NATIONAL ACTION PLAN: PLUS ça CHANGE?

*January 2023 turned out to be the deadliest month in Pakistan since July 2018

The first month of 2023 became the deadliest month since July 2018 as the militants carried out 44 attacks killing 134 people and at least 254 injured in January.According to statistics released by an Islamabad-based independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), the pattern of terror attacks continued. At the same time, the security forces foiled many attacks by arresting at least 52 militants, mainly from Punjab, and killing 40, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Although the number of terror incidents slightly declined in January, the fatalities increased by 139 percent, mainly due to the Peshawar Police Line suicide blast.

A man stands in the rubble of the mosque. -Reuters

In January, overall, two suicide bombings were recorded, one in Peshawar and the other one in the Khyber tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to PICSS data, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the most affected province during January, where not only the militant attacks increased from 17 to 27, the resultant deaths increased from 17 to 116 compared with December 2022. At least 232 people were also injured in the province, most of them security forces personnel wounded in the Peshawar blast. KP Police was the main target of the militants. Lakki Marwat remained the most troubled district of KP, where the majority of the militant attacks were reported in January, followed by DI Khan and Peshawar. Militant attacks were also reported from Bannu, Charsadda, and Swabi. Southern KP has been facing a major militant offensive during the last few months.

The violence in tribal districts of KP (former FATA) declined during January. Only three militant attacks were reported from the erstwhile FATA region. In December 2022, PICSS recorded 11 militant attacks in this region. Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) are stepped up in erstwhile FATA, which was the main reason militant attacks declined in the area. In erstwhile FATA, no violent activity of the militants was noted other than in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal districts during January.

In January 2023, militant attacks declined in Balochistan, where only nine militant attacks were reported compared with 17 in December 2022. The resultant deaths also dropped from 14 to 7, and wounded declined from 48 to 20. Bolan, Panjgur, Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, and Quetta were the affected districts during the month.

Four militant attacks were reported from Punjab in which three security forces personnel were killed, while two low-profile attacks were reported from Sindh in which one person died. The highest profile attack was carried out in Minawali district’ Makerwal police station by around two dozen TTP militants on January 31. The attack was repulsed but showed the numerical strength and ability to mobilize armed militants across KP and Punjab border. One attack each was reported from Rawalpindi, DG Khan, and Khanewal.

Source: PICSS 

ISHAQ DAR PLAYS POLITICS WITH ECONOMY, NAY WITH DIVINITY!

If a Muslim and a Non-Muslim goes out in the middle to play, God will surely help winning the one who plays the best!

 

When all else fails, divine providence is the most favourite mantra for politicians in Pakistan. Just one glance at the dark annals of history can help one understand why Finance Minister Ishaq Dar felt comfortable in tossing the ball to Allah’s court and asserting that He is responsible for Pakistan’s development and prosperity.

The Dar-ing minister seeks divine intervention to rescue sinking economy

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this statement if coming from a hapless man walking on the street as he contemplates whether to pay for his skyrocketing electricity bill or spend his day standing in a queue outside a subsidised flour sale point.

 

A sitting member of a federal cabinet in a sovereign country, especially one brought to wave his magic wand and pull out the proverbial rabbit, on the other hand, skates on thin ice. The usual grace period of three months where every administration is allowed the breathing space to cry a river or two or place the blame of its harsh constraints at the doorstep of its predecessors ended more than a while ago.

 

Today, when Mr Dar or his colleagues refer to the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to divert blame from his wrongdoings, he has no one else to fool but himself. This week started with an extraordinary power outage that had plunged the entire country into darkness and is ending with crippling uncertainties about petrol as dark clouds continue to hover over the currency market.

 

Think again, Mr Finance Minister. Wouldn’t it be better to rely on the pristine intellect Almighty bestowed upon you and carve up a revolutionary blueprint that helps avert disasters in the coming days? Neither your country nor your government has the stomach to absorb any more shocks.

 

After all, in the words of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, “Khuda ne aaj tak us qaum ki halat nahin badli; Na ho jisko khiyal aap apni halat k badalne ka.” (God never changed the conditions of nations Till the desire of change is kindled in them.

Courtesy Daily Times  

CRISTIANO RONALDO GETS LUXURIOUS WATCH BY JACOB & CO WORTH 780,000 US$ (NOT TO BE SOLD)

Mahtab Bashir
0333 53 63 248
mahtabbashir@gmail.com
Islamabad

A football icon, Portugal captain and former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has been gifted £630,000 watch designed to celebrate his move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo has been gifted a one-off Jacob & Co watch that’s worth a staggering £630,000 (780,000 US$). The green coloured watch has been gifted in celebration of his move to Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo’s new watch is green, the same colour as the Saudi flag, while boasting 338 ultra-rare gemstones. It’s also 18K white gold and 47mm x 15.85mm, hence the eye-watering £630,000 (19,000000 PKR) valuation of the timepiece.

