran Khan keeps outdoing himself in the craft of black propaganda. He has been stuffing people with this Goebbels-speak for years and, unfortunately, the western print media is one such avenue he uses to push his outlandish assertions.
While the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman, Muslim Khan, had the dubious courage to clearly own up to the savagery of his outfit, Mr Imran Khan, who is the head and de facto chief spokesman of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, stoops to the lowest levels of skulduggery in defending Taliban atrocities. Sheer disinformation, misinformation, contempt for truth, and an utter disregard for the realities of people’s lives, particularly of the Pashtuns, are what Mr Khan’s spoken and written words are all about.
He seems to have perfected the art of repeating half-truths and quite often just plain lies over and over again. In his article ‘Don’t blame Pakistan for the failure of the war’ (The Times, UK, July 27, 2010), he has some real gems to share. He writes: “Before the West invaded Afghanistan, my country had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talibanisation.”
Perhaps Mr Khan had been too busy playing cricket to take note of al Qaeda’s activities in the early 1990s at Abdullah Azzam’s Maktab-al-Khidmat — a base camp in Peshawar for Arab jihadists. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden met each other in Peshawar courtesy Professor Azzam. Suicide bombings were not a norm then, but Azzam himself was killed in a car bombing in November 1989, allegedly orchestrated by his more extremist friends. He disagreed with their concept of takfir, i.e. declaring people who did not meet their definition of Muslim as infidels, who they believed deserved to be murdered. Benazir Bhutto, Dr Najibullah, several Arab rulers and Muslim minorities were placed in this category.
The early 1990s were the formative years of world jihadism and these men in Peshawar were not confined to just Afghanistan. The Afghan-Arabs, as they became known, worked hand in glove with all varieties of Pakistani jihadists and after 1992, Afghan territory was used for their cause. For example, training and sanctuary were provided at the Al-Badr camp in Khost to terrorists who unleashed havoc in Pakistan and around the world.
Mr Khan has completely glossed over the terrorist acts of the jihadists trained in the Pak-Afghan border regions. Riaz Basra of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was one such figure who was involved in over 300 acts of terror on Pakistani soil, including an attempt on Mian Nawaz Sharif’s life, way before the US forces had set foot in Afghanistan. Along with Akram Lahori and Malik Ishaq, Basra had used the training facilities in Sarobi (near Jalalabad). This was the beginning of Talibanisation in Pakistan.
While the terrorist cadres were trained in Afghanistan, their leadership was groomed at various madrassas in Pakistan. However, Mr Imran Khan is either ignorant of this fact or is protecting such nefarious characters when he writes, “Until that point [army action in FATA in 2004], we had no militant Taliban in Pakistan. We had militant groups, but our own military establishment was able to control them. We had madrassas, but none of them produced militants intent on jihad until we became a frontline state in the war on terror.”
Only two entities from what is literally the Ivy League of the jihadist network need a mention to refute Mr Khan’s claim. Karachi’s Jamia Islamia aka Binori Mosque has produced hundreds of jihadist leaders that include Maulana Azam Tariq of Sipah-e-Sahaba, Qari Saifullah Akhtar and Maulana Fazlur Rahman Khalil, the leaders of Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami, and the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Maulana Masood Azhar. The association of this madrassa’s patron (Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai) with the Afghan Taliban, especially Mullah Omar, is well known.
It might not have dawned on Mr Imran Khan but Jalaluddin Haqqani carries the title Haqqani for a reason — he had spent six years at Darul-Uloom Haqqaniah in Akora Khattak. Among the top 32 officials in Mullah Omar’s government, 11 — including six top ministers — were educated in madrassas in Pakistan. Out of these 11, seven were students at the Haqqaniah seminary. The US was nowhere in the picture when the alumni of these madrassas were on a killing spree in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Mr Khan betters himself still when he claims, “After the WikiLeaks revelations yesterday, reports are being floated that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is aiding the Afghan militancy. The fact is that the ISI is not that powerful, but certainly in an environment of chaos and uncertainty Pakistan will need to protect its interests through all means necessary.” Even the ISI may take serious offense to this, as it is positioning itself as the power that can deliver the Taliban, especially the Haqqani network, provided the new set-up in Kabul is to its liking.
These assertions by Mr Khan might even be amusing if he was not capable of even worse assertions. Blaming the US for all ills is one thing, but he has as easily blamed the victims of terrorism. Writing about the Karsaz bombing in ‘Benazir Bhutto has only herself to blame’ (The Telegraph, UK, October 21, 2007), he noted, “I am sorry to say this, but the bombing of Benazir Bhutto’s cavalcade as she paraded through Karachi on Thursday night was a tragedy almost waiting to happen. You could argue it was inevitable...it is different for me campaigning in public, even in the frontier region, because I am not perceived as an American stooge or a supporter of the war on terror.” Benazir and not the takfiris were to be blamed as per Mr Khan’s views!
The PTI and its leader are perhaps politically insignificant, but conceding space to such Ziaist propaganda has the potential to radicalise the nation, especially our youth. Fortunately, Mr Khan is not perceived as an American stooge — he is seen as a Taliban apologist.
Opinion: 'Martyr bin Laden' and Khan's 'slip of the tongue'
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has sparked a big controversy by calling ex al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr." DW's Shamil Shams believes it is consistent with the premier's personal and political views.
It is not a secret that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has a soft spot for Islamists, even for those who carry out militant attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He blames the United States for destabilizing the Afghanistan-Pakistan region and justifies the Taliban militancy as a reaction to an imperialist invasion. But calling former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr" is a new low even for Khan.
Some people say it was a "slip of the tongue." I'd say it was a "Freudian slip" and revealed his unconscious thought.
In his June 25 parliamentary speech, Khan was supposed to allay opposition's concerns that his government has badly mismanaged the coronavirus crisis in Pakistan. But he tends to digress. In an extensive speech, he spoke about many issues, including the war on terror and how it damaged Pakistan. This has been his political narrative for the past 19 years.
Pakistan's state narrative
Bin Laden was killed by US forces in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad in 2011. Islamabad appeared to have cooperated with then US President Barack Obama in the bin Laden operation. It probably had no other choice but to support it. But the fact that the ex al-Qaida leader had been hiding in the garrison city raised many questions about Pakistan's anti-terrorism support. Let's not forget that Islamabad had received billions of dollars from Washington to go after al-Qaida and the Taliban leadership.
Pakistan's dubious role in the war on terror has always been a problem for the West, which needs Islamabad's support to manage the crisis but does not have control over the country's foreign and domestic policies. Islamist sympathy runs deep in Pakistan — both at state and societal levels. It is an instrument to stir up anti-India sentiment and keep the military generals in a powerful role.
Khan's close ties with the military are also no secret. Therefore, what Khan said about bin Laden is actually a reflection of the state policy. So let us not just blame the premier for saying something that many in the country's power corridors actually believe in. It is, however, not said openly, and definitely not in parliament.
Battle lines
Khan is entitled to his views, of course. If he actually thinks that bin Laden was a "martyr," then he should stick to his opinion. He should make it clear to the US that his government would not cooperate in the war against terror. It is an unnecessary facade — Islamabad has never really cooperated in the war against terror.
Pakistan should also stop playing victim. Khan keeps reminding the world that Pakistan paid a heavy price for participating in the war on terror. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed by militant groups since 2001. If those who killed innocent people are "martyrs," then the premier has no right to talk about his country's "sacrifice."
