Lifelong learning

November 19, 2024

By Dr. Attia Anwar

As we age, our minds and mental health become more important. We should try to maintain and improve them. Education is a perfect way to do that. Learning is not only beneficial for our minds but also keeps our bodies healthy. Lifelong learning is a form of self-initiated education that is focused on personal development. It helps us achieve satisfaction and personal fulfillment.

Learning new skills will help you to keep your prospects of life up to date. It gives you insight into recent advancements and changes. It will keep you stimulated and give you the ability to handle different challenges. Keeping your mind stimulated and keeping a cycle of information makes your mind happy. As a result, your mindset becomes satisfied as compared to the bitterness that comes with old age. The result is you become happy. Lifelong learning can be in any way. It can be taking classes or courses. It can be working or a new job in a different field that requires preparation for meetings and work. We can learn from new colleagues. Learning helps us to improve our mental health. You may think learning new things can increase our stress levels. However, there are different forms of stress-free learning. Learning in your way at your own pace is important. You can reflect on what you have learned. It is not a typical university student learning to pass an exam. It is real learning just for the sake of improving your knowledge and mental capacity. This type of learning boosts your well-being. It improves your quality of life. There are many great and fun ways of learning without the hassles of tests and exams. Many studies have shown that people engaged in learning reported feeling better about themselves in general and have had more hope in their lifelong goals and general aspirations. We can learn how to cook new recipes, fix broken things at home, and learn a new hobby like painting or writing.

Why lifelong learning makes us happy in the long term because we as a human have a natural drive to explore new things and ideas. We want to improve our quality of life by learning new things. If we don’t learn new essential skills it hinders us internally. We feel incapable and then become bitter about life. We can learn what makes us humans. We have a natural curiosity about things. As a child, we learn to ride a bike and as an adult, we learn to cook new dishes. Both of them are very enjoyable experiences for us. Personal fulfillment comes if we learn with our natural interest, curiosity, and motivation. We are not learning for someone else but just for ourselves. This learning should be voluntary, self-taught, and often informal and usually does not require any cost.

Lifelong learning renews our self-motivation. Sometimes we are stuck in mundane tasks of daily life and do not know what inspires us. Then suddenly reading a book gives you a different motivation. You feel good and younger. You re-ignite your interests and goals. Suddenly you feel that your boredom is gone and you start living with a purpose. And you never know where your actual interests can lead you by focusing on them. It will improve your personal and professional development. Everyone who learned computer and internet skills although they have never used it in their earlier life, feel more confident and has excess to more knowledge. If you are busy acquiring knowledge you are developing other skills also. They can be interpersonal, problem-solving, or critical-thinking skills. They in turn help you in personal and professional development. This will make you feel good and improve your confidence. Seeking new information is also a fun way to engage with others. As a result, you feel happy and socially connected. It prevents isolation in old age. Avoiding isolation is generally good for mental health in old age. It will give you increased satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

One most important benefits of lifelong learning is that it keeps your brain active, healthy, and young. It does not only make you capable but it helps in preventing and minimizing the cognitive decline in old age. If loss of brain function is avoided you can spend your golden years living independently, having control over your life, and making your own decisions. Learning stimulates the brain leading to the development of new neural pathways. It improves your memory and delays the development of dementia. It strengthens cognitive reserve by challenging the brain to recall and apply new information. That is why the brain is protected against degeneration. In old age, it is very important to have cognition. Otherwise, you may live longer, but your quality of life is worse. So aging healthily requires lifelong learning. It is as simple as if you do physical activity your muscles get strong and they do not decline easily. If you use your brain it is going to improve and does not degenerate easily. Being physically active also has a beneficial effect on the brain. If you want to learn you should better learn in a diversified manner. Diversity means it should be recreational learning, self-directed learning, and formal classroom learning.

To begin the journey of lifelong learning at any age first, you have to recognize what are your interests. Then you can see what you can learn. You can make a list and become proactive in the learning process. You can formulate your learning goals and commit.

I believe that lifelong learning is a beautiful thing. Out of all the things which are important for our well-being I enjoy it most. Learning in a stress-free environment just for the sake of learning is important for our growth as a person. If you stop learning and adapting to new things after a certain age. Your soul becomes rotten. To be alive fully and keep our brain active we should not let curiosity inside us die till the last breath.

The author Dr. Attia Anwar is a consultant family physician with a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of GP UK. She is a strong advocate of health and well-being and wants patient participation in decision-making regarding health.

