Khan hands over education ministry to JI, evokes criticism

In a shocking development for many people banking on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s slogan of ‘Naya Pakistan’, the PTI has decided to give the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) the provincial ministries of Finance, Education and Ushr and Zakat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after a deal was reached between the two parties on forming the government in the province.

The announcement to this effect was made by JI Secretary Information Anwar Niazi following a meeting between JI chief Munawwar Hassan and PTI Chairman Imran Khan at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital on Wednesday.

Hasan, along with JI General Secretary Liaquat Baloch and other party members, called on Khan to enquire after his health and discuss the formation of government in KP.

After the meeting, Hassan told reporters that as per initial negotiations, the JI will be given three ministries under one senior minister. He had then said that the details of the portfolios which will be allotted to the JI will be announced by Imran Khan later.

The news of the JI getting the Finance and Education portfolios in KP disappointed PTI supporters across the country and evoked criticism of the party’s decision as Imran Khan had centred his election campaign on promises of bringing the education system at par with international standards.

Political observers said the PTI’s decision to give the two most important ministries to the JI would reflect negatively on the party’s slogan of ‘Naya Pakistan’ as not much change was expected from the rightwing JI.

“It’s appalling that Imran has ceded Education Ministry to JI…you can now expect content in KP syllabi which would further foment extremism and hatred,” said a commentator.

ZoneAsia-Pk: THE SHARIF ‘SIAPA’

By Ghalib Sultan
ZoneAsia-Pk

‘Siapa’ is a wonderfully expressive Punjabi word almost impossible to accurately translate into English. It means a development or situation full of interconnected problems, difficulties, contradictions and intrigues – not easy to resolve and not easy to live with. Why should the elections that catapulted the Sharifs to power be a ‘siapa’?

For starters there is the track record of their past stints in power. The first time around they had a President who was a thorough gentleman dedicated to democracy and ready to help them govern. There was also an army Chief who was a thorough professional with zero interest in politics ready to support in every way. The elder Sharif went into totally unnecessary confrontations with them egged on with the sycophants and jesters around him. He took the situation to the point where there was a ludicrous confrontation between the institutions that were a phone call away from each other. The result was an Army brokered arrangement with both the President and the Sharif departing ignominiously.

The second time around there was an equally supportive and gentlemanly President and an equally professional Army Chief. In addition there was a Chief Justice who wanted to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. Once again the elder Sharif with the same motley crowd around him confronted each one to the point where each left in disgust. With no sense of reality and amid much victorious chest thumping the Sharifs thought they had it made – their own President, their own Chief justice, and horror of horrors, the perception that by ignoring seniority and making an Army Chief of their choice they had finally conquered the military. This perception was rudely shattered when the ‘man of their choice’ proceeded to endanger the country’s security and then sent them off to jail. The next 10 years are directly attributable to these shenanigans of the Sharifs. An editorial in the London Economist of May 20, 1999 makes interesting and instructive reading. It also points to the horror that awaits us if the Sharifs are unchanged – Allah forbid. A nuclear test may be a notch in the belt but it can be a millstone around the neck if you cannot secure the country!!

The wish is that instead of hare brained schemes and incompetent sycophants the Sharifs will now bring competent teams for policy making, for governance and interaction abroad. We also know that if wishes were horses beggars would ride. The elder Sharif publicly prayed that he be given a mandate so that he did not have to deal with a messy coalition. He got it. But he had also got it in 1997 and blew it. Not only did he and his family go down but more importantly the country once again went down into the dungeon of military rule. What the Sharifs have never understood is that the mandate given to them is not for testing their manhood but for guiding this country and its hapless citizens to security and prosperity. They have to serve and not lord it over everyone and no one wants them to assemble a cast of minions, lackeys and sycophants. These can be left in the farmhouse in Jati Umra and trotted out for entertainment there.

An open letter to the D-chowk revolutionaries by Ahmad Shah Durrani

Area 14/8

I don’t know if Saad Rafique is guilty or not,but he’s right. What is being conducted against him is a misguided campaign of propaganda -by people with very little idea about election regulations and standards of evidence.

All the people out to get the man may have had second-hand,rarely ever first-hand accounts,of Saad Rafique’s rigging. Some people don’t even have that. They just saw social media throwing a hissy fit and joined in. “Of course,the fact that the PTI Tsunami failed to sweep Defence,and other surrounding areas,is proof enough for some that Saad Rafique is guilty” they say. I wonder if these same people know that there are over 150 polling stations in NA 125,some in Defence and Cantt. But the majority in Walton and surrounding areas Bhatta and Nishat. Now I don’t know what the support was like for PTI in areas like Walton,but demographically,at least,it is a clear PML-N stronghold.

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ANP: Never say die!

