The Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa has ensured what was needed to be done for upholding the institutional integrity of the police force in the wake of what is referred to as Karachi incident — an event in the wee hours of October 19 that led to the police high command being forced to register a case against PML-N leader Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar for “violating the sanctity of Mazar-e-Quaid” and…
Posts published in “Pak Media comment”
by Sajjad Shaukat in Pakistan Today, Nov 12, 2020The writer is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International RelationsIntense anger has been shown by the government, led by the ruling party PTI, various political parties and the public in the aftermath of the remarks of the former speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq who allegedly said on October 28, this year that the government had…
by Inam Ul Haque in The Express Tribune, Nov 12th, 2020The writer is a retired major general and has an interest in International Relations and Political Sociology.With over 75.2 million (50.6%) votes, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr — a Pennsylvania native — will be the 46th US president after winning one of the most divisive elections in the US history in a nail-biting contest with over 72% voter turn-out. He will be 78 in January 2021,…
In August last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that his government was forming a ‘China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority’ (CPECA) to ensure timely completion of the Corridor’s projects. Two months later the Authority was created through a Presidential Ordinance. In November retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa was appointed chairman of the CPECA) for a period of four years. Last month, when General Bajwa stepped down as SAPM on Information and Broadcasting, he made it…
A NATIONAL Assembly panel rightly postponed the clearance of the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020, for discussion and voting by the lower house till the government satisfies its members on the authority’s legal status months after the lapse of the ordinance that created it. The panel wanted the planning officials to explain the legal basis for the authority to continue to exist and for its chairman to keep his job after the…
by Dr Farid A Malik in Pakistan Today, Nov 12, 2020The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation.As the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) has claimed to be the founding party of Pakistan, as a Muslim League child I decided to counter that false claim. The All India Muslim League (AIML), the real founding party of Pakistan, was formed in 1906 at Decca. When the movement picked up the headquarters of the party was moved to Lucknow.…
The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has issued show-cause notices to Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) and its 84 member mills after finding evidence of cartelisation for making multibillion rupees of unjustified profits. The evidence reportedly consists of an exchange of emails between a senior official of one of the sugar mills and PSMA Punjab zone office bearers, on sensitive information revealing illegal activity and conveying inappropriate information. The seizing of these Whatsapp chats and…
by Nighat Dad in Dawn, November 12th, 2020The writer is a lawyer.“FAR more critical and graver than the information procured” — that’s how Justice Mansoor Ali Shah describes in his dissenting note what he claims was the surveillance of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and his family sans any judicial oversight. Highlighting a red flag — the alarm bells had, in fact, already been rung by rights activists, lawyers, and journalists before — Justice Shah refers…
At a high-level meeting chaired by the chief secretary of Sindh and former senior police official and bureaucrat, Dr Shoaib Suddle, provincial government departments have said that the government of Sindh is doing everything possible to protect religious minorities. For this purpose, it has said that encroachments on places of religious worship owned by minority communities are being removed, and a budget has been set aside to carry out repair work at these sites. In…
by I.A. Rehman in Dawn, November 12th, 2020THIS year’s report on impunity against journalists facing trial by law in Pakistan, issued the other day by Freedom Network, a widely respected media watchdog, will cause much distress to all those who consider the existence of a strong and independent media essential to good governance and social progress. The report begins by recalling the regrettable fact that Pakistan continues to be ranked as one of the most…
Efficient Action : edit in The Nation, Nov 12, 2020
It is very rare for an institution to clean up its own house after reports of unscrupulous practices surface. But this is exactly what we witnessed under three weeks after Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered an enquiry into the Karachi incident following the PDM jalsa in the city. The inquiry has led to the suspension of those responsible in both Rangers and ISI. In a country where reports of investigations much…