History Museum & Cultural Centre to be established in Karachi

The Government of Sindh is planning to establish a History Museum & Cultural Centre in Karachi in collaboration with The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP).Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah presided over a meeting regarding the project on Thursday. Shah said that most Pakistanis are well aware of the events that led to the birth of the country, adding that the province of Sindh played a significant role in the creation of Pakistan.The chief secretary said the museum & cultural centre will engage citizens with interactive and special exhibitions centred on the country’s history, with sections dedicated to Sindh and the city of Karachi.Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker and CAP Patron-in-Chief Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said the museum will showcase numerous stories of Pakistan’s culture and history, using rich archival content such as photographs, newspaper articles, personal letters, firsthand audio accounts and state-of-the-art learning.She said that there will be sections related to the birth of Pakistan, the history of Sindh, the pre- and post-Partition era Karachi and a children’s section. She told the meeting that CAP has identified a few buildings in the metropolitan city for the proposed museum. The proposed buildings belong to either the provincial government or the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.The chief secretary directed Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ahmed Shallwani and Metropolitan Commissioner Saifur Rehman to survey those buildings and submit their report within a week. Culture Secretary Parvez Ahmed Sehar and other relevant officials also attended the meeting.

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Sindh’s young doctors give Centre a week to revise PMC Ordinance

A large number of doctors belonging to Sindh’s Young Doctors Association (YDA) on Thursday held protest demonstrations across the province, including in Karachi, against the dissolution of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) and vowed to mobilise doctors and the civil society until their regulatory body is restored.They also condemned the creation of the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) through an ordinance by the present government and demanded the restoration of the PMDC.The protesters led by YDA Sindh Chairman Dr Omer Sultan, President Yaseen Umrani, Vice-President Dr Waris Ali Jakhrani and others gathered at the Najamuddin Auditorium of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and marched in the form of a rally towards the Jinnah Sindh Medical University.Carrying banners and placards, the protesting doctors shouted slogans against the federal government and vowed not to let any “foreign agenda” be implemented in the country. All office-bearers of the YDA’s Karachi division units, including the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, the National Institute of Child Health, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and the Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital, also attended the protest.Dr Jakhrani said the YDA will not accept the new PMC Ordinance and urged the federal government to review this decision. He said the PMDC had registered 200,000 doctors and the registration of those doctors will be cancelled due to the PMC Ordinance. He said the doctors categorically rejected the National Licensing Exam (NLE) and termed the test a burden on the young medical fraternity. He added that the government had fixed the NLE’s fee at Rs50,000 and termed the decision an injustice with the medical community.The YDA gave a week’s ultimatum to the federal government to revise the PMC Ordinance, otherwise they would expand their protest.

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NAB’s Karachi chief orders verifying public complaints, initiating prompt action

In compliance with the initiative taken by the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to show zero tolerance towards corruption, the director general of the anti-graft watchdog in Karachi along with his team conducted a Khuli Katchehry (a public meeting) at the bureau’s office on Thursday and received complaints from members of public.A large number of complainants submitted their applications regarding land frauds committed by government officials in connivance with private persons.A number of complainants also lodged complaints against cooperative societies managements. The NAB director general of Karachi issued orders for verification of the complaints against various departments and mafias for the initiation of prompt action as per the National Accountability Ordinance 1999. The departments facing action are a builder mafia, the Board of Revenue, the administration of housing societies, the Sindh Building Control Authority, the education department, the Karachi Development Authority, the Water and Power Development Authority and the Evacuee Trust Property Board .The NAB official also transferred complaints which did not come under the ambit of the bureau to the departments concerned with directives to resolve the grievances of complainants according to the law.He appreciated the overwhelming response from the public, which, he said, was a sign of trust deposed by public in the performance of NAB and its efforts against corruption. A public meeting will be conducted every last Thursday of each month at the NAB office.

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Footpaths cleared of encroachments in three districts

The anti-encroachment department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Thursday removed illegal constructions and seized cabins, stalls and furniture items from footpaths in its action against encroachments in District Central, District East and District Korangi.According to a statement issued by the corporation, KMC Anti-Encroachment Senior Director Bashir Siddiqui supervised the anti-encroachment operations that were carried out with the help of heavy machinery in Akhtar Colony, Kashmir Colony, Link Road and Nadra office in District East where all illegal shops, eateries and concrete walls were demolished and many pushcarts, cabins and furniture items were seized by the department. In District Central, action against encroachments was taken in New Karachi Sector 11-G and 5-F where stalls, pushcarts and cabins were removed from footpaths and roads.Musarrat Ali Khan, deputy director of the KMC anti-encroachment department, and the respective area police monitored the operations in District Korangi.Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, according to the statement, had directed the anti-encroachment officials to carry out action against all encroachments in the city. He also ordered to make sure that such encroachments did not emerge again once they were removed.The mayor gave clear instructions to the anti-encroachment officials to continue operations in all the six districts of the city on a daily basis. No one was allowed to carry out business activities on main roads or service roads as they were meant to be used by vehicular traffic, he said. As for the pavements, the mayor said, they were for pedestrians, while green belts were for trees and plants around the roads.The mayor said the encroachers had been tarnishing the beauty of the city, besides creating hurdles in the smooth flow of traffic on the arteries.The corporation had carried out massive anti-encroachment operations in District Central and District Korangi last week as well, in which the Motorcycle Market near UP Morr in District Central was cleared of encroachments. All shades, grills, walls and extended portions of shops were razed to the ground with heavy machinery, whereas stalls, cabins and pushcarts on the footpaths were confiscated.During another operation at Wireless Gate in Green Town of Shah Faisal Colony in District Korangi, the anti-encroachment staff removed all cabins, stalls, pushcarts and other encroachments from the footpaths. As many as 17 broken-down vehicles and motorcycles on footpaths and service roads were also removed by the department and taken to the KMC’s store in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

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CITY PULSE: Daira

The ArtChowk Gallery is hosting Amna Khan, Ehsan Usman, Gina Gul, Rabia Khan and Saliha Naz’s art exhibition titled ‘Daira’ until November 7. Call 021-35300482 for more information.I Love You...The AAN Gandhara Art Space is hosting an art exhibition titled ‘I Love You & Other Works From The AAN Collection’ until January 5. The show features works by Bani Abidi, Khadim Ali, Aisha Khalid, Imran Qureshi and Anushka Rustomji. Call 021-35821462 for more information.DisclaimerThe MainFrame Gallery is hosting Farrukh Shahab’s solo art exhibition titled ‘Disclaimer’ until November 5. Call 021-35824455 for more information.Re-PunctuatedThe Full Circle Gallery is hosting Waleed Zafar’s solo art exhibition titled ‘Re-Punctuated’ from November 1 to November 15. Call 0303-2239038 for more information.MahiatThe Chawkandi Art Gallery is hosting Faryal Ahsan, Arslan Farooqi and Bahrera Basit’s art exhibition titled ‘Mahiat’ until November 12. Call 021-35373582 for more information.Sada-e-NauThe National Academy of Performing Arts is hosting Sada-e-Nau: Young Directors Festival from November 16 to December 1 at the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre, featuring the following plays: Matti kay Gharonday (November 16 & 17), Jo Chalay tou Jaan say Guzar Gaye (November 21 & 22), Bali the Sacrifice (November 23 & 24), Keera (November 28 & 29) and No Question (November 30 & December 1). Call 021-35693701 for more information.Becoming a WomanThe Chawkandi Art Gallery is hosting Qinza Najm’s solo art exhibition titled ‘Becoming a Woman’ until November 12. Call 021-35373582 for more information.

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Whose job is it anyway?

