Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Ittefaq Nama
Here in jail there is nothing to do but dream. Last night I had glorious one. I was still PM. I was taking off from Islamabad, to see Al-King. In my Samson & Delilah luggage there was a large bagging bowel. Praiz Rashid Saab was with me. He said, “what a tragedy that we have to go begging to Al-Prince who is a prime suspect in murder of world renowned journalist.”
I issued cool breath. Thanda Saans. There was a time when I couldn’t harbour negative thoughts about Al King and family. Now, I am devotee of democracy and freedom. But tragically, also leader of country that is constantly in need of beggary. Cool breath. Batter to concentrate on guard of horror that is lined up to say bye. I inspact the battalion, with their chests puffed out, guns at the ready, and I see a mirage in the distance. I ask Praiz Saab, “what that is?” He replies, “that is a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
Anyways, we arrive in Land of Sand, and that is when dream truly becomes a nightmare. On the way to our 7 star hotel, our escort stops at a McDonald’s and buys the clown standing outside. We kill the clown, cut him up, turn cannibal and start eating it. I turn to escort and ask, “doesn’t he taste funny to you?”
We arrive at hotel to find every conceivable luyury has been provided for us. Huge suite, sauna, fridge packed with food – from sushi to saalan. There’s even a personal therapist. He sits me down and tells me that if I want to feel great, I have to finish what I start. I quickly finish triple cheeseburger meal with 2 pounder chocolate fudge cake, and I feel batter already.
Then suddenly in my dream, past collapses into present. I get call from Pindi. “Go to a shopping mall and buy 20 ventriloquist dummies for Khan Saab’s cabinet”. I ask Praiz Saab that why they are asking for dummies. He says, “some ministers must be talking back. Remember, he’s the only man we know who immatures with age.” / NS
Cheers
Here in jail there is nothing to do but dream. Last night I had glorious one. I was still PM. I was taking off from Islamabad, to see Al-King. In my Samson & Delilah luggage there was a large bagging bowel. Praiz Rashid Saab was with me. He said, “what a tragedy that we have to go begging to Al-Prince who is a prime suspect in murder of world renowned journalist.”
I issued cool breath. Thanda Saans. There was a time when I couldn’t harbour negative thoughts about Al King and family. Now, I am devotee of democracy and freedom. But tragically, also leader of country that is constantly in need of beggary. Cool breath. Batter to concentrate on guard of horror that is lined up to say bye. I inspact the battalion, with their chests puffed out, guns at the ready, and I see a mirage in the distance. I ask Praiz Saab, “what that is?” He replies, “that is a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”
Anyways, we arrive in Land of Sand, and that is when dream truly becomes a nightmare. On the way to our 7 star hotel, our escort stops at a McDonald’s and buys the clown standing outside. We kill the clown, cut him up, turn cannibal and start eating it. I turn to escort and ask, “doesn’t he taste funny to you?”
We arrive at hotel to find every conceivable luyury has been provided for us. Huge suite, sauna, fridge packed with food – from sushi to saalan. There’s even a personal therapist. He sits me down and tells me that if I want to feel great, I have to finish what I start. I quickly finish triple cheeseburger meal with 2 pounder chocolate fudge cake, and I feel batter already.
Then suddenly in my dream, past collapses into present. I get call from Pindi. “Go to a shopping mall and buy 20 ventriloquist dummies for Khan Saab’s cabinet”. I ask Praiz Saab that why they are asking for dummies. He says, “some ministers must be talking back. Remember, he’s the only man we know who immatures with age.” / NS
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
US general asks Pak to cease its behaviour undermining regional stability – PTI
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s actions are often a source of "frustration" to US' regional efforts in Afghanistan, a top American general has said as he asked Islamabad to cease its behaviour undermining stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in South Asia.
During a Congressional hearing, Commander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel told the lawmakers on Tuesday that terrorists operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India.
"We look to regional actors such as Pakistan to cease behaviour undermining regional stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in Afghanistan as well as the whole of South Asia," General Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In his testimony, General Votel said that Pakistan has taken positive steps to assist Special US Representative of Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in support of Afghanistan reconciliation by facilitating talks with the Taliban
But Pakistan "has avoided taking any concrete or irreversible steps such as arresting or expelling Taliban leaders who do not cooperate with reconciliation efforts," he said.
Since being appointed in September last, Khalilzad has met with all sides in an attempt to end America's longest war in which the US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in more than 17 years.
"With our strategic focus on reconciliation and regional security, Pakistan has a unique opportunity to make good on its promises of support to US efforts focused on finding a negotiated settlement to the Afghanistan conflict," the US Commander said.
If Pakistan plays a positive role in achieving a settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the US will have opportunity and motive to help Islamabad fulfil that role, as peace in the region is the most important mutual priority for the US and Pakistan, he said.
Pakistan, Votel said,presents the US with challenges and opportunities in the execution of its South Asia Strategy.
As a state possessing nuclear weapons that sits at the nexus of Russian, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and US geopolitical interests, Pakistan will always be a country of importance to the US, he noted.
"However, Pakistan's actions are often a source of frustration to the US regional efforts in Afghanistan," Votel said.
The Pentagon's posture with Pakistan involves supporting Department of State as they pursue a diplomatic solution with Islamabad to end the conflict in Afghanistan while ensuring that Pakistan's equities are acknowledged and addressed in any future agreement.
Votel told lawmakers that Pakistan has not taken concrete actions against the safe havens of violent extremist organisations or VEOs inside its borders.
"Similarly, VEOs located in Afghanistan conduct attacks inside Pakistan. This cross-border instability and violence generates tension along both sides of the border," he said.
"The suspension of US security assistance funds to Pakistan remains in place. Meanwhile, some US Pakistan military cooperation activities have continued, demonstrating the importance of military cooperation, despite challenges in the bilateral relationship," the general said.
Cheers
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s actions are often a source of "frustration" to US' regional efforts in Afghanistan, a top American general has said as he asked Islamabad to cease its behaviour undermining stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in South Asia.
During a Congressional hearing, Commander of the US Central Command General Joseph Votel told the lawmakers on Tuesday that terrorists operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India.
"We look to regional actors such as Pakistan to cease behaviour undermining regional stability and play constructive role in achieving peace in Afghanistan as well as the whole of South Asia," General Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In his testimony, General Votel said that Pakistan has taken positive steps to assist Special US Representative of Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in support of Afghanistan reconciliation by facilitating talks with the Taliban
But Pakistan "has avoided taking any concrete or irreversible steps such as arresting or expelling Taliban leaders who do not cooperate with reconciliation efforts," he said.
Since being appointed in September last, Khalilzad has met with all sides in an attempt to end America's longest war in which the US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in more than 17 years.
"With our strategic focus on reconciliation and regional security, Pakistan has a unique opportunity to make good on its promises of support to US efforts focused on finding a negotiated settlement to the Afghanistan conflict," the US Commander said.
If Pakistan plays a positive role in achieving a settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan, the US will have opportunity and motive to help Islamabad fulfil that role, as peace in the region is the most important mutual priority for the US and Pakistan, he said.
Pakistan, Votel said,presents the US with challenges and opportunities in the execution of its South Asia Strategy.
As a state possessing nuclear weapons that sits at the nexus of Russian, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and US geopolitical interests, Pakistan will always be a country of importance to the US, he noted.
"However, Pakistan's actions are often a source of frustration to the US regional efforts in Afghanistan," Votel said.
The Pentagon's posture with Pakistan involves supporting Department of State as they pursue a diplomatic solution with Islamabad to end the conflict in Afghanistan while ensuring that Pakistan's equities are acknowledged and addressed in any future agreement.
Votel told lawmakers that Pakistan has not taken concrete actions against the safe havens of violent extremist organisations or VEOs inside its borders.
"Similarly, VEOs located in Afghanistan conduct attacks inside Pakistan. This cross-border instability and violence generates tension along both sides of the border," he said.
"The suspension of US security assistance funds to Pakistan remains in place. Meanwhile, some US Pakistan military cooperation activities have continued, demonstrating the importance of military cooperation, despite challenges in the bilateral relationship," the general said.
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
The Verdict - PTI’s vague and static foreign policy will only worsen Pakistan’s standing in the world - Imad Zafar
Historically, Pakistan’s foreign policy has been a domain in which elected governments have been allowed very little space and scope to work in. Our founding father envisaged a foreign policy based on peaceful relations with our neighbours – including India – and one that would value our sovereignty. Contrary to his vision, Pakistan has not been able to devise a balanced policy that can be termed entirely beneficial for its own national interest.
The current government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also finds itself in a position where Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is symbolically heading foreign affairs while the actual decisions are perhaps made somewhere else. Since the era of Liaquat Ali Khan when our political leadership held the reins, Pakistan’s foreign policy has been heavily influenced by our dependence on US aid. Now however, our tendency to depend upon the oil-rich Middle Eastern states is clear, especially as our historic ties with the US worsened under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Over the decades the civilian government has lost its hold over foreign policy matters, and the most we have seen a leader deviate from it has been during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz tried to assert control and was partially successful in shifting the focus away from the US and the Middle East to improving ties with China, Russia, Iran and Turkey. He also tried his level best to normalise relations with India and the fundamentalist government of Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While ties with these states did improve (with the exception of India), we suffered the consequences by falling out of favour with the Gulf states, especially when Nawaz’s government decided to not get involved in the war in Yemen. Similarly, as our relationship with China furthered and we grew less dependent on the US, we also fell out of favour with Washington.
The current PTI government, which is not very experienced in the geopolitical front, lacks the competence to understand the dynamics of the diplomatic and foreign policy domains. The decision to turn back to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for immediate relief packages in the form of soft loans and oil on deferred payments has raised serious concerns regarding the current direction of our foreign policy. After all, there is no concept of a free lunch in the diplomatic world, and the Parliament still has not been taken into confidence about the detailed nature of our agreements with the countries who have agreed to ‘assist’ us.
After all, the presence of Saudi Arabia and UAE in Gwadar will not please Iran, their greatest rival in the region. Further, despite claims by the government that Pakistan will remain neutral in the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and mediate in Yemen, one wonders how neutral we can remain given our newfound dependence on the Gulf States. One hopes the present government understands that Pakistan cannot afford any confrontations with Iran, especially once the Taliban and the US agree on the latter’s departure from Afghanistan, leaving the region more vulnerable.
On the other hand, there have been hints that China is not too happy with the possibility of Saudi involvement in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As China is often tight-lipped regarding such policies there have been no recorded official statements, but their hesitation to offer assistance (before eventually doing so) indicates that all is not well.
One must also remember that the Saudi monarchy played a major role alongside Washington in giving birth to extremism in Pakistan, particularly through the dollar and riyal sponsored jihad in the 80s and the war on terror after 9/11. The extremism that almost destroyed the social fabric of our society is the by-product of relying on the Saudis and the US. Once again relying on the Arab States in order to fill the void left by US dollars goes to show that we have not learnt our lesson and perhaps need a refresher of our recent past.
Talking to the Express Tribune, former Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Hussain Haqqani cited our dependence on other countries as a flaw in our foreign policy. According to Haqqani,
“Dependency is never a good policy. Pakistan had several difficult decades because of dependence on the US, and the willingness to depend on China also hampered economic growth, as an addition to creating a rent-seeking mentality. Saudi Arabia and UAE are less likely to be as interfering as the global powers, but there will still be political consequences of economic dependence. Pakistan should keep balanced relations with other countries instead of persisting with seeking patrons whose aid constrains the country’s foreign policy options.”
Haqqani seems to get it right, for our foreign policy over the last 71 years has seemingly revolved around seeking patronage from different but powerful countries instead of making ties based on equality and trade, the way India does.