Dear Prime Minister, the people of Pakistan have indeed suffered immensely due to terrorism. Liberal politicians who took a stand against extremists were killed by militants. You, on the other hand, have maintained friendly ties with the Taliban. You didn't have to pay the price for challenging extremism and militancy.
Lastly, Mr Khan, progressive and secular people will continue to challenge the state narrative and your policies. There wasn't any doubt that you sympathize with Islamists, but now you exposed yourself even more. The fight against extremism will continue in Pakistan. You have made it clear which side you are on by glorifying bin Laden.
Balochistan: Collaboration of Pakistan army and its proxy gangs
It was 3:30 pm of September 4th 2019 when Shahbaik Aziz, the son of a local chieftain in Pedrak called Usman Maqbool to come to his house in Kaleshap village so they go to the range for bird game, the naïve Maqbool couldn’t refuse because of the notorious behaviour of the chieftain in the area. “They’re very powerful people in the area, they have government backing, my brother couldn’t refuse to serve them in catching birds because he would be harmed had he refused,” said his young brother, Adnan Maqbool.
The three sons of the chieftain, Shahbaik Aziz, Jeeyand Aziz and Mullah Shahmir Aziz were waiting for Usman Maqbool to come so that they kidnap him and then handover him to Pakistani government’s security agencies in Turbat city.
The 30 years old Mr Usman Maqbool arrives at chieftain’s home in Kaleshap along with his four years old son Zaid Usman and his neighbouring friend Dilsar Shahdad on a motorbike. They leave their motorbike at Shahbaik Aziz’s house and get into his car and move hastily, they were in the midway when a vehicle coming from the opposite side pulled over in front of them. Twelve armed men jump off the vehicle and overwhelm Usman and his friend Dilsar, put them in their car and drove away. In halfway they throw Dilsar Shahdad on the road after giving him a good beating.
Shahbaik Aziz then returns home and drops Usman’s son Zaid Usman near his house. It was twenty minutes’ drive from where his father was abducted. Four days later Mr Murad, the Uncle of Usman brings the motorbike of Usman Maqbool back to his house.
Usman’s younger brother, Adnan Maqbool says that it has been pre-planned that the local death squads executed to kidnap my brother for ransoms from my family and get some rewards from Pakistan army after framing false charges against my brother. The notorious death squad’s clan of Sardar Aziz has the connection with another death squad headed by Rashid Patan who has been used by Pakistani agencies to abduct political activists of Balochistan freedom movement.
The armed people in the car that came and abducted my brother were the members of death Squad headed by Rashid Patan active in the western part of Kech district where he is tasked to spy and kidnap Baloch political activists.
After 30 minutes of Usman’s abduction, the same people of Rashid Patan death squad’s gang arrived Gorwan village to pick up Usman’s 16 years old cousin, Doda Rashid. At the time when they arrive, Doda was not at home, Doda had gone to a nearby river with his friends, and the gangsters ask his mother his whereabouts. Doda’s mother didn’t know that they had come to kidnap her son. So she would not tell them that he had gone to the river. She called her son to come home, when he arrived, the gangsters immediately arrested him and put him in their car in a similar manner as they did with Usman.
“The gang members of Rashid Patan cult handed over my brother Usman and Doda to Pakistan army in Turbat FC camp.
“Pakistan army has adopted a new way of executing its illegal kidnapping of Baloch people by subcontracting their crimes to local petty death squads mostly consisted of criminals and drug peddlers wanted by local police, but the police cannot touch them because the ISI has given them green cards”, remarks Adnan Maqbool.
He added that his family has appealed the government of Pakistan to release his brother Usman Maqbool and cousin Doda Rashid or produce him before a court of Justice if he has committed any illegal action against the state.
بلاول اور اخترمینگل کا بجٹ پر مشترکہ حکمت عملی بنانے پر اتفاق
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے بلوچستان نیشنل پارٹی (بی این پی) کے سربراہ اختر مینگل کو ٹیلی فون کیا ہے، دونوں رہنماؤں نے بجٹ کے معاملے پر مشترکہ حکمت عملی پر اتفاق کیا۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ وفاقی حکومت کی نااہلی کی وجہ سے آج کورونا وائرس ہر جگہ پھیل چکا ہے۔ 18ویں آئینی ترمیم پر تنقید کرکے عمران خان دستورِ پاکستان پر حملے کررہے ہیں۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے وفاقی حکومت سے علیحدگی اختیار کرنے والے سردار اختر مینگل کو فون کیا اور باہمی دلچسپی کے امور پر تبادلہ خیال کیا۔
دونوں رہنماؤں نے وفاقی بجٹ کے معاملے میں مشترکہ حکمت عملی اختیار کرنے پر اتفاق کیا۔
پی پی چیئرمین اور اختر مینگل کی بات چیت کے دوران 18ویں آئینی ترمیم پر حملوں کا معاملہ بھی زیربحث آیا۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری اور سردار اختر مینگل نے این ایف سی ایوارڈ کے حوالے سے حکومتی اقدامات پر بھی گفتگو کی۔
اس موقع پر دونوں رہنماؤں کے درمیان اگلے ہفتے اے پی سی بلانے کے حوالے سے بھی مشاورت کی گئی۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ وفاقی بجٹ عوام دشمن ہے، ہم اسے کسی صورت نہیں مان سکتے۔
’پاکستان میں تنقیدی سوچ کو دبایا جا رہا ہے‘
حکومت مخالف نظریات کے حامل متعدد لبرل اساتذہ اور دانشوروں کو پاکستانی یونیورسٹیوں میں ’ملازمت سے برخاست‘ کیا جا رہا ہے۔ اس رجحان کو انسانی حقوق کے لیے سرگرم حلقے پاکستان میں تنقیدی سوچ کی تنزلی قرار دے رہے ہیں۔
پاکستانی پروفیسر عمار علی جان نے حال ہی میں ٹویٹر پر کہا تھا کہ وہ لاہور کی فارمین کرسچن کالج یونیورسٹی (ایف سی سی) سے علیحدگی اختیار کر رہے ہیں، جہاں وہ پولیٹیکل سائنس کی تعلیم دیتے تھے۔
عمار علی جان ایک مقبول ترقی پسند اسکالر ہیں، جو سماجی اور سیاسی تحریکوں میں باقاعدگی سے حصہ لیتے ہیں۔ وہ شورش زدہ صوبے بلوچستان میں فوجی مظالم کے خلاف آواز بلند کرتے رہے ہیں۔ جان پشتون تحفظ موومنٹ (پی ٹی ایم) کی حمایت بھی کرتے ہیں۔
جان نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو بتایا کہ اسٹوڈنس کے مظاہروں میں حصہ لینے کے نتیجے میں حکومت نے ان کے خلاف بغاوت کا مقدمہ درج کر دیا۔ ان کے بقول، ’’یونیورسٹی انتظامیہ نے مجھے ان سرگرمیوں سے دور رہنے کی ہدایت دی اور کہا کہ اگر میں نے ایسا نہیں کیا تو وہ میرے خلاف کارروائی کریں گے۔‘‘ جان نے مزید بتایا کہ پاکستان میں حکام کی جانب سے تعلیمی اداروں پر دباؤ ڈالا جا رہا ہے تاکہ ان کے مؤقف کی پیروی کی جاسکے۔
یہ بھی پڑھیے: سات دہائیوں سے چودھری اپنے چوکیدار پال رہا ہے!
