The prime minister personally administered polio drops to children at the ceremony PM Shehbaz also appealed to parents across the country, saying, “I would like to respectfully request the parents to help us in this campaign and by giving polio drops to their children to safeguard their future I would like to acknowledge with a deep sense of gratitude the efforts of our international partners, Bill Gates Foundation, World Health Organisation and
the Government of Saudi Arabia, the prime minister added The development comes as the tally of polio cases nationwide rose to 63 The virus has been detected in eight more districts bringing the affected districts to 83 this year The virus has also reached the previously uninfected district of Charsada in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister ’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq in a pre-recorded message said the last anti-polio campaign of the year 2024 is being launched from December 16 An accompanying statement from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said that the campaign would continue “in 143 specific districts of the country from December 16 to 22
The statement added that more than 44 million children will be vaccinated against polio in this campaign As a mother, I appeal to you to open your doors to polio workers,” Farooq said in her statement adding that the polio vaccine is completely safe effective and provided free of charge She said that for immunisation to protect against polio and other deadly diseases, it was essential to complete the course of vaccinations She also paid tribute to the frontline polio workers serving in difficult conditions adding our frontline workers are the real heroes in the ongoing struggle against polio
Pakistan in Athens
The Embassy is working closely with Greek authorities to coordinate the search and provide support to the rescued Pakistanis Officials from the Embassy have already traveled to Crete to offer further assistance to those rescued President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his deep sorrow over the
missing persons is still being determined In separate incidents a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants about 40 nautical miles off Gavdos, and another tanker rescued 88 migrants some 28 nautical miles from the island The rescued individuals were transferred to Crete By Sunday evening MoFA issued a statement confirming the
Nation standing fir m against ter rorism: PM
PIDE proposes sweeping reforms to turbocharge Pakistan’s EV industry
Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations to electrify the country’s transportation sector outlining key policy interventions to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and propel towards a low-carbon future Technology Transfer, Global Value Chain Integration, Export Oriented Production and Reducing Upfront Cost’ are the priority areas identified by the think-tank in its recommendations for the upcoming Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in September 2024, directed the government to present a new policy for accelerating EV manufacturing and increasing user adoption across the country In response to the PM s call for a robust EV policy, PIDE has presented its set of recommendations titled Future on Wheels’ to support the development of an effective policy framework These insights are based on PIDE’s recently published two books on the automobile industry of Pakistan Driving Backwards: What is Wrong with Pakistan s Automobile Industry? and Wheels of Change: Tracing Pakistan s Automotive Evolution through Political
Economy and Technology Acquisition’ PIDE recommended devising a long-term policy for the development of the EV Industry in Pakistan with short-term goals for 2030 mediumterm targets
its consistent advocacy for justice, democracy, and constitutional supremacy Today, Jamaat-eIslami is the effective and strong voice of the people ” Rehman concluded
disqualified Jatak after allegations of rigging at 15 polling stations, leading to the need for repolling The ECP had previously scheduled the date for December 19 for the re-election at these 15 polling stations Government sources revealed that the Balochistan government had requested the postponement of the repolling due to security concerns in the area As a result the ECP agreed to push back the repolling date to January 5 The postponement follows a series of legal proceedings related to the election
On November 21 the Supreme Court of Pakistan dismissed an appeal against the Election Tribunal s decision to recount votes at 15 polling stations in PB-45
The three-member bench, led by Justice Shahid Waheed, heard the case and determined that the discrepancies between Form 45 and Form 47 raised significant questions about the integrity of the election process Justice Aqeel Abbasi highlighted that ballot papers had disappeared the day after the election, adding further to the concerns The Supreme Court ultimately decided to discharge the case Earlier on October 11 the Supreme Court had also intervened in the case regarding repolling in PB-45 The court temporarily reinstated Ali Madad Jatak s victory and suspended the decision for
repolling at the 15 polling stations
The appeal was filed by Jatak who had contested the Election Tribunal s decision to recount the votes The tribunal had based its decision on contradictions in the election forms, but only a portion of the candidates had presented evidence of discrepancies In another electoral dispute the Supreme Court accepted Ali Hasan Zehri s appeal regarding vote recounting in PB-21 Hub The court referred the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan for further review and ordered the ECP to hear the plea for recounting again With the legal proceedings ongoing and the new repolling date set for January 5 uncertainty remains around the final outcome of the PB-45 seat as the legal battles continue to unfold
SAUDI ARABIA’S KSRELIEF UNVEILS FOOD AID PROGRAMME FOR PAKISTAN
Sec tion 144 enforced in Bannu ahead of anti-polio c ampaign
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed announced the immediate enforcement of the restrictions, which include a ban on carrying weapons, double riding on motorcycles, and the use
