EDITORIALS

• On the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, seminars, conferences and functions were organized across the country. In these events, the founder of Pakistan was honored in magnificent words for his struggle to realize his dream. After the death of Quaid-i-Azam, the musical chair of governance started in the country. For the past 7 decades, the country has been ruled by a select few who have strengthened the Wadera Shahi system, run undemocratic governments in the name of democracy and strengthened their iron grip on the people. Dictators also rejected democratic traditions. Jinnah would not have imagined such a Pakistan, where only there is noise of words and zero action. Here, speeches and banners are organized on the birthday of the father of the nation, but his sayings are not followed. It is the situation of our leaders that day- by- day they liken the country to the worst ordeal and war for survival in their speeches in order to threaten our freedom and undermine the integrity of the country. Whether it is floods, energy crisis. law and order turmoil, or storms, these leaders talk about the dangers related to the integrity of the country. By doing this they encourage the masses to psychologically  cling to their leaders. Elites that teach simplicity to the public are not ready to move without protocol. Examples of law-breaking by rulers are common. Seeing the glory of the corrupt, we are in awe, while we look down on the honest. Quaid-e-Azam believed in “work, work and work” whereas we only believe in “rest, rest and rest”. This is the reason why the world does not take us seriously because we are not educating the people in the style of great nations. According to Jinnah, Pakistan was a country in which justice and fairness, religious freedom, Islamic principles, and democracy were the foundations of the state; but today, justice and fairness are missing in Pakistan, religious freedom is conditional, Islamic principles are extinct and democracy is the prison of capitalists. Sorry! We could not manage or develop the Pakistan of Quaid-i-Azam. East Pakistan was separated from us due to our reckless policies, but, we still did not learn the lesson. We got so lost in political, social and public conflicts that we forgot our morals. Today there are 25 crore people here but the nation is lost. The nation was given such an umbrella of prejudice that they moved away from national unity and this work was not done by outsiders but by ourselves. The beauty and charm of the nation has been taken away. Today, after 76 years, when we look at Pakistan, it seems that the leader’s dream is still a dream to come true. The countries that made us role models, South Korea, Malaysia, Turkey, etc., have now become role models for Pakistan economically. On 21 February 1948 Jinnah said: “We have won the war for the establishment of Pakistan, but the fiercest battle for the stability of Pakistan and the survival of Pakistan is still going on.” This war is going on even in 2023 and the time demands that we fulfil the promise. The current government should form a planning committee consisting of the most qualified Pakistanis from diverse fields at home and abroad to draw up make the best plans for a glorious future so that we can fulfil the unfinished dream of Jinnah. (Express Daily Edit) 

• Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai has claimed that no one is missing from Balochistan and that the Long March towards Islamabad was to facilitate terrorists. He said this by calling a press conference.  He is claiming that the Long March from Turbat to Quetta and from there to Islamabad was a deliberate plan. From his diatribe it was clear that the minister was not in his right mind. His contention was that there was a demand to disarm the forces in Turbat and some areas but the state cannot disarm its institutions. He is right to say so, but the fact is that arms in the hands of state institutions were used for the fake encounter killing. Significantly, the Minister admitted that Punjabi & Pashtuns were killed after seeing the identity card in Balochistan.  Thousands of non-Baloch people were killed in Balochistan due to racial bias but no one raises their voice. Why doesn’t anyone form a commission to probe such deaths? Today Jan Achakzai is a minister and is so powerful that he can categorically say that no one is missing from Balochistan. He would do well to immediately set up a judicial commission to probe non-Balochs killed in Balochistan. Regarding the missing people, he says that they are either in the mountains or undergoing training in India. If it is so, their names should be published immediately and the details of the cases and evidence should be presented. The Daily Jang has written in referring to the statement of Achakzai that the march was of the terrorists and the leader of them is the daughter of a terrorist. Political parties are using the issue of missing persons for election campaign. The statement of the minister speaks of terrorists, terrorists and facilitators again and again, and rules out negotiations with Long March leaders. Even as the provincial minister was thundering at the presser,  on the instructions of the committee set up by the caretaker prime minister has ordered the release of 290 people arrested from this March. It was claimed that arrested people are terrorists, and their facilitators, there will be no negotiation with them. In fact, it has become a fashion for the rulers in Pakistan to declare anyone who disagrees with the official line as a traitor, an agent of India and an enemy of the country.    (Edit Jasarat)

