NEWS

• A few weeks ago, a reference of disproportionate assets against former DG ISI Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed was sent to NAB, but the bureau did not take any action and returned the complaint. Sources in the NAB have told The News that a few weeks ago, the Rawalpindi office of the NAB received a file containing the income tax records of General Faiz and a two-page complaint signed by some unknown persons belonging to Chakwal. In it, it was requested that an inquiry be conducted against the former DG ISI. Sources said the DG NAB has since reviewed the file and after consultation with the higher authorities returned the complaint with the direction that a formal request should be made to the Bureau through the concerned authorities. (Jang)

• The Public Accounts Committee has directed the immediate refund of more than 9 billion rupees collected as Neelum Jhelum Surcharge. The PAC Chairman, while expressing his anger on the poor performance of the Ministry of Energy, said that despite the lack of electricity, huge bills are being collected, and the excess amount collected from the consumers should be adjusted in the bills. (Jang)

• There was a fear of flour becoming expensive again. The Food Department of Punjab has decided to increase the issue price of wheat quota. (Jang)

• Islami Tehreek Pakistan has decided to contest provincial elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. (Baad-e-Shimal)

•  Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir said insane elements cannot shake the determination of the people and armed forces of Balochistan. According to ISPR, Army Chief   visited Gwadar. He was briefed on the CPEC progress and efforts to restore peace in the province. He appreciated the efforts of officers and soldiers. He interacted with local dignitaries, elected representatives and people from different walks of life. He announced the provision of clean drinking water, health and sports related projects and various other welfare projects.  (Nawaiwaqt, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express, Ummat)

• At his media briefing in Washington, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said   the US encouraged Pakistan to continue working with the IMF. However, ultimately Pakistan will have to make the decisions to open the way for IMF funding. He said that bringing reforms will make Pakistani businesses more competitive. Apart from this, Pakistan will be helped in attracting better investment and with the necessary economic decisions, Pakistan can be on the path of sustainable development. (Nawaiwaqt, Ummat, Daily Express)

•  Three more terrorists were killed during the ongoing clearance operation in North Waziristan. According to the ISPR, the intelligence-based operation in Datta Khel has been going on since yesterday. 8 terrorists were killed on the 8th March. The number has since increased to 11 with the killing of three more terrorists. Arms and ammunition have been recovered from them. According to ISPR, the local people of the area appreciated the actions of the security forces and offered full cooperation to destroy the monster of terrorism from the area. (Nawaiwaqt, Daily Jinnah, Daily Express, Ummat)

• Mullah Mohammad Dawood Muzammil, governor of northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, was killed in a bomb blast in his office along with two guards. It has been reported that Mullah Muzammil was among the main leaders of the Afghan Taliban. After the explosion, the Taliban surrounded the area and banned the movement of people. (Ummat, Nawaiwaqt)

• United Nations Secretary-General’s   spokesman has asked for an investigation into the death of the PTI worker Ali Bilal in Lahore. He expressed concern over stopping the protest of the PTI workers and said that obstacles should not be placed in the way of a peaceful protest. He said that throughout the world people have a right to peaceful protest and security forces don’t have the right to stop them. The death of a party worker should be thoroughly investigated. And the dead and the injured must get justice.  Security forces have to behave very tolerantly in this type of protest.    (Islam Daily)

• PTI leader Fawad Choudhary has disclosed that former Army Chief retired General Qamar Bajwa often asked Hafiz Shaikh to print currency notes. Angrily reacting, Hafiz Shaikh told the General that “let us work in our own way”. Speaking on a private TV channel, Fawad said that the present government is a puppet controlled by the establishment. Shahbaz Sharif is a dummy of the army. He said when Imran Khan talked about reconciliation, they started filing cases. The Mohsin Naqvi government is told to kill people to stop elections. Our rally was legal and peaceful but our worker was killed by the police. PTI cancelled the rally to avoid a bloody confrontation. (Intekhab Daily)

