PTI’s protests links to disrupt foreign delegation’s arrival in Pakistan, believe journalists

October 3, 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan: It was September 6, 2014, when President Xi Jinping’s first visit to Pakistan was postponed over the mass anti-government demonstrations of PTI and PAT outside the Parliament House Islamabad. The visit was rescheduled to March 2015 but even then it was postponed because PTI was still sitting outside the Parliament House.

The demand of Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri was that the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif step down over allegations of fraud in the 2013 general election. Since then, PTI always arranged protests in Pakistan whenever any important diplomatic visit, event, or conference takes place in Pakistan.

That was the time when the foreign office of Pakistan was allegedly providing minute-to-minute developments taking place between Beijing and Islamabad to PTI leadership so the PTI was planning everything according to the available information. Pakistan’s government through back-channel diplomacy contacted a foreign country’s embassy in Islamabad and demanded punitive action against a dual nationality holder for disrupting Pakistan’s economy and law and order situation. However, Pakistan got only a smile from the foreign country’s embassy and no action was taken against this dual nationality holder although there are laws available that if a citizen of a foreign country disrupts the law and order of any foreign country, he/she can be served notice and even can face action. Since then Chinese President could not visit Pakistan. It was a great diplomatic jolt for Islamabad. It may be noted that the Chinese President was supposed to inaugurate the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project officially and Islamabad was hoping for $34 billion in Chinese investment in the coming years.

Now, PTI again has announced country-wide protests and reaching outside the Parliament on October 4, 2024, when the Malaysian Prime Minister is in Pakistan and Islamabad is working to host thousands of foreign diplomats in the second week of October for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) events. The series of rallies, processions, and protests has been part of PTI politics to disrupt the law and order situation in the country and the government claims that all is done on the instruction of foreign masters who want to see Pakistan a troubled country and want to discourage investment and development in Pakistan. The claims are not so unfounded because PTI comes out on the streets against the government whenever something important is going on in Pakistan and this harms Pakistan’s economy. The founder chairman of PTI Imran Khan is infamous among politicians for his anarchic mentality that does not want the country to go on the path of development and he always tries to destroy the image of the country by holding protests, sending letters to the UN to penalize Pakistan for alleged human rights abuses, writing letters to IMF to hold loaning to Pakistan and demanding US Congressmen to move for sanctions against Pakistan.

Since Pakistan is getting out of a financial crunch, the PTI is gearing up protests again. If we look closely, according to the economic data, the inflation which went up to 38% in May 2023, today has come down to a single digit i.e. 9.6%. In June 2023, the dollar reached 333.5 rupees, but today the currency exchange rate and the rupee have stabilized due to the recovery in GDP growth. Today, the dollar has reached 277.72 rupees. A program worth 7 billion dollars was approved by the IMF. Due to the best economic initiatives, the stock exchange of Pakistan has emerged as the best-performing stock exchange in the world. The top 86 companies in the stock market earned a record profit of Rs 1.7 trillion. In June 2023, KSE 100 index was at 41452.69 points, today this index has reached 82463.05 points.

The federal government has also been able to reduce the trade and current account deficit to a large extent; exports are gradually increasing; Moody’s has upgraded Pakistan’s credit rating from CC2 to CC3 due to improved economic indicators; the price of petrol is being reduced every fortnight; the price of the most commonly used and essential commodity, flour are now affordable even for the poor man.

The most serious and alarming thing is that at a time when the Malaysian Prime Minister is on his first visit to Pakistan, the PTI Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who sometimes attacks Islamabad, sometimes Lahore, and sometimes Rawalpindi with a group of miscreants has called for a protest in Islamabad on October 4 and is also threatening that if one bullet of police goes off against his protestors then he will shoot ten bullets. PTI’s social media is also making this narrative viral, that is, an atmosphere of violence is being created under a well-thought-out plan.

Such mischievous announcements and threats are trying to create the impression that there is total political instability in Pakistan at present. This party is spreading this agenda on its social media and trying to give the impression to the Pakistanis and important personalities sitting outside that the situation in Pakistan is very tense, and no foreign visit or investment can be made there.

