Editorials

• A new wave of “target killing” has emerged in Karachi. Two people belonging to two different religious groups were killed in the last two days. A few days ago, Khalid Raza, an educationist and former leader of Kashmiri Mujahideen, was targeted and killed in front of his house. Surprisingly, CCTV footage of all the incidents is available where the “unknown” killers can be seen committing the crime. This means that the installation of cameras all over the city is not playing any role in stopping the murders, thefts, and robberies. We are also seeing the same trend with regard to extortions and street crimes, like robbing women, children, and young, and old people. (Edit Jasarat)

• Pakistan has received $ 242 million from the United States for flood relief and food security. Of this $ 42 million is meant for use on Pakistani-American immigrants. At Geneva conference held in January, international organizations and countries committed an assistance of over 10 billion dollars to Pakistan. Out of this,  4.2 billion dollars is from the Islamic Development Bank and another 2 billion dollars from the World Bank. Pakistan government urgently needs 16.3 billion dollars to provide shelter to the homeless before the onset of next rainy season. (Edit Jang)

• Pakistan Resolution Day reminds us of the struggles and sacrifices of our national leaders, which have gifted us a free life in an independent Islamic country. The historical significance of the Lahore Resolution is unquestionable. This resolution was a reflection of the true sentiments and feelings of the Muslims. Under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, they continued moving towards their destination. After the establishment of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam’s thought and political thought were put aside and the foundation of a new narrative was laid. This new narrative has opened the door to the looting of abandoned properties, government properties, and corruption. We need national cohesion, strong defence and economic revolution so that we can solve our problems and achieve sustainable growth and success. (Edits, Daily Express, Siasat, Kashmir Express, Daily K2)

• In other countries, special concession packages are announced on certain festivals and prices are cut down but, in our land, come Ramzan, prices start shooting up and most affected are poor, who can ill-afford any happy times for their families. Raids against hoarders and penalties on profiteers alone would not suffice. A proper balance needs to be ensured between demand and supply to keep price-rise at bay. We are already reeling under steep inflation. Market conditions will get worse when traders and shop-keepers succumb to their profit instinct during Ramzan. And give nightmares to the poor. (Ramzan times). (Pahenji, Edit, March 23)   

• The earlier government, that is the PTI government, instead of complying with terms and conditions laid down in the pact with IMF, had given subsidy on petrol. Such an act had angered the IMF and it had called the act a violation of the pact Is the current PDM government also following the same footsteps by announcing subsidies on petrol? The IMF has taken objections to such decisions but the government is doing no favor by giving relief to people.  Whatever decisions government has to take, must be done in a systematic way. Be it ruling or the opposition parties, they should stop playing games with people. Instead, they should take measures which make benefit peoples in their day- to- day life. (Kawish, Edit, March 23)    

• Solution to current political crisis in the country does not lie with elections, but it lies with better and effective democratic processes. We need a system that is truly free, independent and democratic. The pitiable part is that whenever we bump into some crisis, nothing is done to find a way out and as result conditions keep getting worse day after day. This time we will have to find a way out to get people relief and also for making our economy stable and self-reliant. (Sindh Exp., Edit)  

•  The day the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Umar Ata Bandial announced that if elections are not held according to the constitution, the judiciary will interfere, the Chief Election Commissioner postponed the Punjab assembly election set for the 30^th of April. It is contempt of court. It is to be seen how the SC will deal with this decision. The EC has consulted only those law experts who believe that elections can be postponed while the constitution clearly stated that in case of an assembly dissolution, the provincial elections must be held within 90 days. This arbitrary explanation is the result of being adamant. It is an uncivilized way and is the cause of the social, economic, and security problems, the country is facing today. India has become the fourth economic power in the world, Bangladesh has a stable economy, but the IMF and other countries are not ready to give us loans. Now people are looking to the SC and expect it will take proper action. (Edit-Intekhab Daily)  

• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has termed postponement of Punjab assembly election as unconstitutional. And he said he would move the Supreme Court against the poll body decision. It would have been better if all the political leaders had sat together and resolved the issue. (Edits- Daily Pakistan, Jehan Pakistan)

News

• The Interior Ministry has decided to form a special task force to investigate the social media campaign against the Pakistan Army.   Special Task Force will include officers from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). According to the sources, the anti-army propaganda is carried through 8 TikTok accounts, 44 Twitter accounts, and more than 50 Facebook accounts. (Jasarat)

• The Home Ministry has issued a notification constituting a Judicial Investigation Team (JIT) for investigating the terrorist cases against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and other PTI leaders. JIT will investigate in all four cases filed in Islamabad and submit a report within 14 days.  Only yesterday, Home Minister Rana Sanaullah told the media that serious action would be taken against those involved in the attacks on security forces and in vandalism at the judicial complex and Islamabad High Court. According to the notification, the IG of police and top officers of the ISI, IB, and Military Intelligence are part of the JIT. (Dunya Daily)

• PTI social media in-charge Azhar Mashwani has gone missing from home. In a tweet, Chairman PTI Imran Khan termed the Mashwani disappearance as kidnapping. He said Punjab and Islamabad police are targeting PTI by breaking rules. (Ummat)

• During the holy month of Ramzan, many cities are badly affected by the non-supply of Sui gas. The gas pressure was low at many places making it impossible. Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, Lahore and many other cities, consumers are facing difficulties due to the very low pressure of the gas. In many cities, gas was not supplied at all. The Sui Southern Gas company has promised that during the holy month of Ramzan, the gas supply will be continuous with normal pressure. But on the very first day of Ramzan, it bitterly failed. The preparation of Sehri and Iftar became a torment for the people. (Intekhab Daily)

• In the month of Ramadan, load-shedding has hit Karachi.  Load shedding also has become a regular feature. This is affecting community feast, Iftar held every day to break the day long fast.  It is reported that people couldn’t prepare Sahri, while the pakoras and samosas were left raw.   (Jang)

• Due to loadshedding and lack of gas pressure Quetta residents are facing serious problems, according to Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party Provincial President Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, Provincial Senior Vice President Syed Sharaf Agha and other leaders. (Urdu Point)

• A 40-year-old man was killed in a stampede during the distribution of free government flour in Charsadda. According to sources, several people were injured in the stampede. (Jasarat)

• The prices of essentials have skyrocketed with advent of Ramzan. The rates of essentials fixed by government and ones being charged by traders in the market show a big difference. No government fixed rates are displayed at fruit stalls. The vendors are selling fruits at exorbitant rates. Earlier, bananas cost Rs.170 per dozen, now they are being sold at Rs.250 a dozen. The goat meat price has shot up to Rs. 2000 a kilo up from about Rs.1700 per kilo. (Sindh Exp.) 

• Jamaat-e-Islami Amir (Karachi) Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has strongly condemned the target killing of Maulana Saleem Khatri in New Karachi and Maulana Abdul Qayyum Sufi in Gulistan Johar and demanded an investigation into the target killing. The criminals involved in the murders and their guardians should be brought to book and punished. (Jasarat)

• Saboteurs tried to blow up the railway line near Bolhari station on the outskirts of Kotri.  Their explosives damaged the sleepers. Railway officials said that the blast did not cause much damage to the railway track, and trains are running normally. (Jang)

• The Sindh Police have arrested a journalist under the blasphemy law for insulting the Hindu god, Hanuman. A case has been registered in the satellite police station of Mirpurkhas. The complainant was made by Ramesh Kumar, vice president of Lohana Panchayat near Mirpur Khas. (Jang)

• The Supreme Court has fixed the March 29 for a hearing on the target killing of the Hazar community in Quetta. A two-member bench headed by the Chief Justice will hear the case. The court also hear the petitions about missing Hazara persons. (Jasarat)

