NEWS

• The preliminary work on delimitation of new constituencies is likely to be completed this month, which is being termed as an important step towards the upcoming general elections. According to a report, the Election Commission yesterday reviewed the progress on the ongoing delimitation exercise, and expressed satisfaction. The Election Commission directed the constituency committees to complete the work positively by September 26 so that the preliminary constituency lists can be published the next day. According to the original delimitation schedule released by the Election Commission on August 17 (10 days after the notification of census results), the preliminary exercise of constituencies was to be completed on October 7 and the preliminary proposals for constituencies were to be published two days later.  On September 1, the Election Commission announced to reduce the duration of the constituency delimitation process to 14 days to complete the process by November 30 instead of December 14. Election Commission sources were earlier indicating the possibility of holding general elections in mid-February, but now this development could pave the way for holding elections in the last week of January. (Dawn Daily)

• Although it has not been officially announced, the country’s largest political alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), has become inactive. Major political parties with huge vote banks believe that now the use of this platform is not required. On the other hand, small political parties are still hoping to restore it before the elections early next year. Two years of its formation, the PDM leaders are not even interested in calling any meeting of this alliance. All of its key members are trying to formulate a new strategy for the upcoming elections. Muslim League (N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui has said that practically PDM has been dissolved, and now there are no meetings of PDM. He said that there is no need to continue this alliance because all the allies are engaged in forming and reviewing their election strategy. He said that after the elections, the parties coming to power will decide to form a new coalition to govern and the parties which are in the opposition will form their own coalition. (Dawn Daily)

• Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that by imprisoning Imran Khan all the problems of the country have not been solved. Addressing the press conference, he said that even today Pakistan is suffering from many problems caused by Imran Khan and international institutions, but just imprisoning Imran Khan has not solved all the problems of the country. He said that only the People’s Party can bring the country out of the economic and political crisis because it is the only party that is capable of finding solutions to today’s problems. (Qudrat Daily)

• The chief organizer of Muslim League-N, Maryam Nawaz, has said that people will give a historic welcome to Nawaz Sharif on October 21, and bury the drama makers of Panama and Iqama forever. A grand consultative meeting of the party’s Punjab unit was held under her chairmanship in Lahore. Nawaz Sharif also participated in the meeting through a video link.   Maryam   while addressing the meeting, said that the ‘Central Facilitation Control Center’ has been established to welcome Quaid Nawaz Sharif. She informed the details about preparations and organizational cooperation at the ward, division, district, and tehsil levels. Former Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said that Nawaz Sharif has put ointment on the wounds of Pakistan even after being wounded. Nawaz Sharif made Pakistan a nuclear country but today it has been made a beggar country which is a shame. People will secure the future of their children by making Nawaz Sharif the Prime Minister again. By welcoming Quaid Nawaz Sharif, we will welcome development and prosperity. All farmers, laborers, daily wage earners, students, and teachers, are eagerly waiting for the return of Nawaz Sharif. Former Home Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif is in fact a conspiracy against the people and Pakistan. If the Nawaz Sharif government had not ended, inflation could have ended. Former Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal told the meeting said that under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, 2013 to 2018 was the period of fastest development of Pakistan. The development process of Pakistan was stopped under a conspiracy. (Qudrat Daily)

• Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Aamir Farooq has heard PTI chairman’s bail application and issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency. The court adjourned the hearing till 25th September. (Daily Khabrain, Daily Dharti, Roznama Intekhab)

• The Islamabad special court of Judge Abulhasnat Zulqarnain set up under the Official Secrets Act has sought explanation from the Superintendent of the Attock Jail for not allowing the PTI chairman to speak to his sons on phone. PTI Chairman’s lawyer argued that the prison manual has been misinterpreted by the jail Superintendent and that there is no restriction on talking in the Official Secrets Act. According to the Punjab Jail rules, a convicted criminal cannot be interviewed  but the Chairman PTI is not a convicted person. He is onlyan under trial. If there is no legal restriction, why is the talk not being allowed? The court adjourned the hearing till September 28. The Attock Jail Superintendent has submitted a report according to which the jail rules do not allow talking to any person sitting abroad. (Qudrat Daily)

• The arrest of Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed was challenged in the Rawalpindi Bench   of the Lahore High Court . Rasheed’s nephew has filed a petition in the court. It is likely that the court will hear the petition today. (Jasarat)

• A hearing was held in the Lahore High Court on the issue of not releasing PTI President Pervez Elahi despite the court order. The Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for IG Islamabad  in this regard. The court issued a contempt of court notice to the concerned SP for non-execution of the bailable warrant. The court expressed its anger at the non-appearance of the Superintendent of Attock Jail and issued a bailable arrest warrant against him. (Roznama Intekhab, Daily Khabrain, Daily Dharti)

