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Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Mending fences
FROM exchanging missile strikes two weeks ago to trading compliments, Pakistan and Iran have managed to handle a potentially explosive crisis in a mature fashion.
On Jan 16, Iran had bizarrely launched strikes on Panjgur hitting, what it said, were terrorists affiliated with the Jaish al-Adl outfit. Pakistan said two children died in the incident. Two days later, Pakistan replied to the violation of its sovereignty by striking targets in the Iranian town of Saravan neutralising, as per the state, several Baloch separatists.
But the acrimony seemed a thing of the past as caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Islamabad on Monday, indicating that the crisis was now behind both states. It is also hoped that as relations improve, the brutal murder of nine Pakistani workers in Saravan on Saturday is fully probed.
Mr Amir-Abdollahian said both countries were “one nation” while observing that “third countries” were aiding militants in the common border area. Meanwhile, Mr Jilani said that a “high-level mechanism” was being established to oversee bilateral cooperation, while adding that liaison officers would be stationed in Turbat and Zahedan.
Indeed, this display of cooperation is a welcome change from the acrimonious exchanges that had threatened to scuttle bilateral ties. Both sides chose to handle the crisis with wisdom, as opposed to jingoistic nationalism. This should serve as a template to manage all future bilateral ties.
While the exchange of pleasantries makes for good optics, both Islamabad and Tehran need to get down to business and address the single biggest irritant that stands in the way of better ties: border security. Both sides have pledged to work for collective security, and these promises should be followed by action to secure their common border.
Whether it is religiously motivated militants working against Iran that allegedly find refuge in Pakistan, or Baloch separatists plotting against Pakistan on Iranian soil, both sides need to address the threats these non-state actors pose through mutual cooperation; under no circumstances should unilateral action be taken, as Iran did a few weeks ago.
The crisis was defused this time, but there is no guarantee that similar rational behaviour will prevail in the future. With regard to the killing of Pakistani workers, those involved in this heinous crime need to be identified and brought to justice, while Tehran should ensure security for all Pakistanis living in or visiting Iran.
A few weeks from now a new administration will take over in Islamabad, and it will be up to the new rulers to build on the points agreed to during the foreign ministers’ meeting. Both sides should also be wary of inimical foreign actors working to destabilise the border areas in the hopes of souring the Pakistan-Iran relationship.
Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2024
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Iran denies links to Jordan drone strike that killed 3 US troops
Iran denied US and British accusations that it supported militant groups behind a drone strike in Jordan that killed three US military personnel, Tehran’s official IRNA news agency reported on Monday.
“These claims are made with specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region,” IRNA quoted foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the strike.
US President Joe Biden said on Sunday that “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” were behind the strike on the frontier base in Jordan’s northeast.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron reiterated a call for Iran “to de-escalate in the region”.
Kanaani said such statements threatened “regional and international peace and stability”.
US Central Command said 34 personnel were also wounded, eight of whom required evacuation.
US troops operate at the base near Jordan’s border with Iraq and Syria as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State militant group.
The strike marked the first US military losses since Israel began bombarding Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas.
The Palestinian group Hamas had launched an attack on October 7 that resulted in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s subsequent relentless military offensive has killed at least 26,422 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the enclave.
Political pressure builds on Biden to strike Iran
The killing of three US troops is piling political pressure on Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a move he’s been reluctant to do out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Biden’s response options could range anywhere from targeting Iranian forces outside to even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory attack solely against militants responsible, experts say.
American forces in the Middle East have been attacked more than 150 times in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and off the coast of Yemen since the Gaza conflict erupted in October.
But until Sunday’s attack on a remote outpost known as Tower 22 near Jordan’s northeastern border with Syria, the strikes had not killed US troops nor wounded so many.
Republicans accused Biden of letting American forces become sitting ducks, waiting for the day when a drone or missile would evade base defenses. They say that day came on Sunday, when a single one-way attack drone struck near base barracks early in the morning.
In response, they say Biden must strike Iran.
“He left our troops as sitting ducks,” said Republican US Senator Tom Cotton.
“The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” he said.
The Republican who leads the US military oversight committee in the House of Representatives, Representative Mike Rogers, also called for action against Tehran.
“It’s long past time for President Biden to finally hold the terrorist Iranian regime and their extremist proxies accountable for the attacks they’ve carried out,” Rogers said.
Former US president Donald Trump, who hopes to face off against Biden in this year’s presidential election, portrayed the attack as a “consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender”.
One Democrat openly voiced concern that Biden’s strategy of containing the Israel-Hamas conflict to Gaza was failing.
“As we see now, it is spiraling out of control. It’s beginning to emerge as a regional war, and unfortunately the United States and our troops are in harms way,” Democratic Representative Barbara Lee said, renewing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton, who served four tours in Iraq as a Marine, urged against Republican calls for war, saying “deterrence is hard; war is worse”.
“To the chicken hawks calling for war with Iran, you’re playing into the enemy’s handsand Id like to see you send your sons and daughters to fight,” Moulton said.
“We must have an effective, strategic response on our terms and our timeline,” he added.
Experts caution that any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran could force Tehran to respond forcefully, escalating the situation in a way that could drag the United States into a major Middle East war.
Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East security programme at the Centre for a New American Security, said striking directly inside Iran would raise questions for Tehran about regime survival.
“When you do things overtly you represent a major escalation for the Iranians,” Lord said.
Charles Lister of the Washington-based Middle East Institute said a likely response would be to go after a significant target or high-value militant from groups in Iraq or Syria.
“What happened this morning, was on a totally different level than anything these proxies have done in the past two to three months […] (but) despite all of the calls to do something in Iran, I don’t see this administration taking that bait,” Lister said.
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Bilawal demands ‘place, date’ after Shehbaz quips better to compare Sindh’s state than public debate
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded the “city and date” from PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday after the latter responded to a challenge from the former to hold a public debate by saying it would be better to compare Sindh’s state instead.
Bilawal has criticised the PML-N on the regular during his election trail as the competition heats up with less than two weeks to go to the February 8 general elections. The PPP scion’s digs have prompted responses from the PML-N’s top echelon in return.
A day ago, Bilawal proposed a debate between him and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif anytime before the election date.
“Globally, presidential and prime ministerial candidates participate in televised debates, providing voters with crucial insights into their plans. This transparency is vital for an informed electorate ahead of the voting process,” he had explained.
In an apparent response to the challenge, Shehbaz posted on social media platform X today that it would’ve been better if the “gentlemen” had invited Nawaz to an inspection of Sindh than a debate, adding that it would have solved the matter of both a comparison and a debate.
He echoed the same during an election rally in Rawalpindi.
Responding to his former ally in the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government, Bilawal demanded the “city and on which date your brother wants to debate”.
The former foreign minister said he was up for both a debate and comparison between the state of development and infrastructure in Sindh and Punjab.
To find your constituency and location of your polling booth, SMS your NIC number (no spaces) to 8300. Once you know your constituency, visit the ECP website here for candidates.