Minister Fawad Chaudhry was right – it is not the government's job to provide jobs to people. Though it is the government's job to provide people with an opportunity for employment. In fact, that is the reason we choose governments in the first place, why we replace them and why we overthrow them.We spend most of our time in the work we do throughout our life, which is what we call a ‘job’. We start preparing for the work from when we are as little as four years of age in kindergarten. Therefore, our focal point – regardless of everything else – is work, and around this work all other ancillary matters revolve and the degree to which we are able to sink into the pleasures of life depends on the spiritual and pecuniary fulfilment we gain from work. If there is no fulfilment in this sphere of life, there is no salvation in other affairs either.To whom should we look for jobs when the government is clearly asserting that it has no responsibility whatsoever to provide jobs? The clarification that was most expected from the minister is that people should not look to the government for government jobs, meaning thereby that the people should not look to public-sector jobs as it is not possible to accommodate a multitude of people. This is exactly how he defended his statement via Twitter and the same clarification has been given by other spokespersons of the government. There could not have been a better explanation; however, the minister forgot or perhaps chose not to further say that despite having said what he said they as a strong government will create so much peace in this country that jobs will be created automatically.The minister also said, while he broke the news that as many as 400 governments were about to be wound up, “It is very imperative to get people to realise that the government cannot provide jobs. If we start looking towards the government for jobs then the framework of our economy will collapse.”People are already aware that not everyone is fortunate enough to become a government servant. Therefore, Fawad Chaudhry’s exhortation that people should be made aware of this fact is witless. Notwithstanding, everyone does give one shot to this opportunity by applying for multiple government jobs until they run out of age and even if they have another job. In fact, an acquaintance of mine who is a PhD and on a handsome salary in a private university often tells me how grateful he would be if only he could even get a 17-scale job in a government university; happy to demote himself from a PhD to an ordinary lecturer.To say the least, the statement by the minister was needless, especially given the fact that this government has had attitude problems since the very beginning. Self-praise is no recommendation. Without having shown any landmark in any sphere of governance, the PTI has been boasting all about how they were going to create heaven for us.Regardless of Fawad Chaudhry's statement, Pakistan is the only country in the world in which the father of almost every child wishes to see his child as a government servant. This wish is not the result of amazingly selfless patriotism but is rather based on a selfish assumption that if a child gets a government job it would be permanent. The assumption that it shall remain permanent is based on the idea of the existence of the state which we psychologically believe is going to last forever and hence the job as such shall also remain forever with all its perks and privileges.With this goes on a parallel thought that private entities on the other hand are temporary, unpredictable and have less job security. Therefore, the child is brainwashed from the first day to refrain from even wishing to do anything other than government sector jobs. This embedded thought has given rise to a hierarchy of government jobs to which the parents and young ones look to when planning the future.The first on the list are CSS exams – the mighty, sophisticated and promising career that it offers has entangled the minds of countless graduates who, despite knowing that the chances of climbing the wall are one in a hundred, continue to aspire themselves to somehow clear this one exam and secure themselves for the rest of their lives, psychologically, at least.Then there is a sub-hierarchy, most of the aspirants want to join the District Management Group or the Foreign Office. Again the reasons are not passion for these faculties but the facilities and power inherent in these departments. Few individuals know exactly what they want to be and keep attempting the exams until they get to their desired department.The second most wanted job on the list is of becoming an army officer. Again, deep-down the desire is security. Yet again, there are individuals who really want to join the armed forces and would go to all lengths to protect the homeland no matter the cost– and there are some. Therefore, the above two categories – of CSS and army officers – belong to the highest category which is platinum.In the gold category are medical and engineering education and careers. This category is followed by the lot which is left over from the platinum ones. Needless to mention, like all other professions in Pakistan the genuine aspirants who really want to become doctors and engineers because they would really want to are few. Like all others, their aspirations too are money, prestige, status and job security. In addition, the first preference of doctors and engineers too is to become government servants.The leftovers either go abroad and some who have good GPA manage to get fairly good jobs in the private sector. The further leftovers are compelled to work with private companies on below average salaries in the kond of stagnant economy that Pakistan has. Those who are not in either categories above are the ones who have not much to look forward to. That is because, despite the perpendicular rise in the population, no parallel upgradation in the economic sphere was planned. The lack of genius in Pakistan is solely due to this very reason that nobody loves their job and has ended up somewhere one way or the other. Some do not end up anywhere.It would be safe to say that one of the core reasons why everyone looks to the government for government jobs is that collectively all governments, whether dictatorial or otherwise, have failed to bring about a broad spectrum of strong economy. Having spent six years in Britain for my legal education, I rarely came across someone who looked forward to becoming a government servant. The reason for that was that Britain is an open society and has made a system which is inherently fair for all – irrespective of their age, religion and race.Can the system we have in Pakistan deliver the same? Obviously not, because of the constant struggle for power centres and an indifferent attitude towards the poor and middle classes.The writer is a barrister practicing law in Peshawar and Islamabad and has graduated from Cardiff University.Email: awais_babar@live.co.uk

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Maulana of new Pakistan

Quite a few seculars, liberals and democrats must be simmering over the shrinking of what used to be only their space for expressing themselves in contradistinction to the religious right in Pakistan. Resistance to restore what is termed by the JUI-F leadership as ’the sanctity of parliament’ and ‘true democracy’ in Pakistan marks the beginning of a new politics of fight amongst the religious right for political space.The left-leaning pro-democracy forces appear to have suffered a blow with the rise of Maulana Fazlur Rehman as an icon of alternative politics to a fast deteriorating system of governance and economic development in the country.Founded on the orthodox tradition of Islamic revivalism under the Deobandi school of thought the JUI-F would have been the least likely political choice for the fight to restore democracy in Pakistan. It is ironic that the pro-democracy forces in the country are now left with no better choice than the JUI-F – and that too to fight for ‘legitimate democracy’ against an elected regime. Credit goes to the incompetence and politics of vengeance which has discredited the rhetoric of the PTI about accountability, equitable development and governance reforms to a great extent. For most young voters, their expectations to see a new dawn of opulence and prosperity in Pakistan are being dashed as the government continues to muddle through troubles of its own making.While poverty, joblessness and mounting inflation have devastated the lives of a common Pakistani, the fear is that the protests being staged by the JUI-F can turn into a violent mob as the marching followers reached Islamabad on October 31, 2019. Maulana Fazlur Rehman has a proven track record of exploiting political situations to make deals rather than confronting the status quo for long-lasting political change. However, this time it would not be easy for Maulana to make an ordinary deal and walk away with a greased palm or a position in the sitting government.Maulana also knows well that neither the PML-N nor the PPP will fully support his march to remove the sitting government of the PTI. The leadership of the PML-N and the PPP thinks that giving too much space to the JUI-F will be counterproductive to their own politics in the future. But, despite all their hesitation the PML-N and PPP do not seem to have any better political choices at the moment than showing solidarity with Maulana for his intrepidity to stay firm on their popular agenda of ousting the incumbent prime minister.With the spin of political fortunes which led the sitting government to take U-turns on the issues of citizens’ welfare about 10 million jobs and 5 million homes, the JUI leader has risen to the occasion. The mainstream political parties have too much on their plates to sort out before being in the business of Maulana’s style of strong political resistance. With their frail and ailing incarcerated political leaders, the PML-N and PPP are in a critical phase of political reconstitution. The imminent new is not much different from what was the old with an emerging leadership from within the hereditary political DNA sans intra-party democracy. Plagued by intra-party political fissures, the PML-N and PPP look perplexed over the rise of Maulana as a strong voice of political opposition to the PTI which is fast losing its popular support.The PML-N and the PPP will not come out in full strength to make the JUI a political alternative to the PTI. However, what unites all these political parties is their common agenda to oust the prime minister and hold re-elections in the country. But this is not a simple political calculation for the unification of a divided opposition, this is more about optics. Whoever leads a strong movement to pull down the sitting government will become the iron man. The top leadership of the PML-N and the PPP is hesitant to let Maulana capture the political space, which simply means making mainstream parties redundant. Some segments within state institutions would like this to happen and hence Maulana’s timing to go for a bigger deal is well thought out. This also speaks the volumes of his political prescience and ability to survive and stay relevant in Pakistani politics.The state seems to have exhausted the political choices, with the PTI being the weakest link in the cyclical game of power politics. If the PTI continues on its failures, there can be a rethinking of priorities. For all his expediencies in the past, Maulana has emerged as a pragmatic political leader and a tough bargainer without losing popular appeal. Maulana has already gained larger space than his political personage – not for his right-wing political ideology but for his explicit overtones to challenge the status quo. Those who question the political legitimacy of the current government form a diverse group ranging from the right-wing political parties to liberal and left leaning groups. Credit must go to the wisdom of Maulana for his ability to represent the ideas of this diverse group without losing his support base which he draws from 23,000 religious seminaries across the country.But this time too Maulana will not rock the boat by going for an all-out war against the status quo . There is no revolution in the making but what is critical this time is the rise of a new political alliance that transcends the traditional right-left political divide in Pakistan.The centers of power must exercise restraint and allow the citizens to become partners rather than see them as enemies of the state. All the gagging and nagging as a political reaction to genuine concerns of citizens will weaken the government rather than strengthen its hold on power. The greater the repression, the sharper the resistance. It would be insane to apply Machiavellian directions of rule by fear rather than by consent in the age of free media. There is increasing despair and disillusionment with the way the economic and governance issues are unfolding in Pakistan even before the full implementation of IMF conditions of adjustment and austerity. Hard days are yet to come, with a bunch of pro-liberalization advisers at the helm of affairs to steer the economy into a debt servicing entity at the cost of public welfare.No one should blame the current government for everything that has gone wrong during the last year. There are of course 'legacy' issues too but it would be equally unfair to exonerate the incumbent government from every wrong move it makes to deteriorate the situation further. The previous governments could at least manage the economic and political crises without burdening citizens too much but this government seems to be aiming to please the IMF at the cost of everything.The writer is a socialdevelopment and policyadviser, and a freelancecolumnist based in Islamabad.Email: ahnihal@yahoo.comTwitter: @AmirHussain76