• Baloch women have taken out a foot march from Turbat to Islamabad seeking release of their abducted family members. The padyatra participants were well received enroute. By   listening to their grievances, people have just emboldened them. The woman leader heading padyatra said the march participants have no political agenda. ‘Our only demand is the safe return of our dear ones who have been abducted and are labelled missing’, she said. We endorse Baloch women’s demands Heavens would not fall if their demands are looked into and met with”. (Awami, Edit, Dec.24)

• Ever since the announcement of polls, there are rumours around whether elections will be held in time or not. Setting at rest these rumours, it has been decided to hold polls no matter if there is a slight change of a few days here and there. Incidentally, law and order is a big issue in parts of Sindh and it can affect turnout of voters in those areas. Some surveys also say voter turnout can be less this time because voters say they do not want to try the same parties and candidates, and that they would not cast votes. There are also sections of people who are hesitant to go and cast votes fearing some violence as it is normally experienced during poll times. Some voters not going to polling booths will only benefit such candidates who always get elected. Hence, if authorities want to strengthen democratic processes in the country, efforts must be made to ensure voter-friendly law and order conditions. Police and other officials concerned should be given powers and no pressures be tolerated on them during polls. The elections can succeed in upholding democracy only when there is rule of law during election time. (Kawish, Edit, Dec.25)

• The important stage of submitting nomination papers to participate in the general elections is over. More than 32,000 candidates have submitted nomination forms for 859 seats in National and Provincial Assemblies. Scrutiny started on Monday. The process will be completed on December 30, after which the Election Commission will announce the final list of candidates after the date for withdrawal of nomination papers.  The Election Commission has announced the list of 175 political parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) participating in the elections, but its leader’s box is empty as the commission rejected his party’s intra-party election for not following rules. PTI electoral symbol has also been withdrawn. The commission has taken notice of complaints of snatching nomination papers from some PTI candidates of the party. It directed equal opportunities to all parties to participate in the election. Some parties may still have reservations regarding the directive and its implementation. Interestingly, no party except Jamaat-e-Islami has announced its election manifesto yet. The election campaign has so far been limited to mudslinging and name calling. Once all parties announce their agenda. it will be known which party proposes what solution to the problems faced by the country. The caretaker government is fully supporting the steps taken by the Election Commission for fair, transparent and free elections but it also depends on the political parties themselves and their workers to what extent they make their election campaign peaceful and purposeful. It is necessary that the political leaders present positive plan instead of provocation. This is the urgent need of the hour. The nation is currently suffering from political uncertainty, economic instability, worst inflation and unemployment crisis. The World Bank in a recent report expressed fears that the new government will face most of the same problems that the previous governments faced. Therefore, the caretaker government and all the political parties have to adopt an attitude of patience and tolerance in the interest of the country. Political parties have to include positive and constructive programs in their election agenda. Abusive language, slander and mockery should be avoided. At this critical juncture in the country’s history, an election campaign based on patience and tolerance is in the interest of the nation. It is best to accept whoever the electorate chooses in a democratic manner. (Jang Edit) 

• Fertilizer shortage in Sindh is worsening with every passing day. It is likely to have a very adverse impact on farm yields. 50 kg fertilizer bag is costing Rs.5899 these days. Sadly, authorities are non-plussed. Agricultural productivity depends amongst other things on fertilizer; this is also a food security issue. The authorities need to take measures to stop smuggling of urea to neighbouring countries. There should be more patrolling on borders; warehouses hoarding fertilizer should be raided and the hoarded urea should be sold in the open market. (Pahenji, Edit, Dec.25)

