Comments - Pakistan Elections 2018: PTI Triumphs Over Corrupt Dynastic Political Elite - PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network 2024-03-28T20:41:52Zhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=1119293%3ABlogPost%3A121525&xn_auth=noThe Assassination Attempt on…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-11-04:1119293:Comment:4124732022-11-04T15:29:40.859ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span class="im">The Assassination Attempt on Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Could Push Pakistan to the Brink<br></br><br></br><a href="https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/</a><br></br><br></br><br></br></span><span>It’s unlikely that Khan will feel the same way about his own narrow escape. The PTI has become increasingly swathed in a victim complex following Khan’s…</span></p>
<p><span class="im">The Assassination Attempt on Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Could Push Pakistan to the Brink<br/><br/><a href="https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/</a><br/><br/><br/></span><span>It’s unlikely that Khan will feel the same way about his own narrow escape. The PTI has become increasingly swathed in a victim complex following Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no confidence vote in April, after a dozen lawmakers from his party defected in part over his embrace of Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow on Feb. 23 at the outbreak of the Russian President’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Khan has since raged—without evidence—about a U.S.-sponsored plot to unseat him. Social media teems with PTI supporters alleging that Thursday’s assassination attempt was a foreign plot to destabilize Pakistan. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement condemning the attack, calling on “all parties to refrain from violence, harassment, and intimidation.”</span><br/><br/><span>That appears a vain hope. Pakistani politics has become increasingly nasty and vindictive, with several top PTI figures arrested and intimidated over recent months, while Khan himself has been slapped with various charges—including terrorism, over comments deemed threatening he made to the judge and senior policeman responsible for the arrest of an aide—that he claims are politically motivated. In the meantime, the nuclear-armed nation has been blighted by runaway inflation that reached 26% in October and floods that inundated one-third of the country, claimed over 1,700 lives, and caused an estimated $40 billion in damage. “It’s striking that given Pakistan’s economic crisis, given these terrible floods, the government has continued to target Khan and its supporters with retributive politics,” says Kugelman.</span><br/><br/><span>Still, Khan was guilty of needlessly antagonistic behavior before his own toppling, denouncing political rivals as “traitors” and taunting the powerful military—which has ruled Pakistan for half its 75-year existence—as “neutrals,” in a sardonic reference to their historical role as kingmaker. Last week, Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt. Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum gave an unprecedented press conference—the first time the head of Pakistan’s spy agency has ever addressed the media—during which he accused Khan of duplicitously negotiating with the military at night while denouncing them during the day.</span><br/><br/><br/><span>By feeding into Khan’s victim narrative, the attack undeniably boosts his ambitions of returning to power. Although Sharif does not constitutionally have to hold elections until August, millions taking to the street may force his hand. Khan’s party has gained seven seats in recent by-elections and has the political momentum behind him. But Pakistan’s elections commission in October also disqualified Khan from holding office for five years, amid allegations he sold state gifts and concealed personal assets—charges he denies. Even if Khan could run, who would win any such contest “really depends on who can mobilize the people,” says Samina Yasmeen, director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at the University of Western Australia. “At the moment, it’s heavily in favor of Imran Khan.”</span><br/><br/><span>Not that Pakistan’s problems would be over should Khan return to power. His first term was blighted by entrenched polarization and economic mismanagement compounded by global headwinds like the pandemic and soaring oil prices. And Khan’s injury also raises the stakes for his opponents since he would have no shortage of axes to grind were he back in office. The military, whose support was crucial to bring Khan to power in 2018, has already said that it would back Sharif’s government in case of widespread unrest. That is exactly what looks in store. “Let’s say people demonstrate a lot, there’s a lot of disturbances and political violence, would the military shoot at people?” asks Yasmeen. “The moment that happens it becomes a very different picture.”</span></p>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"></div> The Assassination Attempt on…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-11-04:1119293:Comment:4121852022-11-04T15:28:51.309ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span class="im">The Assassination Attempt on Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Could Push Pakistan to the Brink<br></br><br></br><a href="https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/</a><br></br><br></br><br></br>How bad will things get? It’s the question everyone in Pakistan is asking following Thursday’s shooting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the cricketing icon led…</span></p>