“The main agenda of this agitation by PTI is also a major Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference to be held in Pakistan on October 15 and 16, which they want to sabotage. For this, they are making regular plans. It is clear that on October 4, they called for a protest in D Chowk Islamabad. When the Malaysian Prime Minister is in Pakistan, security will be on high alert in the federal government. And the administration and the law enforcement agencies will stop the political movements of this miscreant party which will make it uncontrollable and confrontation is a sign of wall”, commented a senior journalist while talking to DND News Agency.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a major international forum that includes friendly countries like China, Russia, India, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, including Pakistan, and the forum has its own significance in the region.

Pakistan is trying to give the impression that the country is ready to host the heads of major countries by holding a conference that has its important at the international level. The threat to stage a sit-in with batons, weapons, and government resources of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is enough to prove that this party is running on an anti-national agenda and its sole aim is to defame Pakistan at the international level.

Chemical milk shop busted in Lahore

October 3, 2024

Lahore, Pakistan: The Punjab Food Authority caught the mafia selling chemical milk in the name of the original.

On the orders of the DG Food Authority, food safety teams raided the milk shop located on Rakh Chandrai Road, destroyed 700 liters of fake milk, seized the mixing machine, supplier’s motorcycle, and drum, registered a case, and closed the dairy shop.

According to the details, fake milk powder, vegetable ghee, and prohibited ingredients were being prepared. DG Food Authority said the teams caught the shopkeeper red-handed while preparing fake milk. The shop was found to have poor sanitation, bees infested, and fake milk kept in blue drums.

The production of fake milk was thwarted by recovering milk powder and vegetable ghee from the dairy shop. Asim Javed said that the shop was closed for forgery and a case was registered against the person responsible.

DG Food Authority said that the use of fake and adulterated milk is very harmful to human health. He said that strict action would be taken for violating the rules set by the Punjab Food Authority, and citizens should report the mafia on 1223 if they find any such shop selling fake milk.

PTI failed in attempting May 9 against the Supreme Court

October 2, 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan: Trying to subjugate opponents and even state institutions by using mob mentality is part and parcel of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) politics of chaos. Attacking others without reason verbally or sometimes physically is the art PTI is mastered. However, sometimes it does not work when the opponent is fearless and mentally strong enough to decide to counter the attack. PTI failed to get results from the May 9, 2023 incidents when it attacked military installations and related buildings including the monuments of martyrs. On October 2, 2024, it again failed when it tried to do a May 9 of Judiciary.

On October 2, 2024, PTI’s counsel, Tayyab Mustafain Kazmi, threatened the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Article 63A hearing that 500 PTI lawyers were standing outside, ready to prevent any ruling against the PTI. Instead of ignoring this threat, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who was presiding over the bench, swiftly responded by calling for police to maintain order and told PTI lawyer that institutions cannot be run through threats. He added that his (Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa) only fault was that he had always shown patience.

Chief Justice Isa remained firm to continue the proceedings despite the threatening tone of PTI’s lawyer and passed the observations that the court would not tolerate threats or disrespect.

PTI failed in attempting May 9 against the Supreme Court but would try on other State institutions

“You cannot run the courts through intimidation. We will continue with the proceedings, no matter how much opposition we face,” the Chief Justice added, signaling that the judiciary would uphold its independence. Chief Justice’s comments were followed by his fellow judge Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail who expressed concern over the growing trend of targeting judges when decisions do not favour specific parties. “This behavior is unacceptable. The judiciary must remain independent,” he said.

Chief Justice Isa, in response, remarked that such incidents only undermine the judiciary’s role and expressed disappointment in the disrespect shown towards the bench.

The five-member bench, which includes Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Naeem Akhtar Afghan, and Mazhar Alam Miankhel, continued to hear the case after the disruption. The Article 63A review petition was dismissed that was filed by PTI which argued that the bench had been constituted improperly, but the Chief Justice dismissed the claims.

PTI had a long history of gathering mobs outside courts and this practice was started in 2014 when PTI started sit-ins outside Parliament and the Supreme Court. Since then intimidating institutions through mob power had been of PTI politics. However, this behavior of PTI has intensified since it lost the federal government in a vote of no confidence against its former prime minister Imran Khan but higher judiciary had been supporting PTI in bad weather and the party remained hopeful that it would reclaim power but all hopes went to drain that former DG ISI Faiz Hameed was arrested and Imran- Faiz Hameed Gang was busted.