By Benazir Shah
ZoneAsia-Pk

HE’S LOST 819 OF HIS PARTY COLLEAGUES TO TERRORISM, AND SURVIVED AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN 2008. WE RECENTLY SPOKE WITH ASFANDYAR WALI KHAN, CHIEF OF THE TALIBAN-THREATENED AWAMI NATIONAL PARTY, WHICH GOVERNED KHYBER-PAKHTUNKHWA PROVINCE UNTIL MARCH, ABOUT SATURDAY’S ELECTIONS AND MORE. EXCERPTS:

The ANP has been mercilessly attacked by the Taliban in the run-up to the elections. As a result your party has been unable to campaign freely. At any point, did you consider not participating in the May 11 polls?

In the last four years, our party has lost a total of 819 workers. Why are we being targeted? Simple: [the Pakistani Taliban] want to keep us out of the elections. For Pakistan these are not just any elections, the new Parliament will have to deal with 2014, when NATO and ISAF forces withdraw from the region. When 2014 comes around, they do not want liberal people to be in the government. These forces want a free hand to do whatever they want, but they will not keep us out. This is not just a war between ANP and the Taliban or Asfandyar Wali and [Taliban kingpin] Hakimullah Mehsud, this is a war between two mindsets. The liberal, progressive, and democratic are on one side. On the other end are those who ruled Afghanistan and later surfaced in Swat. If we back off now, we let them win. The more the elections are delayed, the more bloodshed there will be. It is not going to get any better.

How is your party campaigning?

We cannot run advertisements like the other parties. We just don’t have that kind of money. It is common knowledge how much these [cable news] channels charge for broadcasting ads. Our local workers move door to door. The day Haroon and Ghulam Ahmed Bilour were attacked in Peshawar [on April 16], we lost 17 workers. The very next day pamphlets were distributed in the city warning people not to hoist any flags of the ANP or display its posters and stickers. And the same evening in Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, and Mardan our party circulated thousands of stickers. The stickers had the party’s [electoral] symbol on it, which is the lantern, and a slogan, “Country or Coffin.”

Your partner parties the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Peoples Party have also been specifically targeted by the Taliban.

There is some misunderstanding. ANP has not gone into an electoral alliance with the MQM. PPP, MQM, and ANP have borne the brunt of terrorist attacks. We thought that if we got together to raise our voice against the bloodshed, the impact would be different. But let me clarify, again, that this is not an electoral alliance. It might not help the situation, but the three of us share an enemy. The people of Pakistan had been fooled for a very long time in believing that Karachi is the turf of the MQM and ANP. Now at least everyone knows the truth.

Is it accurate to say that the bloodshed in Karachi over the past five years is a result of turf wars among militias affiliated with the ANP, MQM, and PPP?

If I had a Pakhtun militant wing in Karachi, would I be targeted the way I am today? Please do not push us to the wall. That is my biggest fear. Do not push us to a situation where we decide to defend ourselves. The day we start defending ourselves, things are going to take a very ugly turn! If I had a militant wing in Karachi, I don’t think anyone would have had the guts to attack me.

‘The true referee of the electoral showdown is Hakimullah Mehsud.’

Will election results accurately reflect voters’ choice?

Let me make it very clear, ANP has been shoved into a wrestling ring with its hands tied. The opponents stand across from us and their hands are free. Until now, we were under the impression that the referee for these elections was the chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim. I have the utmost respect for him. But the true referee of the electoral showdown is Hakimullah Mehsud. Look at his statements, he’s “allowed” Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to hold public rallies, and he’s not “permitted” ANP, MQM or PPP to do the same. Is this his decision to make? Mehsud has clearly defined his friends and his foes.

After the attack on Haroon Bilour, you wrote to the Election Commission demanding more security. What became of that?

Copies of the letter were also sent to the president, the caretaker prime minister, and to the chief justice. Nine days lapsed and nothing happened. There wasn’t a word from the ECP. On the 10th day, Ebrahim showed up on television claiming he never received any such letter. That is the last I heard of that. The Election Commission is telling us to make our own security arrangements. Use your own untrained security guards, they say. Now, if these untrained security guards are enough to guard me and my candidates, then they must be capable of also guarding the country? The government took my security away in a very awkward manner, at 9:30 p.m. one night, without even informing me. The security that had been provided to me consisted of one policeman and four guards. The Election Commission denies it ordered it, but then there is written evidence proving it requested all security be withdrawn.

Will you accept the election results without any hesitation?

No, that will depend. It will depend on the results and how things shape up. As far as electoral alliances are concerned, it is still too early to decide that. Let me repeat, since this is a war between two mindsets, I will not go for an alliance with a party which belongs to the other camp. Let’s not name anyone. However, I would like to add that of late there is a new phenomenon arising before the elections. A few days ago, two Jamaat-e-Islami workers were caught with 90,000 fake ballot papers. Now new reports are emerging-I am still trying to confirm them-that a Jamaat aspirant’s house was raided and another 30,000 to 35,000 bogus ballot papers have been recovered. If these things start developing then there will be a big question mark on the upcoming elections.