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State of due process

Jurisprudence of the period when the Constitution is abrogated or put in abeyance needs to be ignored as a precedent for the reason that during that time basic constitutional norms and fundamental rights stand denied. Whenever the constitution is restored, the validity and legality of those decisions can be questioned. The constitutional protection to those decisions by the people through a constitutional amendment only makes them valid subject to the rights under the constitution.The boundaries between legal and illegal, valid and void and constitutional and unconstitutional acts are well defined in our constitutional and legal dispensation. The constitution guarantees the basic value of modern civilization – right is might. Our constitution contains guarantees in the form of several fundamental rights. These rights have two sources and facets. They are a guarantee obtained from the state by citizens and other persons in Pakistan that, while exercising its powers in relation to them, the state in its actions shall observe those rights.To the world, the state assures that it will observe those rights. Most of the rights have their twins in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights charters. A state enjoys status, respect and recognition internationally only if it observes those rights. All these charters are comprehensive documents, and jurisprudence has been developed around these rights by different adjudicatory forums.The European Convention on Human Rights was a joint effort of several European countries to devise their own document in addition to the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Article 6 of the European Declaration is of great relevance in the context of Pakistan for Article 10-A added to the constitution though the former Article inspired the 18th Amendment.Article 10-A guarantees that in the determination of his/her civil rights or in a criminal charge, a person shall be entitled to fair trial and due process. This newly recognized right, along with Articles 4, 9,10, 13 and 14 of the constitution, casts a solemn duty upon state functionaries and adjudicatory forums that state actions must be judged against these rights. Criminal law jurisprudence here still moves around the colonial pattern and procedural labyrinths. These constitutional rights are only occasionally in issue before the courts while deciding matters relating to life and liberty of the people.Corruption, terrorism and several other social crimes are difficult to investigate in view of the advancement of technology and means. Collection of direct evidence may be hard, time-consuming and costly. There may be transnational offences or the accused may escape the other jurisdictions. But that is hardly a justification to lower the threshold and standard of evidence or shift the burden of proof from the prosecution to the accused and to arrest people and torture them to collect evidence.Short-cut solutions to the deteriorating standards of investigations badly reflect on a state. Conferring arbitrary powers of denial of life and liberty on state functionaries is an antithesis to the constitution and rule of law. Legitimate and modern means of investigation employed in our countries assure that unimpeachable evidence of crime can be collected and culprits convicted without bending the rules.There is a general perception that those who matter lack both the desire and the will to improve the system. A common man thinks that when it comes to the powerful and mighty, even the biggest crime goes unpunished. Unfortunately, there are many examples of that.Due process, substantive and procedural, is a sophisticated form of the first principle of natural justice ‘audi alteram partem’. Substantive due process means that certain constitutional norms/rights are followed while determining the process. A process inconsistent with those rights is not due process. The procedural due process means that other basic norms of justice (right of hearing before a fair and impartial tribunal) are observed while determining rights and liabilities. Legal literature and jurisprudence is abundant on the subject.Rights granted by the constitution create a corresponding duty of abiding by the law and the constitution, which is an inalienable and absolute duty upon all having no exception based on any doctrine. In the juridical relations of power and duty, the duty to account for the exercise of power is inherent. Law requires accountability for all acts and deeds done in the public domain. A pubic office-holder is accountable to the law and the people. The accountability process is however required to be performed by state functionaries in accordance with the law and constitution – assuring fundamental rights of the accused. The state has the power to arrest but only after due process, which means sufficient incriminating material. It has the power to punish but after a fair trial. The state has the power to collect evidence but without torturing people. The state even has the power to deprive a person of his life but only in accordance with the law – a law to which people have consented.Terrorism and corruption are the two most rampant crimes in Pakistan. By committing a crime, a person is liable to be prosecuted and punished under law but the constitution guarantees him/her rights. The law cannot override those rights for that would amount to a committing a fraud on the constitution. Public office-holders, be they anyone, all are accountable to the law and the constitution. This is the biggest guarantee of their protection against any arbitrary power. The constitution guarantees due process without exception. The law must follow the due course without any deviation and expediency.The writer is an advocate of the Supreme Court and former additional attorney general for Pakistan.Email: mwaqarrana@yahoo.com

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Lost territory

The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis and the self-declared caliph of Islamic State, will be a serious, though not terminal, blow to the ferocious jihadi movement he has headed since 2010.The place where he was finally located – in the Barisha area north of Idlib city in northwest Syria, close to the Turkish border – came as a surprise. It was assumed that he was hiding somewhere in the desert in the Syrian-Iraq border region where the remnants of Isis still have some bases.Isis has not had direct control in the Idlib region for several years and it is rival jihadi groups, supposedly hostile to Isis, who rule an extensive region centred on Idlib province. It is possible that Baghdadi, who has only survived for so long through rigorous security measures, chose his final hiding place there for this very reason.Even though he was in deep hiding for so long, Baghdadi remained the symbol of his Islamic State and his survival, despite intense efforts to find him and kill him, has demonstrated hitherto that Isis still possess an organisation able to keep him safe. His death is evidence that this is no longer the case, though it will be able to continue as a guerrilla force. It will be aided in this by the increased chaos on the ground following the US partial pullout from Syria, the Turkish invasion and the Kurds being forced to shift towards some form of alliance with Damascus.Baghdadi remains a mysterious figure in death as in life because it has never been clear to what degree the resurgence of Isis – known previously as al-Qaeda in Iraq and Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) – after 2011 was his doing.His real name was Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai and he was born into a pious Sunni Arab family in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971. Imprisoned by US forces in 2004, he was not considered a significant resistance figure and was released after ten months.He became leader of ISI in 2010 after the death of his predecessors in a US airstrike. At the time the movement had retreated to its areas of core support in and around Mosul and to rural regions where al-Qaeda in Iraq had always been strong. It retained more strength than its many enemies realised and had plenty of military experience drawn from the 2004-9 war against the US and Iraqi government forces.The Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, notably in Syria, presented Baghdadi and ISI with an opportunity for swift expansion as the Syrian government lost control of large parts of the country. Al-Baghdadi sent seasoned militants and fighters, money and weapons to establish Jabhat al-Nusra as the leading rebel organisation, though its dependence on ISI was at first kept secret.The link between the two was only revealed in 2013 when al-Baghdadi tried to reassert his authority over al-Nusra, which had been highly successful in spreading its rule in Syria. When part of al-Nusra rejected this, Baghdadi deposed its leaders, fought an inter-jihadi civil war and later broke with al-Qaeda, establishing Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis).In Iraq, Baghdadi was fortunate in his opportunities as the Sunni Arab community was increasingly alienated by a sectarian Shia government which ignored or suppressed its protests. The Iraqi army and security forces were degraded by extreme corruption and the weeding out of competent commanders.Even so, the world was astonished when Isis captured Mosul in June 2014 and Baghdadi named himself caliph of the newly-founded Islamic State. A hundred days of runaway victories by Isis forces in Iraq and Syria followed, its fighters advancing against little resistance to Tikrit, north of Baghdad, and to Palmyra, east of Damascus.As Isis fighters established a state which, at its greatest extent, was the same size as Great Britain, they massacred Shia and Yazidis, publicising their atrocities by video. The purpose of this savagery was extreme sectarianism combined with a determination to spread terror among its opponents and sap their will to resist.This ferocious cruelty towards all those not supporting the Islamic State was typical of al-Baghdadi’s rule: the world was divided into light and darkness and only Isis stood in the light. This approach was effective in motivating fanatical Isis fighters but ensured that everybody outside Isis was a satanic enemy to be destroyed. Eventually, the caliph was at war with the whole world – Syrian government and Syrian opposition, Russia and America, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. He may have led Isis to great and unexpected victories, but he also ensured its defeat.His military forces – essentially skilled light infantry supplemented with the mass use of suicide bombers – were outgunned and outnumbered. In 2014, the separatist Kurds in Iraq and Syria would have preferred to stay neutral, but Isis attacked them anyway. This brought in the US as a combatant and Isis’s military forces were relentlessly targeted by the air power of the US-led coalition. Its last victories were won in 2015, when it took Ramadi in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria but after that the caliphate was battered to pieces by superior forces over the following two years.Baghdadi is believed to have escaped from Mosul during a surprise attack on besieging forces from inside the city in early 2017, but his location was always elusive. The decisive military defeat for Isis came later the same year with the fall, after long sieges, of Mosul and Raqqa. Baghdadi made occasional recorded inspirational addresses but had no answer to the crumbling of his caliphate other than to encourage terror attacks on civilian targets abroad from Manchester to Colombo.He was repeatedly reported to be dead or injured but would re-emerge, most recently in a video this April. Isis was reverting to a guerrilla role, hoping to repeat its extraordinary resurrection between 2011 and 2014. But the fear that Isis had inspired at the height of its success meant that governments were unlikely to be caught by surprise a second time. It also seemed inevitable, once Isis had lost its last territory earlier this year, that Baghdadi could not evade his pursuers forever.This article was originally published as: 'Baghdadi Had No Real Answer for the Crumbling of His Caliphate'.Courtesy: Counterpunch.org