Imran had the unique opportunity to change this, and instead of relying on the Arab States or other global powers, he could have added some balance by neutralising relations with our neighbours and put in front of the world the case of Pakistan as a state ready to learn from the mistakes of the past and interested in making friendly and business-seeking relations with states other than the ones it is presently dependent on.
However, Imran missed the opportunity and we are back to square one. If we are only to be a state dependent on foreign aid and willing to become a part of proxy wars waged by powerful countries, we can attain neither peace nor progress. One way forward would be for elected governments to have more control in laying down the foundation of a new foreign policy. China is an example in this regard, for despite having major conflicts with the US, India and Japan, it still maintains good trade relations with these states and never lets hostility become a hindrance towards its trade and profit.
Thus, it is not hard to see that an entirely aggressive or defence-based foreign policy will get us nowhere in the world. Additionally, a government whose own legitimacy is in question, due to allegations of electoral manipulation, cannot fully take control and reshape foreign policy while also surrendering to the national interest of other states and taking dictation from its benefactors. Without a balanced and multidimensional foreign policy, Pakistan will keep moving in circles and will always remain dependent on various global players for its survival.
Cheers
Historically, Pakistan’s foreign policy has been a domain in which elected governments have been allowed very little space and scope to work in. Our founding father envisaged a foreign policy based on peaceful relations with our neighbours – including India – and one that would value our sovereignty. Contrary to his vision, Pakistan has not been able to devise a balanced policy that can be termed entirely beneficial for its own national interest.
The current government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) also finds itself in a position where Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is symbolically heading foreign affairs while the actual decisions are perhaps made somewhere else. Since the era of Liaquat Ali Khan when our political leadership held the reins, Pakistan’s foreign policy has been heavily influenced by our dependence on US aid. Now however, our tendency to depend upon the oil-rich Middle Eastern states is clear, especially as our historic ties with the US worsened under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Over the decades the civilian government has lost its hold over foreign policy matters, and the most we have seen a leader deviate from it has been during the tenure of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz tried to assert control and was partially successful in shifting the focus away from the US and the Middle East to improving ties with China, Russia, Iran and Turkey. He also tried his level best to normalise relations with India and the fundamentalist government of Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While ties with these states did improve (with the exception of India), we suffered the consequences by falling out of favour with the Gulf states, especially when Nawaz’s government decided to not get involved in the war in Yemen. Similarly, as our relationship with China furthered and we grew less dependent on the US, we also fell out of favour with Washington.
The current PTI government, which is not very experienced in the geopolitical front, lacks the competence to understand the dynamics of the diplomatic and foreign policy domains. The decision to turn back to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for immediate relief packages in the form of soft loans and oil on deferred payments has raised serious concerns regarding the current direction of our foreign policy. After all, there is no concept of a free lunch in the diplomatic world, and the Parliament still has not been taken into confidence about the detailed nature of our agreements with the countries who have agreed to ‘assist’ us.
After all, the presence of Saudi Arabia and UAE in Gwadar will not please Iran, their greatest rival in the region. Further, despite claims by the government that Pakistan will remain neutral in the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia and mediate in Yemen, one wonders how neutral we can remain given our newfound dependence on the Gulf States. One hopes the present government understands that Pakistan cannot afford any confrontations with Iran, especially once the Taliban and the US agree on the latter’s departure from Afghanistan, leaving the region more vulnerable.
On the other hand, there have been hints that China is not too happy with the possibility of Saudi involvement in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As China is often tight-lipped regarding such policies there have been no recorded official statements, but their hesitation to offer assistance (before eventually doing so) indicates that all is not well.
One must also remember that the Saudi monarchy played a major role alongside Washington in giving birth to extremism in Pakistan, particularly through the dollar and riyal sponsored jihad in the 80s and the war on terror after 9/11. The extremism that almost destroyed the social fabric of our society is the by-product of relying on the Saudis and the US. Once again relying on the Arab States in order to fill the void left by US dollars goes to show that we have not learnt our lesson and perhaps need a refresher of our recent past.
Talking to the Express Tribune, former Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Hussain Haqqani cited our dependence on other countries as a flaw in our foreign policy. According to Haqqani,
“Dependency is never a good policy. Pakistan had several difficult decades because of dependence on the US, and the willingness to depend on China also hampered economic growth, as an addition to creating a rent-seeking mentality. Saudi Arabia and UAE are less likely to be as interfering as the global powers, but there will still be political consequences of economic dependence. Pakistan should keep balanced relations with other countries instead of persisting with seeking patrons whose aid constrains the country’s foreign policy options.”
Haqqani seems to get it right, for our foreign policy over the last 71 years has seemingly revolved around seeking patronage from different but powerful countries instead of making ties based on equality and trade, the way India does.
Imran had the unique opportunity to change this, and instead of relying on the Arab States or other global powers, he could have added some balance by neutralising relations with our neighbours and put in front of the world the case of Pakistan as a state ready to learn from the mistakes of the past and interested in making friendly and business-seeking relations with states other than the ones it is presently dependent on.
However, Imran missed the opportunity and we are back to square one. If we are only to be a state dependent on foreign aid and willing to become a part of proxy wars waged by powerful countries, we can attain neither peace nor progress. One way forward would be for elected governments to have more control in laying down the foundation of a new foreign policy. China is an example in this regard, for despite having major conflicts with the US, India and Japan, it still maintains good trade relations with these states and never lets hostility become a hindrance towards its trade and profit.
Thus, it is not hard to see that an entirely aggressive or defence-based foreign policy will get us nowhere in the world. Additionally, a government whose own legitimacy is in question, due to allegations of electoral manipulation, cannot fully take control and reshape foreign policy while also surrendering to the national interest of other states and taking dictation from its benefactors. Without a balanced and multidimensional foreign policy, Pakistan will keep moving in circles and will always remain dependent on various global players for its survival.
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Ha ha ha ...visit Pakistan once and be ready for special treatment at the immigration counter of every country you visit in future. Wont be able to book tight connections anymore...menon s wrote:Pakistan is now offerring E Visas to People of Indian Origin, but other nationality. Step two before , their mission, 2020...over Indian Punjab.
No one will fall for it...
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
X Posted from the Pakistani Economic Stress Watch thread.
Express Tribune reports that the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan has made Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s boast that the Islamic would “Eat Grass” come true.
Lots of nuggets on the pretty pickle the Islamic Republic has got itself into, the key one for me being the size of the defence budget “inclusive of pensions, strategic nature expenses and special military packages” being PKR 1.676 Trillion. Not clear though if this PKR 1.676 Trillion includes outlay for debt servicing on debt taken on for military acquisitions / purposes.
Govt to pay Rs3.6 trillion on defence, debt servicing
Express Tribune reports that the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan has made Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s boast that the Islamic would “Eat Grass” come true.
Lots of nuggets on the pretty pickle the Islamic Republic has got itself into, the key one for me being the size of the defence budget “inclusive of pensions, strategic nature expenses and special military packages” being PKR 1.676 Trillion. Not clear though if this PKR 1.676 Trillion includes outlay for debt servicing on debt taken on for military acquisitions / purposes.
From here:Govt to pay Rs3.6 trillion on defence, debt servicing
By Shahbaz Rana Published: February 7, 2019
ISLAMABAD: The federal government would pay a whopping Rs3.6 trillion on account of defence and debt servicing that is equal to 68.2% of the current fiscal year’s revised budget, the centre on Wednesday sensitised the provinces about the grave fiscal situation that has thrown the country into a debt trap.
After excluding debt servicing and defence related obligations, the net federal revenues for fiscal year 2018-19 are negative Rs632 billion, Federal Secretary Finance Arif Ahmad Khan briefed the four provinces during the first meeting of the ninth National Finance Commission (NFC).
The NFC meeting included a detailed presentation by the federal finance secretary, focusing on the country’s overall current fiscal position.
The federal government’s total gross revenues are estimated at Rs5.5 trillion. Out of this sum, the provinces will get Rs2.581 trillion as their share in the federal divisible pool. This leaves the net federal revenues at Rs3 trillion but the cumulative spending on just two heads – debt and defence – is Rs3.62 trillion.
Since the debt and defence spending are equal to 121% of the net federal revenues, the finance ministry borrows to pay salaries, pensions, run hospitals, schools and build roads. Every penny that the centre spends on development is borrowed from the banks and foreign lenders.
Pakistan’s debt and liabilities surge to Rs31 trillion
Compared with negative Rs632-billion revenue of the federal government, the net revenue, after excluding interest payments of the provinces, is positive Rs583 billion for this fiscal year. Under the existing constitutional arrangement, defence is the responsibility of the centre.
Against the stated defence budget of Rs1.1 trillion, the finance ministry told the NFC that by the end of fiscal year 2019, Rs1.676 trillion would be spent on defence that is equal to 31.5% of the federal budget. This is the second biggest charge on the budget after debt servicing.
The Rs1.676-trillion defence expenditures are inclusive of pensions, strategic nature expenses and special military packages, according to the finance ministry’s presentation.
Similarly, against Rs1.842-trillion budgeted cost of debt servicing, the finance ministry told the provinces that the debt servicing would consume minimum Rs1.95 trillion, or 36.6%, of the total budget. The central bank’s decision to increase interest rates also put additional burden of roughly Rs500 billion on the finance ministry due to high cost of borrowing.
Pakistan to pay China $40b on $26.5b CPEC investments in 20 years
The cumulative spending on these debt and defence has been projected at Rs3.621 trillion, or 68.2%, of the budget by the finance ministry.
Such an alarming situation of the federal fiscal operations showed that the centre was not in a position to surrender any amount out of its 42.5% share in the federal divisible pool. But the provinces want to increase their pie.
The finance ministry has projected the size of the budget at Rs5.38 trillion for this fiscal year and showed the federal fiscal deficit at Rs2.4 trillion or 6.3% of GDP.
“Until resources are increased, neither the provinces nor the centre can achieve its targets,” said Finance Minister Asad Umar after the NFC meeting.
Punjab’s technical member NFC Dr Salman Shah said the overall debt has increased to Rs30 trillion and this carried huge implications for the federal government as someone has to finance it.
The finance ministry took a position in the NFC that the fiscal sustainability was at the heart of the economic and social management. It was of the view that imprudent fiscal management led to worsening external account, unsustainable economic growth and increase in prices and accumulation of debt.
In its presentation, the Ministry of Finance projected the FBR’s revenues at Rs4.417 trillion while the other revenues were shown at Rs1.15 trillion. The gross revenue receipts that were equal to 12.1% of GDP in 2012 have now increased to Rs14.8% of GDP.
But the stick and inelasticity in expenditures, like defence and debt servicing, kept the budget deficit towards the higher end. The total federal expenditures that were Rs3 trillion or equal to 15.2% of GDP in 2012 have now increased to Rs5.4 trillion. The high debt and defence servicing adversely impacted the federal development spending that was Rs317 billion, or 1.6%, of GDP in 2012 will now go down to 1.5% of GDP at the end of this fiscal year. In absolute terms, the finance ministry has projected the federal development spending at Rs575 billion in this fiscal year.
Total gross revenues of the four provinces have been projected at only Rs654 billion in this fiscal year. The four provinces have been projected to pay Rs71 billion in interest payments, leaving their net revenues, excluding interest payments at Rs583 billion.
But Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday blamed the FBR for this poor fiscal performance. He was of the view that the provinces showed 26% growth in collection of sales tax on services during the past five years, which was double the growth rate in collection of sales tax on goods by the FBR.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2019.
