Thursday, January 6, 2022
بلدیاتی انتخابات سے قبل صوبہ پنجاب کے 9 اضلاع سے 80 سے زائد بلدیاتی نمائندوں نے پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی میں شمولیت اختیار کر لی
پنجاب میں بلدیاتی انتخابات سے قبل صوبہ پنجاب کے 9 اضلاع سے 80 سے زائد بلدیاتی نمائندوں نے پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی میں شمولیت اختیار کر لی ہے۔ ان نمائندوں کا تعلق پنجاب کے اضلاع قصور، اوکاڑہ، وہاڑی، ساہیوال، ملتان، جھنگ، لیہ اور لودھراں سے ہے۔ پیپلز پارٹی میں شامل ہونے والوں میں میونسپل کمیٹیوں اور یونین کونسلوں کے سابق چیئرمین، سابق جنرل کونسلرز، کسان اتحاد کے اراکین اور تاجر برادری کی اہم شخصیات شامل ہیں۔چیئرمین پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پارٹی میں نئے شامل ہونے والوں کے اعزاز میں بلاول ہاؤس لاہور میں ظہرانہ دیا۔ ان سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پیپلز پارٹی ہمیشہ نچلی سطح کی جماعت رہی ہے۔ یہ اب بھی گراس روٹ کی پارٹی ہے اور ہمیشہ گراس روٹس کی پارٹی رہے گی۔
پارٹی میں نئے شامل ہونے والوں سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے کہا کہ پیپلز پارٹی نے ہمیشہ مشکل وقت میں ملک کو مستحکم کیا ہے۔ پاکستان اس وقت مشکل دور سے گزر رہا ہے۔ موجودہ حکومت عوام دشمن ہے۔ پیپلز پارٹی نے ہمیشہ غریب عوام کا خیال رکھا ہے۔ اس نے ہمیشہ لوگوں کو روزگار فراہم کیا ہے اور ہمارا نعرہ تھا کہ ’’بے نظیر آئے گی، روزگار لائے گی‘‘۔ 1970
کی دہائی میں شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کی حکومت میں ہم نے 5 مرلہ سکیم متعارف کروائی اور 1990 کی دہائی میں شہید بینظیر بھٹو نے 7 مرلہ سکیم متعارف کروائی۔ اب یہ منتخب حکومت جس نے 50 لاکھ گھروں کا وعدہ کیا تھا اس نے اس ملک کے غریبوں سے چھت چھین لی ہے۔ سلیکٹڈ حکومت نے ایک کروڑ نوکریوں کا وعدہ کیا تھا لیکن ہزاروں کو بے روزگار کر دیا گیا۔ عوام اس حکومت سے نجات چاہتے ہیں۔ مجھے اس ملک کو صحیح راستے پر ڈالنے کے لیے آپ کی مدد کی ضرورت ہے،چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پیپلز پارٹی نے ہمیشہ پاکستانی عوام کو بااختیار بنایا۔ صدر زرداری نے جو اس ملک کے سب سے طاقتور سول صدر تھے، اپنے تمام اختیارات پاکستان کے عوام کے نمائندوں یعنی پارلیمنٹ کو منتقل کر دیئے۔ ہم نے ہمیشہ صوبوں اور مقامی حکومتوں کو بااختیار بنانے کی خواہش کی۔ یہی وجہ ہے کہ سندھ میں پیپلز پارٹی نے سندھ اسمبلی کے ذریعے بلدیاتی نظام متعارف کرایا ہے جو مقامی حکومتوں کو بااختیار بناتا ہے۔ سندھ کے وزیر اعلیٰ سید مراد علی شاہ مقامی حکومتوں کو خود اپنی آمدنی پیدا کرنے کے قابل بنا کر طاقتور بنا رہے ہیں۔ میئر کو واٹر بورڈ کا چیئرمین بنا دیا گیا ہے۔ کچرے کے انتظام کی مشترکہ صدارت میئر کرتے ہیں۔ مقامی حکومتوں کو پولیس، تعلیم اور صحت کے محکموں سے ہفتہ وار رپورٹس وصول کرنے کا اختیار دیا گیا ہے۔ ہم مقامی حکومتوں کو مضبوط کرنا چاہتے ہیں۔ وفاقی دارالحکومت اسلام آباد اور پنجاب میں بلدیاتی نظام آرڈیننس کے ذریعے نافذ کر دیا گیا ہے۔
چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو نے پارٹی میں آنے والے تمام نئے آنے والوں کا خیرمقدم کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پیپلز پارٹی نہ صرف ایک سیاسی جماعت ہے بلکہ ایک ایسا خاندان ہے جہاں ہم خوشی و غم، کامیابیوں اور ناکامیوں میں ساتھ ہیں۔پیپلز پارٹی میں شامل ہونے والے سابق بلدیاتی نمائندوں میں قصور یونین کونسل کے سابق چیئرمین رانجھا بلوچ، چوہدری عبدالجبار، چوہدری محمد جمیل، حاجی عبدالستار، چوہدری لیاقت علی ساندہ، قصور یونین کونسل کے سابق چیئرمین چوہدری مشتاق احمد، اسلم میو، نجیب اللہ خان، شبیر احمد بھٹی، ڈاکٹر اشرف چوہان نے شرکت کی۔ ،، قصور کے جنرل کونسلر رانا محمد علی، اشتیاق احمد، ارشد بھٹی، سرفراز احمد، فواد رشید، حافظ ایم ارشد ملک، قصور کے جنرل کونسلر احمد علی اولکھ، محمد جہانگیر، چوہدری شہادت علی جٹ، سردار رفیق ڈوگر، ذوالفقار علی ، قصور کے جنرل کونسلر علی ڈوگر، امتیاز احمد بھٹی، ذوالفقار مسیح، ملک افضال احمد، شبنم خان، سابق ممبر ضلع کونسل قصور، زیب النساء، قصور کے سابق ممبر یونین کونسل سمیر رفیق، نرگس ریاض کھرل، سابق نائب صدر ،قصور یونین کونسل کے چیئرمین رانا محمد یونس، قصور کے سابق وائس چیئرمین فتح محمد نمبردار، کمیونٹی رہنمائوں منظور احمد کھوکھر، عزیز خالد، شرافت علی، تاجر شاہد انجم اور سابق چوہدری نثار علی خان ، قصور میونسپل کمیٹی کے چئیر مین سردار فیصل عطا ڈوگر اور سابق جنرل کونسلر اوکاڑہ میاں ادریس بھٹی، چوہدری اعجاز احمد گل صدر کسان اتحاد پنجاب، ملک جہانزیب کالس صدر لاہور ڈویژن سردار سعید احمد ڈوگر، بااثر شخصیات سردار داؤد احمد، ملک فہد احمد اور دیگر نے شرکت کی۔ حسین اعوان، لاہور بار کونسل کے ممبر رانا انتظار احمد، سابق چیئرمین وہاڑی یونین کونسل شبیر حسین، ملک ناصر محمود اعوان، نعیم اعجاز، وہاڑی یونین کونسل کے سابق وائس چیئرمین اسحاق محمد، زاہد محمود، وہاڑی کے جنرل کونسلرزیونین کونسل اسحاق محمد، زاہد محمود، وہاڑی کے جنرل کونسلرز فیصل حمید، محمد افضل، عبدالرشید، محمد یوسف، نسرین بی بی، زاہد پرویز، سابق یونین کونسل ناظم رانا محمد اقبال، رانا شرافت علی خان، نوید اختر، چوہدری شہزاد اور دیگر نے شرکت کی۔پرویز، راؤ محمد جاوید، ملک محمد اشفاق، قصور کے سابق نائب ناظم مہر محمد سرور، ساہیوال میونسپل کارپوریشن کی سابق رکن فرزانہ عباس، ملتان میونسپل کارپوریشن کی سابق رکن حنا شاہد، جھنگ،میونسپل کارپوریشن کی سابق رکن زرینہ شیخ، سابق جنرل کونسلر محمد سرور اور دیگر نے شرکت کی۔ جھنگ ارم اعجاز، شگفتہ حسین سابق ممبر ضلع کونسل لیہ، اقبال بی بی، شبانہ عامر سابق ممبر ضلع کونسل اوکاڑہ، سابق تحصیل ناظم لودھراں اور سابق یوسی چیئرمین سید اصغر شاہ نے بھی خطاب کیا۔
پیپلز پارٹی کا حکومت کے خلاف لانگ مارچ کا اعلان
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی نے حکومت کے خلاف لانگ مارچ کا اعلان کردیا۔ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ 27 فروری سے مزارِ قائد کراچی سے مارچ شروع کریں گے، لانگ مارچ کراچی سے اسلام آباد تک ہوگا۔