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India and France have agreed to work together on the joint production of defence equipment including helicopters and submarines for the Indian armed forces and production for friendly countries, New Delhi said.
The deal was reached during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu, the government said in a statement late on Friday.
Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral ties in defence production, nuclear energy, space research and the use of artificial intelligence for public services like climate change, health and agriculture, the statement said.
It did not specify the value of any deals.
After Russia, France is the largest arms supplier to India, which has relied on its fighter jets for four decades.
The leaders welcomed the setting up of maintenance, repair and overhaul services by France’s Safran for leading-edge aviation propulsion (LEAP) engines in India and adding such services for Rafale engines, and a helicopter partnership.
The bilateral summit during Macron’s 40-hour visit, was the fifth Macron-Modi meeting since May.
India’s Tata Group and France’s Airbus have signed an agreement to manufacture civilian helicopters together, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said.
French jet engine maker CFM International also announced an agreement with Indias Akasa Air to buy more than 300 of its LEAP-1B engines to power 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Akasa Air previously ordered 76 aircraft powered by the engine, of which 22 are in use.
India and France agreed to intensify cooperation in the southwest Indian Ocean, building on joint surveillance missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022, the government statement said.
Macron also said France would create conditions to attract up to 30,000 Indian students a year for higher education.
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Bilawal — from Bhutto’s scion to a shrewd political operator
Born in 1988, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has been active in politics for over a decade but is yet to follow the footsteps of his mother Benazir Bhutto and grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and become the prime minister.
The Bhutto-Zardari scion spent most of his childhood outside Pakistan, shuttling between London and Dubai, after Benazir went into self-exile in 1999. In 2007, he joined the Christ Church College at Oxford to study modern history and politics. Tragedy struck that same year after his mother was assassinated weeks before the elections.
Days later, Bilawal added Bhutto to his surname and was made the PPP chairperson. However, since he was still studying, his father Asif Ali Zardari became co-chairperson so he could manage the party’s affairs till Bilawal’s graduation.
Following his graduation in 2010, Bilawal entered politics, making his political debut in December 2012 on the fifth anniversary of his mother’s killing with an emotionally charged speech.
Bilawal contested elections for the first time in 2018 and became a member of the National Assembly. He also led the party’s election campaigns in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 and 2021, respectively. In 2022, the PPP chairperson led a long march from Karachi to Islamabad against the then PTI government.
After the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a coalition of opposition parties — ousted then-prime minister Imran Khan in April 2021 with a successful no-confidence vote, Bilawal was appointed foreign minister — the country’s youngest — in the newly formed cabinet led by former fierce rival Shehbaz Sharif.
During his tenure, he went on several tours, from Moscow to Japan to the United States, in a bid to forge stronger ties. However, there were two events during his 2.5-year-long stint that earned him a lot of acclaim, and both were linked to India.
At a news conference inside the United Nations in Dec 2022, Bilawal had described Modi as “the butcher of Gujarat,” questioning why instead of being punished for the 2002 massacre of over 2,000 Muslims in Gujarat, he was made the prime minister of India.
His statement was in response to his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar’s remarks who had called Pakistan “the host of Osama bin Laden” and the “perpetrator of terrorism”. While the comments were heavily criticised in India — where protests were staged — they were widely praised back home.
A few months later, Bilawal became the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in a decade. The trip, according to the PPP chairman, had succeeded in “countering the false narrative” of the Modi government that every Muslim was a terror suspect.
Bilawal has also time and again called for an end to what he calls “traditional politics”. During his farewell speech on the floor of the outgoing National Assembly, the PPP chairman had implored his own father, Asif Ali Zardari, as well as PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to make decisions that would make politics easier for the younger generation, which he said was losing hope in the country’s future.
However, last year, Zardari said Bilawal was “not fully trained” in politics and would “take time” to get up to speed. Despite the former president’s statement, the PPP approved Bilawal’s nomination as its candidate for prime minister on January 3.
Key stances:
• Bilawal calls himself a strong proponent of democracy and has repeatedly stressed that only democracy can solve the people’s problems.
• He has also stated that the PPP is a “pro-poor” party and announced plans for doubling salaries and expanding housing and health services if elected.
• Bilawal has emphasised that stronger ties with other countries are essential to fixing domestic issues.
• He has been vocal about increasing the role of youth in the country’s politics, urging veteran politicians to quit and make decisions that will make things easier for the next generation, including him and Maryam.
Afghan-Pakistan Torkham border crossing reopens after 10 days
The Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border, which was shut for 10 days due to the imposition of visa restrictions on truck drivers by Islamabad, was reopened on Tuesday, state-run Radio Pakistanreported.
The crossing was closed on January 13 after Pakistani officials at the crossing began asking for passports and visas from Afghan drivers under a new policy, prompting a reciprocal ban on Pakistani truckers by the Afghan Taliban authorities.
The border closure had come in the wake of Pakistan’s decision to start expelling more than a million undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghans, on Nov 1, amid a row over accusations that Kabul harbours militants that launch cross-border attacks.
Islamabad claimed that Afghan authorities had been conveyed the message on the imposition of the visa policy several times, but Kabul had failed to take any practical steps to adhere to international border crossing rules.
According to traders, the border closure resulted in significant economic losses for people in both countries, with daily losses estimated at around $100,000.
This was not the first time that Torkham was shut. The border crossing has been closed several times in recent months, including in September when it remained shut for nine days due to clashes between border forces.
In a report today, Radio Pakistan said the border crossing was reopened for “commercial consignments”. The decision was taken in a meeting between the Afghan consul general and Pakistani authorities in Peshawar.
Quoting Customs authorities, it said the first cargo vehicle had entered Pakistan through the Torkham while Afghan drivers of commercial vehicles had been given visa and passport relaxations till March 31.
“No cargo vehicle will be allowed entry into Pakistan without travelling documents from April 1,” Radio Pakistan added.
Separately, in a post on social media platform X, the JUI-F said the decision to relax visa requirements was taken on the request of Maulana Fazlur Rehman — who recently visited Kabul and discussed a range of issues, including bilateral trade, with the Afghan government.
Significant losses
Business leaders from both nations were united in opposing the border closures. Khan Jan Alokozai, the vice president of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, earlier told Dawn that Pakistani and Afghan traders suffer losses of about $100,000 daily due to Torkham’s closure.
He alleged that Pakistan usually closes trade routes due to political reservations. “Afghans have almost stopped transit via Pakistan when Pakistan issued a new SRO (statutory regulatory order) nearly four months ago,” Alokozai added.
Meanwhile, Ziaul Haq Sardahi, coordinator of the Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), said Pakistani exporters had urged the government to give Afghan drivers more time to get passports.
“Traders in both countries suffer millions of rupees of losses due to the closure of the Torkham border,” Sarhadi said, adding that several other crossings to Afghanistan also remain closed, including Chaman in Balochistan, Ghulam Khan Kelay in North Waziristan, Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, and Kharlachi in Kurram district.
