EDITORIALS

1. The war of words between the President and the Prime Minister through letters is a very dangerous development. On one hand, we have a serious economic scenario, which keeps getting grimmer with every passing day. We are also getting globally isolated. On other hand internal differences at high places will only hasten our decline. The strange part is our ruling sections refuse to take lessons from partition of Pakistan into Pakistan and Bangladesh. In the current grim situation, the President should have played an unbiased role befitting his post. If at all the President had to write a letter, a letter should have been written by the President also to Imran Khan who has been challenging the government’s writ. His ‘tigers” have caused immense damage to government and private properties; petrol bombs were thrown on police and rangers. Meanwhile, we are much taken aback and worried over war of words and we are afraid it might usher in more unpleasantness. We would therefore advise everyone to choose the right words befitting the post of the writer and also taking into consideration conditions in country. (Pahenji Akhbar Edit, Mar 27)

• The President wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and  in his reply Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed the President’s letter as a PTI press release. Both the letter and the reply are indeed Establishment press releases. It is clear that Imran Khan is willing to resolve the issues through negotiations rather than getting involved in countless cases; on its part, the Government is also ready to back down. But the reins of both groups are in someone else’s hands. Both cannot stick to their old positions. It is true that the Prime Minister should reply to the President’s letter in appropriate language but it is also true that the President’s letter was based on speculation and party allegations. The Establishment has not been detached from the affairs even for a day. Therefore, it will continue to leave such threats to create the desired situation and to start preparing the kind of Government that it wants to form. (Jasarat Edit)

• Be it ruling sections or Opposition parties, they all are busy fighting political battles in pursuit of power. No one cares for peoples’ woes as parties and people at high places are busy blaming one another. On one hand parties in PDM are all out against Imran Khan and his PTI party and on other hand Imran Khan and his aides in PTI are doing their best to put PDM government under every kind of pressure. Even the President is busy writing letters, which, according to the PM, are more like a press release than a letter from President to PM. Instead of taking care of peoples’ woes and incidents like people dying while hunting for subsidized flour, the government and political parties are busy with political battles. They should fight for people and see that deserving ones get their basic rights and thus bring an end to deep-rooted sense of unease in people. (Kawish Edit, March 27)

• Former Prime Minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan does not appear to be willing to negotiate with the ruling coalition. Under the shadow of Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore, he not only staged a power show but also presented a ten-point plan for reviving the economy. He said “If our government comes (to power), we will work on projects for Siachen, economy, investment, exports, restructuring of institutions, easy loans for youth, cheap housing, agriculture, and private communities”. Imran Khan went on to add: “I know no one has a road map’. And stressed that the governance system of the country will have to be fixed. (Edit Nawa-i-Waqt, 27 Mar)

• Political parties have gone a step further from airing differences   to issuing threats to one another. Rana Sanaullah has said in an interview that Imran Khan has brought politics to a stage where “either Imran Khan or we only” will stay and survive.  He also said all those who are with Imran Khan think we are their enemies. There is anarchy everywhere and the way Imran Khan is doing politics  means either he or we will have to go out of politics. When asked for his comment, Imran Khan said “I wish we both stay and survive in politics, but if he says all this then I will say he will not stay and survive in politics”. In fact, anti-national forces, especially ones who are irked with our status as atomic power, have always been waiting for an opportunity that further weakens the country. Sadly, our leaders are making things easier and convenient for such forces. All this is not acceptable to the nation. Before people come out on road, politicians should themselves check what they speak and do. Otherwise, our countrymen will never pardon them. (Ibrat Edit)

• Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told the media the other day that Imran Khan had brought politics to a point “where our (PDM) survival is in danger”.   And said now the question is who will remain- Imran Khan or we, as PDM?   If an ordinary man had made such a statement, the police would have arrested him and would have been put him behind bars. The common man thinks that this kind of statement cannot be given by a responsible official like the interior minister. This is possible in three scenarios. One if he is not conscious; two if he does not know what he is saying? Three if unaware of the consequences? Rana Sanaullah is not a common citizen; he is the interior minister of the country.  In a country, where the constitution is subordinated to the theory of necessity, and where there is a tradition of controlling the majority party in Parliament through a few touts, everything is possible. PDM fears that the government will have to answer for its actions. This fear has made them sleepless. (Edit, Daily Intekhab)