<p><span class="im">The Assassination Attempt on Former Prime Minister Imran Khan Could Push Pakistan to the Brink<br/><br/><a href="https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://time.com/6228747/imran-khan-assassination-attempt-pakistan-brink/</a><br/><br/><br/>How bad will things get? It’s the question everyone in Pakistan is asking following Thursday’s shooting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the cricketing icon led a march on Islamabad to demand snap elections that could return him to power.<br/><br/>Khan, 70, was wounded in the shin when a gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon on his convoy of lorries and cars in the Wazirabad district in the east of Punjab province, the sound of gunfire crackling through a chorus of “Allah-Hoo,” a popular religious song, that was blaring through loudspeakers. One supporter was killed and seven more injured in the apparent assassination attempt, according to Punjab police. Khan has since undergone surgery on his leg and is said to be recovering well.<br/><br/>Protests have erupted across the South Asian nation of 230 million in response to the attack—which Khan blamed on a conspiracy between the government and Pakistan’s powerful military—with demonstrators blocking main roads and, in a marked escalation from previous flare-ups, even haranguing senior military figures.<br/><br/>“The political situation in Pakistan has been a powder keg for months,” says Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. “This attack could be what causes the powder keg to explode if calmer minds don’t prevail.”<br/><br/>In a statement issued through Asad Umar, secretary-general of Khan’s centrist Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the former Prime Minister accused Pakistan’s current leader Shahbaz Sharif alongside interior minister Rana Sanaullah and director of counterintelligence Major General Faisal Naseer for orchestrating the attack. “I have prior information about the attack and I demand all three should be removed from their position. If they are not removed we will call a country-wide protest,” Umar said on Khan’s behalf, according to The Times.<br/><br/>Sharif of the center-right PML-N—also a brother of Khan’s longtime nemesis Nawaz Sharif—has denied involvement and released a statement on Thursday condemning the attack. The alleged assailant was apprehended at the scene and police released a video confession of a disheveled man alleging that he wanted to “kill Imran Khan because he claims prophethood by comparing himself with prophets.”<br/><br/>However, neither Khan nor his supporters accept that this was a lone gunman. Asked whether he believes Sharif was behind the attack, Fawad Chaudhry, former Information Minister for the PTI, tells TIME: “Of course, they were openly threatening Khan.” In response, some pro-PML-N supporters have accused the PTI of a false flag attack to boost Khan’s popularity.<br/><br/><br/></span><span>Pakistan is no stranger to political violence. In 1951, its first Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was shot dead at a gathering. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 in a gun and bomb attack during an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi. Following her death, Khan penned an op-ed for the U.K. Telegraph newspaper with the unfortunate headline: “Benazir Bhutto Has Only Herself to Blame.”</span><span class="im"><br/></span></p> Maryam Nawaz Sharif's leaked…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-09-27:1119293:Comment:4108202022-09-27T01:40:06.310ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Maryam Nawaz Sharif's leaked audios of conversation with her uncle PM Shahbaz Sharif:</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1711882" target="_blank">https://www.dawn.com/news/1711882</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>The first clip purportedly features a conversation between PML-N Vice President Maryam and the premier about Miftah, who has reportedly faced criticism from within the party for taking tough economic measures.</span><br></br><br></br><span>The PML-N vice president has…</span></p>
<p><span>Maryam Nawaz Sharif's leaked audios of conversation with her uncle PM Shahbaz Sharif:</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1711882" target="_blank">https://www.dawn.com/news/1711882</a></span><br/><br/><span>The first clip purportedly features a conversation between PML-N Vice President Maryam and the premier about Miftah, who has reportedly faced criticism from within the party for taking tough economic measures.</span><br/><br/><span>The PML-N vice president has publicly stated that she does not agree with the decision to hike petrol and electricity prices, saying she did not own such decisions, whether her party was in government or not.</span><br/><br/><span>"He doesn't take responsibility [...] says strange things on TV which people make fun of him for [...] he doesn't know what he is doing," the voice said to be Maryam's says in the alleged clip.</span><br/><br/><span>"He clearly cut corners," the voice said to be PM Shehbaz's is heard as saying.</span><br/><br/><span>"Uncle, he doesn't know what he is doing," Maryam purportedly says, as she wishes for the return of PML-N stalwart Ishaq Dar.</span><br/><br/><span>Former finance minister Dar is set to return to the country next week to facilitate PM Shehbaz on the economic front.</span><br/><br/><span>The second clip allegedly concerns a conversation between the premier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Law Minister Azam Tarar, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and former NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq about the resignations of PTI lawmakers from the lower house of parliament.</span><br/><br/><span>A third clip purportedly features a conversation between Maryam and PM Shehbaz regarding the return of former army chief retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.</span><br/><br/><span>The former military ruler’s family publicly confirmed in June that he was “going through a difficult stage" where recovery was not possible while Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said Musharraf's family was in contact with the military regarding his planned return.