What should be the chief priority of the next elected government?

Terrorism needs to be addressed immediately. One has to take control of the field. Right now, the ownership of the field is being challenged. We can continue to fight among ourselves about what we may want to plant in the field, but first we must own it.

Sanaullah declared dead after attack by Indian inmates

A Pakistani prisoner jailed in India has died after he was attacked by another inmate in an apparent revenge attack for the death of an Indian prisoner in Pakistani jail.

Sanaullah Haq, also known as Sanaullah Ranjay, who was admitted to a hospital in northern Indian city of Chandigarh with serious head injuries, had suffered renal failure late on Wednesday, the doctor said on Thursday.

“His condition was extremely critical. He died early morning,” a senior doctor at the government hospital said on condition of anonymity.

“Although it’s scant consolation I’d like to offer a sincere apology to the family of Sanaullah Haq and my sympathies for their loss,” Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state where Haq had been imprisoned since 1999, wrote on Twitter
on Thursday.

Last week, Pakistan said the assault was “condemnable” and called on India to punish the attacker. India said it regretted the incident and gave consular access to Ranjay.

The hospital would hand over the body to two of his relatives who had arrived in India from Pakistani city of Sialkot “as per the instructions of the government”, the doctor said.

Ranjay, who has been serving jail term for a 1990s bomb attack that killed 10 people, was attacked by a prisoner identified as a former Indian army soldier just 24 hours after Sarabjit Singh’s death in a Lahore jail that drew strong reaction from India.

Last weekend demonstrators took to the streets in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to protest against the attack on Ranjay.

The prison violence could fuel tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, whose relations were hit by a border flare-up earlier this year.

The neighbours have fought two of their three wars over the disputed region of Kashmir, which they each control in part but claim in full.

New Delhi says 535 Indian prisoners, including 483 fishermen, are in Pakistani jails, while 272 Pakistani prisoners are behind bars in India.

FP Analysis: The Population Bomb

By Enum Naseer
FOR PAKISTAN

It is simple economics: resources are scarce and wants are unlimited. The problem of allocation gets more serious when population growth is unchecked- as is the case in Pakistan. It is confusing hence, that no one has taken the pains to voice the issue in the mainstream media; no political party mentioned it in its rallies; no slogans or chants went further than the usual clichés. While the future leaders and the public busy themselves with the task of wooing and being wooed, the population bomb ticks away. The promises and plans, albeit optimistic and hopeful, evade the population issue almost strategically. It is as if the fact that the unrestrained population growth will have an undesirable impact on the distribution of resources like food has gone unnoticed. Or more so perhaps, the problem has been brushed under the carpet for fear that it may give rise to an uncomfortable debate?

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General Kayani makes it to the Forbes World’s Most Powerful People list

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani’s name appeared in the list of 500 most powerful people in the world published by the Foreign Policy (FP) Magazine’s May/June 2013 issue.

The individuals included in the FP Power Map come from different professions and industries. The magazine claims to using a “list of lists” approach to put the rankings together.

In 2012, General Kayani was ranked at 28 in the Forbes World’s Most Powerful People list. Director General of the Inter Services Intelligence Lieutenant General Zaheer-ul-Islam was ranked 52. The said list, along Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list, The Wall Street Journal, the Fortune Global 500 and Global Journal Top 100 NGOs are some of the sources used to draft the FP list, in which General Kayani is listed as the only Pakistani.

The list also includes Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Burmese Leader Aung San Suu Kyi, United National Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi

FP Analysis: The others

FOR PAKISTAN

On Tuesday, Aziza Mai and her two daughters living in Multan were victimized by two men who threw acid on them. There are thousands of women like Aziza Mai who live in constant fear and are often subjected to excruciating violence; their scars a constant reminder of their tragedies. Across Pakistan, in Quetta, the Hazara community was once again targeted in a bomb blast that killed 6 people. Paradoxically these helpless and cursed minorities are a force that many in Pakistan have not fully come to understand. As Pakistan hobbles towards its first democratic transfer of powers, women and minority groups have a significant role in realizing this dream.