Govt to pay Rs3.6 trillion on defence, debt servicing
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47147409
A protest Pakistan wants to hide from the world. the protestors of the PTM rounded up.
excerpts
A protest Pakistan wants to hide from the world. the protestors of the PTM rounded up.
excerpts
But on the periphery of the Kashmir rally, police were busy spotting and arresting young men they suspected had come to attend another rally due to be held at the same venue.
Far from being militants, they were members or supporters of a rights movement that has been highlighting abuses by Pakistan's own military, in the ethnic Pashtun regions along the border with Afghanistan.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 30 activists of the Pashtun Tahaffuz (Protection) Movement, or PTM, had been rounded up, thrown in a police truck and taken to a police station.
The drama unfolded against the backdrop of speeches from the Kashmir rally in which speakers listed rights violations in Kashmir by the Indian army, and right in front of the eyes of the waiting media.
Dozens of television and newspaper photographers raced from one end to another trying to capture each arrest on camera.
But it was just their journalistic instincts kicking in - not a race to be first to actually cover the drama.
Because, while their TV channels thoroughly covered Kashmir Day events all over the country, including Islamabad, none of the videos of the arrests of the activists made it to the TV screens. Nor did they make headlines in the morning newspapers.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
The Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan may be attempting to hide atrocities but the world has picked up on it. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani’s tweet on the subject:wig wrote:https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47147409
A protest Pakistan wants to hide from the world. the protestors of the PTM rounded up.
………{Rest Snipped}………
From here:Ashraf Ghani
Verified account
@ashrafghani
Follow Follow @ashrafghani
More
The Afghan government has serious concerns about the violence perpetrated against peaceful protestors and civil activists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
7:51 PM - 6 Feb 2019
https://twitter.com/ashrafghani/status/ ... 0926247937
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Pakistan cuts loan estimate as $6.5b remains stuck - Shahbaz Rana
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has cut its projection of foreign inflows from traditional multilateral and bilateral lenders to only $3.7 billion for the current fiscal year as $6.5 billion in loans remains stuck in the pipeline due to administrative and procedural hurdles.
The $6.5 billion worth of loans stuck at various approval stages are exclusive of the amount that Pakistan is not receiving for already approved and under-implementation projects.
The slow disbursement poses a challenge for the government, which is struggling to bridge the external financing gap despite securing $14.5 billion worth of commitments from three countries.
Finance Minister Asad Umar is expected to go on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday aimed at discussing the remaining issues hindering operationalisation of a $3.2-billion oil facility from the UAE.
Foreign exchange: SBP reserves rise 0.47% to stand at $8.2b
The Economic Affairs Division has projected the receipt of $3.7 billion from four multilateral agencies and bilateral sources, lowering them by 15% or $635 million, according to officials of the finance ministry. The inflows from four multilateral agencies have now been projected at $2.4 billion only against $3.3 billion in budgetary estimates, they added.
There is a reduction of $878 million or 27% from these four sources – the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The reduction in inflows from the multilateral agencies is partially offset by an increase in inflows from China, but still the overall inflows from all these sources are now estimated at $3.7 billion.
For the ongoing fiscal year, the government had projected $9.2 billion worth of foreign inflows and of these $4.3 billion was the responsibility of the EAD. The remaining $3 billion was planned to be raised through the issuance of sovereign bonds and another $2 billion through foreign commercial borrowing.
Sources said the finance minister had started taking regular briefings on the foreign loan disbursements.
In first half of the current fiscal year, Pakistan received $2.2 billion in loans including foreign commercial loans. It has now been estimated that the ADB may disburse slightly over $1 billion against initial estimates of $1.4 billion, a reduction of $339 million or nearly 25%. The IDB may disburse $827 million in the current fiscal year, down 19%, and disbursement from the World Bank is now estimated at only $464 million, a decrease of 43%.
But the AIIB inflows are projected at $110 million – slightly higher than the budgetary estimates.
From bilateral sources, China is now expected to release $1.1 billion for project financing, higher by $252 million or 30% from budgetary estimates. The $2.5-billion Chinese commercial loans will be in addition to the project financing.
The finance ministry had shelved the idea of issuing sovereign bonds due to a high cost of financing. But it now plans to float Sukuk bond to meet the financing gap.
The officials said the finance minister had been informed about the reasons behind the declining foreign inflows. The delay in award of contracts for approved projects and a time-consuming process for the approval of PC-Is by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) are affecting disbursements for ongoing and pipeline projects.
Project management units were also not very effective while some of the loans remained undisbursed due to dispute over applicability of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, said the officials. The World Bank is also seeking a new mechanism for making effective its Programme for Results (PfR) financing instruments.
Because of these reasons about $6.5 billion worth of projects remain stuck at various stages, said the officials. The $2.5-billion projects of the World Bank are in the pipeline, mainly due to delay in giving requisite approvals.
PM Imran advised caution on IMF bailout deal
These include Pakistan Hydromet and DRM Services project, Khyber Pass Economic Corridor, Punjab cities programme, Punjab green development programme, K-P own-source revenue programme, integrated tourism project and Karachi Urban mobility.
The ADB’s $1.1 billion worth of projects are facing issues like approval from Ecnec, the CDWP and the macroeconomic issues delaying issuance of a letter of comfort by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Three projects of China costing $827 million also face problems like loan application and approval of the PC-I. Similarly, over $2 billion worth of projects to be financed by the AIIB are also pending due to administrative and procedural delays.
These include $436 million worth of Lahore Water and Waste Water Management project, $409-million Rawalpindi Ring Road project, $500 million for the Mohmand dam and power project and $640-million Karachi Water and Sewerage Services project.
Cheers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has cut its projection of foreign inflows from traditional multilateral and bilateral lenders to only $3.7 billion for the current fiscal year as $6.5 billion in loans remains stuck in the pipeline due to administrative and procedural hurdles.
The $6.5 billion worth of loans stuck at various approval stages are exclusive of the amount that Pakistan is not receiving for already approved and under-implementation projects.
The slow disbursement poses a challenge for the government, which is struggling to bridge the external financing gap despite securing $14.5 billion worth of commitments from three countries.
Finance Minister Asad Umar is expected to go on a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday aimed at discussing the remaining issues hindering operationalisation of a $3.2-billion oil facility from the UAE.
Foreign exchange: SBP reserves rise 0.47% to stand at $8.2b
The Economic Affairs Division has projected the receipt of $3.7 billion from four multilateral agencies and bilateral sources, lowering them by 15% or $635 million, according to officials of the finance ministry. The inflows from four multilateral agencies have now been projected at $2.4 billion only against $3.3 billion in budgetary estimates, they added.
There is a reduction of $878 million or 27% from these four sources – the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The reduction in inflows from the multilateral agencies is partially offset by an increase in inflows from China, but still the overall inflows from all these sources are now estimated at $3.7 billion.
For the ongoing fiscal year, the government had projected $9.2 billion worth of foreign inflows and of these $4.3 billion was the responsibility of the EAD. The remaining $3 billion was planned to be raised through the issuance of sovereign bonds and another $2 billion through foreign commercial borrowing.
Sources said the finance minister had started taking regular briefings on the foreign loan disbursements.
In first half of the current fiscal year, Pakistan received $2.2 billion in loans including foreign commercial loans. It has now been estimated that the ADB may disburse slightly over $1 billion against initial estimates of $1.4 billion, a reduction of $339 million or nearly 25%. The IDB may disburse $827 million in the current fiscal year, down 19%, and disbursement from the World Bank is now estimated at only $464 million, a decrease of 43%.
But the AIIB inflows are projected at $110 million – slightly higher than the budgetary estimates.
From bilateral sources, China is now expected to release $1.1 billion for project financing, higher by $252 million or 30% from budgetary estimates. The $2.5-billion Chinese commercial loans will be in addition to the project financing.
The finance ministry had shelved the idea of issuing sovereign bonds due to a high cost of financing. But it now plans to float Sukuk bond to meet the financing gap.
The officials said the finance minister had been informed about the reasons behind the declining foreign inflows. The delay in award of contracts for approved projects and a time-consuming process for the approval of PC-Is by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) are affecting disbursements for ongoing and pipeline projects.
Project management units were also not very effective while some of the loans remained undisbursed due to dispute over applicability of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, said the officials. The World Bank is also seeking a new mechanism for making effective its Programme for Results (PfR) financing instruments.
Because of these reasons about $6.5 billion worth of projects remain stuck at various stages, said the officials. The $2.5-billion projects of the World Bank are in the pipeline, mainly due to delay in giving requisite approvals.
PM Imran advised caution on IMF bailout deal
These include Pakistan Hydromet and DRM Services project, Khyber Pass Economic Corridor, Punjab cities programme, Punjab green development programme, K-P own-source revenue programme, integrated tourism project and Karachi Urban mobility.
The ADB’s $1.1 billion worth of projects are facing issues like approval from Ecnec, the CDWP and the macroeconomic issues delaying issuance of a letter of comfort by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Three projects of China costing $827 million also face problems like loan application and approval of the PC-I. Similarly, over $2 billion worth of projects to be financed by the AIIB are also pending due to administrative and procedural delays.
These include $436 million worth of Lahore Water and Waste Water Management project, $409-million Rawalpindi Ring Road project, $500 million for the Mohmand dam and power project and $640-million Karachi Water and Sewerage Services project.
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Jammu & Kashmir has more freedom than Pakistan, says US report
Not the first time that Freedom House in their annual report titled “Freedom In The World” has rated the level of Freedom in Jammu & Kashmir as greater than that in the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Excerpt from Eco Times:
Freedom in the World Countries
Not the first time that Freedom House in their annual report titled “Freedom In The World” has rated the level of Freedom in Jammu & Kashmir as greater than that in the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Excerpt from Eco Times:
For the rankings of countries and territories see here on Freedom House Website:In its recently-released annual report, Freedom in the World 2019, the watchdog said Jammu & Kashmir scored 49 on the 100-point Freedom House Index, while Pakistan scored 39 and PoK a paltry 28. The report also labelled PoK as “not free” in terms of freedom enjoyed by its residents and the functioning of local institutes.
The US was rated 86 on the index, closely followed by India at 75.
Freedom in the World Countries
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Shaving grace
Pakistan’s rugged north-west sees an outbreak of pogonophilia
Young Pakistani men are saying it with facial hair. What they mean is a mystery
Hovering above a plush barber’s chair in his small hair salon in Peshawar, a city in northern Pakistan, Muhammad Ijaz strokes a beard so intricately designed it verges on the preposterous. Hair swoops across his cheeks. A chinstrap of clean-shaven skin surrounds a thin goatee. “It’s never been done before,” boasts the 24-year-old with a smile.
Such so-called “French” beards (a term that might surprise Parisians) are sprouting all over the urban centres of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous border region, only recently emerged from almost a decade on the front line of Pakistan’s Taliban insurgency. Between 60% and 95% of customers now come in for fancy designs, according to a straw poll of the barbers in Khyber supermarket, a popular shopping destination. One barber draws his fingers across his face, illustrating the “l”, the “j” and other in-vogue patterns.
Why the coiffed exuberance? A barber’s customers offer a variety of explanations. Eyeing your correspondent in the mirror, one suggests that the young men of Pakistan’s Pushtun minority are mimicking Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model, whose murder by the police last year turned him into a martyr against state oppression. Another says he simply admires the West (for “its peace and greenery”, especially). As internet access spreads through Pakistan’s deprived, Pushtun-dominated north-west, young people now connect more to global trends: they pirate “Game of Thrones”, “Vikings” and other razor-shy shows in huge numbers.
