Daily Times

The US has started speaking India’s language

In its issue of November 27, Ausaf reported that the United States had started speaking India’s language. It was referring to the statement of the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in which he had said: “We call upon all countries, particularly Pakistan, to uphold their UN Security Council obligations to implement sanctions against the terrorists responsible for this atrocity, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliates.”He made this demand in a statement issued on the 10th anniversary of 26/11. “It is an affront to the families of the victims that, after ten years, those who planned the Mumbai attack have still not been convicted for their involvement.” The State Department’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Programme offered a new reward for up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual who was involved in planning or facilitating the 2008 Mumbai attack.

Orya calls birth control a sinister conspiracy

Orya Maqbool Jan wrote a three-part detailed column on the evils of birth control (Daily 92 News, November 28-29-30). Since June 23, 1961, when the sale of the pill was allowed, it has ruined the family, moral, social, religious and cultural systems of the whole world. Its destructive effects are far worse than any nuclear bomb, world war or massacres committed by Genghis and Alexander.

He painted birth control as a sinister conspiracy plotted by the United States and the West. It has destroyed family life and has paved the way for sexual promiscuity. Population explosion was fear that was imposed on poor and backward countries, he wrote. It was basically started for Africa. It is leading to dangerous human decline.  Europe has fallen into the pit of moral decay. In the next few decades it will need Asians and Africans to bury the bodies of its old people. It may be added that he had a list of 232 countries in front of him when he wrote this column.

If Imran Khan’s peace initiative succeeds, a lot of opportunities will arise for mutual trade. People-to-people contact will eliminate the trust deficit. Both countries will be able to spend their resources on the welfare of their peoples. Pakistan will benefit from it immensely

Imran Khan’s peace initiative upsets Nazeer Naji

Nazeer Naji, one of the most senior journalists in Pakistan, is very upset about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s peace initiative (Dunya, December 2). Our prime minister should know that his ideology of peace is the same that the Congress leadership had. This will result in the promotion of Indian designs. Did we achieve nuclear capability to eat these dates? Didn’t we acquire this capability to pick a fight with the enemy? We can benefit from the North Korean wisdom. Pakistan has been a constant victim of Hindu’s conspiracies. East Pakistan fell prey to a Hindu conspiracy. Bigoted Hindus and imperialist America joined forces to sow dissention in the Pakistani nation and Pakistan got dismembered. If Imran Khan’s peace initiative succeeds, a lot of opportunities will arise for mutual trade. People-to-people contact will eliminate the trust deficit. Both countries will be able to spend their resources on the welfare of their peoples. Pakistan will immensely benefit from it.

Pakistan cannot continue with arms race

Syed Zeeshan Haider wrote in Express (December 2) that the Soviet Union collapsed because of its arms race with the United States, which had much better economy. Similarly, India’s economy is much stronger than Pakistan’s. That’s why Pakistan is finding it extremely hard continue with the arms race. Prime Minister Imran Khan enjoys the full support of the powers that be. That’s why it has been able to take bold initiatives such as Kartarpur. If this initiative succeeds, a lot of opportunities will arise for mutual trade. People-to-people contact will eliminate the trust deficit. Both countries will be able to spend their resources on the welfare of their peoples. Pakistan will immensely benefit from it because it will get an opportunity to trade with a country of over one billion people. This will also multiply the benefits of CPEC for Pakistan.

Sikh population is not 120 million

In Daily 92 News (November 30) Abdullah Tariq Sohail took Navjot Singh Sidhu, an Indian politician, TV personality and former cricketer, to task for massively inflating the number of Sikhs. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor, Mr Sidhu said that there were 120 million Sikhs in the world. A day earlier a newspaper also put the number at 120 million. It may be a blessing of the Kartarpur corridor that the number of Sikhs has increased from 27 million to 120 million. Ninety percent of Sikhs live India. After India, the largest concentration of them live in Canada. Their number is half a million. This blessing also affected General Amjad Shoaib. In Arif Nizami’s programme, he said that crores (tens of millions) of Sikh live in Canada. Canada’s total population is about 35 million. If there are crores of Sikhs in Canada, then the population of whites and other communities will only be a few thousands.

The writer is 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, December 6^th 2018.