“Now, the only option left with PTI is to challenge state institutions including today’s judiciary that give decisions on merit. Moreover creating unrest and chaos in the country can favor PTI’s founding chairman to get out of jail and this is the reason that he does not want to retreat from protest politics now he is seen saying to the leaders of his party that those who are not ready to protest should sit comfortably at home and protest is our priority in the current situation” commented a senior journalist who covers activities of PTI.

The action plan of PTI shows that they are now insisting on protests instead of any dialogue with the government and they are short of options. One thing is clear intimidating state institutions (judiciary, Election Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Army) and threatening the state (Gandapur’s announcement for raising arms against the State of Pakistan) are options sent by jailed Imran Khan who is suffering from frustration inside the prison. Therefore, there is no political way out for this party. The reports are that all the officials and members of the assembly are being convinced that they should not sit in their houses and heat the streets. However, the party has lost ground support and arrangements for protests have become difficult for the party after the jailing of the Punjab leadership and the plethora of cases, PTI Punjab realized that May 9, 2023, was a debacle for the party Khan’s approach damaged the party to place workers in front of state institutions.

The dilemma the PTI is facing is that it has lost Imran-Faiz Hameed networking, dealing with impartial judiciary instead of ‘good to see you’re judges and the workers are not ready to come out in the street. This situation is too much to bear and the founding chairman who is in jail is showing impatience. How to move ahead, is a question that PTI tries to find answer.

Middle East scenario, Israel-Iran conflict and Pakistan

October 2, 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan: Finally, Israel successfully pushed Iran into war Phase-I and same day engaged Israel in confrontation with Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon.

This Israeli strategy would surely help to install conflict is strategically located crossroad that links Russia, the Caucasian region, Central Asia, Asia Minor, Eastern Europe, and South Asia as Iran borders Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Türkiye. This move of the US is timely as Russia is engaged with a US proxy (Ukraine) while China always avoids war rather it buys war by offering economic incentives to regions so countries can avoid conflicts.

Pakistan whose economic dependence is exceptional over Global North and who had always been an unofficial ally of US-led initiatives since the 1950s would be in a difficult position to handle the situation if the Israel-Iran war starts at a full-fledged scale. This war can also expand the sectarian divide in Pakistan if Islamabad tries to avoid support to Iran and would help to engineer a conspiracy theory that Pakistan already has a soft corner for Israel. The most dangerous scenario for Pakistan is that a populous party—PTI is too close to Israel and Israeli media as well as its diplomats and think tanks have been working together to get the PTI’s founding chairman out of jail where he is facing trial under corruption charges.

An academician on the condition of anonymity said to DND News Agency that the Middle East Crisis is now at its peak. In a matter of days, Israel has spread the war to almost the entire Middle East, and the situation has quickly escalated into a major global crisis. Israel, after wreaking havoc in Palestine, has very cleverly transferred the war to other Muslim countries that look militarily helpless and weak in front of Israel. The ongoing war in Israel and the Middle East proves the indispensability of the strongest forces for the security of any country and highlights that strong forces are the guarantors of national integrity and defense and Israel through its proxies such as former prime minister Imran Khan whose ex-wife belongs to one of the strongest families of Zionist lobby. The academician thought that the foremost target of the Zionist lobby is the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan because harming the military through hatemongering against military Generals has been a tested formula of the Western world by using its soft power– the Western media. Once the military is dismantled it is easy to install chaos and terrorism in the target country the West did in Iraq, Syria, Haiti, Afghanistan, and now Iran and Pakistan are on target.

There is no doubt that the enemy has a perception regarding Pakistan that if Pakistan wants to be harmed, then the forces of Pakistan have to be weakened internally, because as long as the forces are strong, no one can dare to attack Pakistan and that is why a systematic and sinister agenda against the Pakistan Army is on through external agents with the help of internal facilitators.

There had been a campaign in Western media, particularly in Israeli media to get Imran Khan out of jail and his former brother-in-law Zac Goldsmith believes that ‘Israel is fighting for its life. For its very existence. It is up against a coalition of authoritarian, violent, oppressive regimes. Israel is the only light in (the) darkest corner of earth. For all our sakes Israel must win’.