پروفیسر عمار جان کا دعوی ہے کہ ملک کی طاقتور فوج سویلین اداروں پر اختلاف رائے کی آوازوں کو دبانے کے لیے دباؤ ڈال رہی ہے۔
واضح رہے اس معاملے پر فارمین کرسچن کالج یونیورسٹی کی انتظامیہ نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو اپنا موقف بیان کرنے کی درخواست کا کوئی جواب نہیں دیا۔
واضح رہے اس معاملے پر فارمین کرسچن کالج یونیورسٹی کی انتظامیہ نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو اپنا موقف بیان کرنے کی درخواست کا کوئی جواب نہیں دیا۔
انسانی حقوق کے گروپوں کا کہنا ہے کہ اگست 2018ء میں وزیر اعظم عمران خان کے اقتدار میں آنے کے بعد سے پاکستان میں اظہار رائے کی آزادی، خاص طور پر آزادی صحافت پر دباؤ میں شدید اضافہ ہوا ہے۔ انسانی حقوق کے لیے سرگرم عمل کارکنان کا دعویٰ ہے کہ وزیراعظم خان کی حکومت کے دوران ملکی فوج نے اپنی طاقت کو مزید مستحکم کیا ہے۔
ملازمتوں سے مزید ’برطرفیاں‘
پاکستانی میڈیا اور کارکنوں کے مطابق، ایک بین الاقوامی شہرت یافتہ ماہر طبیعیات، پرویز ہود بھائی کو بھی فارمین کرسچن کالج یونیورسٹی نے بتایا کہ آئندہ سال ان کی ملازمت کے کانٹریکٹ میں توسیع نہیں کی جائے گی۔ ہود بھائی مذہبی قدامت پسندی اور ریاست کی عسکریت پسندی کے خلاف اپنے سخت خیالات کے اظہار کے لیے جانے جاتے ہیں۔
دوسری جانب عمار جان کی ٹویٹ نے ملک میں دیگر سیکولر دانشوروں کو بھی علمی آزادی پر روک تھام کے خلاف آواز بلند کرنے پر مجبور کر دیا۔ لاہور گورنمنٹ کالج یونیورسٹی میں سن 2015 سے رواں سال فروری تک درس و تدریس سے منسلک ضیغم عباس کو بھی ان کے سیاسی نظریات کے اظہار کی بنیاد پر نوکری سے برخاست کر دیا گیا۔
ملازمتوں سے مزید ’برطرفیاں‘
پاکستانی میڈیا اور کارکنوں کے مطابق، ایک بین الاقوامی شہرت یافتہ ماہر طبیعیات، پرویز ہود بھائی کو بھی فارمین کرسچن کالج یونیورسٹی نے بتایا کہ آئندہ سال ان کی ملازمت کے کانٹریکٹ میں توسیع نہیں کی جائے گی۔ ہود بھائی مذہبی قدامت پسندی اور ریاست کی عسکریت پسندی کے خلاف اپنے سخت خیالات کے اظہار کے لیے جانے جاتے ہیں۔
دوسری جانب عمار جان کی ٹویٹ نے ملک میں دیگر سیکولر دانشوروں کو بھی علمی آزادی پر روک تھام کے خلاف آواز بلند کرنے پر مجبور کر دیا۔ لاہور گورنمنٹ کالج یونیورسٹی میں سن 2015 سے رواں سال فروری تک درس و تدریس سے منسلک ضیغم عباس کو بھی ان کے سیاسی نظریات کے اظہار کی بنیاد پر نوکری سے برخاست کر دیا گیا۔
عباس نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو بتایا کہ تعلیمی ادارے بہت تیزی سے ایسے اساتذہ کو ملازمت سے نکال رہے ہیں جو حکومت کی پالیسیوں پر تنقید کرتے ہیں۔ ان کے بقول، ’’ریاست آزاد خیال اساتذہ اور دانشوروں سے خطرہ محسوس کرتی ہے۔‘‘
ملٹری، سیاست اور علمی آزادی
اسلام آباد حکومت اور ملٹری ادارے ان الزامات کی تردید کرتے ہیں۔ وزیر اعظم خان کے مطابق پاکستان میں میڈیا بالکل آزاد ہے۔ حکومت کے بعض حامیوں کا خیال ہے کہ سیکولر کارکن پاکستان مخالف سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہوتے ہیں اور انہیں لگام دیا جانا چاہیے۔ سابق فوجی اہلکار اور دفاعی تجزیہ کار اعجاز اعوان نے ڈی ڈبلیو سے بات چیت میں اس تمام معاملے میں فوج کا دفاع کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ فوج کا ان اکیڈمکس کے کانٹریکٹس سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے اور اگر کوئی برطرف ہوا ہے تو کانٹریکٹ کے شرائط و ضوبط کی وجہ سے ہوا ہو گا۔ دفاعی تجزیہ کار نے مزید کہا، ’’فوج کو ہر چیز کا ذمہ دار نہیں ٹھہرانا چاہیے‘‘۔
اسلام آباد حکومت اور ملٹری ادارے ان الزامات کی تردید کرتے ہیں۔ وزیر اعظم خان کے مطابق پاکستان میں میڈیا بالکل آزاد ہے۔ حکومت کے بعض حامیوں کا خیال ہے کہ سیکولر کارکن پاکستان مخالف سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہوتے ہیں اور انہیں لگام دیا جانا چاہیے۔ سابق فوجی اہلکار اور دفاعی تجزیہ کار اعجاز اعوان نے ڈی ڈبلیو سے بات چیت میں اس تمام معاملے میں فوج کا دفاع کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ فوج کا ان اکیڈمکس کے کانٹریکٹس سے کوئی تعلق نہیں ہے اور اگر کوئی برطرف ہوا ہے تو کانٹریکٹ کے شرائط و ضوبط کی وجہ سے ہوا ہو گا۔ دفاعی تجزیہ کار نے مزید کہا، ’’فوج کو ہر چیز کا ذمہ دار نہیں ٹھہرانا چاہیے‘‘۔
یہ بھی پڑھیے: جے یو آئی ایف کی طویل خاموشی: اسٹیبلشمنٹ کا خوف یا پھر سیاسی مایوسی؟
ایک اور ریٹائرڈ فوجی افسر غلام مصطفی کا کہنا ہے کہ جان جیسے لوگ پاکستان کی تاریخ اور سیاست کا ایک مسخ شدہ نظریہ پیش کر رہے ہیں۔ مصطفیٰ نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو بتایا، ’’یہ ماہرین تعلیم فوج مخالف پروپیگنڈے میں ملوث ہیں اور فوج کا ان کے کانٹریکٹس سے کوئی لینا دینا نہیں ہے۔‘‘ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ ماہرین تعلیم کو سیاسی سرگرمیوں سے پرہیز کرنا چاہیے۔ ’’ان کا کام سیاسی سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہونا نہیں بلکہ پڑھانا ہے۔‘‘
ایک اور ریٹائرڈ فوجی افسر غلام مصطفی کا کہنا ہے کہ جان جیسے لوگ پاکستان کی تاریخ اور سیاست کا ایک مسخ شدہ نظریہ پیش کر رہے ہیں۔ مصطفیٰ نے ڈی ڈبلیو کو بتایا، ’’یہ ماہرین تعلیم فوج مخالف پروپیگنڈے میں ملوث ہیں اور فوج کا ان کے کانٹریکٹس سے کوئی لینا دینا نہیں ہے۔‘‘ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ ماہرین تعلیم کو سیاسی سرگرمیوں سے پرہیز کرنا چاہیے۔ ’’ان کا کام سیاسی سرگرمیوں میں ملوث ہونا نہیں بلکہ پڑھانا ہے۔‘‘
Friday, June 26, 2020
Broken promises and lavish feasts: Imran Khan disappoints people of Pakistan
Not just Line of Actual Control, there are tensions at Line of Control (LoC) too. There have been a number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan in the last few days, not only in the Jammu division but also in the Kashmir valley.