لاہور میں پیپلز پارٹی کی کور کمیٹی اجلاس کے بعد پریس کانفرنس کرتے ہوئے بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے پی ڈی ایم سے پہلے حکومت مخالف مارچ کرنے کا اعلان کیا۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ چاہتے ہیں کہ سارے ادارے نیوٹرل رہیں، امید ہے کہ ہماری جدوجہد میں کسی ادارے کی طرف سے کوئی رکاوٹ پیدا نہیں کی جائے گی۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ لاہور میں پیپلز پارٹی کی بنیاد رکھی گئی تھی، اسی شہر سے موجودہ حکومت کے خاتمے کی تحریک کا آغاز کریں گے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے ملک میں فوری، صاف اور شفاف انتخابات کروانے کا مطالبہ بھی کیا۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ سپریم کورٹ اپنے اوپر لگا بھٹو کے عدالتی قتل کا داغ دھوئے۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ حکومت نے ملک میں زرعی اور گیس بحران پیدا کیا، اس کی مذمت کرتے ہیں، کھاد کے بحران سے ملک کی پوری زرعی معیشت کو نقصان پہنچایا جارہا ہے، کھاد کا بحران موجودہ حکومت کا پیدا کردہ ہے۔
پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ ملک کے مسائل کا حل صرف جمہوریت، جمہوریت اور جمہوریت میں ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پی ٹی آئی نے سات سال فارن فنڈنگ چھپائی، اس کی مذمت کرتے ہیں، الیکشن کمیشن پی ٹی آئی کی فارن فنڈنگ کی مزید تحقیقات کرے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ کم از کم تنخواہ 25 ہزار کے سندھ حکومت کے فیصلے پر سپریم کورٹ کا حکمِ امتناع ہٹایا جائے، ایکسپائر ہوچکے آرڈیننسز کی دوبارہ توسیع کو عدالت میں چیلنج کریں گے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ ظالم حکومت عوام سے روزگار چھین رہی ہے، سلیکٹڈ حکومت کی نااہلی پر تیار وائٹ پیپر جلد الیکشن کمیشن کے سامنے پیش کیا جائے گا۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1033813
پی ڈی ایم ہمارے جانے کے بعد ختم ہوگئی، قمر زمان کائرہ
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے رہنما قمر زمان کائرہ نے کہا ہے کہ پاکستان
ڈیموکریٹک موومنٹ (پی ڈی ایم) ہمارے جانے کے بعد ختم ہوگئی ہے۔
جیونیوز کے پروگرام 'آج شاہ زیب خانزادہ کے ساتھ' میں میزبان شاہزیب خانزادہ سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے قمر زمان کائرہ کا کہنا تھا کہ موجودہ حکومت سے جان چھڑانی چاہیے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ پہلے بھی کہا تھا کہ مسئلے کا فوری حل حکومت کو چلتا کرنے میں ہے، پی ڈی ایم میں کچھ دوستوں کو ہمیں اور اے این پی کو باہر کرنے کی جلدی تھی۔
قمر زمان کائرہ کا یہ بھی کہنا تھا کہ اسمبلی میں ہمارا قائدہ حزب اختلاف کے ساتھ تعاون ہے اور رہے گا، ہمارے نکلنے سے پی ڈی ایم کو نقصان ہوا۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1033847
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
#Pakistan #PPP - Bilawal, Zardari pay tributes to ZAB
#HappyBirthdaySZAB - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto!!!! - (January 5, 1928-April 4, 1979)
By M Waqar
January 5, we celebrate birthday of Z A Bhutto, a leader, politician, revolutionary, who after his execution in Pakistan on April 4, 1979, still lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Pakistanis, and the party that he founded still possesses the largest permanent voting bank in Pakistan.