• The chain of deaths is not ending in the Tharparkar district of Sindh where more than one thousand children have died in government hospitals during the last 14 months. Hunger and poverty are the main causes of these deaths. The Thar desert is home to 18 lakh people, whose misery and problems are never-ending. The health department attributed the children’s deaths to malnourishment. But relatives of patients complained that the government hospitals have neither doctors nor medicines. (Dunya Daily)

• In a statement, Pashtunkhawa Students Organization, (PSO), South Pashtunkhawa Zone, has stated that the school textbooks have not been supplied so far.  Students are returning home every day in despair. It has become a good excuse for teachers to absent from schools.  A college has been built in Killa Abdullah district at a huge cost but due to the negligence of the Education Department, the college building is being vandalized.  Doors, windows and other fittings are being stolen, according to PSO Zonal Organizer Saifullah Kakar, who issued a statement jointly with, Senior Deputy Organizer Yar Mohammad Briyal and others. (Urdu Point)

• The Afghan Taliban has appointed Mullah Hidayatullah Badri, a close associate of Mullah Omar, as acting head of the Central Bank of Afghanistan, according to a tweet by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Badri was a former Afghanistan finance minister and handled the finances of the country after the Taliban took the control of the country   in 2021. (Jasarat)

• Caravan of Tribes Rights Movement has entered Wana in South Waziristan.  Speaking on the occasion, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Wasi strongly condemned the drone attack two days ago. Who mounted the drone attack. Earlier, the drones used to fly from Afghanistan. Where do they come now, he asked (Urdu Point)

• The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has strongly condemned the postponement of the Punjab Assembly elections till October. And asked the Supreme Court to intervene and uphold the statute saying that the poll body has disobeyed the constitution, and orders of the Supreme Court.  The Election Commission cannot change the date of elections under any circumstances. (Nawaiwaqt, Daily Jinnah, Ummat)