12th Defense Expo ‘Ideas 2024’ ‘Weapons for Peace’ a major step in defense diplomacy

November 18, 2024

By Asghar Ali Mubarak

Ideas 2024, the global exhibition of defense equipment, will begin today at the Karachi Expo Center on November 19, in which Pakistan’s commitment to “weapons for peace” will be highlighted.
The 4-day exhibition will continue till November 22. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
The newest Tank Haider and Drone Shahpar will also be unveiled at the Pakistan Pavilion, while an Air Show at Nishan Pakistan Seaview will also be part of the exhibition on the last day, which will be organized for foreign dignitaries and the people of Karachi.
The main benefit of Ideas 2024 is that it increases Pakistan’s defense exports, which further strengthens the country’s economy.
In the 12th edition of the Defense Exhibition IDEAS, exhibitors from around the world will present their defense products and equipment; for the first time, Ukraine, Italy, and Iran will participate in the IDEAS exhibition
532 exhibitors and 350 foreign delegates from 38 countries will participate while 30 international speakers will address seminars related to defense industries.
15 international pavilions have also been set up in the exhibition. 52 thousand trade visitors will visit the exhibition. In Ideas, Pakistan showcases indigenously developed all-round war weapons.
In addition to the JF-17 Thunder designed for air combat, Mushaq, Super Mushaq and K-8 aircraft for training fighter pilots are also on display.
Pakistan has played an important role in maintaining the stability and balance of global peace and hosting ideas is a testament to our commitment to encourage technological development and exchange in the region.
Since its inception in the year 2000, the event has become an important step in defense diplomacy and a consistently large gathering of national and global defense industry.
IDEAS is now recognized worldwide, the Defense Exhibition promotes the exchange of modern technology in Pakistan and beyond. The IDEAS Exhibition, which has been running successfully for 25 years, is being held in Karachi from November 19 to November 22 this year. Keeping in view the interest of the public, a Karachi show will be organized for the citizens on November 21 in Seaview Nishan Pakistan.
Since its inception in the year 2000, the event has become a recognized and consistently large gathering of the national and global defense industry.
IDEAS is now globally recognized, and the latest technology in defense exhibition promotes knowledge exchange in Pakistan and beyond.

The first International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) was launched in the year 2000 and since then It has been held on a regular basis.
Karachi has once again been chosen to host the country’s largest defense exhibition and the 12th IDEAS is being held from November 19 to 22, becoming the largest defense equipment exhibition forum in the region.
The International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) was started for the first time in 2000 and since then it has been held on a regular basis.
IDEAS brings together local and foreign companies and dealers related to the arms industry to showcase their products and services.
There is an opportunity to highlight. Not only this, but there are also opportunities to discuss joint ventures, outsourcing and cooperation related to defense production.
IDEAS 2024 is being held at a time when new blocs are emerging in the world at the political, trade, and defense levels. This is the reason why defense spending is increasing rapidly in the world. America, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia are prominent among the increasing countries.
According to SIPRI, since last year, the expenses in the defense sector have increased once again in the world, the main reason of which is the mutual mistrust of the nations.
The situation is that the defense expenditure is increasing at the rate of 6.1% of the global GDP annually and 2.2% of the world’s total production is being spent on defense. Currently, America is not engaged in war anywhere in the world, but despite this.
The US military spent 801 billion dollars, or 3.5% of the US GDP, on defense alone. Most of the US spending is on defense research.
Experts say that the United States is working on new war technology. Russia is currently at war with Ukraine and because of this, its defense costs have increased, but the preparation of this war has reduced its budget to 65 billion 900 million increased to the dollar, which is 2.9 percent of the Russian GDP. In the continent of Asia, the defense spending of several countries has increased, with China at the top.
China has been pursuing a 5-year defense program since its establishment and is currently in the 14th plan, which will be completed in 2025.
Japan has increased its defense budget by 7 billion dollars to 54 billion dollars. The main reason for this increase is China because Japan is afraid of China’s emerging hegemony in the seas. Along with this, Australia’s military budget has also become 31 billion 80 million dollars.
Australia is getting eight nuclear submarines worth $128 billion from the United States to compete with China. The biggest defense spender in Central and Western Europe is Germany, which has spent $56 billion in 2021. Qatar’s defense spending has also increased, exceeding $11 billion. In terms of defense expenditure in the world, India ranks third with 76 billion 600 million dollars.
Its defense expenditure has increased by 33%. It is important to review this analysis of the increase in defense expenditure because if the defense expenditure is increasing rapidly in the world and every country is concerned about its own defense.
In this case, the defense exhibition ideas provide an opportunity to the countries of the region to see how they can get quality defense products at a very low cost without depending on the Western countries. This exhibition is considered to be the most important in defense diplomacy.
Ideas exhibition is a big and important opportunity for defense diplomacy. The exhibition also provides an opportunity to highlight Pakistan as a modern, developed, and peaceful co-existence state before the international community.
Artificial intelligence technology in the defense sector is a key change in the defense sector. Ministers, senior officials of the Ministry of Defense, institutions related to defense technology, people related to the teaching of this field, researchers, and defense analysts are participating in the seminar.
IDEAS was held for the first time in the year 2000 and since then the participation of domestic and foreign defense industry companies has been increasing in each exhibition.
The number of companies involved in the first Ideas was a little more than 100. Africa, America, Asian countries, Central Asian countries, Europe, and Middle Eastern countries actively participate in this exhibition.
Delegates participating in Ideas are prepared at the local level of the Pakistan Navy. Equipment is inspected at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard and Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works, where submarines are also manufactured in addition to small and medium-sized ships.
Apart from this, modern OPVs, missile boats, minesweepers, frigates, multipurpose warships, and other weapons are also manufactured, repaired, and maintained here.
Here the Western countries can also benefit from the facility of repair and upgrading at low cost. Many countries are interested in the indigenously developed Al-Khalid tank for the bad forces in Pakistan.
It should be remembered that it is considered the main battle tank as well as among the modern tanks of the world. For light warfare, apart from large weapons such as Al-Zarar, and armored Saad, the weapon system developed in POF, small arms, Ammunition, missiles, and missile refueling facilities will also be on display.
Re-life refers to making a missile reusable. Over time, the batteries and other equipment in the missile become unusable, which can be replaced to make the missile reusable, thus avoiding the need to replace the entire missile.
In the defense sector it is not enough to have weapons, but for this, enthusiasm, passion, discipline within the forces as well as proper handling of these weapons are most important. The land, naval, and air warfare training centers established by the Pakistan Armed Forces are considered to be among the best in the region. This is the reason why military officers of many friendly countries have reached the highest positions in their respective armed forces after being trained in Pakistan.
Pakistan Military Academy is the most famous for training bad forces in Pakistan. The training of senior officers of the armed forces is done in the Command and Staff College, Quetta. Apart from this, the National Defense University has been established for strategic training. A training center is established in Risalpur for the training of pilots, officers, and airmen of the Pakistan Air Force, while centers like PNS Himalaya, Navy War College, and Marine Diving Center are established in this century.
It also faces fighting within cities. This battle is completely different and difficult from the traditional war. Pakistan has achieved success in the war against terrorism in a short period of time and Pakistan is the only country in the history of the world which has eliminated internal disturbances. But the lesson learned from this war is that along with the external enemy, the preparation should be complete against the internal enemy as well.

