NEWS

• PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary has said that nobody including Shibli Faraz has said that Imran Khan is not present in Zaman Park. Speaking to the press outside Lahore High Court he said that today one more attempt was made by the police to arrest Imran Khan. When Islamabad High Court has already given bail till the 9th of March, why this attempt to arrest him?  Till now 74 FIRs are registered against Imran Khan on ridiculous charges. Fawad said that the present government is involved in the worst kind of human rights violations. They don’t want to give the people of Pakistan their right to vote, but we won’t let them have their way. (Islam Daily)

• The Chief of Jamiat Ulema e Islam, Maulana Fazal Ur Rahman has said that the picture of the political situation shown to us is quite different from the real picture. We know, that today the IMF is making our budget and controlling the prices. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said we have always respected courts. We always stood with the state and the constitution. We don’t wish to prolong the tenure of caretaker governments. But we have to look at the present situation of the country. Two assemblies were dissolved at different times. So, their election schedule has to be different. The Chief Ministers of those provinces had not dissolved the assemblies. They were dissolved on the order of one leader. If the court had taken suo moto notice at the time of the 2018 election, the situation would have been quite different today.  (Islam Daily) 

• Chief of Jamaat e Islami Siraj Ul Haq said PDM government has totally failed. Four drivers were driving this car. During the last 11 months, they did nothing except get their corruption cases waived. Before that, PTI was doing the same thing. Whoever joined the PTI, became clean. If the situation was bad during the PTI government, it is worse today. There is nothing in the name of accountability in the country. The law has become a piece of wax in the hands of the men of power. Now, these parties have nothing to offer to the people. Only Jamaat e Islami can solve the problems of the country. Transparent elections are the only solution to the present problems. It will be better if the establishment does not interfere and gives the people the right to select their representatives without any pressure or interference. (Intekhab Daily)

• Chairman of the Muttahida Ulema Council, Maulana Abdul Rauf Malik, President Maulana Zahid Al-Rashidi, and others said in a statement that handling the economic crisis should be the first priority of the politicians. The ongoing confrontation between the government and the opposition is bad for the country. They should stop playing with the sentiments of the people and work for improving the situation. The politics of hate is not beneficial to anyone. It must be avoided. (Intekhab Daily)

• Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Balochistan Maulana Abdul Haq Hashmi stated that Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch has come to the field of action with the people of Balochistan for defense of resources, and to prevent looting. The rulers make claims for the development of Balochistan, but there is nothing to show. Maulana Baloch is against extortionists, drug and liquor mafias. So these looters made false cases against him to make the Maulana’s movement fail. (Urdu Point)

• Balochistan National Party says negative methods are being used against its Parliamentary party members according to a well-planned conspiracy. They are trying to weaken the increasing popularity of our leaders by spreading fear and using intimidating technics. In a statement, BNP listed unprovoked firing at the Sariab house and shops of the party’s parliamentary leader and Deputy General Secretary Malik Naseer Ahmed Shahwani and the use of vulgar language with his elder brother and former justice of Sharia Court as the attempts to intimidate them. Certain criminal groups are doing this, which are involved in grabbing lands and houses of people with the help of the land mafia. If the properties and lives of the political leaders are not safe in Balochistan, then how safe the common man will be, the statement asked (Intekhab Daily)

• Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned the telecast of the speeches and press conferences of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. No live or recorded telecasts will be permitted, the notification said adding that  Imran Khan is spreading hatred against state institutions and officers through provocative statements and baseless accusations and hate speeches against institutions. Imran’s speeches are likely to disturb public peace and tranquility. and may worsen the law-and-order situation. The ban came into force with immediate effect. (Nawaiwaqt, Ummat, Daily Express, Daily Jinnah)

• One security force officer was killed and eight others injured when their vehicle came under a remote-control bomb in Gwadar. A convoy of security forces was targeted by a remote-control bomb on the coastal highway. 10 to 12 kg of explosives were used, a vehicle and a bridge were severely damaged by the blast. (Nawaiwaqt, Ummat, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express)

• In Balochistan’s coastal city of Gwadar, an explosion occurred on Turbat Road, as a result of which 10 people were injured. According to Police, the nature of the explosion has not yet been determined. Law enforcement agencies are investigating. (Nawaiwaqt)

• According to Bolan Police, 9 personnel of Balochistan Constabulary were martyred while 9 other injured in a blast. SSP Kuchi, Mehmood Notizai has termed the blast as a suicide attack. Balochistan Constabulary truck overturned as a result of the explosion. The personnel of Balochistan Constabulary were returning to Quetta after performing their duty in Sibi Mela.  (Jang)

• According to the police, two persons were killed when a bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded in the limits of Baka Khel police station in Bannu. (Jang, Nawaiwaqt, Ummat, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express)

• There was a grenade attack on Bahram CNG filling station on Kohat -Pindi Road, but no casualties were reported. The police immediately reached the spot and began a search for the miscreants involved in the incident. (Jang)