This dangerous and nefarious anti-national agenda must be understood by every Pakistani before it is too late – strengthen your forces and understand the tactics of the enemy if Pakistan does not want to be Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran.

At the strategic level, whoever attacks the established system (government, judiciary, army) must be dealt with as the ‘enemy’ because the region has entered into a deadly situation and Pakistan which always faces economic starvation is the soft target of installing uprise against the state and PTI’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has already announced arms struggle against the state of Pakistan. Still, he freely roams around the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. There is no Constitutional provision in Pakistan that can de-seat a member of parliament (provincial assemblies, Senate, National Assembly) who announces an arms struggle against the federation. Since the government is already in the process of overhauling the constitution, the ‘Oath’ of the members of Parliament must be reviewed. It must be in the oath that he/she will automatically lose membership of the parliament if he/she ever announces an arms struggle against the federation and law enforcement agencies (Army/Police/ paramilitary forces).

Lemon partners with Catfiz

October 1, 2024

Dubai, Lemon, a trailblazer in the blockchain and digital payment landscape announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership with Catfiz, a leading messaging and social platform, says a press release.

This collaboration aims to significantly expand Lemon’s ecosystem by integrating Catfiz’s robust user base, welcoming over 5 million new users into Lemon’s cutting-edge blockchain technology. Since its acquisition in 2021 for $100 million, Catfiz has quickly risen to prominence in the social networking arena, providing a unique and engaging user experience focused on privacy and innovative communication features. With millions of users around the globe, Catfiz is set to enhance the way people connect and interact online. For more about Catfiz, visit their official website at www.catfiz.com

The partnership between Lemon and Catfiz is a strategic move that positions both companies at the forefront of the digital revolution. By merging the strengths of social networking with advanced blockchain capabilities, this collaboration promises to deliver an unparalleled user experience and transform the digital landscape.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Catfiz on this transformative project,” said Collin Herd, spokesman for Lemon. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand our ecosystem and provide innovative solutions to a broader audience. By integrating Catfiz’s vibrant user community into the Lemon platform, we are confident that we can drive global adoption of blockchain technology and deliver exceptional value to our users.” The excitement is echoed by Catfiz Founder Mochammad Arfan, who stated, “Partnering with Lemon enables us to provide our users with even greater value through the integration of a leading blockchain platform. We believe this partnership will not only enhance the user experience but also unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.” The integration process is already in motion, with both companies working hand-in-hand to ensure a smooth transition for users. This partnership is poised to open new avenues for both Lemon and Catfiz, paving the way for future collaborations that will continue to push the boundaries of technology and redefine user experiences.

The fate of Military Courts is at a cliffhanger while terrorism is at rise

September 30, 2024

DND Report

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while addressing lawyers in Quetta on Monday said that the judicial system could not serve justice to the victims of terrorism and there was a need to overhaul the judicial system.

His address in Quetta just a day after five more laborers from Punjab were martyred by terrorism in the Panjgor district of Balochistan, a province that has been facing the brunt of terrorism for the last two decades. In general, Pakistan has been facing terrorism for the past two decades. In this war, the security forces are fighting against TTP (officially called Fitana Al Kharaj), the Baloch Liberation Army, and other terrorist organizations. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari politely mentioned that the judicial system was serving the judiciary instead of serving the country. He also indicated that his party (PPP) is not in power in the center but even then he is trying for judicial reforms. He mentioned the universal reality that crimes (terrorism) cannot be controlled unless punishments are not ensured. This is the brutal reality that is being faced by law enforcement agencies in Pakistan who take their lives in danger during operations against terrorists but taking life risks is futile because terrorists get support from the legal system and the conviction rate is too low to be realistic. The sacrifices of the Pakistan Army, police, and security agencies in the war against terrorism are in front of everyone, which is clear proof that the Pakistan Army, police, and security agencies do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the defense of the homeland and the people. Innumerable small and large operations against terrorists have been conducted and are being conducted by the Pakistan Army and security forces.