</span><br/><br/><span>Discussing this in the alleged clip, the voice alleged to be Maryam's can be heard saying that she "sees this coming", adding that she said the same to Nawaz in a phone call.</span><br/><br/><span>"I told him to tweet this. He listened to me immediately," the PML-N vice president allegedly says, adding that the move was "opposed" by several people. She allegedly reasons that showing "magnanimity" in this situation would help the government save face.</span><br/><br/><span>---</span><br/><span>She said that there was nothing in the leaks that was similar to the "anti-Pakistan conspiracy of Shaukat Tarin", referring to the audio clips attributed to Tarin regarding the International Monetary Fund programme.</span><br/><br/><span>Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah appeared to play down the matter while speaking on Geo News show "Naya Pakistan", saying that nothing definitive could be said about the prime minister house’s security being breached until the leaks were investigated.</span><br/><br/><span>"I don't think we should take them so seriously since this is so common," he added.</span><br/><br/><span>“If the probe proves that it’s not safe to talk in the prime minister house and somebody has done this [spying] arrangement, then it’s really serious but it is inappropriate to say this without proof.”</span><br/><br/><span>Sanaullah did not reject the content of the audios, instead, saying that the current setup's "good governance" was reflected through them.</span><br/><br/><span>He also said that the prime minister had taken notice of the leaks and would consult his cabinet on the issue tomorrow, adding that the matter would be sorted out in the next few days.</span><br/><br/><span>On the leak where Maryam could allegedly be heard criticising the finance minister, the interior minister said expression of opinion was allowed in democratic and political systems, adding that Ismail was criticised by outsiders so it made no difference if Maryam or some others in the PML-N did so as well.</span><br/><br/><span>"What was wrong if Maryam said some of his decisions cost us politically."</span><br/><br/><span>Sanaullah also seemingly blamed the finance minister for the recent high fuel adjustment charges, asking why they couldn't have been spread over a period of months.</span></p> PoliticalGuru@PoliticalGuru3C…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-06-30:1119293:Comment:4091402022-06-30T23:27:33.676ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p>PoliticalGuru<br></br>@PoliticalGuru3<br></br>Ch Aitzaz Ahsan</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/PoliticalGuru3/status/1542288603341959168?s=20&t=c0igbWf6vmXuUsYB5Eb7Gw" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/PoliticalGuru3/status/1542288603341959168?s=20&t=c0igbWf6vmXuUsYB5Eb7Gw</a></p>
<p>--------------------</p>
<p>Video clip of Aitaza Ahsan showing him describing Nawaz Sharif as a fugitive criminal appearing on Pakistan TV and directing the PMLN government of Shahbaz Sharif on running the…</p>
<p>PoliticalGuru<br/>@PoliticalGuru3<br/>Ch Aitzaz Ahsan</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/PoliticalGuru3/status/1542288603341959168?s=20&t=c0igbWf6vmXuUsYB5Eb7Gw" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/PoliticalGuru3/status/1542288603341959168?s=20&t=c0igbWf6vmXuUsYB5Eb7Gw</a></p>
<p>--------------------</p>
<p>Video clip of Aitaza Ahsan showing him describing Nawaz Sharif as a fugitive criminal appearing on Pakistan TV and directing the PMLN government of Shahbaz Sharif on running the country.</p>
<p>Aitazaz is also critical of the fact that Salman Shahbaz Sharif, another fugitive from Pakistani law, participating in official meetings in Saudi Arabia.</p> #Pakistani prime minister #Sh…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-06-20:1119293:Comment:4091142022-06-20T14:23:27.068ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>#Pakistani prime minister #ShahbazSharif appears in court in corruption case. Sharif’s #PMLN party is a family-run and family-dominated party that has long been tainted by #corruption allegations. #NawazSharif #MaryamNawazSharif #HamzaSharif #Punjab…</span></p>
<p><span>#Pakistani prime minister #ShahbazSharif appears in court in corruption case. Sharif’s #PMLN party is a family-run and family-dominated party that has long been tainted by #corruption allegations. #NawazSharif #MaryamNawazSharif #HamzaSharif #Punjab <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pakistani-prime-minister-appears-in-court-in-corruption-case/2022/06/20/0dfdd914-f08c-11ec-ac16-8fbf7194cd78_story.html?tid=ss_tw" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pakistani-prime-minister-appears-in-court-in-corruption-case/2022/06/20/0dfdd914-f08c-11ec-ac16-8fbf7194cd78_story.html?tid=ss_tw</a></span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appeared in court on Monday in connection with an old corruption case and was granted exemption from further appearances in person in the hearings, his defense lawyer said.</span><br/><br/><span>The case dating back four years is related to Sharif’s alleged links to a multi-million dollar housing scam in the eastern city of Lahore, according to the attorney, Amjad Pervez.</span><br/><br/><span>Pervez described the proceedings as a “politically-motivated case,” adding that Sharif was implicated in the case falsely, by the government of his predecessor, Imran Khan. He said he hopes for a full acquittal.</span><br/><br/><span>The prosecution claims Sharif abused power while he was chief minister of Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. He is accused of awarding contacts for a housing scheme for low-income citizens to those connected to his Pakistan Muslim League party. He has denied the allegations.</span><br/><br/><span>Sharif became prime minister in April, when he replaced Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician who was ousted through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Khan, who came to power in 2018, claimed he never victimized his political opponents. He insisted that his ouster was U.S. conspiracy — a charge both Sharif and Washington deny.