Today’s styles, though, are not entirely new. Beards “have always been a part of Pushtun culture” notes Swat Swag, a popular storyteller, on Twitter. These liberal designs represent a “return to pre-Afghan-jihad, pre-madrassa-influence”, ie, to the 1960s. So it is not surprising that imams disapprove. In late 2017 Islamist groups threatened to shut down barbers offering “un-Islamic” designs. Fundamentalists believe Muslims should wear a beard in the style of Muhammad, the longer, the better. Officials in the district of Swabi and the village of Shabqadar have followed up with legally tenuous edicts. In March the Sulemani Hairdressers’ Association ordered all its followers, who it claims number 100,000, to eschew cheeky designs. “Now the government must make it a law,” says Gohar Ali, the association’s leader.
It shows no sign of doing so. Compliance is patchier than with previous “beard bans”. Another union has refused to play along. In Beauty Saloon barbers, Imtiaz Khan says he agrees with the ban. “Fashion is a sin,” he explains. But following the order has cost him half his business, he admits, as his scissors snip around the face of a fashionable friend to whom he has—grudgingly—granted an exemption.
Cheers
Pakistan’s rugged north-west sees an outbreak of pogonophilia
Young Pakistani men are saying it with facial hair. What they mean is a mystery
Hovering above a plush barber’s chair in his small hair salon in Peshawar, a city in northern Pakistan, Muhammad Ijaz strokes a beard so intricately designed it verges on the preposterous. Hair swoops across his cheeks. A chinstrap of clean-shaven skin surrounds a thin goatee. “It’s never been done before,” boasts the 24-year-old with a smile.
Such so-called “French” beards (a term that might surprise Parisians) are sprouting all over the urban centres of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous border region, only recently emerged from almost a decade on the front line of Pakistan’s Taliban insurgency. Between 60% and 95% of customers now come in for fancy designs, according to a straw poll of the barbers in Khyber supermarket, a popular shopping destination. One barber draws his fingers across his face, illustrating the “l”, the “j” and other in-vogue patterns.
Why the coiffed exuberance? A barber’s customers offer a variety of explanations. Eyeing your correspondent in the mirror, one suggests that the young men of Pakistan’s Pushtun minority are mimicking Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model, whose murder by the police last year turned him into a martyr against state oppression. Another says he simply admires the West (for “its peace and greenery”, especially). As internet access spreads through Pakistan’s deprived, Pushtun-dominated north-west, young people now connect more to global trends: they pirate “Game of Thrones”, “Vikings” and other razor-shy shows in huge numbers.
Today’s styles, though, are not entirely new. Beards “have always been a part of Pushtun culture” notes Swat Swag, a popular storyteller, on Twitter. These liberal designs represent a “return to pre-Afghan-jihad, pre-madrassa-influence”, ie, to the 1960s. So it is not surprising that imams disapprove. In late 2017 Islamist groups threatened to shut down barbers offering “un-Islamic” designs. Fundamentalists believe Muslims should wear a beard in the style of Muhammad, the longer, the better. Officials in the district of Swabi and the village of Shabqadar have followed up with legally tenuous edicts. In March the Sulemani Hairdressers’ Association ordered all its followers, who it claims number 100,000, to eschew cheeky designs. “Now the government must make it a law,” says Gohar Ali, the association’s leader.
It shows no sign of doing so. Compliance is patchier than with previous “beard bans”. Another union has refused to play along. In Beauty Saloon barbers, Imtiaz Khan says he agrees with the ban. “Fashion is a sin,” he explains. But following the order has cost him half his business, he admits, as his scissors snip around the face of a fashionable friend to whom he has—grudgingly—granted an exemption.
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
No axe to fall on defence budget, decides cabinet - Syed Irfan Raza
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided not to make any cuts in the country’s defence budget, preferring instead to intend to increase it through the generation of more revenue. Terroristan has decided that it must have HALF THE DEFENCE CAPACITY AS INDIA. As such India's Defence Budget is about US$ 45 Billion and soTerroristan MUST RAISE its Defence Budget from US$ 12 Billion to say US$ 24 Billion!
“The country’s defence budget is already low as compared to other states in the region, and therefore it should be increased,” said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a post-cabinet meeting press conference on Thursday.
Asked about the government’s austerity measures to reduce running expenditures by 10 per cent, he commented, “Some people have problems about the defence budget and try to make it an issue.
“However, they don’t know that our defence budget is already lower than that of other states in the region, including India.”
Further, he elaborated, “We want to increase our defence and security; therefore we need to increase our defence budget and for that purpose we want to generate more revenue.”
Mr Chaudhry said that the government and army were enjoying a period of unprecedented coordination.
Balancing act
The information minister said that the cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, lamented the arrest of PTI Punjab provincial minister Abdul Aleem Khan, terming it a “balancing act” on the part of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to justify its actions against leaders of opposition parties.
Read more: Khan's arrest not a balancing act: Fawad Chaudhry
“NAB should act on the basis of facts and justice and should avoid balancing acts under which innocent PTI leaders are being targeted,” he added.
Public accounts committee
The information minister said the federal cabinet reiterated that the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), was using the committee as a shield against the corruption cases against him. The cabinet was of the view that ethically, Mr Sharif was not entitled to head the PAC and must step down.
Mr Chaudhry presented the information that Prime Minister Khan took notice of the complaints of consumers regarding ‘inflated’ gas bills and ordered an external audit of bills over the last two months. Asked why the prime minister ordered an audit despite the fact that he himself [PM Imran Khan] approved new slabs of gas consumption price, being the head of the federal cabinet, the minister said that the government had decided to revise these.
Read more: Cabinet wants Shahbaz Sharif to resign from PAC chairmanship
According to the current price slabs, those who consume 5 Hm3 (500 cubic metres) and more will have to pay Rs1,480 for per cubic metre and this will apply to total consumption. “The gas slab price system will be revised to limit gas-price increase for the vulnerable 70pc of the population,” the minister explained. (On Sunday, the premier took notice of increased gas prices for domestic consumers and ordered the petroleum minister to conduct an inquiry into the matter.)
The information minister noted that only 23pc of the population was using natural gas for domestic needs, with the rest using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), wood or other fuel sources. He added that the government was providing a subsidy on costlier gas that is being imported since the tenure of the PML-N regime.
Earlier, Mr Chaudhry claimed that the prices of consumer items have been reduced. “When the PML-N came to power in Nov 2013, prices rose by 5.8pc in the first six months, while during the ruling PTI’s first six months prices rose by a much lower 1.4pc,” he said. The prices of chicken, garlic, onion, potatoes, chickpeas, lentils and potatoes had actually gone down, the minister maintained, while those of eggs, cabbage, high-speed diesel, and petrol had also seen a downward trend. Nevertheless, he conceded that the cost of tomatoes, inter-city bus fares, cement, diesel, electricity, mutton and tea prices had increased.
Mr Chaudhry provided the information that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to monitor the prices of various goods. The committee will look into the matter along with Minister for Planning Khusro Bakhtiar.
Prime Minister Khan, he said, had ordered the housing minister to deal with those occupying properties illegally. Mr Chaudhry claimed that former Senate chairman and PPP stalwart Raza Rabbani and Senator Mushahidullah Khan were illegally occupying official houses at the Minister’s Enclave.
Dual nationals
The information minister informed that the government wanted to provide opportunities to overseas Pakistanis to work in government departments. He, however, added the rider that “While the prime minister acknowledges that overseas Pakistanis are an asset, the law ministry is drawing up a list of government positions in which dual nationals will not be entitled to work.”
Lastly, talking about development activities regarding the Sikh community’s holy places at Kartarpur, which lies on the border of Pakistan and India, the Mr Chaudhry said that a committee headed by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar had been formed to oversee the work. (PM Khan performed the groundbreaking ceremony of a long-awaited corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the Kartarpur area of Narowal district to Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district on Nov 28.)
Cheers
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided not to make any cuts in the country’s defence budget, preferring instead to intend to increase it through the generation of more revenue. Terroristan has decided that it must have HALF THE DEFENCE CAPACITY AS INDIA. As such India's Defence Budget is about US$ 45 Billion and soTerroristan MUST RAISE its Defence Budget from US$ 12 Billion to say US$ 24 Billion!
“The country’s defence budget is already low as compared to other states in the region, and therefore it should be increased,” said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry in a post-cabinet meeting press conference on Thursday.
Asked about the government’s austerity measures to reduce running expenditures by 10 per cent, he commented, “Some people have problems about the defence budget and try to make it an issue.
“However, they don’t know that our defence budget is already lower than that of other states in the region, including India.”
Further, he elaborated, “We want to increase our defence and security; therefore we need to increase our defence budget and for that purpose we want to generate more revenue.”
Mr Chaudhry said that the government and army were enjoying a period of unprecedented coordination.
Balancing act
The information minister said that the cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, lamented the arrest of PTI Punjab provincial minister Abdul Aleem Khan, terming it a “balancing act” on the part of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to justify its actions against leaders of opposition parties.
Read more: Khan's arrest not a balancing act: Fawad Chaudhry
“NAB should act on the basis of facts and justice and should avoid balancing acts under which innocent PTI leaders are being targeted,” he added.
Public accounts committee
The information minister said the federal cabinet reiterated that the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, who is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), was using the committee as a shield against the corruption cases against him. The cabinet was of the view that ethically, Mr Sharif was not entitled to head the PAC and must step down.
Mr Chaudhry presented the information that Prime Minister Khan took notice of the complaints of consumers regarding ‘inflated’ gas bills and ordered an external audit of bills over the last two months. Asked why the prime minister ordered an audit despite the fact that he himself [PM Imran Khan] approved new slabs of gas consumption price, being the head of the federal cabinet, the minister said that the government had decided to revise these.
Read more: Cabinet wants Shahbaz Sharif to resign from PAC chairmanship
According to the current price slabs, those who consume 5 Hm3 (500 cubic metres) and more will have to pay Rs1,480 for per cubic metre and this will apply to total consumption. “The gas slab price system will be revised to limit gas-price increase for the vulnerable 70pc of the population,” the minister explained. (On Sunday, the premier took notice of increased gas prices for domestic consumers and ordered the petroleum minister to conduct an inquiry into the matter.)
The information minister noted that only 23pc of the population was using natural gas for domestic needs, with the rest using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), wood or other fuel sources. He added that the government was providing a subsidy on costlier gas that is being imported since the tenure of the PML-N regime.
Earlier, Mr Chaudhry claimed that the prices of consumer items have been reduced. “When the PML-N came to power in Nov 2013, prices rose by 5.8pc in the first six months, while during the ruling PTI’s first six months prices rose by a much lower 1.4pc,” he said. The prices of chicken, garlic, onion, potatoes, chickpeas, lentils and potatoes had actually gone down, the minister maintained, while those of eggs, cabbage, high-speed diesel, and petrol had also seen a downward trend. Nevertheless, he conceded that the cost of tomatoes, inter-city bus fares, cement, diesel, electricity, mutton and tea prices had increased.
Mr Chaudhry provided the information that a committee has been formed under the leadership of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to monitor the prices of various goods. The committee will look into the matter along with Minister for Planning Khusro Bakhtiar.
Prime Minister Khan, he said, had ordered the housing minister to deal with those occupying properties illegally. Mr Chaudhry claimed that former Senate chairman and PPP stalwart Raza Rabbani and Senator Mushahidullah Khan were illegally occupying official houses at the Minister’s Enclave.
Dual nationals
The information minister informed that the government wanted to provide opportunities to overseas Pakistanis to work in government departments. He, however, added the rider that “While the prime minister acknowledges that overseas Pakistanis are an asset, the law ministry is drawing up a list of government positions in which dual nationals will not be entitled to work.”
