US SANCTIONS ON PAKISTANI FIRMS HAVE ‘NO JUSTIFICATION’: PM SHEHBA Z
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday assuring the government s sincere efforts and contributions, expressed the hope that the talks initiated between the ruling coalition and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would bring about positive outcomes to promote peace and economic stability in the country
The prime minister, in his opening remarks at the meeting of the federal cabinet he chaired said that on the National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq s initiative the first round of talks with PTI was held on Monday with the second one scheduled on January 2, 2025 He said the government’s committee comprised Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaulah Irfan Siddiqui Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf Naveed Qamar Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui Abdul Aleem Khan Ijazul Haq and Khalid Magsi He said the process would meet success only if both parties set aside their likes and dislikes for the sake of national interests I do not doubt anyone s intentions I hope both PTI and the government party will bring about the outcomes for the country s benefits and promote the economic stability” the prime minister said and mentioned the reduced policy rate to 13% inflation below 5% constant surge in exports and remittances Referring to his meetings with Bangladesh s Chief Advisor Dr Yunus and the presidents of Indonesia and Turkiye on the sidelines of the D-8 Summit in Cairo, he said PakistanBangladesh ties were entering a new era as the latter had abolished erstwhile
100% scanning of Pakistan s export products and special desk at airports for screening Pakistani passport holders He said Pakistan was also reciprocating with positive indicators and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was scheduled to visit Dhaka in February But all these efforts will come to fruition if we promote the national unity and solidarity This is a good initiative of the National Assembly speaker We will contribute with sincerity But it takes two to tango I hope both parties will play their part to serve the national interests and promote national stability the prime minister added Coming to the US sanctions on NDC and other entities, the prime minister called the move illogical as Pakistan’s nuclear system was not meant for any aggression but only deterrence
OGDCL revives Dars
PSX
Yar district, Sindh achieving hydrocarbon production from the B-Sand interval of the Lower Goru Formation according to a stock filing by the company on Tuesday The well is currently producing 200 barrels per day (BPD) of oil, 8 0 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of
New undersea c able to boost Pakistan’s internet c apacity by 24 terabytes
opened a new avenue for exploring the hydrocarbon potential of Paleocene Khadro sands in the region This discovery will add additional hydrocarbon reserves and enable the energy sector to reduce the current energy crisis in the country and will save foreign exchange for the country through indigenous hydrocarbon production
seven cables, which currently provide 8 terabytes of bandwidth The cable will connect Pakistan with the African region addressing long-standing complaints about slow internet speeds Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Sajjad
Mustafa Syed said the cable is not yet operational but is expected to be active next year Syed also revealed that four additional major internet lines are in the pipeline, including infrastructure to support 5G, which will address bandwidth congestion and improve fiber connectivity for mobile towers “These projects expected to double capacity next year will ensure Pakistan s internet infrastructure meets demands for the next two to five years, he added The government is facing criticism from the tech community, digital rights groups, and freelancers over internet outages slow speeds the installation of a national firewall and disruptions to social media applications According to P@SHA chairman
Pakistan’s IT sector was incurring losses of over one million dollars per hour due to frequent internet shutdowns He explained that for every dollar the government invests in market access, a return of $49 is generated, based on trends over the past three years On Sunday Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Division Syed Sajid Mehdi advised Pakistanis to limit their internet usage to important matters only to address ongoing connectivity issues Speaking on a television program, Mehdi likened internet congestion to traffic jams attributing slow speeds to overuse and the country s limited fiber-optic capacity which he said stands at 15% compared to India s 45% Earlier this month, Minister of State for IT and Telecomm Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the Senate Standing Committee on IT that Pakistan is in talks with Starlink a US satellite internet constellation to bring its services to the country
COMMENT
Digital privacy