7 3 million children under the age of five However, authorities continue to face challenges such as vaccination refusals, missed targets, fake finger marking, and lack of cooperation from district administrations and health officers Polio a highly infectious viral disease can cause irreversible paralysis
and death The virus primarily spreads through the faecal-oral route or contaminated food and water Initial symptoms include fever fatigue vomiting stiffness of the neck and limb pain Health officials emphasize that while polio has no cure, it is entirely preventable through vaccines Oral polio vaccines (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccines (IPV) have proven safe and effective worldwide with multiple doses ensuring lifelong immunity Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains a critical focus for polio eradication due to the persistence of non-vaccination among less than one percent of the target population Officials hope that strict measures like Section 144 will support the campaign s success bringing Pakistan closer to eradicating the disease
Protest held outside Dallas jail demanding release of D r Aafia Siddiqui
DALLAS S ta f f R e p o R t
A large demonstration was held in front of FMC Carswell jail in Dallas where Dr Aafia Siddiqui is detained Protesters called for her immediate release, urging outgoing U S President Joe Biden to grant her a pardon on humanitarian grounds They described Dr Siddiqui as an innocent victim of the war on terror and demanded that justice be served Senator Muhammad Talha, a member of a visiting delegation, spoke exclusively to The Media Line from Dallas, terming their meeting with Dr Siddiqui
as encouraging He expressed hope that President Biden might prioritize her case among over 60 pending pardon requests “There comes a time when an outgoing president pardons many individuals ” Senator Talha remarked emphasizing optimism for her release The delegation reportedly held meetings with U S senators, high-ranking State Department officials, and local community leaders They also collaborated with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) a national grassroots organization supporting Muslim communities across North America ICNA s Dallas chapter has been instrumental in advocating for Dr Siddiqui s release
Dr Siddiqui who has served 16 years in prison, conveyed her deep longing for her family during the meeting “She has already served far beyond the typical 10-year sentence for attempted murder in the U S Her greatest desire is to reunite with her children and family Senator Talha stated The senator stressed the global implications of her release, particularly for the Muslim community, highlighting that her freedom would symbolize America’s commitment to justice and compassion God willing Dr Aafia will be released soon and return to Pakistan to live a life of dignity and respect with her children, he said
2 0 in Beijing and the 3rd Forum on China-Indian Ocean Re-
gion Development Cooperation in Kunming His participation underscores Pakistan’s seriousness in revitalizing CPEC addressing unresolved issues and charting a robust roadmap for Phase 2 0 which envisions long-term prosperity for both nations At the heart of these engagements lies China’s unwavering commitment to transforming CPEC into a strategic partnership that fosters growth development and connectivity Far from being sidelined CPEC is evolving into a multi-dimensional framework with five key thematic corridors Growth Corridor, Livelihood-Enhancing Corridor, Innovation Corridor, Green Corridor, and Opening-Up/Regional Connectivity Corridor These initiatives proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping align seamlessly with Pakistan s 5Es framework of Economy Exports, Environment, Energy, and Equity, conceptualized under Ahsan Iqbal s visionary leadership China’s eagerness to propel CPEC into Phase 2 0 is evident from its invitation to a 27-member high-level Pakistani delegation to Beijing This delegation comprises seasoned pro-
fessionals and experts from diverse fields who will receive specialized training to build their capacity for collaborative projects with Chinese counterparts This initiative reflects China s commitment to transferring cuttingedge technologies, modernizing Pakistan s infrastructure, and fostering a knowledgebased economy During the preparatory orientation session in Islamabad chaired by Ahsan Iqbal the minister stressed the importance of the delegation s mission describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from China s transformative journey He highlighted how China has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty achieving unparalleled economic progress This remarkable transformation serves as an inspiring blueprint for Pakistan which aims to replicate China s success through sustainable development and poverty allevi-
COMMENT
Indian Supreme Cour t steps in too late, and temporarily, to save mosques
TH E Indian Supreme Court has stopped the registration of cases, for the time being only, of all suits under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, under its provision that prohibits conversion of places of worship as it existed on 15 August 1947
This is the proviso under which the Babri Mosque was demolished in 1992, and under which the Supreme Court in 2019 ordered the construction of a temple on the site When the mosque was demolished in 1992, there was a section of Muslim opinion in India that felt the demolition meant that no more mosques would be destroyed Unfortunately it seems, a precedent has been established One result has been a rash of suits filed alleging that Mosques have been built atop a Hindu Mandir There is the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, the Jamia Masjid Delhi among others Then there are other Muslim sites which are not mosques There is a suit asking for an investigation of the dargah of Hazrat Moeenuddin Chishti in Ajmer, and there is a claim of the Taj Mahal having been built on top of a Hindu temple
The path taken by Hindu extremists is a dangerous one for them What will happen if some Dravidian activist was to claim that some mandir was built by the Aryans on top of a Dravidian temple?
