by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Islamabad : A Pakistani minister’s admission that the World Bank was involved in drafting a law on the countrys natural resources has taken Senators by surprise.
The statement by Minister of State for Petroleum Jam Kamal Khan prompted Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani to seek a written response from the Petroleum Ministry about the extent to which the World Bank was involved, Dawn reported on Thursday.
Minister Khan, while wrapping up a Senate debate, acknowledged that the draft of the Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Regulatory Authority Bill had been prepared by a World Bank consultant.
Khan, however, said the draft would be finalized only after consultations with provinces.
Senator Farhatullah Babar had said earlier that “a mysterious move was afoot to deprive the provinces of their rights to develop the petroleum sector by allowing the Petroleum Ministry to grant concessions” in the sector.
He said the government had neither awarded concessions to exploration companies nor allowed the provinces to award concessions in the five years since the Petroleum Policy of 2012 was in operation. He wanted to know why.
“Is this because some powerful lobbies and vested interests are deliberately withholding development of the petroleum sector to allow for import of LNG and other petroleum products?” asked Babar. He called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Arvind Kejriwal
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused the BJP of dividing India on Hindu-Muslim lines and said it had done in three years what Pakistan and its ISI could not do in 60 years.
“Pakistan’s biggest dream is to divide Hindustan on the lines of Hindus and Muslims. Those who’re dividing the country on the lines of Hindus and Muslims are ISI agents,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said at the party’s National Conference here.
“Under the veil of patriots, they’re anti-nationals. They want to weaken the country. This dream has been harboured by Pakistan. What Inter-Services Intelligence could not do in 60 years, the BJP has done in three years,” he said and asked voters in Gujarat to defeat the BJP.
Thousands of party workers participated in the conference at the Ramlila Maidan here, from where the India Against Corruption movement led by Anna Hazare started and later gave birth to the AAP party in 2012. The event drew participation from 22 states.
Talking about the December Gujarat elections, Kejriwal said: “I request the people of Gujarat to give your vote to the candidate or party who can defeat the BJP.”
“If somewhere, the AAP is winning, give your vote to AAP. If any other party is winning, give the vote to them. But defeat the BJP,” Kejriwal said.
Speaking on the occasion, AAP founder-member Kumar Vishwas said the party had moved away from the path it set out on and has to find the right way forward.
“Don’t you think we have gone somewhere else from where we were moving to five years ago? We have to find the right way,” the AAP leader said.
He also called for introspection on the part of the AAP leadership and cadres. “We should think about ourselves as to where we started five years ago and where we are now.”A
Vishwas said some party leaders do not talk about social activist Anna Hazare, under whose leadership many of them participated in the 2011 anti-corruption movement. “Anna was the creator of this campaign.”
Referring to the AAP National Council meeting held this month, he said his name was not in the list of speakers at the event. However, he said, he will not go anywhere and stay in the party.
In October, AAP revoked the suspension of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, who had accused Vishwas of being a traitor. In May, Khan was suspended, days after making the accusation and Vishwas was named AAP incharge of Rajasthan.
While thousands of party volunteers in the crowd sported the trademark AAP white cap with the party symbol “broom”, many like Munesh Rani, 53, had the broom symbol and “AAP” painted on their cheeks.
AAP party flags with Kejriwal’s face and party symbol dotted the ground as volunteers waved them as AAP leaders spoke from the stage.
Party leaders, including Delhi Ministers Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai, AAP Spokesperson Ashutosh, National Secretary Pankaj Gupta, as well as Punjab MP Bhagwant Mann spoke on the occasion, as were a large number of AAP MLAs from Delhi and Punjab as well as AAP corporators from the national capital.
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
Fragile States Index 2017
By Jai K. Verma,
The 2017 report of the Fragile States Index places Pakistan among the first 20 failed countries, which should be worrisome for Islamabad. Instead of continuing with the low intensity war against its neighbours, Pakistan should make efforts to implement reforms in diverse fields.
Pakistan was carved out of India on the basis of the two-nation theory broadly intended to foster separation and hatred. This philosophy persists today, with greater vengeance.
With its vicious policies, Pakistan has antagonised another neighbour, Afghanistan, on its Western front while Shia Iran can never trust Sunni Pakistan, helping terrorist outfits on behalf of Wahabi Saudi Arabia. Iran recently threatened Pakistan with stringent action if it did not control non-state actors who were fomenting terror.