LU D D I T e S might not like the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill because it attempts to drag Pakistan into the Digital Age by making egovernance much easier by not just giving every citizen a unique Digital ID (something a CNIC already does) but making that serve as the means by which it will interact with the government Whereas at present each department has its own digital portal and requires the citizen to register separately the digital ID would be the same for all departments which is probably why one of the two new bodies the Bill, the National Digital Commission, includes the CMs, s the provinces loom even larger the 18th Amendment increased their jurisdictions however, according to a report appearing in this newspaper ’s Profit magazine, the real problem appears in the second body the Pakistan Digital Authority The NDC will set policy, and the PDA will implement it
The problem arises because the government through the PDA, the government will have access to data charting almost every aspect of the lives of all citizens Matters become a little murkier when one realises that the PDA will probably regulate the Internet That has long been an ambition of someone or some institution within the state almost as soon as social media showed that the old government control over the media had been smashed forever, and it was now impossible to keep the lid on anything The excuse has been misinformation and the attempts include an attempt to promulgate rules controlling social media platforms and to bring social media platforms within the purview of the cybercrime law It is possible that the Digital Nation Bill is not an attempt to control, merely to regulate, but it should be noted that no strong digital privacy laws have been put in place, or are proposed
Such laws are so essential that the new media law should not be allowed unless there is strengthening That some unscrupulous official might be willing to sell some of the data collated is danger enough There is the even greater danger that the government will be tempted to use information about its opponents for partisan political purposes It is unfortunate that past governments have not resisted the temptation to misuse laws and regulations meant for entirely different purposes So far, this government has not given any examples to the sort of self-effacing behaviour needed to make this work in the absence of the necessary legal framework
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami
T h e scene at the Paul VI chapel in the Vatican s St Peter s Square was quite moving Pope Francis had come to thank those who had donated the chapel s Christmas tree and the carved life-sized figures that depicted the birth of Jesus that had been set up at the foot of the tree As the Pope sat in silent prayer contemplating the scene one thing stood out: the manger on which lay the figure of the baby
king
a balanced outlook They see only one side of the coin The coin has a flipside which is also a reality of how mutilated it might be The senior officers must be able to sift through the details, they are taught early in their careers During the noise and din of battle horrible defeat becomes your destiny if you cannot sift details A good battlefield commander must pick what is relevant and discard mere distractions It enables him to focus his thoughts and resources in the right direction Manstien, the great German general, was able to convert a rout into an organized and respectable withdrawal from the Russian front Liddell hart laments in vain: “Why do we not learn from history? Social media can boast of wise men like haroon Rashid Mushahid hussain Syed and Dr Moeed Pirzada, even if he is the most hated individual by the present government In contrast, the mainstream media, under fear or greed, can hardly claim men who dare to speak the truth
This is primarily because it has to give comprehensive coverage to the politicians who seldom tell the truth They tell incredible lies and propound contemptuous narratives It is the opposite of my son s recently formed perception The mainstream media is all rubbish, as it pro-
duces what it is fed ‘garbage in and garbage out’ social media has some truth if you know who to read and who to reject at the outset Again it is a matter of sifting details Imagine more or less 12 or 16 dead and ten times more wounded and missing compared to the sheer carnage at Parachinar The deaths are confirmed in hundreds on both sides of the divide; as usual the Shiites an outnumbered minority remain at the receiving end Not an eyebrow raised nor a condemnation uttered even in words as a forgettable formality Imran Khan might not be aware of the tragedy What about the big mouths of PTI? To top it all the Chief Minister himself displays a total lack of sensitivity; the other humanists Aitzaz Ahsan the wise advocate; Salman Akram Raja the sober saint; the brash Sher Afzal Marwat or the soft-spoken Barrister Gohar or Omer Ayub, who belong to KP Any PML (N) or PPP Stalwart? how do we explain this inhumanness? The mainstream media is fully occupied with Atta Ullah Tarar whose repulsive demeanor and brash manners are impossible to stomach he demands a well-documented video to prove the opposition s contention at D-Choke Against this backdrop of a chattering Information Minister and quick-to-draw belligerent Interior Minister, would it be possible for the media to take notice of the Parachinar carnage? If not please at least blame the army for nothing