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A free media

Exactly eight years ago, a huge number of PTI workers were gathered at Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore on October 30, 2011 to participate in the historical jalsa. Besides this, people were also sitting in front of their television sets to eagerly listen to thjeir beloved leader Imran Khan.The impressive coverage by Pakistani media helped PTI transform itself into a prominent political party. Every TV channel was broadcasting live transmission and various TV anchors and analysts were enjoying full freedom to debate on the PTI achievement.The historical jalsa is also known for changing the dynamics of politics in Pakistan, and as a result, electables from other political parties started joining the PTI movement. It was obviously the power of the media that made Imran Khan's 22 years tireless struggle fruitful. Slogans related to 'Naya Pakistan' and 'Madina Ki Riyasat' gained public popularity.Now eight years after that historical jalsa, it is very unfortunate that media representatives are facing uncertainty under the current government. Most recently, a notification issued by Pemra barred television anchors from expressing their opinions during talk shows in their own or other channels. The regulatory body further asked to ensure that: “Participants/invitees should be selected with due care having credibility as fair and unbiased analysts with requisite knowledge/expertise on the subject matter."In reaction, the journalist community termed this as yet another move to curb press freedom. Top anchors, in a joint statement, also recorded their protest. Similarly, intellectuals and opinion leaders belonging to various segments of life including some federal ministers also showed displeasure over this directives.Freedom of expression is the fundamental right of every person living in a democratic society. Today in the digital era of 21st century, imposing bans on electronic media in such a way is not a laudable step. In a democratic society, nobody should be given the right to decide about the selections of guests in television talk shows.Around the world, all independent, democratic, and supporters of human rights have one thing common: their independent and vibrant media. Similarly all those countries that are facing poverty, anarchy, exploitation, and violation of human rights have restricted freedom of expression.Pakistan came into existence as a result of a democratic struggle. Quaid-e-Azam had categorically assured that there would be freedom of expression in Pakistan. He was a strong advocate of using the power of the pen to bring a positive change in society and to make the future bright. Article 19 of our constitution also ensures that every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press.PM Imran Khan, on various occasions, has showed his commitment to build the country on the pattern of the State of Madina. Here Today, we may have political differences with Maulana Fazlur Rehman. We may disagree with his manifesto, but we must not forget that he holds a prominent position in our national politics. Now, If he is using his democratic right of protest, then stopping media for not providing him due coverage is sheer violation of democratic process.Although Pemra has now issued a new statement to explain its position on the controversial notification, it seems that the present government is continuously making such mistakes. As a sincere PTI worker and well-wisher, it is my opinion that we should avoid all such factors, including usage of offensive language and unnecessary policies that brought all political parties against us and now media is also feeling threatened by us.Rather than becoming a hurdle for the media, we should strengthen independent, free and vibrant media. We should also identify all those advisers who are bringing a bad name to the present government.The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.Twitter: @RVankwani

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Palestine’s Christians

Palestine’s Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world’s most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel.Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was titled: “The Holy Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective”.One major issue that highlighted itself at the meetings is the rapidly declining number of Palestinian Christians in Palestine.There are varied estimates on how many Palestinian Christians are still living in Palestine today, compared with the period before 1948 when the state of Israel was established atop Palestinian towns and villages. Regardless of the source of the various studies, there is near consensus that the number of Christian inhabitants of Palestine has dropped by nearly ten-fold in the last 70 years.A population census carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2017 concluded that there are 47,000 Palestinian Christians living in Palestine – with reference to the Occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. 98 percent of Palestine’s Christians live in the West Bank – concentrated mostly in the cities of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jerusalem – while the remainder, a tiny Christian community of merely 1,100 people, lives in the besieged Gaza Strip.The demographic crisis that had afflicted the Christian community decades ago is now brewing.For example, 70 years ago, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, was 86 percent Christian. The demographics of the city, however, have fundamentally shifted, especially after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in June 1967, and the construction of the illegal Israeli apartheid wall, starting in 2002. Parts of the wall were meant to cut off Bethlehem from Jerusalem and to isolate the former from the rest of the West Bank.Increasingly beleaguered, Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem have been driven out from their historic city in large numbers. According to the city’s mayor, Vera Baboun, as of 2016, the Christian population of Bethlehem has dropped to 12 percent, merely 11,000 people.The most optimistic estimates place the overall number of Palestinian Christians in the whole of Occupied Palestine at less than two percent. The correlation between the shrinking Christian population in Palestine, and the Israeli occupation and apartheid should be unmistakable, as it is obvious to Palestine’s Christian and Muslim population alike.Excerpted from: ‘The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that Nobody is Talking About'.Counterpunch.org

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CM orders removal of Nowshera Medical College BoG chairman

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan finally took notice of the alleged irregularities and illegal appointments in the Nowshera Medical College (NMC) and its teaching hospital, Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, and removed Gulrez Hakim Khan from his position as chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG).Sources at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat told The News that Mahmood Khan signed the summary on Wednesday to remove Gulrez Hakim from his position. The summary was dispatched to the Health Secretariat for further action.They said the chief minister was earlier a bit reluctant to take action against the BoG chairman and other issues of serious nature in Nowshera Medical College as he knew that majority of the board members, including the chairman, were appointed with the consent of ex-chief minister, Pervez Khattak. He didn’t want to annoy Pervez Khattak.“However, the chief minister was convinced that issues in Nowshera Medical College were now damaging his reputation as people suspected he had intentionally kept silent on the happenings there,” a government official privy to the developments told The News on condition of anonymity.The sources said that Dr Nausherwan Burki, the architect of health reforms of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical and Teaching Institutions Reforms Act 2015 (MTI Act) - reportedly intervened to ask the chief minister to take action against Gulrez Hakim.Many people used to give the example of NMC for the alleged gross violation of merit in key appointments, widespread reports of corruption and waste of public money.These issues are stated to have prompted the chief minister and Dr Nausherwan Burki to take action. The PTI government had passed the MTI Act 2015 and declared nine hospitals and medical colleges as MTIs managed by respective boards.The government through search and nomination committee selects members of the boards. As per the MTI Law, the BoGs of medical and teaching institutions are required to approve all decisions related to their respective institutions.In Nowshera, the chairman was accused of bypassing the board in all affairs of the institutions under his charge. Two of the BoG members in Nowshera had already resigned after accusing the board chairman of making important decisions without their consent. The remaining five members had stopped attending the BoG meetings.In the past six months, Gulrez Hakim had made several important decisions without even bothering to seek the consent of the board.The biggest question now is what will happen to the decisions made by Gulrez Hakim alone without the BoG approval.According to official sources, 192 appointments including faculty members and other positions had been made in the past six months without the nod of the board.Gulrez Hakim, a contractor by profession, was made BoG chairman last year. He had confirmed to The News that he was an old activist of the PTI in Nowshera. He is believed to be close to Pervez Khattak.Right from day one, all other BoG members became suspicious when they were stopped from selecting the chairman until Gulrez Hakim joined the BoG.After Gulrez Hakim allegedly started bypassing the BoG members and rules and regulations in important decisions relating to the medical college and hospital, the BoG members showed no confidence in him and replaced him with Malik Riaz Awan as chairman.But he went to the Peshawar Court High and got himself restored as chairman, arguing the way he was replaced was illegal. The court had reportedly directed that a legal procedure should be followed to replace the chairman. The board members stopped attending the meetings when Gulrez Hakim refused to take them into confidence in decision-making.Besides other allegations, Gulrez Hakim was also accused of appointing Dean of NMC Dr Jehangir against merit. Dr Jehangir was initially made legal advisor in presence of two other highly paid official legal advisors.The chairman also appointed Dr Anwar Wazir, a close aide to Dr Jehangir, as BoG secretary without any advertisement, scrutiny and interview.According to official sources, Dr Jehangir is stated to have encouraged Gulrez Hakim to take decisions on his own being the chairman of the BoG. “Dr Jehangir used to tell him that he does not need the board members in making decisions. The chairman, being a contractor by profession, didn’t understand the consequences of his unlawful decisions that caused heavy losses to the exchequer and the institution,” said an official.Dr Jehangir is being accused of signing a fake appointment letter as dean from the chairman when Gulrez Hakim was replaced by Malik Riaz as a result of the no-confidence motion in a backdate of March 20, 2019.After winning relief through stay order from the court on May 6, Dr Jehangir allegedly started taking protection of the chairman’s stay order misguiding and misinterpreting and again presented the same fake orders of his appointment.“Gulrez Hakim encouraged Dr Jehangir and reassured him of his full support. Dr Jehangir went to the dean’s office, broke the locks and illegally occupied the office. One can imagine what impression the budding doctors will get from such unethical and unlawful acts in the college,” opined a senior faculty member.Dr Jehangir was supposed to retire from service on June 7, 2019. Dr Jehangir is also being accused of making illegal appointments. He appointed his 13 close relatives without merit in the NMC.They are Dr Haris, his son appointed as demonstrator in BS-17, Dr Farah Deeba, his daughter, (demonstrator BS-17), Quratul Ain, daughter, (administrative officer BS-17), Dr Sobia Haris, daughter-in-law (demonstrator BS-17), Dr Sobia, family member (superintendent BS-17), Haidera relative (senior clerk BS-14), Aimal, relative (office assistant BS-16), two nieces of Dr Jehangir as office assistant in BS-16, Irfan, family member (telephone operator BS-07), Sadaqat, family member (class-1V), Tanveer, nephew (class-1V), Mehran, relative, (civil engineer), and Suleman, a relative (office assistant BS-16).According to official sources in the NMC, all of them were allegedly appointed without advertising their positions or following proper merit.This correspondent attempted to seek comments from Dr Jehangir Khan but he neither answered the phone calls nor replied to the text messages sent to his cell phone.However, Gulrez Hakim, when reached on phone, denied his removal and termed it propaganda of his opponents against him.He denied all the allegations against him, saying he had taken all the decisions on merit. “Well nobody can remove me from the chairman of BoG as the Peshawar High Court has appointed me for three years. The court had allowed me to continue my job and left it to me if I want to resign,” said Gulrez Hakim. He said he had disqualified all the BoG members after they refused to attend the board meetings continuously. Gulrez Hakim admitted that family members and relatives of Dr Jehangi rwere given jobs, but claimed all of them were appointed on merit.“The MTI Law is very clear. It directs me to appoint anyone within the institution to any position without any advertisement or approval of the board,” he argued.