• Senior PPP leader, and barrister Aitzaz Husain has said that as a political party leader is a red line for its workers and others. Similarly, the Chief Justice of Pakistan is a red line for the lawyers. If the orders of the CJ are not followed, what the lawyers will do only time will tell you. He said that every department is bound to follow the orders of the CJ word -by -word.   Nobody can go against the judgment of the court to hold elections in 90 days. If the departments say, that we can’t provide the funds, we can’t arrange for security, we can’t give services, then they are committing contempt of the court. The governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is openly opposing the court. Conspiracies are being hatched against the CJ. I am making it clear that the CJ is our red line. Mariam Nawaz is asking that elections should not be held, Nawaz Sharif should be acquitted, and one particular politician should be persecuted. She is dictating to the courts. (Intekhab Daily)

• Jamaat e Islami Chief, Siraj Ul Haq has said that PDM, PPP, and PTI had snatched away the bread from the hands of the people after promising them Mann W Salwa (Foods from Paradise). The nation has become well aware of the failures of this incompetent and bungling triad. They used their tenure for destruction instead of construction. Today the economy is nearing default, inflation is rising rapidly, national institutions have weakened, and the law-and-order situation is deteriorating. The ruling coalition is responsible for all this. He said that PDM, PPP, and PTI have made the country a slave of the IMF. Today the prices of flour, sugar, and pulses are beyond the buying limits of crores of people. Medicines are 300 percent costlier. But the rulers are not ready to curtail their protocol and privileges. Today people have lost their faith in the judiciary, Election Commission, and NAB.  He said that Jamaat e Islami wants that the elections should be held in the entire country at the same time. The solution for all the problems of the country lies in the Islamic system. (Intekhab Daily) 

• A rally was taken out by Husain Wadela, Chairman of the ‘Give Rights’ campaign, for the release of Maulana Hidayat Ur Rahman and others. Addressing a rally, Husain said that the arrest of Maulana Hidayat Ur Rahman will not weaken the campaign and it will not lose the support of the people. He said that 26 December of last year was the darkest day in the history of Balochistan when a peaceful dharna was brutally attacked by the security forces. Sardar Akhtar Mengal and his party played the role of facilitators in this attack. We can never forget this day. (Intekhab Daily)

• Balochistan National Party has expressed alarm at the kidnapping of journalist and intellectual Abid Mir and demanded immediate recovery of the missing journalist. (Urdu Point)

•  Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Haji Ghulam Ali has claimed that PTI will not participate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections. (Urdu Point)

EDITORIALS

• Historically, Sindh belongs to Sindhis. If Sindhis are reduced to minority in Sindh, it will be a big disaster for Sindhi people. Sindh and federal governments should be very sensitive about this matter and should not take it lightly or as an ordinary development. Hence, we would like to put Sindh peoples’ views and opinions very clearly here that all those who are from outside Sindh should be shown separately in the census survey forms, and the census document should show very clearly that people shown in that column are not permanent residents in Sindh. Those who are from outside Sindh and working in Sindh, they should be issued work permit as is being done in several other countries”. (Sindh Exp, Edit)  

• If political parties of the ruling coalition have freedom to take out rallies and protest demonstrations, then opposition parties also should be allowed to take out such rallies, and stage protests. Any use of force by the police, as witnessed yesterday against PTI activists in Lahore or lathi-charge in Islamabad on women, who had taken out a march in commemoration of World Women Day, can only make law and order conditions more unpleasant. Let authorities keep away from such acts (use of force) and deal with any such situation in democratic ways. (Kawish, Edit, March 9)  

• The showdown between police and PTI activists at Zaman Park in Lahore, which came a day after army chief’s assurance to business community on immediate return of stability and normalcy in country, raises several questions. We condemn in harsh words this atmosphere of uncertainty and condole with the bereaved family of a PTI activist who died during police action. We demand a thorough investigation into the matter to find out forces who keep trying to create disturbances in country.  (Ibrat, Edit) 

• After clashes between police and PTI supporters in   Imran Khan did well to end the rally and send the workers home, but it would have been better had this decision been taken earlier to save a precious life. Punjab Government must clarify whether all parties are being treated equally in the province. PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif is holding a big workers’ convention in the province? Has it been stopped. But Section 144 was imposed to stop the PTI rally that had been announced long ago. Was it the right decision? (Edits-Daily Pakistan, Naibaat, Jehan Pakistan)