The possibility of the secular, democratic Pakistan that he had in mind, like Pakistan 's founder, Jinnah has earned ZAB the title of Quaid-i-Awam . Z. A. Bhutto has still more charisma than any politician in Pakistan. Mr Bhutto was inducted into office as the President of Pakistan in 1971 and was removed in 1977, both events took place around midnight; one in the wake of a war and the other in the shadow of a civil war. In between he gave the country what even his sympathizers and admirers would concede was a 'strong' government, he mobilized his country's first mass-based political party around a socialist ideology and highly independent foreign policy. Pakistan's modernizer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left deep footprints in the sands of history.
To his lasting credit remains the 1973 Constitution of the country, the Shimla Accord of 1972 which brought the longest peace between India and Pakistan, the social reforms to build an egalitarian society, the non-aligned foreign policy, the nuclear programme and the building of the social, economic and military infrastructure of the country. He was a thinker, author and orator. He was deliberate, discreet, and competent; honest, upright and keeper of his covenants. He was a friend of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. Fearless in his beliefs he refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. His courage was such that he preferred to face death for his beliefs and embraced martyrdom. He had profound faith in freedom and the liberation of humanity. Under his government, Pakistan gave overt and covert support to the African nations than under apartheid and minority rule. He rejected fanaticism. He gave pride to the poor.
Z A Bhutto is the first person in Pakistan who has given voice to the common people. Z. A. Bhutto remains alive in hearts of millions of Pakistanis. It was a miracle that in less than half a decade a defeated nation had become a significant entity in the comity of nations. Pakistan had friends all around the globe from Africa to the far corner of Asia and from Europe to South America. We were regarded as a nation which had proved itself. Pakistani manpower was exported in the Middle East and the statesmanship of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had started bearing fruit. Under Z A Bhutto's rule, a new vision of Pakistan was born. Within a few years of the defeat in 1971, Pakistan began to see itself not as some beleaguered non-entity in South Asia, as the Indian establishment was prone to see it, but as a strategically located middle-sized power straddling the two worlds of South and West Asia, uniquely poised to take advantage of a host of geopolitical possibilities and enjoying widespread support among the Islamic states. He is one of the few Pakistani leaders that energized the nation and gave it a sense of optimism. Z A Bhutto, saw the future of Pakistan.
Like Jinnah he outwitted Indira Gandhi at Shimla and formed alliances with various world leaders, from Sadaat, to Boumediene to Qaddafi to Faisal. Pakistan survives today because of those alliances that enabled him to build the Nuclear bomb. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto understood the geo-political realities of the region. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World who earned everlasting fame in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. He had the privilege of interacting with many of those leaders who played a great role in the epic struggle for national independence in the 20th century, including Mao Tse Tung, Ahmed Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Salvador Allende. During the period between the end of the Second World War and the end of the Cold War, the world was divided into two blocs: The Capitalist West and the Socialist East. All these leaders aspired to aspects of a socialist pattern of economy. Bhutto shared their faith in a leading role for the public sector as an instrument of self-reliance. Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the courage of his conviction to decide to lay down his life rather than compromise or seek appeasement.
There was a sense of purpose and direction in the country in pursuit of peace and prosperity. The economic growth rate increased and money poured in from expatriates who got the universal right to passport. The Muslim countries donated roughly $500 million annually to Pakistan, freeing it of international financial institutions. The people got jobs and opportunities. Women of the country were emancipated entering the police force, Foreign, Civil Service and subordinate judiciary for the first time in the country's history. There is a story that the American President John F. Kennedy was much impressed with the then Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When they met, Kennedy walked with him in the Rose Garden and said, "Bhutto, if you were an American, you would be in my Cabinet". To which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto smilingly replied, "No, Mr. President. If I were an American, you would be in my cabinet". Z A Bhutto, was highly skilled negotiator and an international statesman, he secured the agreement between USSR and Pakistan, he signed an agreement with China on demarcation of the Sino-Pak boundary. When he became President, Pakistan had innumerable problems, but he was not a man to be cowed down by knotty problems, he was in fact, a dynamo of inexhaustible and boundless creative energy, he was born to solve problems , he had to tackle the problems of shattered country by a methodical system of fixing priorities. Bhutto the adroit politician and statesman tackled the difficult problems of his country one by one with devotion, determination and patriotic zeal and solved them successfully. Since his assumption of power this great man of vision and destiny, equipped with resolute will, extraordinary intelligence and seething patriotic zeal fought successfully against the landlords, capitalists, industrialists, religious fanatics, corrupt bureaucrats, saboteurs, foreign intriguers and spies, he stood like a rock against all odds and achieved national unity, he worked hard for the emancipation of the exploited working class and illiterate masses. His cruel and barbaric murder by military despots caused revulsion across the globe, Z A Bhutto dedicated his life to remove the sorrows from the hearts of the poor and the oppressed, to remove the tears from the children of his poor nation. He lived consciously to make history and to leave a legacy in the form of the development of his nation, his fight was a fight against the policies of IMF, which serve to perpetuate the backwardness of the developing nations.