Since June 7, Pakistan has targeted Indian villages and military positions multiple times. There has been unprovoked firing in the sectors of Rampur, Keran and Tangdhar.
There seems to be a pattern behind Pakistan's ceasefire violations. The Pakistani Prime Minister seems to be on the same page as the Chinese president in provoking India.
Imran Khan promised a 'naya Pakistan'. He vowed to end corruption. The PM positioned himself as a champion of austerity. Most importantly, he swore to serve the people, not the army.
Imran khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan riding on all these promises. Then, he began complaining about how low his salary was.
He started replacing civilians in his government with army generals. He began adjusting corruption by his ministers, and used relief money to pay his bills.
In short, he broke all his promises and his sham of austerity was busted.
His country is on the brink of economic collapse. Pakistan doesn't have enough health supplies to keep up during this pandemic, and the food sector has been crippled.
How has the Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his remorse at not being able to live up to expectations? By enjoying opulent feasts!
These are not our words, but Pakistani media itself.
According to Pakistan media reports, Imran Khan was served 135 traditional dishes during his visit to Larkana in north-western Sindh.
Pakistan is starving as Imran Khan is feasting.
The most shocking and ironic thing is that his visit was supposed to be a review visit of the functioning of hospitals filled with coronavirus patients, as Sindh is the hardest-hit region in all of Pakistan. However, for Imran Khan, good food is more important.
Reports further claim that atleast 37 protocol vehicles accompanied him on his visit to the city.
All of this amid slashes in Pakistan's budget, and at a time when Imran Khan's allies are deserting him and his government is in troubled waters.
A threat to coalition
Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the chief of the Balochistan National Party has announced to part ways with PTI-led coalition government.
He says the PTI has failed to implement accords with allies, and that agreements and promises made to the people of Balochistan have not been kept.
Imran Khan's coalition had 184 seats in the national assembly. After this announcement, it will be down to 180, which threatens the future of this coalition.
A minimum of 172 seats are required to form a government in Pakistan's national assembly. So, if any other coalition partner pulls out, Imran Khan can face a vote of no confidence in the Pakistan assembly.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari telephoned national leaders and discussed APC, political situation, Covid-19, locust, 18th amendment and anti-people budget
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Friday contacted several leaders via telephone and discussed the current political situation of the country, 18th constitutional amendment, Covid-19, locust and federal budget.
Discussing these issues, the leaders also deliberated upon calling All Parties’ Conference as soon as possible. Chairman PPP contacted opposition leader in the National Assembly Mian Shehbaz Sharif, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Siraj ul Haq, head of Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Sherpao, Aimal Wali Khan of ANP, Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bazenjo and member National Assembly Mohsin Dawar.
Chairman PPP enquired about the health of Shehbaz Sharif and his brother Mian Nawaz Sharif. Both the leaders rejected the federal budget and agreed to all APC next week. Talking to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chairman PPP said that any attack on constitution will not be tolerated. During the conversation both the leaders declared the budget as anti-poor and rejected it. They also discussed the spread of Covid-19 in the country and agreed that the pandemic did spread in the country due to incapability of the government. Both the leaders also agreed to call APC next week.
Chairman Bilawal telephoned JI Chief and condoled with him over the death of former Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hasan. Siraj ul Haq enquired about the health of former President Asif Ali Zardari. Both the leaders discussed the prevailing political situation in the country. Talking to JI Ameer, Chairman Bilawal said that the economy was destroyed with the slogan of change. The entire country is in chaos due to Covid-19 spread but the government is unmoved. The agriculture of the country has been attacked by locust but Imran Khan is doing nothing except big talk. In this situation, the government presented an anti-people budget. JI Chief also discussed APC next week.
Chairman PPP telephoned ANP’s provincial president Aimal Wali Khan and enquired about the health of his father Asfandyar Wali. Talking to Aimal Wali Khan, Chairman Peoples Party said that the federal government has presented an anti-poor and anti-labour budget which the PPP out rightly rejects. Talking to President QWP, Aftab Khan Sherpao, Chairman Bilawal said that the Covid-19 did spread all over the country due to the confused attitude of Imran Khan and now he is targeting the constitution in the garb of 18th amendment. Chairman Bilawal said that no one would be allowed to attack the constitution. The government has destroyed the economy of the country and this anti-people budget will not be tolerated. Both the leaders also discussed the proposed APC.
Chairman Bilawal telephoned Senator Hasil Bazenjo and discussed the situation of Covid-19 pandemic and locust. Both the leaders agreed on calling APC. Chairman Bilawal also telephoned Mohsin Dawar MNA. Talking to Mohsin Dawar Chairman Bilawal said that the current government of PTI has failed from the day one on every front especially the economy. PTI government cannot hide behind the Covid-19. He said that we do not accept the budget which has not given any relief to the people. Imran Khan should work to save people from this pandemic instead of targeting the constitution.
Meanwhile, in a twitter message Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said “It’s easy to condemn police brutality around the world without looking inward. Criminalizing torture is the first step towards ending this culture of impunity and bringing the perpetrators, whoever they may be, to account. Torture is criminal, make it a crime.”
In another twitter message Chairman PPP said “PM IK calling OBL a martyr in NA is consistent with his history of appeasement to violent extremism. It is during his government that those involved in APS attack ‘escaped’ and those involved in Daniel Pearl’s murder get relief. Running with the hare and hunting with the hound.”
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/26/ppp-chairman-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-telephoned-national-leaders-and-discussed-apc-political-situation-covid-19-locust-18th-amendment-and-anti-people-budget/
Discussing these issues, the leaders also deliberated upon calling All Parties’ Conference as soon as possible. Chairman PPP contacted opposition leader in the National Assembly Mian Shehbaz Sharif, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Siraj ul Haq, head of Qaumi Watan Party Aftab Sherpao, Aimal Wali Khan of ANP, Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bazenjo and member National Assembly Mohsin Dawar.
Chairman PPP enquired about the health of Shehbaz Sharif and his brother Mian Nawaz Sharif. Both the leaders rejected the federal budget and agreed to all APC next week. Talking to Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chairman PPP said that any attack on constitution will not be tolerated. During the conversation both the leaders declared the budget as anti-poor and rejected it. They also discussed the spread of Covid-19 in the country and agreed that the pandemic did spread in the country due to incapability of the government. Both the leaders also agreed to call APC next week.
Chairman Bilawal telephoned JI Chief and condoled with him over the death of former Ameer Jamat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hasan. Siraj ul Haq enquired about the health of former President Asif Ali Zardari. Both the leaders discussed the prevailing political situation in the country. Talking to JI Ameer, Chairman Bilawal said that the economy was destroyed with the slogan of change. The entire country is in chaos due to Covid-19 spread but the government is unmoved. The agriculture of the country has been attacked by locust but Imran Khan is doing nothing except big talk. In this situation, the government presented an anti-people budget. JI Chief also discussed APC next week.