Lastly, talking about development activities regarding the Sikh community’s holy places at Kartarpur, which lies on the border of Pakistan and India, the Mr Chaudhry said that a committee headed by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar had been formed to oversee the work. (PM Khan performed the groundbreaking ceremony of a long-awaited corridor connecting Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the Kartarpur area of Narowal district to Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district on Nov 28.)
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
American man on way to Pak to join LeT arrested at US airport – PTI
WASHINGTON: A 29-year-old New York City man has been arrested while he was about to catch a flight to Pakistan to join the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in a dangerous sign that the Pakistan-based terror group, which carried out the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has expanded its tentacles in the US.
In another instance of growing influence of the LeT in the US and radicalisation of American youths, a teenager in Texas was charged by the FBI with using social media to recruit people on behalf of the terror group and send them to Pakistan for terrorist training.
Federal prosecutors on Friday announced that they arrested the Manhattan man, Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, on Thursday night at John F Kennedy International Airport as he was about to board an international flight with Pakistan being his final destination.
Prosecutors say Encarnacion went online to try to join the terrorist organisation. Encarnacion allegedly told an unnamed co-conspirator in November that he wanted to hook up with Pakist
ani terror group which carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
“I want to execute. I want to behead. Shoot,” Encarnacion told an undercover agent, the complaint alleges.
"Encarnacion allegedly attempted to travel to Pakistan to join a foreign terrorist organisation and conspired with another individual to provide that organisation with material support," said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.
Encarnacion aka "Jihadistsoldgier", "Jihadinhear", "Jihadinheart" and "Lionofthegood," plotted to travel to Pakistan to join and train with LeT, said US Attorney Geoffrey Berman.
"Encarnacion not only expressed a desire to "execute and behead people," he scheduled travel and almost boarded a plane so he could go learn how to become a terrorist," said FBI assistant director-in-charge William Sweeney Jr.
In the southern state of Texas, 18-year-old Michael Kyle Sewell was charged by the FBI with using social media to recruit people on behalf of the LeT and send them to Pakistan for terrorist training.
The arrest of the New Yorker and the charges against the Texas teenager – who do not appear to be of South Asian origin as has been the case in previous such arrests - have set the alarm bells ringing among the law enforcement agencies in the US.
The arrests have thrown the spotlight on issues of home-grown terrorism and radicalisation of American youths, a situation that authorities have dreaded post Mumbai-terrorist attack.
Based out of Pakistan, the LeT is a UN and US designated global terrorist organisation and has carried out several terrorist attacks inside India, including the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008 that took the lives of 166 people including several Americans.
"These organisations are using the internet and social media to appeal to the most barbaric impulses in people, and train them to kill," Sweeney Jr added.
According to NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill, one of Encarnacion's stated motives for travelling overseas was to get the training and experience he believed he needed to someday return to the United States and carry out attacks.
Meanwhile, Sewell, who encouraged and recruited an individual to join the LeT hails from Fort Worth city and met the man.
"Sewell allegedly used social media to recruit and encourage an individual to travel overseas to join a foreign terrorist organization and conspired with that person to provide material support to that organisation," Demers said.
According to the criminal complaint, Sewell provided the co-conspirator with contact information of an individual he believed could facilitate the travel to Pakistan.
Unbeknownst to Sewell and his partner, the facilitator was an undercover FBI agent, the federal prosecutors said.
Sewell had even coached the co-conspirator on how to convince the facilitator that he was sincere in his desire to fight for the LeT, they added.
The teen also contacted the facilitator to vouch for the co-conspirator's authenticity and told both of them that he would kill the co-conspirator if he turned out to be a spy.
The co-conspirator then contacted the facilitator and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan, the criminal complaint said.
Cheers
WASHINGTON: A 29-year-old New York City man has been arrested while he was about to catch a flight to Pakistan to join the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in a dangerous sign that the Pakistan-based terror group, which carried out the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has expanded its tentacles in the US.
In another instance of growing influence of the LeT in the US and radicalisation of American youths, a teenager in Texas was charged by the FBI with using social media to recruit people on behalf of the terror group and send them to Pakistan for terrorist training.
Federal prosecutors on Friday announced that they arrested the Manhattan man, Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion, on Thursday night at John F Kennedy International Airport as he was about to board an international flight with Pakistan being his final destination.
Prosecutors say Encarnacion went online to try to join the terrorist organisation. Encarnacion allegedly told an unnamed co-conspirator in November that he wanted to hook up with Pakist
ani terror group which carried out the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
“I want to execute. I want to behead. Shoot,” Encarnacion told an undercover agent, the complaint alleges.
"Encarnacion allegedly attempted to travel to Pakistan to join a foreign terrorist organisation and conspired with another individual to provide that organisation with material support," said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.
Encarnacion aka "Jihadistsoldgier", "Jihadinhear", "Jihadinheart" and "Lionofthegood," plotted to travel to Pakistan to join and train with LeT, said US Attorney Geoffrey Berman.
"Encarnacion not only expressed a desire to "execute and behead people," he scheduled travel and almost boarded a plane so he could go learn how to become a terrorist," said FBI assistant director-in-charge William Sweeney Jr.
In the southern state of Texas, 18-year-old Michael Kyle Sewell was charged by the FBI with using social media to recruit people on behalf of the LeT and send them to Pakistan for terrorist training.
The arrest of the New Yorker and the charges against the Texas teenager – who do not appear to be of South Asian origin as has been the case in previous such arrests - have set the alarm bells ringing among the law enforcement agencies in the US.
The arrests have thrown the spotlight on issues of home-grown terrorism and radicalisation of American youths, a situation that authorities have dreaded post Mumbai-terrorist attack.
Based out of Pakistan, the LeT is a UN and US designated global terrorist organisation and has carried out several terrorist attacks inside India, including the Mumbai terrorist attack in 2008 that took the lives of 166 people including several Americans.
"These organisations are using the internet and social media to appeal to the most barbaric impulses in people, and train them to kill," Sweeney Jr added.
According to NYPD Police Commissioner James O'Neill, one of Encarnacion's stated motives for travelling overseas was to get the training and experience he believed he needed to someday return to the United States and carry out attacks.
Meanwhile, Sewell, who encouraged and recruited an individual to join the LeT hails from Fort Worth city and met the man.
"Sewell allegedly used social media to recruit and encourage an individual to travel overseas to join a foreign terrorist organization and conspired with that person to provide material support to that organisation," Demers said.
According to the criminal complaint, Sewell provided the co-conspirator with contact information of an individual he believed could facilitate the travel to Pakistan.
Unbeknownst to Sewell and his partner, the facilitator was an undercover FBI agent, the federal prosecutors said.
Sewell had even coached the co-conspirator on how to convince the facilitator that he was sincere in his desire to fight for the LeT, they added.
The teen also contacted the facilitator to vouch for the co-conspirator's authenticity and told both of them that he would kill the co-conspirator if he turned out to be a spy.
The co-conspirator then contacted the facilitator and made arrangements to travel to Pakistan, the criminal complaint said.
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Country needs to come out of security state mentality: Bilawal - News Desk
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while expressing concern over the current situation in the country, said Pakistan needs to come out of its security state mentality.
The PPP leader was speaking at the Institute of Peace in Washington.
He urged the country’s policymakers to take advantage of the country’s geostrategic position and trade with countries that border Pakistan. “If we follow this path, we have the potential to be the future trade hub of the world.”
Bilawal vows to protect 18th Amendment
The PPP leader also spoke of the issues that face Pakistan’s fledgling democracy and how his party plans to tackle them.
“Today in Pakistan, we are experiencing a curtailing of our freedoms, freedom of expression, liberty and justice are increasingly being compromised. We are witnessing censorship, the likes of which we have never before.”
“We are already witnessing indigenous organic movements spawning across the country where citizens, tired of being persecuted have begun to push back. And this is what we need, we need to keep speaking up, we need to keep fighting back, keep challenging the forces that seek to silence us.”
Pakistan will bear the repercussions of state-sponsored stifling of dissent and curbing of freedoms of speech, movement, and association for generations, added the PPP chairperson.
“One area that is not talked about much, but which nonetheless is a reality, are civil-military relations in Pakistan. My party is conscious that this issue has to be addressed for long-term democratic and political stability.”
Freedom of speech: Rights groups against digital blackout in polls
Bilawal further said he has proposed that all parties come together and work out a new charter of democracy to deal with such issues.
Bilawal also highlighted the need to curb extremism, ensure implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and the state of Pakistan’s economy.
In particular, he mentioned the youth bulge in the population. Over 60% of our population is considered youth and with a projected growth rate of 3%, our economy is not equipped to handle that level of unemployment, said the PPP chairperson while expressing concern over the country’s economic health.
Cheers
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while expressing concern over the current situation in the country, said Pakistan needs to come out of its security state mentality.
The PPP leader was speaking at the Institute of Peace in Washington.
He urged the country’s policymakers to take advantage of the country’s geostrategic position and trade with countries that border Pakistan. “If we follow this path, we have the potential to be the future trade hub of the world.”
Bilawal vows to protect 18th Amendment
The PPP leader also spoke of the issues that face Pakistan’s fledgling democracy and how his party plans to tackle them.
“Today in Pakistan, we are experiencing a curtailing of our freedoms, freedom of expression, liberty and justice are increasingly being compromised. We are witnessing censorship, the likes of which we have never before.”
“We are already witnessing indigenous organic movements spawning across the country where citizens, tired of being persecuted have begun to push back. And this is what we need, we need to keep speaking up, we need to keep fighting back, keep challenging the forces that seek to silence us.”
Pakistan will bear the repercussions of state-sponsored stifling of dissent and curbing of freedoms of speech, movement, and association for generations, added the PPP chairperson.
“One area that is not talked about much, but which nonetheless is a reality, are civil-military relations in Pakistan. My party is conscious that this issue has to be addressed for long-term democratic and political stability.”
Freedom of speech: Rights groups against digital blackout in polls
Bilawal further said he has proposed that all parties come together and work out a new charter of democracy to deal with such issues.
Bilawal also highlighted the need to curb extremism, ensure implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) and the state of Pakistan’s economy.
In particular, he mentioned the youth bulge in the population. Over 60% of our population is considered youth and with a projected growth rate of 3%, our economy is not equipped to handle that level of unemployment, said the PPP chairperson while expressing concern over the country’s economic health.
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Pervez Hoodbhoy hits this one out of the park! Must read:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Luckily for us, Paki 'establishment' will not listen or learn from that stuff, except for some tactical posturing.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Luckily for us, Paki 'establishment' will not listen or learn from that stuff, except for some tactical posturing.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
The best comment on this article. Also provides a clear insight into how Baki minds workBart S wrote:Pervez Hoodbhoy hits this one out of the park! Must read:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Luckily for us, Paki 'establishment' will not listen or learn from that stuff, except for some tactical posturing.
Well folks, that's the Baki way of looking at it.The author should consider the following: If population control was attempted in Pakistan and it was successful, then the per capita debt would have been way too high. Isn't increasing population a safe way to reduce per capita debt?
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
May the likes of the commentator and many like him become top afsars in Army/ISI and the ruling class in pakistan.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
I think you'll find that they already are.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
That comment is by an Indian who frequently trolls their forums. But no doubt there are a lot of people in Pakistan with equally or more delusional thinking along the lines of the comment.Kashi wrote:The best comment on this article. Also provides a clear insight into how Baki minds workBart S wrote:Pervez Hoodbhoy hits this one out of the park! Must read:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Luckily for us, Paki 'establishment' will not listen or learn from that stuff, except for some tactical posturing.