Pakistan earlier had cordial relations with Afghanistan and Iran. In the India-Pakistan war of 1965 & 1971, Pakistan did not need to deploy troops on the Afghan or Iranian borders as there was no danger from them. The situation has drastically changed now.
Pakistan’s fourth neighbour is China. Diplomatically, both countries are “all-weather friends”. China has rescued Pakistan on many occasions, but Beijing has placed severe restrictions along the China-Pakistan border, as some Islamic terrorist groups are helping Uighur Muslims fighting for a separate homeland in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region.
The recently concluded BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in China included the names of several Pakistan-based terrorist organisations in its joint declaration, indicating that Beijing is hardening its attitude towards Islamabad and terrorism.
Pakistan appears surrounded by hostile or threatening neighbours. However, the major danger to the country is from internal forces, contradictory mindsets, military domination, corrupt and inept politicians, different nationalities, rising population, depleting water resources and a worsening economic situation. Such forces may be responsible for Pakistan imploding.
The Punjabi-dominated Pakistani Army has not allowed civil institutions to strengthen and has exploited all other nationalities. In 1971, Pakistan was split and Bangladesh emerged. Now, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir all want to be separate nations.
The people of Gilgit and Baltistan are fighting for an independent Balawaristan. The Muhajiris, Saraikis and Chitralis want more autonomy as the Punjabis are exploiting them too. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif actually stated that the country was facing the danger of disintegration.
Former President General Zia-ul-Haq decided to join the United States to evict the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. He needed jihadis to do this and proceeded to inject religion into the polity and Islamised the army and the country. Saudi Arabia and other West Asian countries pumped petro-dollars into Pakistan and helped inculcate the ‘madrassa culture’ in the country, which radicalised many Pakistanis. The country is still paying a heavy price for this extremism.
Pakistan has waged a low-intensity war against India and Afghanistan and created terrorist outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
A few of these terrorist organisations have broken free and refused to obey the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and are conducting terrorist activities within the country. Sunni outfits like SSP & ASWJ are killing Shias, thus increasing the animosity between the two prominent Muslim sects. Shias make up more than 20 per cent of Pakistan’s population.
The US, earlier the country’s largest economic aid donor, recently warned Pakistan to change its policies, of “harbouring” terrorists who are attacking US troops in Afghanistan. US President Donald Trump also said Pakistan provides “safe haven” to terrorists.
Pakistan is now aligning with China and expects it to invest $50 billion or more for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is likely that Communist China will annexe several parts of Pakistan, since Islamabad will never be able to repay the huge debt.
The GDP growth rate is a poor three percent. The country must repay loans worth $73 billion and more. Exports are dwindling while imports are increasing. The education system is in disarray. Terrorists from across the world reach Pakistan to get training in exploding bombs and spreading mayhem. Pakistan’s ailing education system needs a total revamp to save the country from falling apart.
The defence budget should be curtailed and more money spent on education, family planning and health. Civilian institutions must be strengthened and army must return to the barracks. The domineering Pakistan Army must allow civil institutions to grow and a civilian leadership to formulate policies.
The ISI’s powers should be curtailed and Pakistan must destroy all terrorist training centres and terrorists — without distinction. The legitimate grievances of all the nationalities should be redressed and the rights of minorities, including Shias, ensured.
Pakistan has launched several operations against terrorists but these operations have not yielded desired results as security forces differentiated between “good” and “bad” terrorists.
In August 2017, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) formed a political party, Milli Muslim League (MML) and declared its intent to contest elections. With extremism and fundamentalism at its zenith, these political parties could acquire power and control the nuclear warheads.
Pakistan is heading towards disaster. If terrorists capture the country, it will be detrimental not only for Pakistan but for the world. Pakistani rulers must chalk out a comprehensive policy to save the country from catastrophe.
(The writer is a Delhi-based strategic analyst and retired senior intelligence officer. The views expressed are personal. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor)
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World, News, Politics, World
Rex Tillerson
By Aroonim Bhuyan,
New Delhi : Prior to his maiden visit to India in his official capacity, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has made clear Washington’s position on key geopolitical and strategic matters pertaining to the Indo-Pacific and South Asian regions, saying the “Trump administration is determined to dramatically deepen ways for the United States and India” to further their strategic partnership that is heading for “strategic convergence” and put China and Pakistan on notice that it intended to “do what is needed” to support India.
“In this period of uncertainty and somewhat angst, India needs a reliable partner on the world stage. I want to make clear: with our shared values and vision for global stability, peace, and prosperity, the United States is that partner,” Tillerson said categorically while making a major policy statement at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC on Wednesday.