The Supreme Court, under Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, had fallen in with the BJP s Hindutva project, in giving the Baabri Mosque s demolition legal cover and accepted the Ramayan as an authentic source of information Will it do the same for Dravidian claims?
There are no Dravidian claims at present, but as the Babri Mosque example shows, manufacturing claims is not all that difficult Some Dravidian pushback should be anticipated especially s the BJP pushes its Aryanist version of Hinduism in a push in the South
One of the issues that has arisen is that all of this extremism is being carried out by an elected government It becomes clear that if the Indian government is Hindu-extremist, it is because this stance is popular It is not that Congress was particularly secular or good for Muslims However, it still retains some shreds of the Nehruvian secularism that India was built on The BJP is bent on reversing that The Indian Supreme Court may have acted too late to stem the saffron wave
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit
Getting ‘business ready’
WH I L E World Bank discontinued its Doing Business Report (DBR) due to methodological issues especially with regard to ranking countries, it has now come up with an improved Business Ready’ (or simply ‘B-Ready’ as the World Bank calls it) report, which was launched recently A December 12 ‘Bretton Woods Project’ published article
The B-Ready index: The World Bank s bluewashing of labour rights favoured the approach taken by this report as follows: Promising a more comprehensive assessment of countries business environments, the new index goes beyond considering only the regulatory environment and includes measures of the quality of public services and enterprise survey data ’
Having said that the same article was critical of its certain aspects including The index revives the controversial employing workers indicator– previously removed from the DBR after years of criticism from the global labour movement and international organisations for rewarding countries with the lowest level of regulations, including violators of workers’ rights– which is intended to make their economies friendlier to business
To give some perspective as to why the previous report in this regard was discontinued a statement from the World Bank that it released on 16 September 2021 indicated ‘After data irregularities on Doing Business 2018 and 2020 were reported internally in June 2020, World Bank management paused the next Doing Business report and initiated a series of reviews and audits of the report and its methodology In addition because the internal reports raised ethical matters including the conduct of former Board officials as well as current and/or former Bank staff, management reported the allegations to the Bank’s appropriate internal accountability mechanisms After reviewing all the information available to date on Doing Business including the findings of past reviews audits and the report the Bank released today on behalf of the Board of Executive Directors World Bank Group management has taken the decision to discontinue the Doing Business report
Highlighting one of the ways in which this report is an improvement over DBR, it notes that it is more inclusive taking input from beyond the World Bank It was indicated in the Business Ready report in this
regard as It replaces and improves upon the World Bank Group s earlier Doing Business project It reflects a more balanced and transparent approach toward evaluating an economy’s business and investment climate building on recommendations from hundreds of experts from within and outside the World Bank Group including from governments the private sector, and civil society organizations
The B-Report focuses on three broad aspects or pillars, which are pointed out in the report as ‘(I) Regulatory Framework, (II) Public Services, and (III) Operational Efficiency ’ Here it needs to be indicated that instead of publishing an overall country ranking on the basis of how easy it was to do business in a particular country it reflects on important country aspects related to business on a more disaggregated level, and places them in one of the five groups (or quintiles), where groups are indicated as ‘Top’, ‘Second’ ‘Third’ ‘Fourth’ and ‘Bottom’ Countries are assessed over the three aspects (indicated above) where the best performing countries are placed in the Top quintile and so forth Moreover, among other improvements over the DBR, it does not rely for its data on just main one or two cities, but has a more expanded coverage, which makes it more representative of the overall ground realities of a particular country with regard to how conducive they are for doing business The Report indicated in this regard Doing Business assessed economies performance based on rankings and scores, focusing on aggregate rankings to drive public interest and motivate reforms B-READY uses quantifiable disaggregated indicators, aggregating points into scores by topic and pillar This approach identifies specific areas for reform and encourages reforms without overhyping economywide rankings While Doing Business covered the main business city in 191 economies and the second-largest business city in 11 economies, B-READY aims for wide coverage within and across economies, with coverage for different topics based on whether regulations are national or local ’ Among 50 countries on which the ‘B-Report’ is based for instance Pakistan falls in the Fourth quintile– or the second last group in terms of performance and hence needs to improve a lot– for both pillars 1 and 2, that is Regulatory Framework – in which it received a score of 59 10, while the best performing country, Hungary, received 78 23 score– and ‘Public Services’– where Pakistan received a score of 44 97 (Estonia came first with a score of 73 31)–
B-READY combines primary data collected from thousands of specialists – each an expert in the private sector of a specific economy – with data collected directly from businesses operating in that economy To accomplish this, B-READY uses expert questionnaires tailored to collect data for the Regulatory Framework and Public Services pillars from specialists in each topic