• FIA Gujranwala Circle has arrested 3 persons from Bano Bazar of Sialkot and recovered domestic and foreign currency worth crores of rupees. According to the spokesman, FIA Gujranwala Circle acted on a tip-off. The accused were running an illegal currency exchange. (Daily Express, Ummat)

• PTI and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) are expected to face fierce competition in the by-elections for nine Karachi seats of the National Assembly, which go to polls on the 16th March. TLP intensified election activities after MQM-P and PPP decided not to enter the fray.  On the other hand, PTI is worried about its declining popularity in Karachi. (Ummat, Nawaiwaqt)

• 137 Afghans including women and children were released from a Karachi jail.  They boarded three buses and left for Afghanistan in the presence of the Consulate General of Emirate-e-Islamia Afghanistan in Karachi, Maulvi Syed Abdul Jabbar.   (Jasarat)

EDITORIALS

• Today Pakistan is suffering from its worst economic crisis. The IMF is hesitating to give loans. Friends and Muslim countries are avoiding to help us. The question is: what our rulers were doing for the last 70 years? The answer is: they refused to accept the supremacy of the constitution and law. The next question is: what should be done now? The answer is: stop doing what you were doing till today. Change your way of working. Former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, after his retirement accepted in an interview that unconstitutional interference was taking place in Pakistan for the last 70 years and the change of regime on the night between the 9^th and 10^th April was the result of this interference.  But nothing has changed. The PDM government is not ready to accept that new elections are a must to end political instability without which the country’s economic crisis will not end. (Edit-Intekhab Daily)

• Pakistan-US talks on counter-terrorism will begin today. Border security will also be discussed. The US delegation will arrive under the leadership of Acting Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, Christopher Landberg. The United States is frequently claiming to stand with Pakistan in the matter of counter-terrorism, but it is still limited to statements. Afghanistan needs to be controlled, whose terrorists are carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan after an open threat. America should also address the deprivations of Afghanistan. After the American withdrawal, not only the worst human tragedy took place there, its economy also collapsed. Pakistan openly supported America in the war on terrorism, sacrificed the lives of more than 80,000 citizens, including members of its security agencies, and is suffering the consequences of this war. In the talks starting on Monday, the US should be urged to openly support Pakistan and control India for the complete elimination of terrorism in the region. (Edit, Nawaiwaqt)

• Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the same thing that most politicians of Pakistan say after leaving/ousting from power.  After Imran Khan was expelled, he started saying the same thing that Nawaz Sharif and his colleagues used to say after they were ousted from power, that the role of the army in politics should be reduced. Miftah Ismail said that the role of the army should be reduced. The army should not run the judiciary and the media, but what Miftah said, he said late. As long as Imran Khan was making this noise, it was said that he was angry over his loss of power. He has since regretted what he had said. Now, Khan is saying that he is ready to talk to everyone, including the army, and laments that the army chief is ‘not ready to talk to me’. It seems that Khan is agreeing to the role of the army in politics. (Edit Jasarat)

• The Punjab Cabinet has approved the official wheat procurement policy for 2023-24, according to which 3.5 million tons of wheat will be procured from 10 March. 395 centers will be set up for the purpose. In terms of wheat production, Punjab is the largest province, which has been fulfilling not only its own but also the needs of other provinces. For the past five years, wheat production targets have not been met at the national level and the trend of wheat hoarding and smuggling has increased, and this has more than doubled the flour prices. Sindh is the second-largest province in terms of wheat production. Unfortunately, wheat could not be sown on the designated area due to unusual monsoon rains and devastating floods last year. So much so, the upcoming harvest will be much less than usual. Before any new crisis arises because of hoarders and the inflation mafia, the federal government should realize the food requirement of all the provinces in time. This year, the Punjab government has fixed the official price of wheat at 3900 rupees, while Sindh has set it at 4000 rupees. It should be noted that the increase in flour prices in the past months has broken all the records of the last 75 years. Due to this the price of bread increased from 12 to 25 rupees, and poor and laborers are hit hard. (Edit Jang)

• Those in assemblies and also our elite classes should observe austerity. The government should take measures to give boost to agriculture, put into use our own natural resources, should stop depending more on external loans and should frame policies that make better economic conditions so that people can breathe easy. (Ibrat, Edit) 

• All the parties in the PDM government should make a joint demand that 18^th amendment be implemented because therein alone lies country’s good. This amendment gives more autonomy and independence to provinces and all the departments and ministries that have been transferred to the provinces should be handed over without any delay. (Sindh Exp, Edit) 

• The Government has taken the constitutional and legal route for the appointment of Chairman NAB, but there would have been no problem if the Government had consulted Tehreek-e-Insaf as well. When the leaders of the present Coalition Government were in the Opposition, they used to criticize that Imran Khan did not like to talk to the Opposition. So now, in the appointment of Chairman NAB, if there was an effort to fulfill the Constitutional and Legal requirements as well as to fulfill the political requirements, then there would have been no fear of any kind of loss. On the contrary, the channels of discussion, on many other issues would have opened. (Edits- Daily Pakistan, Jehan Pakistan)

