NEWS

• The tribal elders of the former FATA have announced their resistance to the census. Along with regional leaders and Jirga members they protested outside the Islamabad Press Club and met Federal Minister of Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor. The former FATA chiefs said in a press conference that general elections should not be held until a proper census of the tribal areas is carried out. In the previous census, our number was put at 54 thousand, where as we were actually 1.20 crore. The government should conduct an accurate census so that we also get our rights. The Federal Minister of Religious Affairs said that he will present their demand for legitimate rights to the judiciary, the Election Commission, the Prime Minister, and the Chief of Army Staff. I am myself from the tribal area. I will do my best to redress the deprivations of erstwhile FATA. Every forum will be used to fight for the rights of tribal people. (Jasarat)

• Jamaat-e-Islami has announced the Rights of Tribes March on 19th March. It was said that promises made before the merger of FATA with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were not fulfilled and people of tribal areas are facing more problems than before the merger. (Aeen)

• Balochistan Interior Minister Zia Langau said that the government is in talks with unhappy Baloch people. These back-channel discussions are still underway. (Qudrat)

• Speaking at a national seminar in Karachi, former federal minister Mir Humayun said that every government seized the rights of Balochistan and handed it over to the establishment. The province is rich in natural resources but local people don’t have shoes to wear. People are selected before the election by auction and whoever pays more is made a minister. The position of the country would have been different if it did not have the resources of Balochistan at its disposal. For the last 40 years, the resources of Balochistan are being looted mercilessly. The people of the province are living in stark poverty, while those who were posted here had bought properties in foreign countries. They were promised development in the name of the CPEC. But when they asked for education, basic amenities, and human rights, they were put behind the bars. He said that the media is not reporting the events of Balochistan properly and truly. (Intekhab Daily)

• Two terrorists, Aryaullah alias Hassan and Wahidullah alias Khalid alias Huzaifa were killed, and two others were arrested by the anti-terrorism department of the Karachi Police in Manghopir. One suicide jacket, three pistols, two motorcycles, and 80 rounds were recovered from them.  DIG CTD Zulfiqar Lark and In-charge CTD Raja Umar Khattab told the press that Aryaullah and Wahidullah were the masterminds of the KPO attack. (Jasarat)

• Jamiat Ahl e Hadis, which is a part of the PDM has broken up its 22 -year – old alliance with MLN and decided to contest federal and provincial assemblies’ elections on its electoral symbol of spectacles. The leader of the Central Jamiat Ahl e Hadis Allama Hafiz Mutasim Ilahi Zaheer said that the governments of Shahbaz Sharif, Zardari, and Imran Khan completely failed to provide any relief to the people who are badly suffering from inflation, unemployment, and poverty. The Imran government is responsible for the economic crisis. As a part of the PDM, our party is also accountable to the people. He said that our party will field candidates on more than 100 seats in Punjab. (Dunya Daily)

• Punjab government has decided to end subsidy on wheat and flour. According to reliable sources targeted subsidy will now be given instead of the general subsidy. It has been decided to include 11,000 shops licensed by the Food Department to distribute free flour during Ramadan. It has also been decided to increase the price of a 10 kg government flour bag by 510 rupees, after which the price of a ten kg government flour bag will increase from 648 rupees to 1158 rupees. (Daily Express, Daily Jinnah)

• Pakistan People’s Party (Shaheed Bhutto) Karachi District South has staged a protest at Karachi Press Club against rising inflation, unemployment and economic and social injustices in the country. Addressing the protest rally, Karachi Division President Ghulam Nabi Gabol, General Secretary Javed Soomro, South district president Atta Muhammad Imrani, Malir District President Saleem Rajput, Kemari District President Muhammad Khan Yousufi and others called for immediate relief to the poor. (Urdu Point)

• The Afghan Minister of Higher Education, Nida Muhammad Nadeem, has said that those who disagree with the Taliban government, and those who destabilize the government with words, pen, or their actions should be killed. A wave of anger has spread among the public after the controversial statement by the representative of the Taliban government. Such controversial statements are being made by the Taliban leadership regularly. (Jang)

• People living near the Pakistan- Iran border squatted at the crossing point and blocked traffic in protest against FC not publishing the new entry list. Local residents, and tribal figures stated that they are facing problems in the entry for the past one year, which DC Chagai Hussain Jan Baloch resolved by issuing an order. Not publishing the list by FC is tantamount to cruelty. (Urdu Point)
• Pakistan has decided to talk directly to the US about the delay in the IMF staff-level agreement. Sources said that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari discussed with the American officials, and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will take up the issue with the US ambassador. (Jang)