The Fall of Dhaka: A bitter chapter in Pakistan’s histor y
ON
happened the eastern wing of Pakistan East Pakistan declared independence after a devastating war, leading to the creation of Bangladesh This moment marked the end of a traumatic chapter for Pakistan with the loss of a significant part of its territory countless lives and a deeply divided national psyche The Fall of Dhaka is not just a historical event; it is a lesson on the complexities of nation-building, ethnic tensions, and the impact of external interference Over 50 years later, the consequences of that day still echo through the region and it is time to reflect on the causes consequences and myths surrounding the war and its aftermath The roots of the 1971 crisis lay in the deepening divide between East and West Pakistan While Pakistan s founding father, Quaid-eAzam, envisioned a united nation with Urdu as a binding linguistic force, the people of East Pakistan largely Bengali-speaking felt increasingly alienated Jinnah s view of Urdu as a lingua franca was primarily driven by the need to establish a unifying language for the new state, as Urdu was widely spoken across northern parts of South Asia, including parts of India However, this approach failed to address the cultural linguistic and political aspirations of the Bengalis who felt sidelined in a country where the power was centralized in the West
Despite their political and economic marginalization, Bengali leaders had held prominent positions within Pakistan s government and military, such as Khwaja Nazim Uddin, Mohammad Ali Bogra, and others However, the centralization of power in West Pakistan led to a sense of disenfranchisement in East Pakistan where local grievances regarding the disproportionate distribution of resources political representation and military presence began to grow The situation worsened after the 1970 elections, when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Awami League won a landslide victory but was denied power by the ruling authorities in West Pakistan setting the stage for a violent and tragic confrontation The Indian-backed Mukti Bahini a sepa-
ratist group in East Pakistan, played a significant role in stoking the flames of insurgency While the Pakistani Army’s actions during the operation have been heavily criticized it is essential to examine the context and scale of these allegations Numerous reports of atrocities were circulated in international media, with claims of three million Bengalis being killed, which later became a key part of Bangladesh’s narrative However many historians including Sarmila Bose in her book Dead Reckoning have disputed these figures calling them exaggerated and manipulated for political purposes Bose suggests that the actual death toll was between 50,000 and 100,000, far lower than the inflated numbers often quoted by Indian and Bangladeshi sources The atrocities committed by the Mukti Bahini including the systematic killings of Bihari Muslims are also often overlooked in the narrative These Biharis who supported Pakistan were subjected to brutal violence with over 500 000 killed during the conflict Furthermore, the role of India in supporting the insurgency is undeniable India provided logistical and military support to the Mukti Bahini facilitating the insurgency and ultimately invading East Pakistan in December 1971 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi s government backed by Indian intelligence agencies (RAW), actively worked to dismember Pakistan s eastern wing RAW’s support for the insurgents was a calculated effort to weaken Pakistan and India’s involvement in the conflict is often downplayed in mainstream historical accounts According to In-
dian intelligence officers like R K Yadav, India had long planned the dismemberment of Pakistan, viewing it as a means to weaken a regional rival The Fall of Dhaka remains a deep wound in Pakistan s national consciousness The loss of East Pakistan was not just a territorial setback; it was a blow to the country s identity and its ambitions for unity For Pakistan, it symbolized failure of nation-building and the inability to reconcile diverse ethnic, linguistic, and cultural groups that comprised its population The division of Pakistan served as a painful reminder of the challenges of creating a multi-ethnic multi-lingual nation-state In decades following the war Pakistan has worked hard to recover from the trauma of 1971 The tragedy also shaped Pakistan s foreign policy, particularly its relationship with India which continues to be a source of tension While Pakistan acknowledges its shortcomings in handling the situation in East Pakistan it is crucial to recognize the external factors at play particularly India s role in fomenting insurgency and destabilizing the region
The Fall of Dhaka is a tragic reminder of complexities of nation-building, the consequences of political and ethnic alienation and the dangers of external interference
While Pakistan must take responsibility for its internal failures the role of India and the international media in shaping the narrative of the 1971 war cannot be ignored As we reflect on this painful chapter in history, it is essential to remember that the real victims were the people caught in the crossfire whether they were soldiers civilians or refugees
The writer can be reached at asadmalik2008@gmail com
Cultural setback
Dr Omer JaveD
The enduring pain of the APS tragedy
is the 10th anniversar y of the APS massacre
Ethe years, yet the APS massacre remains a singular and harrowing tragedy in the nation’s modern history It evoked an overwhelming wave of shock and sorrow both within the country and beyond its borders as the world mourned the brutal loss of children innocently going about their day at school The magnitude of this national calamity transcended the boundaries of language; no words could fully encompass the depth of grief and no gesture of solace could heal the profound wounds inflicted I personally witnessed the funerals of several loved ones lost in the attack and in the cold embrace of winter, Peshawar became a city draped in an almost unbearable darkness The sorrow that gripped the city was beyond expression, a collective suffering that still reverberates in the hearts of many its echoes enduring in the passage of time This tragic event highlighted the relentless grip of terrorism on Pakistan, a grip that continues to tighten through the operations of groups like the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Born from the ashes of militancy in the region the TTP has grown into an aggressive force fuelled by extremist