• State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed says that remittances to Pakistan have decreased by two billion dollars. It is clear that the confidence of Pakistanis living abroad has decreased in the government but the people in the ruling coalition will never accept this. Rather they will say that there are some other factors behind it. On Wednesday, a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance was held under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwala. Appearing before the committee, Governor State Bank attributed inflation to  the war in Ukraine and consequent  spurt in prices of various commodities. Bankers are magicians of statistics and data; so the Governor of the State Bank can prove anything but the fact that the country is currently in a serious financial crisis. While the government policies seem to be unable to get the country out of this crisis, the issues are not under the control of the government at all. In this situation, instead of relying solely on loans from international financial institutions and friendly countries, we have to adopt policies that reduce our national expenditure. (Edits, Nawaiwaqt, Dunya Daily)

• Why do business people give importance to talking to the Army Chief of Pakistan more than the democratic figures i.e., government officials? Is it because of their lack of trust in political figures or something else? The security forces are in a state of war against terrorists to maintain peace and order in the country and are making sacrifices, after which they no longer see the dangers that were always possible or the bloodshed they used to see in the past. But on the other hand, even though the law-and-order situation is under control, the economic activities are not going as they should have been. The reason for this is instability in economic policies and political issues. (Jehan Pakistan Edit 9^th March)

• Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, Dr. Hind Abdul Rahman al-Muftah, delivered a joint statement on behalf of the Arab countries at the meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva and said that international organizations avoid open condemnation of incidents of desecration of Holy Quran. He deplored the international silence on these incidents and called on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to take the necessary measures to condemn any move that incites hatred. And demanded the governments of countries to fulfill their responsibilities in the field of human rights. (Edit Jasarat)

• The efforts to successfully control the recent wave of terrorism which destroyed peace  across the country should be welcomed. According to the Public Relations Department of the Pakistan Army, a major success was achieved in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan. 8 terrorists were killed in an operation on a tip-off, and a huge cache of weapons was recovered. These people were involved in attacks on security forces and civilians.   Earlier, on March 4, one terrorist was killed while two terrorists were killed in an operation on February 27 at Spinwam, one in an exchange of fire on February 22, and 4 on February 14 when the CTD team foiled an attack. It is clear from these incidents in the same area that as the operations of the security forces are accelerating, the terrorists are also showing the same level of activity for their survival. (Edit Jang)

• Corruption is a widespread curse across country; in Sindh it is noticeably more; the latest one making headlines in media is about five lakh wheat bags having disappeared; it is said to be worth about billions of rupees and incident goes back to financial year 2021-22. Some food inspectors have been suspended following above media reports. Mere suspension of a few food inspectors in such a big scandal is no punishment. There should be thorough investigation and all guilty must be booked. There is need for effective inspecting to keep watch on government’s warehouses. How is it possible that food inspectors keep stealing wheat and higher officials do not know? More over the crime is taking place almost every year. (Pahenji, Edit, March 9)  

COLUMNS

• Political circles in Islamabad are of the view that establishment thinks separate elections in KPK and Punjab and other provinces and also at national level will further derail political conditions in country and hence they (the establishment) indicate that elections for the National Assembly and all the four provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously. In view of such indications, it looks as though polls are not taking place in Punjab and KPK. Since the apex court has already given orders for elections, how can that order be neglected? Moreover, PTI will not keep quiet. Because it believes that it can win the elections in the two provinces and expects this victory to influence the outcome in the polls to be held later for the two remaining provinces and the National Assembly. On their part, the ruling PDM coalition does not seem to be agreeable for early polls. This pops up the questions: will they agree for polls when the time comes for elections to the Sindh and Balochistan legislatures and the National Assembly in August 2023?  Reply to this question can be that if polls can be uncertain despite release of election schedule in Punjab, how can there be a certainty over polls in Sindh, and Balochistan, and also Parliament? Sadly, all parties seem to be fighting for political gains. Never before in country’s history were political parties and the establishment exposed as they are now. Last four years have seen people speaking against the establishment at chowks and on the streets which was never happened in country’s history. For the first time, even police was made to cut sorry figure and looked helpless when they went to arrest Imran Khan at Zaman Park in Lahore. Surprisingly, soon after police was sent back saying Imran Khan was not at Zaman Park, PTI activists announced Imran Khan would soon address the media at his Zaman Park house. This is the same police force who do not hesitate to break open doors to enter houses even on one complaint against one person. With police now reduced to cut sorry figures before PTI activists, one can see double standards of police force too. Same thing is being said also with regards to the bail after bail being given to Imran Khan in cases against him while it used to be denied to Nawaz Sharif, Mariam and even Shahbaz (during PTI government time).Fingers are also being raised as Ali Wazir, elected member from FATA, is not getting bail since one year for merely making a statement while Imran Khan, Fawad Chaudhary and Azim Swati are lucky enough to get bail and not having to stay long behind bars.( Pahenji, M B Soomro, March 9)  

