Monday, March 21, 2022
This government is running away from the no-confidence motion, so much so that it has resorted to violating the constitution – Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the government and the Speaker of the National Assembly have violated the constitution.
Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court, he said that the opposition hopes that the judiciary will take the side of the constitution, law, and democracy, and not any particular party. He said that the political parties did not approach the court but the Bar Councils.
The PPP is thankful to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for taking notice of the attack on the Sindh House and calling all the parties to present their viewpoint. We have to politically struggle in the parliament and the constitutional and legal struggle will be in the courts. This government is running away from the no-confidence motion, so much so that it has resorted to violating the constitution. The government first attacked the lodges and arrested the members of the National Assembly.
The government attacked the Sindh House when the members went there for protection.
The attack on Sindh House is an attack on the federation and democracy. The government resorted to spreading terror.
The government is trying to push the Speaker towards Article 6. Every member of the assembly has the right to vote.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26649/
#Pakistan - PM and the Speaker have abrogated the constitution- Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
The constitution says that the Speaker of the National Assembly has to call a session within fourteen days. It is Pakistan’s precedent that the voting takes place just after seven days. When the no-confidence was tabled against Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, voting took place exactly on the seventh day. This coward Imran has been seeing his defeat from the first day, he thinks that either he will play or no one will. We will not let this man play with the fate of the country. He has abrogated the constitution of Pakistan.
Chairman Bilawal said that a petition is in the Supreme Court brought not by us, but the Bar Councils. We hope that Pakistan has one institution that is ready to protect our constitutional and democratic rights along with the parliament and our vote. I am trying to expose this man’s propaganda. He is trying to build a narrative that is based on fiction. Does the Pakistani nation not know that this man attacked the parliament, the rooms of the parliamentarians, and arrested them? When the members of the parliament shifted to the Sindh House, this man started false propaganda. When the PPP made claims about rigging taking place or money being used, it went to the courts with evidence. Imran cannot do that because he is a liar, he should stop lying to the people.
Chairman Bilawal asked how Imran can say that the people will punish the members who vote against him. The people of Pakistan themselves are not ready to vote for him. The members of the parliament have seen how he has lost every by-election in the past three years. Whenever given the opportunity, be it the bye-elections or the first phase of the local government elections, the Pakistani people have rejected his mandate. Despite having a federal government and three provincial governments, the members saw that he could not win one bye-election or local government election. What would become of his political future? Every member of the assembly knows that people abhor and hate his economic policies, along with every person who had been his facilitator for three years. The Pakistani nation will not forgive any member who votes for him. The people of Pakistan hold him responsible for the tsunami of price-hike that they are drowning in and are worried about because of taxes, unemployment, and poverty. The members know that those who stand against him will have their names recorded in history. The history of Pakistan will record how the flag of rebellion against this selected system was raised. It will record which parliamentarian stood with democracy, constitution, and the people’s rights and who supported this selected, planted, puppet politician. His lies are not working anymore, his last days have begun. After this, he would be held accountable for the economic policy and his own corruption. How can he accuse the members without a single piece of evidence when he has the FIA and NAB? A single case of corruption was not proved. It is common knowledge that one has to send money to get things done either by the PM or the CM Punjab.
Chairman PPP said that Imran has to account for the foreign-funding case against him and the sugar, wheat, and petrol theft. He tries to use Islam. Does he think that the people have forgotten what destruction he has made in the name of Riyasat-e-Madina? Does the Riyasat-e-Madina allow for its prime minister and ministers to use such language? Does the Riyasat-e-Madina allow him to target not only his political opponents but the women in their families? Does the Riyasat-e-Madia allow him to trouble the poor and give the rich relief? Does the Riyasat-e-Madina allow us to bow in front of tyranny? Does the Riyasat-e-Madina allow for the common man in Pakistan to be worried because of hunger? This is not the Riyasat of Madina. He should stop using this term. The Pakistani people know him now. He should not think that he can become like Quaid-e-Awam. When the Quaid-e-Awam made this country a nuclear power and gave it a free foreign policy, he was also ready to face the consequences and accepted Shahadat. When Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto gave this country missile technology, she was ready to face the consequences. When President Zardari, to the displeasure of the world, gave China access to warm waters and started the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline project and stopped NATO supply lines for months, he did it for the benefit of the people of Pakistan. We were ready to face its consequences. However, Imran did not benefit the country’s foreign policy and only harmed it. He did not deliver anything.
‘You are the foreign-sponsored, foreign-funded agent who has been planted in our system’, Chairman Bilawal said. It was his job to harm the country’s foreign policy and he did so wonderfully. It was his job to sabotage the CPEC and he did so. He was given the task to have his ministers speak against CPEC and present it as a corrupt project before the nation. The minister who spoke against the CPEC is still there, and the condition of the CPEC is before the country. Imran was planted to sabotage the Kashmir cause. It was his job to work on Musharraf’s three-point agenda. He was given the task to campaign for Modi. Have any of Pakistan’s prime ministers during the elections in India said that if someone wins, it would benefit the Kashmir cause? It is before everyone what happened to the Kashmir cause after the person won. He was given the task to attack Pakistan’s economic sovereignty and weaken the economy of Pakistan. This is the reason, be it the CPEC or any other project that had the potential to benefit the country was harmed. He was given the task to sabotage Pakistan’s relations with Europe. He is adopting the foreign policy of India. What is the difference between his foreign policy and that of India right now?