ideologies and an unwavering desire to destabilize the nation After Pakistan s military launched Zarbe-Azb in 2014, seeking to eliminate terrorist networks, the TTP retaliated with increasing brutality, targeting not just military forces but also innocent civilians even with the success of various operations such as Raddul-Fasaad and Zarb-e-Azb which have crippled terrorist infrastructure and diminished the frequency of attacks, the TTP found refuge across the Afghan border, where it continues to regroup and strike with renewed force The shadow of the TTP remains everpresent making the fight against terrorism a never-ending struggle for peace and security in Pakistan
Over 80 000 lives have been lost to bombings and attacks in recent years, many of them in the restive regions of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the border areas This devastating toll is worsened by the resurgence of terrorism fuelled by the failure of Afghanistan s Taliban to prevent the TTP from operating within that country s borders Despite the significant progress made in fortifying the PakAfghan border, with over 86 percent of the fence completed, the threat persists, as Afghanistan has increasingly become a sanctuary for militants
The grim reality is that even with strengthened borders extremism continues to flow from across the divide The national Action Plan was introduced in 2014 to tackle terrorism on multiple fronts, from countering terrorist financing and regulating religious seminaries to combating hate
h y a r m i e s c r u m b l e
To
in Zaire
Ten years have passed since that fateful day, yet it feels as if it were only yesterday The echoes of the tragedy that unfolded on 16 December 2014, continue to reverberate, marking it as one of the darkest chapters in PakistanÊs history. On that day, more than 158 lives were tragically lost, including 134 innocent children, while countless others bore the scars of the horrific event.
speech However the implementation of nAP has been slow with limited progress in key areas like regulating extremist ideologies and tackling terrorism financing This delay in action underscores the ongoing challenges Pakistan faces in effectively addressing the threat of extremism The tragedy of the APS Peshawar re-
Bsurprise Most recently in Afghanistan in 2021 the
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of the country, including the cities of Fallujah and Mosul That same year Houthi rebels in yemen seized the capital Sanaa in just days and soon toppled the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi who fled to Saudi Arabia Further afield, the same phenomenon occurred in the
forces of Mobutu Sese Seko fell apart in 1997 as a rebellion from the east swept the country With the rebels closing in on his jungle palace, Mobutu, who had been in power since the 1960s fled for Morocco His own disgruntled presidential guards took potshots at the fuselage of his getaway plane as it took off
The timing of collapse is always impossible to predict; in the game of Jenga, you never quite know which removed block will bring the whole tower tumbling down yet, the causes of collapse can always be cataloged Again and again the same factors hollow out militaries fighting insurgencies
The first is ethnic exclusion Governments often fill their armies especially the top brass, with their ethnic brethren There are advantages to this approach greater cohesion and loyalty and it’s a time-tested way of “coup-proofing” a regime In civil wars with an ethnic dimension it s often unavoidable that government forces come from one group and rebels from another However the practice inevitably generates resentment among those groups on the outside In Zaire in the early 1990s, half of the army’s generals hailed from Mobutu’s own province and a third of those were fellow members of his relatively small ethnic group the ngbandi In the Central African Republic one of the rebels main grievances was that the government had refused to integrate certain ethnic groups into the military yemen’s Shiites felt their concerns were ignored under Hadi a Sunni Before the rise of ISIS Iraq’s military under Prime Minister nouri al-Maliki marginalized Sunnis In the Afghan national Army Tajiks at one point accounted for more than two-thirds of commanders, even though they made up only a quarter of the population In Syria, some 70 percent of all soldiers and 80 percent of all officers were members of Assad’s Alawite sect even though the group made up just 13 percent of the population The Alawites dominance was near total in the Republican Guard, the elite protection group commanded by one of Assad s brothers The non-Alawite conscripts in the lower ranks turned out to have little interest in dying for an officer corps and a regime that did not represent them Then there is corruption a powerful corrosive agent that erodes armies Weak governments often can t afford the salaries necessary to buy their forces loyalty, so they tolerate or unwittingly encourage graft Mobutu, who once instructed his followers to “steal cleverly little by little ” twice presided over mass pillages carried out by angry unpaid soldiers In the yemeni Iraqi and Afghan armies promotions went not to the most qualified but to those who had connections or were willing to pay a bribe The payrolls were filled with thousands of “ghost soldiers,” nonexistent positions created to allow commanders to embezzle salaries In Afghanistan corrupt air force officers were suspected of smuggling opium and guns Many of the Afghan military s commanders were warlords who had once been aligned with the Taliban and whose