• Thar people have been raising hue and cry over the years, but none listens to them. Coal projects at Thar have bred several issues for locals.  They have literally become displaced persons because of the Thar coal project.t; they had to leave their homes and shift to new places where they could not afford new houses. The intelligentsia and locals have been raising their voice against this injustice but authorities have turned a deaf ear. We support the genuine demands of Thar people. Coal companies and local administration should look into their grievances because this project is affecting a vast number of locals. (Sindh Exp. Edit)

• Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir is absolutely correct in saying that Pakistan’s enemies are working very hard on creating cracks by exploiting our religious, ethnic and political weaknesses. Among the serious challenges that the country is facing today, these are the main problems. Because a strong, healthy and developed Pakistan is a big challenge to the enemy powers, they are always trying to weaken the country. Therefore, it is important to have a correct perspective, truth and knowledge-based opinions about national issues. Islam is a universal religion that teaches the lesson of peace and friendship. Islam encourages inter-faith harmony, and now Pakistan desperately needs it. All the parties should play their positive role to get out of the political and economic unrest that Pakistan is currently facing. (Edit, Daily Khabrain)

NEWS

• Federal authorities confirmed on Monday that they had released 290 Baloch Long March activists who had been detained in Islamabad. However, the Baloch Solidarity Council has termed the statement as false. In the statement, the Baloch Solidarity Council, said the statement of the Islamabad Police is wrong. More than 100 people are still in police custody and some of them are missing. The statement said that the police are not providing accurate information to them and the media. It added: “Dr. Zaheer Baloch is missing and we are worried about his life”.  The activists were among the convoy that came to the federal capital to protest against alleged extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Ayaz Gul from Islamabad said that Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior announced the mass release of Baloch activists in a statement on X, saying that “Peaceful protest is everyone’s right, but no one could take the law in their hands.”  On the other hand, on December 24 Mehrang Baloch, an activist involved in this rally, wrote on X, “Our friends are outside Adiala and Attock jails since last night.” Those who were granted bail have not been released yet. The anti-terrorist police are giving false statements while not giving any information about more than 100 of our friends. Women, men and children were included in this protest convoy which traveled 1600 km in dozens of vehicles and reached Islamabad from Turbat last Thursday. (Urdu Voice of America)

• On Monday, the President of Central Anjuman Tajiran Balochistan, Amiruddin Agha along with a delegation visited the Baloch protest camp set up in front of the National Press Club in Islamabad demanding the rescue of missing persons. Expressing solidarity with Dr. Mah Rang Baloch and other women, they assured them of full cooperation. President of Balochistan Tajiran, while talking to the media said that we fully support the demands of the protest camp. We held a complete strike in Balochistan in favor of their demands. More than 100 youths are locked up in police stations, appealing to the judiciary to release them on bail. Be it Baloch, Punjabi, Saraiki, Sindhi or any of the minorities, this is our cry. Caretaker PM, Anwarul Haq Kakar, Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and other officials are from Balochistan. There were high hopes from them. But they have not reviewed these demands as yet. Agha further said that he is going to meet Sadiq Sanjrani soon. “I am going to Quetta. Balochistan Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki is also in contact. I expect the problems will be solved”. (Jasarat)

• The Baloch Solidarity Committee has alleged that unknown armed men have pulled down the sound system and banners from its protest camp in Islamabad. It claimed that more than 100 protesters are still in police custody. On the other hand, Islamabad Police has said that 290 protesters have been released under the orders of the negotiation committee and the court. It should be noted that the Islamabad police had cracked down on the protesters, and arrested several of them. According to the police, the protestors were offered to disperse but they insisted on going to the D Chowk. So, the police made lathi charge and used water cannon and tear gas. 14 protestors and 3 policemen were injured in lathi charge and stone pelting. (Ummat)

• Tik-Tak user Sindal Khatak is now out to contest polls. She has filed nominations for women reserved seats from KPK. She said, “I cannot tell right now as to with whom I am affiliated.” She however said there are lot of issues at her ancestral place and hence she was out to contest polls this time. She also said she wanted to empower women and also bemoaned that gas is produced in her area but people in her area do not get gas facilities. She also said women in her area were facing issues relating to water and power, and even infrastructure was in shambles, she said adding: “I enjoy peoples’ support”. (Awami, Dec.24)

• Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir has said that the enemies of Pakistan are bent upon creating differences by exploiting religious, ethnic, and political weaknesses. “We have to be united to emerge as a determined and strong nation”. According to ISPR, the Army Chief participated in the Christmas ceremony with the Christian community in Christ Church Rawalpindi. The Army Chief emphasized the need to promote inter-religious harmony to realise the true vision of the Quaid e Azam for a united and progressive Pakistan. He said, “Islam teaches us peace and friendship and encourages inter-faith harmony which is the need of the hour.” He emphasized the importance of having a correct perspective, truth, and knowledge-based opinions about national issues, instead of rhetoric and propaganda to deal with the challenges we are facing. Paying tribute to the great vision and leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 147th birth anniversary, the Army Chief referred to the Quaid’s historic words during his address to the Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947; “You are free. You are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan.” (Himalya Today/ Khabrain Daily) 

• PPP senior   Khurshid Shah has alleged that the Muslim League-N has put its people in the caretaker government. Sarfaraz Bugti was not in the caretaker government as a member of the People’s Party, there is no ticket holder of the PPP in the caretaker government.  PPP talks openly and Bilawal Bhutto will be our Prime Minister candidate. Due to the ML-N, the PPP suffered a big loss in Punjab. Yet we say that we have to work together and walk together. He said that there is a need to take decisions together for the country.   Khursheed Shah said there is no such thing as PDM-2 being formed yet. Let the election take place. If no party gets a majority, then a coalition government has to be formed. Maybe the PPP has to sit in the opposition or it may form the government. Anything is possible. Asif Zardari also has the right to become the President. He was President earlier also. (Qudrat Daily) 

• Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Siraj ul Haq has said that if the same old and tried rulers come to power there is no hope of improvement. The country can move forward only with the strength and continuity of democracy. In a statement, he said that the parties of landlords and capitalists are an obstacle to the stability of democracy. The reason for unrest in the country is the failed policies of the previous governments. On February 8, the politics of families and heredity will be buried. (Qudrat Daily) 

• All Pakistan Oil Tanker Owners Association has threatened a strike in Balochistan against stopping vehicles at the Chaman border. Oil Tanker Association Chairman Shams Shahwani said that more than 4,000 vehicles have been stopped at the Chaman border by force of weapons.  Mazdoor Etihad has stopped thousands of vehicles for two months. He said drivers and their families are worried. He informed that if the vehicles are not released within 72 hours, the delivery of fuel will be stopped across the province. (Dawn Daily) 

• The first woman candidate belonging to the Hindu minority in the Buner district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has submitted her nomination for the general seat from PK-25 Buner.   Dr Savera Prakash is entering the fray on PPP ticket. Her father Dr Om Prakash has been associated with PPP for the past 35 years. She is also the General Secretary of the People’s Party Women’s Wing in Buner. (Dawn Daily) 

• Peshawar candidates who had appeared for recruitment test in the Police Department have protested in front of the Peshawar Press Club. The demonstration was led by Haroon Khan and other candidates, who are jobless. The protesters stated that most of the candidates had failed in the recruitment test held in 2022. The Provincial Government passed a bill reducing the merit list from 40% to 25%. When the bill was being passed, there were 1127 posts in Peshawar district, 510 candidates had passed the criteria of 40% and 617 posts were left vacant and after the bill was passed, Peshawar district was omitted, and recruitment from the rest of the province was done with 25% criteria, which is completely unfair to Peshawar. In this regard, the Peshawar High Court was moved. The Police Department has not yet made any effort to resolve the issue. Most of the candidates are unemployed and have appealed to  the Caretaker Chief minister and IG Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for justice. (Urdu Point)

• Gambella police station located in Lakki Marwat was attacked by terrorists in the night, but the police foiled the attack. Sources say that the terrorists escaped in the dark of night. According to DPO Tariq Habib, there was no loss due to firing by the terrorists. This is the third attack in the last two days which has been thwarted. (Daily Khabrain)