Chairman Bilawal said that the OIC is being talked about. Quaid-e-Awam held an OIC conference of the heads of Muslim states in Lahore, Pakistan. We respect the guests that have come. We have made these connections and friendships. He did not call an OIC conference in Pakistan over the Kashmir cause, or any issue of Pakistan. It is good that the conference is happening, but it is not taking place on any of Pakistan’s issues. It is happening on Afghanistan and for the Taliban. He has called this OIC conference not as Pakistan’s prime minister but the Taliban’s foreign minister. We want the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan to resolve. However, Imran has caused harm to the policies that were benefitting Pakistan and is now talking about corruption and foreign powers.
Chairman PPP said that Imran is ready to abrogate the constitution. This is a defeated man. A coward hurls abusive terms and runs. If he has the courage, he should face us in the parliament. We have always struggled for democracy in the country. Our party has a three generations-long struggle. This struggle is for the restoration of democracy in the country. It is a struggle for every institution of the country to work within its domain. When a time has come when the media is talking about a neutral environment, Imran and his social media team are trying to spread the propaganda that institutions are not neutral, be it through provocation or creating a constitutional crisis.
Chairman Bilawal said that it is the responsibility of all of us, to demand and try for every institution to work within its domain drawn by the law and constitution, and to criticize when this does not happen. However, it is also our responsibility to oppose the prime minister and his social media team when they target an institution. The puppet prime minister equated the term neutral with animals and has still not apologized to the nation. We are demanding clarification in this regard even today. We are demanding for Imran, his social media team, and MNAs’ propaganda, campaigns, and efforts to shift the status of neutrality to be taken notice of being it through the ISPR or our judiciary. We will not let such propaganda succeed.
Our demand is for everyone to work within their constitutional and lawful domain. This government is trying for a constitutional crisis to take place, Chairman PPP said.
Responding to questions, Chairman Bilawal said that the attack on Sindh House was an attack on the federation. It is the continuity of a series. The first phase was an attack on the parliament lodges and the parliament. The second phase was an attack on Sindh House and the federation. We believe that the law is very clear on terrorism. The government using its resources to spread terror comes under terrorism. We will approach the courts and pursue this as a case of terrorism. This is a very serious attack and calls for a strict reaction. This cannot be tolerated and they should think about how their actions have consequences. How will they protect Bani Gala and the KP house after a week if such a precedent is set? We are law-abiding and democratic people who will face them in the courts. However, all federal ministers and people in the government should understand that the precedent they are setting will soon start applying to them.
Chairman Bilawal said that as per rules, the session should be held within seven days. Fourteen days is the limit for the requisition session, which too has been broken. The institutions responsible for implementing our constitution will not make a political decision but a lawful and constitutional one. The number game has made it evident that the government has lost its majority and has ended with or without the allies.
As far as the talks with the allies are concerned, how positive they are has been reported by the media. An ally on the television said that their stance will be before the country after the OIC meeting.
We had made it obvious before the country that this defeated man would run. We were not anticipating that he would also abrogate the constitution. The proceedings of the no-confidence could have started on 21st March, then the OIC would have three days and we would work as per the schedule. However, they are panicking to the extent that not only are they not calling a session on 21st March, but on 25th March. We believe that there is no space for this in the constitution and we will fight this case on a constitutional and judicial forum.
Our numbers are complete. We are challenging them to start the process tomorrow, which they had to do anyway. We can defeat them on any day. Against the Speaker, we will work as per the consensus of the joint opposition.
Imran Khan, while making unsuccessful use of the religion card has forgotten that the people of Pakistan have seen his government for the past three years. The Pakistani nation has seen what they have been doing in the name of Riyasat-e-Madina. The people are witnessing how Imran and his ministers hurl abuses in one sentence and talk of religion in the other. This is the reason that religion should not be linked with politics. Religion and politics should be separate. This prime minister has crossed every limit. It is our demand and that of the nation that they stop taking Riyasat-e-Madina’s name.
The job of the Supreme Court is to protect and implement the constitution and it will not facilitate this government on its unconstitutional step. It will make a constitutional decision, not a political one. We appreciate how the Supreme Court sent a message of standing with the law and constitution, even on a weekend.
They could have called a session earlier if they had a constraint regarding the fourteen-day limit. The bureaucrats should not listen to the PM, nor should the President listen to his advice. The process of no-confidence should be completed immediately and should take place as devised by the law and constitution.
Our efforts have always been for neutrality. The PM, his social media team and ministers are trying to tarnish neutrality via a desperate attempt. We condemn this.