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World Bank chief impressed by Tarbela

PESHAWAR: World Bank President David R Malpass on Thursday visited Tarbela Dam and had a round of the main dam and the power house of Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project.According to a handout, Federal Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Faisal Vawda, Federal Secretary Muhammad Ashraf, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Muzammil Hussain and World Bank senior officials accompanied him during the visit.The World Bank president expressed his pleasure over completion of Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project within the timeframe and less than the estimated cost, adding that the work on the project was impressive.He lauded the efforts of government of Pakistan, particularly Ministry of Water Resources and Minister Faisal Vawda for improvement of water resources in Pakistan.The World Bank chief appreciated the efforts of Ministry of Water Resources for resolving the issues in relation to completion of Dassu Hydropower Project, construction of dams and other related projects.The team of World Bank recognised the efforts of Faisal Vawda, Minister for Water Resources, for effectively coping with the challenges related to water issues in the country.Earlier, Water Resources Federal Minister Muhammad Faisal Vawda thanked the World Bank for the cooperation it has been providing to Pakistan for harnessing water and hydropower resources since 1960.He hoped that this cooperation would enhance the efforts for implementation of various projects in the days to come.Vawda said comprehensive and effective measures were being taken for improvement of water resources and construction of dams in Pakistan.He said Pakistan would witness more progress in hydropower and water sectors with cooperation of Water Bank in future.The federal minister said 523 billion units of electricity had been contributed by Tarbela Power Station to the national grid so far.Welcoming the World Bank president at Tarbela, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retired) Muzammil Hussain commended that the World Bank not only helped broker Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India but also administered the entire financial arrangements with assistance of the friendly countries to complete Indus Basin Replacement Works, which included two mega dams - Mangla and Tarbela, five barrages and nine inter-river link canals to divert water from the western rivers to the eastern rivers.He praised the World Bank for the financial support to the Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project, Dasu Hydropower Project and upcoming Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project. WAPDA is looking forward to World Bank’s support for other projects, located on Indus Cascade.The projects on Indus Cascade have the great potential to store water and generate phenomenal hydel electricity, he further said.Briefing the World Bank president about the benefits of Tarbela Dam Project, the WAPDA chairman said that as many as 378 MAF water had been released from Tarbela reservoir to meet irrigation needs of the country.In addition, Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project, commissioned last year, has also generated 5.6 billion units - more than the generation envisaged in the PC-I of the project, he went on to add.

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Oghi TMA directed to cope with fire emergencies

MANSEHRA: Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Shojeen Wistro on Thursday directed the Oghi tehsil municipal administration to keep fire tenders in working condition so that they could be utilised during the blaze and other incidents happening in the tehsil. “I want fire brigades standby to cope with any situation any time as we would also hold mock exercise to enhance working skills of fire tenders,” Wistro told a meeting held to review the situation after a fire incident. The officials of tehsil municipal administration and others were also in attendance. He said in future no excuse about the fault of fire tenders would be accepted as those vehicles were provided to TMA to meet emergency needs.

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Deworming campaign receives discouraging response in Haripur

HARIPUR: A school-based deworming campaign of the provincial government received a discouraging response from parents in the district on Thursday as many forced children to stay at home while teams visited schools to administer anti-worm pills to kids.The provincial government has launched the deworming campaign in 19 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Haripur, the teachers of government schools were to administer pills to all the students aged 5 to 15 years. However, the campaign witnessed a discouraging response as most of the schools witnessed 50 percent or less attendance of students. According to official sources, the parents were not ready to get children administered the deworming pills. According to some of the teachers, parents were approached and questioned about the absence of their children.The parents’ response was based on apprehensions attached to such massive campaigns conducted in the past, especially the polio drives. A teacher from a primary school of Alooli village stated that over 60 percent of the students were absent while several of the parents whose children attended school, visited them and asked them not to get the pills.It was also reported that some of the students complained of vomiting and stomach pain following the administering of deworming pills. However, health department sources said that vomiting was one of the side effects which could be reported from a small number of children but it was no cause of concern.On the other hand, the District Education Officer Umar Khan Kundi said that he has no information about the refusal or massive absence of the students based on deworming exercise.The official added that 1,40,000 students were the target of this programme and he was not sure that such a massive refusal could have been reported.He said that stereotyping was the only reason that could have forced some parents to avoid anti-worm pills to children. The official added that he would be in a position to confirm the number of refusals and leftover children once he gets a detailed report from his subordinate staff.

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Khanzada Khan insists can’t even think of leaving PPP

MARDAN: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s former senator Khanzada Khan said on Thursday that it was his moral obligation to resign from the Senate after his son joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).Talking to The News, he said he had spent most part of his life in the PPP and would like to remain in it. “I can’t even think of leaving the party,” he insisted.Khanzada Khan said he was elected senator on the PPP ticket and when his son joined PTI he opted to quit his Senate seat on moral grounds.He claimed he faced hurdles and financial problems when his party and party leadership were in crises, but he braved all the odds and remained associated with the PPP.Sources close to Khanzada Khan told The News that in the intra-party election, the PPP was divided into three groups. Khanzada had supported Humayun Khan for the office of provincial president of the party.They said after the intra-party polls, the grouping continued and the rival groups started creating hurdles for Khanzada Khan. The sources said due to differences in the PPP, the party did not allot ticket to his son Zeeshan Khanzada, which disappointed his family members. Several parties, according to the sources, invited Khanzada Khan to join them, but he refused to quit the PPP. However, his son did not see his future in the party and decided to join the PTI.

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Dassu hydropower project: Official says 9,000-acre land acquisition in progress

MANSEHRA: Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Arif Khan Yousafzai has said that the district administration is acquiring over 9000 acres of land for 4300 megawatts Dassu hydropower project.“We have been facing some issues in the acquisition of land as Upper Kohistan, where this dam is being built, an unsettled area as for as land is concerned but even then we have successfully acquired 730 acres of land and the construction work is well underway,” Yousafzai told reporters on Thursday.The official said since he assumed office a month ago, there were hurdles in the acquisition of the land for the mega energy project but he settled all those outstanding issues through local jirga and now work was in progress on the site.“I know jirga system is very much powerful in Kohistan and I have settled land issues with locals through jirga,” he added.The official said the project would not only bring about revolutionary economic and social changes in the lives of the locals but also would meet the electricity shortfall in the country. The official said that as district collector revenue he had finalised the 15th award and initiated 16th award of land acquisition and as formal approval received by the executive committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) both would be enforced.The Ecnec in its meeting held in Islamabad earlier this month had approved revised land acquisition cost for Dassu hydropower project to Rs37 billion and landowners who were on protest demanding increase in prices ended their two-week-long sit-in.

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Opposition parties’ workers proceed to Islamabad for Azadi March

PESHAWAR: Several big processions under the banner of different opposition parties, mainly Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Awami National Party (ANP) Thursday left for Islamabad to join the Azadi March.The main procession from Peshawar started from the Ring Road where the main office of JUI-F is located. It was led by the provincial leaders of the JUI-F.The ANP procession had left for the federal capital before that of the JUI-F.The ANP activists started the journey from Peshawar in the form of a cavalcade having hundreds of vehicles. It joined the main procession in Charsadda comprising of thousands of vehicles and led by the provincial chief of the party Aimal Wali Khan.The central president of the party, Asfandyar Wali Khan, heading another big vehicular procession joined the marchers at the Rashakai Interchange in Nowshera district.The JUI-F convoys, on the other hand, were a bit late. The processions from southern districts of the province under the leadership of the senior party leader, Akram Khan Durrani, reached Peshawar in the afternoon and left for the Rashakai Interchange to join the main procession.The JUI-F processions from across the province gathered at the Rashakai Interchange sited on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway before leaving for Islamabad in one big procession. But some vehicles and small processions had already left without waiting for the main procession.The vehicles were decorated with large flags of different political parties taking part in the procession. Those taking part in the march were charged and were chanting vociferous slogans against the PTI government.The participants of the march believed they would be able to oust the government, which, according to them, was corrupt and incapable.Meanwhile, the announcement by certain Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders that the rally had been postponed created some confusion among the protesters. However, the leaders of all the parties rejected the claim about the postponement.Mian Iftikhar Hussain, central general secretary of the ANP, told The News that their workers had already reached the federal capital and they would hold their own protest gathering Thursday.Abdul Jalil Jan, the spokesman for the JUI-F, said it was not a rally but a march and decisions would be taken once processions reached Islamabad. The march has not been postponed, he clarified.He said a huge number of marchers had already entered the federal capital, while many more were on their way.“Due to the rush of the protestors, their arrival in Islamabad was slow. However, all the processions would reach Islamabad by late Thursday night,” he stated.The JUI-F leaders said the protestors would offer prayers at the main venue for the gathering and the protest would be launched formally after the Friday prayers today.