Chairman PPP telephoned ANP’s provincial president Aimal Wali Khan and enquired about the health of his father Asfandyar Wali. Talking to Aimal Wali Khan, Chairman Peoples Party said that the federal government has presented an anti-poor and anti-labour budget which the PPP out rightly rejects. Talking to President QWP, Aftab Khan Sherpao, Chairman Bilawal said that the Covid-19 did spread all over the country due to the confused attitude of Imran Khan and now he is targeting the constitution in the garb of 18th amendment. Chairman Bilawal said that no one would be allowed to attack the constitution. The government has destroyed the economy of the country and this anti-people budget will not be tolerated. Both the leaders also discussed the proposed APC.
Chairman Bilawal telephoned Senator Hasil Bazenjo and discussed the situation of Covid-19 pandemic and locust. Both the leaders agreed on calling APC. Chairman Bilawal also telephoned Mohsin Dawar MNA. Talking to Mohsin Dawar Chairman Bilawal said that the current government of PTI has failed from the day one on every front especially the economy. PTI government cannot hide behind the Covid-19. He said that we do not accept the budget which has not given any relief to the people. Imran Khan should work to save people from this pandemic instead of targeting the constitution.
Meanwhile, in a twitter message Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said “It’s easy to condemn police brutality around the world without looking inward. Criminalizing torture is the first step towards ending this culture of impunity and bringing the perpetrators, whoever they may be, to account. Torture is criminal, make it a crime.”
In another twitter message Chairman PPP said “PM IK calling OBL a martyr in NA is consistent with his history of appeasement to violent extremism. It is during his government that those involved in APS attack ‘escaped’ and those involved in Daniel Pearl’s murder get relief. Running with the hare and hunting with the hound.”
https://www.ppp.org.pk/2020/06/26/ppp-chairman-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-telephoned-national-leaders-and-discussed-apc-political-situation-covid-19-locust-18th-amendment-and-anti-people-budget/
پیٹرولیم قیمتوں میں اضافہ قابل مذمت اور غریب دشمنی ہے، بلاول بھٹو
پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹوزرداری نے پیٹرولیم مصنوعات کی قیمتوں
ایک بیان میں بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ جب عوام کو مزید ریلیف کی ضرورت تھی، پیٹرول مہنگا کرناغریب دشمنی ہے۔ پیٹرول کی قیمتوں میں اضافہ کرنے والے ماضی میں معمولی اضافوں پر تنقید کرتے رہے ہیں۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ عوام کی جیبوں پر ڈاکا ڈال کر عمران خان اپنی نااہلی کی وجہ سےڈوبتی معیشت کو سہارانہیں دے سکتے۔ پیٹرول سستا کروا کر ذخیرہ کروایا اور پھر مہنگا کر کے عمران خان نے مافیا کو فائدہ پہنچایا۔
انکا کہنا تھا کہ سلیکٹڈ وزیراعظم کو عام آدمی کی کوئی فکر نہیں۔ جب پیٹرول سستا کیا تو قلت پیدا کی گئی اور کم قیمت کے ثمرات عوام تک نہ پہنچ سکے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پیٹرول سستا ہونے سے کچھ سستا نہیں ہوا تھا مگر مہنگا ہونے سے مزید مہنگائی ضرور ہوگی، یہی نیا پاکستان ہے۔
#Pakistan - Taliban khan - Imran Khan criticised after calling Osama Bin Laden a 'martyr'
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has come under fire from opposition MPs after telling parliament that the US "martyred" Osama Bin Laden.
Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, was killed in 2011 when US special forces raided his hideout in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad.
Pakistan was not informed in advance.
"I will never forget how we Pakistanis were embarrassed when the Americans came into Abbottabad and killed Osama Bin Laden, martyred him," Khan said.
Khan used the word "shaheed" - a reverential Arabic term for a martyr of Islam.
Opposition leader and former Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif criticised Mr Khan, calling Bin Laden an "ultimate terrorist".
"He destroyed my nation, and [Khan] is calling him a martyr," Mr Asif said in parliament.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose Pakistan Peoples Party was in power when Bin Laden was killed, accused the prime minister of appeasing violent extremism.
Meena Gabeena, a high-profile Pakistani activist, wrote on Twitter: "Muslims all over the world are struggling because of the discrimination they face due to recent terrorism and our PM makes it worse by calling [Osama Bin Laden] a martyr of Islam!"
Mr Khan's speech came as Pakistan's foreign office rejected a US state department report accusing Pakistan of continuing to be a safe haven for regionally focused terrorist groups.
"While the report recognizes that al-Qaeda has been seriously degraded in the region, it neglects to mention Pakistan's crucial role in decimating al-Qaeda, thereby diminishing the threat that the terrorist group once posed to the world," the foreign office said.
Khan, a former cricketer, has previously been criticised as sympathetic towards the Taliban, and branded "Taliban Khan" by opponents.
Following his controversial Bin Laden remark on Thursday, Afrasiab Khatak, a nationalist former senator and former head of the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), said in a tweet that the prime minister had been brought to power to implement "Project Taliban".
In a TV interview four years ago, Mr Khan refused to call Bin Laden a terrorist when pressed by the interviewer.
Imran Khan called Osama Bin Laden a martyr not because of any ideological commitment to the 9/11 mastermind but because it was politically convenient.
The world has come a long way from the politics of 9/11, but Islamist militancy is still seen by analysts as the main weapon of Pakistan's powerful military establishment to push for its perceived aims in India and Afghanistan.
Bin Laden and other senior al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders of that time are still revered by the militants, and they function as useful tools in recruiting people to the cause. Any move to officially downgrade Bin Laden's status therefore could be counter-productive.
Mr Khan is seen by his critics as close to the military establishment - a proxy who has been catapulted to power in a 2018 election allegedly rigged by the military.
His word choice on Thursday was not an accident. Many noted that during his speech he initially used the word "killed" for Bin Laden, then stopped himself and corrected to "martyred".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53190199
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Opinion: Who Are the Key Voters Turning Against Trump?
They’re senior voters, and they could be Joe Biden’s secret weapon.Joe Biden may be ahead in national and many battleground polls, but Democrats are still fretting about whether key constituencies will turn out in November. In particular, they worry about the level of support from young black and Hispanic voters — for good reason.
Mr. Biden’s margins among these groups, particularly blacks, tend to lag Hillary Clinton’s margins in the 2016 election (though the gap is smaller if you compare Mr. Biden’s margins now to Mrs. Clinton’s at the same point in her 2016 campaign). And young voters were notably unenthusiastic about the former vice president during the primary season.
But the Democrats have a secret weapon in 2020 on the other side of the age spectrum: senior voters. Among this age group — voters 65 and older — polls so far this year reveal a dramatic shift to the Democrats. That could be the most consequential political development of this election.
The bipartisan States of Change project estimates that Mrs. Clinton lost this group by around 15 points. By contrast, the nonpartisan Democracy Fund + U.C.L.A. Nationscape survey, which has collected over 108,000 interviews of registered voters since the beginning of the year, has Mr. Biden leading among seniors by about six points. We are looking at a shift of over 20 points in favor of the Democrats among a group that should be at least a quarter of voters in 2020. That’s huge.
This pro-Democratic shift is very much in evidence in 2020 battleground states. The list includes Florida, where seniors should be an unusually high 30 percent of voters (a 17 point shift); Pennsylvania (24 points); and Michigan (26 points). In short, the age group that was President Trump’s greatest strength in 2016 is turning into a liability. In an election where he will need every vote against a strong Democratic challenge, that could be disastrous — and a harbinger of a new, broader coalition for the Democrats.