Audio of Bushra Bibi, protest call and foreign intervention for the release of Imran Khan from jail

November 18, 2024

DND Report
Islamabad, Pakistan: More members of the US Congress have demanded that their government play its role in the issue of Imran Khan’s imprisonment to release him from jail who calls himself the leader of Pakistan and the Muslim world.
Political analysts believe that behind all this adventure is not only lobbying worth millions of dollars but also the powerful Jewish lobby, working under the patronage of Imran Khan’s ex-in-law “the House Goldsmiths”.

The systematic targeting of Pakistan’s defense installations during the events of May 9, 2023, and the negative propaganda against the important pillars of the Pakistani state were enough to prove that all this was not just a coincidence. Still, they were part of a systematic global and regional conspiracy. Government circles claim that billions of rupees were invested in social media to inject hate among youth against the state. Nevertheless, the question arises as to why countries like the US, UK, Canada, India, and Israel are worried about a Pakistani leader in jail who has been calling himself the leader of the Islamic world. Are these countries supporters of Pakistan and Islam or are they apprehensive about Pakistan? It is imperative to find an answer to this.

Another question is why PTI is pursuing a policy of exerting global pressure on Pakistan to get the release of Imran Khan by using Western statesmen, lobby firms, and media houses. Certain circles in the federal government claim Goldsmith’s daughter and ex-wife of PTI founder Jemima Khan has been overseeing this campaign herself through her team and the Jewish lobby. In such a situation, it is natural to ask why she is investing so much in such a big campaign when she is just an ex-wife of Imran Khan. This whole situation further strengthens the impression that not only was the marriage with Jemima Goldsmith a well-planned project, (as mentioned by Hakeem Saeed in his book published in the 1990s) but also her being active after the divorce is a conspiracy of the Jewish lobby and part of anti-Pakistan activities.
It is also strange that this party kept calling the fall of Imran Khan’s government a conspiracy of America, but now, moving in the opposite direction, it is also openly seeking help from the same America and its allies. It is not just a coincidence that while PTI announced a protest on November 24, on the one hand, an attempt was made to put pressure on the US Congress members through letters written to US President Biden for the release of Imran Khan.
The bitter truth is that PTI has not only been badly entangled but also exposed and its rebellious style of politics has once again pitted this party against the state. Time will tell what the outcome of this whole situation will be, but it is quite clear that the Pakistani state will not be intimidated by such tactics and will stick to its principled stand that this is an internal matter of Pakistan and no one will be allowed to interfere.
It is perceived that PTI wanted to mend its relations with military leadership but GHQ is not ready to get involved in political activities and is giving shut-up calls to whosoever approaches GHQ for mercy.

However, PTI, as usual, has launched an excellent campaign to spread confusion among the masses that suggests the November 24 call for protest is ‘planned with the help of the establishment’ and former First Lady Bushra Bibi and KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur are in contact with the establishment and ‘November 24 call is just face-saving and let the workers busy’. Such a campaign from the PTI would help the party to survive leaving the impression that Khan is still acceptable to the Establishment and both are in contact—the PTI and the Establishment. The reality however is otherwise. PTI has lost street power to manipulate the circumstances and the Establishment knows that on November 24, except for a few thousand people, no one will come out of Peshawar. The last several calls of PTI had been a failure as in all the previous meetings, processions, sit-ins, hunger strikes, and protests, the participation and performance of the party’s workers had been less than expected.