• The Sindh High Court has expressed its displeasure over the non-appearance of the Federal Interior Secretary, and the IGP despite being summoned in the Baldia Town Factory case. Justice K. K. Agha remarked that  Ministry of Interior   was  been guilty of negligence in the tragedy that claimed 259  lives.  The court   ordered the Chief Secretary Sindh and the Federal Secretary or Additional Secretary to appear at the next hearing on 25th September. (Roznama Intekhab)

• Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti left for China on a 4-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese government. He will attend the Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum 202. . The 3-day conference will be held in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China. 400 representatives of 50 countries will participate in the conference.  During the visit, he will also hold bilateral meetings with top Chinese officials on further increasing trade, economic and security cooperation. (Daily Khabrain, Roznama Intekhab)

• Former Federal Minister General Retired Abdul Qadir Baloch, and the central leader of Balochistan Awami Party, Kharan Mir Nooruddin Noshirwani have announced their joining in Pakistan People’s Party at Bilawal House  in the presence of   former President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and the other central leader of Pakistan People’s Party. (Daily Kashmir Express, Roznama Intekhab)

• Presiding over  a Sindh Tarqui Pasand meeting, the party chairman, Qadir Magsi said lawlessness is spreading across the Sindh. It is a conspiracy against Sindh. Criminals have support of influential forces. He said the solution to all problems being faced in Sindh lies in lower strata of society joining hands and exercising  their power to vote. Till Sindh’s lower strata do not join hands and do not send their right representatives to the Assemblies by using their power to vote, we will not be able to get rid of challenges faced in Sindh. Dr. Magsi said working class people will field their candidates from all constituencies in next polls in Sindh. Applications are being invited from candidates and thereafter the party (Sindh Tarqui Pasand’s board) will release the final list of candidates. He also said Oct.29 will be observed as martyrdom day across Sindh in homage to all martyrs. He also said his party will organise memorial day on Sept.20 at district level in memory of Shaheed comrade Hassan S and on October 3 in memory of Shaheed Malik N. and Jhaman G. (Sindh Exp.)

• Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party held a protest in New Truk Ada Satellite Town against illegal customs raids, breaking locks in the dark of night and seizing valuables worth crores of rupees. Traders, shopkeepers, entrepreneurs and a large number of political workers participated in the protest and raised slogans against the customs. (Urdu Point)

• Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan, the Provincial President of PashtunkKhawa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) while discussing the dharna staged by the public at Hana Orak, stated that his party supports all the legitimate demands of the people of Orak.  The security forces should take measures to ensure peace  instead of spreading fear and panic among people. He stated that Hana Orak is the main tourist center of Pakhtunkhwa Watan and the people of Hana Orak valley depend on agriculture. For the past several years, the people of Hana Orak have been continuously held hostage by the security forces, and the people have been suffering from severe anxiety due to actions like inducing fear and panic in the name of the incidents of terrorism in their own area. (Urdu Point)

• JUI (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman has termed the attack on Hafiz Hamdullah as the height of brutality. He visited  Hafiz Hamdullah who was under treatment in a Karachi hospital. Maulana   prayed for  the speedy recovery of others injured in the blast. He said that the caretaker government should bring those responsible for this tragic incident to justice. (Qudrat Daily)

• Goods transporters of Balochistan parked their vehicles in the Hub area and set up a protest camp against the closure of the border. Transporters leader Haji Mohammad Aslam Lahri while talking to media, said that 70 lakh people have become jobless due to the closure of the border.  “We have currently set up a protest camp for a week. If our legitimate demands are not accepted, we will be forced to come to the streets for the sake of our children”. (Roznama Intekhab)

• Jamaat e Islami staged a dharna outside the governor’s house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against the increase in the prices of electricity and petroleum products and inflation. Amir Jamaat e Islami Siraj ul Haq camped in Peshawar for three days  for the success of the protest demonstration. The spokesman of the party said that our protest movement is peaceful. Burning and encirclement is not our goal. The government has to withdraw the cruel increase in prices. The Jamaat will also go to the Supreme Court against this brutal increase in the prices of electricity and petrol. The party will stage similar dharnas in front of the Governor House  (Sept 21), Quetta (Sept 24) and Karachi  (Oct  6). (Qudrat Daily)

• Amir Jamaat e Islami Siraj ul Haq has said that our enemy has reached the moon and we are on the roads for our rights. The incompetent rulers have destroyed the country. In front of the Governor House in Peshawar, Jamaat e Islami staged a dharna protesting against the increase in petrol and electricity prices and inflation. Addressing the participants of the dharna, the Amir  said that now the begging bowl has become our national symbol. Inflation has buried alive the people. He said that despite the abundance of all the natural resources, we are in need of external help. We hope that the new Chief Justice will end the oppression. (Dunya Daily)