I had said before the media that the session on the 21st would be called, but sabotaged. In that case, my stance within my party and that in front of the opposition would be not leaving the hall till we get our right in case of such an effort. The Speaker abrogating the constitution is an effort to make the OIC conference controversial.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26642/
او آئی سی کانفرنس کی آڑ میں اسپیکر نے آئین شکنی کی، شہباز
قومی اسمبلی میں قائد حزب اختلاف شہباز شریف کا کہنا ہے کہ او آئی سی کانفرنس کی آڑ میں اسپیکر نے آئین شکنی کی، 14 دن میں اجلاس نہ بُلا کر
آئین سے انحراف کیا گیا۔
سپریم کورٹ کے باہر میڈیا سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے شہباز شریف نے کہا کہ اسپیکر کی جانب سے جان بوجھ کر اجلاس نہ بُلاکر کوشش کی گئی کہ اپوزیشن کو ٹریپ کریں۔
شہباز شریف نے کہا کہ متحدہ اپوزیشن نے اسلامی ملکوں کے مہمانوں کو خوش آمدید کیا، اپنا لانگ مارچ او آئی سی کی کانفرنس کے لیے موخر کیا۔
واضح رہے کہ چیف جسٹس پاکستان عمر عطا بندیال کی سربراہی میں 2 رکنی بینچ تحریک عدم اعتماد سے پہلے سیاسی جلسے روکنے کیلئے سپریم کورٹ بار کی درخواست پر سماعت کررہا ہے، جبکہ جسٹس منیب اختر 2 رکنی بینچ کا حصہ ہیں۔
سماعت کے دوران چیف جسٹس پاکستان عمر عطا بندیال نے کہا کہ ووٹ ڈالنا ارکان کا آئینی حق ہے، عدالت ابھی تک قومی اسمبلی کی کارروائی میں مداخلت پر قائل نہیں ہوئی، بہتر ہوگا کہ اسمبلی کی جنگ اسمبلی کے اندر لڑی جائے۔
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو، قائد حزب اختلاف شہباز شریف اور پی ڈی ایم سربراہ مولانا فضل الرحمان سپریم کورٹ پہنچے۔
سپریم کورٹ کے باہر رہنماؤں کی آمد کے موقع پر پولیس کی بھاری نفری تعینات تھی۔
اپوزیشن رہنماؤں کے ہمراہ خواجہ سعد رفیق، سردار اختر مینگل بھی سپریم کورٹ پہنچے تھے۔
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Saturday, March 19, 2022
#Pakistan - Imran Khan’s Immature Tirade
https://en.humsub.com.pk/3775/imran-khans-immature-tirade/
Pakistani PM Imran Khan Faces Revolt From His Own Party Ahead Of No-Trust Vote
Nearly two dozen disgruntled lawmakers from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's ruling party have openly threatened to vote against him on the no-confidence motion tabled in Parliament by the Opposition, in a fresh blow to the embattled premier struggling to cling to power.
Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) submitted a no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government led by Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.
The National Assembly session for the move is expected to be convened on March 21 and the voting is likely to be held on March 28.
After the no-trust move was submitted by the joint opposition, some of the partners in the government began to dither but the real shocker for Khan came on Thursday when it emerged that about 24 lawmakers from his own party were ready to part ways to join the push to topple his government.
Raja Riaz, one of the lawmakers, told Geo News that Khan had failed to control inflation while another lawmaker Noor Alam Khan told Samaa News that his multiple grievances were not addressed by the government.
"We are part of more than two dozen members who are not happy with the government policies," Riaz said "I raised the issue of gas shortage in my constituency many times but nothing was done," said Khan.
The disgruntled lawmakers have been staying at Sindh House in Islamabad which is a property of the Sindh government and run by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Saeed Ghani, a provincial minister and spokesman of the Sindh government, said the lawmakers fear they will be abducted by the government.
Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani is also among the PTI lawmakers staying at Sindh House.
"I was threatened and requested the Sindh Chief Minister to give me a room here (Sindh House)," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn News.
The government accused the Sindh government of abducting the PTI lawmakers to influence them by offering them huge bribes.
But Riaz told Geo News that the lawmakers were staying at the property of their own free will and were ready to move out of it if the prime minister assured them that they would be allowed to vote "according to our conscience".
Prime Minister Khan consulted his party leaders and ministers on Thursday and was urged by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid to impose a governor's rule in Sindh and remove its government as it was involved in buying members of the National Assembly.
"I asked the Prime Minister to impose Governor Rule in Sindh," Rashid told the media after the meeting.
Khan is also consulting his legal team on how to disqualify the dissidents under the floor-crossing laws, but the law can be invoked after a lawmaker votes against his own party by ignoring the clear directions of the party leader.
As Khan's grip on power weakens, he has mobilised his support base by giving a call for a big rally in the heart of the capital on March 27, with the objective of gathering one million workers.
The opposition parties responded to the move by asking their workers to march towards Islamabad on March 25 to occupy the D-Chowk in front of Parliament where Khan plans to hold a rally.
As the political drama unfolds, the powerful army is apparently viewing the scenes from the sidelines with many experts wondering about its final move.
Pakistan Army spokesman last week told the media that the military will remain neutral, to which Khan responded days after while addressing a rally in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by saying humans take sides and "only animals are neutral".
The Army did not respond to Khan's barb, but many interpreted it as quite a predicament that Khan has got himself into after three and a half years of rule.
Khan, 69, is heading a coalition government and he can be removed if some of the partners decide to switch sides.
In the 342-member National Assembly, the Opposition needs 272 votes to remove Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician.
The PTI has 155 members in the House and needs at least 172 lawmakers on its side to remain in the government. The party has the support of 23 members belonging to at least six political parties.