allegiance was for sale to the highest bidder When the Taliban swept across the country in 2021, in many areas, it didn t have to fight; all it had to do was pay off security officials and watch their troops surrender The Syrian army was also riddled with corruption ranging from the extortion of petty bribes from cars passing through checkpoints to a multi-billion-dollar enterprise that produced and sold captagon, an illegal amphetamine The rank and file complained about officers who stole their fuel subsidies and insisted that soldiers who wanted to take leave pay for the privilege Corruption within militaries aggravates the population whose support rebels feed off of It also makes militaries less effective by diverting resources away from investments in weapons, equipment, and salaries for troops, and it alienates the lower ranks As an Afghan official told the authors of a U S government report on the collapse of the Afghan army nobody wanted to die for people who were here to rob the country The same proved true in Syria The last-minute promise Assad made to give Syrian soldiers a 50 percent pay raise was hardly enough to revive morale The most consequential factor behind recent army collapses is external rather than internal: the loss of foreign patrons Weak governments usually need help maintaining controlling territory and when outsiders pull the plug, their withdrawal of support can be that final Jenga block It was no coincidence that Zaire’s army collapsed after the Cold War when the United States no longer had any use for Mobutu and unceremoniously dumped him as an ally In the Central African Republic France the former colonial power, had come to the rescue as the government fought rebels before, but in 2013, it made it clear it wouldn’t do so again When the yemeni military was on the verge of implosion the United States which had helped the government battle Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declined to extend its counterterrorism support to fighting the Houthis In both Iraq and Afghanistan, similarly, it was the withdrawal of U S forces that precipitated the collapse of the army (just as it had been in South Vietnam long before) The proximate cause of the Syrian army s evaporation was the sharp reduction in foreign support Russia was tied up in Ukraine; its air force was unable to repeat the barrage of airstrikes that had rescued Assad back in 2015 Hezbollah was staggering from Israel’s strikes against it in Lebanon including the exploding-pager attack and could no longer supply the number of fighters it once had Iran too was licking its wounds from Israeli strikes and quickly withdrew its military forces from Syria The armies of unrepresentative governments are often microcosms of their regimes Like the Syrian military the Syrian state was brittle hollowed out by years of corruption and exclusion and barely propped up by outside support In retrospect what
We must reach out a hand of friendship to Damascus
On e struggle ends another begins Revolution begets counter-revolution Hopes soar, disappointment and disillusion follow Is this what the future holds for Syria? In the immediate aftermath of last weekend’s sudden toppling of Bashar al-Assad s despicable regime euphoria reigns After 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of oppressive dictatorship, the scent of freedom is intoxicating The people of Syria celebrated their liberation on the streets in vast numbers Statues of Assad and his father Hafez lifeless monuments to fear were pulled down and smashed Who would deny them these moments of vital joy? Theirs is a victory for all who love freedom elation conceals deep anxiety The challenges facing the country are numerous complex and daunting For many citizens the overriding priority is to discover what happened to missing relatives and friends jailed or forcibly disappeared Large crowds gathered outside Damascus s notorious Sednaya prison and other “slaughterhouses”, desperately seeking news of loved ones, living and dead Perhaps half a million people were killed in the war The Syrian network for Human Rights believes that 100 000 may have died under torture One was Mazen al-Hamada who famously, publicly, defied the regime His broken body was found in Sednaya Powerful yearnings for instant revenge will be difficult to contain They reflect a broader desire for a national reckoning for justice and accountability Assad cowering in Moscow must be surrendered by Russia evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including documented
TBlinken confirms US contac t with Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad
JORDAN
The United States had made direct contact with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels who have taken control of Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed The acknowledgment marks the first official US recognition of engagement with the rebel group which remains designated a terrorist organisation by Washington Blinken spoke in Jordan, where he was attending talks with representatives from several Arab countries, Turkey, and Europe to discuss Syria’s future The international talks focused on supporting a peaceful transition in Syria Blinken s statement came after regional powers expressed a shared interest in preventing the country from descending into
of Syria s largest oil fields is the main ally in a U S coalition against Islamic State militants It is spearheaded by YPG militia, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years and who it outlaws Blinken told Turkish officials during a visit to Ankara on Thursday and Friday that Islamic State must not be
and the SDF must not be
chaos We ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties, Blinken said, referring to discussions on issues such as the fate of missing US journalist Austin Tice, who was abducted in
Turkiye ready to offer military training to Syria if new administration requests, says defence minister
if the new administration requests it he added Since 2016 Turkiye has mounted four military operations across growing swathes of northern Syria citing threats to its national security