• A woman was stabbed to death by unknown persons in Hyderabad. Police say that the injured woman kept asking for help and water, but instead of taking her to the hospital, the insensitive people kept making videos and getting information from her. (Jang)

EDITORIALS

• There is hardly any department in Sindh that is free from the curse of corruption. Sindh authorities always do some such things which instead of uprooting corruption, only add to this curse. This time, the Sindh government has decided to outsource examination work to some third party and all related works starting from the preparation of question papers to holding examinations and even checking answer sheets will be handed over in a phased manner to third parties. The education boards will only declare results. The leaders of secondary and college teachers’ bodies have opposed these arrangements. We would like to tell Sindh authorities that they stop doing experiments with education. Also, before doing any such thing and taking any such decision, consult all stakeholders. Chairman should be appointed to all education boards so that better arrangements can be made for examinations. Instead of favouring private bodies or companies and entrusting above works to them, education boards should be given these tasks. In fact, these boards have been set up only for that purpose”. (Pahenji Akhbar Edit, March 13)

• Death is looming large over Sindh these days. Economic hardships, poverty, and unemployment amongst several other factors have bred lot of confusions and misery, and no one knows when such hard-pressed people take the extreme step of suicide. The homelessness because of last year’s floods is also fresh in peoples’ memories. Authorities also have to handle the issue of outsiders and foreigners staying illegally in Sindh apart from looking into why despite heavy budgets for government hospitals in Thar side, children keep dying in Mathi Civil Hospital. Sindh authorities have also to address immediately issue of food shortage and malnutrition at Thar. On political front, these days federal and Sindh governments are not seeing eye to eye. Economically, conditions are too bad, be it across the country or in Sindh. A look at print and electronic media will tell there are several issues remaining unresolved because of neglect by administration and government. Government must pay attention to these pending issues; authorities should lay emphasis on getting results. (Kawish Edit, March 13)

• It cannot be said with certainty what is the real purpose and who took the decision to make public the record of Toshakhana from 2022 till now, but if it was done by the Shahbaz government then it is more likely with the aim to discredit the former Prime Minister Imran Khan by making public the details of gifts taken from Toshakhana, but PDM and its ally People’s Party also got involved in receiving gifts. The 21-year record of Toshakhana on the official website has revealed that almost all the rulers and high government officials have washed their hands in the flowing Ganga of Toshakhana.  Even if the records of Toshakhana were not made public, the Pakistani nation is not under any misunderstanding about the integrity and honesty of the rulers. (Edits- Jasarat, Jang)  

• The 466-page record of Toshakhana from 2002 to 2023 has been released on the Cabinet Division website. According to it, Pervez Musharraf, Shaukat Aziz, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan took away hundreds of gifts. After the government made public the record of gifts taken from Toshakhana, this issue is being discussed everywhere. From Nawaz Sharif to Imran Khan, all the former rulers left only one thing in the Toshakhana and that is 9 gift books. None of the rulers took these books while going home and later these books were sent to the library. This is the extreme of intellectual and moral depravity and corruption that the necklace, watch and any other gifts were not found in the Toshakhana. This is the real face of almost all the rulers of this country that the legislation has been resorted to for self-protection. In the civilized world, people are given facilities and privileges in return for taking taxes, but the first thing in Pakistan is that the rich do not pay taxes. Taxes are collected from the pockets of poor people and small businessmen and instead of being spent back on the people, the tax is spent on the luxury of royal officials. Our rulers advise people to reduce their cup of tea and eat half their bread, but they forget that the people they are advising to reduce their expenditure, are providing fuel to the stoves of the rulers’ houses. Now this serious joke with the people must stop. All the privileges must be withdrawn from the rulers and the elite. (Edits -Daily Express, Dunya, Daily Pakistan, Nai Baat, Jehan Pakistan)

COLUMNS

• Imran Khan has limitless stamina, but his arrogance is equally limitless and that is the reason he never accepts any mistake on his part. This is the major reason that he has been facing every kind of isolation. His party might be very popular today amongst masses but within the party, he feels alone and isolated. One Indian youth had once asked Imran Khan “Do you still attend parties?” and Imran Khan, with a smile, replied: Now which parties I will go and attend? Now, I am left with my party (PTI) only.” But, can he deny the fact that within his own party, he stands alone today. Majority in the party are not with him.  His arrogance and stubbornness, and his thinking that he alone knows everything have brought him to a state of isolation in the party. He is never ready to see any other leader rise up to his level in the organization; none can have courage to disagree with him. Other leaders in PTI are not at par with Imran. They are indeed low down in the party hierarchy while Imran Khan is always at the top in the party order. There is lot of isolation at this top place he has kept for himself. (Pahenji Akhbar, Aijaz Mungi, March 13)