Khan's PTI party came to power in 2018 and the next general election is scheduled to be held in 2023.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pak-pm-imran-khan-faces-revolt-from-his-own-party-ahead-of-no-trust-vote-2829515
#Pakistan - No-confidence proceedings must begin on Monday-Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
and rules and call the assembly session on Monday. Otherwise, the entire opposition will not let the OIC conference take place. Chairman PPP said that Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the majority of members and his government is dissolved for all practical purposes. We are progressing towards the restoration of democracy. Imran first used foul language and now has resorted to use force. He first attacked the parliament lodges which are the extension of the parliament and yesterday attacked the federation by attacking the Sindh House. Imran Khan is conspiring against democracy by the use of violence and is creating a constitutional crisis. He wants to give an opportunity to the third force to intervene. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Imran who calls himself a sportsman so he should display a sportsman spirit and must not start ball tempering at the end of the inning. Chairman Bilawal said that the Speaker wants to violate law, rules and the constitution. He must call the session on Monday so the proceeding of the no-confidence motion starts. If the session is not called or the no-confidence does not start after offering prayers and Fateha for the members who have passed away, then we will see how they are able to hold the OIC conference. The national and international situation demands for the law, rules and constitution to be followed. If this does not happen, then we will keep sitting there until we do not get our right. Responding questions by the journalists, Chairman PPP said that Imran has been defeated and the bureaucracy is not bound to take any order from Imran Khan. The president should also not take any suggestion by Imran Khan. The entire lawyers’ community has filed a petition in the Supreme Court which is being heard. Chairman Bilawal appreciated the Supreme Court for taking notice of the attack on the Sindh House. The opposition wants for the OIC conference to be held peacefully but the Prime Minister has ruined the environment. If the Speaker starts the no-confidence motion after the Fateha then there will be no problem, Chairman Bilawal said. https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26623/
Friday, March 18, 2022
Terror attack on Sindh House is condemnable – Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has termed the attack on Sindh House as an act of terrorism.
Chairman PPP said that a well-planned attack on Sindh House is tantamount to an attack on Sindh. Crossing dozens of police checkpoints and reaching Sindh House in the Red Zone is a question mark. The Sindh House is Sindh’s identity in the federation. Imran Khan showed his real hatred by invading Sindh. We are not the kind of people who take the law into our own hands but we know how to deal with rebellious elements. By attacking the residences of families of public representatives and judges of high courts, Imran Khan has also violated the sanctity of the four walls.
Chairman Bilawal said that the attackers of the parliament, PTV and parliament lodges have attacked the Sindh House and have expressed their fascism. Imran Khan is bewildered by his defeat. Such cheap tactics cannot get him the support of 172 members.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26621/
Pakistan PM Khan Pressured to Quit as Party Members Desert Him
Khan has ruled with a majority of seven members after winning a vote of confidence in parliament last year with 179 members supporting him in the 342-member National Assembly. The opposition has about 162 lawmakers, and needs roughly 10 more votes to topple Khan. “We are more than 24 members who will vote against Khan according to our conscience,” Raja Riaz, a senior lawmaker in Khan’s ruling party, said on Dunya TV channel Thursday night. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-18/pakistan-pm-khan-pressured-to-quit-as-party-members-desert-him
Thursday, March 17, 2022
China takes wait-and-see stance on Pakistan's political turmoil
ADNAN AAMIR
Beijing thought to prefer opposition groups to reset direction of Belt and Road.With political uncertainty growing in Pakistan and a no-confidence motion set to be tabled against the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistani officials and experts have noted that China, its economic and geopolitical ally, has adopted a wait-and-see approach in its relations with the country as it tries to figure out whether its favorite opposition party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), can take power in Islamabad. Since the beginning of March, opposition parties including PML-N had been preparing for the no-confidence motion to topple the Khan government. Now, Pakistan's national assembly -- the lower house of parliament -- is set to vote on the motion on March 27. If the motion secures at least 172 of 342 votes, Khan will have to step down from his post as prime minister. In the buildup to the poll, the political atmosphere has become charged. Khan's ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), has announced it will hold a mega rally in Islamabad on the day of the vote, a move seen as an attempt to sabotage the no-confidence vote. Likewise, the opposition parties have announced a long march to Islamabad on March 23 in a bid to counter the political machinations of Khan's regime. Officials and experts believe that after the likely ouster of Khan, China will prefer a government led by PML-N, a center-right Punjab-centric political party named after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A senior official of the Pakistani government told Nikkei Asia on condition of anonymity that China has adopted a wait-and-see policy in the current political crisis. "China prefers a PML-N government but, in the case that Imran Khan survives the no-confidence motion, China will still work with him, albeit with less enthusiasm." The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor -- the $50 billion Pakistan component of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative -- has not progressed well under the incumbent government. Experts believe that a new government led by PML-N will be able to pump a new life into the CPEC. Ishtiaq Ahmed, an associate professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, is of the view that Beijing is upset with the PTI government for slowing down the CPEC projects since 2018. "The Chinese were happy with the [leaders of PML-N] and will be excited if political change brings them back to power," he told Nikkei. Ahmed added that the persistent trust deficit between China and Pakistan would disappear if Khan's government falls, and that the prospect of Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif and current president of PML-N, taking over as prime minister, will be please China, given his strong belief in the CPEC projects. "Beijing had found a comfort level with the previous PML-N government [which ended in 2018], which was the administration that launched the CPEC with Beijing," Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of Asia Program at the Wilson Center in Washington, told Nikkei. While the current government's emphasis on anti-corruption is a concern for Beijing, given its own preference for opacity regarding CPEC, "[t]here are also concerns in China that the Khan government hasn't sufficiently addressed security risks for Chinese projects and Chinese nationals in Pakistan," Kugelman said. Fazal Rehman, the director of the Pakistan Institute of China Studies at Pakistan's Sargodha University, has a different take on this matter. He says that China's obvious choice would be to let the current government complete its routine tenure and bring a change through elections which are only a year away. A move like a no-confidence motion "has inherent dangers of agitation and political instability at a time when the country is struggling to overcome economic woes," Rehman told Nikkei. Kugelman agrees. "For China, the main concern is less what the next leadership looks like if there is a change in government, and more the risk of uncertainty and volatility if there is a long transition process leading to a new government," he said, adding that "China's chief hope is that the political crisis does not spiral out of control."