• Lawlessness is growing in Karachi and Hyderabad. People always look up to the police and other law-enforcing machinery that will protect   and keep people safe. But the worsening on law-and-order front is a matter of grave concern. The sooner authorities take effective action   the better it will be for removing the sense of panic. Let the guilty be punished to restore peace in the two cities. (Sindh Express Edit)

• Every commodity of daily necessity is under the grip of trade mafia in the country. Instead of selling cheap sugar or flour or petrol, which is demeaning the people, the government should the prices of all basic necessities  in order to provide relief relief.   (Jasarat Edit)

• The country has reached the state of starvation.   Poor people are reeling under the onslaught of high prices. According to the Institute of Statistics, in the first week of Ramadan, inflation was recorded an increase by 1.80%, while the rate of weekly inflation touched 48.25%. (Edit, Daily Khabrain)

NEWS      

1. The Jahangir Tareen group has become active again in Pakistan politics. They have kickstarted consultations on their future role under the leadership of Jahangir Tareen. The meeting felt that Imran Khan’s policies have ruined the party, and a large number of party leaders want to keep away from Imran Khan’s politics. Some members suggested creation of a separate identity in the name of Tehreek-e-Insaf Ideology. The group has decided to contact more former lawmakers and leaders of Tehreek-e-Insaf. (Jasarat)

1. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said that Nawaz Sharif is waiting to return only after “either I am killed or disqualified”. Speaking to the media after appearing before the Islamabad High Court, he said if the unknown supporters withdraw their support, the PDM government will fall within no time. Everyone knows who is taking decisions in the country. The reasons advanced by the Election Commission for postponing polls are wrong. The economic crisis will become more serious by October. (Qudrat Daily)

1. Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj-ul-Haq has stated that the Establishment should pay expiation for imposing PDM and PTI Governments, which may be in the form of complete neutrality from politics. The country will move forward only when the Judiciary, Military Establishment and Election Commission become neutral. Otherwise, the constitution, democracy, politics, economy will all be at stake. A former General is admitting that he picked up a person from Islamabad’s D Chowk and took him to the Prime Minister’s House. (Urdu Point, Jasarat)

1. The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has criticized allotment of thousands of acres of agricultural land to the Army by the caretaker Punjab Government. In a statement on Monday, the PBC said the illegal practice of donating of public resources to the army is neither justified nor acceptable to the people of Pakistan”. (Tribune)

1.  In a statement, the Balochistan National Party has lamented that 14 years have passed since the forced disappearance of Kabir Baloch, Mushtaq Baloch, Ata Ullah Baloch, and Saad Ullah Baloch from Khuzdar. Their relatives are eagerly waiting for their return. They have democratically protested at the press clubs and on the streets of Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad, and Khuzdar and moved courts but nothing happened. The missing persons are neither found nor produced before the court. If they had done any crime they should be produced before a court and punished as per law. Their continued disappearance shows that powerful agencies don’t care for the law and the courts. The gross violation of human laws, kidnappings and forced disappearances have created a grave crisis in Balochistan. (Qudrat Daily, Urdu Point)

1. So far, the situation was peaceful in Gwadar after the arrest of the ‘Haq Do’ campaign leader Maulana Hidayat Ur Rahman. But after lifting section 144 a series of protests has begun for Rehman’s release. Most significant protest was a demonstration by the burqa-clad women. A woman leader Masi Zainab told the press that while Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran arrested for multi murders was released just after a few days, the Maulana is still in jail though he has not committed any crime. Maulana is being punished for raising his voice for the oppressed people of Gwadar. (Qudrat Daily)

1. More than 4,000 bags of free flour have gone missing. Instead of providing to the public, the municipal authorities in Punjab have sold  free flour to hotels at cheap prices. The administration woke up after hue and cry by the public. An inquiry committee has found the guilty official, who had caused a loss of about 51 lakh rupees to the exchequer. The Narang Mandi police (Punjab) have arrested the accused Intizar. (Daily Ausaf)

