Daily Times

Global conspiracies being plotted against Pakistan, says military spokesperson

While talking to journalists in London, the military spokesperson, Major General Asif Ghafoor, has said that international conspiracies are being plotted against Pakistan (Nawa-i-Waqt, October 14). He said that the July election was extremely transparent and free. He also went to on say that ‘the military made it possible for voters to vote of their free will. In many areas, there was a record turnout. Allegations of electoral fraud were made against the military, but nobody produced any evidence. The military has the most robust and strict system of accountability. All problems will be solved if the military’s system of accountability is implemented in the whole country. A country that does not have a strong military, gets disintegrated. The Western media always accuses human-rights abuses, but it does not highlight positive developments in the country’. He said that 76,000 lives have been laid down for peace and stability. It may be added that while addressing the Munich security conference on February 17, 2018, General Qamar Bajwa had said: “Over 35,000 Pakistanis have lost their lives.”

Jahangir Tareen, a PTI leader, committed a fraud of tens of millions in the name of his gardener and a cook. He was caught red handed. No case was registered against him. Otherwise he could go to jail for 14 years

Pakistani TV channels condemned for celebrating Amitabh Bachan’s birthday

Nawa-i-Waqt (October 12) was livid that Pakistani TV channels celebrated Amitabh Bachan’s 76th birthday.  It is a matter of utmost shame that Pakistani channel celebrated the birthday of an actor who belongs to an enemy country. Has Amitabh Bachan performed any services for Pakistani media channels or the film industry to deserve this special coverage? We should drown ourselves with a sense of shame for showering our love on a bigoted Hindu actor whose country wants to wipe us off the world map? If any Indian channel had honored any Pakistan in this manner, the extremists would have smashed it to smithereens. India is dishonoring our artistes on its soil. Why are we celebrating the birthday of an Indian actor? Is he singing our praises in the extremist Hindu society of India?

Nawaz-Zardari collusion is aimed at ruining Pakistan

Ghulam Sarwar Khan, the Federal Petroleum Minister, has said that Nawaz-Zardari collusion has taken place to ruin Pakistan and to turn Pakistan into Syria, Iraq, Libya or Yemen (Express, October 12). Today’s Muslim League is the enemy of the motherland (dharti). We may have a thousand differences with the Jamaat-i-Islmi, but it a patriotic organization. In Bangladesh, the Jamaat-i-Islami supported the armed forces of Pakistan. He disclosed that PIA’s cumulative losses are 400 billion rupees. Pakistan Steel’s debt has soared to 461 billion rupees. The PTI will fulfill its commitment to the nation. It is the only guarantor of a strong and prosperous Pakistan. It may be added that Nawa-i-Waqt (January 18, 2018) quoted Syed Munawar Raza, a Karachi-based PML-N leader, as saying that Qadiri-Zardari-Imran collusion was a deep-laid conspiracy against Pakistan’s progress and prosperity.

RaufKlasra blasts NAB, FIA for being timid vis-à-vis the powerful

Writing in Dunya (October 14) RaufKlasra took the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to task for handcuffing professors. In Pakistan ever powerful person bows to the more powerful and browbeats the weak ones. It did not have the courage to arrest Nawaz Sharif or Asif Ali Zardari. By the orders of the Supreme Court, a NAB inquiry team visited Lahore for two days, but Nawaz Sharif did not appear before it. Similarly, when the FIA started an inquiry against AsifZardari. The FIA officers were too timid to issue summons for him. The money laundering inquiry was launched against him four years ago, but no DG could summon the courage to take action against him. The FIA officers used to request journalists to publish the report of the inquiry committee. Even when Zardari appeared before the FIA officers, nobody dared to handcuff him. Jahangir Tareen, a PTI leader, committed a fraud of tens of millions in the name of his gardener and a cook. He was caught red handed. No case was registered against him. Otherwise he could go to jail for 14 years.

Committing suicide better than seeking the IMF loan

Whenever the past governments got loans from the IMF, Imran Khan would say that upon coming to power, he would never seek such loans, wrote Hamid Mir in Jang (October 11). Imran Khan even said that committing suicide was better than running the government by getting loans. An extremely responsible friend told me that Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, the Saudi government will deposit ten billion dollars into Pakistan’s account, eliminating the need for the IMF loan. This did not happen. However, a high-level Saudi delegation is coming to Pakistan soon. If matters are settled between the two countries, Pakistan might not need the IMF loan. But if Imran Khan is unable to save us from the IMF loan, it will be very hard to control the price of dollar. The country will face a dreadful storm of price hike. The cost of Diamer-Bhasha dam will go up and the enemies of Pakistan will get an opportunity to pressurise the country.

Shakil Chaudhary studied international relations in Islamabad and media in London. He has worked for several English-language newspapers. He has written a book, Handbook of Functional English, for the benefit of those who wish to improve their English skills. He can be reached at shakil.chaudhary@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 16^th 2018.