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Belt-and-Road/China-takes-wait-and-see-stance-on-Pakistan-s-political-turmoil
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Talks With TTP Take Back Seat as Pakistan’s Prime Minister Turns Attention to Political Turmoil
With an uptick in violence, it would be hard for Imran Khan to sway public opinion towards a peace deal with the terror group.After a short hiatus, death and destruction knocked on Peshawar’s doors early March when more than 65 people were killed and over 200 wounded in an attack on a Shiite Mosque in the heart of the city.It is the first major suicide bombing carried out on Pakistani soil after nearly half a decade of peace, thereby signaling that, in the midst of global turmoil, Pakistan too has ventured into what appears to be a second round of the war on terror.The March 4 attack was claimed by the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP), “one of the major beneficiaries of the derailed peace talks between the Pakistani state and the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) conglomerate,” an intelligence official privy to the developments told The Diplomat. It was in an interview with the TRT World that Prime Minister Imran Khan first mentioned peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates, where he said the TTP may be allowed to “live like ordinary citizens” if they surrender and reconcile with the state.
Although the TTP, under its charismatic leader Noor Wali Mehsud, rejected Imran’s amnesty offer, the government confirmed entering into a one-month-long ceasefire with the militant group and initiating peace talks being facilitated by the Afghan Taliban. TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani also confirmed the temporary truce. The Pakistani Taliban’s premise for jihad had stemmed from the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan. It aimed to help the Afghan Taliban regain their territory and viewed the Pakistani military as an enemy that had sided with the Americans. Now, with the foreign forces out of Afghanistan, the militant outfit has put forward a similar argument against the Pakistani state, accusing it of “occupying” their land in the tribal districts. It demanded the government undo all reforms aimed to improve quality of life and extension of constitutional and civil rights to the tribal districts – a near impossible feat.When the 30-day truce period ended on December 9, the TTP decided not to extend the ceasefire after accusing the government of failing to honor promises made and for conducting raids, killing and detaining TTP militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In February, talks officially resumed. The intelligence official told The Diplomat the government has released at least 100 militants so far except two men who are on death row – and the TTP is adamant on ending their imprisonment. In such a scenario, only a presidential pardon would enable the terrorists’ release. Despite hinting at the possibility of amnesty for members of the TTP last September, President Arif Alvi hasn’t signed off on the presidential pardon yet. The incumbent government is already embroiled in a political crisis with a failing economy and an opposition threatening its existence amid speculations that Khan has lost the support of the military establishment.The country has also witnessed an uptick in violence in the past few months, whether it’s Baloch rebels carrying out sophisticated attacks or the ISKP increasing the frequency and intensity of their terror activities. The TTP also continues to carry out targeted attacks in mostly the northern regions. Defense analysts explain the simultaneous existence of fighting and peace talks as a war strategy. It was seen in Afghanistan too during the Doha talks between the U.S. and Afghan Taliban. In Pakistan, however, the continued violence makes it difficult to sway public opinion towards a presidential pardon. Amid all these uncertainties, the unpopular decision to pardon terrorists would mean political suicide for Khan. In his struggle to save his office, he has pushed the peace talks to the back burner for the time being. The derailed peace process has heightened the confidence of the ISKP leadership – which, although hasn’t officially commented on the peace talks yet, has been critical of it in unofficial chatter on Telegram. The ISKP appears optimistic that the TTP, which is being pushed out of Afghanistan by the new administration and lacks breathing space in Pakistan, would see its members defect to the Islamic State and increase their dominance in the region. https://thediplomat.com/2022/03/talks-with-ttp-take-back-seat-as-pakistans-prime-minister-turns-attention-to-political-turmoil/
#Pakistan #Peshawar mosque attack lays bare intolerance against Shias in Pakistan
Shias are one of the largest persecuted minority groups in Pakistan with scores losing their lives only because of the faith they choose to follow, according to an opinion piece published in The Express Tribune. The blast in a Shia mosque in Peshawar on March 4 resulted in the death of over 60 people, including seven children below 10, and left nearly 200 people injured. While the authorities always cite ‘invisible’ hand seeking to destabilize the country’s fragile security as the reason behind such terror attacks, the Peshawar mosque attack did not target random Pakistani worshippers. These worshippers belonged to the Shia community who have been the victim of these atrocities for decades, according to the media outlet that added that the religion has been used as a political pawn in the history of Pakistan where sectarian violence has an entrenched and deeply political, violent history. Notably, Shias comprise nearly 20 percent of Pakistan’s population and are the target of violence by Sunni Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Shias are mostly excluded from positions of power. Doctors, businessmen, and other professionals have been targeted in Karachi by Sunni terrorists on a regular basis. According to one estimate, over 1,900 Shias were killed in bomb blasts or targeted gun attacks from 2012 to May 2015 alone. https://theprint.in/world/peshawar-mosque-attack-lays-bare-intolerance-against-shias-in-pakistan/876697/
#Pakistan #PPP - Forget 1 million, bring 172 to Parliament: Bilawal tells PM Imran Khan
Bilawal Bhutto terms splitting of working relationship with MQM-P a conspiracy.- PPP chairman rejects the involvement of foreign elements behind the no-trust move.