Bhutto is rightfully credited with saving Pakistan at this dark moment in its history, as French President Giscard d'Estaing said, "he was the man who incarnated Pakistan at a dramatic hour of its history. Tolstoy in the last volume of his War and Peace expressed that history is a movement of ideas in which political leaders play a minor role. Sometimes the movement of ideas is indeed rapid. Yet, at times, the movement of ideas is slower than the melting of the glaciers. The movement of ideas is facilitated in a vibrant political and democratic culture, which gives room for dissent and disagreement. In dictatorial societies, history remains static in a cold freeze. And so it was in Pakistan before Quaid-i-Awam. He was the one who converted that static and decayed dictatorial polity into a vibrant and dynamic democratic society; the cost of which he paid with his own life. He who gave his blood, and the blood of his sons and daughter,
Long Live Bhuttoism….
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
#Pakistan - The day Salman Taseer fell silent
https://www.dawn.com/news/1230498/the-day-salman-taseer-fell-silent
Z A Bhutto's letter to Jinnah before Pakistan's independence
- Former President of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wrote a letter to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah back in 1945.
- Bhutto wrote the letter at the age of 17 in which he talked about his interest in politics.
- Jinnah advised Bhutto to study politics and not neglect education.
Former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto wrote a letter to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah back in 1945 on April 26 when Pakistan hadn’t come into existence yet.
Bhutto wrote the letter at the age of 17 in which talked about his interest in politics and admired the efforts of Quaid-e-Azam for an independent country, to which Jinnah gave him a piece of advice.
Bhutto wrote in the letter: “You have brought us under one platform. Every Muslim should have a wish for an independent Pakistan as Pakistan is our destiny and aim.”
“No one can stop us from being an independent country. We are a nation and you have united us,” Bhutto continued.
He further stated in the letter that he is unable to play a significant role towards the creation of Pakistan as he is still a student, adding that a time will come when he will sacrifice his life for Pakistan.
Jinnah replied to the letter on May 1, 1945.
The letter stated: "I am happy to read your letter and to know that you have been taking part in political events."
He continued the letter by giving him the advice to study politics and to not neglect education.
Quaid-e-Azam further said that he believes that Bhutto will be a successful person if he studies the political issues of India.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/389779-bhuttos-letter-to-jinnah-in-before-pakistans-independence
قائدعوام شہید نے ملک کو ایٹمی قوت بنایا,1973ءکا آئین دیا، ایٹمی پروگرام اور 1973ءکا آئین قوم کے پاس شہید بھٹو کی امانت ہیں۔ سابق صدر پاکستان اور صدر پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹیرینز آصف علی زرداری
سابق صدر پاکستان اور پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹیرینز کے صدر آصف علی زرداری نے پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے بانی چیئرمین قائد عوام ذوالفقار علی بھٹو شہید کے یوم ولادت کے موقع پر انہیں خراج عقیدت پیش کرتے ہوئے اس عہد کی تجدید کی ہے کہ شہید قائد عوام کے بلند کئے ہوئے پرچم کو سربلند رکھیں گے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ذوالفقار علی بھٹو شہید نے 1971ءمیں جنگ سے تباہ ہونے والے ملک کی دوبارہ تعمیر کی، شکست خوردہ قوم کو باوقار قوموں میں شامل کیا، دشمن کی قید سے 93ہزار فوجی جوانوں کو باعزت طریقے سے واپس لئے، بھارت کے قبضے میں گئی ہوئی زمین ہزاروں مربع زمین واپس لی۔
آصف علی زرداری نے کہا کہ قائدعوام شہید نے ملک کو ایٹمی قوت بنایا,1973ءکا آئین دیا، ایٹمی پروگرام اور 1973ءکا آئین قوم کے پاس شہید بھٹو کی امانت ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ شہید ذوالفقار علی بھٹو نے عوام کو سیاسی شعور دے کر بولنے کا ڈھنگ سکھایا تھا۔ وہ دنیا بھر میں چلنے والی جمہوری تحریکوں کے حامی تھے اور اسلامی دنیا کے باہمی اتحاد کے بانی تھے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ قائد عوام شہید کے فلسفے کے مطابق پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی ملک کو مشکلات سے نکالے گی۔ پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹ کی بالادستی اور آئین کی حکمرانی کے اصولوں پر قائم ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ غربت، جہالت اور عوام کا استحصال کرنے والوں کے خلاف جنگ جاری رہے گی۔
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26016/
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari describes Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as an invincible movement of people of Pakistan
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26014/
Monday, January 3, 2022
What is driving Pakistan's alarming diabetes surge?