</span><br/><br/><span>Pervez, the attorney, successfully argued on Monday that Sharif’s regular appearances in court would negatively impact his daily work as premier, since he would have to travel often to the city of Lahore to attend the hearings. The lawyer added he would continue to represent Sharif until the verdict.</span><br/><br/><span>Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League is a family-run and family-dominated party that has long been tainted by corruption allegations.</span></p> G. Parthasarathy, Former Indi…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-05-12:1119293:Comment:4078412022-05-12T23:24:05.986ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>G. Parthasarathy, Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, wants India to "Reset Ties with Pakistan".</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/reset-ties-with-pakistan-393938" target="_blank">https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/reset-ties-with-pakistan-393938</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>PAKISTAN’S political families have drawn their wealth primarily from agricultural properties. Land reform was never even considered. The ownership of agricultural…</span></p>
<p><span>G. Parthasarathy, Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, wants India to "Reset Ties with Pakistan".</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/reset-ties-with-pakistan-393938" target="_blank">https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/reset-ties-with-pakistan-393938</a></span><br/><br/><span>PAKISTAN’S political families have drawn their wealth primarily from agricultural properties. Land reform was never even considered. The ownership of agricultural lands now continues largely in the hands of politically influential families. Pakistan’s Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto drew his wealth from his lands in Sind, even as he professed socialistic leanings. His grandson Bilal Bhutto, and son-in-law Asif Ali Zardari, who lead the Pakistan Peoples’ Party, belong to today’s rural aristocracy in Sind. The Sharifs, who originally resided in Kashmir, moved to Punjab, where the patriarch (Nawaz Sharif’s father) settled down, and set up a steel industry. The industry was duly sold and the Sharifs now possess a $300-million sugar industry.</span><br/><br/><span>Shehbaz Sharif has always behaved as the younger brother, who obediently followed his elder brother’s wishes. But unlike Nawaz, who has run afoul of the army, Shehbaz has maintained a good professional relationship with the army. It, therefore, had no doubts while backing his bid to succeed the mercurial Imran Khan.</span><br/><br/><span>Nawaz has an ambitious and bright daughter, Maryam. Shehbaz has an equally ambitious son Hamza, who has been catapulted to the position of CM of Punjab. Maryam is information minister in Shehbaz’s Cabinet.</span><br/><br/><span>---------</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan’s economic problems have been marked by acute shortages in its foreign exchange reserves, necessitating constant use of a begging bowl, to be filled by donations from Arab states. Pakistan’s GDP has fallen drastically from $315 billion to $292 billion in the past four years. Its foreign exchange reserves have been falling, despite large doses of foreign aid. Foreign exchange reserves, which stood at $18.8 billion in August 2021, fell to $14.9 billion in February 2022. Pakistan has depended on doles from Arab states, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Imran Khan, however, was getting ready to join an Islamic grouping being set up by Malaysia and Turkey, obviously to challenge Saudi Arabia. An infuriated Saudi Crown Prince Salman, backed by UAE’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Zayed, turned the economic screws on Pakistan.</span><br/><br/><span>-----------</span><br/><br/><span>India should continue its diplomatic and economic pressures on Pakistan till Rawalpindi dismantles the infrastructure of terrorism on territory under its control, in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. In the meantime, New Delhi should establish a credible back-channel to discuss ways to move ahead for establishing a normal relationship with Pakistan. As a first step, ambassadors have to be appointed to take charge soon. Much will, however, depend on whether Pakistan continues supporting terrorism. One hopes Pakistan remembers the old adage that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. We can, in due course, even restore bus and air services while having a normal people-to-people relationship. India can even consider a phased restoration of SAARC if Pakistan fully implements the provisions of the SAARC Free Trade Agreement. The ball is in Pakistan’s court.</span></p> 3 Myths About ‘Un-Governable’…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2022-01-31:1119293:Comment:4063382022-01-31T19:24:58.525ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>3 Myths About ‘Un-Governable’ Pakistan</span><br></br><span>Pakistan needs to be saved from those that rule it, and especially from those want to rule it forever.</span><br></br><br></br><span>By Hussain Nadim</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/3-myths-about-un-governable-pakistan/" target="_blank">https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/3-myths-about-un-governable-pakistan/</a></span><br></br><br></br><br></br><span>Calls to improve Pakistan’s image from that of a weak economy with rising…</span></p>