COLUMNS

• Imran Khan says former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa should be court-martialed because he had spoken against Russia when his government was going to work with Moscow. Hearing this, I immediately checked the date. It was Friday, March 3, 2023, and Khan was engaged in a fiery speech against Bajwa while talking to journalists at his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore. Bajwa’s speech on which the court martial was demanded was delivered on April 2, 2022, on the last day of the Islamabad Security Dialogue. At that time, Imran Khan was the Prime Minister. According to Article 243 of the Constitution, the Pakistan Army is considered a subordinate body of the federal government and if the army chief’s speech was a violation of his oath under Article 244 of the Constitution, Imran Khan could have ordered Bajwa’s court martial through the Ministry of Defense. At that time Khan remained silent. Now after eleven months he is demanding a court martial of Bajwa.  Imran Khan’s demand for Bajwa’s court-martial is actually a request to open a case against himself. Bajwa’s court-martial means an investigation into Project Imran Khan. This investigation will reach General Faiz Hameed through General Ahmad Shuja Pasha and General Zaheer Islam. There is already a testimony against Bajwa. Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi himself has said that last year he was advised by General Bajwa to leave PDM and support Imran Khan. This advice was a violation of Article 244 of the Constitution. The matter will not stop here. Shahbaz Sharif also knows when and where Bajwa violated Article 244. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will also have to tell that who called him to Dubai and told him to send his father out of Pakistan on medical grounds. Maulana Fazlur Rehman will also tell why he was given gifts of expensive perfume in the Army House. This court martial is very important. Imran Khan must take courage and announce that if his party comes back to power, General Bajwa will be court-martialed. The nation will be happy.  (Hamid Mir, Jang)

•  If polls are held in Punjab and KPK as per court orders, the big fight will be on cards amongst three parties including ML (N), JUI and PTI. If JUI and ML (N) get beaten at the hands of PTI, ML (N) will be pushed back for years and JUI rating will come down sharply.  This can mean   advantage to Imran Khan and also to PPP. In such a situation, both these parties, PTI and PPP, might come together for the sake of power. Nothing can be ruled out in political ups and downs and hence let us wait to see the new political swings ahead. (Sindh Exp, Irshad Lagari, Mar 5) 

• The economic and political conditions   do not allow the country to go for polls in instalments. Going for separate elections in provinces and for national assembly would cost the exchequer Rs.70 billion. It should also not mean that we should skip the polls. Imran Khan has said, “I think the army chief thinks I am his enemy.” This is a strange statement. I think instead of looking up to the establishment, Imran Khan’s PTI and other parties should sit together for to discuss and find a way out of vexed issues concerning economy and political future; their talks should focus on poll issues too. This is the only way to stop  “crisis-after-crisis” cycle hitting nation since long.  Imran Khan should give up his rigid ways of looking at things, and be flexible. (Sindh Exp, Allah Bux Rathod) 

• We are not certain about polls taking place. But in view of current conditions in the country, we do not think the PDM government will be in position to hold polls even for a year or two more. On one hand campaigning has started for polls and on the other hand ML (N) looks more of a faction-ridden party as evident from Maryam Nawaz’s statements that “This is not our government”. This shows PDM government is on a weak wicket. It is time parties keep aside their poll preparations and come together for the good of the people. People can come out to cast vote for any party only when people breathe easy in their daily lives. If rulers continue failing to deliver, then Sri Lanka-like conditions are not far away for us. (Kawish, Khadim M. March 5) 

• Our rulers do not seem to be pinning hopes on American support as in the past and we do not know how much China can be supportive to Pakistan. The picture regarding China’s being a good helping hand to Pakistan can get clearer in the days to come. But, one thing looks certain now. The continuing economic crisis can pave way for some big upheaval in the country in days ahead. Keeping such apprehensions in mind, we need to resolve our issues and people’s simmering anger against ruling party should be handled politically. (Pahenji, Mehran Memon, March 5) 

• Whatever is happening against Hindus at Badani (Sindh), it has triggered a sense of dismay in peace-loving citizens here. Four attacks on these peaceful Hindus at Badani have triggered questions as to why these attacks on them. Of late, Hindus are being targeted in northern parts of Sindh. (Ibrat, Advocate Abdullah C.)

• Let us all join the Sukkur-Karachi padayatra undertaken by nationalist leader, Zen Shah, to get back the glory of Sindh. Sindh does not belong to any feudalist or capitalist class; we want Sindh that cares for one another, where political and economic conditions promote co-existence. So let us all come out to join this padayatra in pursuit of Sindh of our dreams. This is time that together we tell all anti-Sindh forces that their days are numbered and Sindhis are together to protect and promote Sindh’s interests”. (Pahenji, Manzoor Azad Sheikh, March 5) ###