Well folks, that's the Baki way of looking at it.The author should consider the following: If population control was attempted in Pakistan and it was successful, then the per capita debt would have been way too high. Isn't increasing population a safe way to reduce per capita debt?
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462793/fia-b ... stitutions
FIA books TV host Rizwan 'Dada' under Peca, PPC for 'defaming' state institutions
FIA books TV host Rizwan 'Dada' under Peca, PPC for 'defaming' state institutions
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked Din News TV host Rizwanur Rehman Razi 'Dada' on charges that he posted "defamatory and obnoxious" content against the judiciary, government institutions and intelligence agencies on his Twitter account, it emerged on Saturday.
The FIA, in an FIR dated Feb 8, has stated that Razi was "summoned" to join the inquiry and have his statement recorded.The agency's phrasing of its report conflicts with an update posted on Razi's Facebook account, where someone claiming to be his son said that Razi was bundled into a car and "abducted" from their home.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
You just can't take out the Pakistaniyat from the PhysicistBart S wrote:Pervez Hoodbhoy hits this one out of the park! Must read:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Water and boundary disputes with India are serious and Bangladesh suffers bullying by its bigger neighbour on matters of illegal immigration, drugs, etc.
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
PPP won’t allow creation of a new Bangladesh: Zardari - Z Ali
HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Cochairman Asif Ali Zardari has said the PPP will not allow creation of a new Bangladesh in Pakistan.
“After independence, leaders of India had planned to dismember Pakistan in around three decades. Though the Muslims respect [Congress chief] Moulana Abul Kalam Azad but he was also among these plotters. But this time we will not let another Bangladesh be created,” said Zardari while addressing a reception hosted by Senator Imamuddin Shouqeen in Tando Adam town of Sanghar district on Saturday.
In an oblique reference to the “powers” that be, Zardari said Pakistan was not created by “them” by winning a war but by “our” ancestors. “Quaid-e-Azam, who studied in a school of my ancestors, achieved the independence of Pakistan through political dialogue,” he added.
He reiterated that the PPP’s leadership was being implicated in the cases of corruption because the rulers wanted to amend the 18th Constitutional Amendment to abridge provincial autonomy. “Their fight, their war with us is for the resources … over Pakistan’s resources, not just Sindh’s resources.”
Zardari said he set the alarm bells ringing during July 25, 2018, general election but many people did not accept his prediction. “I used to say that this drama is about [rolling back] the 18th amendment.”
He said the transfer of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the National Institute for Child Health (NICH) to the federal government is a sign of the Centre attempting to revoke the provincial autonomy.
“And now they are shifting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from Karachi to Islamabad. The people [in Karachi] will lose their jobs and control and in Islamabad, new offices will be established and they will take commission from the expenditures. This is their plan.”
In what appeared to be his advice to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government, Zardari asked them to find their feet and take some step. However, he added in the same breath, that government is too shaky to be able to act independently. “Although there is no need to take so much fright.”
The PPP’s co-chairman criticised the government for its mini-budgets and recalled how the PPP’s federal government from 2008 to 2013 took the popular measures of doubling the salaries of the government employees in its budgets.
He said Sindh has progressed a lot since the 1990s and praised Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for his effort for the province. But, he said, Shah is like a banker who is miserly when asked about money.
Earlier, Zardari inaugurated Suleman Roshan Medical College Tando Adam. The former president escaped a potential accident while landing in Tando Adam as his helicopter missed a flying red carpet which was laid out at the helipad. The carpet had flown up by gusts of wind generated by the helicopter.
Cheers
HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Cochairman Asif Ali Zardari has said the PPP will not allow creation of a new Bangladesh in Pakistan.
“After independence, leaders of India had planned to dismember Pakistan in around three decades. Though the Muslims respect [Congress chief] Moulana Abul Kalam Azad but he was also among these plotters. But this time we will not let another Bangladesh be created,” said Zardari while addressing a reception hosted by Senator Imamuddin Shouqeen in Tando Adam town of Sanghar district on Saturday.
In an oblique reference to the “powers” that be, Zardari said Pakistan was not created by “them” by winning a war but by “our” ancestors. “Quaid-e-Azam, who studied in a school of my ancestors, achieved the independence of Pakistan through political dialogue,” he added.
He reiterated that the PPP’s leadership was being implicated in the cases of corruption because the rulers wanted to amend the 18th Constitutional Amendment to abridge provincial autonomy. “Their fight, their war with us is for the resources … over Pakistan’s resources, not just Sindh’s resources.”
Zardari said he set the alarm bells ringing during July 25, 2018, general election but many people did not accept his prediction. “I used to say that this drama is about [rolling back] the 18th amendment.”
He said the transfer of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the National Institute for Child Health (NICH) to the federal government is a sign of the Centre attempting to revoke the provincial autonomy.
“And now they are shifting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) from Karachi to Islamabad. The people [in Karachi] will lose their jobs and control and in Islamabad, new offices will be established and they will take commission from the expenditures. This is their plan.”
In what appeared to be his advice to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government, Zardari asked them to find their feet and take some step. However, he added in the same breath, that government is too shaky to be able to act independently. “Although there is no need to take so much fright.”
The PPP’s co-chairman criticised the government for its mini-budgets and recalled how the PPP’s federal government from 2008 to 2013 took the popular measures of doubling the salaries of the government employees in its budgets.
He said Sindh has progressed a lot since the 1990s and praised Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for his effort for the province. But, he said, Shah is like a banker who is miserly when asked about money.
Earlier, Zardari inaugurated Suleman Roshan Medical College Tando Adam. The former president escaped a potential accident while landing in Tando Adam as his helicopter missed a flying red carpet which was laid out at the helipad. The carpet had flown up by gusts of wind generated by the helicopter.
Cheers
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
IMF assures Pakistan of support in shoring up economy - News Desk
International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde on Sunday said the organisation was ready to support Pakistan in its efforts to shore up the crippling economy.
She said this in a statement issued after her meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of 7th World Government Summit in Dubai.
“I had a good and constructive meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, during which we discussed recent economic developments and prospects for Pakistan in the context of ongoing discussions toward an IMF-supported program,” reads the IMF statement.
PM Imran meets Abu Dhabi crown prince, IMF chief on sidelines of Dubai summit
She also highlighted decisive policies and a strong package of economic reforms would enable Pakistan to restore the resilience of its economy and lay the foundations for stronger and more inclusive growth.
Lagarde also underscored that protecting the poor and strengthening governance are key priorities to improve people’s living standards in a sustainable manner.
The prime minister appreciated the IMF’s support to Pakistan and shared his vision for nation-building, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Finance.
He reiterated the government’s commitment for undertaking structural and governance reforms and strengthening social protection in the country.
The two sides agreed to work together on policy priorities and reforms aimed at reducing imbalances and laying the foundations of a job creating growth path in Pakistan. In this regard, deliberations between Pakistani authorities and IMF staff would continue to finalise an agreement on the contours of a programme, it added.
The prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Maritime Affairs Minister Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdur Razak Dawood and Special Assistant to PM on Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain on the occasion.
Earlier on Saturday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had told Reuters that PM Imran and Lagarde will be discussing issues holding up bailout negotiations in Sunday’s meeting.
“This will give us a chance to understand the IMF views and we will be able to give our version to (Lagarde),” said Chaudhry.
He added that Pakistan wanted any agreed bailout package, which would be the country’s second IMF bailout since 2013, to be the nation’s last such economic rescue by the IMF.
Officials had expected talks to conclude in November but they have been delayed as Islamabad harbours concerns that the programme could derail the economy and Khan’s plans for his term in office.
Pakistan has in the meantime sought financial assistance from Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have loaned it in excess of $10 billion to ease the pressure on its dwindling foreign currency reserves.
IMF sets stricter conditions for bailout package
The IMF talks come amid a worsening macroeconomic outlook, with growth expectations slashed for the current fiscal year to about 4 per cent from 6 per cent previously forecast.
On Saturday, Pakistan also revised its growth figures for the last financial year to 5.2 per cent from a previously reported 5.8 per cent, after a sharp cut in the figure for large-scale manufacturing, the statistics office said. When the original estimate was reported in April by the government of the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi it was hailed as the strongest growth in 13 years.
Before the revisions to last year’s GDP figures, Pakistan’s deficit-to-GDP ratio, estimated at 5.8 per cent in 2017-18, was expected to hit 6.9 per cent this year, according to the IMF data.
Pakistan is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s to deal with a current account deficit that threatens to trigger a balance of payments crisis, but talks have been delayed by difficulties in reconciling IMF reform demands with Islamabad’s fears the push is too drastic and could hurt economic growth.
Cheers
International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde on Sunday said the organisation was ready to support Pakistan in its efforts to shore up the crippling economy.
She said this in a statement issued after her meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of 7th World Government Summit in Dubai.
“I had a good and constructive meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, during which we discussed recent economic developments and prospects for Pakistan in the context of ongoing discussions toward an IMF-supported program,” reads the IMF statement.
PM Imran meets Abu Dhabi crown prince, IMF chief on sidelines of Dubai summit
She also highlighted decisive policies and a strong package of economic reforms would enable Pakistan to restore the resilience of its economy and lay the foundations for stronger and more inclusive growth.
Lagarde also underscored that protecting the poor and strengthening governance are key priorities to improve people’s living standards in a sustainable manner.
The prime minister appreciated the IMF’s support to Pakistan and shared his vision for nation-building, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Finance.
He reiterated the government’s commitment for undertaking structural and governance reforms and strengthening social protection in the country.
The two sides agreed to work together on policy priorities and reforms aimed at reducing imbalances and laying the foundations of a job creating growth path in Pakistan. In this regard, deliberations between Pakistani authorities and IMF staff would continue to finalise an agreement on the contours of a programme, it added.
The prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Finance Minister Asad Umar, Maritime Affairs Minister Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdur Razak Dawood and Special Assistant to PM on Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain on the occasion.
Earlier on Saturday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had told Reuters that PM Imran and Lagarde will be discussing issues holding up bailout negotiations in Sunday’s meeting.
“This will give us a chance to understand the IMF views and we will be able to give our version to (Lagarde),” said Chaudhry.
He added that Pakistan wanted any agreed bailout package, which would be the country’s second IMF bailout since 2013, to be the nation’s last such economic rescue by the IMF.
Officials had expected talks to conclude in November but they have been delayed as Islamabad harbours concerns that the programme could derail the economy and Khan’s plans for his term in office.
Pakistan has in the meantime sought financial assistance from Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have loaned it in excess of $10 billion to ease the pressure on its dwindling foreign currency reserves.
IMF sets stricter conditions for bailout package
The IMF talks come amid a worsening macroeconomic outlook, with growth expectations slashed for the current fiscal year to about 4 per cent from 6 per cent previously forecast.
On Saturday, Pakistan also revised its growth figures for the last financial year to 5.2 per cent from a previously reported 5.8 per cent, after a sharp cut in the figure for large-scale manufacturing, the statistics office said. When the original estimate was reported in April by the government of the then prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi it was hailed as the strongest growth in 13 years.
Before the revisions to last year’s GDP figures, Pakistan’s deficit-to-GDP ratio, estimated at 5.8 per cent in 2017-18, was expected to hit 6.9 per cent this year, according to the IMF data.
Pakistan is seeking its 13th bailout since the late 1980s to deal with a current account deficit that threatens to trigger a balance of payments crisis, but talks have been delayed by difficulties in reconciling IMF reform demands with Islamabad’s fears the push is too drastic and could hurt economic growth.