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Breast cancer kills 40,000 women in Pakistan every year

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Medical University (KMU)’s Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IBMS) in collaboration with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and Research Centre Peshawar marked the Breast Cancer Awareness Month by organising a one-day seminar here at multi-purposes hall of the university.Prof Dr Arshad Javaid, Vice-Chancellor, KMU, as chief guest and Director IRNUM, Peshawar Dr Akifullah Khan, renowned Oncologists Dr Safoora Shahid, Dr Nabila Javed and Dr Asif Ali also spoke to the awareness seminar.Registrar Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Gandapur, Director IBMS Dr Zille Huma, heads of different institutes, faculty and several students were present as well. Dr Arshad Javaid said the prevention of breast cancer may not be possible, but early diagnosis could easily minimise the risk factors.He said the major mandate of a university is to disseminate knowledge and to train the relevant human staff with the help of modern technology in the right direction to coup with the challenges confronting by society.Dr Arshad Javaid said being a sole public sector medical university of the province, the KMU for the last 10 years after its inception was heading in the right direction.He added that creating awareness in the students and the general public about various fatal diseases was a key responsibility of the KMU and it was progressing well in this special field and organizing of two awareness seminars in three days was the sign of our commitment to these noble goals.IRNUM Director, Peshawar Dr Akifullah Khan, known oncologists Dr Safoora Shahid, Dr Nabila Javed and Dr Asif Ali shared that the breast cancer in Pakistan at present was affecting 38 percent women, the prevalence of which was the highest among all other cancers in the country.Pakistan has the highest proportion of breast cancer affectees in Asia whereas the annual death rate stands at 40,000, which was quite alarming.They said the Breast Cancer Awareness Month is marked as PINKtober around the world, with events held to raise awareness about the disease, encouraging discussions on how to care for those suffering from the illness, along with increased understanding on how to detect the disease in its early stages.The experts said that approximately 1.38m cases of breast cancer are detected each year, resulting in 458,000 annual deaths.Additionally, breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer amongst women, with those from low- or middle-income brackets most likely to suffer due to late detections, and the second most prevalent form of cancer in the world.The speakers said a majority of the cases are not recorded due to the sufferers’ shyness and social pressure. The awareness campaigns on a large scale will help us to create a buzz in society so that more people can talk about this crucial issue without any hesitation.

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Research conference concludes at SBBWU

PESHAWAR: The three-day 5th International Multidisciplinary Research Conference (IMRC) on Global Prosperity through Research and Sustainable Development concluded at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University.The event was jointly organised with Sarhad University of Science & Technology (SUIT), Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (Awkum) and the University of Malakand under a series of conferences aimed to provide a multidisciplinary platform to the research community on a large scale.The conference provided a forum to the researchers to present research work and contribute to the socio-economic development.It provided an opportunity for sharing knowledge and experience to inspire young researchers and scientists for playing their role in research for sustainable development.The event was aimed at the promotion of interdisciplinary interactions and discussion on issues related to global prosperity to attain sustainable development goal (SDGs) through research.A total 360 papers were received in four disciplines (natural sciences, management sciences, CS & IT and social sciences) including 23 posters, 102 papers in social sciences, 35 in engineering andIT, and 70 in natural sciences.Several presenters from Pakistan along with international delegates from USA, Turkey, Egypt and Brazil shared their work on the theme. In the concluding ceremony, the keynote speaker Prof Dr Patrick McNamara (University of Nebraska, US) presented his paper.The academician explained the role of culture in the sustainable development of a society. He dwelt at the different aspects of culture that a society adopts and the variety of ways in which sustainable growth may be ensured.SBBWU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Razia Sultana thanked the collaborating varsities and the delegates for sharing research and knowledge.She said that 80 percent of the delegates were youth, which was a moment of pride as the younger generation knew the importance of the research.The vice-chancellor said youths were adding valuable findings in different fields of research and thus helping the world by providing practical solutions to the problems of the community.She said that among many other factors contributing to sustainable development, a sustainable political system plays a very important role.Vice-Chancellor of the Sarhad University of Science and Technology Engr Dr Salimur Rehman stated that after a strong emphasis of Higher Education Commission on the research, the universities had taken measures to ensure quality research and it’s a proud moment to declare that Pakistan was now among one of the quality research contributors in the world.The academician suggested that after every research conference, a charter or recommendations should be forwarded to the policymakers to ensure the practical implication of the solutions to the problems.

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Quest for justice

This refers to the article 'The quest for justice' (Oct 23) by Kamila Hyat. The writer says: "Indeed the lowest rate of crime exists in countries such as Scandinavian nations which run prisons little different to hotels". That may be true, but each country has its own character and environment dictated by its socio-economic conditions; Pakistan cannot be like a Scandinavian country. If we transform our jails to provide comfort like hotels, our teeming hungry and poor would be encouraged to commit crimes and opt for jails. Instead, we should provide socio-economic justice to the masses to reduce crime.Secondly, regarding the death sentence: some NGOs have been established in Pakistan which advocate a ban on the death sentence. But heinous crimes against children have significantly increased after we reduced the death sentence to criminals.Usman ShahIslamabad

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Save hockey

It has been said that hockey is the national game of Pakistan. Pakistan won three Olympics in hockey in 1960, 1968, and 1984. Today, Pakistan's team is on the 17th number in the world hockey ranking. The national game has been neglected terribly. The concerned authorities are not serious about hockey and end up investing much more on cricket.It is very good that they invest on cricket, but they should also be focused on hockey. Therefore, I humbly request the Pakistan Hockey Federation to look into the matter and take those players who are able to play and can easily qualify in Olympics especially. Otherwise, very soon we will be much below even number 17 in world rankings. We owe this to the great hockey players we have had in the past.Abrar Moosa PeshbeenJiwani

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KP ‘Action in aid of’ Ordinance: Assistant registrar’s orders challenged in SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was Wednesday requested to entertain a petition, challenging the KP's 'Action in aid of' Ordinance that allows the military to set up internment centers throughout the province.Farhatullah Babar, former senator Afrasiab Khattak, ex-MNA Bushra Gohar and educationist Rubina Saigol filed an appeal with the apex court against the non-maintainability order of the assistant registrar in their petition.They prayed that the order of the assistant registrar (Civil-II) for registrar dated 28.10.2019 may kindly be set aside with a direction to the office to entertain the constitutional petition, allowing it to be filed for hearing.They further prayed that the petition may be heard together with the appeals of the federation and province of KP against the decision of the Peshawar High Court striking down the impugned ordinance. It is pertinent to mention that the assistant registrar on October 28 declared the petition non-maintainable citing reasons, "(a.) That the petitioners have not pointed out that as to which of the Fundamental Rights involving the question of public importance has been violated in the instant case (.b). That Governor KPK has been made party as Respondent No 2, however he cannot be made party under Article 248 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and( c). That the petitioners may approach the proper forum for redress of their grievance.”The appeal against the assistant registrar's order filed on Wednesday said it was "passed without properly appreciating and considering the contents of the petition, the facts of the instant case and without examining the relief prayed for therein, is wrong and liable to be set aside".It said the case clearly involved a matter of public importance and fundamental rights, as the “The Impugned Ordinance provides, inter alia, for detention through internment in KP. It directly impacts any person in, or who may visit KP.”Further, "The Impugned Ordinance is a matter of public importance since it impacts all persons in KP. It extends to the whole Province of KP. Any person in KP (whether belonging to KP or resident in KP or not) is subject to its provisions. It is therefore a matter of public importance because of the scope of its applicability, the appeal added.It said that the assistant registrar had failed to consider the additional relief sought in the petition including regarding immediate publication on official websites of all laws by the federation and the provinces and regarding the justiciability of a direction under Article 245 of the Constitution. The petitioners further submitted that there was no other appropriate forum available for impugning or challenging the impugned ordinance on the touchstone of fundamental rights except for the Supreme Court.They contended that as the apex court had recently suspended the order of the Peshawar High Court until November 15 and directed that the matter be referred to a larger bench given its significance, it appeared therefore that this court had prima facie determined that this was a matter of public importance impacting fundamental rights.

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Chaudhry Sugar Mills case: LHC takes up Maryam’s bail plea today

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday heard arguments of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s counsel on her bail petition in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) money laundering case and adjourned the hearing till Thursday (today) for counter arguments by the prosecution.Resuming his arguments before a two-judge bench, Maryam’s counsel Amjad Pervez said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been subjecting the petitioner to double jeopardy and invoking the laws retrospectively. He argued that Maryam has never been an active shareholder of the CSM while her uncle and cousin have been looking after business affairs after the death of her grandfather Mian Sharif who had established the mill in 1991. He said all properties, business concerns and companies of the Sharif family including the CSM have already been investigated by a Joint Investigation Team formed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the Panama Papers case. He said the JIT has not approved a reference regarding the CSM or assets owned by Maryam.The counsel said the petitioner has been charged with offence of abetment which was included in the jurisdiction of the NAB through an amendment in its ordinance in 2002. Moreover, the Anti-Money Laundering Act was also enacted in 2010. Therefore, he said, invoking both the laws retrospectively by the bureau is a clear violation of the Constitution and the law settled by the apex court in the country. He said the petitioner never held any public office and remained dependent upon Mr Sharif. Section 9 (a) (v) of the NAO 1999 was not attracted in the case.NAB Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzeb Bharwana was present in the court during the arguments from the petitioner’s counsel. He will resume his arguments on Thursday (today).The NAB accused Maryam of committing money laundering through investments of variable heavy amounts, being main shareholder of the CSM. It said she was involved in money laundering with the help of some foreigners in 1992-93 when her father Nawaz Sharif was prime minister.