• Tribal leader Malik Alam Jan was riding a motorcycle along with his brother near Azam Warsak Sagwara in Wana area of South Waziristan when a roadside bomb exploded. Alam was also injured while his brother died on the spot. (Roznama Intekhab)

• Jamaat-e-Islami Women Wing said that violence against the women, mothers, sisters and daughters of the missing persons of Balochistan is condemnable. In a statement, it demanded that the criminal treatment of the mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation should be stopped and all possible assistance should be provided to solve their problems. The government should take real time steps to recover the missing persons. (Roznama Intekhab)  

• Chaman dharna is going to be 70 days old; all businesses are closed. Not accepting the legitimate demands of the sit-in by thousands of people is actually equivalent to closing the doors of livelihood to the Pashtuns in the province. Entry by passports alone is impossible on a day-to-day basis since commercial shops, markets and others are located on both sides of the Durand Line. Instead of barriers to people’s trade, there should be a system of taxation, and provision for acceptance of tax receipts for goods paid throughout the country. Pashtunkhawa MAP said in a statement that delaying tactics in accepting the legitimate demands of the Chaman sit-in is regrettable and the party demands that all the demands of the sit-in be accepted. (Roznama Intekhab)

• The Pakistan-China border will be opened for commercial activities from today. The border is being opened for ten days and during this time cargo vehicles from Pakistan will leave for China and Central Asian countries under the transit trade deal. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar had said at a Belt and Road Forum event in Beijing in October, that this pass-way would be turned into an all-weather border, but in December the Pakistan-China trade corridor was closed for five months in winter. Customs sources said that the government has decided to open the Khunjerab Corridor on an experimental basis for ten days from today, during which NLC cargo vehicles will depart from China to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries under the International Transit Trade Agreement. NLC vehicles from China will leave for Afghanistan. (Jang) 

• In Swat, vehicle borne miscreants attacked the police and injured three policemen when they signalled them to stop at the police check post in Landake. The police have arrested the accused and registered a case against them. According to the police, the vehicle coming from Peshawar was stopped during the blockade, when the 6 people in the vehicle clashed with the police and injured them with kicks and punches. (Jang) 

• In the major cities of Punjab including Lahore, patients are facing shortage of life-saving medicines. The relevant government institutions are unable to take any action in this regard. In Multan, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Jhelum, Gujarat, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur and other cities, there is a shortage of medicines used for diabetes, blood pressure, liver, epilepsy, tuberculosis, kidney and brain diseases. There are numerous medicines which have been unavailable in the market for a long time. Medical shop owners   say that the pharmaceutical companies have demanded an increase in the prices. Since the demand was not accepted, supply of medicines has been reduced, resulting in shortage of   medicines. (Jang) 

• The Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain has accepted Manzoor Pashteen’s bail application in two cases.  Prosecutor Raja Naveed opposed the bail arguing that Manzoor Pashteen had led a mob and made speeches against government institutions.   The defense lawyer said that Manzoor Pashteen did not speak against any government institution but he was being involved in the case for political revenge. (Express Daily) 

• The year 2023 proved to be very troublesome for the Education Department. All the teachers and non-teaching staff remained on the streets in protest, and no repairs could be made to school buildings. There were no recruitments for vacant posts of teachers either. Teachers could not be appointed in 1250 upgraded schools. 60% of teachers were busy with duties of polio, dengue, death registration, and election work. The target of admission of new students in government schools could not be met and only 30 to 35% of new admissions could be done. The number of teachers has been decreasing due to non-recruitment in government schools for 15 years. There are a total of 48504 schools in Punjab, in which 336844 teachers are currently serving. A total of 1,20,80,448 students are studying while currently 1.55 crore children are out of schools. 113732 posts of teachers are vacant in Punjab.   4197 posts of Principals/Headmasters are vacant. In Rawalpindi district there are 1809 schools with 15379 teachers and 409494 students. The number of failed students in the board exam has exceeded 50%. Quran recitation and memorization were also mandatory but no special teacher for the same was appointed for the past one and a half years. Promotions are also not regular, 3512 school buildings and classrooms are dilapidated; 3155 have no four walls, 3713 have no electricity. Furniture is not available in 21 thousand schools. One person is doubling up as a guard, and deputy peon in many schools. Science labs are not available in 5412 schools and no computer labs in 2013 schools.  Central Secretary of Punjab SES Teacher Union said that the government upgraded more than 3,000 rural schools and started new classes but  teachers are still not being paid salaries.   (Express Daily) 

• Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, ranked first in the list of the most polluted cities in the world yesterday with an AQI of 343. The Karachi was ranked eighth in the list of cities with an AQI of 171.  (Express Daily) 

Columns

• The treatment meted out to the women who participated in the long march from Balochistan at the threshold of the federal capital, Islamabad, shocked the entire country. For the first time, Pakistanis got an idea of what the people on the other side of the mountains of Balochistan are going through. What problems they are facing?  The natural result of the distance from the Center is that the true voice of the people does not reach the world. Therefore, such deprived sections have to come out to convey their message to the world. The injured people of Balochistan crossed the mountains several times and camped in the plains, but their voice remained only in the desert. Now once again the mothers and sisters of the missing people have turned to the center to ask the question: where are their loved ones. Have they been swallowed by the earth or were they taken away by the sky? An ordinary girl, Mah Rang Baloch, was leading this protest and daring to ask this question. Mah Rang Baloch is also narrating her painful story in tears. Not allowing the long march women   to sit in Islamabad and using various methods of force to disperse them may lead to deepening the  crises, which is already a complex one. Some time ago, the “Give Rights Movement” started in Gwadar and Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch, free from the burden of any long tribal introduction and affiliation, emerged as the natural leader of the protest movement. That protest was strong and passionate. In reaction, arrests were made, there was violence, but its resonance did not reach the centers. Perhaps after this experience, Baloch women took the path of telling their story by reaching Islamabad. The effect of this strategy was that social media carried the voice of Baloch people to far and wide. The manner in which the state institutions ended the protest of Baloch women also revived the old wounds of the country. People began to think that years ago the same behavior would have been tolerated in East Pakistan in response to legitimate grievances. These women could have been dealt with in a better way. God knows what made caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar from Balochistan to become a motivational speaker for the intellectual development of the youth in educational institutions. He should have listened to the story of these women.  The doors of the Prime Minister’s House should have been opened for these women. They are still looking for a connection with the state. They wanted to tell their story at the center and put their case before her people. The ruling classes are undermining this hope and desire of them   by pushing then women back to the borders of Balochistan. (Arif Bahar, Jasarat)

• We have still not forgotten “wounds” of tragedy called East Pakistan. But our establishment refuses to take lessons. It is using the same tactics again which can expose the country’s security to new threats. Crackdowns continue in the country’s most backward province. We have still not forgotten the fourth crackdown on Balochistan in 1973. It began in Zulfikar Bhutto times and was led by Tikka Khan. That crackdown went on till 1977 killing 1700 people from one kabila only, namely Muree kabila. The current tensions in Balochistan began in 2004 following physical excesses on Dr Shazia Khalid. The incident is 18 years old, but State’s forces are still using force on Baloch instead of using peaceful means to resolve Baloch’ issues. The Baloch women who never stepped out have walked down 1800 kms. from Balochistan’s Turbat to Islamabad seeking justice. Instead of justice, they face crackdowns in Islamabad. These women, in solidarity march, had one and only demand that their abducted near and dear ones be given back to them. The Islamabad police ill-treated them as if they had come from some enemy country from across borders. Such ill-treatment will only keep Baloch away from the national mainstream. No matter what State does to suppress voice of Baloch women, no matter State uses new methods of harassment and torture on these Baloch women, no matter if country’s institutions still refuse to give them justice, one thing is certain voice of these oppressed women will surely prick the conscience of global bodies. (Kawish, Latif Jamal, Dec.25)###