<p><span>3 Myths About ‘Un-Governable’ Pakistan</span><br/><span>Pakistan needs to be saved from those that rule it, and especially from those want to rule it forever.</span><br/><br/><span>By Hussain Nadim</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/3-myths-about-un-governable-pakistan/" target="_blank">https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/3-myths-about-un-governable-pakistan/</a></span><br/><br/><br/><span>Calls to improve Pakistan’s image from that of a weak economy with rising extremism and corruption to a stable, internationally responsible and progressive nation are often raised in the country’s policy making circles. However, what is conveniently ignored is that Pakistan’s ruling elite has coproduced this fragility/failed state narrative to perpetuate its hold over power. Having worked in the Pakistani policy sector for over a decade, I would like to dispel three deeply-imbedded myths about Pakistan, specific to governance.</span><br/><br/><span>Myth #1: Pakistan is Impossible to Govern:</span><br/><br/><span>For decades, Pakistan’s ruling elite has justified its poor performance by claiming that it is a country that is hard to govern and whose people are “jaahil” (savages). “It is not us but you,” is the message that the ruling elite has fed the public and also transmitted to foreign countries about Pakistan to achieve short-term personal objectives over long-term national goals. After the Cold War, this messaging included a new line of narrative, pitching Pakistan as a country with a deep level of Islamist extremism that only the “moderate minded” ruling elite could help keep at bay.</span><br/><br/><span>The truth is that Pakistanis are easy to govern, they have very basic demands. You cut the gas, they turn to using wood. You cut electricity, they sleep on rooftops. They have little expectations from the government beyond the primitive life needs.</span><br/><br/><span>As for extremism, it is less to do with Islam or the public at large and more to do with how the ruling elite sowed and cultivated the seeds of religious and ethnic extremism to pursue its domestic political and geopolitical interests, especially during the Cold War.</span><br/><br/><span>The Pakistani ruling elite adopted a fear-based governance model instead of a rule of law-based governance. This facilitated the flow of foreign funds into the country and secured international political support to its supposedly “liberal minded” rulers so they may “de-radicalize” the “extremist” masses.</span><br/><br/><span>The latest in the line of fear-based and victim-driven narrative is pitching the 140-million strong youth of the country as a “ticking time-bomb,” instead of presenting them as a game-changer to the global community in the digitalized world.</span><br/><br/><span>Pakistan is neither an impossible country to govern nor are the people inherently extremist. It is those in power that have hijacked the system for decades and have forced a functioning country into a dysfunctional state, keeping it deliberately on a brink of failure. It is this state of brink that creates a hyper sense of fear and victimhood, providing the ruling elite leverage with actors at home and abroad.</span><br/><br/><span>Myth #2: It is the Incompetence:</span><br/><br/><span>There is only so much that the ruling elite can blame Pakistan or its people for being hard to govern, especially 70 years after it emerged an independent country. Incompetence is simply a narrative to mask and perpetuate deep corruption.</span><br/><br/><span>The incompetence myth played well, both at home and abroad. It has convinced the public at home and the foreign audience that a moderate/liberal minded incompetent government is better than a worst-case scenario of an Iran like “Islamist takeover” of the country. But this begs a question; how is it that the same ruling elite that is so incompetent in governance of the state is internationally competent when it comes to its private businesses?</span><br/><br/><span>---</span><br/><br/><span>Myth #3: The System is Complicated and Broken:</span><br/><br/><span>The ruling elite also uses the myth of a dysfunctional and broken system to continue its power grab on the state. The narrative on “broken system” helps the ruling elite buy sympathy and time from the public to undertake the pipedream of “reforms” and also touches the right chords with foreign powers to secure technical assistance in capacity building projects and development aid.</span></p> Which way is the Pakistan Dem…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2020-12-15:1119293:Comment:3566012020-12-15T00:36:48.090ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Which way is the Pakistan Democratic Movement going?</span><br></br><br></br><span>by Prof Rasul Bakhsh Rais</span><br></br><br></br><span>The two major dynastic parties— the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party are concerned that if Khan continues to stabilize and devise strategies for reforms, which he is set to roll out in the coming months, he may win the next election. If that happens, it will end dynastic elite politics, as staying in the political wilderness could cause…</span></p>
<p><span>Which way is the Pakistan Democratic Movement going?</span><br/><br/><span>by Prof Rasul Bakhsh Rais</span><br/><br/><span>The two major dynastic parties— the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party are concerned that if Khan continues to stabilize and devise strategies for reforms, which he is set to roll out in the coming months, he may win the next election. If that happens, it will end dynastic elite politics, as staying in the political wilderness could cause splits, defections and fragmentation.</span><br/><br/><span><a href="https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1777241" target="_blank">https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1777241</a></span><br/><br/><span>The leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 political parties that include religious, ethnic and two major national parties, have been holding rallies in different parts of the country in an effort to bring down the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.</span><br/><br/><span>The question is why, why now, and by what means can the opposition remove an elected government?