Askari Raza Malik (askarirazamalik@gmail com) has served Pakistan Army as Major General He is author of Pakistan: In Search of Messiah T
Priced out sur vival
Har vest potential
ASkArI rAZA mAlIk
Unfair blame being thrown at the army
From the Quaid to now: How far has Pakistan strayed
HI
you are free to go to your temples you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan You may belong to any religion caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state This statement, profound in its simplicity, offered a vision of a Pakistan where religious tolerance and unity would form the bedrock of society Yet more than 75 years later the Pakistan of today stands in stark contrast religious intolerance sectarian violence and the marginalization of minorities have become defining
features of the national landscape The Hindu and Christian communities, in particular, face systemic discrimination and violence, often relegated to second-class citizenship The desecration of temples and attacks on churches serve as stark reminders of how far the state has veered from Jinnah s ideals of inclusivity and coexistence These failings are not merely ideological; they are moral betrayals that erode the very unity the Quaid struggled for during the Pakistan Movement The Quaid was an unrelenting champion of democracy believing in the power of institutions and the rule of law Stanley Wolpert in Jinnah of Pakistan portrays him as a leader who epitomized discipline integrity, and political accountability He stood steadfast against colonial oppression and communal disunity, uniting Muslims under the singular vision of a Pakistan that would serve as a beacon of hope However decades later Pakistan s political system is plagued by dysfunction Successive regimes both civilian and military have eroded institutions, prioritized personal power over national progress, and undermined democratic norms The result is a deeply polarized political environment where dynastic politics and corruption scandals dominate headlines paralyzing effective governance The Quaid s prescient warning against corruption rings truer than ever He once declared: Corruption and bribery are poison and need to be put down with an iron hand ” Yet, Pakistan consistently ranks among the most corrupt countries globally as noted by
Transparency International Instead of fostering a system that serves the people, Pakistan s political elite has exploited state resources for personal gain, leaving the masses disillusioned and impoverished This political instability perpetuated by vested interests obstructs meaningful progress and diverts attention from the nation s core priorities education healthcare and poverty alleviation
The absence of unity a cornerstone of the Quaid s philosophy further exacerbates the crisis ethnic and provincial divides fracture the nation The unrest in Balochistan demands for greater autonomy in Sindh and the grievances of Pashtun communities underscore the neglect of Jinnah s vision of unity and inclusivity The Baloch people, despite living atop vast natural resources, endure extreme poverty and systemic marginalization Their legitimate demands for justice, development and representation remain unaddressed highlighting the glaring disparities between Jinnah s vision and today s realities Jinnah envisioned a Pakistan built on economic independence and self-sufficiency Fatima Jinnah, in her memoir My Brother, recounts how deeply the Quaid was concerned about the economic plight of ordinary people His dream was for a welfare state where resources would uplift the marginalized and every citizen would enjoy dignity Yet modern Pakistan is mired in economic mismanagement, foreign debt, and widening inequality The recent economic crises characterized by soaring inflation, energy shortages, and unemployment reflect a systemic failure to
From the Quaid to now, Pakistan has strayed far from the path he envisioned Yet, his dream remains alive a powerful reminder of what this nation was meant to be As we celebrate his bir thday, let us ask ourselves: How long will we remain adrift? The struggle is far from over, but JinnahÊs words still guide us: „With faith, discipline, and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing wor thwhile that you cannot achieve ‰
Trump ambassador picks: Who’s in his ‘diplomatic clown car’
align with the Quaid s aspirations Today Pakistan remains heavily reliant on foreign loans from the IMF and other financial institutions Jaswant Singh, in Jinnah: Pakistan Independence and Partition, emphasizes that Jinnah’s insistence on economic sovereignty was rooted in his understanding that a dependent nation could never truly be free However successive governments have mortgaged the nation s future for short-term relief, plunging Pakistan into crippling debt This economic mismanagement has decimated the middle class, pushed millions below the poverty line, and created an elite class that remains insulated from the struggles of ordinary citizens