In these operations, a large number of terrorists were killed and many were arrested. However, the sad fact is that the arrested terrorists get relief due to legal loopholes and the efforts of the Pakistan Army and security agencies go in vain. A known case in which one terrorist namely Hazrat Ali was arrested with explosives outside Manawan Police Training college that came under terrorist attack. Hazrat Ali got bail from a civilian court and he was killed in another suicide bombing after three years in a “Karachi pressure cooker suicide bombing”. When terrorists are presented in the anti-terrorism courts established across the country, as mentioned earlier, due to the legal loophole, these terrorists are released due to lack of evidence against them. Then they regroup, launch fresh waves of terrorist activities, harm the Pakistan Army, kill innocent people, and dance on their dead bodies.

Hundreds of terrorist cases are also pending in the courts and between years 2022-2023, there was a 121% increase in the pendency. A total of 6,550 terrorists had been challaned during 2020-2023. Of these, only 11 percent accused (774) were convicted and only 1.5 percent (104) of these convictions were upheld.

Now it is necessary to see why all this happens in counter-terrorism. The implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Act was done to reduce the burden of cases on the courts, the courts implemented the policy of zero inventory and each Anti-Terrorism Court was given one case at a time, but in 1999, this Act was amended. The reason for this was that after the amendment of the Act, the definition of terrorism was broadened and other crimes were also included in it, after which the cases lasted for months and even years. The prime example is Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar’s inappropriate case. Placing such kind of cases and adding clauses of terrorism in the First Information Report (FIR) is surely a concern for those who understand the nature of the crime of terrorism because such kind of act of the police surely compromised the very nature and the reputation of ATCs that have been installed to deal with not heinous rather crimes of terror nature. Pakistan is a country where terrorism is rising again and systems like ATCs are needed full-time to counter this menace while their involvement in cases such as Qamar surely hampers their reputation as well as operations. There are 23 courts in Punjab, 13 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 32 in Sindh, 9 in Balochistan, 10 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 2 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2 in Islamabad. The data obtained by the relevant counter-terrorism departments indicates the pending cases of terrorism ratio is highest in Balochistan ie 34%, 32% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19% in Sindh, 8% in Punjab and 7% in Gilgit-Baltistan. If we talk about cases against terrorism, there are currently 605 pending cases across the country, including 48 in Punjab, 115 in Sindh, 195 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 208 in Balochistan, and 39 in Gilgit-Baltistan. If we talk about 217 cases between 2020 and 2023, sentences were given in 217 cases, including 152 in Punjab, 33 in Sindh, 14 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 in Balochistan, 6 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

On the other hand, the acquittal ratio of people involved in terrorism is high, in which 278 terrorists were acquitted based on lack of evidence in various cases including 60 in Punjab, 28 in Sindh, 26 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 148 in Balochistan, 14 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 2 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The question arises about the competency and professionalism of Advocate Generals of provinces who are responsible for leading their legal teams representing state institutions. Moreover, the working of law ministries should be reviewed which is responsible for looking after the quality of work of Advocate Generals.

Anti-terrorism courts also face delays in cases and cases are left pending. When the anti-terrorist courts are overwhelmed with cases, the terrorists will undoubtedly get the benefit of this, their cases will be suspended. In the anti-terrorist court, hard evidence is needed to get harsh punishments such as the death penalty for terrorists, and the evidences

Failure to provide evidence and delays in recording witnesses to courts by the state prosecutors always provide benefits to the accused (terrorists). Sometimes investigative teams become under life threats and they leave loopholes in the case with an announced arrangement with the accused (terrorists.

During the year 2020 to 2023, 1,650 cases were pending, 6, 550 terrorists were challenged, out of which 774 were convicted while 911 were acquitted, and 465 terrorists filed an acquittal appeal, of which 104 were upheld while 90 were quashed.

In summary, terrorism cases in Pakistan tend to be pending due to over-reliance on the number of witnesses, evidence, security concerns, intimidation, and obstruction. All these contribute to repeated acquittals in high-profile cases of terrorism and terrorist facilitation.

All these factors emphasize the importance of establishing military courts and hearing cases through them. The establishment of military courts was approved/implemented under the National Action Plan. The trial of terrorism cases through military courts is also necessary because the current judicial system seems to be failing to deliver verdicts against terrorists. If the judiciary system was as strong, effective, and admirable, visible justice would have been done against the terrorists caught in the past and they would have been punished, but this did not happen; Rather, it has been a common complaint of the people against the judiciary that terrorists and target killers are arrested but the courts release them.

