Rana Sanaullah directs all provinces to back Centre; PTI heads to Faizabad; administration doesn’t agree on landing Imran Khan’s chopper at Parade Ground
PM arrives in Turkiye on two-day official visit
ISTANBUL, NOV 25: /DNA/ – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived here Friday on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The prime minister and his delegation were received by the Deputy Governor of Istanbul and senior officials of the government of Turkiye.
During the visit, PM Shehbaz Sharif alongside President Erdogan will jointly inaugurate the third of the four MILGEM Corvette Ships for the Pakistan Navy’s PNS Khaibar at the Istanbul Shipyard.
The two leaders will also hold wide-ranging discussions encompassing bilateral relations, regional situation and other issues of common interest.
The prime minister will also interact with leaders of the Turkish business community.
The president of the ECO Trade and Development Bank (ETDB) will also call on the prime minister during his stay in Istanbul.
Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy fraternal ties deeply embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and history and underpinned by exceptional cordiality and mutual trust.
The MILGEM project, based on joint collaboration between the two countries, represents a significant milestone in the Pakistan-Turkiye strategic partnership that continues to progress on an upward trajectory.
The launching ceremony for the first Corvette for the Pakistan Navy, PNS Babur, was performed in Istanbul in August 2021 while the groundbreaking for the Second Ship, PNS Badr, was held at Karachi in May 2022.
Frequent leadership level exchanges are a defining feature of the eternal bonds of Pakistan-Turkiye friendship.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier visited Turkiye in May-June 2022.
Key appointments: All’s well that ends well
Key appointments: All’s well that ends well
The PTI long march is likely to end up in a public meeting and that is it
Comment
Ansar M Bhatti
Let me begin this piece by borrowing the last paragraph of my article published in this newspaper on Tuesday November 22, 2022 which reads,” Pakistan has literally become a laughing stock in the eyes of many, especially our adversaries. The situation therefore demands better sense to prevail. The leading political parties’ i.e PTI and PML N need to rise to the occasion. They have to shelve their personal liking and disliking for the greater interest of Pakistan. They must keep in mind that they would not get anything if things go out of control and non-political forces are left with no option but to make an immediate intervention”.
On Thursday, November 24 the Prime Minister appointed the senior most Lt. General Syed Asim Munir Shah as the Army Chief and second in the seniority list Lt. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Both of them now have become the four star generals and will have another three years to service the force. The better sense finally prevailed and the PTI leadership instead of creating any hurdles decided to accept this decision or maybe they did not have any other choice. Whatever may have been the consideration behind the decision to approve these appointments, one thing is for sure that their move will help achieve some sort of political stability albeit the economic stability will continue to pose some serious challenges.
The PTI perhaps played smart by immediately acceding to the Prime Minister proposal regarding these two key appointments. The PML N and allied parties wanted the PTI leadership to sit on this decision. In that case bad blood would have been created between the PTI leadership and the newly-appointed military leadership. But to the disappointment of the government ranks, Imran Khan rather acted in a wise manner and thus avoided any possible face-off with the new military leadership, at least for the time being.
As mentioned in my earlier article, the PTI chairman in the beginning told his confidantes that he would accept anybody as the army chief but not Asim Munir. However afterwards he changed his tone and tenor by publicly pronouncing that he won’t mind whosoever is elevated to these highest offices. Now when the dust has settled, it is time for some musings. The incumbent army chief will have a great onus on his shoulders. Since Imran Khan had built a narrative as if General Asim Munir had any soft corner for the PML N therefore he may try to corner the PTI. Independent sources strongly believe that there was never a connection between the newly-appointed army chief and PML N leadership. A senior PML N leader, on the condition of not being named, said that since Imran Khan when he as prime minister had removed Asim Munir from the post of DG ISI only after months of his appointment as the spy master, therefore PML N leadership presumed as if after becoming the army chief he might try to settle scores.
The only technical problem with the appointment of Asim Munir as the army chief was his retirement date, but the Cabinet during its meeting on Thursday had frozen his retirement date, which means even if the President would have delayed the approval, Asim Munir would still continue with his job. Anyhow thanks to some saner elements those things were not driven to that extreme.