• About 90 per cent of federal resources are distributed to the provinces on the basis of population. Hence, we must ensure that everyone in the Sindh is counted in the on-going population surveys. Sindh will get financial allocations from federal government based on population figures shown in these surveys. The surveys must record correctly and separately legally staying citizens and illegally staying citizens, as per NADRA’s statistics. It needs to be noted that this survey which is being done after a gap of five years (instead of every 10 years) is illegal and unconstitutional. Also, several objections have already been raised with regards to 2017 population survey and without resolving those objections, a new survey is undertaken. The objection is also being raised because of the use of digital ways being adopted this time for survey. Digital records are not fool-proof and can also break down anytime during surveys as experienced during 2018 polls. Hence, objections be it on political grounds or technical ones against on-going digital surveys are 100 percent right. Sindh therefore rejects such surveys as long as Sindh’s objections are not resolved. (Kawish, Zulfikar Halipato, March 9) 

• Reports from Sindh interiors say people displaced by floods are likely to remain out of census surveys. These displaced persons have lost all their properties and belongings in last year’s floods. Now these people have no address, where the census staff can put census numbers, a customary practice in connection with house -to- house surveys. Sindh people have already said the current untimely digital survey can be controversial and might yield no results. Yet it was undertaken to appease some persons and parties. Another important objection against this Census was doing away with the need of identity cards of the persons to be included in survey reports. With no need to show identity card at the time of survey-to-survey, anybody can get any number of family members registered in the survey. Not only that every illegally staying foreigner can also get himself registered as resident in country because he/she does not have to show any identity card to census personnel.  By now, almost everyone, be it the Sindh government, nationalist leaders in Sindh or even civil society in Sindh, have all taken objections against the methods being adopted for month-long digital population surveys. These methods are found to be flawed. So much so, this exercise should be suspended to set right the  flaws during remaining two weeks of this survey. Thereafter, federal agencies along with all stakeholders in Sindh should make preparations afresh before starting population surveys so that these surveys, that are being done at the whopping cost of Rs.35 billion, are transparent and useful too. Earlier population surveys of 1991, house to house surveys of 2011 and population surveys of 2017 were rejected after becoming controversial in some aspects. If flaws in the current surveys are not removed at this stage, the current population survey also might become controversial. (Pahenji, Naseer Memon, March 9)  

• According to the pictures that have gone viral on social media, state power was used to stop the rally of Imran’s followers in Lahore. Women were not spared either. Water cannons were used to disperse the crowd. Tear gas was fired many times. The countless workers of PTI kept bringing the incidents in front of the world through Twitter and WhatsApp thanks to many pictures from their mobile phones. Mohsin Naqvi is the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab these days. More painful than the neglect of the caretaker government was the attitude of those people who are always eager to “counter” the narrative of PTI on social media. If even a person like me was disturbed by the treatment of PTI in Lahore on Wednesday, it is only because of the cynicism that permeates the system of power-hungry people in our wretched society. Islamabad police have caused me more pain than what had happened in Lahore. Those who used batons on women to stop the women’s march in Islamabad. Looking at the scenes from Lahore and Islamabad on social media, it is clear that the disturbance in the dear country is increasing. The traditional institutions of ensuring peace and order are continuously failing in their duty. A frightened heart is absolutely incapable of imagining its end. (Nusrat Javeed, Nawaiwaqt) ###