Based on political affiliations in the judiciary, a “stay order” had been given by the Supreme Court on the military courts. There is no doubt that Pakistan is facing unusual circumstances concerning terrorism and it needs to take unusual actions but the 130-year-old Criminal Procedure Code (CrPc) that was passed on July 1, 1898, by British lawmakers is a great hindrance to serving the demands of 21^st century that started with a wave of terrorism (9/11 incident). Practically the entire legal system has failed in Pakistan to serve the demands for curbing terrorism and the higher judiciary thinks only the human rights of the accused instead of thinking about the rights of families of victims like these innocent laborers who were killed recently in Panjgor. We cannot stop such incidents with the prevailing system while the system is not allowing unusual acts like military courts to deal with unusual circumstances Pakistan is facing today.

The foremost responsibility lies with the Federal Law Ministry and the Attorney General of Pakistan to raise the issue with the higher judiciary to decide the case of military courts and request the higher judiciary to look into the realities of the country instead of looking at the case through political opticals.

PTI again challenged the Statehood of Pakistan by announcing an arms struggle

September 30, 2024

Shazia Anwer Cheema

PTI has announced an armed struggle against the State of Pakistan and its Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur directed tribal elders to raise arms against Pakistan.

This news is not shocking and unexpected for me because I have been writing that PTI has an agenda to dismantle the ‘Statehood’ and disintegrate Pakistan. Some political analysts consider Gandapur’s fire-brand statement to be a reaction to the failure of PTI’s public meetings in Islamabad and Lahore, I cogitate his statement as a well-thought-out and planned declaration of arms struggle against Pakistan because the party has lost public support and cannot create chaos through protests. Hence, it has no option left but to raise arms as it tried to do on May 9, 2023. Nevertheless, this time the party has planned a large-scale armed resistance and would collect anti-Pakistan elements under one umbrella.

The mischievous mentality of PTI’s leadership once again plans to destroy peace in Pakistan and to my understanding, Gandapur is just a mouthpiece of former prime minister Imran Khan and Gandapur’s rebellious address proves that despite being the representative of the Federation (as CM of a federating unit), he is inciting people to clash with the State. His video message in which he demanded tribal elders to raise arms against the state of Pakistan is clear instigation and an act of sedation for treason. I do not doubt that PTI is doing all at the behest of external elements who wish to create chaos in Pakistan. It must be remembered that what Gandapur is asking cannot considered a legitimate struggle or legitimate armed resistance under any international convention of ‘resistance for a just cause’ rather it falls under the category of terrorism and the state of Pakistan must deal with these elements as a state should deal with terrorists.

When studying legitimate arms struggles and terrorist crime, it is natural to distinguish the two because they are altogether different phenomena. Terrorism is out of the ordinary, so it must not be confused with violent political expressions. A Chief Minister cannot announce armed struggle because the moment he/she announces armed struggle; he/she defies the Constitution on which he/she takes the oath. Gandapur’s video message also ignited ethnicity (while saying that Pashtuns deal with Punjabis by force). Under the international conventions, his act is fanning ethnic violence and cannot be considered an announcement of a legitimate arms struggle.

I strongly believe that PTI plans to practice the same design that had been tested in Libya, Iraq, and Haiti where the administrative units (provinces) were placed against the national government (federal government) and then units announced their liberation/independence. This is a tested formula of the Global North since WWII. The same was tested in former East Pakistan (thereafter became Bangladesh). PTI leadership since long talked about the Bangladesh model and founding chairman Imran Khan openly said that he compares himself with the late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former President of Bangladesh who disintegrated East Pakistan and crafted Bangladesh out of it. The first attempt of PTI was on 9th May 2023 which was a series of events when Pakistan witnessed the writ of the State being challenged by the foreign-sponsored mob. It was the first of its nature in which the targets of attackers were military installations and even the monuments of national martyrs.