Who are these seniors who are turning against Mr. Trump? As you might expect, the racial composition of the 65 and over population is majority white — about four in five. And among white seniors, we see the same shift as among seniors as a whole, over 20 points. The movement of white seniors against the president is clearly driving this trend.
There are a number of possible reasons for this disenchantment. First, while they are a relatively conservative population group, they are not as conservative as their reputation suggests. For example, according to the Nationscape data (over 20,000 interviews with registered white senior voters since the beginning of the year), white seniors support increasing taxes on those earning over $600,000 a year by 44 points. They also support paid family leave by 29 points and a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 21 points. On health care, they support a public option for government health insurance by 34 points.
But that liberalism is tempered by other views. White seniors oppose “Medicare for All” by 28 points. And while these voters oppose separating children from parents to pursue prosecutions against illegal border crossing by 40 points, they also favor moving away from a family-based immigration system to a merit-based one — generally a position favored by conservatives — by 18 points and charging those who cross the border illegally with a federal crime by 17 points.
In addition, three-quarters of white seniors believe that the government should promote traditional family values in society and about two-thirds think the Ten Commandments should be allowed to be displayed at public schools and courthouses. And, by very wide margins, they oppose reparations for slavery and believe that there are only two genders, male and female.
So in short: liberal, but not especially, on some economic issues — and fairly traditional, but not draconian, on social issues. It’s easy to see why many voters who thought that was what they would get from a Trump administration are now disappointed. Combined with an age-related preference for normality and stability, that helps explain their movement away from Mr. Trump. They thought he would bring them closer to the America they wanted, with some of the decency and values of the past. As far as many white seniors are concerned, they didn’t get it.
For them, Mr. Biden seems like a comfortable alternative. He projects moderation and decency, an image burnished by his rejection of proposals regularly debated in the Democratic primary like Medicare for all and decriminalizing the border.
No doubt his appeal has been strengthened by the president’s response to the coronavirus, which has hit this group far worse than it has younger Americans. The president’s performance, and his ostentatious concern with reopening the economy rather than preventing deaths among the most vulnerable, has not gone down well with these voters.
For many, disenchantment actually predates the current crisis. But the pandemic, and Mr. Trump’s handling of it, has reinforced the shift.
Still, senior voters, even the ones who have recently moved to the left, are not securely in the Democratic camp. Policies that are too far to the left on immigration, health care and hot-button social issues could undermine their commitment to Mr. Biden and his party. This may present a particular political challenge after the wave of protests that engulfed the country in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.These voters have a preference for order — in one early June poll, 68 percent of senior voters supported or somewhat supported sending in the military to help the police respond to protests — so if they come to view Democrats as being soft on the violence that broke out in some cities, that could also reduce enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket. Similarly, demands that have emerged from the protests, like reparations or defunding the police, are politically unpopular with many seniors and could also potentially undercut Democratic support among this new constituency.
For now, though, this shift is the most consequential we have seen in this election season. If it remains through November and beyond, it could define a new era in American politics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/opinion/trump-biden-senior-voters.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Dubs Osama Bin Laden a ‘Martyr’
The statement brings to the fore uncomfortable truths.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has stirred new controversy after a speech he gave in the national parliament in which he described Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death as martyrdom by the United States. Bin Laden was “martyed,” he said.
The statement from the country’s premier is problematic for several reasons. The fact that Khan has given similar statements in the past shows what the country’s ruling elite thinks about the slain leader of the transnational terrorist organization and what it means for Pakistan’s security policy in essence.
It doesn’t appear that Khan’s description of al-Qaeda’s leader as a “martyr” was a mere slip of the tongue. Sources within the prime minister office say that Khan is unlikely to offer a clarification over his statement. This is worrying for two reasons. First, if Khan’s office doesn’t offer clarification, it means the country’s highest policymaking office believes that al-Qaeda’s former head, who killed thousands of civilians worldwide, was a victim rather than an an aggressor.
Second, a refusal to clarify the statement will have direct implications on Pakistan’s fight against militancy in the country and efforts to work with other partners in the region to contain militant groups. Calling bin Laden a martyr at a time when the Afghan peace process is underway and Pakistan’s national security establishment is trying very hard to delink the issue of Kashmir from terrorism will undermine Pakistan’s interests.
It is important to note that Washington has worked closely with the Afghan Taliban to ensure that al-Qaeda doesn’t find safe haven in Afghanistan or the region. Both actors have made some headway on this front. However, the last thing Washington needs is the head of Pakistan’s government declaring al-Qaeda a victim of the United States’ military campaign in the region. Essentially, this means that Washington needs to work on securing guarantees from Pakistan rather than the Taliban if the former is to decimate the group’s infrastructure and support base in the region.
Khan’s statement comes in the wake of the U.S. Department of State’s annual country report on terrorism in which Pakistan’s efforts to destroy militancy in the county and region are considered unacceptable. The report notes:
For Washington, Khan’s statement only confirms that groups like al-Qaeda and the Haqqani Network continue to find support in Pakistan. Moreover, this undermines Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts over the last few years whereby the country tried to prove that it intends to take on all militant groups and any accusations otherwise are baseless.
The statement is certainly going to be noticed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is preparing to call Pakistan for another hearing in the coming months. For a year, Islamabad has been working very hard to prove that the country doesn’t support any anti-India militant groups. A single statement from the prime minister may now reverse all these efforts, hurting the country’s diplomacy badly.
The development will be noted by Pakistan’s national security establishment too. The statement brings attention to a question that the Pakistani military has sought to evade for years. This possible situation of putting Pakistan’s national security policy and the country’s so-called dubious regional policy on trial over a statement from Khan will annoy the top brass of the military.
It should not be forgotten that Pakistan’s military is working closely with the United States on the Afghan peace process and has assured its complete cooperation to the Afghan leadership as well. What will the chief of Pakistan’s military tell the U.S. ambassador in Pakistan when he calls to ask for Pakistan’s official position over the matter?
The military may force Khan into issuing a clarification, explaining that he didn’t mean to say what he said. However, every passing hour will solidify the position of stakeholders that want to hold Pakistan accountable for its controversial national security policy.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Challenges The Prime Minister For A Debate
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto has said that our Prime Minister is fond of giving lectures, “I challenge the Prime Minister to have a debate in Parliament or on TV.”
Addressing the National Assembly, Bilawal said that Bilawal Bhutto said that his foreign policy was weak, Prime minister ran Modi’s election campaign, PM said that if Modi becomes the Prime Minister, the Kashmir issue will be resolved. If India was so bad, then how did India become a non-permanent member of the United Nations?
Talking about the situation of Coronavirus, the PPP chairman said that the rapid spread of the disease was being played a role similar to the Kargil war. Our state was not ready to accept the Kargil war at that time. If the Prime Minister had been democratically elected, the people would have cared.
Bilawal Bhutto said how can you say that we are ready for the pandemic. Doctors and nurses re suffering, all this happened because of the ego of the Prime Minister.
He said that in the first two weeks of the outbreak of the pandemic in Pakistan, work should have been done on a war footing. Due to their incompetence, the disease is spreading rapidly. On the other hand, Sindh province is currently conducting the highest number of tests and the people are recovering the most.
“The prime minister has no plan from day one. If we had followed the instructions of the WHO, our health system would have endured,” he said.
