Megalomaniac

On the 180th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the legendary ruler of Punjab, a statue was unveiled at the Lahore Fort on Thursday. Around 500 people crossed the Wagah border to attend the unveiling event. The main ceremony will take place on Saturday at Gurdwara Dera Sahib. The sculpture is the result of collaboration between Fakir Khana Museum and Sarkar Khalsa Foundation. How the idea took shape Fakir Syed Saifuddin, whose ancestors were emissaries of the Maharaja, runs the prestigious museum. He said the idea was mooted about 15 years ago when U.K.-based Bobby Singh Bansal, chairperson of the S.K. Foundation, came to Pakistan and agreed to sponsor the sculpture. But many years passed before the idea became a reality. “It was a very lengthy and tiring process — from getting permission from the government to commissioning the sculpture — but it was worth it,” Mr. Saifuddin told The Hindu . He added that while India has many statues of the famous Maharaja and this wi...

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government recently filed a complaint of misconduct against two judges — Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court and Justice K.K. Agha of the Sindh High Court — for allegedly hiding their assets and properties abroad. President Arif Alvi sent the reference to the Supreme Judicial Council, which adjudicates such matters. The reference was leaked to the media weeks before it was formally filed. The legal fraternity is up in arms against the reference, which lawyers say was mala fide. Justice Isa is known for his integrity and is also set to be the Chief Justice in 2023 — the year of the next elections. A senior lawyer associated with the PTI said, on condition of anonymity, that the reference is quite substantial. “There is a divided opinion on the interpretation of law in this regard. The government feels that Justice Isa should have declared the assets of his wife and children while some lawyers think that Article 209 doesn’t pertain to this in...

Former President and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari was arrested on Monday at his residence in Islamabad by a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for his alleged involvement in a fake bank accounts scam. Earlier in the day, his plea for bail extension was rejected by the Islamabad High Court. According to sources, the legal team of Mr. Zardari, who is also a Member of the National Assembly, will appeal against this order in the Supreme Court. Several people are named as accused in the fake bank accounts case. They include Mr. Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur and some of his close associates. Money laundering The case came to the fore in 2015 following an investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The FIA said fake accounts were used to park ill-gotten wealth, which was later sent out of the country through money laundering channels. The PPP says the case is based on false evidence and is political in nature. Accordi...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned of legal action against the Pakistanis who do not declare their undisclosed assets by June 30. He said that in the last 10 years, Pakistan’s debt had risen from PKR 6,000 billion to PKR 30,000 billion. “Our nation has suffered due to this. Our annual tax collection is around PKR 4,000 billion. Half of it goes to loan repayments that ‘they’ [previous governments] took.” Indicating that Pakistan cannot run on the money that is then left over, he added that the country has the capacity to collect PKR 10,000 billion every year. “I appeal to you to take advantage of our assets declaration scheme. If we don’t pay taxes, we can’t move forward and rebuild this country,” he said, adding that people have time till June 30 to use this opportunity. After that, he warned, the government will come after those who have hidden their assets. “We have information that no other government had; we have treaties with other countries that have informed us of ...

Ye desh hai andhay logon ka, Ae chaand yahaan na nikla kar (This is a country of blind people, dear moon, there’s no need for you to rise here.) This verse from Habib Jalib’s poem is what one Mufti recited to The Hindu when asked for a comment on the recent ‘moon-sighting’ controversy in Pakistan. Every year, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Pakistan announces the sighting of the moon for the month of Ramzan and Eid after getting credible testimonies. Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman is the chairman of the Committee. But there is an unofficial Committee headed by Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai that usually disagrees with the panel and announces the first fast and Eid a day earlier. To end all this controversy and also to make use of the advances in science, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry launched a lunar calendar last month, stirring yet another controversy. Mr. Chaudhry also launched an official moon-sighting website, apart from an official app called ‘Th...

Imran congratulates PM; PPP leader calls for ‘revision in strategic priorities’ Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday joined a host of world leaders in congratulating Narendra Modi for his Bharatiya Janata Party’s election victory. “I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies. Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia,” Mr. Khan tweeted. The Pakistan Prime Minister had in April told a group of foreign journalists that “if the BJP wins, some kind of settlement in Kashmir could be reached.” Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government firmly believes that the real wars that India and Pakistan need to fight are against poverty and illiteracy. “I hope that after this victory, Mr. Modi will play a positive role towards peace between our two countries. For peace to happen the sufferings of the Kashmiri people have to end,” he said. While Mr...

On July 13, 2018, journalist Asma Shirazi interviewed former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when he was coming back from London, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz, to face a prison sentence. The interview was not telecast due to censorship, but trolls immediately started an online campaign targeting Ms. Shirazi. “It left a psychological impact on me. I wouldn’t like to go in the details as I don’t want my trolls to get any satisfaction from it. While it affected me for a short while — I took a break from Twitter, or became more cautious about what I wrote or said — I took it positively in the long run as I learned a lot from this episode.” Ms. Shirazi said she deals with such negative campaigns by not checking her mentions on Twitter. This was not an isolated incident. Last month, several journalists critical of the government, including Marvi Sirmed, Mubashir Zaidi and Umar Cheema, were abused on Twitter with trending hashtags. Women are particularly targeted. A report ...