</span><br/><br/><span>In the parliamentary system that Pakistan practices, the executive or the prime minister can stay in power as long as he enjoys the confidence of the house, while the Parliament is elected for five years. They cannot exercise the option of ‘no-confidence’ or in-house change because the numbers game cannot work in their favor.</span><br/><br/><span>Khan’s party has the support of allies to sustain a comfortable majority, and is even in a position to break parliamentarians away from opposition parties, if and when it requires. Never has it been a problem for any government in the past to beat back opposition offensives within the parliament.</span><br/><br/><span>Even when a government might lose its majority by defections from its ranks or when the governing coalitions split, the system leaves the prime minister in an advantageous position, with the powers to dissolve the assemblies and call for fresh elections. This is exactly what the opposition parties seem to be struggling for— fresh, free and fair elections.</span><br/><br/><span>There are no signs and no compelling reasons in the present circumstances for the government to call for midterm elections; the government has two and a half years more to complete its tenure. So why can’t opposition parties wait for the next elections, is the six-million-dollar question.</span><br/><br/><span>Prime Minister Imran Khan says there are some foreign powers that don’t want to see stability, strength and progress in some Muslim countries, and that Pakistan is one of them. He sees their hand behind the opposition movement. But governments in the past have spun such conspiracy theories to discredit opposition parties or movements.</span></p> Military Might: Pakistan’s Co…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2019-02-11:1119293:Comment:1237172019-02-11T03:47:32.041ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>Military Might: Pakistan’s Continued Struggle with Democracy</span><br></br><span>Zahra Chaudhry February 10, 2019</span><br></br><br></br><span><a href="http://thepolitic.org/military-might-pakistans-continued-struggle-with-democracy/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">http://thepolitic.org/military-might-pakistans-continued-struggle-with-democracy/</a></span><br></br><br></br></p>
<div><p><span>Syeda Munnaza lives in Pakistan, in the bustling Lahore locality of Iqbal Town. There, she runs the Mehmod Hamid…</span></p>
</div>
<p><span>Military Might: Pakistan’s Continued Struggle with Democracy</span><br/><span>Zahra Chaudhry February 10, 2019</span><br/><br/><span><a href="http://thepolitic.org/military-might-pakistans-continued-struggle-with-democracy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://thepolitic.org/military-might-pakistans-continued-struggle-with-democracy/</a></span><br/><br/></p>
<div><p><span>Syeda Munnaza lives in Pakistan, in the bustling Lahore locality of Iqbal Town. There, she runs the Mehmod Hamid Welfare Memorial Society, a nonprofit that provides skills based employment training to locals, especially women and girls.</span></p>
<p><span>Munnaza’s house is divided on the political front: her three children, ranging in age from fifteen to twenty five, are huge fans of the new prime minister, Imran Khan. Munnaza herself is a loyal supporter of the former premier, Nawaz Sharif, and his party, the</span> <span>Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN). Ask her about the July 2018 election, and she’ll tell you it was entirely rigged in favor of Khan.</span></p>
<p><span>Nawaz Sharif’s career has been a tumultuous one since he first appeared on Pakistan’s political scene in the 1990s; he has served as prime minister three times without ever completing a full term. Most recently, in July 2017, Sharif resigned from his post after being declared unfit for office by the Supreme Court due to corruption scandals. Subsequently, the country voted overwhelmingly for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party, and PTI’s Chairman, Imran Khan, became Prime Minister. Khan ran on anti-establishment and vehemently anti-corruption rhetoric.</span></p>
<p><span>Sarah Khan, a postgraduate associate at the Yale Macmillan Center and researcher on gender and politics in South Asia, told </span><i><span>The Politic, </span></i><span>“The demographic pool of PTI supporters tends to be more educated, more on the higher end of the income spectrum, and also younger…but what we’ve seen in 2018 is a broader support for the PTI.”</span></p>
<p><span>Fahd Humayun, a PhD candidate at Yale, studies political behavior and regimes. He says this broader national support stemmed from Khan’s ability to portray himself as “an anti-status quo force—someone to be reckoned with”—while also focusing on the same issues that Sharif “had traditionally focused on.”</span></p>
<p><span>Humayun added, “Imran Khan’s not a new addition on Pakistan’s political landscape. He’s been around since the 1990s.” What made him an appealing “outsider,” however, is that he was a viable third option to a public increasingly weary with the country’s two other major political parties, the PMLN and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).</span></p>
<p><span>While many are hopeful that Prime Minister Khan will follow through on his pledge to deliver a “New Pakistan,” one with welfare programs, a thriving economy, and an improved reputation on the international stage, others remain skeptical.</span></p>
<p><span>In an interview with </span><i><span>The Politic</span></i><span>, Munnaza said, in Urdu, that her kids “find establishment politicians to be foolish, uneducated, [and] problematic.”</span></p>
<p><span>She remains unconvinced by their argument, saying she voted for the PMLN because of “all the work” Sharif has “done for the people” in Lahore; she cited renovations and technological upgrades at government hospitals and improvements to the city’s education system. Munnaza isn’t alone in feeling indebted to Sharif and his party; the PMLN won 61 in the National Assembly, out of a total 272—corruption scandals and all. They came in second to the PTI.</span></p>