Some 2,000 to 2,500 trucks on each side of the border remain stranded, he said, adding that the disruption has also affected Pakistan’s trade with Central Asia.
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Baloch protesters call off sit-in outside Islamabad’s National Press Club
Baloch protesters, who had been camped outside Islamabad’s National Press Club (NPC) since December, called off their sit-in on Tuesday.
The announcement came a day after the NPC penned a letter to the Islamabad police requesting the removal of the Baloch rights camp. The NPC’s request was later withdrawn following severe criticism from all quarters, including journalists.
The protesters had been demonstrating in a sit-in organised in front of the NPC by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
The camp was established on December 22 and had persisted despite harsh weather. Further, organisers of the Islamabad sit-in had also accused police of harassing their supporters and profiling them as well as registering first information reports against them.
In the letter to the Islamabad police, the NPC had requested that a plan be drawn up to relocate the protesters to a different location so “the difficulties for the press club and all residents and the business community can be reduced”.
The letter said that the press club’s sole means of income were press conferences and seminars held at its premises. It said the sit-in and its related issues such as security requirements were impeding not only the club’s members but also the holding of its events, as well as the local business community and residents.
Responding to the letter, Dr Mahrang Baloch, one of the protest organisers, had expressed dismay and said the journalist and media community “have an obligation to stand with people whose voices are neglected”.
Addressing a late-night press conference, she had also said demonstrators were “under severe pressure to vacate the camp”.
“We are being harassed and threatened, with police circulating false information and journalists being stopped from visiting us. We are told there is a possible threat around the press club area,” she had said.
In a press conference today, Mahrang termed the letter by the NPC a “stain” on the profession of journalism.
“We will take back the message of hate we received. We will remember everything that has happened with us,” she asserted, adding that the protesters would head back to Balochistan tomorrow.
“We are not against the state, the state is against us,” she said, adding that Baloch protesters had been trying to communicate with the authorities to find a solution to the issue of missing persons.
“It is a shame that despite election campaigns being under way, no political party has spoken about the issue of missing persons,” she said.
Earlier today, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that it stood in solidarity with the Baloch camp that “has faced persistent harassment from local law enforcement as well as dismissal from government authorities”.
It also said it was “deeply concerned” by efforts to uproot the camp.
“The validity of the Baloch protestors’ demands cannot continue to be ignored, and must be heeded with the legitimacy it deserves, not with undue force or defamation,” the commission said.
NPC says letter ‘taken out of context’
Separately, the NPC clarified that its request regarding the removal of the Baloch protest camp was “taken out of context” and “viewed with suspicion”.
In a fresh statement today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the NPC said it had always given a platform to Baloch protesters and yesterday’s letter did not have intentions to hurt anyone or “take a particular stance”. Rather, it had called for the safety of the demonstrators, it claimed.
“The request came in light of present security concerns (which include threats of attacks) and took into consideration the safety and well-being of the journalist community,” the NPC stated.
It said the letter addressed to the Islamabad police yesterday was withdrawn owing to a “misunderstanding”. The NPC alleged that certain people operating “with an agenda” were trying to create a rift between the club and Baloch protesters.
It concluded that the NPC had always accommodated various groups and would continue providing a platform to those who needed it.
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PTI set to retain ‘sizeable presence’ in next Senate
Irfan Khan
• Unless it gets ‘bat’ symbol back in time, PTI may be unable to add to its tally when polls are held for upper house
• Over half of PPP, PML-N lawmakers due to retire on March 11
• Incoming Senate will have 96, not 100 members, as ex-Fata areas lose their seats
THE Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which is facing a tough time in the run up to the general elections scheduled for February 8, looks set to retain a significant presence in the Senate until 2027.
On the other hand, term-wise data of senators suggests that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stand to lose a large chunk of their members — 69 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively — as they retire on March 11 after completing their terms.
But depending on how they fare in the upcoming polls, both PML-N and PPP would definitely be able to add to their tally when March rolls around. The PTI, however, will be at a definite disadvantage, given that its candidates will enter the assembly as ‘independents’.
Then, even if the party of Imran Khan is able to satisfy the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in time by holding intra-party elections that conform to ECP standards, it would require the complete loyalty of all independent lawmakers in all five legislatures to ensure that its candidates get the required number of votes for elevation to the Senate.
Once the general elections are done with, the president and the provincial governors will have to summon the inaugural sessions of their respective assemblies as soon as possible to enable the newly-elected lawmakers to vote for the Senate polls, which are due in the first week of March.
As soon as the upper house becomes fully functional, all the legislatures will then be required to vote for the country’s president, as incumbent Dr Arif Alvi is already on borrowed time, his term having expired on Sept 9 last year.
‘House of the Federation’
Up until now, the total strength of the Senate has been 100, including 23 members each from the four federating units, and four each from erstwhile Fata and Islamabad.
The 23 seats allocated to a province comprise 14 general seats, four reserved for women, four for technocrats and one for a minority member.
This time around, though, only 96 members will grace the chamber as the representation of the erstwhile tribal areas will end, following their merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the
25th Constitutional Amendment. This means that the upcoming elections to the Senate will elect 48 new senators — 11 each from all the four provinces on general and technocrats seats, two from Islamabad and two minority members from Punjab and Sindh.
At present, the house has 97 members, due to the death of PML-N’s Rana Maqbool Ahmed, and the resignations of PTI’s Shaukat Tarin and Anwaarul Haq Kakar of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) after assuming the office of the caretaker prime minister.
The term of a senator is six years, but half of them retire every three years, and elections are held for new members.
Elections to fill the seats allocated to each province are held in accordance with the system of proportional representation, by means of the single transferable vote, and members of each provincial assembly elect their respective representatives, whereas members of the National Assembly vote to elect senators from Islamabad. The 12 MNAs from erstwhile Fata used to vote for the four senators from their areas.
This is why the outcome of Senate elections always hinged on party positions in the four provincial assemblies, as well as the National Assembly.
In the past, it was always easy to predict the results of the Senate polls after looking at party positions in the provinces. However, this time around, the Senate’s possible future complexion will only become clear after the Feb 8 general elections.
Who is retiring?
The data shows that out of the 49 members retiring in March from the current 97-member upper house, only seven belong to the PTI.
Presently, the PTI is the single largest party in the Senate with 24 senators, which means it will continue to maintain a significant presence in the upper house with at least 17 senators staying on till March 2027.
The seven retiring PTI members include Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem, former minister Azam Swati, Faisal Javed and Walid Iqbal, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Human Rights.
The party, which first entered the Senate in 2015, became the single largest party in the upper house in March 2021 due to its numerical strength in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
In addition, this year will see 12 out of 21 PPP senators and 11 out of 16 PML-N lawmakers retiring on March 11.
Raza Rabbani, Moula Bux Chandio, Bahramand Tangi, Rukhsana Zuberi, Quratulain Marri and Waqar Mehdi are among the PPP senators who will be completing their six-year term in March.