The Quaid s emphasis on education as a cornerstone of national progress was unwavering He famously stated, Without education, it is complete darkness, and with education, it is light ” Yet, Pakistan’s education sector faces a crisis of staggering proportions The literacy rate remains alarmingly low with millions of children out of school particularly in rural areas Female education in particular, suffers due to cultural and systemic barriers that prevent girls from accessing classrooms According to UNeSCO, Pakistan has one of the world’s highest numbers of out-of-school children a damning indictment of the state s misplaced priorities Jinnah s vision for education extended beyond mere literacy He saw it as a means to empower citizens, foster critical thinking, and drive national progress Today, however, the absence of investment in education has stifled Pakistan’s potential for innovation and global competitiveness Instead of nurturing a nation of thinkers and reformers Pakistan s outdated curricula and rote learning methods perpetuate mediocrity, failing to equip its youth to meet contemporary challenges The Quaid’s foreign policy ideals were anchored in peaceful coexistence, non-alignment and dignity He envisioned Pakistan as a respected member of the global community free from external dependencies Yet modern Pakistan finds itself entangled in geopolitical rivalries, often dictated
TTrump is distinguishing himself in two ways: He s announcing nominations at an unusually rapid pace, and many of his picks are exceptionally unqualified Trump’s list includes his daughter ’s ex-con father-in-law multiple billionaire pals and many people with no diplomatic experience whatsoever Senate confirmation for the United States s 195 ambassadorships is often a lengthy process But serious Senate pushback against Trump s ambassador picks seems unlikely, as republicans will control the next Senate and Democratic lawmakers haven’t been raising alarms about the ambassador picks as veteran foreignpolicy analyst Joe Cirincione told The Guardian We have a diplomatic clown car that s about to be rolling up at the Capitol with all these idiots waiting to be confirmed but where s the outrage, he said Here are Trump s most notable ambassador picks so far, loosely arranged from most to least outrageous
CHARLES KUSHNER: AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: Charles Kushner is the ex-con father of Jared Kushner Donald Trump s son-in-law The realestate developer pleaded guilty in 2004 to 16 felony counts of making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering Kushner admitted to hiring a sex worker to seduce his brother-in-law, secretly filming the encounter then showing the tape to his sister Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie famously called this one of the most loathsome disgusting crimes he ever prosecuted as U S Attorney Trump pardoned Kushner in 2020, and now he will represent U S interests in Paris
MIKE HUCKABEE: AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Mike Huckabee is a former Arkansas governor two-time presidential candidate and evangelical minister His views on the conflict in the Middle east are radically pro-Israel He s repeatedly rejected a two-state solution, and he s argued there s really no such thing as a Palestinian ” Huckabee also said in 2017, “There is no such thing as a West Bank it’s Judea and Samaria There’s no such thing as a settlement They’re
Jr ’s fiancée or was until their
apparent breakup recently Now Don Jr is dating socialite Bettina Anderson and the president-elect is foisting his son s ex on the people of Greece
HERSCHEL WALKER: AMBASSADOR TO THE BAHAMAS: Herschel Walker is a college-football legend whose 2022 Senate campaign in Georgia flopped after the pro-life politician was accused of pressuring two women to get abortions among other scandals involving multiple previously undisclosed children lying about having a law-enforcement background and something about vampires
TOM BARRACK: AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: Tom Barrack is a billionaire and private-equity executive In 2021 the Justice Department charged him over allegedly lobbying the Trump campaign on behalf of the United Arab emirates while pursuing lucrative business deals He was acquitted a year later He s a longtime friend of Donald Trump as well as the late pedophile Jeffrey epstein Author Michael Wolff described the trio as a “set of nightlife musketeers” in the ’80s and ’90s
TILMAN FERTITTA: AMBASSADOR TO ITALY: Tilman Fertitta is the billionaire owner of the Houston rockets and Landry s restaurant group which oversees brands like the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co and Morton s the Steakhouse Fertitta has donated millions to both Democratic and republican politicians over the years and gave at least $487,300 to the Trump 47 Committee and an unknown sum to Trump’s Save America PAC He’s also a former reality-TV star who appeared in CNBC s Billion Dollar Buyer