toppled President Bashar al-Assad last weekend, ending a 13-year civil war Turkiye reopened its embassy in Damascus on Saturday, two days after its intelligence chief visited the Syrian capital In their first statement the new administration that toppled Assad announced that it would respect all government institutions the United Nations and other international organisations, Guler told reporters in Ankara in comments authorised for publication on Sunday
“We think that we need to see what the new administration will do and to give them a chance ” When asked whether Turkiye was considering military cooperation with the new Syrian government Guler said Ankara already had military cooperation and training agreements with many countries (Turkiye) is ready to provide the necessary support
Turkiye is estimated to maintain a few thousand troops in towns including Afrin, Azez and Jarablus in northwestern Syria and Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad in the northeast Ankara may discuss and reevaluate the issue of Turkiye s military presence in Syria with the new Syrian administration when necessary conditions arise Guler said ELIMINATING ‘TERRORISTS’
Turkiye’s priority remains the elimination of the Kurdish YPG militia, part of a US-backed Syrian opposition group and it has made this clear to Washington Guler said
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which controls some of Syria s largest oil fields is the main ally in the US coalition against Islamic State militants It is spearheaded by the YPG, a group that Ankara sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) whose militant fighters have battled the Turkish state for 40 years In the new period the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation in Syria will be eliminated sooner or later Guler
said Members of the organisation coming from outside Syria will leave Syria Those who are Syrian will lay down their weapons Guler said Turkiye saw no sign of a resurgence of Islamic State in Syria, contrary to the US view Has anyone heard of any attacks by Daesh terrorists in Syria in the last three years? We don’t see or hear anything about Daesh at the moment ” he said using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State Turkiye has in the past told the US that Ankara could deploy three commando brigades in Syria to fight Islamic State and to run al-Hol the detention camp for IS families, Guler said, adding that Washington had rejected both offers “Instead, they cooperated with the PKK/YPG terrorist organisation under the banner of fighting Daesh But you can’t fight one terrorist organisation with another terrorist organisation
Asked about the future involvement in Syria of Russia a longstanding ally of Assad which last weekend granted him asylum, Guler said he saw no sign of a complete Russian withdrawal Russia, he said, is moving its military assets from different parts of Syria to its two bases in the country the Hmeimim air base at Latakia and a naval base in Tartous I don t think the Russians are going to leave (Syria) They ll do everything they can to stay he said
Modi govt tr ying to give Waqf proper ties to Hindutva groups: O waisi
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader
Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the Modi-led Indian government is trying to snatch away Waqf properties and give them to the Hindutva majority
Asaduddin Owaisi made these remarks during a discussion on the Constitution in the lower house of the Indian parliament
Owaisi said that, “Today, I am being asked if there was a mosque or not 500 years ago They are saying there was no Khwaja Ajmeri dargah If I dig up this Parliament and something is found will it be mine? You tell me See what
is being propagated ”
Owaisi said that the Indian constitution has given rights to all religious denominations to establish and maintain institutions for religious charitable purposes but Narendra Modi says that Waqf has nothing to do with the Constitution
Owaisi said that when constituencies for Parliament and state Assemblies were drawn, it was ensured that the Muslim minorities find it difficult to win, and it was made easy for majority community candidates
Owaisi also said that the Hindu nationalist governments are trying to finish the Urdu language in the country and promote Hindutva culture BJP is not for cultural nationalism, but it is the cultural nationalism of Hindutva which has no connection with the nationalism of India
Students from IIOJK protest in New Delhi against reservation policy
Students from occupied Jammu and Kashmir staged a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi opposing the Modi regime s current reservation policy in the territory The sit-in organized under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Studetn Association (JKSA) drew participation from students, political leaders and civil
merit-based opportunities Led by JKSA Convenor Nasir
Khuehami the protest highlighted concerns about the reservation policy s fairness Khuehami argued that the current framework undermines merit and fails to reflect Jammu and Kashmir s demographic realities We demand a rationalized, proportional reservation system based on population demographics to ensure justice and fairness,” he said Prominent participants included Awami Ittehad Party leader Sheikh Aashiq Kashmiri Pandit and AIPC President Sanjay Sapru and student activist Mir Mujeeb They emphasized the need for equitable opportunities for the youth while reiterating their support for a balanced reservation policy
CORPORATE CORNER
ever the country is resourceful to offer variety of goods and services to Pakistan said Mr Wiweko Speaking at the inauguration of the 10th edition of Beauty, Fitness, and Consumer Health Asia, alongside foreign delegates from various countries Executive Directors Ecommerce Gateway Muhammad Uzair Nizam said the business and
illegal connection and addressed 23 compressor-related cases, while in Multan, 23 illegal connections were severed during the raids In Sahiwal, SNGPL disconnected one illegal connection and one compressor-related case imposing fines totaling Rs0 23 million Meanwhile a significant operation in Karak resulted in the disconnection of 541 illegal connections and the lodging of four FIRs against individuals involved in gas theft SNGPL reiterates its commitment to eradicating gas theft to ensure uninterrupted and efficient service to its valued consumers