There are a total of 36 million women in Pakistan amounting to 42% of the total voters, but they are subjected to many obstacles in the registration of their voters. The patriarchal set-up in Pakistan re-enforces female voters as offensive towards their families’ pride and status. In the last 25 years, the number of women voters with respect to male voters has been dwindling and currently approximately 10 million female voters are missing from voter lists. As for female candidates, the path is even more tough. Although it is encouraging to see Bushra Gohar, Saniya Naz, Hajiani Lanjo and Badam Zari stand up for democracy in the deeply conflicted zones of Pakistan, Gullana Bibi’s withdrawal from the race shows the gravity of security threats. Political parties have mainly had a two-sided approach on this issue. They often like to use women and other minority groups as charity cases to draw compassion from the masses but do little to empower them. Last September, the ECP proposed re-polling at stations where the female turnout was less than 10%. What would have ensured better women participation in elections was actually turned down by all political parties.

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ZoneAsia-Pk: Bursting the Golden Bubble

By Zara Zulfiqar
ZoneAsia-Pk

15 April 2013 came as a shock, or a very pleasant surprise to be precise. Who else would be more informed about a sudden fall in gold prices than middle aged housewives with daughters already testing the rishta- waters. Fixated with talk shows especially as we near elections, that little box in the lower right corner with gold and currency rates is the cherry on top. Gold matters in this society, and hence it was the mums that spread the word of a 9% drop. Yes 9%. Your jaw too must have dropped when you heard this. Investors, buyers, moms, dads, Azhar Paan shop guy in the corner of your street, Mian Mansha, basically everyone was talking and thinking about it. This is the new obsession, not only in Pakistan but world over. Interesting how a commodity like gold can build bridges. Bring East and West on the same page. Overwhelming indeed.

Only in 1983 last was such a sudden one-day-low witnessed when prices plummeted by 9.6% in one day, still 0.1% lower than what was witnessed on Friday. With the global economy interconnected, and the not so ancient ‘gold standard’ dictating currency, for centuries, we all assume something big must have happened. The causes, effects and the infinite variables in the fiscal equation so intricately balanced become the matter of concern. Is it the bigger currencies or economies, panic after a recent downward trend; is China’s comparatively stagnant growth rate to blame? Gold in most laymen’s tongues is synonymous for economy. What happened?

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Terrain, infrastructure hamper Baluchistan earthquake relief work

Residents claim that relief operations in the quake-struck region of Mashkhel and its surrounding areas falls short of their needs, while government officials say they are doing all they can. m

The death toll is also disputed. The deputy commissioner claims that 12 persons lost their lives, while 25 were injured. Media reports indicate that the death toll is 41. However, the locals claim that the number of deaths is a staggering 80, with the number of injured is in the hundreds.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which was centered in southeastern Iran on Tuesday, sent shockwaves that spread as far as Lahore and Karachi, though most of the damage took place in Balochistan’s remote Mashkhel district. The immense damage caused President Asif Ali Zardari to announce an amount of Rs 500,000 for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the earthquake and Rs 100,000 for the wounded. Presidential spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the president directed that every effort be made for rehabilitation of the victims.

A spokesperson of the Balochistan government said that situation was “under control” as the Provincial Disaster Management Authority had administered a fund of Rs 20 million for the provision of food, medicines and tents. Twelve trucks carrying nine hundred tents, thousands of packets of food, and other necessary items reached Mashkhel on Wednesday, along with several teams of doctors from Quetta, Kharan and Dalbandin who came equipped with medical supplies. He added that that the military and paramilitary forces were also lending a hand with relief activities.

When Inspector General Major Ubaidullah Khan visited earthquake hit Mashkhel on Thursday and witnessed the relief and rescue work in the area, he expressed his satisfaction over the aid works carried out by Pak Army, Frontier Corps and other institutions and directed the authorities to work in the same spirit until the complete restoration and rehabilitation of the affectees.

However, residents of Mashkhel say that the government’s relief activities are falling short. Some locals claimed that they never received any relief supplies, and that hundreds of people, some suffering from gastroenteritis, are unattended on the roadside and without shelter, food or medicine.

The military on Thursday continued to fly in medicine and tents, but more supplies are desperately needed, said local official Syed Mureed Shah.

“There’s growing impatience among the people affected by the quake as they are not receiving relief goods,” Shah said.

Rauf Jamal Dini, an official with Quetta-based charity Sahar, also called for more supplies, saying neither the military nor government authorities had been seen in areas visited by his aid workers.

“People are making complaints. They are in dire need of relief goods. We are conducting a rapid survey to assess the damage,” he said.

Relief activities are also impeded by the difficult terrain. “The distances are long, the roads are rocky, and hence supply-laden trucks take more time to reach people,” said Deputy Commissioner of Washuk Khan Mohammad Bangulzai while talking to The Express Tribune.

The Chief Minister Balochistan directed the relevant organizations to do their best for the provision of aid and rehabilitation to the affected people.

Meanwhile, the Governor Tabuk, a Province of Saudi Arabia, had rushed a plane load of relief goods and food packets. The plane landed at Dalbandin Airport on Thursday evening and the supplies will be distributed on Friday.