Leader of the House and former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Musadik Malik, Kamran Michael and Nuzhat Sadiq are prominent among the PML-N senators who will retire at the same time.
A total of five members from BAP are also retiring, including incumbent Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
Then there are two senators each from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) and National Party (NP) whose term will end on March 11. The NP presently has only two senators — Tahir Bizenjo and Muhammad Akram.
Former law minister Farogh Naseem is the only senator from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to complete his term, whereas two senators — Faisal Sabzwari and Khalida Ateeb — will continue until 2027.
The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), PML-Functional and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) have one senator each at the moment, all three of whom are set to retire in March.
All six independent senators in the present house are also set to retire in March. These independents are Deputy Senate Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Dilawar Khan, Hidayatullah, Hilalur Rehman, Naseebullah Bazai and Shamim Afridi.
Others retiring on March 11, 2024 include Dr Asif Kirmani, Hafiz Abdul Karim, Asad Junejo, Rana Mehmoodul Hassan, Shaheen Khalid Butt and Sabir Shah of the PML-N; Anwar Lal Dean (Minority Sindh), Keshoo Bai, Khalida Sikandar Mandhro, Rubina Khalid and Ali Shah Jamot of the PPP; Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Seemee Ezdee and Fida Muhammad of the PTI; Moulvi Faiz Muhammad and Talha Mehmood of the JUI-F; Abida Azeem, Ahmed Khan, Kauda Babar and Sana Jamali of BAP; Muzaffar Hussain Shah (PML-F); Sardar Shafiq Tareen (PkMAP); Mushtaq Ahmed (JI).
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2024
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No normal Israel ties without path to Palestinian state: Saudi foreign minister
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said there can be no normalisation of ties with Israel without resolving the Palestinian issue, he told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday.
Asked if there could be no normal ties without a path to a credible and irreversible Palestinian state, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria: “That’s the only way we’re going to get the benefit. So, yes, because we need stability and only stability will come through the resolving the Palestinian issue.”
The foreign minister’s remarks were part of an interview originally taped on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held last week in Davos, Switzerland, and aired Sunday on CNN.
De-escalation of the conflict in Gaza and halting civilian deaths is a key focus of Saudi Arabia, the minister said.
“What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza,” he said. “This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop.”
The local health ministry in Gaza says more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 62,000 wounded in Israel’s assault on the region since an Oct 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian group.
Securing a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia would be the grand prize for Israel after it established diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, and could transform the geopolitics of the Middle East.
The kingdom, the most powerful country in the Arab world and home to the most sacred sites in Islam, wields considerable religious clout across the globe.
After the eruption of conflict last October between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas that rules Gaza, Saudi Arabia put on ice US-backed plans for the kingdom to normalise ties with Israel, two sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking said, in a swift reordering of its diplomatic priorities.
The two sources had earlier told Reuters there would be some delay in the US-backed talks on normalisation of Saudi-Israel ties, which is seen as a key step for the kingdom to secure what it considers the real prize of a US defence pact in exchange.
Before Oct 7, when Hamas fighters launched an attack on southern Israel, both Israeli and Saudi leaders had signalled they were moving steadily towards establishing diplomatic relations that could have reshaped the Middle East.
The Palestinians want a state in territories captured by Israel in a 1967 war, with East Jerusalem as their capital. US-sponsored negotiations with Israel on achieving that stalled more than a decade ago.
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PTI-backed candidates launch campaign in Lahore amid fear of arrest, harassment
LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s independent candidates have eventually begun their door-to-door election campaign in Lahore amidst fear of arrests and harassment by police.
The police have so far been raiding and arresting PTI potential candidates, their family members, and workers, depriving them of the right to run their campaigns and hold public meetings even after the allocation of symbols.
Many PTI-backed candidates still can’t muster up the courage to launch canvassing in their respective constituencies.
The PTI-backed candidate for NA-128, Salman Akram Raja, and PP-169 candidate Mahmoodur Rasheed on Sunday organised a motorcycle rally in the constituency. PTI workers and youth participated in the rally while holding the party flags.
They also raised slogans while playing the party songs on speaker-mounted vehicles in the rally. The candidates are contesting the election with “racket” as their election symbol.
As Mr Raja began his campaign in his constituency, he wrote on his ‘X’ handle: “Campaigning. What joy to be with the people, giving them hope while being inspired by their courage”.
Similarly, PTI-backed NA-117 candidate Ali Ijaz Buttar, having ‘piyala’ as his election symbol, has launched a door-to-door election campaign.
In the absence of party election symbol, several independent candidates, who belonged to the PTI but were denied the ticket, are also campaigning as Imran Khan-backed aspirants.
The party leaders and social media activists are trying to identify such candidates to save the party voters from any confusion.
The party has also created a “PTI’s Elections 2024 portal for candidates” displaying its candidates’ names and symbols. The voters have been advised to confirm the names and symbols of the actual party candidates in their respective constituencies.
However, many voters who tried to log on to Insaf.pk/elections2024, complained that the link was not working. Though the PTI has itself acknowledged on the log-on page of the portal: “So far, only [the names of] candidates for the National Assembly have been posted. Candidates for the Provincial Assemblies will be updated shortly”, the voters could not even get the names and symbols of the respective PTI candidates from their constituencies.
Meanwhile, the PTI ex-chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has urged the masses to vote for Imran Khan’s candidates on Feb 8 and express their desire to have a country free of qabza groups and victimisation culture.
Speaking at the party’s second marathon “online jalsa” after Saturday midnight, Mr Khan said only Imran Khan’s government would be able to protect the rights of the younger generation and give them a country where they would be able to express themselves freely and without fear of victimisation. He said Imran Khan believed in democracy and the rule of law.
Mr Khan has also appealed to the overseas Pakistanis to ensure maximum voting on Feb 8 by their near and dear ones living in Pakistan.
PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub said the key to free Imran Khan is with the masses. “Vote for PTI-backed candidates and Imran Khan will soon be free”.
He also stressed that the party’s polling agents should ensure there should be no rigging or other corrupt practices at the polling stations. He said the party’s polling agents should leave polling stations only after collecting signed forms 45 and 46.
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2024
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THE extent of the damage that has been wrought on the credibility of the upcoming polls is evident in how muted electoral activities have been.
Barely three weeks before the day millions of Pakistanis are expected to head to polling stations to cast votes for parties of their choice, one still cannot tell that a general election is about to take place.
Two of the three major contenders, the PML-N and PPP, have been out canvassing in recent days, yet it seems as if their campaigns are travelling roadshows that pack up and leave with their leaders once the speeches are done and the loudspeakers fall silent.
Among the key leaders, Nawaz Sharif has appeared only briefly before the public for a short address, while Imran Khan remains confined away from the public’s eye. Only Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has been travelling from city to city to shore up votes for the PPP.
It is a shame that a nation of 240m seems tuned out of the democratic process. Elections in Pakistan have traditionally been a riot of party colours and blaring anthems, raucous rallies and jumbo jalsas. Despite all the unpleasantness so far, one had still hoped that we would see a celebration of the country’s rich social and political diversity as election day neared.