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Gul Bhukari @GulBhukari
Video: https://twitter.com/GulBukhari/status/1 ... 6184231938Jaw dropping! This was not a PTM protest, simply one against load shedding in Landikotal, Khyber Agency. But reaction of the security forces elicited pro Pashteen & anti military slogans!!!
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Pakistani contractor killed in Afghanistan
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/0 ... ghanistan/
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2019/0 ... ghanistan/
WANA: Unidentified armed men gunned down a Pakistani contractor in Afghanistan on Sunday.
According to details, Engineer Nooruddin, hailing from North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) who was on a visit to Afghanistan for some personal engagements, was killed by unknown miscreants in Wardak province.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
So, another Bangladesh is is in the offing?Peregrine wrote:PPP won’t allow creation of a new Bangladesh: Zardari - Z Ali
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/such-gup-256/
please, could somebody reveal the persons concealed behind the cryptic identities mentioned in the article. perhaps we could maintain a id kit for these namesIf anyone thinks The Great Khan is going to be a good boy and do as he’s told, he has another thing coming. Take the recent NABbing of a Punjabi Khan. We hear this was not at the behest of The Boyz but an initiative of The Great Khan himself, ostensibly to even the scales, “balance” the accountability drive, as it were. If truth be told, say Isloo’s wags, striking a “balance” was not the real motivation behind the NABbing but the elimination of a potential rival. We hear The Boyz had been keen for the Punjabi Khan to be put to work, good and proper, but the boss didn’t appreciate the suggestion. The Punjabi Khan had also made the mistake of critiquing the running of the provincial government, rumour has it, in a recent meeting with his boss. Hence the chop.
CBMs
Confidence Building Measures, CBMs, are the order of the day between The Man of Steel & Co and his detractors. This is mostly at the behest of The Man’s Talented Bro, who has always had a conciliatory demeanour towards the powers that be. The sound of silence has its own rewards – we hear The Great Khan was never in favour of Talented Bro being produced in Parliament but a powerful lobby worked on the One Who Speaks and got Bro’s production orders through. The Great Khan was also not in favour of Bro becoming an accountant but the same lobby saw no harm in it, and had that done too. In fact, our mole reports that The Great Khan’s words upon hearing the accountant suggestion were “over my dead body” but it happened nonetheless. This is probably why The Khan’s nearest and dearest are constantly banging on about Talented Bro’s unsuitability for the accounts department.
New intermediaries
The new intermediaries between The Man of Steel and his opponents are no longer Al-King’s men from the Land of Sand but Mera Sultan of the Sublime Porte. We also hear that his case is being bolstered by Cutter.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Looks like there are calculated attempts to shed Dimmy's image as a fauji stooge.
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
I can name a fewwig wrote:
please, could somebody reveal the persons concealed behind the cryptic identities mentioned in the article. perhaps we could maintain a id kit for these names
Man of steel - Nawaz
Talented bro - Shabaaz
Great khan - Dimran khan
The boyz - The paki army / ISI
Khan from punjab - Must be aleem khan
Sand kingdom - Saudi royal family
Not sure who Sultan of sublime porte is..
Cutter should be qatar
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Sultan of Sublime porte - Erdogan of Turkey
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Ah.. excellent. Forgot about the wannabe Ataturk..Manish_P wrote:Sultan of Sublime porte - Erdogan of Turkey
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
X Posted from the Oppression of Minorities in Pakistan thread to the Terroristan, Pashtun Civil War and Pakistan Armed Forces News & Discussion thread.
Op Ed in the New York Times written by Pashtun freedom fighter leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, who is struggling against the oppression carried out by the Punjabi dominated Uniformed Jihadis of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The Kaafir media of the Non Mohammadden world seems to be neither concerned nor distracted by the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s hyperventilating about manufactured Kaafir Hindu wrongs in Jammu and Kashmir as seen in the just gone by “Kashmir Solidarity Day” shindig in the UK but OTOH is very much more concerned about the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s trampling of the human rights of Non Punjabi’s by the Uniformed Jihadis of the Military:
Op Ed in the New York Times written by Pashtun freedom fighter leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen, who is struggling against the oppression carried out by the Punjabi dominated Uniformed Jihadis of the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The Kaafir media of the Non Mohammadden world seems to be neither concerned nor distracted by the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s hyperventilating about manufactured Kaafir Hindu wrongs in Jammu and Kashmir as seen in the just gone by “Kashmir Solidarity Day” shindig in the UK but OTOH is very much more concerned about the Mohammadden Terrorism Fomenting Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s trampling of the human rights of Non Punjabi’s by the Uniformed Jihadis of the Military:In Pakistan, a Pashtun Cry for Equality and Justice : NYT ClickyIn Pakistan, a Pashtun Cry for Equality and Justice
The country’s powerful military is trying to crush a nonviolent movement for civil rights.
By Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen
Mr. Pashteen is leading the movement for civil rights for the Pashtun minority in Pakistan.
Feb. 11, 2019
I lost my home in 2009 when a major operation by the Pakistan military forced us to leave our village in South Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the border with Afghanistan.
Around 37 million Pashtuns live in this region that includes the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas — which have now been merged with the province — and parts of southwestern Baluchistan province. Our impoverished region has been desolated by the long war on terrorism.
When I was in high school, we moved to Dera Ismail Khan, a city around 100 miles away. Ours was yet another family among six million people who have been displaced from the region since Pakistan joined the war on terror in 2001. Tens of thousands of Pashtuns have been killed in terror attacks and military operations since.
But our economic and political rights, and our suffering has remained invisible to most of Pakistan and the world because the region was seen as a dangerous frontier after numerous militants moved there after the fall of the Taliban.
The government ignored us when these militants terrorized and murdered the residents. Pakistan’s military operations against the militants brought further misery: civilian killings, displacements, enforced disappearances, humiliation and the destruction of our livelihoods and way of life. No journalists were allowed into the tribal areas while the military operations were going on.
Pashtuns who fled the region in hopes of rebuilding their lives in Pakistani cities were greeted with suspicion and hostility. We were stereotyped as terrorist sympathizers. I was studying to become a veterinarian, but the plight of my people forced me and several friends to become activists.
In January 2018 Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model and businessman from Waziristan who was working in Karachi was killed by a police team led by a notorious officer named Rao Anwar. Mr. Anwar, who is accused of more than 400 extrajudicial murders, was granted bail and roams free.
Along with 20 friends, I set out on a protest march from Dera Ismail Khan to Islamabad, the capital. Word spread, and by the time we reached Islamabad, several thousand people had joined the protest. We called our movement the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, or the Pashtun Protection Movement.
Ours is a peaceful movement that seeks security and political rights for Pashtuns. Apart from justice for Mr. Mehsud, we demand investigations into the killings of thousands of other Pashtuns by security forces and militants. We seek an end to enforced disappearances.
As loyal, taxpaying citizens, we demand that Pakistani security forces act as our protectors and stop the harassment of Pashtuns at checkpoints and during raids. We demand that Islamabad cleanse Waziristan of land mines and other unexploded ordinances.
We had several meetings with the military leadership. Some generals publicly acknowledged our grievances but they never moved to address our concerns. We held numerous sit-ins and protests and continued to hope that Pakistan’s leaders would try to address our concerns. Instead, they responded with intimidation and violence.
After every major protest, police arrests and charges P.T.M. activists and supporters with rioting, treason or terrorism. Some of our activists are still being incarcerated under a colonial-era discriminatory law, which is no longer on the books.
When we soldiered on, they unleashed the Taliban. In July, four P.T.M. protesters were killed and dozens injured after Taliban fighters fired at them. A military spokesman declared these Taliban fighters to be members of a peace committee and praised them for fighting terrorism and doing their part for “stabilization.”
More recently, on Feb. 2, Arman Luni, a leader of our movement, who taught at a college, died after he was beaten up by the police for protesting against a terrorist attack in Balochistan province. My fellow activists and I were barred from joining his funeral. We participated anyway but were forced to leave the province after midnight. As we were driving out, the security forces fired at our car.
Our demands and actions are underwritten by the Constitution of our country but the military is trying to portray us as traitors and enemy agents.
While vile propaganda against our movement is reported as news, the security establishment has ensured that almost nothing is reported about our movement in the mainstream Pakistani newspapers and television networks.
The military unleashed thousands of trolls to run a disinformation campaign against the P.T.M., accusing us of starting a “hybrid war.” Almost every day they accuse us of conspiring with Indian, Afghan or American intelligence services. Most of our activists, especially women, face relentless online harassment. A social media post expressing support for our campaign leads to a knock from the intelligence services.
Scores of our supporters have been fired from their jobs. Many activists are held under terrorism laws. Alamzaib Khan Mehsud, an activist who was gathering data and advocating on behalf of victims of land mines and enforced disappearances, was arrested in January. Hayat Preghal, another activist, was imprisoned for months for expressing support from our movement on social media. He was released in October but barred from leaving the country and lost his pharmacist job in Dubai, his sole source of income.
Gulalai Ismail, a celebrated activist, has been barred from leaving Pakistan. On Feb. 5, while protesting against the death of Mr. Luni, the college teacher and P.T.M. leader, she was detained and held incommunicado in an unknown place for 30 hours before being released. Seventeen other activists are still being detained in Islamabad.
Imran Khan, who once boasted of his Pashtun origins, took office as the new prime minister of Pakistan in August, but his government has chosen to do little to change the state’s attitude toward our demands for justice and civil rights.
The military is keen to ensure absolute control. We are not seeking a violent revolution, but we are determined to push Pakistan back toward a constitutional order. We are drawing some consolation from the recent judgment by Pakistan’s Supreme Court telling the military and the intelligence agencies to stay out of politics and media.
To heal and reform our country, we seek a truth and reconciliation commission to evaluate, investigate and address our grievances. Since our movement emerged, public opinion in Pakistan has turned against extrajudicial killings. Most major political parties maintain that enforced disappearances have no place in the country.
The legal and structural changes will take time, but breaking the silence and reducing the fear sustained for decades by the security apparatus is a measure of our success, even if the P.T.M.’s leaders are imprisoned or eliminated.
Manzoor Ahmad Pashteen is the leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Peregrine wrote:PPP won’t allow creation of a new Bangladesh: Zardari - Z Ali
SSridhar Ji :SSridhar wrote:So, another Bangladesh is is in the offing?
SO MOTE IT BE!
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Correct.Manish_P wrote:You just can't take out the Pakistaniyat from the PhysicistBart S wrote:Pervez Hoodbhoy hits this one out of the park! Must read:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1462757/why-b ... k-pakistan
Water and boundary disputes with India are serious and Bangladesh suffers bullying by its bigger neighbour on matters of illegal immigration, drugs, etc.
Even a educated, level headed pakistani has some trace paki element in him..
Even the US had chided China, citing India-BD land dispute resolution process as an example for ideal dispute resolution, while China was bullying its neighbors w.r.t islands in the south china.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/prime ... 02466.html
India gave up more than it got.Dhaka: In a big breakthrough in Indo-Bangladesh ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the Land Boundary Agreement with his Bangladeshi counterpart Shiekh Hasina.
With this agreement in place, India has control of 510 acres of land while Bangladesh will have control of 10,000 acres of land at the India-Bangladesh border thereby settling the border dispute.
"History is made as the Instruments of Ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement are exchanged," Modi tweeted.
Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Chinese consortium devises strategy to transform PSX - Salman Siddiqui]
KARACHI: A Chinese consortium, which bought 40% stake in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) about two years ago and lost almost half of the value to poor market performance, has devised a strategy to transform the bourse into a world-class capital market, which will automatically give a boost to the national economy. There goes another Terroristani Asset - POP!