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has emerged as a leading voice of opposition to Imran Khan’s government in recent months. Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is unwell and in prison. PML(N) leaders, including Mr. Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, face several legal challenges over corruption cases and have gone relatively quiet. This has left a vacuum in the Opposition politics and Mr. Bhutto-Zardari has stepped into this vacuum “with surprising ease”, said journalist Fahd Husain. “Gone is the awkwardness of speech and shyness of demeanour that once marked his political appearances. He is saying the right things, hitting the right tones and getting the right response.” Mr. Husain added that if Mr. Khan’s government is facing any real, hard-hitting and sustained opposition, it is from Mr. Bhutto-Zardari. “The PML-N will need to up its game if it wants to steal the thunder from the young Bilawal.” According to journali...

She was acquitted of blasphemy last year Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was acquitted by the Supreme Court of blasphemy last year, has finally left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her family. She had been falsely accused of blasphemy in 2009 and spent more than eight years in prison. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamist political party, staged protests across Pakistan after Ms. Bibi’s acquittal and demanded that she be hanged. Ms. Bibi was kept in protective custody till she finally left the country. TLP leader Khadim Rizvi and other activists were later arrested for creating unrest in the country and incitement to violence. Rizvi is still in jail. Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer who works for the Human Rights Watch in Pakistan, said it is a relief that Ms. Bibi’s ordeal has come to an end. “However, it is a scandal that it took so long, particularly after the Supreme Court decision. Asia’s case spotlighted the failure of the justice system at all levels and the la...

‘All political references, including attempts to link it with Pulwama attack, were removed’ A spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar was listed as an international terrorist after “all political references” were removed from the resolution and it was not a victory for India. “The current listing proposal has been agreed after all political references, including removal of attempts to link it with [the] Pulwama [attack] and maligning the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiris”, were removed from the resolution,” said Mohammad Faisal. “The Indian media’s attempts to build a narrative claiming it as a victory for India and validation of its stance are thus absolutely false and baseless,” he told presspersons in Islamabad. “Our position is in line with the statements of Prime Minister Imran Khan who clearly stated that there is no space for any proscribed organisation or its affiliates to operate from Pakistani ter...

Imran Khan’s statement in Tehran, in which he admitted to the presence of militant outfits in Pakistan, triggered a wave of criticism back home Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan said something in Iran that caused a stir in Pakistan. At a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Mr. Khan said: “Just a few days back, 14 of our security personnel were killed by terrorists in Balochistan. And I know that Iran has suffered from terrorism, which are from groups operating from within Pakistan. So the security chief will be sitting with his counterpart here and today, they will be discussing ways of cooperation and so that we have trust in each other that both countries will not allow any terrorist activity from their soil ...” Mr. Khan’s statement took many by surprise. While some appreciated his honesty in admitting Pakistan’s mistakes, others were more critical. Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted: “Vilifying & defaming your own country on foreign soil, sitting wit...

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has emerged as a powerful voice against the government in recent days. From his election campaign in 2018 to his first speech in parliament, Mr Bhutto-Zardari has won accolades for being a voice of reason and sanity. From calling Prime Minister Khan ‘selected PM’ to being extremely vocal about media censorship, from talking about minorities rights to voicing his concern for the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Mr Bhutto-Zardari has been hitting all the right notes. Even his political opponents have had to praise him for challenging this government and other powerful quarters. Ali Dar, son of former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, recently tweeted: “@BBhuttoZardari, you beauty! Eloquent, undeterred and not the least bit daunted! BB Shaheed would have been so proud; I’m sure she is smiling down on you from the Heaven. Godspeed!” This was after Mr Bhutto’s press conference on April 29. Bilawal Bhutto’s powerful speeches and his ...

Hamza Ali Abbasi, an actor close to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, tweeted earlier this month: “I am beginning to feel that PAKISTAN needs presidential system to get rid of the powerful MNA/MPA (members of the National and Provincial Assemblies) influence, abolition of large Provinces & Administrative Divisions made into smaller Provinces with powerful/empowered directly elected local body Governments.” Mr. Abbasi’s tweet led to a debate about a presidential system in Pakistan, from social networks to the mainstream media. Some people were of the opinion that this was coming from powerful quarters. Mr. Abbasi clarified on his tweets that when people accuse him of being “a stooge of the establishment” and that his words are “dictated” by the military and intelligence agencies “to help mould public opinion”, he likes it as it makes him feel way more important than he actually is. Mr. Abbasi is not the only one who has been talking about the presidential system i...