DAVID PERDUE: AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: David Perdue is a businessman, former U S senator from Georgia, and a vocal 2020 election denier Trump recruited Perdue to primary his republican foe, Georgia governor Brian Kemp in the 2022 gubernatorial election Kemp defeated Perdue in a landslide and went on to win a second term Perdue was the most prolific stock trader during his one term in the Senate The DOJ investigated him for possible insider trading but ultimately did not bring charges
MATT WHITAKER: AMBASSADOR TO NATO: Matt Whitaker was acting U S attorney general during the first Trump administration serving for just a few months until Bill Barr was confirmed in February 2019 His background is in law enforcement, not foreign policy His views on NATO are unknown
LEAH FRANCIS CAMPOS: THE DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC: Leah Francis Campos is a former CIA case officer and senior adviser for the Western Hemisphere for the House Foreign Affairs Committee If the last name sounds familiar that s because she s related to two former real World cast members who are now in the Trump-Fox
ecosphere Her sister is Fox
host rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Sean Duffy Trump’s pick for secretary of Transportation CALLISTA GINGRICH: AMBASSADOR TO SWITZERLAND: Callista Gingrich is the wife of Newt Gingrich, the Trump ally and former House Speaker Callista was ambassador to the Vatican during Trump s first term
Hartmann senior editor for
HTSI the magazine was called How to Spend It A reporter for the Independent found a well-thumbed copy of the journal in a compound that once belonged to the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi An influencer before his time Gaddafi wouldn’t have been seen dead in a Phenom He had his own private $120m Airbus A340 with several bathrooms two showers a jacuzzi and many leather sofas He knew how to live But in 2022, with the nation still recuperating from Covid, the FT began to feel a bit squeamish about being seen to flaunt conspicuous wealth and wondered if the original brand How to Spend It was a little dated The humour behind a wry wink at the stinking rich might have worn a little threadbare in the intervening 28 years The magazine s new editor, Jo ellison, explained: We want the title and indeed our
MAjid nAbi buRfAt
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Rahul G andhi visits violence -hit M aharashtra, says D alit man was killed due to his c aste
s death The violence in Parbhani on December 10 was triggered by the alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution Special Inspector General Shahaji Umap confirmed that 50 arrests had been made with eight cases registered Premnath Suryawanshi, the victim s brother, said, The police informed us late about my brother s death, falsely attributing it to a heart attack We demand the accused officers be hanged for their actions ” While officials reported injuries to police personnel
Dalits Dalit teen in UP dies by suicide after brutal assault humiliation In a shocking incident highlighting the plight of minorities in India, a 17-year-old Dalit boy from Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district took his
The boy was invited to the party where four individuals stripped him urinated on him and filmed the
boy’s pleas to delete the footage, the perpetrators escalated the humiliation, forcing him to lick his spit, the family revealed
Deadly explosion at Turkish plant claims 12 lives, injures five ANKARA Ag e n c i e s A powerful explosion ripped
LAHORE S TA F F R E P O R T
AY I N G glowing tribute to father of the nation Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said that Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah through his unparalleled leadership, unwavering determination and tireless efforts, taught the world how to build a great nation on the basis of unity faith and discipline “Baba-e-Qaum dreamt of a Pakistan where every citizen has equal opportunities for equality justice and progress Muhammad Ali Jinnah s Pakistan was a symbol of peace, love and progress, the Punjab Chief Minister said in her message on the birth anniversary of the founder of the nation Quaid-i-Azam
Maryam Nawaz emphasized that all energies have been directed at turning Quaid s vision into reality adding that in the light of the vision of Quaid-i-Azam, public welfare, education, health and development projects are being implemented “We are determined to establish such a society which depicts practical manifestation of his sterling principles The development and stability of Pakistan is only possible when we make the thoughts of Quaid-e-Azam
92/5 in the second to win the match against Karachi Nights who scored 81/4 and 100/4 respectively Notable scorer from Lyari Legends Usman Jan Phatta was with 41 and Zain Lefti with 94 scored while Jahangir Shah with 35 and Waseem Ahmed scored 27 from Karachi Nights