“The WHO has written to all the provinces asking them to lockdown for two weeks,” Bilawal added.
وزیراعظم عمران خان کی اسمبلی میں بجٹ کی اختتامی تقریر ایسے لگ رہی تھی جیسے حکومت کے اختتام کی تقریر تھی، چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹوزرداری
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے قومی اسمبلی میں وزیراعظم عمران خان کی تقریر کے بعد اپنے خطاب میں کہا کہ وزیراعظم عمران خان کی اسمبلی میں بجٹ کی اختتامی تقریر ایسے لگ رہی تھی جیسے حکومت کے اختتام کی تقریر تھی۔ مسئلہ یہ تھا کہ اس تقریر میں کوئی سچ نہیں تھا۔ وزیراعظم کہتے ہیں کہ ہم نے بڑا سوچ سمجھ کر لاک ڈاﺅن کا سلسلہ شروع کیا تھا اور ہم نے کورونا کی وباءکا مقابلہ کیا۔ ہماری بہت تیاری ہے اور ہماری تیاری اتنی ہے کہ ہمارا ہیلتھ سسٹم اس وباءکو سنبھال سکتا ہے، پر ایک ہی کنڈیشن ہے۔ اگر ہمارے عوام ایس او پی کو فالو کرتے تو ہمارا ہیلتھ سستم اس وباءکا مقابلہ کرلیتا۔ دنیا میں ایک بھی ملک نہیں ہے جو اس کورونا کا مقابلہ کر سکے جو ان کے صحت کا نظام اتنی تعداد میں اتنے بیمار لوگوں کا خیال رکھ سکتے۔ نہ امریکہ کا صحت کا نظام ، نہ برطانیہ کی صحت کا نظام تو پاکستان کی صحت کا نظام جس میں ہمارا ٓئی سی یو بیڈنہیں ہے، ہمارے ہسپتالوں میں بیڈ کم ہیں۔ پاکستان کا صحت کا نظام اگر ہم کورونا مسئلہ سو فیصد سنبھالتے ، اگر ہم ہر وہ قدم اٹھاتے جو ورلڈ ہیلتھ آرگنائزیشن کہہ رہا تھا ہم شروع دن سے کہہ رہے ہیں کہ وہ قدم اٹھاﺅ جو وہان میں اپنایا گیا تھا، اٹلی میں اپنایا جا رہا تھا اور جہاں الحمدللہ وہ آج اس وباءپر قابو پا چکے ہیں۔ تب بھی ہمارا صحت کا نظام کورونا کی وجہ سے ڈوب جانا تھا۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ جو امپیریرکالج کی اسٹڈی سامنے آئی ہے، جیسے ایک وزیر صاحب کہتے ہیں کہ ویسٹرن ممالک کا ذہنی غلام بننا نہیں چاہ رہے تو آپ کے پاکستان میں قائد اعظم محمد علی جناح اپنے نیوزپیپر میں اپنے سنڈے کے میگزین میں پورا اینالائز کیا ہے اور اس کے مطابق بھی آپ کو بتایا ہے، آپ کے صحت کا نظام ڈوب جائے گا، آپ اپنے عوام ، آپ اپنے عوام کی زندگی اور صحت بچانے کے لئے معیشت بچانے کے لئے قدم اٹھائیں۔
ہمارے وزیراعظم کا پہلے دن سے ہی پلان نہیں تھا، دوسرے دن بھی پلان نہیں تھا دو ہفتے بعد پلان نہیں تھا بلکہ آج تین چار مہینے بعد بھی پلان نہیں ہے۔ لاک ڈاﺅن کا یہ مطلب نہیں تھا کہ آپ صرف اپنے عوام کو کہنا تھا کہ اپنا خیال رکھیں۔ اس ٹائم میں آپ نے کیا قدم اٹھانا تھا؟ اس ٹائم میں آپ نے پاکستان کی ٹیسٹنگ کیپسٹی میں اضافہ کرنا تھا۔ ہسپتالوں کو بہتر کرنا تھا۔پورے ریجن میں سب سے زیادہ کیسز صوبہ سندھ میں ہو رہے ہیں۔ صوبہ سندےھ میں آبادی کے لحاظ سے سب سے زیادہ ٹسٹنگ ہو رہی ہے اور لوگ سب سے زیادہ صحتیاب ہو رہے ہیں۔ کوئی صوبہ مریضوں کا بوجھ برداشت نہیں کرے گا۔انہوں نے کہا کہ یہ سمارٹ لاک ڈاﺅن کی باتیں کر رہے ہیں یہ پہلے دن ہی کرتے۔ جب WHO نے سارے صوبوں کو خط لکھا کہ لاک ڈاﺅن جلدی کریں، فیز وائز کریں، دو دو ہفتے وار کریں وہ بھی مسترد کر دیا۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ آخر آپ نے آئی ایف کو خوش رکھنا ہے آپ نے آئی ایم ایف کو پیسہ واپس کرنا ہے لیکن وہ قدم اٹھائیں جس سے اپنے عوام کی صحت اور زندگی بچا سکیں۔ آپ اپنے ہیلتھ سسٹم پر انویسٹ کریں۔ مان لو کہ ہم جنگ کی صورتحال میں ہیں پاکستان کے ہسپتال میں اضافہ کرنا ہے، آئی سی یو میں اضافہ کرنا ۔ آپ کیسے کہہ سکتے ہیں کہ ہم تیار ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر پاکستان اس کے لئے تیار ہے تو ہمارے ڈاکٹرز پیرامیڈکس اور نرسز کیوں رو رہے ہیں؟ یہ نہ تیار تھے، نہ تیارہیں اور نہ ہی تیار ہونے کے لئے تیار ہیں۔ صرف اس لئے کہ ہمارے وزیراعظم کی انا کی وجہ سے۔ کسی ایک ڈاکٹرز اور ماہرین کی بات مانے کے لئے تیار نہیں ہیں۔ جو آپ کی اموات ہوگی کیا اس کا تعلق معیشت سے نہیں ہوگا لیکن جتنے لوگ مریں گے، بیمار ہوں گے اتنا ہی آپ کی معیشت کو نقصان ہوگا۔ مجھے تو ایسا لگ رہا ہے کہ پاکستان میں ریاست پاکستان وہی کردار ادا کر رہی ہے جو ہم نے کارگل میں کیا تھا۔ جنگ میں ہمارے لوگ، ہمارے فوجی، سپاہی جنگ تو لڑ رہے تھے، شہید ہو رہے تھے جیسے آج ہمارے ڈاکٹرز، پیرامیڈکس ہماری نرسز ہو رہی ہیں لیکن ہماری ریاست ماننے کو تیار نہیں ہے۔ کہتے تھے کوئی جنگ نہیں ہے۔ سامان نہیں بھیجتے تھے، ان کے لئے یونیفارم نہیں بھیجتے تھے سپلائی نہیں دے رہے تھے یہاں تک کہ کھانا تک نہیں دیتے تھے۔