1. In Liaquatabad of Karachi burqa-clad women came on the street to protest against unannounced load-shedding of gas. (Dunya)

1. In Kohat and Kirk, men and women, staged a protest against the glitches ridden free government flour under the Benazir Income Support Program. They criticized that the distribution was unfair in both the cities (Urdu Point)

1. Due to   poor management, the cheap flour scheme has become a cheap death scheme, according to Trade Union of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Mujibur Rahman. Many people died and scores injured in the stampede at distribution centers, he added. (Urdu Point)

• Like in the rest of the country, the free flour scheme in Swat also started to fail. The needy people are forced to return empty-handed after waiting in queues for hours. “We do not need free flour. What we demand is flour at cheap price”, they said. (Jasarat)

• PTI Peshawar Vice President, Imran Khan Salarzai said that free flour supply scheme has become a scheme of death for the people. Many people have died or been injured during flour distribution. He accused the federal and provincial governments of giving free flour to a chosen few.  (Aeen Daily)

• Al-Khidmat Foundation Pakistan is distributing food packages to the poor throughout the country. Giving details, its President, Dr. Hafeez-ur-Rahman, said they are distributing ration to two lakh poor and white-clad families across the country, including in the flood-affected areas. For this purpose, ration hubs have been set up where the local teams of Al Khidmat Foundation issue tokens to the deserving families after a survey. (Nawa-i-Waqt)

• Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association has refused to accept the Government’s cheap petrol project. Its chairman Abdul Sami Khan,   clearly told the Petroleum Minister that the Government has not taken them into confidence in this matter. We are unable to implement this policy without understanding it. (Urdu Point, Daily Islam)

• In a statement, the Hazara Democratic Party has criticized gas shutdown and long hours of load shedding  in Quetta and other areas of Balochistan  during the holy month of Ramadan. These are anti-people actions. And are against the poor and deprived people of the province. (Urdu Point)

COLUMNS

• Imran Khan is fighting only for power and his clamor for “civilian supremacy” means his PTI in power. He spoke against former army chief, and he is also speaking against current army chief. There is difference between struggle and political violence. Was all that we saw at Islamabad’s judicial complex or what we saw at Lahore’s Zaman Park, not political violence? Right now, we are getting to see more of political violence than political struggles. For the country’s elite, politics is a big luxury, but for the common man, who is ready to be “fuel” for any political party politics is   trust. They trust politics because they see better tomorrows through politics. For common and poor man, politics is no luxury. But is it not a betrayal of politics if the poor man is used as a fuel in political violence? If Imran Khan wants to win hearts of people, he would have sacrificed his big ego. His agenda should have been common man’s basic issues and he should have fought for them. But, his one and only agenda is election date. From every stage he demands fresh polls. He also wants that the establishment should help him like he was helped last time. In given economic conditions, can any party ensure that the economic scenario will improve with its coming or returning to power? People have already tasted Imran Khan. He had made tall promises to make Pakistan a Medina. Keep that aside, he began targeting the world with his hatred and instead of making more friends, made more enemies for Pakistan. All through his stint in power, he behaved like an Opposition leader than the PM of a country. He never gave serious thought to peoples’ basic issues. We are in the month of Ramadan. For poor people, this month is the same story  of starvation like other months of the year. For mafia groups in business community, this month is more fast money through profiteering. We do not know how much PDM will be able to get peoples’ sympathy in the next polls, but the way Imran Khan and his aides have taken to political violence with an eye on getting establishment’s support, has made those in Pindi careful and wiser; they would not fall for his attempts to get noticed by them. Establishment is like once bitten twice shy while dealing with people like Imran Khan. (Kawish, Latif Jamaal, March 27)