Instead, with the state constantly spoiling the mood with its ongoing, violent crackdown on one of the country’s most popular parties, the citizenry is withdrawing from the process and appears comparably less enthusiastic than in previous years.
It also bears mentioning that the youth, who are at the forefront of ground-level campaigns run by parties, appear to be missing from the picture. Many likely do not want to risk the state’s wrath, and their rivals have no real competition to fight against.
The weeks leading to elections are usually a busy time for printing presses, which produce the posters, pamphlets, flags, banners and all manner of related election paraphernalia that make Pakistani elections such a colourful affair.
Event management companies and smaller enterprises that rent out tents, chairs and sound systems also see a boost in business as political activities pick up and parties start rallying their supporters.
However, anecdotal accounts and media reports corroborate that these industries are experiencing much less than expected demand.
Meanwhile, many are turning to outlets that still offer them an opportunity to express themselves creatively and without restrictions. Social media platforms like X and TikTok have become new fronts in the war of political narratives. Given the trend, there are now fears that they, too, may be restricted closer to the polls.
All in all, it is a rather depressing state of affairs, attributable to the ECP’s failure to discharge its duties according to their intended spirit.
Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2024
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AFTER a lengthy trial in an anti-terrorism court, followed by the rejection of appeals from superior courts, the killers of Sarfraz Shah, who was shot by paramilitary forces in 2011, finally appealed to the president of Pakistan for a pardon under Article 45 of the Constitution. When the President’s House denied their appeal in 2018, it was a significant step towards restoring the confidence of ordinary citizens in the existing justice system. In a similar incident in 2020, the arrest of a Frontier Corps soldier for the killing of a university student in Turbat, Balochistan, proved to be a significant confidence-building measure between the local populace and the security forces. However, such examples remain rare in Pakistan’s legal and judicial landscape.
Last year, on Jan 23, a dark day unfolded when Rao Anwar, a police officer accused of killing over 400 people in fake encounters, was acquitted in the high-profile Naqibullah murder case. This case had significantly impacted the political landscape of Pakhtun-dominated regions, and the army chief at that time had personally assured justice for the victim’s family. Adding to the irony, the Sitara-i-Shujaat was awarded to a police officer from Punjab who was implicated in the Sahiwal tragedy. This tragedy occurred in January 2019, when the Counter Terrorism Department mistakenly killed a family travelling to a wedding ceremony, suspecting them of being terrorists. The court eventually acquitted all the accused officials.
A lot has been written on these four cases from the legal and human rights perspective, but academic curiosity has no limits. These cases expose the power dynamics of how power corrupts officials in law-enforcement agencies (LEAs), how low-ranking and high-ranking officials alike misuse their authority, and how the system protects them.
Sarfraz Shah’s case is a rare example of justice done. Perhaps the reason was that the culprits had little defence. Sarfaraz, a 22-year-old man who went out for a walk in a public park in Karachi, was killed by Rangers, and a camera captured the entire scene. This began an era of social media activism and vigilant citizenry. Civil society played a vital role in bringing justice to the victim’s family.
Rights movements can evolve into political forces when justice is denied or delayed.
The killing of university student Hayat Baloch in Turbat, amidst volatile security and rising political grievances in Makran, sparked the birth of the Haq Do Tehreek in Gwadar. Security forces took a different approach in this case, arresting a Frontier Corps soldier. A wise move, this arrest proved a major confidence-building measure and prompted a dialogue between security leaders and communities, particularly youth. This led to administrative changes, including relaxed security checks and expanded border markets along the Iran border. However, the initiative faltered as local grievances resurfaced, fuelled by the provincial counterterrorism department’s excessive resort to extrajudicial practices. This further accentuates the ongoing sit-in camp for missing persons in Islamabad, led by courageous Baloch women.
The lower ranks are often scapegoats in police brutality cases, and are sacrificed by LEAs to appease public anger while maintaining their impunity. This pattern persists despite high-profile incidents such as the killings of Sarfraz Shah and Hayat Baloch, demonstrating the lack of accountability within law enforcement.
Across Pakistan, reports of LEAs indiscriminately killing innocent civilians surface regularly — from Karachi to Islamabad and from Gwadar to Quetta. This entrenched culture of violence is enabled by the flawed political, social and justice systems, which continue to support figures like Rao Anwar and the late Chaudhry Aslam, notorious for their extrajudicial practices.
Ironically, LEAs justify such unlawful actions and demand both immunity and rewards. Even when caught, legal loopholes and judicial leniency, as seen in the Sahiwal tragedy, often shield them from consequences. The anti-terrorism narrative conveniently allows LEAs to sweep these incidents under the rug, with no real accountability within the civilian, security and judicial systems. An audit of recent ‘police encounters’ would likely expose a staggering number of injustices, a fact the system is unwilling to confront.
If the state institutions had been vigilant enough, they would have recognised the advantage of engaging with the families of missing persons from Balochistan who are protesting in Islamabad. A dialogue with them would have been more effective, but the institutions fear that the issue of the missing persons is complicated and could damage their reputation. Apparently, not only the state institutions but also political parties are convinced that publicly sympathising with these families will come at a cost, and they are deliberately trying to distance themselves from the protesters. The mainstream parties, betting on the establishment’s support in the upcoming election, and even Baloch nationalist parties, are reluctant to extend their full support to the victims’ families.
State institutions’ reluctance to engage with Baloch families and their counterproductive tactic of establishing ‘victims of terrorism’ camps nearby are backfiring. Though the Baloch missing persons’ movement initially focused solely on the rule of law, state institutions, political parties, and their media allies have framed it as a potential PTM-like threat in Balochistan. This narrative threatens not only the status quo, but also Baloch nationalist parties who have not adapted to the changing aspirations of Baloch society.
The Haq Do Tehreek’s political foothold in Gwadar demonstrates that rights movements can evolve into political forces when justice is denied or delayed. This transformation is not a choice but a necessity; they recognise that power responds to power, and political participation becomes the path to achieving their goals.
The rights movements challenging the status quo and demanding transparency in actions of state institutions have often faced a harsh response. Instead of engaging in dialogue and addressing concerns, state institutions have opted for coercive measures, pushing the movements towards more confrontational tactics. A charged protest atmosphere can create the perfect environment for law enforcement to abuse their power. The judiciary alone can prevent LEAs from exploiting the ambiguity inherent in such confrontational situations.
The writer is a security analyst.
Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2024
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North Korea tests ‘underwater nuclear weapon system’
North Korea said on Friday that it had tested an “underwater nuclear weapon system” in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo that involved a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The drills were “seriously threatening the security” of the North, so in response, Pyongyang “conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” according to a statement from the defence ministry carried by state news agency KCNA.
Early last year, Pyongyang said it had carried out multiple tests of a purported underwater nuclear attack drone — a different version of the Haeil, which means tsunami in Korean — claiming it could unleash a “radioactive tsunami”.
Analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon.
Earlier this week, South Korea, the United States, and Japan carried out joint naval drills in waters off southern Jeju Island, which they said were in response to North Korea’s Sunday launch of a hypersonic missile.
The drills involved nine warships from the three countries, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
Pyongyang on Friday said the drills “constituted a cause of further destabilising the regional situation, and they are an act of seriously threatening the security” of the North, the defence ministry spokesman said, according to KCNA.
North Korea’s own test — the exact date of which was not given — ensured “our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies,” the spokesman said.
Recent months have seen a sharp deterioration in long-tense ties between the two Koreas, with both sides jettisoning key tension-reducing agreements, ramping up frontier security, and conducting live-fire drills along the border.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week declared the South his country’s “principal enemy”, jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach and threatened war over “even 0.001 mm” of territorial infringement.
Drones deployed?
The new announcement on the underwater test “is a clear sign of Haeil drones deployment to its navy fleets for use”, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
“The North’s statement illustrates Pyongyang’s stance that it will respond in proportion to military exercise by the South, Japan, and the US,” he said, adding that the North didn’t appear to be trying “to cross the line so as to provoke an armed conflict.”
Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that it was “difficult to determine the exact capabilities” of North Korea’s purported underwater nuclear weapons systems.
“Considering North Korea’s defence science level and the fact that the weapon is still in a developing stage, it is not yet at a stage to pose a significant threat,” he said.
At Pyongyang’s year-end policy meetings, Kim threatened a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of his country’s military arsenal ahead of armed conflict he warned could “break out any time”.
On Sunday, the North launched a solid-fuel hypersonic missile, just days after Pyongyang staged live-fire exercises near the country’s tense maritime border with South Korea, which prompted counter-exercises and evacuation orders for some border islands belonging to the South.
Kim also successfully put a spy satellite into orbit late last year, after receiving what Seoul said was Russian help, in exchange for arms transfers for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
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KARACHI: Tensions with Iran and Afghanistan could lead to uncertainty in the country and destabilise the exchange rate, as the demand for dollars will rise, said currency dealers in Karachi.
A currency dealer mentioned that the grey market, which had disappeared after the crackdown, started showing activity on Thursday.
“I am not sure about the grey market activity. If the situation leads to more uncertainty, it could be exploited by the grey market players,” said Zafar Paracha, General Secretary of the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP).
However, he denied having any information about the grey market activity and emphasised that the market should be alert.
The crackdown on illegal currency business and smuggling of dollars and goods to Iran and Afghanistan helped government efforts to stabilise the exchange rate.
However, debt servicing has depleted the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves before receiving the expected $705 million inflow from the IMF.
The SBP reported a $127 million decline in foreign exchange reserves to $8.027 billion for the week ending on Jan 12, 2024.
The SBP stated that the decrease in reserves was due to debt repayment. The country will have to pay about $24bn for debt servicing during the current fiscal year, FY24.
Recent external developments in the economy have raised hopes for Pakistan to receive the last tranche of $1.2bn from the IMF in March. The UAE has already announced a rollover of $2bn placed with the SBP for one year.
In conjunction with these developments, the current account posted a surplus of $397m in Dec 2023, enabling the government to maintain a stable exchange rate with improved foreign exchange reserves.
The exchange rate has been stable for the last couple of months, with a gradual appreciation of the rupee against the US dollar. However, on Thursday, the dollar traded below Rs280, considered a psychological barrier.
The SBP reported the closing price of the dollar in the interbank market at Rs279.98, compared to Rs280.10 the day before; PKR appreciated by 12 paise.
Currency dealers are confident that the exchange rate will remain stable due to future inflows and the rollover of debts. However, they mention that recent developments on borders with Iran and the ongoing situation with Afghanistan could alter the economic and exchange rate scenario.
While the open market could be the first to react to developments on Pakistan’s borders, the market remained calm since the price remained almost unchanged.
According to the SBP, the total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $13.145bn, including $5.117bn from commercial banks.
Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2024
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Imran’s electoral hopes dented further as LHC turns down pleas against rejection of nomination papers
In yet another blow to the electoral hopes of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, the Lahore High Court on Wednesday turned down the PTI founder’s petitions challenging the decisions of the rejection of his nomination papers from NA-122 (Lahore) and NA-89 (Mianwali).
The decision came after a three-member LHC bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, heard the ex-premier’s petitions. The court upheld the decisions of the appellate tribunals and rejected Imran’s papers.
If he decides against pursuing the legal route any further, the 2024 general elections will not have Imran as a contesting candidate — a far cry from the 2018 polls when he had stood victorious on five NA seats.
Imran’s nomination papers had been rejected primarily on the grounds of being convicted in the Toshakhana case, in which he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. The case, filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), had accused Imran of not mentioning the details of state gifts in his tax declarations.
Later, the Islamabad High Court had set aside the sentence and ordered his release. However, he was not freed as he was undergoing trial in the cipher case.
Imran’s nomination papers from NA-122 were also dismissed on the grounds of the proposer not being a voter from the constituency.
The appellate tribunals had also upheld the decisions of the respective returning officers (ROs) with an observation that the conviction and sentence were two different terms as conviction pertained to the guilty verdict and sentence stands for the rigours following conviction.
The tribunals had noted that the conviction meant a guilty verdict pronounced by a court in reference to the delinquency attributed to an accused, whereas the sentence denoted the quantum of punishment.
Subsequently, Imran had filed two petitions in the LHC asking the high court to set aside the decisions of the ROs and the appellate tribunals of rejecting the nomination papers of the petitioner from both constituencies of the National Assembly.
During the previous hearing, Advocate Uzair Bhandari had argued on behalf of Imran that the conviction on the charge of moral turpitude did not fall under the definition of disqualification. He said the conviction of the petitioner could not be equated with the conviction for corruption or accumulating illegal assets.
He also pointed out that an Indian court enlisted the offence of moral turpitude lower than the offence involving financial corruption. However, the bench observed that the standards of morality in Pakistan were different from other regions.
Bhandari further argued that the RO had no jurisdiction to pass the impugned order on the basis of the conviction on moral turpitude. Meanwhile, a lawyer for the ECP argued that the conviction of the petitioner was still in force and he had not been acquitted by the high court.
Subsequently, the court had reserved its verdict on the petitions.
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‘Symbol dispute’ could lead to poll delay, ECP warns
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has warned that the polls may have to be delayed if orders keep coming for changing the election symbols already allocated to candidates.
Without naming any court, the ECP in a statement pointed out that election symbols were being changed through various forums.
Following the allotment of election symbols, the ECP said it had already ordered the printing of ballot papers to the three printing corporations and the printing work had started a day before.
“If the process of changing the election symbols continues in the same way, there is a fear of election delay, because the ballot papers will have to be reprinted for which time is already limited and on the other hand, the special paper available for the ballot papers will also be lost,” it reasoned.