Earlier, when a call for protest was given in Islamabad, only a handful of miscreants appeared in the streets and attacked the police and security forces, during which a policeman was also martyred by these miscreants. Everyone saw that CM KPK Ali Amin Gandapur suddenly disappeared from the scene from Burhan Interchange crossed all the barriers reached D-Chowk and then went to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House and then remained missing from there for 30 hours. On the other hand, the workers kept waiting for him and Ali Amin Gandapur secretly reached back to Peshawar.
The second tier of PTI’s leadership is not contented with this protest call but only wants to make an attendance for political survival this time too everyone will see that these leaders will come, make an attendance, and like in the past, they will leave by getting confused and trapping the workers. Political analysts say that the enthusiasm that is required for any protest or movement is no longer present in the PTI and the leaders also thought Bushra Bibi and Ali Amin Gandapur have backdoor contacts with the establishment, which is why Sher Afzal Marwat and Shah Mehmood Qureshi are expressing reservations about the protest. A day ago, Sher Afzal Marwat expressed that the workers would not come out to protest on the advice of the wife and sisters of the founder of PTI. Political analysts also say that the statement of Imran Khan that Bushra Bibi is not entering politics has been proven completely wrong because she is now leading the party from the front. Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi’s audio address to party officials and leaders has surfaced that shows that she is portraying the November 24 protest as a Jihad and a test of the bravery of the Pashtun people. This audio indicates that she will run the party in the future on the dynamics of ethnicity and religion. She said:

I have brought the message of the founder PTI,
Khan’s message is for all presidents, general secretaries, MNAs and MPAs,
Tomorrow no one should say that Khan’s message did not reach us,
His message has been conveyed to everyone,
Each MPA will bring 5,000 and MNAs 10,000 separate convoys,
Tomorrow no one will say that I have been arrested,
The arrest process will start now,
You people will have to decide on a strategy to save yourself from arrest,
All officials should prepare their alternatives,
If someone is arrested, then that person should lead the convoy
Later it will not be heard that he was arrested, shelling was done,
Tomorrow no one should say that he was arrested and shillings were done,
The teams that have been formed should also collect the names of alternative options,
Khan has said that all officials should take pictures and videos of the interior of the vehicles,
The videos will be shared with us,
In case of an internet shutdown Official videos should be arranged for a motorcycle to deliver to the national and foreign media,
Those who do not have proof of the videos will not be given a ticket next time,
This is not just Khan’s freedom war, it is our country’s freedom war,
He who is honest and proud will be loyal to Khan and the country,
This country belongs only to God and this war is only for Khan and the country,
We must keep the international media with us,
We have to save ourselves and our workers from arrest and reach our destination,
November 24 is a test of your loyalty to Khan and the country,
Pakhtuns are a proud and jihadi nation,
He who is honest and proud will be Khan’s partner,
Whenever there is a grouping, Mir Jaffir, and Mir Sadiq start raising their heads,

Three-day 2nd International Punjabi Conference started at PILAC Lahore

November 18, 2024

Lahore, Pakistan: Exhibiting the colors of Punjab while hosting over 100 international delegates from all over the world, the Second International Punjabi Conference started here on Monday.

The Conference will be addressed by 100 Punjabi personalities from various fields, including scholars, politicians, actors, singers, poets, and social activists from Pakistan, USA, Canada, India, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the UAE. The agenda of the Conference also includes name of Sunaini Sharma who is the granddaughter of Surinder Kaur and the daughter of Dolly Guleria. Sunaini had several opportunities to sing “Mavan te dhiya ral biathya ni maye” along with her mother and grandmother globally and she has dedicated herself to preserving the tradition of a particular genre of Punjabi singing that was undoubtedly introduced by the Kaur Sisters over 80 years ago.

Download the Program of the Conference by clicking this link

Obituary: He was The Editor!

November 18, 2024

By Imtiaz Alam

Khalid Ahmed (21.12.1943-17.11.2024) is “no more”, this is how I got the sad news of his death today. He was my editor at the Frontier Post Lahore and I had learned from him how to be an editorial writer.

He started his career with Pakistan Times, and Viewpoints and worked as an editor in The Nation, The Frontier Post, The Daily Times, South Asian Journal, and The Friday Times. He also worked with the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) for peace in the subcontinent and was one of the leading lights of Track-2 Diplomacy and ran South Asia Media School for two years.
A liberal intellectual par excellence and a man of ‘Words’ and humble manners, he has left behind an unfulfilled agenda of a secular-liberal republic and enlightenment. Khalid Ahmed was the epitome of a liberal-democratic vision and was a consistent pedagogue of enlightenment. I have met top editors in South Asia, but no one compared his scholarship and knowledge.