COLUMNS

• Tariq Fatmi, foreign affairs expert, was asked once whether Pakistan would be able to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together. Tariq Fatmi is a serious person and a very senior diplomat; he does not laugh or smile a lot, but on this question, he laughed and silently told me that Nawaz Sharif had also asked him this very question and his answer was simple. Since the Year 632 AD, no one has been able to resolve Iran-Saudi issue. So, we too could not do that, but there is no harm in giving it a try. This conversation took place in the beginning of the year 2016 when Nawaz Sharif had started an effort to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together. The then Army Chief, Gen Raheel Sharif, Tariq Fatmi and I were in the delegation that visited Saudi Arabia and Iran for meeting the heads of both states. The tour, was successful but as usual it yielded no positive outcome. It is a fact that Shia-Sunni differences are centuries old and are continuing till date. There have been claims from both sides on control of the holy shrines of Mecca and Medina for which there were gory battles between Iran and Hijaz (today’s Saudi Arabia). Both consider these sacred places as their property. There is a saying that the world would end but not the disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia; and both will never come to one table as friends. This is a fact that there is a lot of divergence between Shia Islam and Sunni Islam and the issue is not geographical or consular but of religion, race, and culture, and they walking together is not very likely. But, on 10^th March 2023, China was able to break the ice convincing both to sink their differences and come together. It is like a miracle. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to open their consulates in each other countries. Iranian President is planning a visit to Saudi Arabia. This is a major shift and the entire world is taken by surprise. It would be necessary to point out that this problem was not solved by any Muslim ruler but by Xi Jinping, who is an atheist. Hence, we can call this change a real change and we will have to accept that the world has changed. Wars are not any solution but, peace, dialogue, and understanding each other and walking together is resolving the issues. The example of Europe is very recent; two world wars    had originated from Europe, and claimed more than 10 crores lives. But today Europe has become one entity with one single currency but without any borders. All the countries in Europe are now living amicably without any trouble. People from one country are working in another and so on. Take example of China and India; they have been fighting for the past 60 years but it is not affecting their trade relations. Despite seeing some very sensitive times and war like situations, the bilateral business volumes have reached $135 billion. Russia has extreme differences over Ukraine with America and Europe but their trade and consular relations are continuing. They will surely resolve the Ukraine problem by the end of this year. Russia and Japan too have had some dispute for the past one century over an island but still both are continuing their relations. It is only we, i.e., Pakistan, are sitting isolated and unhappy with the entire world. Have we ever thought, keeping our mind cool and calm, what problem we have with Israel and India. Today Arabs have embraced Israel, for whom we made Israel our enemy. Today also talking anything about Israel is seen as a crime and anyone talking about improving relations with Israel would be termed an agent of Jews. We have wasted 75years fighting with India. What we got? Today we are rubbing our nose in front of the IMF for mere $ 1bn whereas Gautam Adani lost $100bn in just one week.  India has such 276 billionaires. We are unable to fulfill our needs of petrol, gas, electricity and cotton whereas Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan are waiting for customers. When Israel can sit with Arabs, what is Pakistan’s problem? India is also urging us time and again to lock old issues and open the borders; Iran and Russia are ready to give us Petrol and Gas.  China is ready to build an international city in Gwadar, Europe is ready to absorb our skilled people, and America too wants to see us happy and peaceful. But it is unfortunate that we are in a fighting mode with the entire world and ourselves too. There would have been no issue if we could have become peaceful and happy with such rigidness, but sadly we are unable to cater to our own needs. Then what is the benefit of such stubbornness. I request the entire nation to start dialogue, start positive thinking, start understanding, open our borders for the world, start talking to India, Israel, Iran, China, America, Russia, and everyone. Start dialogue with Afghanistan with open heart, have Shia-Sunni dialogue, talks to unhappy groups of Pakistan whether it is Baloch Separatists or Manzoor Pashteen group or even if it is Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. See if they are ready for a solution. Otherwise mount a mega operation to route them off. Why is a dialogue not possible between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif?  If there are some wrongs in the 18^th Constitutional Amendment, why can’t it be corrected? Why can’t the Army Chief and the Chief Justice of Pakistan sit together? Why are we running this country on an ad-hoc manner? Why are we running from pillar to post for 2-4 billion dollars? Why can’t we make our country stand on a strong foundation? Why have we become the hate vendors? If today Iran and Saudi Arabia have come together, why can’t we? Remember there is no way other than dialogues and talks to resolve issues in today’s world. If we adopt this way we would reach somewhere. Otherwise, we will die of suffocation. (Javed Chaudhary in Kashmir Express)              

• Though much is said and written against digital population surveys, nothing serious is being done to stop it. No political party has done anything to stop this exercise that is aimed at reducing Sindhis into a minority in Sindh. People in Sindh need to be told very clearly that if they do not get themselves counted in these surveys, it will harm Sindh and Sindhis’ interests. We keep failing to realize gravity of the issue and in the meantime, time keeps ticking to deadline when these (month-long) surveys will be over. (Kawish, Mustafa Mehri, March 23)  

• Our own treasury is almost empty. Though much help was promised in the wake of devastating floods, these announcements have not materialized into any concrete help. The world community is not coming to Pakistan’s help even during times of natural disasters. Basically, there are three major reasons for the world not rising to Pakistan’s aid. One Pakistan has lost its strategic importance after the end of cold war. Two Pakistan leaders’ misappropriated funds in past which has damaged country’s image. Three most countries are currently facing economic meltdown themselves. The tremors felt two days ago are a wake-up call for Pakistan to take care of itself and to keep the environment right in the country. (Aijaz Mungi in Sindh Exp)    