Officials told not to change symbols allocated to candidates; PPP demands removal of ‘biased ROs’
The commission noted over 33 per cent increase in the number of candidates for the upcoming general elections, as a total of 18,059 are in the run as compared to 11,700 candidates who contested the 2018 polls.
In the 2018 elections, 800-tonne paper was used for printing 220 million ballot papers, while this time the estimate is 2,070-tonne paper for printing of 260m ballot papers particularly after the update of electoral rolls in the backdrop of the delimitation of constituencies.
While the ECP is dealing with this situation, it has repeatedly issued instructions to relevant officials that election symbols should not be changed once the printing had started. However, the statement added, it was also being considered that if the trend of changing the election symbols did not stop, there would be no other option but to postpone the elections in such constituencies.
The ECP earlier barred district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) from changing election symbols allocated to electoral candidates for the upcoming elections.
According to ECP spokesman Syed Nadeem Haider, the ECP directed the provincial election commissioners, DROs and ROs to avoid changing election symbols at this stage, and to seek its approval if a change was essentially required.
Denial of symbol
The directive came just a day after the PPP had raised serious concern over denial of the party election symbol (arrow) to its ticket holders in Punjab and placing them in the category of independent candidates.
Senator Taj Haider, official in charge of PPP’s central election cell, in a letter written to the chief election Commissioner had pointed out that under Section 66 of the Elections Act, 2017, “a declaration before the RO about his affiliation with a particular political party, if any, along with a certificate from the political party showing that he is that party’s candidate from that constituency was the only and the final requirement for ‘seeking allotment of a prescribed symbol’”.
“There is no ambiguity in this Section of the Elections Act, 2017 and it should be followed in letter and spirit,” the letter said. “… the whole system of our constitutional democracy is built around the basic structure of political parties. Accepted that citizens have the option of contesting elections as independent candidates but, we have repeatedly experienced that the presence of independents in an elected house does open an unfortunate window for horse trading and exerting pressures on the elected independents,” it read.
The letter said independent candidates were often elected by taking advantage of ‘parochial, racial, tribal, sectarian and provincial prejudices’ fault lines among the citizens.
“Under Article 33 of our constitution, it is the duty of the state to discourage such and similar such prejudices. Instead citizens should be encouraged to vote on the performance, policies and manifestos of political parties. Pushing valid candidates who are affiliated to a party and also submit required documents before ROs at the time of seeking a prescribed symbol, outside the fold of that party and into the category of independents runs contrary to the provisions of Article 33 and the necessary and sufficient requirements of Section 66 of the Elections Act, 2017,” it said.
PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), named some of the candidates denied the symbol of arrow in Punjab, along with the symbols allocated to them.
According to the PPP, the candidates included Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah from NA-58 Chakwal, Hasan Sardar from NA-59 Chakwal, Chaudhry Atif Rafique from NA-122 Lahore, Chaudhry Naushad from PP-20 Chakwal, Raja Amjad Noon from PP-21 Chakwal, Mujahid Islam from PP-119 Toba Tek Singh and Muhammad Fayyaz from PP-163 Lahore; some of whom have got relief on court orders.
PPP’s own mistake
An ECP official, when contacted, tried to downplay the controversy over allotment of symbols of independents to PPP candidates by claiming that they were either seeking the symbol of another party when they submitted nomination papers or left the column of party affiliation blank.
“It is inappropriate both for the PPP and its candidates to blame ECP or ROs for their own mistake,” the official said.
Talking to Dawn, Senator Taj Haider questioned why they had been allocated symbols meant for independent candidates, if they had asked for a symbol of another party.
He expressed surprise over the ECP’s directive and said a wrong has to be rectified. “Start of ballot papers’ printing cannot be an excuse,” he remarked.
He said the possibility of ROs drawn from the district administration doing it “under PML-N pressure” cannot be ruled out. He said lack of knowledge of ROs about the relevant law could also be a reason.
Removal of biased ROs
Meanwhile, in yet another letter written to the CEC on Tuesday, a copy of which is available with Dawn, Senator Taj Haider regretted that in spite of agreement of the ECP’s lawyer before the Lahore High Court on allotting the party symbol (arrow) to the PPP candidate from PP 163, ‘the extremely biased returning officer’ of the constituency has raised frivolous objections to the issue of party ticket to candidate Fayyaz Bhatti.
Under Section 66 of the Elections Act 2017, he said, the presentation of the party ticket by a candidate to the RO was sufficient proof of affiliation of the candidate with that political party. “It is unfortunate that the RO with mala fide intent continues to obstruct the allotment of the party ticket to our candidate.
“His action and attitude amounts to a clear contempt of the Lahore High Court. In this situation besides requesting that the symbol should be allotted to our candidate without further delay we demand that the biased returning officer should be removed from his position”, the letter reads.
PPP’s election cell member Barrister Amir Hassan alleged that the RO was working at the behest of the rival PML-N to weaken PPP’s vote bank in NA-127 constituency, where PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is in the race.
He alleged that the PML-N being afraid of Bilawal’s entry into the political arena of Lahore was attempting to manipulate the elections through ‘corrupt’ officialdom. He said the party would register its protest against the RO before the Election Commission offices if the party’s election symbol was not allotted to Mr Bhatti.
Amjad Mahmood in Lahore also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2024
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ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the proposed induction of the private sector for divestment and management contracts, the caretaker government has prohibited all forms of union activities in the power sector.
This decision encompasses all public sector power companies, including those in the business of generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity, bringing them under the scope of the “Pakistan Essential Service (Maintenance) Act (Pesma) 1952”.
A formal decision was taken by the federal cabinet through circulation on a summary moved by the interior ministry at the request of the power division, a senior government official confirmed.
He said the cabinet approved “the application of the Pakistan Essential Service (Maintenance) Act 1952 to all classes of employment” under Pakistan Power Sector Entities, including distribution companies (Discos), generation companies (Gencos) and National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) of the Ministry of Energy, Power Division (MEPD).
Declares Discos, Gencos and NTDC as ‘essential services’
Under the decisions, all these companies have been declared as “essential services” under Section 3 of the Pesma 1952 “to restrict all kind of union activities for a period of six months”, extendable for another six months.
The government has already decided in principle to exclude the option of offering power companies to distribution and is currently working on divesting two Discos — one loss-making and one profitable — to be followed by a subsequent course of action about other entities.
The interior ministry, which deals with the Pesma 1952 for the purpose of civilian services under the rules of business, stated in its summary to the cabinet that Discos under the MEPD had launched a campaign against electricity theft and non-payment of dues from electricity defaulters with the help of the respective provinces.
The monitoring of the campaign was being done on a daily basis. It is high time to check and constrain the activities of these unions; otherwise, this will take a heavy toll on the performance of the Discos as well as the finances of the federation, it added.
The MEPD also stated that in FY23 to FY24, it was apprehended that Discos may incur a loss of around Rs589 billion, which includes under-recovery and losses beyond the threshold set by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.