Nobody else in Pakistan has reviewed as many books as Khalid Ahmad has. His passion for the roots of words and their interconnections across languages was remarkable. He was crazed to look into the depths and mysteries of words and their epistemological connections. On the editorial board, we used to raise issues and have unending debates, with Khalid always enriching the discourse with his encyclopedic knowledge.
He graduated from Government College Lahore and went for higher studies at Moscow State University. He taught English Literature at the Government College Lahore. Then joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan after undertaking a CSS (competitive exam). He worked as a consular Pakistan embassy in Moscow. Married to Dr Dure, he has left behind a son.

Khalid was a prolific writer and wrote thousands of editorials and articles. He authored almost half a dozen books, including ‘Word for Words’, ‘Pakistan Behind the Ideological Mask’ (Facts about Great Men We Don’t want to Know), Sectarian War: Pakistan’s Sunni-Shia Violence, Comparison of ANN Approach and Analytical Approaches and MicroLED devices and systems.
His main focus was on separating the state from religion and liberal values. He thoroughly analyzed sectarianism, terrorism, and religious fanaticism.
He was a dear friend indeed from whom I learned a lot and had differed with him on his Neo-liberalism. He always remained in the company of progressive writers and never deviated from his liberal beliefs.

Annual Alumni Dinner of Brett Philosophical Society Government College University Lahore held

November 17, 2024

Lahore, Pakistan: The Annual Alumni Dinner organized by Brett Philosophical Society and the Department of Philosophy and Liberal Arts at Government College University Lahore (GCU) was held on November 15, 2024 at Bukhari Auditorium and Bukhari Lawn. Many students, teachers, alumni, and distinguished guests attended this prestigious and memorable event.

Before the formal commencement of the event, Ms. Mehak Maqbool, Advisor of Brett Philosophical Society, delivered welcome remarks to all the distinguished guests and welcomed them on their arrival.

The ceremony officially began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, after the recitation followed by Naat-e-Rasool-e-Maqbool offered by Shehbaz Sadiq. Sufi Kalam was presented by Rabin Ahmed while Kalam-e-Iqbal expressing Allama Iqbal’s philosophy of self, was presented by Mubashir Hassan. His influential voice and moving poetry warmed the hearts of the audience.

Musical Performance

The song in the beautiful voice of Javeria captivated the gathering with the magic of music.

Dramatic Performance

The next part of the ceremony was a short drama in which the students showcased their talents. In this drama, Talha Tajuddin played the role of Immanuel Kant, Bashar Saleem played the role of Machiavelli, and Jawad Dawood Pota played the role of Franz Kafka.

Lifetime

Former students shared their experiences and thoughts in this part of the program. Agha Iqrar Haroon entertained the audience with his brilliant speech. He appreciated the Head of the Department Dr Sobia Tahir for arranging such an excellent event and for keeping alive the tradition of the Department’s annual dinner. He mentioned that the last dinner was also held under her (Dr Sobia) headship and then there was a lull of years when she was not heading the Department. Professor Dr. Javed Iqbal Nadeem described his thoughts and educational journey in a very impressive manner.

Distribution of Certificates

In the last part of the ceremony, Dr. Sobia Tahir, Head of the Department of Philosophy, came on stage and distributed certificates and souvenirs among the students and alumni. The names of the outstanding students are as follows:

President: Hafiz Muhammad Amir Hamza

Senior Vice President: Muhammad Talha Tajuddin

Vice President: Syeda Shajia Fatima, Jawad Ali

General Secretary: Muhammad Abdullah Rahim

Joint Secretary: Mubashir Hassan

Finance Secretary: Muhammad Amir

Event Managers: Syed Zaryab Haider, Usman Sandhu, Nabeel Imtiaz

Media and Graphics Secretary: Rubin Ahmed

Content Creator: Muhammad Ahsan Ali Khan

Video Editor: Shamsher Ali Khan

Photographer: Manahil

On this occasion, Dr. Sobia Tahir, Head of the Department of Philosophy, appreciating the tireless efforts of the Advisor of the Brett Philosophical Society, presented a souvenir to her. President of the Brett Philosophical Society, Muhammad Amir Hamza, presented the closing remarks and thanked all the participants. Muhaddasa Batool requested all the attendees to gather on the steps of the Bukhari Auditorium for a group photo and then invited them to dinner at the Bukhari Lawn, where the participants enjoyed delicious food.

Conclusion

The event concluded with a memorable dinner and interactive discussion, where the participants reminisced and exchanged new ideas. The Brett Philosophical Society appreciated the hard work of all the organizers in making this beautiful evening a success. The hosting duties of the event were performed very gracefully by Muhammad Ansar Mehdi and Muhaddasa Batool.

Why do 108 US Lawmakers demand the release of Imran Khan from jail?

November 16, 2024

Monitoring Desk: Another letter signed by 46 US Congress members in support of Imran Khan has been sent to US President Biden confirming again that the Zionist lobby would not let Imran stay in jail for long.