Pakistan is in the midst of a growing diabetes crisis, a recent report has revealed. Over 19 million people in the South Asian nation are living with diabetes and the numbers continue to rise.Health experts in Pakistan have expressed grave concerns over surging cases of diabetes in the South Asian nation, warning that the situation could spiral out of control if the government fails to take immediate action. A recent report from the International Diabetic Federation (IDF) ranking the world's highest number of diabetic cases has put Pakistan in third place with a total of 19.4 million cases recorded in 2019.Pakistan has seen a 70% increase in diabetes in the last two years, and the disease was responsible for at least 400,000 deaths in 2021, according to the report.In addition, the report revealed that one in four adults in Pakistan is living with diabetes, the highest national prevalence in the world (26.7%). The IDF found that an additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which puts them at higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes. The report noted that more than a quarter (26.9%) of adults living with diabetes in Pakistan are undiagnosed. The findings made headlines across Pakistani media. Health experts have called on the government to inject more funds into its national health budget to combat the problem. Pakistan spends less than 1% of its GDP on health. What is fueling Pakistan's diabetes rise? Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, a doctor at the Pakistan Medical Association, says the country's decreasing health budget has forced public hospitals to shut down a wide array of health care services, including those for treating diabetes. Diabetes health care and medicine, including insulin, used to be more affordable, Shoro said. However, in the last four years, costs have skyrocketed, steering away patients.Karachi-based doctor Fatema Jawad says diabetes medicine and insulin cost between 2,000 rupees (€10, $11) and 7,000 rupees in Pakistan. But in a country where the majority live on less than $3 a day, "it's not possible to get proper treatment," she told DW. "Only a few hospitals in Sindh province provide free medicine," she added. Jawad said that poverty also plays an important role in diabetes. About 22% of Pakistan's population live below the national poverty line, according to the latest available data from the World Bank. Millions of women and more than 40% of children are malnourished across the country, Jawad said. These women give birth to malnourished babies, increasing the risk of childhood diabetes, she added. Lack of education access A lack of access to affordable education in Pakistan also plays a role in growing diabetes cases. Many Pakistanis living in rural areas are illiterate."They do not understand that diabetes is a silent killer," Jawad explained. Many only seek medical advice when their health status has declined to the point of diabetes-related complications, some of which would require amputation, she said.Rising health care costs and poverty also prompt some diabetes sufferers to seek alternative help from mystics or traditional healers, doctor Shoro told DW. Furthermore, Tipu Sultan, the former principal of Dow Medical College in Karachi, says candies and snacks high in sugar content are also widely distributed throughout Pakistan's many religious festivals. Clerics tell people that eating sweets is a tradition of Prophet Mohammad, which might lead some people to pay less attention to the impacts of sugar on their health, Sultan told DW.Pakistani schools see shrinking outdoor spaces Ashraf Nizami, a Lahore-based medical expert, believes that lack of exercise, dietary habits and rising obesity are contributing to Pakistan's diabetes surge. He also attributes the problem to the country's lack of sporting facilities, as well as limited public spaces for exercise, particularly in schools. Nizami said tens of thousands of schools have been established on small plots measuring 120 to 600 square yards. Some schools do not have any playgrounds, depriving students of physical exercise, and thereby increasing the risks of obesity and diabetes in the long run, he said. How is the government dealing with the problem? The Pakistani government is paying attention to the diabetes health crisis, reassures Senator Sana Jamali, a member of the Senate National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Committee. Islamabad is making efforts to tackle the problem, Jamali told DW. "The prime minister has recently launched health insurance cards in Punjab, which will go a long way in reducing diabetic cases besides making treatment easy for poor people," she said. But according to Jamali, the government cannot solve the country's health problem alone. "Unless people change their lifestyle and dietary habits, this problem will continue to haunt us and millions of more people will suffer from it," she maintained, adding that more awareness of the disease needs to be raised nationwide. https://www.dw.com/en/what-is-driving-pakistans-alarming-diabetes-surge/a-60318409