While asserting that China’s “provocative actions” went against the international law and norms that the US and India stood for, Tillerson made it clear that Washington expected Pakistan to take “decisive action” against terrorist groups operating within its territory.
“China, while rising alongside India, has done so less responsibly, at times undermining the international, rules-based order even as countries like India operate within a framework that protects other nations’ sovereignty,” the Secretary of State, who will be visiting New Delhi next week, said while delivering an address on ‘Defining Our Relationship with India for the Next Century’.
The statement assumes significance in the wake of the 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam region of Bhutan. New Delhi and Beijing eventually withdrew their troops from the region on August 28 just days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the annual BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Summit.
In his remarks, Tillerson also referred to China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea region and said the US and India would work together for the security architecture in the Indo-Pacific region.
“China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea directly challenge the international law and norms that the United States and India both stand for,” he said.
“The United States seeks constructive relations with China, but we will not shrink from China’s challenges to the rules-based order and where China subverts the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and disadvantages the US and our friends.”
Tillerson said that India and the US “should be in the business of equipping other countries to defend their sovereignty, build greater connectivity, and have a louder voice in a regional architecture that promotes their interests and develops their economies”.
“This is a natural complement to India’s Act East policy,” he stated.
In this context, he also said that the US, India and Japan were “already capturing the benefits of our important trilateral engagement” and said “India and the United States must foster greater prosperity and security with the aim of a free and open Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific – including the entire Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific, and the nations that surround them – will be the most consequential part of the globe in the 21st century.”
These words will come as music to New Delhi’s ears ahead of Modi’s visit to the Philippines next month for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and East Asia Summits.
Tillerson’s remarks also came amid Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assertion at this week’s National Congress of the Communist Party of China that Beijing would never give up its “legitimate rights and interests”.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s new South Asia Strategy that sees Pakistan as an important partner, Tillerson made no bones about the fact that Washington expected Islamabad to take strong action against terror.
“We expect Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorist groups based within their own borders that threaten their own people and the broader region,” he said.
“In doing so, Pakistan furthers stability and peace for itself and its neighbours, and improves its own international standing.”
Tillerson also referred to the US’ designation of the Hizbul Mujahideen as a foreign terrorist organisation and said this was “because the United States and India stand shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism”.
“States that use terror as an instrument of policy will only see their international reputation and standing diminish,” he said, leaving to no one’s imagination which country he was referring to.
(Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at aroonim.b@ians.in)
—IANS
by Editor | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Islamabad : Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Mohammad Safdar were indicted by an accountability court on Thursday in a corruption reference pertaining to the London properties owned by the family.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three references against the Sharif family related to their Avenfield properties in London, the Azizia Steel Mills as well as another 16 offshore companies. One reference was filed against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The references were filed by the NAB in the National Accountability Court in the light of Supreme Court orders in so-called Panama Papers case. The apex court had disqualified Sharif from holding office on July 28.
All three accused pleaded not guilty to the charges and vowed to contest the case. The court indicted the former Premier through pleader Zafir Khan as Sharif is in London with his ailing wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz. The charges against Maryam and Safdar were framed in person, Dawn online reported.
The former Prime Minister was also indicted in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment references as well. His sons — Hassan and Hussain — were named co-accused in the chargesheet in the references.
The court proceeded with the verdict after rejecting applications filed by Sharif, Maryam and Safdar requesting suspension of their indictment.
Maryam Nawaz told reporters as she was leaving the court: “One day there would be accountability of the accountability process her family is going through. Injustice and atrocities cannot continue together.”
She said this was the first case of its kind “in which the verdict had been announced first and the trial was being held later.”
Commenting on reports that a NAB team has gone to London to collect evidence about Sharifs’ properties, Maryam wondered how NAB could now be entrusted with the investigation when the Supreme Court had criticised it for being ineffective during the Panama Papers case hearings.
“Has the JIT’s fraud been exposed or has NAB suddenly woken up?” she asked.
Speaking to Geo News about Maryam and Captain Safdar’s indictment, Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rashid said: “The law has truly been implemented today.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesman Fawad Chaudhary said his party was satisfied with the progress of the case.
“We are happy this case is proceeding correctly and at a swift pace. This indictment has come in just one case, there are two other cases as well.
“All the money involved in these cases belongs to the people of Pakistan, and this money will be brought back to Pakistan,” Chaudhary said.
A number of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders and workers were present outside the court complex. They held a protest after the police did not allow them to enter the premises.
—IANS