It may be remembered that 62 Congress members have already sent a letter to Biden to demand Pakistan release Khan from jail. US Congress members were followed by UK members of parliament who also wrote letters for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan on the same lines set by US lawmakers.

Government circles in Islamabad believe that the sole agenda of Imran Khan is to slander the state of Pakistan and state institutions and weaken them by defaming them internationally, and this is also the agenda of the Zionist powers who are fully active in supporting Khan.

Political analysts claim Imran Khan has deep connections with the Zionist lobby

Before the protest call given by the PTI founder on November 24, once again 46 members of the US Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats, wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, demanding that he may try to release the PTI founder arrested in Pakistan. Earlier, a letter was written to Joe Biden by 62 members. Thus, now a total of more than a hundred members of Congress have demanded that President Joe Biden make efforts to release the founder of PTI, which can be considered interference in the internal affairs of any country.

Political analysts claim Imran Khan has deep connections with the Zionist lobby. The question here is that these American congressmen propagate the mistreatment of the founder of PTI, but their silence on Israel’s atrocities on Palestine and Kashmir is beyond understanding.

Political analysts also claim the arrival of another letter before the November 24 protest call is clear proof that this is a new link in Operation Goldsmith by the Zionist powers, who are trying to revive the failed rallies due to the chaotic PTI and public disinterest.

On the other hand, diplomatic analysts say writing repeated letters to President Joe Biden to play a role in the release of the PTI founder is an open interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan and is against diplomatic principles. However, diplomatic analysts are also surprised that the Pakistan Foreign Office is quiet to comment on this issue although it was swift to respond Chinese Ambassador when he expressed his concern over the security of Chinese citizens in Pakistan. They called this action of the Foreign Office of Pakistan a ‘double standard policy’ stating that Pakistan’s Foreign Office always avoids giving a response to foreign intervention in domestic politics if it comes from a Western country.

They are of the view that Khan is in jail according to the laws of Pakistani land and by the orders of courts of law that are independent and are making decisions according to the Constitution of Pakistan, so it is not possible to release any prisoner who is involved in cases such as corruption, terrorism and inciting the public against the state due to pressure from any country.

According to political analysts, the cases related to the release of the PTI founder are under trial in the courts and their decision has to be made by the higher courts. The repeated use of lobbies by PTI to call on foreign powers for help is tantamount to questioning the sovereignty of the state of Pakistan, which the courts should take strict notice of.

Political and foreign affairs experts also say that some PTI members who fled abroad are engaged in anti-Pakistan activities and propaganda against the state institutions through foreign lobby firms and social media. Even before this organized foreign lobbying, international media and broadcasting organizations such as Interstellar, Financial Times, Al Jazeera, BBC, etc. have been prominent in lobbying for Imran’s release and may continue to be prominent to make the protest movements successful.

In the light of evidence, it has also been revealed that PTI has funded various companies and influential figures with a total of millions of dollars for lobbying. The purpose of this funding is to launch an international campaign for the release of Imran Khan and to try to convince the world.

According to political analysts, this second letter from the Congress members, like the first letter, has no legal status. The purpose of this letter is to put pressure on Pakistan’s justice system. Political analysts expressed surprise at the PTI’s repeated requests for help from US congressmen, saying that this letter and foreign lobbying have effectively buried the PTI founder’s ideology of “Are we slaves.”

Who are these Congress Members?

Out of these 46 representatives, 30 are funded by the Zionist Israeli lobby AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee). Notably, Brad Sherman, Chair of the House Israel Caucus, has been vocal in his support for Imran Khan.
Additionally, 26 of these 46 representatives are members of the House India Caucus, a group that promotes India-friendly policies in the US Congress. Representative Ro Khanna, Chair of the India Caucus, has also actively raised his voice for Imran Khan.
In sum, Zionist & Indian lobbies in the US desperately want Imran Khan back in power to implement Project Goldsmith in totality.

The axis of Imran Khan’s politics is lies and slander

November 16, 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan: A campaign launched by PTI in social as well as mainstream media claims that confidence-building measures (CBMs) are operational between military leadership and former prime minister Imran Khan. PTI-friendly political analysts, writers, and YouTubers want to tell us that ‘rapprochement between Khan and the military has successfully achieved and release of Bushra Bibi, the third wife of Khan and former First Lady was a result of CBMs. According to them, the only issue that needs to be fixed is that Khan wants to stay in Pakistan after his release from jail while the establishment wants to send him abroad. It is also claimed that certain ‘friendly’ countries played a pivotal role in such arrangements. As always the story is interesting but as always it has nothing to do with realities.