Imran Khan fighting blasphemy is Joker protecting Gotham: Here is why Pakistan will remain a hell hole
https://www.opindia.com/2021/12/imran-khan-pakistan-blasphemy-rangeela-rasool-sialkot-radical-islamists/
EDITORIAL: #Pakistan - Same Taliban, Different Times
Leopards never change their spots. With a seemingly unstoppable onslaught of gender-specific restrictions and a notorious obsession with meddling into the everyday affairs of Afghans, the Taliban have clearly picked up where they had left two decades ago. Or had they ever gone missing, the elusive question hangs heavy in the air. While international agencies keep ringing the bells to warn of the impending starvation of over a million children, the new Kabul has decided to focus on a rather different issue: barbershops.
New guidelines regarding the trimming of beards have been issued where the government spokespersons are hell-bent on making parallels with the Sunnah. Facial hair is the new fault line as the young generation is finding it increasingly hard to comply with the new normal. Meanwhile, restrictions on soap operas and slapping the guardianship requirement on females are ushering in a terrifying deja vu of the nineties marked by a tightened noose around the necks of anyone who dared defy the patriarchal order. Disturbing revelations about summary killings and forced disappearances made by Human Rights Watch have already smeared egg all over the Taliban’s claims of turning a new leaf over. But there appears no sign of any steps designed to take care of the optics problem. Failing to deliver on promises, especially those pertaining to an inclusive, gender-balanced government and bringing Afghanistan into the 21st century, would land Kabul in a sticky spot, considering the underway deliberations with the US.
Clearly, the West is in no mood to release its grasp over the frozen assets, paying no heed to unprecedented hunger levels, raging drought conditions amid lingering nonpayment of salaries.
But the grand scheme to force the Taliban to mend their ways through the hard bargain is to date gross failure because they do not plan to give even the Afghan men–let alone women and minorities–a chance at leading a free life.
Defeating a superpower at its own game so crushingly that President Biden hung his head in resignation in his response to questions about $2.3 trillion and 6,500 American lives gone to waste was a phenomenal, almost magical, feat. However, a country cannot be run on bravery alone. It needs finances, and that is something Afghanistan needs the West for. The sooner Kabul wakes up to its reality, the better, because war-hardened Taliban might know a thing or two about surviving on pennies, but what about the 3.5 million pushed under open skies and millions more praying for a single loaf of bread?
https://dailytimes.com.pk/862756/same-taliban-different-times/
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pays tribute to Shaheed Salman Taseer
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26010/
Sunday, January 2, 2022
Pakistan: Climate Change, Food, and Geopolitics
By Osama Rizvi
The country’s vulnerability to natural disasters and adverse effects on labor productivity will add to its existing challenges and concerns.
A recent report by the Office of National Intelligence (U.S.) has identified the 11 countries most vulnerable to sociopolitical and geopolitical instability due to climate change – and Pakistan is one of them.
According to different estimates, climate change could cost Pakistan a staggering $3.8 billion annually. Given the importance of agriculture in Pakistan – it contributes 22 percent of its GDP and provides employment for almost 39 percent of its workforce – along with soaring food price inflation, exacerbating climate change can jeopardize its energy, food and national security.
