by Tariq Khosa in Dawn, December 20th, 2020The writer is director of the National Initiative against Organised Crime and author of The Faltering State and Inconvenient Truths.THE government’s decision to establish a commission “for implementation of national narrative and development of structures against violent extremism and radicalisation” is a significant move towards countering violent extremism (CVE) and terrorism (CT) in the long term. In a meeting last month, the cabinet approved the proposal submitted by…
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The author is a staff member.The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has extended its deadline for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) led government to quit. However, if the government still refuses to resign, the opposition alliance will also announce a date for its long march on February 1. Most political analysts believe that the PDM is still indecisive and lacks a clear approach against the government. That explains why the ultimatum has been extended. Opposition lawmakers have…
by Abbas Nasir in Dawn, December 20th, 2020The writer is a former editor of Dawn.DEPENDING on which side of the divide you were on, you either saw the Dec 13 PDM Lahore rally as a bigger disaster for the opposition than the nation’s own Dec 16, 1971, debacle, or you saw it as rivalling the Aug 14, 1947, win in the shadow of the Pakistan resolution monument. In the zero-sum-game of our deeply polarised politics,…
A LOVED one forcibly disappeared and the family running from pillar to post to glean information of their whereabouts — it has sadly become an all-too-familiar story, differing only in the particulars. If the family is fortunate, the missing individual is returned soon, within a few hours or days. But for some, the ordeal lasts for years, with no signs of hope. Such was the account that came to light at the Islamabad High Court…
report in the News, dec 20, 2020LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has said the institutions are worried about the performance of the government, and not the PDM [Pakistan Democratic Movement]. Addressing a press conference along with Azma Bukhari and Ataullah Tarar at the party’s central secretariat in Model Town here on Saturday, he said the opposition had not asked the army chief to overthrow the government. “We will send the government…
by Munawer Azeem in Dawn, December 20th, 2020ISLAMABAD: Police resorted to a baton-charge and fired tear gas on hundreds of teachers when they were marching on the residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan in Banigala here on Saturday, sources said. Police officers told Dawn on condition of anonymity that a police contingent succeeded in pushing back the protesters and getting the road leading to the premier’s residence cleared through use of force. The area was…
Report in Dawn, December 19th, 2020ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday submitted a report to the accountability court of Islamabad, reaffirming allegations against Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla in connection with the fake bank accounts case. Though the report was submitted to substantiate the role of Tariq Mehmood, the alleged front man of the Mandviwalla Builders and Developers in the case, it focused on Mr Mandviwalla, accusing him of conniving with Mr Mehmood…
report in The News, Dec 19, 2020NOWSHERA: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) spokesman Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Friday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was unnerved by the opposition public meetings and had now unleashed a propaganda campaign against opponents. “The ministers are busy in giving out statements and addressing frequent press conferences as they fear the ouster of the PTI government,” he said while talking to the media here at the Nowshera Press Club. The senior politician,…
by Tariq Butt in The News, Dec 19, 2020ISLAMABAD: The names of members of the electoral college for the Senate will be printed on the ballot papers if the Supreme Court allows an open vote in place of a secret ballot in the upcoming elections to half of the upper house of parliament. However, a poll via a show of hands is not what Attorney General Khalid Jawed has recommended to the government. It is…
Editorial in Pakistan Today, Dec 19, 2020Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced two steps ahead of the forthcoming Senate elections. For unstated reasons he wants the Senate elections, that are traditionally held in March to be conducted this time a month earlier. To put an end to the malpractice of buying a seat in the Senate made possible by secret ballot, he wants elections through a show of hands. The use of money on a…
Whither national politics?: by Dr Jumma Khan Marri in The Nation, December 20, 2020
While the coronavirus shows no signs of subsiding, the confrontation between the government and opposition keeps heating up. It is clear that the PDM’s campaign may not bring down the government but it is sure to give a dangerous new boost to the pandemic’s second wave. The PML-N currently being dominated by Maryam Nawaz seems to be in a combative mood. With every passing week her tone is becoming shriller and her behaviour more aggressive.…