Daily Times

Ambassador Zafar Hilali says another Pakistan can come into being in India

Zafar Hilali, former ambassador who happens to be Agha Shahi’s nephew, said in a TV show “Night Edition” that oppression against minorities was at its peak in India (92 News, December 24). There are 300 million Muslims in India and not a single one of them is a member of the LokSabha. (The factual position is that there are 23 Muslim members of the LokSabha. Asaduddin Owaisi is the most prominent of them.) Because of this oppression, another Pakistan can come into being in India. Irshad Bhatti said that 700 Muslims have been sacrificed at the altar of cows. Lt. Gen. Ghulam Mustafa (ret) said that Muslims have fought many wars for them, but not a single one of them is a general in the Indian army. (It seems that he has not heard of Lieutenant General PM Hariz.) Bihar has a substantial Muslim population. They have been reduced to beggary there.

PM Imran Khan says the people of East Pakistan did not get justice

Jang (December 23) quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as saying that the people of East Pakistan had been constantly saying that they were not getting justice, but they were not heeded. Consequently, one part of the country seceded. “We need to learn from our mistakes.” He was addressing the ceremony to mark the first 100 days of the Punjab government. He also said that Pakistan is a country of 210 million people, but the volume of its exports is only 24 billion dollars. Singapore is a country of 5 million people, but its exports are worth $330 billion. Malaysia, a country of 60 million, earns 220 billion dollars from its exports. It may be added that Malaysia’s population is about 32 million, not 60 million and Singapore’s exports in 2017 were worth $515 billion.

Hybrid war has been imposed on Pakistan to annihilate it

Dr. Muhammad Amjad, former federal minister and chairman of the All Parties Muslim League, has written that a hybrid war had been imposed on Pakistan (Nawa-i-Waqt, December 23). Its objective is to annihilate Pakistan, he declared. Its first target is the national economy. It represents a mortal threat to Pakistanis. Why is it that our civil society, politicians and religious elements are indifferent to it? The military and judiciary have been mentioning it over and over again, but why are all others quiet? He has suggested that this issue should be debated in the National Assembly and a powerful task force should be formed. If these steps are not taken, then only the formation of a JIT by the superior judiciary can save the country from destruction.

Shehryar Khan Afridi, the minister of state for the interior, has also said that Pakistan has been subjected to a hybrid warfare. You are being divided. Balochistan, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan are the frontline of defense.

Parvez Elahi praises General Bajwa for getting Pakistan out of international isolation

Chaudhary Parvez Elahi, the speaker of the Punjab Assembly and former chief minister of Punjab, has said that General Bajwa’s quiet diplomacy played an extremely important and effective role in getting Pakistan out of international isolation (Express, December 24). His services have become a bright chapter in our history, and will always be remembered. Pakistan’s relations with even with friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran had gone cold. General Bajwa visited these countries and removed their reservations. He is the first army chief to visit Iran in the last 17 years. His sincere efforts to restore peace to Afghanistan are also bearing fruit. His efforts are being acknowledged at the international level.

General Bajwa’s quiet diplomacy played an extremely important and effective role in getting Pakistan out of international isolation. His services have become a bright chapter in our history, and will always be remembered

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar will become the patron of “I am Pakistan” after retirement

In its issue of December 21, Ausaf reported that after his retirement (on January 17, 2019), Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar would become the patron of the organization called “I am Pakistan”. Nayyar Rizvi, former additional attorney general, will be its president. Sami Ibrahim, Imran Waseem and Hassan Ayub have been appointed the organization’s media advisers. The dam funds movement started in Canada. People from the United States, Britain, Europe and Australia are part of it. It may be added that the Daimer Bhasha and Mohmand dam fund was established in July 2018.

Kashmiris have been facing constant holocaust since 1945

Sardar Masood Khan, the AJK president and former ambassador to the UN and China, has said that Kashmiris have been subjected to a constant holocaust since 1945.  No part of the world has experienced more oppression than Kashmir since the second world war (Nawai-i-Waqt, December 21). The young leadership of occupied Kashmir is resolved to make the freedom movement a success. No power on earth can prevent them from reaching their destination. The Kashmiris should be given the right of self-determination in light of the UN resolutions. He expressed these views while speaking at the Aiwan Karkunan Tahreek-i-Pakistan in Lahore.

India is an eternal enemy of Muslims, says a Nawa-i-Waqt columnist

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a traitor and India is the eternal enemy of Muslims, wrote Dr. Ahmad Saleem in Nawa-i-Waqt (December 22). However, we need to learn from our mistakes, he added. We handed Mujib and India an excellent opportunity to deliver a mortal blow to Pakistan. The distribution of resources was unfair. According to the Planning Commission of Pakistan, only 31% of the national budget was spent on East Pakistan.

Javed Qazi made a totally different argument in Express (December 23). According to him, Sheikh Mujib was a patriot who was unfairly branded a traitor.

Shakil Chaudhary studied international relations in Islamabad and media in London. He has worked for several English-language newspapers

Published in Daily Times, December 27^th 2018.