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Posts published in “Pak Media comment”

Gilgit-Baltistan elections : Editorial in Pakistan Today, , Nov 16th, 2020

Though the polling for the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, where 334 candidates are contesting for the 24 general seats, was marred by power breakdowns and hampered by snowfall, the absence of casualties amid generally peaceable voting is not just a cause of satisfaction for the caretaker government of the province, but for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan as a whole. The province being given self-government only a decade ago, these polls are the third, and have received…

Mixed messages or signals?

by Abbas Nasir in Dawn, Nov 15, 2020The writer is a former editor of Dawn.IF it is mixed signalling from the PDM leadership as part of a deliberate deception strategy it would be one thing, but altogether another if it is mixed messaging and reflects disagreements among the alliance leadership over fundamental issues. Since the start of the Gilgit-Baltistan election campaign, in which first PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and then PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif…

Politics is no child’s play : op-ed by Dr Muhammad Ali Ehsan in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2020.

The writer is a member of the faculty of contemporary studies at NDU IslamabadDictatorship grows in the womb of politics. Weak governments led by unsuitable, unqualified and incompetent leaders create compelling conditions for military dictators to take over. Despite over a decade’s continued democracy in this country, the opposition and its ill-conceived brainchild, the PDM, has learnt no lessons and is once again bent upon creating political conditions of uncertainty, chaos and strain in this…

A failed system?: op-ed by Saad Rasool in The Nation, NNov 15, 2020

Pakistan is a democratic ‘constitutional republic’. In simpler words, Pakistan is a democracy that is supposed to function according to the institutional framework enshrined under the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. The success of this structure, as envisioned in the Constitution, is predicated upon certain fundamental assumptions: (i) that the ‘will of the people’ shall permeate through all legislative enactments and policy choices; (ii) that the empire of fundamental rights shall be extended…

Ahrar, Mawdudi, and Ahmedis

by Syed Ishrat Husain in Daily Times, NOV 15, 2020The writer is a traveller and freelance writer based in UK“Ik kafira key waste Islam ko chhora, yeh Quaid e Azam, hai keh hai kafir-i-azam”Above lines are attributed to Maulana Mazhar Ali Azhar, a leading personality in the Majlis e Ahrar ul Islam organisation. The demand for declaring the Ahmadis as a non-Muslim minority was first publicly made at an Ahrar meeting held at Pind Dadan…

Descent into fanaticism:op-ed byAsfand Yar Warraich in Dawn, Nov 15, 2020

The writer is a barrister.VERY recently, we witnessed the occurrence of two terrifying incidents of vigilante justice, and although they were separated by many miles, whatever they lacked in geographical proximity, they made up for in a unified ideology — both were carried out in the name and on the pretext of religion.First, there was the horrific murder of Imran Hanif, a bank manager in Quaidabad, who was gunned down in broad daylight by a…

A raw deal: by Ahsan Zia in TNS, Nov 15, 2020

The writer is a senior journalistEarly this month, a street protest by members of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) at Thokar Niaz Baig grabbed media headlines after two of the protesters from Burewala died following police action to break up the rally. Some PKI leaders claimed that the police had employed an unlawful method of crowd control. The PKI has since been calling for action against the police. The allegation is apparently based on a…

Fighting for their rights:op-ed by Shujauddin Qureshi in TNS, Nov 15, 2020

The writer works at PILPERAt least two peasants have lost their lives following police action against the protesting farmers in Lahore on November 4. These farmers had gathered to demand that the wheat support price be raised to Rs 2,000 per maund. The police arrested several leaders of the peasants and registered cases against many. According to the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) some of the activists are still missing. PKI leaders have alleged that the…

An unprecedented inquiry: by Lt Col Khalid Masood Khan (Retd) in The Nation, Nov 15, 2020

Finally the cat is out of the bag. The court of inquiry convened by the COAS Gen Bajwa on the request of Bilawal Bhutto for the IG Sindh case in Karachi has been concluded and the recommendations have been made public. In the inquiry, blame has been apportioned on a Brigadier from ISI and a Lt Col from Rangers for reacting zealously under the public pressure. This kind of an inquiry is unprecedented in the…

A two-and-a-half horses race: by Aamir Ghauri in TNS, Nov 15, 2020

The writer is Resident Editor, The News, Islamabad In an ideal world, almost three quarters of a million voters would exercise their right of franchise in Gilgit-Baltistan today. It is GB’s third election to elect a legislative assembly since Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order, 2009, was signed by President Asif Ali Zardari to convert the erstwhile Northern Areas into a self-governing region. Reports suggest that a political, strategic and administrative consensus is now in place…

A welcome change: by Malik Muhammad Ashraf in The News, Nov 15, 2020

The writer is a freelance contributor………….The Trump administration’s increased reliance on India as its strategic partner also generated tensions of its own in the region, as is evident from Indian military engagement with China in Ladakh. India also went ahead with its nefarious plan to end the special status of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, its bifurcation into two territories and their inclusion in the Indian Union. A report in the Los Angeles Times revealed…