Drawing attention to the asymmetrical effects of climate change on the Global South in his book “The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions,” economic anthropologist Jason Hickel points out that 83 percent of deaths related to climate change happened in countries with the lowest carbon emissions, whereas out of 588 billion tons of carbon emissions (figures until 2017), 70 percent came from industrial economies. Pakistan is illustrative of this.
The future holds some tough choices for the country. On the one hand, the need to shift to cleaner sources of energy is necessary and extraordinarily important. On the other, as I have argued elsewhere, the inherent limitations of these systems make such a shift challenging, to say the least.
Reality jeers at the ideal. More than 40 million of Pakistan’s population lack electricity and more than 50 percent are deprived of “clean cooking facilities.” Unemployment is worrisome as one out of 10 people in Pakistan is unemployed with a total rate of around 4.65 percent in 2020. Pakistan’s per capita income was $1,465 in 2020. Recently, the country’s total liabilities reached $283 billion (2021), the highest ever recorded. Finally, a reality check: fossil fuels still account for 64 percent of Pakistan’s energy mix with renewables providing a paltry 4 percent.
The exacerbating climate situation underscores the need for Pakistan to pay urgent attention to several issues. One such issue is that of food. Recently, the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture World Food Price Index touched 134.4, the highest since 2011. People in Pakistan spend almost 39 percent of their income on food and 24 percent on other basic provisions such as rent, gas, and water. According to a 2017 estimate, around 68 percent of households receive inadequate nutrition. This recent rise in food prices will only exacerbate this situation as the Sensitive Price Index registered a 37 week high with an increase of 17.4 percent, while food is roughly 48 percent more costly than in 2018.
This rise in food prices, inter alia, has a direct correlation with social unrest and political instability. Research shows that between 2005 and 2011, food riots jumped 250 percent, triggering protests in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. The Arab Spring was also a result of rise in food prices.
This issue spills over to the geopolitical domain as well. It is instructive to note here that India is building a food corridor, called the India-Middle East Food Corridor, under the auspices of a wider India to Europe Arab-Mediterranean Corridor. According to recent study by the Singapore-based Institute of South Asia Studies, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are providing billion dollar investments to help India create integration in the whole value chain from technologies to food production. There is already in place a platform, Agriota, which is assisting Indian farmers link up with companies in the UAE.
The food corridor is expected to create 200,000 jobs with more than 2 million Indian farmers as beneficiaries. The overall aim remains to build higher value added production that integrates farms to retail outlets.
As pointed out above, given the extreme significance of agriculture in Pakistan’s economy and the threat to food security, which can easily trigger social unrest or become a geopolitical flashpoint, the need for Pakistan to work on a similar corridor is both obvious and logical.
While financial and administrative help by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to India seemingly violates its principle of identity, however, it makes perfect diplomatic and strategic sense. Pakistan has a palette of other options – Turkey, Qatar, China, and Russia, for example, with whom it has stable or friendly relations – to build a similar corridor. A food corridor with Russia and China could be especially beneficial to us in terms of volume, technological assistance, and knowledge transfer. Such an initiative could help Pakistan to be food secure.
Besides this dimension, there are steps to be taken on the domestic front too. There is a need to introduce congestion charges for vehicles entering busy areas. Improving the public transport system is also required. Tree plantations are good; making factories energy efficient is better. Brick kilns need to go. Climate change should be taught in schools.
Studies show a drastically negative impact on Pakistan’s crop yields as temperatures continue to rise. Pakistan’s vulnerability to disasters and the adverse effects on labor productivity will add to the already existing worries. As always, the suffering of the poor will be highly asymmetrical to that of the upper class.
Research says that the average temperature in Pakistan is already at such high levels that any further increase in consumption will adversely affect standards of living owing to the environmental consequences.
Finally, South Asia is expected to deal with 36 million “internal climate migrants” in the wake of climate crisis by 2050. This would increase the existing migrant/refugee burden on Pakistan.
There is a need to prioritize climate change. The issue goes beyond improving the air quality index and being able to enjoy al fresco dinners; it relates to social unrest, political instability, and geopolitical issues feeding into a country’s foreign policy, and diplomatic and economic prowess.
Tough Days Ahead for #Pakistan’s Ruling Party
https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/tough-days-ahead-for-pakistans-ruling-party/
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