• If not in April, but at least by October, we will get a clear picture about whether the country is going for polls or not. The harshest question right now is: Will constitution be obeyed?  There are also whispers that we might get an emergency for a short spell. We also get to hear questions as to whether an emergency can be imposed in today’s times?    Playing with the constitution and imposing emergency even for a short spell can be disastrous for the country.  By now we will have to admit that Imran Khan has become a major political personality. Yet people cannot pin any hopes on him. Major reason for his growing popularity is peoples’ growing anger against PDM government. Majority of people are not in favor of Imran Khan; majority still do not make part of his fan club. People today are disenchanted with selfish political class in the PDM government. The political brains in the country should keep this fact very clearly in their mind that people are not at all in favor of tampering with constitution, not even for a brief period and if any such blunder is committed, it will lead to ugly a fall-out. Polls should be held as laid down in the constitution and there is no scope for any ifs and buts. So far, it is dictators who had gone against the constitution. But in today’s globalized world, days of dictatorship are almost over, and more so in Pakistan where the establishment has been repeatedly saying no to interference in civilian affairs.  If there is no misadventure and if polls are held smoothly this year, it will be a cakewalk victory for Imran Khan and his candidates. Pakistan politics is quietly flowing to such destinations where big changes are waiting to befall the country. This year is not just year of changes, but it promises to be year of beginning of several changes.   None can predict what is in the pipeline. (Pahenji Akhbar, Aijaz Mungi, March 27)
• Imran Khan’s politics is breeding more rifts. Mariam is directly blaming judiciary. PM Shahbaz Sharif is charging that the President is not unbiased, Imran Khan’s supporters are using harsh language on social media and in meetings against the establishment, the type of language which could not be even imagined in the past.   Whatever we are seeing around in the  name of freedom, is more of anarchy than freedom. Pakistan’s political conditions today are like a political storm. Everyone   admits that there is a political crisis. Even the government admits it    Those behind the crisis are politicians. In fact, a crisis is bound to hit a country like ours where people are kept out and establishment is brought into government affairs.  There is not much difference between Imran Khan and those in power. If there is one it is that while the PDM government wants to save their hold on power structure, Imran Khan and his PTI want to come back to power.  They, the political parties remember people only when they want votes. In today’s political scenario, we find people on one side and power-seekers on the other side. Power seekers play with politics and the people grapple with   poverty and frustration. Right now, there is a haze of uncertainties on the political horizon; there is none to tell as to when conditions will get better. (Sindh Express, Aijaz Mungi)

• The language that is being used by PTI against establishment today was the very language by PML-N against the establishment in the past.  Those days PML-N’s popularity was on the rise just as PTI’s popularity is on the rise these days. The question doing the rounds is about the establishment’s mantra. What is its solution to end the current political crisis? (Sindh Express, Akhtar Hafeez)

• The opposition can be brought under pressure through administrative exercises, but this will not make country stronger. Right now, it looks country’s affairs have slipped out of politicians’ control. Conditions have become scary. This can lead to some big mishap anytime. The country very badly needs a political dialogue. Politicians must sit together. Country cannot be run through threats and counter-threats. (Gulam Hussain Leghari in Ibrat)

• People of my generation have only read stories of the tragedy of East Pakistan in books and magazines. Now we are witnessing the same  situation before our eyes. Credible social leaders, senior journalists and several prominent leaders made a great effort to persuade Imran Khan to be flexible and engage in dialogue with political opponents. These people have also met other politicians. This is a good effort to take the country out of the current crisis. As the leader of a major opposition party, Imran Khan has a greater responsibility to open the closed doors of negotiations. If he does not want to sit in the negotiations himself, then he must send a trusted senior leader of his party. Now is the time for dialogue to pave the way for transparent elections. (Irshad Mahmoud, Daily Dharti)

• Thar is the largest district in Sindh. Here, Hindus and Muslims have been living together for centuries with a sense of brotherhood. However, this district is more backward than the other districts of the province. Although there is no shortage of natural resources, poverty is still seen everywhere. More than a thousand children have died of hunger in recent months. Their mothers are also among the dead. There is a shortage of essential life-saving medicines, but the government of Sindh has so far taken no action. Frankly, the Sindh government is not short of resources. After the 18th amendment, this province gets a lot of money from the federation like other provinces, but this money is not being used for welfare of the people. The death of innocent children is proof that the Sindh government is neglecting its duties. There are reports of severe malnutrition, which means people have no access to food.  It is time the Sindh government comes to grips with people’s issues in the Thar district. (Afghan Masood Hasan, Daily Ausaf) ###