- Bilawal calls 'Kanpen tang rahi hain' video a hoax.
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed to hit a double century of MNA’s voting against Prime Minister Imran Khan and challenging him to bring 172 members in parliament and forget about one million, Geo News reported Tuesday.
In an interview with senior journalist Hamid Mir in Geo News Programme Capital Talk, Bilawal Bhutto said that Prime Minister’s statement to target Asif Zardari was nothing short of resorting violence against his political opponents, however, his [PM] threat was intolerable and reprehensible.
“He [Imran Khan] can foresee his defeat as he has started hurling abuse and threatening political rivals, however, he added that PM should not threaten anyone in democracy,” he said.
Bilawal said that Imran Khan had taken an undemocratic step by announcing a rally a day before voting as he could see the defeat clearly.
“Therefore, he wants to stop his own members from casting vote and also want to create an environment of confrontation in Islamabad,” he said
Bilawal went on to say that It’s a democratic war so let’s fight in parliament not on road where Imran Khan has to bring only 172 members and not one million.
'Since day one I'm challenging and irritating Imran Khan'
Bilawal said that since day one he was challenging Imran Khan and that was irritating him, adding, “PM is vexed of me that how can a young boy challenge him and not let him run the government.”
“I had declared him selected on the very first day of his regime and now he maintained his identity as selected in the whole world,” he added.
PPP chairman said that Imran Khan wanted to put Asif Zardari in jail, so he could rule the country for the next five years easily, however, neither did Asif Zardari bow down nor sell himself.
On a question that If opposition successfully sails no-trust motion against PM, what will be the next course of action, Bilawal said, “If the government is ousted, we will go for electoral reforms as we want transparent elections in the country, we will consult with other parties about electoral reforms to conduct elections.”
MQM-P and PPP working relationships were damaged through a conspiracy
Bilawal Bhutto also termed splitting of working relationship with MQM-P a conspiracy.
“Talks with the MQM-P are not heading just for the no-trust move but also for a working relationship as we want to restore partnership with MQM-P,” he said.
He said that through a conspiracy MQM-P and PPP working relationships was damaged, however, this partnership was in dire need.
Responding to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s statement about the involvement of foreign elements behind the no-trust move against the prime minister, Bilawal Bhutto challenged and asked the PTI leader to unveil the plot.
"I challenge Shah Mehmood to reveal the foreign conspiracy behind the vote of no confidence. For the past three years, I have been telling and demanding of our Opposition friends that we should go on a long march, protest, and vote of no confidence against this government because this regime is engineered and inorganic."
He went on to say that after three years of effort, we [opposition parties] have reached an agreement to depose this government, so where is the foreign hand in this struggle?
The USA has no interest in the politics of Pakistan
PPP’s chairman also rejected US involvement in a no-trust move, saying that, “USA has no interest in politics of Pakistan as the country has gone into the isolation because of him [PM].”
Bilawal Bhutto also hoped for the success of a no-trust move against the Prime Minister with more than a simple majority.
“All the opposition parties are working hard for the success of no-trust motion and I am sure that we will oust Imran Khan with double century (200) of MNA’s voting against him,” he concluded.
'Kanpen tang rahi hain' video is fake
Bilawal also called a video of him fake, in which he can be seen saying 'Kanpen tang rahi hain' instead of ‘tangen kanp rahi hain’ (Legs are shivering).
"PTI is a master at propaganda and manipulating videos," he claimed. "After watching this clip, I believed it was a slip of the tongue, but there was nothing like that in the original broadcast that I viewed on Geo TV," he added.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/405456-no-trust-motion-bilawal-claims-to-hit-double-century-of-mnas-voting-against-pm
#Pakistan - There were reports that Selected PM Imran Khan would be conspiring against the opposition by initiating fake NAB cases
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26599/
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
#Pakistan - 'PM teaching me Urdu': Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari posts hilarious video
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari hit back at Prime Minister Imran Khan after he mocked his Urdu during a public gathering in Islamabad.