I have been writing that enemies of Pakistan want to see Pakistan like Iraq, Haiti, Afghanistan, or Libya and they are funding home-grown hatemongers, and the May 9th planning was conceptualized as a “Revolution against State” and Gandpur has again announced this foreign-sponsored “Revolution against State” and this will surely target those who can protect Pakistan. For long Imran Khan has been working extensively to expand the fault line between the State and Citizens, and he provides a twisted idea that the ‘State’ is the “enemy” of the Citizens. An unbiased, and academic evaluation of PTI can render that the ideology of PTI is based on anti-state directly envisioned by Pakistan’s enemies. PTI never considers itself as part of the State, it always considers itself as a rival of the State and that is why PTI gave a concept of a ‘New State’ —‘Naya Pakistan’ and this had been deeply injected among PTI’s followers. Theoretically, the individuals following this idea of ‘Naya Pakistan’ (New Pakistan/State) do not bother to consider themselves a crucial part of the existing State therefore they never pay any heed to their duties towards the State because they have been told that State is against them. This hostile narrative is based on the “Force Theory” of the State, according to which the State itself is an adversary to its citizens and citizens are forcefully complying with the Statehood. Therefore, I always believe that those who are behind designing the moves of PTI are not only cunning but also have huge infrastructures like hugely funded think tanks and enormously sponsored Western Thought Centers, and people like Imran Khan or Gandapur are just their foot soldiers. Now it is the prime responsibility of the State to fix such elements legally and deal with them as the State should deal with those who want to disintegrate the State. One must remember that ‘Statehood’ is protected by the ‘State’.

Shazia Anwer Cheema is a Prague-based author, analyst, and freelance writer whose articles appear in international media outlets. She did her M.Phil in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University Denmark and is completing her Ph.D. in Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague.

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk News.

Hezbollah confirms death of Hassan Nasrallah, vows to continue fight against Israel

September 28, 2024

Lebanon’s organization Hezbollah has confirmed that their leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been martyred in an Israeli attack in Beirut, and vowed to continue the fight against Israel.

In a statement on Saturday, Hezbollah said, “Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has joined his great, immortal fellow martyrs, whom he led for 30 years.”

Earlier, the Israeli army had claimed that Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an attack in Beirut the previous day.

Initially, Hezbollah did not confirm the death of their leader.

Hezbollah confirms death of Hassan Nasrallah, vows to continue fight against Israel — Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

According to the Israeli army, most of Hezbollah’s senior leaders were killed in the attack. The Israeli Military Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said in an online press briefing, “Most of Hezbollah’s senior leaders have been killed.”

Today, the Israeli army, in an official statement on its X account, claimed that “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrify the world.”

The Israeli Military Spokesman Avichay Adraee also stated in an Arabic-language post on X, “The Israeli army has also killed Hezbollah’s Southern Front Commander, Ali Karaki, along with several other Hezbollah leaders.”

IRGC Deputy Commander General Abbas Nilforoushan also killed in Israeli attack

In the Israeli attack in Lebanon, a senior general of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was also killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the Deputy Commander of the IRGC General Abbas Nilforoushan was among those killed in the attack.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei taken to a secure location

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been taken to a secure location within the Country, with stringent security measures in place.

According to sources cited by the British news agency Reuters, following the announcement of Hassan Nasrallah’s death, Iran is in continuous contact with Hezbollah in Lebanon and other regional groups.

PM Shahbaz Sharif attends a reception hosted by US President Joe Biden

September 28, 2024

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif attended a reception hosted by the US President Joe Biden in honor of the heads of government participating in the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Both the prime minister and the US president met during the reception, and expressed good wishes for each other.

The Heads of State of other Countries also attended the dinner.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif with President of the United States of America, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and First Lady Dr. Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden at a reception hosted by the US President in honor of the heads of state and government.#PakatUNGA79 #PMShehbazAtUNGA #UNGA79 pic.twitter.com/rAIR4F1NLL
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) September 28, 2024

In a post on his personal X handle, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif wrote “My brief meeting with US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden during the President’s reception in New York was most warm and cordial.”

The prime minister also wrote “We reaffirmed our common desire to enhance cooperation in key areas including trade, investment, technology, & climate action.”

Later, Shahbaz Sharif concluded his five-day visit to New York where he successfully participated in the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly.