An independent and unbiased analysis of this latest ‘storytelling’ indicates that such stories are the need of the day for PTI which is swiftly collapsing as a house of cards due to massive divisions within the ranks of party and PTI to some extent has already fallen into chaos and confusion. Groups have formed somewhere in the party that are doing their politics and in addition to these groups, now the wife of the founder PTI, Bushra Bibi, has become active in politics to push back engross of sisters of Imran Khan. After the meeting called by Bushra Bibi in Peshawar yesterday, it has now been proven that Bushra Bibi is going to completely take over the party, due to which other senior leaders of PTI and sisters of Khan are worried, but they are keeping quiet.

Interestingly, Bushra Bibi did not invite senior leadership of PTI to the Peshawar meeting, while the political instructions given in this meeting seemed to be less orders and more threats to PTI leadership. Bushra Bibi made it clear to all the members of the National and Provincial Assembly that each member of the National Assembly should bring 10 thousand people for the final call of protest (November 24, 224) and each member of the Provincial Assembly should bring five thousand people for protest and whoever fails to bring this number will be expelled from the party.

According to political analysts, after these threatening orders, the members of the National and Provincial Assembly are also worried and they believe that this method of politics is not right in any way and it will harm the party further in the coming time.

On the other hand, senior leader Sher Afzal Marwat, who was not invited to the party meeting has said that PTI is becoming a ‘family business’ and nobody is listening to workers and party leaders while decisions are being taken either by sisters of Khan or his wife. Sher Afzal Marwat also made it clear that if the call for protest by the PTI founder comes from his wife or sisters, then the workers will not come out on their instructions. The workers will come out only on the party’s call and Khan’s family members are not ‘party leadership’.

Marwat also expressed reservations that the final call of November 24 had been announced without mobilizing workers and a final call would face a disastrous failure. Since PTI has already lost the power of protest then what option lies with PTI to remain in the news? That is of course webbing a narrative of ‘rapprochement with the establishment’.

Political analysts believe after all the failures and falling victim to factions and confusion, PTI and its senior leadership have started propagandizing that they are holding talks with the establishment regarding some kind of deal, although there is no truth in this. A day ago, a British newspaper also claimed that the founder of PTI was talking to the establishment and the Pakistan Army. They are ready to do it, but the establishment and the Pakistan Army are completely denying this. The Pakistan Army and the establishment have expressed it many times before that it has nothing to do with political dialogue and this mandate lies only with political parties and it should be done by them. In the last year, PTI has eroded its relations with almost all political parties including JUI with whom it was on negotiating terms. Therefore, it has no leverage left to negotiate with the ruling party PMLN, or collaborating parties such as PPP, JUI, etc. PMLN has categorically said that any tangible relations with PTI are possible if PTI tenders an unconditional apology over what it did on May 9, 2023, against state institutions and PTI should also leave the politics of attacking state institutions such as the Pakistan Army.

In simple words, no political leverage left with PTI now as it has already lost power to disrupt urban areas, nobody is trusting it within the political sphere and its policy of getting foreign support has failed. Moreover, effective crackdowns on tools of social media have disrupted the inflow of disinformation among the masses so blackmailing tools are no more as effective as they had been in the past. Yes, one tool is still active and that is spreading the false narrative of CBMs through mainstream media and here media policy of the sitting government is yet to be successful.

Political analysts also say that the founder of PTI has now understood that his call for protest cannot be successful. The conscious people of Pakistan have expressed their indifference to the politics of protests, sit-ins, and chaos that the senior leadership of PTI has done before, rejected their violent narrative, and proved that now the conscious people of Pakistan want the economic development of the country, want a better future for their children and themselves, therefore they have nothing to do with the violent politics of PTI.

Trump’s Presidency may reset US-Pakistan diplomatic dynamics

November 16, 2024

By Farzeen Nadeem

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential elections as the 45th President of the United States can be termed transformative, even though the change is followed by much uncertainty.

This change resonates strongly in the US- Pakistan relations which has seen its fair share of challenges and achievements since the inception of the partnership. After the election, results have announced another era of the great American dream, experts, policymakers, diplomats, and citizens are left with one burning question: What shall be the impact on an already fragile bilateral relationship between the two countries with Trump’s new presidency? The implications of this cluttered political transition are far-reaching and strongly interconnected: from the marketplaces in Karachi, all the way to corridors of power in Washington DC. In this article, I try to take a deeper look and examine how the rise of Trump to the Oval Office might change the dynamics between Pakistan and the US across four key areas:

Economic Cooperation: Boom in Trade Agreements or Protectionism?

The USA and Pakistan are at the crossroads of their economic relationship. The repercussions of the ‘America First’ Trade policy that he is most likely to push in his second term would be enormous, given that Trump successfully reduced US trade Deficits in his first tenure through this policy.

Signs suggest tariffs might be on the rise again, that isn’t the best news for Pakistan. A tweet from Trump in 2018 has been highlighted recently ‘For the past 15 years or so, people have been talking about how aid has just become a way for Pakistan to Siphon money from the United States.’ This gives a threshold on how the economic ties between the two countries would unfold. The last tenure of Trump was not bad enough as Pakistan was the United States’ 56th largest good trading partner, with $6.6 billion in total (two-way) trade in 2019.