• The government has decided to introduce digital currency to improve the economy, curb black money, and to improve the value of the rupee. The value of the digital currency will be equal to Pakistani Rupee, just like China’s digital currency unit is equal to Yuan and it will have full support of the State Bank of Pakistan. The new digital currency will be a legal tender like the paper currency and will be issued on government’s guarantee. The State Bank has started work for the preparation of digital currency and the services of expert are also being procured in this regard. For this an organization called Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is working which is evaluating its cost and other factors to take into account all the nuances so that after launching the digital currency there is no discrepancy. The plan is to increase the use of digital currency gradually and reduce the use of paper currency. Eventually only 10% paper currency will remain in circulation mostly to ensure that the system should not stop due to some major trouble. With the introduction of digital currency there would be a reduction in the printing cost of paper currency and their safe distribution, besides saving on the costs of destroying the old notes. There will be record of every transaction made with the digital currency. (Jang)

• Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, on the complaints of sexual harassment by the female students of Mechtromics Department, has suspended IT Senior Assistant Muhammad Ibrahim Lashari and directed him to report to the Registrar’s office. The Harassment Committee of the University has recorded the statements of the students. It will also record the statement of Lashari will also be recorded and he will be given a full opportunity to clear himself. (Urdu Point)

• In Pakistan, 48% of women are illiterate; 79% are not part of the workforce and only 10% of the total female population can make decisions about their own health. Pakistan at the bottom of the Global Gender Gap Index ranking, which means that the rate of gender equality in Pakistan is very low. Only 21% of women are part of the labor force in the country.  Population Council Senior Project Officer Umm Qulsum said that 37% of girls are out of school in Pakistan. (Jang)               

EDITORIALS

• Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has written a letter to his Taliban counterpart, Mullah Hasan Akhund. He noted that that the two countries are neighbors and brothers and the bilateral relations are rooted in religion, culture and history. Both sides are determined to further strengthen political, security and economic relations. Increasing regional trade and connectivity is essential for the prosperity of the Pak-Afghan people. We should work together to achieve the common goals of both countries. Prime Minister Kakar in his letter also referred to Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace process. After the establishment of the Taliban interim government, Islamabad has been raising its voice in every forum of the world to deal with the human tragedy born here and to improve its economy. Apart from this, Pakistani political and military leaders visited Kabul, and reiterated that they stand with the Kabul administration in every difficult hour. Despite this, Prime Minister Kakar said, the attitude of the Kabul administration is hostile to Pakistan. Under its patronage, the banned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban (Pak Taliban) is openly carrying out acts of terrorism in Pakistan, and is using Afghan soil for attacks against Pakistan. Unfortunately, the current Kabul administration is also following the path of the previous puppet Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani governments, which were hostile towards Pakistan. The Caretaker Prime Minister should convince the Kabul administration that unless it gives up its patronage of TTP and other terrorists and ends the use of the Afghan soil against Pakistan, it will be difficult for Pakistan to establish trade relations et al. (Edit Nawaiwaqt)

• Now that there is a change of guard in the country’s apex court, there are expectations from the new chief justice that he will play his historic role in setting the country’s constitutional discourse in order. Judiciary is one of the important pillars in a country’s power structure and the main task in our country today is to run national affairs as per laws laid in the constitution. Hopefully, the apex court will do its best and will play its role in taking country to democratic ways as per the constitution. (Awami Awaz, Edit, Sept.18)

• The arrival of Qazi Sahib as the CJP heralds a new era of judiciary. He has taken some historic steps on the very first day in office, which is unprecedented. He refused to take a guard of honour. What is more he arrived at the Supreme Court in his private car which is a quiet message for the privileged class. Qazi Faiz Isa’s past can be described as a bright example of bold decisions, encouragement of democratic forces, and adherence to the constitution. It is hoped that during his tenure, the dignity of the Supreme Court will be restored. (Daily Pakistan Edit)

• While taking oath, the new Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa broke many traditions of the past and established many new welcome traditions. Firstly, with the permission of the President, he called his wife Ms. Serena Isa to the stage and she stood by his side as he took oath. Another good tradition he established was that the Oath affidavit was read in Urdu besides English. The President read the oath in both languages and the Qazi kept repeating. Apart from appointing senior judges to the Supreme Judicial Council and Judicial Commission, he also appointed a woman judge as the Registrar of the Supreme Court for the first time. The new registrar, Jazeela Aslam, was earlier Okara Sessions Judge. The Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill approved by the National Assembly and the Senate was pending in the court. It was scheduled to be heard on Monday. The new CJP constituted a full bench of 15 judges to hear this important bill and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the court proceedings were telecast live. Political parties have also congratulated the new Chief Justice and expressed the hope that the constitution and law will be respected, and justice and fairness will prevail. The Supreme Court is the last hope for the redressal of injustices in the society. The people have full faith in the new Chief Justice and other distinguished judges. (Jang Edit)                  