Taking to Twitter, Bilawal shared a video comprised of various clips of the prime minister of the times his tongue slipped.
“PM teaching me Urdu,” the PPP chairman captioned the video.
The video starts with the premier mocking Bilawal’s Urdu and saying “kanpen taang rahi hain”, and then urging former president Asif Ali Zardari to “teach his son Urdu.”
Later in the video, the video showed the times when the PM had trouble speaking Urdu. The video received more than 130K views after it was posted.
A few days ago, Bilawal — while addressing the "Awami March" in Islamabad on Tuesday night — meant to say "Islamabad me tangen kanp rahi hain" (Legs are shivering in Islamabad) to mock the incumbent PTI-led government for having a hard time due to the no-trust motion submitted against the PM.
However, he ended up saying "Islamabad me kanpen taang rahi hain", mistakenly swapping a couple of Urdu letters due to his fervour while making the speech.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/405050-pm-teaching-me-urdu-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-posts-hilarious-video
#Pakistan #PPP - There were reports that Selected PM Imran Khan would be conspiring against the opposition by initiating fake NAB cases
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26599/
Monday, March 14, 2022
#Pakistan - I don’t think the prime minister will be able to retain his majority in parliament and survive in office - Writing’s on the wall
Abbas NasirANALYSTS normally put a question mark at the end of headlines like the one above as none of us are brave enough to stick our neck out, and continue to hedge our bets. The major pitfall is that it leaves the reader none the wiser, given all the caveats and ifs and buts. I believe it is time to say it like it is. I don’t think the prime minister will be able to retain his majority in parliament and survive in office, some five months after preferring to pin his hopes on one individual and losing the backing of an institution in the bargain. No. I don’t have a fly on the fall in any office of significance in Rawalpindi, Aabpara, Islamabad, to reach this conclusion; neither do I have sources embedded in the system or among those that press its various levers. All I have done is to juxtapose various events, statements and the tone and tenor of some of those statements. That has brought into sharp focus the endgame being played out; it could be a matter of days, at best a couple of weeks.Even by the PM’s own standards, the invective he has let fly this week was in such bad taste that it spoke of desperation; the ‘cornered tiger’, as some of his supporters see him, is trapped and lashing out, throwing caution to the wind with not a care for the consequences. The intensity of his verbal assaults on the opposition may have gone up dozens of notches in literally a week when he suddenly seemed to realise that his perch was too precarious for comfort and the opposition challenge serious and potent. The PM’s dissatisfaction could easily be likened to the ‘you are either with us or against us’ stance. But, for someone, who has avowedly been anti-US, save for when Trump was in the White House, he took a leaf out of George Dubya’s book when he lashed out at the military’s publicly stated and reiterated ‘neutrality’ in the political game being played out in the country. “There is no such thing as neutrality. Only animals are neutral,” he told cheering supporters at a public meeting in Lower Dir, a day after the ISPR spokesman had curtly told two questioners at his media briefing that the military was steering clear of politics. Imran Khan’s dissatisfaction with that stance could easily be likened to Dubya’s ‘you are either with us or against us’ challenge to the world after the 9/11 attacks on the US, leaving no room for neutrality for any nation. The US was gravely wounded and enraged at that point in time and was getting ready to assert its enormous military might, so it told friends and foes alike there was no stopping it. To what long-term consequences is another debate. In our case, the consequences won’t take long. Ironically, if the prime minister’s words were meant to rally/galvanise support of members of the National Assembly that make up his rather fragile majority, they may have backfired as they confirmed the worst nightmare of the wavering MNAs.From the destabilisation of the last government through the run-up to the election to polling day; from government formation to the often witnessed rendering of the opposition majority in the Senate into a humiliating minority, the sort of brazen support and mollycoddling, the governing party was used to, was no more.The realisation that their leader’s comfort blanket as also their own had been wrested and they were on their own now and, far more significantly, in any election to come over the coming six to 18 months, made their decision easy. Particularly, with a resurgent PML-N appearing a much safer bet, given the results of the by-elections and the more recent Punjab opinion polls. Whereas those PTI MNAs now convinced that even the floor-crossing disqualification may be a small price to pay for the longevity of their political careers, the government allies have no such price to pay. With the shepherd now uninterested in herding them in one particular direction, the allies are free to go where they want. If the PML-Q’s unofficial spokesman Tariq Bashir Cheema’s public grouse that his party was being offered a lollipop ahead of the no-confidence vote and that ‘hum bachchay nahi hein’ (we aren’t kids) was not enough, the very public spat between two federal ministers left very few doubts about the unfolding scenario. A visibly irate Shaikh Rashid, without naming the PML-Q said he wasn’t ‘like those who with five-odd votes were blackmailing for the Punjab chief minister’s position’. His cabinet colleague, PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi tweeted right back saying Mr Rashid was attacking those whose elders used to give him money during his student days. While the lack of commitment from the MQM and GDA did not lead to a public argument, despite an air dash to Karachi by the PM, it was clear the MQM was seeking guarantees from the opposition allies of the PPP that if it were to support the no-trust move, the concessions promised by the PPP would be delivered.The GDA’s Pir Pagaro was ‘too ill’ to receive the prime minister and the latter returned without seeing him. In desperation the PTI and Imran Khan seem to be upping the ante and calling on supporters to gather in Islamabad when the vote takes place so the MNAs violating the party whip can be confronted in the streets.To obviate any law and order situation, I suspect the PTI allies will be encouraged to make their position clear within a few days so the message to the government is loud and clear ie confronting its own dissenting MNAs or the opposition in ‘D’ Chowk and the streets will serve no purpose.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1679740/writings-on-the-wall
Russia-Ukraine war could derail Pakistan’s economy, devalue country’s currency: Experts
عمران گھبرا گئے، ارکان کو ووٹ ڈالنے سے روک رہے ہیں، بلاول
پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ وزیراعظم کو
نکالنے کیلئے ہر کسی سے ہاتھ ملائیں گے، عمران گھبرا گئے، ارکان کو ووٹ ڈالنے سے روک رہے ہیں، عوام نےعمران خان کو عدم اعتماد کا چیلنج دیدیا،حکومتی ترجمان ووٹ نہ گننے کی دھمکیاں دے رہے.