The government had earlier denied news of a shake-up Pakistan’s Finance Minister Asad Umar stepped down on Thursday as part of a reshuffle of the Cabinet initiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan. “As part of a Cabinet reshuffle, PM desired that I take the Energy Minister portfolio instead of Finance. However, I have obtained his consent to not take any Cabinet position. I strongly believe @ImranKhanPTI is the best hope for Pakistan and inshallah will make a naya Pakistan,” Mr. Umar tweeted on Thursday. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh will be Adviser on Finance. Sources said Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan was also asked to step down, but he refused to do so. He reportedly said that he will leave Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party if he’s forced to quit the Cabinet. He has now been made Federal Minister for Aviation. More changes Shehryar Afridi, State Minister for Interior, has now been made Minister for States and Frontier Regions. The new Federal Minister ...

“We have lost the narrative on Jammu and Kashmir.”— Abdul Basit Former High Commissioner of Pakistan to India Q. Why do you think India attacked Pakistan? AB: There is a context to the attack, post-Pulwama. One is domestic politics, i.e. the Indian elections. We say this, and so does the Congress Party. The second is to present Kashmir through the prism of terror and to isolate Pakistan. Had India given us the dossier earlier, they would not have been able to take the action that they did. Diplomatically it would have been difficult for them. I don’t know what the dossier contains but if we look at the old dossiers [they presented], there wasn’t much in them either. Some newspaper clippings and circumstantial evidence but no irrefutable evidence as such. Q. Realistically speaking, do you think there will ever be a resolution of the Kashmir dispute? AB: I think we will definitely see a resolution of the Kashmir dispute. How it happens…that remains to be seen. The Kashmir valle...

The recent conversion of two girls from Hinduism to Islam in Sindh has once again compelled the country to explore the possibilities of enacting a law to prevent forced conversions. But it is an uphill task, reports Mehmal Sarfraz For the Hindus of Sindh in Pakistan, March 20, the day Holi was celebrated, was a riot of colours. But for the Meghwars, it marked the beginning of a nightmare when two sisters, Reena Meghwar and Raveena Meghwar, suddenly disappeared from their home in Daharki, a city in Ghotki district of Sindh. Their disappearance not only brought back the spotlight on a persisting problem in the country, but also led to an online spat between Pakistan and India, which only recently saw simmering tensions reach a dangerous peak. After a fruitless search for his sisters, Shaman, his father, and others from the community finally decided to go to the neighbourhood police station to lodge a complaint. The Station House Officer (SHO) there assured them on March 20 that the c...

The bloodshed came two days after authorities freed Ramzan Mengal, a top leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). At least 20 people were killed and 48 injured when a blast hit the Hazarganji market in Quetta, Pakistan, on Friday. Nine people from the Hazara community and one Frontier Corps soldier were among the dead. Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that he was deeply saddened by the attack. “I have asked for an immediate inquiry & increased security for the people. Prayers go to the families of the victims & for early recovery of the injured.” At the site of the blast, DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema told the media that every day, people from the Hazara community come to this market from Hazara Town to buy groceries. Police and Frontier Corps personnel escort them and take them back as well. On Friday, there were 11 vehicles and 55 people in that convoy. To a question whether the Hazara community members were the targets, Mr. Cheema said that while the Hazaras have been ta...

Former Pakistan premier not allowed to leave the country Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been granted bail for six weeks by the Supreme Court on health grounds. The terms of the bail include that Mr. Sharif “shall not leave or be allowed to leave the country”. He can now be treated anywhere in the country. The leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) hailed this decision. Mr. Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and younger brother Shahbaz Sharif “thanked God” in their tweets for this temporary relief. Ahsan Iqbal, a senior leader of the PML-N, told The Hindu that this decision by the Supreme Court validates their position that Mr. Sharif has serious health issues. “It also negates what the [PTI] government was doing, such as making fun of his health, making statements to that effect and playing politics with Mian sahib’s health. The court has given him bail because he has serious health issues. We will now focus on his treatment as Mian sahib is an asset ...

President Alvi says the country’s real battle is against poverty Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi said on Saturday that the country wants to end long-standing disputes in South Asia through dialogue. “Our real war is against poverty and unemployment and should remain so. We are a responsible nation. We have learnt from our past mistakes and are now building our future keeping that in mind. We want to end hate and long-standing disputes in the region for prosperity and peace. As a democratic country, we don’t believe in wars,” Mr. Alvi said while addressing the annual military parade marking the Pakistan Day in Islamabad. “We respect the sovereignty of all nations and believe in peaceful relations with all countries. But our wish for peace should not be misconstrued as our weakness. Pakistan is a reality. India should also accept this reality. This region needs peace. Instead of war, we need to focus on education, health and providing employment,” he added. The event was attended ...

PM Modi’s message a welcome gesture, say analysts Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday evening tweeted: “Received msg from PM Modi: ‘I extend my greetings & best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan. It is time that ppl of Sub-continent work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive & prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence’.” Mr. Khan’s tweet came on a day when the Government of India boycotted Pakistan’s National Day event in Delhi and the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad also announced that he would not be attending the same event in Islamabad. In his next tweet, Mr. Khan added: “I welcome PM Modi's message to our people. As we celebrate Pakistan Day I believe it is time to begin a comprehensive dialogue with India to address & resolve all issues, esp the central issue of Kashmir, & forge a new relationship based on peace & prosperity for all our people.” Mr. Khan’s tweets created...