On the sidelines of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister also held separate meetings with the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres, Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the World Bank Ajaypal Singh Banga, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, President of the European Commission Ms. Ursula Von Der Leyen, Founder and Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Bill Gates, Prime Minister of United Kingdom Sir Keir Starmer, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Chief Advisor (Head of the Government) of the Interim Government of Bangladesh Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Crown Prince of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and President of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

Additionally, the prime minister also addressed the delegation of the US-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) besides meeting a delegation of prominent Pakistani American bankers.

COP29: G-7 must understand their responsibility while making relevant decisions, says Parvana Valiyeva

September 28, 2024

Monitoring Desk: “G7 and to a certain extent G20 countries must understand their responsibility (a reference to COP29), make relevant decisions, and reach a consensus.”

This was observed by a member of the COP29 Organizing Committee of Azerbaijan Parvana Valiyeva while giving an exclusive interview with Azertac News Agency. She is also a Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan.

COP29: G-7 must understand their responsibility while making relevant decisions, says Parvana Valiyeva

Her interview with Azertac is reproduced hereunder:

Question: Mrs. Valiyeva, it is well known that one of the world’s most prestigious events, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Baku from November 11 to 22 of this year. What are the main expectations from COP29?

Answer: The main expectation from COP29 is the agreement of a new financial amount for climate action to be paid by developed countries to developing ones. While the previous climate finance target of $100 billion was to be paid by 2020, it was reached only in 2022, according to reports.

The main goal facing the Parties at COP29 will be to determine the new amount. The current financial target of $100 billion is not enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and solve the problems of countries most affected by climate change.

Then other steps are required …

– Indeed, this target needs to be significantly increased to at least $500 billion or even $1 trillion. The global community expects this from developed countries. Serious work should be done in this area.

In this matter, first of all, G7 and to some extent, G20 countries should understand their responsibility, make appropriate decisions, and reach a consensus.

-Q: What can you say about Azerbaijan’s efforts as COP29 Presidency?

A: Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency is making every effort to reach an agreement on a new climate finance goal between developed and developing countries and achieve a result based on consensus. The COP29 Presidency calls on developed countries and international financial institutions to take action and it is carrying out continuous engagement to support this objective. In addition, meetings are held regularly and in a constructive manner with Parties, international organizations, and other stakeholders.

As an example, we hosted informal consultations with Heads of Delegations in Azerbaijan from July 25-28, 2024 to discuss the key issues on the COP29 agenda.

Q: Is Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency praised by the international community and does COP29 receive the necessary level of international support?

A: The COP29 Presidency attaches special importance to the problems of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), countries that suffer the most from the negative effects of climate change, and the support Azerbaijan has provided to them is appreciated by the international community.

Recently, the Pact for the Future was adopted as the key result of the Summit of the Future held in New York on September 22-23. This document outlines the primary areas of countries’ actions in the coming years and contains a separate paragraph on COP29.

Also, several heads of state and government ministers referred to COP29 in their speeches both in the Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that COP29 is approaching and said that the outcome of the event should be a new climate finance target.

The President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said that the most important factors in providing support for developing countries in the context of climate change are finance, technology sharing, and capacity building. He believes that COP29 Azerbaijan will contribute to the solution of these issues.

During the session, developing countries called for the amount of climate finance to increase from $100 billion during COP29 Azerbaijan.

In addition, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Monaco, Kenya, Fiji, and other states referred to COP29 in their speeches in New York.

This demonstrates the importance of COP29 as a historic event and highlights Azerbaijan’s leading role in combatting climate change, which is one of the biggest problems currently affecting the world.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stressed that developed and developing countries should contribute to the solution of climate problems within their capabilities instead of accusing and blaming each other for climate change. Although our country is working towards achieving the historic agreement in Baku, the Baku Agreement, joint efforts, and the constructive participation of all Parties is needed to achieve tangible progress. All parties have a collective responsibility in this matter.

Q: Can we hope that during the Baku conference states will reach a consensus with the leadership of Azerbaijan on the issue of climate change, one of the biggest problems of our time?

A: COP29 has called on the international community to reach a consensus on an ambitious new climate finance goal. If no consensus is reached in Baku, then it will have a negative impact on the future of climate negotiations.

As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized, our country will spare no effort during COP29 to create a bridge between developed and developing countries, achieve consensus, and ensure COP29 is a success.

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