• Government perhaps thinks everyone in the country is either a government employee or a pensioner and they would be able to tolerate any and every rise in inflation. But, is everyone in the country a salaried government employee or a pensioner? The private companies hardly pay their employees as per government fixed minimum wages; there is no rise in employees’ wages in private companies over the years, nor is there any other facility like pension. In our country, our workforce is more in the private sector than in the government. Most of those in private sector are suffering multiple odds-on the economic front; if caretaker government cannot do anything, it should at least see to it that inflation is brought under control. (Kawish, Edit, Sept.18)

• It seems our rulers have pledged peoples’ progress with the IMF. It is ironic that no one in the country is bothered about the conditions in which the common man is living today. Neither earlier governments took interest nor the present caretaker government is taking any note of peoples’ plight. Though habits die hard, it is time to change habits. The establishment will have to give up its mindset of being masters/owners of the State. The baton rule (establishment’s high-handedness) is a temporary solution and the economy cannot be set right by use of force. If use of force had succeeded in setting things right then the Soviet economy would not have collapsed and nor would the Soviet Union have disintegrated. If our resource rich country is in bad shape today it is because of the stupidity of our rulers. Hence, it is time rulers come to senses. Let us also take lessons from history.  We should make this very clear to our rulers that the country cannot afford any more tragedies and mishaps. (Pahenji, Edit, Sept.18)

• Political parties in the Sindh are together on the issue of influx of foreigners and outsiders. All parties have been pointing out time and again that these foreigners and outsiders are a big burden on Sindh’s resources and they should be removed from Sindh. Lakhs of foreigners still keep pouring into the country and they can be a reason not only for law-and-order issues but also can be a big burden on our resources. Another big irony is that most of these foreigners’ head to Sindh and more so to Karachi and later present themselves as oppressed and destitute and thus keep controlling Karachi’s resources and refuse to return to their countries. Right now, Afghans and others including Bengalis, Biharis, Rohingyas are staying in Sindh. They are staying in Karachi. On several occasions, decisions have been taken to send illegally staying foreigners in Karachi back to their countries, but so far nothing concrete has been done in this connection. Our rulers   need to realize that unemployment is already a big issue here and more and more people are already living life under the poverty line and in such a backdrop influx of illegal foreigners will only make the future gloomier. Jiye Sindh Mahaz took out a rally on this issue in Hyderabad yesterday. Political parties and groups keep repeating their demands to send illegally staying foreigners in Sindh/Karachi back to their countries, but authorities are hardly moved despite rallies and demands from all parties in Sindh. We should not forget that first right on Sindh resources lies with Sindh people so that they live better lives. (Sindh Exp., Edit)

• There was a time when inflation in the country used to create tremors in the government, but now is the time, when the government officials themselves give the news of high inflation and feel proud of it. If this is the existing situation, how can the poor people live? And the government proudly announces the cost of things two -three days in advance. Due to increase in petrol prices in the past few days, not only in Lahore, the shopkeepers across the province are selling vegetables and fruits at high rates. As petrol and diesel became expensive the prices of vegetable and fruits automatically increased. The increase in the price of fruits is unsustainable. Shopkeepers ask how can we sell cheap when we get items at high prices. The government should catch the real thieves.   (Edit, Daily Khabrain)

• The Election Commission of Pakistan has ordered the constituency committees to complete their work by Sept 26 and to enable publication of preliminary delimitation of constituencies from Sept 27. The Election Commission has set   November 30 as the date for the publication of the final list of constituencies. This development can play an important role in making possible the early holding of general elections. There is no doubt that fair elections are indispensable to solve the problems of the country. The caretaker government’s decision to increase the prices of oil, electricity, and gas have increased the rate of inflation much more than the estimates of the State Bank. However, the caretaker government is right to say that it is honouring the previous government’s agreements with the International Monetary Fund. Only an elected government with a popular mandate can find alternatives to issues in the public interest and find solutions of the problems. The nature of our problems is not only economic. Coordination that is needed to deal with the growing concerns of law-and-order and trouble especially from Afghanistan, can also be handled better by an elected government. In this context, the importance of holding general elections with minimum delay is very clear. It is a good thing that the Election Commission is willing and ready to fulfil its responsibilities in this regard. (Edit-Dunya Daily)