<p><span>“[I] would never say that I am going to stick with Nawaz Sharif and his party no matter what. If Imran Khan…wanted to do anything [for us], or if he was capable of it, then we would welcome change. But the way by which he came to power was extremely wrong,” Munnaza said.</span></p>
<p><span>She says that in a country like Pakistan, where corruption is a widespread problem, she doesn’t understand why Sharif’s particular case was pursued so rigorously.</span></p>
<p><span>In 2017, Sharif was disqualified from office by the Supreme Court after the Panama Papers showed his family’s ties to undisclosed properties abroad and offshore accounts. Sharif and his daughter were convicted on corruption related charges and received lengthy prison sentences just weeks before the 2018 elections.</span></p>
<p><span>Munnaza is doubtful that democratic institutions alone were responsible for the corruption crackdown and suspects election interference.</span></p>
<p><span>Niloufer Siddiqui GRD ‘17 is an assistant professor of political science at the State University of New York-Albany and a researcher in political violence in Pakistan. Siddiqui said</span><i><span>, </span></i><span>“People will ask whether or not elections are free and fair in Pakistan. Polling day rigging is very unlikely. Nobody is changing people’s votes at the booth.” But “pre-poll rigging” is an issue.</span></p>
<p><span>Sarah Khan explains that pre-poll rigging is when the military engages in “controlling the environment and distribution of information that allows voters to make informed decisions.”</span></p>
<p><span>Siddiqui told </span><i><span>The Politic, </span></i><span>“All the cases that churned out against Nawaz Sharif are likely to have been influenced by the military. In fact, the tribunal that found him guilty had two military members [on it]…”</span></p>
<p><span>She added, “… a series of steps were taken that ensured that he would no longer be a key player. All of this happened within weeks of the election.”</span></p>
<p><span>Khan and his supporters have celebrated Sharif’s ousting and arrest as an indication of the start of a new era in Pakistani politics where powerful people will be held accountable.</span></p>
<p><span>The consensus among sources who spoke to </span><i><span>The Politic</span></i><span> is that Sharif lost favor with the military establishment by taking control over foreign policy. In 2013, he told an audience at the US Institute of Peace that trying to improve Pakistan’s relationship with India was one of his “favorite subjects.” In December 2015, Indian Prime Minister Modi visited Sharif’s private residence in Raiwind. This was the first time an Indian premier had visited Pakistan in more than a decade.</span></p>
<p><span>Siddiqui told </span><i><span>The Politic </span></i><span>that because foreign policy had historically been “under the military sphere of influence,” they felt Sharif had “overstepped.”</span></p>
<p><span>It is less clear, however, why the military chose to support Khan. His campaign centered around radically transforming most every aspect of governance–including Pakistan’s international relations. In December 2018, Prime Minister Khan told </span><i><span>The Washington Post</span></i><span> that Pakistan would not be the United States’ “hired gun” anymore.</span></p>
<p><span>Sarah Khan told </span><i><span>The Politic, </span></i><span>“It is…a bit of a puzzle as to why they would support Imran Khan, who is known to be perhaps stubborn or volatile…” On the other hand, she believes it makes sense that the military tried to support the “party that was already electorally viable,” something the PTI “very much was.”</span></p>
<p><span>Military intervention took on a few different forms, including restricting freedom of the press. For years, there has been pressure for Pakistani journalists to self-censor to please the military establishment.</span></p>
<p><span>During the 2018 campaign, Humayun says Khan received more TV time and more coverage by major national newspapers like </span><i><span>Dawn News. </span></i><span>In June 2018, Gul Bukhari, a columnist for </span><i><span>The Nation</span></i><span> and a prominent critic of the military, was abducted and held for four hours in a military cantonment in Lahore. She credits the public outcry on social media for her relatively prompt release.</span></p>
<p><span>Matiullah Jan, another critic of the military apparatus and former anchor on Waqt News, had his car’s windshield pelted with large rocks by motorcyclists in 2017. Jan called it a “pre-planned attack.”</span></p>
<p><span>Some also allege that the military called on popular politicians—or “electables”—from other parties to run under the PTI ticket. Lobbying for electables is a common strategic move in Pakistan to win in constituencies where voters show more loyalty to an individual than a party.</span></p>
<p><span>Siddiqui told </span><i><span>The Politic, </span></i><span>“My interviews with people that I know…seem to suggest that a lot of people were getting phone calls, again from the powers that be, to switch their support to the PTI.”</span></p>
<p><span>During the general elections, 46 electable candidates ran under the PTI ticket and 23 of them won their seats; most of the winners represent areas within the PMLN stronghold of Punjab. Khan said candidates joined the PTI because the other parties had failed to deliver.</span></p>
<p><span>It’s important to remember that Khan enjoyed a great deal of popular support from people like Munnaza’s children, who were inspired by his message of reform and progress.</span></p>
<p><span>Since 2013, his party has governed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK) through a coalition with religious parties. In 2018, the PTI won a historic re-election and majority in the province, where incumbents are generally voted out. Siddiqui believes this “kind of indicates the PTI is doing something right.”</span></p>