آج بھی پاکستان میں وہی کچھ رہو رہا ہے۔ یہ اس وزیراعظم کی انا کی وجہ سے اور نالائقی کی وجہ سے۔ میں اسی لئے کہتا ہوں کہ یہ الیکٹڈ نہیں سلیکٹڈ ہے۔ آج کی یہ تقریر نہ میرے لئے تھی، نہ خواجہ آصف کے لئے تھی نا عوام کےلئے تھی، آج کی یہ تقریر صرف سلیکٹرز کے لئے تھی۔ کیا پاکستان کے عوام صرف سلیکٹرز ہیں؟ کیا آپ کی سب سے بڑی پالیسی فارن پالیسی ہے؟ وہ حکومت وہ وزیراعظم جو مقبوضہ کشمیر صورتحال جو اس کی ناک کے نیچے جو ہوا ہے آپ کشمیریوں سے پوچھیں، کیا آپ کی فارن پالیسی کامیاب رہی ہے؟ وہ آپ کو جواب دیں گے۔ آپ کی فارن پالیسی بزدلانہ رہی ہے، آپ کی فارن پالیسی ایک کٹھ پتلی کی فارن پالیسی ہے، آپ کی فارن پالیسی پاکستانی سب سے کمزور فارن پالیسی تھی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ آپ پاکستان کے واحد وزیراعظم ہوجس نے مودی کی الیکشن کیمپین چلائی تھی، جس نے پلوامہ کے حملے کے بعد کہا کہ وزیراعظم مودی بنے گا تو کشمیر کا مسئلہ حل ہو جائے گا۔ انہوں نے سوال کیا کہ اگر آپ کی کمپین بھارت کے اتنی خلاف تھی اور بھارت کے خلاف لابنگ کر رہے تھے، اگر آپ بھارت کے خلاف ہر فورم پر نیویارک ٹائم میں اور پتہ نہیں کہا ں کہاں کہہ رہے تھے کہ بھارت برا ہے تو ایک سوال کا جواب دیںکہ یو این سکیورٹی کونسل میں بھارت کیسے ممبر بنا گیا؟ انہوں نے 184 ووٹ لئے ہیں 192 میں سے، یہ ہے آپ کی کامیابی؟
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پوچھا کہ چین کی آپ بات کرتے ہیں، سی پیک کے ساتھ اس حکومت نے جو کیا ایک غیرذمے دار وزیر ہے جن کے بیانات کی وجہ سے چین نے بھی احتجاج کیا۔ پاکستان کے جو چین کے ساتھ رتعلقات تھے اس کی بنیاد شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو نے رکھی تھی۔ جتنا نقصان پاکستان اور چین کے تعلقات میں خان صاحب نے پہنچایا ہے کسی اور نے نہیں پہنچایا۔ انہوں نے کہا ہمارے وزیراعظم کو لیکچر دینے کا شوق ہے مگر اس کو اپنے لیکچر پر عمل کرنے کا کوئی ارادہ نہیں ہے۔ وزیراعظم نے کہا کہ میں ہر بدھ کو آکر ڈیبیٹ کرے گا اب دو سال ہو چکے ہیں ہمارے وزیراعظم صاحب نے اس پر ابھی تک عمل نہیں کیا، اس وعدے پر یو ٹرن لیا ہے اور آج بھی تقریر کرکے چلے گئے۔ اگر وزیراعظم نے ڈیبیٹ کرنی ہے تو ہمارے سوالوں کے جوابات دینا پڑیں گے اور ہمارا وزیراعظم ہمارے سوالوں کے جوابات نہیں دے رہا۔ نہ معیشت پر ان کو کچھ جواب دینے کا ہے، نہ فارن پالیسی پر تو اس لئے وہ ڈیبیٹ کرنے لئے تیار نہیں ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ میں وزیراعظم کو چیلنج کرتا ہوں کہ وہ یا تو ادھر آکر ڈیبیٹ کرے، فیس ٹو فیس ڈیبیٹ کرے جہاں آپ اپوزیشن کے سوالوں کے جواب دو یا ٹی وی پر آکر جواب دو ہم ٹی وی پر جانے کے لئے تیار ہیں اور ہم سے ٹی وی پر ڈیبیٹ کریں تاکہ آپ جو جھوٹ اس قوم میں پھیلاتے ہو، جو آپ جھوٹ ہر تقریر میں سناتے ہو، جو جھوٹ آپ ہر پریس کانفرنس میں بولتے ہو اس کا جواب آپ کو دینا پڑے گا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ چیئرمین صاحب! آپ دیکھ لیں کہ ہمارا وزیراعظم بزدل ہے نہ ادھر جواب دینے کے لئے تیار ہوگا، نہ ٹی وی پر ڈیبیٹ کرنے کو تیار ہوگا۔ ہمارا وزیراعظم اپنی تقریر میں ہمیں اپنی فارن ٹرپس کی کہانی سنا رہے تھے۔ جناب اسپیکر! اس سوال کا جواب وزیراعظم صاحب دے دیں کہ جو پاکستان کی تاریخ میں سب سے زیادہ قرض اکٹھا کیا ہے اور سب سے کم گروتھ ریٹ بھی ماشااللہ اس حکومت کا کارنامہ ہے۔ ان کا اپنا وزیر پلاننگ ڈیپارٹمنٹ اپنی رپورٹ جو پاکستان کی معاشی صورتحال ہے کورونا سے پہلے بری تھی آپ کا اپنا اکنامک سروے جو -0.4 % گروتھ کا ذکر کرتا ہے جو کہ حقیقت میں -0.2 ہے۔ وہ لاک ڈاﺅن کے پہلے کا سروے ہے۔ مطلب آپ نیگیٹیو گروتھ میں تھے لاک ڈاﺅن سے پہلے۔ آپ کورونا کے پیچھے چھپ رہے ہو، آپ کورونا کے بہانے روزگار کا جو وعدہ تھا وہ بھی نہیں پورا کر سکے، جو لاکھوں گھر کا وعدہ کیا وہ بھی نہیں پورا کر سکے۔ہماری حکومت نے نہ ڈاکٹروں کا خیال رکھا نہ ٹڈی دَل کے حملوں کا خیال رکھا۔ ٹڈی دَل کا مسئلہ جو آج بھی چل رہا ہے۔
کل سوشل میڈیا پر اور الیکٹرانک میڈیا پر نواب شاہ کی فوٹیج چل رہی تھی جس تعداد میں وہاں ٹڈی دَل حملہ کر رہے ہیں ہر کسی کو نظرآرہا تھا کہ اگر آپ کے پاس ہوائی جہاز نہیں ہے آپ اس کا خاتمہ نہیں کر سکتے۔ یہ تو حکومت کا وعدہ تھاحکومت کا نیشنل ایکشن پلان تھا آج بھی ٹڈی دَل حملہ کر رہے ہیں لیکن حکومت کا آج بھی کوئی بندوبست نہیں ہے۔ ان کا جہاز سکھر میں کھڑا ہے کوئی پائیلٹ نہیں ہے۔ یہ کونسا وزیراعظم ہے جو ہمیں لیکچر دیتے ہے جو حقائق پر مبنی نہیں ہے۔ ان سب خطرات پر ہمارا وزیراعظم کو ئی توجہ نہیں دے رہا۔ ہم اپنے عوام کو اس طرح لاوارث نہیں چھوڑ سکتے۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پوچھا کہ مگسی صاحب آپ بتائیں کہ آپ کے بلوچستان میں آپ کی مادری زبان میں پاکستان ٹیلیویژن پر کتنی کیمپین چلائی ہے؟ وفاقی حکومت کا جو سٹیٹ ریڈیو ہے اور جو دوسرے چینلز ہیں کیا وہ اس کے متعلق کیمپین چلا رہے ہیں؟ انہوں نے کہا کہ کٹھ پتلی وزیراعظم کو عوام کے ان سوالوں کا جواب دینا پڑے گا۔
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