ارکان کی گرفتا ریاں ہورہی ہیں، عدلیہ ،الیکشن کمیشن نوٹس لیں، ہمارے نمبر پورے،تبھی عمران گالیوں پر اتر آیا، بتائیں جانور کسے کہا؟ فارن فنڈنگ کیس کا فیصلہ جلد کیا جائے۔
ان خیالات کا اظہار انہوں نے زرداری ہاؤس اسلام آباد میں ایک پریس کانفرنس سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کیا۔ انھوں نے کہا کہ عمران ایک غیر جمہوری آدمی ہے اور جمہوریت، قانون اور انصاف پر یقین نہیں رکھتا۔ وہ فکسڈ میچ پر یقین رکھتا ہے اور انتخابات میں دھاندلی کرنا جانتا ہے۔
وزیراعظم عدم اعتماد میں بھی دھاندلی کرنا چاہتا ہے ہم اس شکست خوردہ شخص کو اسکی اجازت نہیں دینگے۔ چیئرمین پی پی پی نے کہا کہ آئین کا آرٹیکل6بالکل واضح ہے اور یہ قانون ہر اس شخص پر لاگو ہوتا ہے جو آئین طریقہ کار میں گڑ بڑ کرنا چاہتا ہے۔
اسکے ترجمان کہہ رہے ہیں کہ ووٹوں کو نہیں گنا جائے گا اور پولیس پارلیمنٹ لاجز پر دھاوا بول کر اراکین پارلیمنٹ کو گرفتار کر رہی ہے۔ اس عمل سے کیا پیغام دیا جا رہا ہے۔
بلاول نے سپریم کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس، اسلام آباد کے ہائی کورٹ کے چیف جسٹس اور چیف الیکشن کمشنر سے اپیل کی کہ وہ ہر پارلیمنٹیرین کے ووٹ کے حق کا تحفظ کریں۔ کسی کو ووٹ دینے سے نہیں روکا جانا چاہیے۔
یہ ایک سازش ہے جس سے پارلیمنٹ کے اراکین کو ان کے حق سے محروم کیے جانے کا ارادہ ہے۔ ہم اسے برداشت نہیں کریں گے۔ جو شخص ہار رہا ہوتا ہے وہ گالیاں دینا شروع کر دیتا ہے یا بال ٹمپرنگ کرتا ہے۔ ہم اس شکست خوردہ شخص کو عوام کا مینڈیٹ چوری کرنے کی اجازت نہیں دیں گے۔
یہ صرف عمران خان کے خلاف عدم اعتماد نہیں بلکہ اس معاشی بحران کے خلاف بھی ہے جس سے عوام مہنگائی اور بیروزگاری کا سامنا کر رہے ہیں۔ یہ عدم اعتماد اس خارجہ پالیسی کے خلاف بھی ہے جس نے پاکستان کو دنیا بھر میں تنہا کر دیا ہے، ہمارے دوستوں سے ہمیں دور کر دیا ہے اور دشمنوں سے دشمنی بڑھا دی ہے، ہم نہیں چاہتے کہ پاکستان کی معاشی اور خارجہ پالیسی کو ایک شخص کی وجہ سے نقصان پہنچے یا ہمارے ادارے متنازع بن جائیں۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ ملکی تاریخ میں کوئی بھی وزیراعظم اس قدر مایوسی کا شکار نہیں ہوا ہے کہ ہر کسی کو گالی دینے پر اتر آیا ہے۔ ہم اس وزیراعظم سے پوچھنا چاہتے ہیں کہ اس نے اپنی تقریر میں جانور کسے کہا ہے؟ یہ تو صاف ظاہر ہے کہ ہمارے نمبر پورے ہیں، نہیں تو یہ عمران خان اس وقت اتنا بوکھلایا ہوا نہیں ہوتا۔
انھوں نے عمران خان کو چیلنج کیا کہ اسمبلی کا اجلاس بلائے اور اپنے اراکین کو ووٹ دینے کی اجازت دے۔ ہمارا عدم اعتماد کامیاب ہوگا۔ ہماری حکومتی اتحادیوں سے ملاقاتیں توقع سے بڑھ کر کامیاب ہوئی ہیں۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1061497