Rehman Saigol along with senior vice chairman Nasrullah Mughal and vice chairman Tahir Manzoor Ch said that the low-cost power project produce environment friendly and affordable electricity
Faheemur Rehman Saigol further said that the current electricity generation capacity should also be shifted to solar energy
He said that globally electricity is being produced from environmentally friendly low-cost solar energy he noted adding that Pakistan was fortunate in this regard as the country had vast potential for solar energy
Nasrullah Maughal called for the immediate closure of such outdated power plants adding that closing these plants would not only save valuable foreign exchange
but also reduce electricity costs for consumers
He said that immediate action should be taken against all officials deliberately obstructing reforms in the power sector He stated that reforms in the electricity transmission system be expedited Tahir Manzoor Ch said that the power transmission system should be upgraded according to international standards the prime minister further directed He called for swift implementation of a system based on modern technology for the selection and transmission of low-cost electricity
Faheem Saigol wanted to complete all measures for the reform of the power sector within the specified timeline He warned that the continued escalation of
the industrial sector grapples with the ramifications of the gas price hike the PIAF leader s stance advocates for the preservation of industrial stability and the prevention of potential economic setbacks for Pakistan
KARACHI: Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Sindh Minister
of Culture and Tourism inaugurates group painting exhibition titled:Natural Hues Floral Blossom by Shahina Naz in collaboration with PNC, along with Sarvech Shaikh, deputy director PNCA, and MD, Legends Hotels and Resorts others are present
WILL ACT ON CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ONCE CLARITY EMERGES: KP CM
Five killed as landslide buries vehicle in S k ardu
ISLAMABAD
mentary leader Engineer Hameed Hussain highlighted the dire impact of road closures on residents “People are facing immense hardships in accessing groceries, medicines, and other essential commodities ” he stated Hussain warned that if the jirga failed to reopen roads and ensure locals safety the MWM would launch an agitation movement for immediate relief Social activist Mir Afzal Khan noted that Kurram s entry and exit points have been blocked for 67 days due to tribal clashes, exacerbating the residents’ suffering “The severe cold and shortages of daily commodities including fuel and gas have made life unbearable for locals ” he said Deputy Commissioner Javedullah Mehsud assured that efforts were underway to reopen roads and restore the supply of essential items including food and medicines According to AFP thousands of residents remain stranded in the remote Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, as the government struggles to quell violence and restore calm following sectarian clashes The tensions fueled by long-standing disputes over farmland have displaced hundreds of families
At least five people were killed after their vehicle was struck by a landslide near Rondo Malupa in Skardu on Sunday afternoon, the rescue and administration officials confirmed “The ill-fated vehicle was on the way from Skardu to Shangus when it was suddenly buried under a massive amount of falling debris rescue officials told The Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Soon after the incident, a rescue team was immediately dispatched to the scene for a search and rescue operation, the officials said As the rescue operation continued, officials confirmed that at least five people had lost their lives in the tragedy The identities of the victims have not been released yet Police described the scene as horrific as the vehicle was swept away by the landslide leaving no chance of escape for the occupants In August this year,
tional Amendment was instrumental in empowering provinces to take ownership of their health-related affairs allowing for local solutions tailored to the unique needs of their populations The devolution of powers helped in creating a more inclusive participatory framework for healthcare governance the Chairman Senate made these remarks at a Health Awareness and Recognition Seminar
ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)
Admiral Naveed Ashraf called on the highest civil and military leadership during an official visit to Bahrain The Naval Chief held meetings with the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said a press release issued by Directorate General Public Relations (Pak Navy) on Sunday During these meetings, discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation and reinforcing the historic ties between Bahrain and Pakistan The King appreciated the Pakistan Navy s role and commitment to regional maritime security and stability
Later, the Chief of the Naval Staff met the Commander-inChief of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa the Commander of the Bahrain National Guard General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force
(RBNF) Rear Admiral Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Binali
During these engagements professional matters of mutual interest, including regional maritime security and bilateral defence collaboration, were discussed The Naval Chief emphasized the importance of enhancing interactions between the armed forces of both countries through joint exercises mutual visits, and training exchange programs Admiral Naveed Ashraf also visited RBNF
Ship MANAMA and the Royal Command and Staff College In his address at the Royal Command and Staff College, the Naval Chief elaborated on the current and emerging environment in the Indian Ocean Region and highlighted the need for a region-centric maritime security construct The Naval Chief s