The timepiece is worth £630,000 and is green in celebration of his move to Saudi Arabia

The striking colour of the watch was chosen as a tribute to Saudi Arabia, where Ronaldo relocated earlier this month after joining the football team Al Nassr.

Tsavorites are less expensive than their cousins but 200 times rarer, thus the watchmaker chose them rather than using emeralds to get its verdant tint.

The watch's 47 mm 18k white gold case, bezel, face, and crown are all set with 388 premium, baguette-cut tsavorites. While this might seem a little excessive, it gives the watch a stunning, all-green appearance that is difficult to forget. The strap is the only component of the watch that isn't coated in stones, yet even that is crafted from green alligator leather.

The calibre JCAA43 movement, which powers the watch, has bridges made specifically to suit the gem setting. At six o'clock, the hand-wound calibre powers the flying tourbillon for hours, minutes, and seconds. It contains 42 hours of power reserve and 216 components.

But while the watch boasts incredible value the vast majority of the world, to Ronaldo it’s merely a drop in the ocean.

The 37-year-old is earning a staggering £173million a year to play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, making him the highest-paid star in world football.

A coveted gift to Pakistan's PM from MBS

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is more than just a wonderful footballer though, with Ronaldo also being the most followed star on Instagram with 540million followers.

It is pertinent to mention here, the previous government in Pakistan sold a $2 million luxury watch gifted to Pakistan’s sportsman turned politician, Imran Khan from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, when Khan was a prime minister of Pakistan.

The Graff wristwatch was part of the gifts whose sale landed Imran Khan in a soup and subsequent politics ban.

PAKISTAN HAS THE LARGEST U.S GOVT. FUNDED FULBRIGHT PROGRAM IN THE WORLD: SAYS DAS ETHAN ROSENZWEIG

Mahtab Bashir
mahtabbashir@gmail.com
0333 53 63 248
ISLAMABAD

DAS for Educational & Cultural Affairs USA

He envisions building a modern Pakistan through education. He likes the hospitality of Pakistani people. He focuses on U.S- Pakistan Green Alliance Framework to provide opportunities to strengthen climate resilience, pursue energy transformation, and foster inclusive economic growth. He is a well-built, a jolly good fitness freak with an ambition to celebrate the success of Fulbright Program that could strengthen diplomatic relations between U.S and Pakistan. A recipient of degrees in Law and Public Policy, he has been involved in academia and its allied services to an extent that he forgets to be married.

He is Ethan Rosenzweig, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S Department of State. During his quick visit to Pakistan, this scribe has a tête-à-tête- focusing various academic and cultural programs being offered to Pakistan from the people of America.

Ethan Rosenzweig told this scribe that he came to Pakistan for a three days visit to attend the 4th Annual Humphrey Alumni Conference. This year’s theme is “Combatting Climate Change.” Besides he will have few engagements with Alumnus of Fulbright and Humphrey Program.

Talking about the Fulbright program in Pakistan, the Deputy Assistant Secretary said that Pakistan has the largest U.S. government-funded Fulbright program in the world. “With more than 37,000 members, Pakistan’s alumni network is also the largest in the world. Each year, approximately 800 Pakistani students and professionals travel to the United States to participate in these exchanges”, he maintained.

“I arrived yesterday (Wednesday) and have found Pakistani people very hospitable. The hospitality of the Pakistani community is something which I will remember for a long time,” Rosenzweig said.

He said that the United States is proud to sponsor these exchanges because we believe education is the foundation for both economic development and for strengthening the people-to-people ties between two countries.

About the Humphrey Alumni conference hosted by USEFP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, DAS Rosenzweig said “This week, I’m attending the 4th Annual Humphrey Alumni Conference. This year’s theme is “Combatting Climate Change is a critical issue to explore, and it’s one to which the United States is dedicated. In Pakistan, I know that our embassy and consulates are hard at work to establish a U.S - Pakistan Green Alliance Framework, which will provide opportunities to strengthen climate resilience, pursue energy transformation, and foster inclusive economic growth, including through initiatives relating to agriculture, energy, water, and more.

Talking about the Fulbright scholarship program, Rosenzweig said this program was the premier international exchange program for students, researchers and scholars. This is the largest US government-funded program in the world. “Under this program, the U.S government has been ensuring that students have opportunities in the U.S. I am overwhelmed because our Fulbright program in Pakistan is larger than Australia, Germany, or U.K,” he said.

Smiley faced, Rosenzweig said, “I believe relationships between Pakistan and U.S will be more stronger regardless of impediments occurring in Pakistan, as Biden Administration wants smooth relationship with Pakistan.