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KP reports two more polio cases

PESHAWAR: Despite hectic efforts by national and international organisations, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday reported two more polio cases, raising the number of the cases to 80 in Pakistan and 59 in KP this year.The National Institute of Health Islamabad (NIH) confirmed the two new polio cases reported from LakkiMarwat and Tank districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Nine-month-old male child from Bakhmal Ahmadzai in Sara-e-Naurang in LakkiMarwat district and 14-month old boy from Pai area in Tank district were the two victims of poliovirus.According to officials of the KP Health Department, the two children were not given any dose for essential immunisation and their status for polio vaccination was under investigation. Pakistan this year has reported 80 polio cases, of which KP alone produced 59 cases.Sindh reported nine polio cases, Balochistan seven and Punjab five cases in 2019. Officials engaged in the polio eradication efforts in the province told The News that they were facing a host of challenges in reaching every child in the vaccination campaign due to multiple issues.“There are multiple issues and efforts are underway to overcome the challenges we are facing in reaching every child,” an official associated with polio eradication programme told The News in Peshawar.Pleading anonymity, he said a majority of the parents have now realised that only vaccination can protect children from polio. Besides refusals, the official said the programme was facing some administrative problems being caused by people having political backings.In Peshawar, the official said interference in the programme by certain people was affecting the campaign. He said several people were inducted in the programme without following merit or their security clearance in the past and some of them were fired after inquiries against them.However, the officials claimed that most of them have been brought back to their previous positions and others are being restored due to their strong connections. “The previous coordinator for Emergency Operations Centre had put the polio programme on right track and initiated inquiries against people involved in corrupt practices, some of them facing sexual harassment charges. It had encouraged the majority of polio workers to own the programme and had brought a dramatic reduction in the number of refusals in Peshawar and other districts,” said an insider of the programme.He hoped the new EOC coordinator would follow his predecessor in taking disciplinary action against the elements accused of corruption and sexual harassment.Meanwhile, Coordinator EOC Abdul Basit said that polio vaccine was completely safe and it did not cause any harm upon administration, adding that the entire world including Muslim countries has eradicated polio using the same vaccine. “It is a matter of serious concern that polio continues to disable our children even though the government is making efforts to ensure timely administration of the anti-polio vaccine to the children at their doorsteps,” said Abdul Basit. He said that parents should not pay attention to anti-polio propaganda and protect their children from permanent disability by administering anti-polio drops to their kids.

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Polio-infected toddler dies in Karachi

KARACHI: A three-year-old child from Sujawal district of Sindh who tested positive for polio died at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) Karachi during treatment, officials said on Wednesday. The tragedy highlights the horrific increase in the number of polio cases across the country to 80.The "Emergency Operation Centre for Polio” in Sindh confirmed the three-year-old as the 9th polio victim of the province, taking the totalnumber of cases in the country to 80," an official told The News on Wednesday. According to the EOC Sindh official, 36-month old Aman fell victim to the polio virus in Badhar Mohalla UC Bello, Sujawal. Initially, he was not declared polio positive as his stool sample could not be collected and he passed away due to renal failure at NICH, Karachi. The Polio Eradication Initiative officials said Aman was also suffering from malnutrition and he frequently suffered from diarrhea and vomiting since September 10th.The EOC official said "On 24th September, a faith healer injected some medicine to the child due to which by the next day, Aman could not even walk properly. " The child was taken to Civil Hospital, Thatta where pediatrician Dr. Maqsood diagnosed the condition to be polio-induced acute flaccid paralysis. He was brought to Karachi where his condition worsened and he passed away due to renal failure at the National Institute of Child Health, Karachi on Wednesday. The child belonged to a poor family living in poor hygienic surroundings in Sujawal. According to officials, three samples from the child's siblings also fully confirmed active virus circulation in the area, confirming that Aman suffered from polio. With the fresh polio case from Sujawal, the total number of polio cases across the country has risen to 80. This includes 59 from KP, 9 from Sindh, 7 from Balochistan and 5 from Punjab, showing the unmitigated disaster continues to take the toll of the younger generation, calling for serious government attention and newer prevention strategies.

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Senator Khanzada quits PPP after son joined PTI

PESHAWAR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Khanzada Khan submitted his resignation with the Senate chairman on Wednesday and later said he had done so on moral grounds.However, the veteran PPP leader from Mardan did not quit the party. He took the decision after his son ZeeshanKhanzada joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) during a meeting reportedly with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the presence of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak.Khanzada Khan once remained the PPP’s provincial president in Khyber Pakhtunkhwaand waselected as MNA and Senator on the party ticket. He said he had spent his life in the PPP and was, therefore, not quitting the party. “I have resigned from the Senate on moral grounds. I was elected to the Senate on the PPP ticket and have no right to remain a Senator after my son’sdecision to join the PTI,” Khanzada Khan pointed out.He said his son ZeeshanKhanzadajoined the PTI only because he did not see his future in the PPP. Khanzada Khan said his entire family supported his son’s decision and also pressured him to join PTI. He said he had no complaints against the central PPP leadership because he was always accorded respect in the party.

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Two killed in Bannu blast

BANNU: Two people were killed in a blast caused by explosives in Janikhel area in Bannu on Wednesday, official sources said. The sources said that two motorcyclists identified as Shabashullah, son of Sabar Khan, and Shermadol, son of Akbar Zaman, were killed in the blast. Later, the security forces launched a search operation in the area.

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Personal enmity not terrorism, says SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Wednesday issued a 59-page judgment on the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 decreeing the term ‘terrorism’ ‘too wide’ and recommended Parliament to consider substituting the present definition of terrorism with a more succinct definition, bringing it in line with the international perspective of that offence and focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives.Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa authored the judgment. The judgment observed that the matter had been a subject of controversy for some time and that different benches of varying strength deciding different cases had [...] understood and interpreted the said term differently."It is in this backdrop that the present larger bench has been constituted so as to put an end to that controversy," read the judgment. According to the judgment, the term 'terrorism' could be applied to the use of force, under an organised plan, for realisation of religious, ideological or political goals.It can also be applied when, under the plan, terror is struck in the hearts of people and damage dealt to lives and property. The offence of terrorism is also committed when under an organised plan, religious sectarianism is spread in society.Attacking journalists, the business community, the public, and the social sector under an organised plan also falls within the definition of terrorism. Similarly, an attack on law enforcement agencies and security forces is also terrorism, according to the judgment.Employing an organised plan to cause damage to government property and to commit theft and robbery under such a plan are also acts of terrorism. The judgment also outlined what offences could not be viewed as terrorism.According to the judgment, acts of violence such as setting things on fire, extortion committed under a personal vendetta arising out of enmity or hostility and personal enmity as a result of contempt for a person’s religion were not terrorism.A person’s involvement in an act of violence owing to hostility or personal enmity against the police, army or government employees does not fall within the scope of terrorism, ruled the court.“Any action constituting an offence, howsoever grave, shocking, brutal, gruesome or horrifying, does not qualify to be termed terrorism if it is not committed with the design or purpose specified or mentioned in clauses (b) or (c) of subsection (1) of section 6 of the said Act”.“It is further clarified that the actions specified in subsection (2) of section 6 of that Act do not qualify to be labeled or characterised as terrorism if such actions are taken in furtherance of personal enmity or private vendetta,” said the court in its judgment.The judgment observed that the definition of terrorism at present, as defined in the Act, was ‘too wide’ and the same included so many actions, designs and purposes having no nexus with the generally recognised concept of what terrorism was.“Apart from that including some other heinous offences in the Preamble and the Third Schedule to that Act for trial of such offences by an Anti Terrorism Court when such other offences do not qualify to be included in the definition of terrorism puts an extra and unnecessary burden on such courts and causes delay in trial of actual cases of terrorism,” said the judgment.The apex court recommended that the Parliament consider substituting the current definition with “a more succinct” one bringing it “in line with the international perspectives of that offence and focusing on violent activities aimed at achieving political, ideological or religious objectives”.“We further recommend that Parliament may also consider suitably amending the preamble to the Act and removing all those offences from the Third Schedule to the Act which offences have no nexus with the offence of terrorism,” said the judgment.

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March a movement for reforms, not sit-in: Fazl