• PTI vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has started telling his close circles that he is the successor to Imran Khan in the party. This was his earnest desire and dream too and conditions are so developing that Qureshi’s dream might come true. One thing is now certain that Imran Khan is not going to be PM again and this is clear from his acute differences with the establishment. But, one thing none can deny is that PTI and Imran Khan are at height of their popularity right now. Hence, on one hand, the establishment cannot afford to bring any other party in power and on other hand, it might agree to the return of PTI to the corridors of power only when PTI is without Imran Khan at its head. In that case, Imran Khan will have to remain not in the driver’s seat and will have to suggest one such name that is acceptable to the establishment. Such a person should have some diplomatic experience too. Fawad Chaudhary and Shahbaz Gul do not fit the bill.  Assad Omar is an important figure in PTI but he is not tall enough to be acceptable to the establishment, Shirin Mazari too will not be acceptable. In such a scenario, Shah Mahmood Qureshi becomes the front runner. He had a long innings as a minister and has diplomatic mettle. Moreover, he is PTI’s soft face who has not picked up any fight with the establishment.  He is also known to deliver like an obedient whatever he is directed to. Imran Khan too has started preparing himself mentally for this transition to Qureshi days. In his BBC interview, Imran Khan, without taking the name of Qureshi, said that it is Qureshi as vice-chairman fills the space in the party after him. Pakistan is right now under multiple pressures, be it at home or abroad; it also has to fight terrorism. India’s growing global clout is also a matter of concern and worry for Pakistan. Conditions are still not in good shape in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s new role after Iran – Saudi détente is yet to be decided. In such a backdrop, there is a need for one a government in Pakistan that steers ahead without any interruptions at home. Any such set-up is not possible under Imran Khan. Imran Khan temperamentally is not the type which makes him compromise with conditions. But Shah Mahmood Qureshi has such qualities in abundance. He enjoyed good reputation as a foreign minister. He is very balanced, and on top of all, Qureshi can move along with all. It goes to his credit that he has been going on well with persons like Imran Khan too without any clashes or differences. A person who can stay and deal with persons like Imran Khan can run government. While Imran Khan’s ouster looks certain, Qureshi’s coming in and taking Imran Khan’s place in the party is natural in such an emerging scenario. (Sindh Express, Aijaz Mungi)
• Everybody is feeling stressed due to inflation and continuing uncertainties on economic front. Even industries have started shutting down. Raw materials for most industries come from abroad and the import bills are settled in dollars, which have become dear. Though Ishaq Dhar had become the finance minister with tall claims, he is failing to deliver and that is the reason political and economic experts say handing over the finance ministry to him is ML(N)’s historic blunder. This blunder will take heavy political toll on ML(N). Common man does not understand terms like balance of trade; his understanding about economy is limited to his purchasing power and how much he can buy with the money in his pocket. Common man also believes that the last September instalments from the IMF, could not save the economy, how any more instalments can save us from economic doom looming large over us? If the next instalment from the IMF serves the purpose of temporary relief, then nobody can save the country from default. Our irony is that we often handle issues and find solutions on an ad hoc basis instead of taking a long-term view. We do not know if country will go into default or not after IMF instalments, but what we know is that common man’s economic conditions is extremely pathetic. Political leadership has miserably failed to control prices. The worst victim in current times is that section of society that is already at lower strata for whom one time meal is itself a big struggle. But on the other hand, parliament’s expenditure or perks and privileges being enjoyed by bureaucrats remain unchanged. Flour is selling at Rs.200 a kilo, at places it is more than Rs.200. How can parties do justice to their slogans of ‘roti, kapda and makaan (food, dress, and house). No government, not even current PDM government, has any plans to take the country out of its deep crisis we are caught into. There are no plans to bring in better governance in provinces. Though we are going hoarse shouting day in and day out against inflation, it is business as usual of branded goods at shopping malls. BTS, a band group from South Korea is doing big business in cinema houses as our youth purchase tickets in black to watch pop music group’s shows. On one end, we have people who cannot afford handful of flour and on other end, we have people who are not prepared to make any sacrifices in satisfying their tastes and are living luxurious lives. There are people spending Rs.600 to Rs.800 on a cup of coffee; there are also people spending between Rs.1500 to Rs.2000 for BTS shows at cinema houses. Such things expose us. We are facing extremely tough times on economic front and yet life goes on as usual. We cannot dictate and tell people what to do and where to go and where not to go. When everything started getting costly and tariffs of power and petrol were being raised and GST was hiked, we had feared shopping malls and bazaars selling branded goods would shut down; we also feared that food streets would start wearing deserted looks with gas and other things getting costly, but life still goes on as usual and also makes us wonder: Can our country ever go for default?” (Kawish, Latif Jamaal, March 13) ####