The Pesma 1952 deals with maintenance of certain essential services. As per Section 3 of the Act, the federal government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare any employment or class of employment for a period of six months, extendable for further periods not exceeding six months.
The federal government is of the opinion that such employment or class of employment is essential service for the purpose of “securing the defence of the security of Pakistan or any part thereof and maintenance of such supplies or services as relates to any matter with regard to which Central Legislature power to make laws and are essential to the life of the community”.
Keeping in view the above position, the interior ministry demanded “an application of Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952 to all classes of employment under all power sector entities, including Discos, Gencos and NTDC, in the business of generation, transmission and distribution, with immediate effect, under Section 3 of the said Act” to ensure uninterrupted operations of the organisations.
Under the law, the authorised officers of the government have the powers to order any or all the employees to remain in specific areas and avoid going into another area without prior approval.
A magistrate has the powers under the law to try such offence summarily in accordance with the procedure laid down for summary trial in case an employee or group of employees disobey any lawful order given in the course of such employment, or attempt to persuade any person to disobey any such order or refuse to work or to continue to work.
It is also an offence in case someone departs from any area specified in an order without the consent of the relevant authority and without reasonable excuse or discontinues the employment.
The reasonable excuse does not cover the situation if a person apprehends that by continuing in his employment he will be exposed to increased physical danger and no court of law would take cognisance of such matters.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2024
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PM Kakar arrives in Switzerland for annual World Economic Forum meeting
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Sunday arrived in Switzerland to participate in the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is set to commence tomorrow, Radio Pakistan reported.
According to the state broadcaster, the premier was welcomed in Zurich by Pakistan’s permanent representative to Geneva, Bilal Ahmed, and Swiss Ambassador Amir Shaukat as well as other senior diplomatic officials.
According to a foreign office spokesperson, the prime minister will be in Switzerland from January 15 to January 19. He will deliver a keynote address on the theme “trade tech’s trillion dollar promise”.
Kakar will also attend three key thematic events — “preventing an era of global conflicts”, “restoring faith in the global system” and “preventing economic fractures”.
The FO spokesperson said PM Kakar would also hold meetings with government and business leaders of the sidelines of the event as well as lead a “invest in Pakistan” event.
According to the WEF, the annual meeting of the Forum, with the participation of over 300 public figures including more than 60 heads of state and government, will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency, and accountability among leaders.
It said the goal was to help connect the dots in an increasingly complex environment and provide foresight by introducing the latest advances in science, industry, and society.
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SOUTH Africa has shown the way to the impotent Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member-countries by taking Israel to the International Court of Justice in The Hague and presenting a robust case for a ruling against the Zionist state which has executed a genocide with impunity so far.
Given the composition of the ICJ, in the end any verdict given by the court may represent the compulsions of the 16 judges and the stance of their countries of origin on various issues rather than the merit of the arguments presented before it.
But as things stand this weekend, many independent legal experts are lauding South Africa’s preparation for and presentation before the court, and feel that the case stands established. The political compulsions referred to were listed very eloquently in a TV interview by US Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein, who vehemently opposes Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.
For example, he said that among the permanent members of the UN Security Council who have seats on the ICJ the position of the US and UK was very clear with slight ambiguity about France’s stance, given different Macron statements at different times.
True to Mandela’s spirit, South Africa has gone and stood in the corner of the oppressed.
Equally, Prof Finkelstein was unsure with Russia’s vulnerabilities on Ukraine and China’s on Uighurs, the judges from the two countries would vote against Israel for fear of opening the door to similar charges and cases against their own countries.
Ergo, notwithstanding the merit of the case by the excellent South African legal team, he suspected the decision may go in Israel’s favour by a small majority. For further details, look up his interview which is available online. This by no means is a foregone conclusion but his breakdown and analysis carried weight.
In any case, even a verdict calling for an immediate ceasefire may have amounted to naught. Israel lost the moral argument within weeks of its Gaza campaign after the Hamas attacks of Oct 7 last year, but has carried on relentlessly, egged on by unconditional support from the US and its Western allies and has been immune from global outrage at daily images of its slaughter in Gaza.
In Europe, Germany has been particularly active with its own government leaders and through the German EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to plead Israel’s case. Both have seemingly remained blind to the Gaza genocide, compelling some commentators to say Germany wants Palestine and Palestinians to atone for the sins of Nazi Germany by quietly submitting to the ongoing genocide.
True to Nelson Mandela’s spirit, South Africa has gone and stood in the corner of the oppressed. In doing so, it has tried to reciprocate how the Palestinians stood by it through the PLO during the African National Congress’s (ANC) long struggle against the apartheid regime when it was termed a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the US and other Western powers.
South Africa’s decision to move the ICJ reflected very badly on the member states of the OIC, the ummah, which have extended little support even rhetorically to the Palestinians in the face of a genocidal Israeli assault. To be honest, reflected badly is an understatement. It shamed them.
From Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to Egypt, UAE and Bahrain words have come to varying degrees but nothing more substantial. The less said about the Pakistani position the better. Despite each of these countries’ disagreements with the US in other areas, they seem helpless in taking a robust line for the Palestinians because, it seems, they fear annoying Washington.
After the 1973 Middle East flareup, the Ramazan War, (Israel called it the Yom Kippur war), when President Nixon asked Congress for $2.2 billion in emergency assistance to Israel, the Organisation of Arab Oil Exporting Countries imposed an oil embargo targeted mainly at the US.
This quadrupled the price of oil in the international market. Higher oil prices inevitably led to higher commodity prices and side by side with spurring inflation also slowed growth. The impact on Western economies was soon to be felt as energy shortages were also rampant.
Today the memory of those days is fast fading aided by the utter disinterest in, and apathy towards, the Palestinian victims of genocide among the US allies in the ‘Islamic’ countries in the Middle East with vast oil and gas reserves and immense wealth, mostly kept in US and other Western banks. All this as Biden pumps in bombs, military equipment worth some $15bn to facilitate Israeli atrocities.
The ‘Islamic’ countries/entities that are speaking up for the Palestinians such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon’s Hezbollah and possibly Syria, which their supporters call the Axis of Resistance, have limited ability to do more as they have long suffered crippling US-led international sanctions.
While Iran was sanctioned on grounds of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme and supporting international terrorism and its own often poor human rights record, the others have faced isolation on not dissimilar grounds, apart from the nuclear arms charge.
Israel’s hugely disproportionate response to the Hamas attack on Oct 7 last year, during which the Zionist state has targeted women, children and all infrastructure in Gaza with the aim of rendering it uninhabitable and forcing the Gazans out, and the Western support to it, have opened up a huge divide between the Global South and the North with the latter backing the genocide in the name of right to self-defence.
For now, some countries in Latin America and most notably South Africa have taken concrete measures, so to speak, to put their money where their mouth is. The horror the rest of the world feels may be reflected in the UN General Assembly votes on a ceasefire but that is how far it is prepared to go. To so many, what South Africa has done is heroic, principled and ethical.