This time, I expect an era of ‘Conditional Trade’ agreements between the two states where the US would not consider Pak-US trade as companionate and would buy things through ‘market-driven’ deals. For better trade relations, Pakistan can use its geopolitical positioning as leverage and offer honest attempts to deal with all the US concerns, mainly fighting terrorism, calming things down in Afghanistan, and possibly revisiting the dynamics of its relations with India.

Donald Trump Leaked Audio Clip — Trump’s Presidency: A blueprint for a reset is in store on the US-Pakistan diplomatic chessboard

Another US concern could be the change and shift in geostrategic position. With a drastic change in global trade paradigm and diplomatic norms along with shifting grounds of regional powers, Pakistan might be asked to play its crucial role in any deals between the US and China (remember Ping Pong Diplomacy of the 1970s).

Security and Counterterrorism: What will the national defense against extremism look like with a new president?

US-Pakistan relations have traditionally been marked by a long-fought war against extremism for decades. That could acquire a new dimension under the Trump Administration. The aftershock of Afghanistan could be the possible scenario in this case and more pressure on Pakistan for taking a bigger role in Afghanistan’s stabilization can come from Washington.

Critics have also pointed out Trump’s policy towards Pakistan to be often punitive as opposed to much effort being devoted to diplomatic engagement, while his foreign policy as a whole sought to lessen US involvement in overseas conflicts.

Only time will tell whether Trump persists with a pressure-based strategy towards Pakistan or whether he adopts a more practical approach to the US-Pakistan relationship to ensure stability in South Asia.

A blueprint for a reset is in fact in store on the US-Pakistan diplomatic chessboard. Without his unpredictable approach to diplomacy, things may go quite differently for Trump. An example scenario is the ‘Kashmir Puzzle’ Pakistani focus on Kashmir could overlap with Trump’s inclination to mediation on Kashmir.

The sane elements suggest that Pakistan and the US have no choice but to invest in long-term strategic thought while being proactive in defining their bilateral ties with China and responding to emerging international power shifts, directly impacting how well they can play their roles within a more interconnected world. Whether they will succeed or not depends on whether they balance out their mutual interests and keep their eyes on common long-term goals in an evolving global order.

Without comprehensive laws, false narratives will continue to destabilize Pakistan, says COAS Gen Asim Munir

November 15, 2024

Islamabad, Pakistan: Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir has reiterated that without comprehensive laws and regulations, false and misleading information and hate speech will continue to destabilize the political and social structure of Pakistan.
He was addressing a special ceremony of Margalla Dialogue 2024 held in Islamabad. The Army Chief spoke on the topic of “Pakistan’s Role in Peace and Stability” and highlighted the significant achievements in advancing regional harmony and international peace and elaborated on the following points:

In recent years, the world has faced many challenges, among which the rapid spread of false and misleading information is a major challenge. Given the many changes in the world, the increasing influence of non-state actors is also a major challenge. Enormous changes are taking place in the economy, military and technology at the global level. Violent non-state actors and state-sponsored terrorism are a major challenge at the global level. Where technology has played a significant role in the spread of information, the spread of misleading and incorrect information is a major challenge. Without comprehensive laws and regulations, false and misleading information and hate speech will continue to destabilize the political and social structure. Without rules and regulations, freedom of expression is leading to the decline of moral values in all societies. Inequality, intolerance and division on religious, sectarian and ethnic grounds are increasing at the global level. Our common goals include tackling climate change, the fight against terrorism and global health. Major challenges Pakistan is facing is terrorism and Pakistan is playing its important role for peace and stability in the world and the region to mitigate terrorism as it is a common challenge for all humanity. Our resolve in the fight against terrorism is unwavering. A comprehensive border management regime has been established to secure our western borders as Khawarij (TTP) using the western land. Pakistan expects the Afghan interim government to not allow Afghan soil to be used against terrorism and will take strict measures in this regard. The determination to stabilize the region is an important component of the National Action Plan, which aims to eliminate terrorism and extremism. Due to India’s extremist ideology, minorities abroad, especially in the US, UK and Canada, are not safe from India’s atrocities and also in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A solution to Jammu and Kashmir is inevitable in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Pakistan has always called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. Pakistan has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza and Lebanon several times. Pakistan has always stressed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. We will not be a part of any global conflict but will continue to play our role for peace and stability in the world. 235,000 Pakistanis have played their role in UN peacekeeping missions for the sake of global peace. 181 Pakistanis have sacrificed their lives in UN peacekeeping missions for the sake of global peace. Pakistan is a country of 240 million people, of which approximately 63% of the population is below the age of 30. Pakistan is rich in immense natural resources. Pakistan has emerged as a major country in the world in terms of agricultural production. Pakistan has large reserves of rare minerals. Pakistan Freelancing Pakistan is a major country in the world in terms of Due to all these reserves, unique geographical location, and seaport, Pakistan is of utmost importance for trade in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Pakistan has always played a positive role in regional and global peace.

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