Now the question is how would the PTI react in public? One thing is for sure that the party has decided not to stage any sit-in Islamabad. The senior party leaders said that the PTI leadership will now try to have some political dialogue in order to pave the way for the elections. The senior leaders also told me that the Saturday’s long march gathering may not turn into a dharna, as earlier announced by the party leadership. It will be just a procession where Imran Khan would deliver his speech and announce his future course of action. My understanding is that Imran Khan will move cautiously on this issue and may not take a hard line regarding these appointments. However he may express his and party’s wish that they would like to see the new military leadership acting in an absolutely impartial manner. And for the military it should not be a problem because General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his last address had made it clear that the army, as an institution, had decided to keep away from politics.
Another challenge the new military leadership will have to tackle is to manage cordial relations with especially friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and China for Pakistan’s economic well-being is directly linked to smooth relations with these countries. One should hope that these friendly countries would also welcome these appointments and move forward for a shared and prosperous future for the people of these countries.
All said and done, unfortunately there are certain elements, even in the media, that are trying to pitch PTI and the new military leadership against each other. They are making all our efforts to prove that General Asim Munir managed to become the army chief despite stiff resistance and opposition from the PTI leadership. Even if that may be the case, it does not look prudent to add fuel to fire when things are already settling down. These hawks, no matter which party they belong to, need to be discouraged. The country is already at the verge of default. Any further confrontation would only prove a recipe for disaster.
The PTI under the given circumstances would need a face saving, which is possible only if the government agrees to announce elections. After latest developments, it seems difficult for the PTI to get its demands fulfilled through any coercive means. After Imran Khan’s bids to mend fences with the USA, he probably would like have tension-free ties with the military establishment as well, which for many analysts, appears to be a judicious move.
DGISPR denounces Indian Army’s unfounded allegations of so-called launchpads in AJK
ISLAMABAD, Nov 24 (dna):Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR DG) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Thursday denounced the unfounded allegations of so-called launchpads in Azad Jammu and Kashmir by a senior official of the Indian Army.
In an ISPR news release here received, the ISPR DG said the unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian Army Officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir was an apt manifestation of Indian Armed Forces’ delusional mindset and showcases the vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought.
Maj General Babar said the fallacious remarks and unfounded allegations of so called “launch-pads” and “terrorists” were an attempt to divert attention from Indian Army’s repressive use of force and gross human rights violations against innocent, unarmed Kashmiris striving for their right to self-determination, upheld by International Law and enshrined in UN Security Council Resolutions.
“The Indian General Officer’s lofty claims and surreal ambition is intellectually insulting. Pakistan military is a force for good and a proponent of regional peace and stability. This desire for peace, however, is matched with our capability and preparation to thwart any misadventure or aggression against our territory, an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions, including recently in the Balakot episode,” he added.
In the interest of peace for the region, he said the Indian military would do well to abstain from irresponsible rhetoric and vitriolic communication to shore up electoral support for their political masters’ regressive ideology.
Lt Gen Asim Munir to become Pakistan’s new army chief, govt announces
DNA
ISLAMABAD: PM Shehbaz also picks Lt Gen Mirza as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee; sends summary to president. The summary has been sent to the President.
President Arif Alvi cannot consult anyone before approving a summary for the army chief’s appointment as it would be contrary to the Constitution and its spirit, given that he has no authority to reject any advice from the prime minister, experts of Constitutional law said.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan said a day earlier that President Alvi was in contact with him and would consult him on the appointment of the top two slots — COAS and chairman joint chiefs of staff committee — in the military.
But the Aiwan-e-Sadr did respond to PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s claim of maintaining contact with the president on the matter.
Former president of Supreme Court Bar Association Senator Kamran Murtaza told The News that on all the issues where the president is bound by PM’s advice, he has no option to consult any person.
The senator said that the president could take advice given by the PM, but could not reject it in any way. He cited the constitutional provisions and Army Act’s Section 8 which regulates the appointment.
Meanwhile, sources said if President Alvi opted to consult the PTI chief and tried to block the advice for even one day, it could land him serious trouble, as already warned by PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Alvi ventured to dissolve the National Assembly in April this year contrary to provisions of the Constitution and his action was viewed by the superior judiciary as defiance of the Constitution.
The orders in this regard were set aside by the apex court. The government, sources said, took no legal action against the president for violation of constitutional provisions.
“But this time, it would not be allowed to happen,” the sources said. The president is supposed to stay above the political divide and cannot seek guidance from his party head.