LAHORE: The Azadi March comprising thousands of slogan-chanting and flag-waving JUI-F workers led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman left Lahore for Islamabad on Wednesday evening as he reiterated while addressing the crowd that the march would not end without sending illegal Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet home.Riding a lofty container on a truck amidst the front portion of a long motorcade, he told the charged crowd comprising party workers and members of affiliated youth organization Ansarul Islam at the final public meeting near Greater Iqbal Park, Fazl termed the march a movement for reforming the affairs of the state and not a sit-in since he never claimed it to be that, and warned that if the demands are not fulfilled after reaching Islamabad, the movement would take a stricter stance against the rulers. PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira and other PPP leaders Azizur Rehman Chan and Aslam Gill also addressed the public meeting, but strangely the PML- leaders were conspicuous by their absence despite that they were adding to the charged crowds at reception camps on the previous night.Fazlur Rehman said the movement would lay down its demands before the government in Islamabad and then adopt the future strategy after seeing the rulers’ response. He vowed to send the PTI government packing, being within the ambit of the Constitution and law, adding that the marchers had remained exemplary peaceful and nothing was damaged during 1300km journey.He said the PTI government came to power through the most rigged elections in the country’s history and as such he and opposition parties never acknowledged its results, kept demanding resignations of fake government and fresh elections to allow people to elect genuine representatives. He claimed though the PTI government is illegal as it was installed by rigged polls, it was also proved to be incompetent after 15-month rule, destroying economy, agriculture, industry and trade sectors, and pushing the nation to the brink of starvation. He said those claiming to provide ten million jobs to countrymen only provided jobs to two foreigners by appointing them as governor State Bank and chairman FBR.He expressed gratitude for all the parties for supporting the Azadi March and without naming any party, he said those opposition parties which did not support it had some ‘serious compulsion’ which he knew very well. He said he thanked “all Jialas, Matwalas, protectors of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, and those workers ready to lay down lives for protecting the country’s security, ideology and integrity”. He said the Azadi March has become the voice of the entire nation and brought the whole nation on one page. He said wherever the march passed, it received immense support and assistance. He lamented that Imran Khan’s policies forced even the affluent businessmen towards bankruptcy, while the small traders are facing starvation. He said the government violated the centuries-old code for Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, causing serious mental agony for the entire Muslim Ummah. He said teachers and doctors are being beaten by the police for demanding their due rights, while poor people are deprived of even voicing their pain and resentment.He prayed for the early recovery of PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif. He asked the rulers how long the drama of victimizing opposition leaders in the name of accountability would continue.PPP Punjab President Qamar Zaman Kaira warned that if the Plan A of the Azadi March failed, the Plans B and C would be implemented, adding that illegal rulers should be sent packing at all costs. He said the sooner the incompetent and illegal government was removed, the better it would be for the nation which was suffering under numerous plagues brought by the rulers. He expressed concerns that former president Asif Ali Zardari was arrested on mere allegations and without proof, and warned that his life was in danger due to serious illness. He demanded that Zardari be released immediately. He said it was not the opposition but the government which was damaging the Kashmir cause, by not taking any practical measure to provide relief to the besieged Kashmiris. He said the Indian army is committing genocide of Kashmiri Muslims while “our government is busy victimizing the opposition parties”. He asked the rulers to tell the nation how often they discussed Kashmir in cabinet meetings and chalked out any practical measures for solving the seven decades old issue.He said the PPP’s march is already under way as Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been holding public meetings in Karachi, Kashmore, Tharparkar and other cities. He would reach Kashmir for holding public meetings via Rahim Yar Khan and other cities of Punjab. He lamented that the country is not being run according to the Constitution. He said nobody is asking for NRO from Imran Khan but he has been raising false hue and cry over imaginary NRO demands.Jamiat Ahle Hadith President Senator Sajid Mir said conquering Islamabad is necessary for enforcing Islam and meeting basic needs of people. Addressing the Azadi march while it passed through Azadi Chowk, Mir warned that the nation would not allow the army meddling in the country’s elections any further. He said Imran was not elected but brought through selection and people’s mandate was stolen. He said the entire nation was on streets protesting against the cruel, anti-Islam policies of the PTI government. He said the successful Azadi March from Karachi to Lahore is a referendum against the government.JUP Secretary General Shah Awais Noorani said the nation has come out after realizing that only a handful people sitting in Islamabad have the power to play with the destiny of the whole nation. He said the march was not for reaching power corridors but against anti-Islam and anti-people policies of the PTI government.

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New battery design can charge an electric car in 10 minutes

WASHINGTON: Ten minutes charging time to add 200 miles of driving range: scientists in the US have claimed a technological breakthrough that could resolve one of the key concerns surrounding all-electric vehicles.Writing in the journal Joule on Wednesday, researchers at The Pennsylvania State University said that such a speedy charge rate required a battery to rapidly take in 400 kilowatts of energy.Current generation vehicles are not capable of this feat as it risks the lithium plating, the formation of metallic lithium around the anode, which would severely deteriorate battery life.To get around this constraint, the researchers raised the temperature of their experimental battery to 60 degrees Celsius during the charge cycle, then lowered it back down as it was used.What this does is "limit the battery´s exposure to the elevated charge temperature, thus generating a very long cycle life," said senior author Chao-Yang Wang, a mechanical engineer at The Pennsylvania State University.But scaling up the design and bringing it to market may take a decade, Rick Sachleben, a member of the American Chemical Society told AFP.Makers will need to make sure that rapidly raising the temperature is safe and stable, and doesn´t lead to explosions given the phenomenal amount of energy that is being transferred."Fast charging is one of the holy grails of electric vehicles," he said. "It´s one of the things that is necessary for them to compete with petroleum-fueled internal combustion engines."Current generation Tesla vehicles require about 30 minutes for a partial charge.

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Marching forward

Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s march passed through Multan, reached Lahore on early Wednesday morning where it was greeted by PPP and PML-N workers and then moved on towards Rawalpindi. The size of the march has been impressive and so far at least any violence has been avoided. We hope this will remain the case. On the sidelines of the march there have however been incidents that leave an unpleasant taste. Former Senator Hamdullah’s nationality was brought under question with NADRA declaring him an ‘alien’. This was however rectified after the IHC pointed out that former Senator Hamdullah Saboor had sat in the Senate for his tenure, and that one of his sons was serving in the Pakistan Army. In Islamabad Maulana Kafayatullah, a prominent JUI-F leader, has also been arrested on charges under MPO laws.While the government has emphasized that the marchers must stick to the plan they had agreed to and gather only at agreed spots in federal capital, the government itself appears occasionally to demonstrate some signs of agitation. A Pemra order banning anchorpersons from appearing as experts was questioned by some of the government’s own ministers bringing for them a rebuke from Special Adviser to the PM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and a warning from Imran Khan to refrain from acting as a part of opposition.Meanwhile, different reports are emerging about the degree of PML-N and PPP support for the march. Though both parties had set up separate welcome camps in Lahore on Wednesday morning, there are conflicting reports of how many of their members would join the march and travel with it to Islamabad. The strike announced by traders in all major cities to coincide with the march and protest taxation measures was largely successful with major markets in both Karachi and Lahore closing down. But on Wednesday, the protesting traders decided to call off their protest after successful talks with the government. We still do not know how the march will end or what the scenario in Islamabad will be. But certainly, the protest has brought forward a great deal of discussion over matters that include inflation and incompetent management. From government circles there has been criticism against the March for using religion to bring people on to streets. The next few days will determine how things end, but we hope there will be no conflict, and limited disruption of life.

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Out of school

Despite being the most urbanized province in the country, Sindh has an extremely high number of out-of-school children. It is currently estimated that 6.4 million schoolgoing children, or 40 percent of those who should be in school, are not attending classes at any institution. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah gave these figures himself while addressing a visiting delegation that included diplomats from China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The CM maintained that his government had invested Rs44.2 billion in the school education sector and established 519 new schools. However, this does not appear to show up in the dismal education figures for the province. The CM admitted Sindh should have a better performance in all social sectors including an improvement in the overall poverty level. He maintained that public expenditure and investment were required to drive growth in the province and improve human development.While we are pleased that the CM appears to recognize some of the problems of his province, the real question is why his party’s government – in power in the province since 2008 – has not been able to do more to improve the social and economic situation of people. Every other province and region in the country has performed remarkably better than Sindh in terms of educating children. Merely speaking about these issues is not enough. A plan needs to be put into action on the ground to bring out-of-school children into an environment where they can learn. It is also significant that 31 percent of those enrolled study at private schools, indicating dissatisfaction with the public school system. The condition of Sindh’s schools, many of which lack even basic amenities, has been documented many times before. Setting up new schools is not enough. Steps also need to be taken to maintain quality at the ones that already exist, and make it worthwhile for parents to enroll children. Studies carried out by private organizations working in the education sector show that teacher absenteeism, corporal punishment and the perception of parents that children are not learning in a conducive environment is one of the reasons many choose not to send children to schools. These factors must be considered when revising educational policies.

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Marching forward

Maulana Fazalur Rehman’s march passed through Multan, reached Lahore on early Wednesday morning where it was greeted by PPP and PML-N workers and then moved on towards Rawalpindi. The size of the march has been impressive and so far at least any violence has been avoided. We hope this will remain the case. On the sidelines of the march there have however been incidents that leave an unpleasant taste. Former Seantor Hamdullah’s nationality was brought under question with NADRA declaring him an ‘alien’. This was however rectified after the IHC pointed out that former Senator Hamdullah Saboor had sat in the Senate for his tenure, and that one of his sons was serving in the Pakistan Army. In Islamabad Maulana Kafayatullah, a prominent JUI-F leader, has also been arrested on charges under MPO laws.While the government has emphasized that the marchers must stick to the plan they had agreed to and gather only at agreed spots in federal capital, the government itself appears occasionally to demonstrate some signs of agitation. A Pemra order banning anchorpersons from appearing as experts was questioned by some of the government’s own ministers bringing for them a rebuke from Special Adviser to the PM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and a warning from Imran Khan to refrain from acting as a part of opposition. There are also reports that the prime minister at one point during the cabinet meeting asked who was making decisions relating to the Pemra notification and the Hamdullah affair. This is something we would all like to know.Meanwhile, different reports are emerging about the degree of PML-N and PPP support for the march. Though both parties had set up separate welcome camps in Lahore on Wednesday morning, there are conflicting reports of how many of their members would join the march and travel with it to Islamabad. The strike announced by traders in all major cities to coincide with the march and protest taxation measures has meanwhile been largely successful with major markets in both Karachi and Lahore closing down for the two-day period. A meeting between a government team and traders had previously failed to reach agreement on the matter. We still do not know how the march will end or what the scenario in Islamabad will be. But certainly, the protest has brought forward a great deal of discussion over matters that include inflation and incompetent management. From government circles there has been criticism against the March for using religion to bring people on to streets. The next few days will determine how things end, but we hope there will be no conflict, and limited disruption of life.

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