• Today (March 23) is Pakistan Day in commemoration of Lahore Resolution 1940 seeking independence for Muslim States in then India’s North-West. In fact, demand for Pakistan was not the result of the resolution but Chaudhary Rehmat Ali had made such a demand in 1933. The federal independent structure of Pakistan as envisaged in 1940 resolution has not been possible. Instead of becoming modern nationalist State, we keep getting more and more caught deep in crisis after crisis. It is ironic that our big leaders, though temperamentally secular and liberal, have been leaning towards religious extremism. Instead of adopting democratic and liberal methods, they always try to make laws which are religion-related for petty appreciation. Whatever be bitter and harsh realities, let us write history with all facts; we should also remember that good of all those who live in Pakistan today is connected with independent Pakistan, and its survival and progress. (Abdul Majeed Chandiyo in Pahenji, March 23)   

• Never before we have seen that a summoned person come in the way Imran Khan came to the judicial complex on March 18. The court staff came out to the gate with attendance file up. Imran Khan’s signed that register, and it was treated as good as his appearance before the judge. All these   developments only point out to the fact that conditions are beyond comprehension. It has popped up the question whether the establishment is indeed angry with Imran Khan? The conditions keep getting grimmer with price- rise making peoples’ life more and more of a burden for them and our story gets very scary when we see no indication in sight, in the immediate future at least, for any betterment of conditions in the country. Even if we have not officially announced the state of default, economic conditions are very bad. There can be several reasons behind such a state of affairs, but major reasons are political. The political engineering has taken a big toll on our economy; by now almost all assets have either been pledged or privatized. Motorways, airports and roads (highways) have also been pledged. When Imran Khan was PM, he made decisions like making power and petrol cheaper; in a way these decisions were taken in violation of terms and conditions in pacts signed with the IMF for loans. He took such decisions because by that time he had become almost certain that his government was on its way. And, such decisions were taken not for relief of people but for embarrassing and putting the new government (PDM) in economically tougher times. During the remaining three months of financial year, Pakistan has to pay back 15 to 20 billion dollars. What can Pakistan do in such a short span of time? The conditions being put forth by the IMF are a matter of big shame not just for the country but are against the pride of 22 crore people in a country that has a lot of natural resources. When our government starts implementing each and every point written down in the IMF team’s economic policies written for Pakistan, it only makes the lives of 90 per cent Pakistanis more miserable because of resultant inflation. At one time when relations between Nawaz Sharif and the establishment were not good enough, there was a widespread impression that days of Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan politics were numbered now. But we see ML (N) back in power in Islamabad. Imran Khan says current PDM government has been brought in (by establishment) and on the other hand all the parties in PDM still see Imran Khan as pampered and chosen one of the establishment. How can conditions get better in such a backdrop? Also, though Imran Khan claims bitter differences with the establishment, he is ready for talks with them though constitutionally the establishment have no political role in the national affairs. (M B Soomro in Pahenji, March 23)

• The government is looking for ways to duck elections. The popular opposition is on the streets and it is not willing to back down from its demand for early elections. This gap will widen further when the constitutional tenure of the caretaker governments of Punjab and KPK expires. The sole purpose of these two governments is to hold elections. The government is avoiding the elections of the first two provinces, after which some other force can spoil the game of general election. This gives rise to the fear of derailment of the vehicle of democracy. (Arif Bahar in Jasarat)

• When I met a person with a high-level contact, he asked me about the number of automatic weapons in Sindh. I replied that I remember 60,000 NATO containers went missing in Pakistan during the Afghan war and were believed to have been hijacked by a linguistic group that was also blessed by the US. On this, he said that according to his information, the number of illegal modern weapons has been put at two crores in a report This report still exists in some government records. Also on record is the assessment of former Army Chief Aslam Baig that India invests 40 billion rupees annually for insurgency in Sindh and Balochistan. Now there is a talk of weapons becoming normal in Sindh. Rocket launchers and machine guns are being shown on social media. The law -and -order in Sindh is crossing the red line. Karachi-like operation clean-up is now needed in the rest of Sindh. (Abdul Tawab Shaikh in Jasarat)####