Both the Chinese and Pakistani shareholders came to the conclusion that they should transform the PSX in the next two to three years, “which is the extent of my mandate – two years,” PSX Managing Director Richard Morin said in an interview with The Express Tribune.
Weekly review: Five-week wining streak ends as KSE-100 loses 225 points
Morin, a Canadian national and first-ever foreign head of the bourse, joined the PSX in January 2018.
The key to transforming the market is to increase the number of retail and professional investors. “They (people belonging to the middle-income group earning around Rs1.5 million a year and over 10 million overseas Pakistanis) should be the driving force behind the Pakistani market and when they will do they will help transform Pakistan’s economy,” he said.
“Pakistan’s capital market is at the centre of transformation that this country needs,” he remarked.
Listed companies at the PSX, which play a significant role in economic growth every year, may attract Rs1 trillion in financing through an increase in the number of investors to at least one million from a meagre 250,000 at present.
The expected new investment would boost the average share price to multiples of around 11 to 12 of the earnings per share compared to the multiple of eight (price-to-earnings ratio) at present. It would also encourage a notable number of companies to get listed while investors were expected to enjoy unmatchable return on investment of around 15-20% per annum, on an average, Morin said.
The market has offered, on an average, 20% return per year. “My prediction is that…the next 10 years will be similar. I think average annual return on the PSX, in my view, over the next 10 years should be what it had been in the past 10 years; something 15-20% annual return,” he said.
To do all that, he emphasised, Finance Minister Asad Umar put the wheel in motion by removing two major anomalies in the second mini-budget. The minister abolished 0.02% advanced withholding tax on share sale and purchase and allowed the adjustment of losses on sales in the next three years against future profits.
“The two (measures) are in line with best international practices. It means the after-tax return will be better…to attract more investors,” Morin said.
However, the need is to keep the rules consistent and these should not be changed with the change of government. “Canada has not changed its rules…since I started investing 30 years ago and I have never sold the stocks I have ever bought,” he said, citing his home country’s example. “This is what Pakistan needs to do; do not change rules.”
“So, when we will be succeeding we will be counting investors in millions,” he stressed while pointing to Bangladesh, which was a similar market like that of Pakistan, but had an investor base of 2.5 million.
PSX is targeting the listing of around new 20 companies a year compared to only three last year. “We are reviewing certain of our requirements to attract more start-ups, SMEs and growth companies to come to the exchange.” The Chinese strategic investors bought a 40% stake in PSX at Rs28 per share in January 2017. Soon after getting listed at its own trading platform, the PSX share price faced a downturn. On Friday, the stock closed at Rs14.38 with a fresh loss of Rs0.26 and trading in just 51,000 shares.
Game plan
Morin revealed that they had made some recommendations to the finance minister in an attempt to attract a large number of investors to the PSX. “We can persuade the finance minister that our ideas have value. If he gives the go-ahead, we will come up with more details,” he said. Besides, they are working on regulations to provide a cover of up to Rs1 million to each investor in case his broker goes bankrupt. They are also educating the middle-income group and overseas Pakistanis about benefits of investing in the PSX.
“We are reviewing investor protection fund rules to provide better protection to investors. We want to offer them the same protection in the stock market that investors enjoy in the banking sector. We have drafted the rules…will be sent to the SECP for approval by the end of March,” he said.
“India provides (up to) Rs1-million protection fund to each investor, no questions are asked…we are aiming to do the same,” he pointed out.
Morin emphasised that the PSX was engaged in a very constructive way with the government and the SECP to implement measures in order to promote long-term savings and investment.
“The stock market is a place where you invest to meet, what I call, life goals like down-payment for your house, sending your children for higher education and providing comfortable retirement.”
Besides, the PSX is also revising rules to provide ease of opening an investment account at the bourse.
Cross-border listing
In an effort to attract more foreign and domestic investment, Chinese and Pakistani shareholders are at an advanced stage of getting a Pakistani product – exchange-traded fund (ETF) – listed at one of the Chinese stock markets.
Govt agrees to review taxes on shares trading
The ETF will buy stocks listed at the KSE 30-share Index and deposit them with a custodian in Pakistan. Later, Chinese asset management companies (AMCs) will sell ETF units in their respective markets. Simultaneously, the units will remain available for trade at a Chinese stock market like a listed firm.
Cross-border listing is one of the three major areas that Chinese strategic investors are committed to developing at the PSX. Two other areas of attention are transfer of technology and developing new products, which are in progress.
Everything is in place and ready in China to launch the ETF. It is just waiting for regulatory approval. “Chinese cannot freely invest in overseas stocks like buying Pakistani stocks. So, the approval is required from the Chinese regulator before the ETF is offered in China,” Morin said.
Similarly, the PSX management is also working on listing of an ETF at the Pakistan stock market.
PSX staff, in consultation with stakeholders, is preparing rules, which will be presented to the board and the SECP for approval by the end of March. Simultaneously, the management is in talks with four to five AMCs to offer ETF units to investors in Pakistani markets. After March, as soon as the PSX found an AMC, it would get the firm listed at the PSX trading platform, he said.
Cheers
KARACHI: A Chinese consortium, which bought 40% stake in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) about two years ago and lost almost half of the value to poor market performance, has devised a strategy to transform the bourse into a world-class capital market, which will automatically give a boost to the national economy. There goes another Terroristani Asset - POP!
Both the Chinese and Pakistani shareholders came to the conclusion that they should transform the PSX in the next two to three years, “which is the extent of my mandate – two years,” PSX Managing Director Richard Morin said in an interview with The Express Tribune.
Weekly review: Five-week wining streak ends as KSE-100 loses 225 points
Morin, a Canadian national and first-ever foreign head of the bourse, joined the PSX in January 2018.
The key to transforming the market is to increase the number of retail and professional investors. “They (people belonging to the middle-income group earning around Rs1.5 million a year and over 10 million overseas Pakistanis) should be the driving force behind the Pakistani market and when they will do they will help transform Pakistan’s economy,” he said.
“Pakistan’s capital market is at the centre of transformation that this country needs,” he remarked.
Listed companies at the PSX, which play a significant role in economic growth every year, may attract Rs1 trillion in financing through an increase in the number of investors to at least one million from a meagre 250,000 at present.
The expected new investment would boost the average share price to multiples of around 11 to 12 of the earnings per share compared to the multiple of eight (price-to-earnings ratio) at present. It would also encourage a notable number of companies to get listed while investors were expected to enjoy unmatchable return on investment of around 15-20% per annum, on an average, Morin said.
The market has offered, on an average, 20% return per year. “My prediction is that…the next 10 years will be similar. I think average annual return on the PSX, in my view, over the next 10 years should be what it had been in the past 10 years; something 15-20% annual return,” he said.
To do all that, he emphasised, Finance Minister Asad Umar put the wheel in motion by removing two major anomalies in the second mini-budget. The minister abolished 0.02% advanced withholding tax on share sale and purchase and allowed the adjustment of losses on sales in the next three years against future profits.
“The two (measures) are in line with best international practices. It means the after-tax return will be better…to attract more investors,” Morin said.
However, the need is to keep the rules consistent and these should not be changed with the change of government. “Canada has not changed its rules…since I started investing 30 years ago and I have never sold the stocks I have ever bought,” he said, citing his home country’s example. “This is what Pakistan needs to do; do not change rules.”
“So, when we will be succeeding we will be counting investors in millions,” he stressed while pointing to Bangladesh, which was a similar market like that of Pakistan, but had an investor base of 2.5 million.
PSX is targeting the listing of around new 20 companies a year compared to only three last year. “We are reviewing certain of our requirements to attract more start-ups, SMEs and growth companies to come to the exchange.” The Chinese strategic investors bought a 40% stake in PSX at Rs28 per share in January 2017. Soon after getting listed at its own trading platform, the PSX share price faced a downturn. On Friday, the stock closed at Rs14.38 with a fresh loss of Rs0.26 and trading in just 51,000 shares.
Game plan
Morin revealed that they had made some recommendations to the finance minister in an attempt to attract a large number of investors to the PSX. “We can persuade the finance minister that our ideas have value. If he gives the go-ahead, we will come up with more details,” he said. Besides, they are working on regulations to provide a cover of up to Rs1 million to each investor in case his broker goes bankrupt. They are also educating the middle-income group and overseas Pakistanis about benefits of investing in the PSX.
“We are reviewing investor protection fund rules to provide better protection to investors. We want to offer them the same protection in the stock market that investors enjoy in the banking sector. We have drafted the rules…will be sent to the SECP for approval by the end of March,” he said.
“India provides (up to) Rs1-million protection fund to each investor, no questions are asked…we are aiming to do the same,” he pointed out.
Morin emphasised that the PSX was engaged in a very constructive way with the government and the SECP to implement measures in order to promote long-term savings and investment.
“The stock market is a place where you invest to meet, what I call, life goals like down-payment for your house, sending your children for higher education and providing comfortable retirement.”
Besides, the PSX is also revising rules to provide ease of opening an investment account at the bourse.
Cross-border listing
In an effort to attract more foreign and domestic investment, Chinese and Pakistani shareholders are at an advanced stage of getting a Pakistani product – exchange-traded fund (ETF) – listed at one of the Chinese stock markets.
Govt agrees to review taxes on shares trading
The ETF will buy stocks listed at the KSE 30-share Index and deposit them with a custodian in Pakistan. Later, Chinese asset management companies (AMCs) will sell ETF units in their respective markets. Simultaneously, the units will remain available for trade at a Chinese stock market like a listed firm.
Cross-border listing is one of the three major areas that Chinese strategic investors are committed to developing at the PSX. Two other areas of attention are transfer of technology and developing new products, which are in progress.
Everything is in place and ready in China to launch the ETF. It is just waiting for regulatory approval. “Chinese cannot freely invest in overseas stocks like buying Pakistani stocks. So, the approval is required from the Chinese regulator before the ETF is offered in China,” Morin said.
Similarly, the PSX management is also working on listing of an ETF at the Pakistan stock market.
PSX staff, in consultation with stakeholders, is preparing rules, which will be presented to the board and the SECP for approval by the end of March. Simultaneously, the management is in talks with four to five AMCs to offer ETF units to investors in Pakistani markets. After March, as soon as the PSX found an AMC, it would get the firm listed at the PSX trading platform, he said.
Cheers
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
No doubt that is true, but the other dimension is that when he visits India he typically interacts with Indian left-wing folk (e.g Barkha or Sudheendra Kulkarni etc) who hold India in contempt and find fault with everything the 'Indian State' (as they call it) does. So those are the people shaping his views with their own biased and faulty narrative, and same goes for a lot of Western academics when it comes to forming their worldview about India.sudhan wrote:Correct.Manish_P wrote:
You just can't take out the Pakistaniyat from the Physicist
Even a educated, level headed pakistani has some trace paki element in him..
Even the US had chided China, citing India-BD land dispute resolution process as an example for ideal dispute resolution, while China was bullying its neighbors w.r.t islands in the south china.
https://www.news18.com/news/india/prime ... 02466.html
Re: Terroristan - October 8, 2018
Paki delusions reach stratospheric levels
How Pakistan can get Kashmir.
Pakistan should 'create a situation where India asks us to play': PCB director.
How Pakistan can get Kashmir.
what Pakistan needs to do is to formulate its Kashmir strategy based on realism. India and the world will take Pakistan seriously only when we unleash our true economic potential and create stakes in international trade.
Pakistan should 'create a situation where India asks us to play': PCB director.
Pakistan Cricket Board's newly appointed managing director Wasim Khan believes the national team needs to "create a situation where India asks us to play" instead of vice-versa.