He told that over 800 Pakistanis coming to the US every year through exchange program. The U.S has a large alumni network of 37,000 members in Pakistan and alumni groups have been playing an important role in Pakistan by applying the experience they gained while staying in U.S.the Humphrey program is also one of the most important programs, under which the U.S invites Pakistani leaders, government officials and others to visit the country and work on pressing issues, such as climate change, global health, Education and others.

Dressed in formal black suit and yellow neck tie, Rosenzweig said, “I love the hospitality and how welcoming all of Pakistani people have been to me. The purpose of my trip is to promote all the opportunities for student exchange, for mutual understanding between the two cultures, through studying in U.S and for our students to study in Pakistan. I’ve met with our prestigious Fulbright students, Alumnus from both U.S students and Pakistanis on this Govt. funded fellowships. I’ve met with my Humphrey fellows who are distinguished leaders. We are here to talk about how we can make society better by working together. We are talking to our friends from academia who also believes in the power of mutual exchange in academia programs. We’re so proud for our Fulbright Program that has been operational in Pakistan and U.S for so many years, “he elaborated.

The DAS maintained that, “We’re celebrating our 75th anniversary of cooperation. Americans and Pakistani believe in the power of mutual exchange and mutual understanding by studying each other countries, by learning each others’ cultures, by experiencing each others’ languages, and making hospitality of each other. We’re so proud for our long standing history, academic exchange between us and the hunger and the excitement for more cooperation between universities, colleges to promote mutual understanding,” he said.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S Department of State, Ethan Rosenzweig said mutual understanding is the more powerful network for our two cultures to work together and academic exchanges, through Fulbright, through Humphrey, to study abroad in both countries is a powerful tool to promote that goal. We know that there is a hunger for students to study in USA and we know that we’re very eager to meet Pakistanis desire to study in U.S.

Rosenzweig said, “We want to ensure that American students have that full options and opportunities, and that Pakistanis universities are very eager to host students from across the world, and we wanna make sure through our education network,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, one of the alumni, present there, Mahum Tariq, a part of Global UGRAD exchange program- 2016, said that she studied abroad at Florida Gulf Coast University for one semester during her undergrad program. “I graduated as a software engineer. I took courses in tech and entrepreneurship. Studying in a multicultural and innovative environment and getting exposure to the tech scene of the US enriched my undergrad experience,” she said adding currently work at an edtech startup called Manara.

Freeha Ihsan, another alumnus, while sharing her experience said, “It has been transformative and life-changing experience to be more open person and work for my own community. Since I am back my sense of working for my community has increased and I am working activities for human rights, community and community empowerment of youth,” she said adding she is working with a tech startups accelerator name “ScaleX” and manages her two initiatives focused on financial inclusion and youth empowerment.

ARMY HAS DECIDED NOT TO INTERFERE IN POLITICAL AFFAIRS: COAS GEN. BAJWA SINGS SWANSONG

The six top-brass Generals

Political speculations are at a fever pitch in our hapless republic. All due to an appointment of an official heading a department that reports to a Grade-22 federal secretary, who reports to a cabinet minister, who reports, of course, to the prime minister himself. That pecking order doesn’t end there. The PM, in theory, reports to the people that elected him. And the incumbent holder of that office was elected to it by the majority of the representatives of those people.

But the people don’t seem to be featuring anywhere in the scheme of things, either for the government or the opposition, which, it needs to be pointed out, runs the provincial governments for much more than half of the country.

The previous (federal) dispensation was rightly made fun of when it came to the musical chairs that it had made of the finance ministry. But are the incumbents any better, what with replacing Miftah Ismail with Ishaq Dar in just a matter of several months? Furthermore, the much trumpeted Mr Dar’s ascent to his old position was justified by, amongst other things, the claim that he would improve the dollar-to-rupee exchange, a problematic goal to begin with. Well, now even that imperfect target is slipping away.

Terror rears its head in not just the former tribal areas, but also in Swat, again, with massive rallies carried out by the locals against its rising tide. One shudders to imagine the desperation of these protestors if they risk the ire of the aforementioned militants, specially since they, more than metropolitan ‘mainstream’ Pakistan, know what those zealots are capable of.

The Baloch insurgency, with all its transgressions, and the human rights violations in reprisals by the state against it, carries on, unabated.

And this is not to mention the biggest cause for concern, a natural calamity the scale of which this nation has seen rarely, the terrible floods of this year, with the lives of literally millions of people not back to the way they were, which wasn’t a prized position in the first place.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s critics accuse him of lacking on the whole ‘vision thing’ but even they concede that he does a decent enough job on the getting-things-done front. Sadly, he is nowhere to be seen in the midst of the ever brewing political crisis.

The people need governance. Where is the government?