<p><span>Now, as Prime Minister, Khan has to turn Pakistan into an “Islamic welfare state,” as he said he would, while dealing with the country’s perilous economic crisis. The crisis is driven by a national account deficit in the billions, making it virtually impossible for Khan to run the government without foreign loans from sources like Saudi Arabia and China. He has yet to reach a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).</span></p>
<p><span>Munnaza wants to see economic relief and political progress, even though she doubts Khan’s ability to enact real change; “The poor people here aren’t constructing homes, or driving cars, or sending their kids to prestigious schools; they are working hard just to buy their flour and sugar.”</span></p>
<p><span>Munnaza believes, at the end of the day, Sharif and Khan don’t matter. What matters is helping the country’s poor afford a dignified life. For the good of the people she works with, she’s praying for Khan’s success</span></p>
</div>
<div class="yj6qo ajU"></div> #ImranKhan Takes on #Corrupti…tag:www.pakalumni.com,2018-11-30:1119293:Comment:1222432018-11-30T03:46:30.989ZRiaz Haqhttp://www.pakalumni.com/profile/riazul
<p><span>#ImranKhan Takes on #Corruption in #Pakistan. Plans to introduce #Whistleblower law with reward of 20% on recovered assets. #PTI #PMLN #PPP #NawazSharif #Zardari @Diplomat_APAC <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2018/10/imran-khan-takes-on-corruption-in-pakistan/" target="_blank">http://thediplomat.com/2018/10/imran-khan-takes-on-corruption-in-pakistan/</a></span><br></br><br></br><span>Throughout his campaigns over the years, Imran Khan, now Pakistan’s prime minister, has always commented on his…</span></p>
<p><span>#ImranKhan Takes on #Corruption in #Pakistan. Plans to introduce #Whistleblower law with reward of 20% on recovered assets. #PTI #PMLN #PPP #NawazSharif #Zardari @Diplomat_APAC <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2018/10/imran-khan-takes-on-corruption-in-pakistan/" target="_blank">http://thediplomat.com/2018/10/imran-khan-takes-on-corruption-in-pakistan/</a></span><br/><br/><span>Throughout his campaigns over the years, Imran Khan, now Pakistan’s prime minister, has always commented on his intention to carry out an intensive anti-corruption drive once in power. Pledging “strict accountability” and a crackdown against “the people who looted this country,” Khan visualized an extensive anti-corruption campaign. Finally, with his recent election, the time seems to have arrived, as unprecedented measures are being taken along with the announcement of a new “whistleblower law” to help end financial crimes.</span><br/><br/><span>For starters, an Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) has been established with its headquarters based in the prime minister’s office in Islamabad to retrieve monies or hidden assets overseas. Comprised of bank officials as well as representatives from all the government intelligence agencies, this unit aims to target high-level corruption in the initial phase. Getting details of illegal foreign bank accounts within the country, the ARU has special powers to access any kind of information from any department within seven days. Although it is not possible to gauge the exact amount of stolen wealth or aggregate value of ill-gotten overseas properties at this point, the unit will likely present more precise projections in the coming months.</span><br/><br/><span>Second, a law to facilitate and reward whistleblowers has been unveiled recently. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Khan outlined the new incentive, saying, “The law will invite countrymen to identify the corrupt and [whistleblowers will] get 20 percent of the ill-gotten money and assets recovered from such people.” The award of 20 percent from ill-gotten stashes of wealth is aimed at actively motivating close business partners, associates, or employees of powerful kingpins to alert the authorities of financial wrongdoing.</span><br/><br/><span>Ostensibly, the remainder (80 percent) of the recovered funds would be used to ease Pakistan’s balance of payments crisis as well as its debts. Recovering funds as quickly as possible is a dire need for the cash-strapped government. In the coming days, a draft of the new law is likely to be presented before parliament for passage as a bill and further stipulations would be added to protect whistleblowers to increase their confidence in coming forward.</span><br/><br/><span>As Pakistan’s financial crisis gets worse, the government constantly highlights that rampant, uncontrolled corruption from the highest to the lowest tiers of society and government is a key factor responsible for its predicament. Trying to regain the confidence of foreign investors and business partners alike, the fledgling government has had to find new methods and exert all its resources to get back stolen funds. In the meantime, Pakistan’s budget deficit climbs and foreign exchange reserves are depleting fast. Staving off a balance of payments crisis requires a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as all other options have failed.</span><br/><br/><span>The Pakistani government has request help from various foreign governments in recovering corruption proceeds. Agreeing to cooperate, the British Home Secretary Sajid Javid recently announced a joint declaration along with the Pakistani law minister. Titled “U.K.-Pakistan Justice and Accountability Partnership,” it enumerates that both governments would track corruption and restart a bilateral prisoner transfer process so that the corrupt can brought back to face the courts in Pakistan. Khan has also requested the UAE to help identify Pakistanis who have acquired properties worth billions of dollars in the Emirates and hastened the signing of a bilateral treaty with Switzerland for the exchange of information. Taking fast-track measures to retrieve nearly $2 billion that has been traced overseas by various culprits, details of over 10,000 properties in England and Dubai have also been compiled.</span></p>