Courtesy: Pakistan Today

STIGMATISED AZAM SWATI CRIES IN VAIN?

Reacting to a video clip of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Azam Swati breaking down in tears at a press conference, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has said that he never thought the intelligence could be so ‘shameless and disrespectful’.

The PPP Senator shared a clip of Azam Swati detailing his torture at the hands of the authorities at a press conference. Swati revealed that his daughter had allegedly broken down while telling him that the agencies had some private and personal videos of him and his wife. The PTI Senator himself started crying while narrating this.

Tweet from Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Nov5, 2022

Tweet from Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar on Nov, 5, 2022.

Reacting to the video clip, Khokhar said, “This clip of Azam Swati Sahib is a slap on the face of the Senate Chairman and all parliamentarians.”

He went on to say that he never would have thought the intelligence would be so shameless and disrespectful so as to tear our religious and social ethics and etiquette to shreds in such a manner.

“No one’s self-respect is safe,” he wrote, adding, “May God curse these people.”

Talking about the aftermath of assassination attempt on PTI Chief Imran Khan, it would be sheer fantasy to talk little of Mr Khan’s popularity but neither he nor those willing to burn the citadel down in his name would wish to create more holes in an already struggling ship. Economically speaking, we are in no position to stomach yet another setback. In the meantime, the nation is in desperate need of some olive branch from the state to at least repair the razed-to-ground bridges. If history serves oft-repeating lessons, Pakistan would spend a while before it recovers from this attack. Still, optimism forces us to hope for normalcy to prevail before more lives are lost to an endless spree of violence. If only, wishes were horses!

RIP ARSHAD SHARIF!

There can be nothing more tragic than the loss of human life, especially when mired in obscurities. Amid heart-wrenching sobs and utter shock, news of hardcore journalist Arshad Sharif being shot dead in Kenya spread like wildfire on Monday (October 24, 2022).

On Tuesday, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said the military had asked the government to carry out a high-level investigation into the tragic killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif by Kenyan law enforcement officials.

The Kenyan police fatally wounded Sharif on the night of Sunday, October 23, in what the Kenyan authorities said was a “mistaken identity” shooting on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi. 

“We have requested the government to hold a high-level investigation so that all these speculations can be put to rest,” he said while talking to a private news channel. “All the aspects of this terrible incident need to be looked into.”

To a question regarding the accusations being hurled at the institutions' alleged involvement in Sharif’s killing in Kenya, the DG ISPR said: “It is very unfortunate that people engage in allegations without any evidence to back them up … and I think an exhaustive investigation should be carried out to deal with these things”.

He said it was critical to watch out for the elements trying to exploit this tragic incident to their advantage. “I believe it should also be investigated as to why Arshad Sharif had to leave Pakistan in the first place,” the DG ISPR said.

“Though Kenyan police have confessed to their mistake, a number of questions need to be answered.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had decided to form a judicial commission headed by a high court judge to probe into the tragic incident.

While, PTI Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed that slain journalist Arshad Sharif has been killed in a "targeted attack." “No matter what anyone says, I know that Arshad Sharif became a victim of target killing,” Khan claimed, while addressing a lawyer’s convention in Peshawar.

 

While condolences continue to pour in from all quarters, the grief-stricken announcement on social media by the cast-down widow–punctuated with appeals for respecting privacy–reflects the sheer pain of someone who has had their loved ones snatched away. The need to gain closure becomes all the more critical in such dreary circumstances when it is only the unforgettable sight of the white shroud that can strengthen hearts and lace souls with solace. Ergo, the unrelenting efforts of Pakistan’s ambassador to Kenya in repatriating the deceased should be appreciated.

But just as important as not wasting any time in the process is the request from PM Shehbaz calling for a “fair and transparent” investigation. While the police in Nairobi have admitted the killing was a case of “mistaken identity” during a hunt for a similar vehicle, the Kenyan authorities should be taken to task for the gross negligence, which resulted in the death of a Pakistani national.

 

The diplomatic channels promised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as it assured the family of the deceased of “all possible assistance,” need to be further pursued. This has already been underscored by Islamabad High Court in a directive given to the secretaries for interior and foreign ministries. Shrouded in ambiguities, the details of the sudden death should be brought before the public eye using diplomatic clout.

 

May it be a liaison with the Kenyan agencies or the dedicated efforts of the embassy staff, all Pakistanis deserve to know that a thorough investigation has been conducted for the sake of one of their own. To agree with his politics is no litmus test to grieve yet another target of a long, grim record of violence against members of the press.

Aleast Islamabad can do to put up a strong case against any rumours of complicity is the pursual of an immediate inquiry. Rest in Peace, Mr Sharif. You may have left us far too young and far too brutally but the world would forever remain witness to your courageous streak and nerves of steel.