President and I have decided to ‘play according to law, Constitution’ on COAS appointment: Imran
PTI chief says he is in touch with the president over the matter.
SC bans displaying politicians’ images on public offices, documents
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Wednesday imposed a ban on the display of images of politicians and public office holders on government buildings, projects, and documents.
The court issued these orders in a five-page judgment authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa in the Rawalpindi slums case.
The verdict questioned why the photographs of then Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervez Elahi were printed on the certificates of properties located in a Rawalpindi slum.
The apex court held that personal advertisement could not be allowed at the expense of official resources, while this is also in contravention of one’s oath of office.
Affixing photographs for personal publicity on government property offends moral values, the court said in the order.
“Pakistan is not anyone’s domain where the people bow before the rulers,” the SC judge said adding, ”In order to uphold the country’s democratic reputation, we have to be vigilant”.
The Supreme Court, in the verdict, ordered all chief secretaries and federal administration should ensure the implementation of the court decision.
FIFA World Cup 2022: Japan stun Germany in second upset in as many days
Just over 24 hours after Saudi Arabia set the FIFA World Cup alight with a stunning upset of Argentina, Japan did the same, holding off Germany’s furious attempts to salvage a point from the Group ‘E’ opener for both teams on Wednesday.
Upon receiving the ball wide out on the right from a free-kick in his own box, Takuma Asano took Nico Schlotterbeck out of the equation with a first touch for the ages. With the goal in his sights, Asano kept running but the angle for a shot kept getting tighter. Asano needed a ripper of a shot to beat Manuel Neuer.
Asano, on as a substitute just before the hour mark, did exactly that. The connection was pure, the ball crashed into the roof of the net and brought down the roof at the Khalifa Stadium.
Japan were seven minutes away from sealing a stunning victory against Germany and the hordes of their fans behind that goal, beating their drums, were now willing them on to complete a famous victory.
This, just like on Tuesday, saw the Asian side come from a goal behind in the second half to win. Japan had levelled matters just eight minutes before Asano’s winner. It was another substitute who did that. Japan had been knocking and the chance came when Neuer parried away a cross from Takumi Minamino and Ritsu Doan, who had been on the pitch for less than four minutes, was the quickest to react to plant a shot into the back of the net.
Following Japan’s equaliser, Germany coach Hansi Flick threw on striker Niclas Fuellkrug and attacker Mario Goetze, the man who scored the stunning extra-time winner for Die Mannschaft in the 2014 final in Brazil, to provide a moment of inspiration and stem the Japanese flow.
But when Asano scored, the Germans had been well and truly floored. They heaped pressure on the Japanese goal but the defence and goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda held on.
“I believe it’s a historical moment, a historical victory to say the least,” said Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, when asked about the influence of Germany on Japanese football. “We have seven players who feature in the Bundesliga and that has contributed to this.”
Time was supposed to have healed Germany. Refreshed, reinvigorated and under a new coaching setup, they seemed to have done away with the staleness that had settled in. The infusion of new blood with some older heads reinstated under Hansi Flick had been revitalising and they arrived for the World Cup in Qatar having lost just once in their last 16 games.
But the demons of Russia don’t seem to be going away. Then, as holders, they’d limped out of the World Cup at the group stage; the imagery of Neuer scrambling to get back into his box as Son Heung-Min raced away to score and seal a famous win for South Korea and hammer the final nail in the holders’ coffin is still fresh.
Facing another East Asian side at the 45,000-capacity venue in the heart of the Qatari capital, Germany had started brightly but got a scare when Japan had the ball in the back of the net in the eighth minute, only to see that being ruled off-side.
Gonda was keeping Japan in the game, repelling shots one after the other but it was his error that saw Germany take the lead. Just past the half-hour mark, Gonda tried to collect a ball in the box but in doing so, he brought down David Raum.
“He fell without much contact,” said Gonda, who was named player of the match, although he did not have any complaints about the referee’s decision.
Ilkay Gündoğan stepped up from the spot and once they had the lead, Germany came in waves and waves at the Japanese goal but had nothing to show.
“We had good opportunities to score after we got the opening goal but I think that Japan were very efficient,” said a despondent Flick. “We have to avoid those mistakes, we have to do better. We have an important game coming up against Spain and we have to bounce back from this.”
Germany’s campaign in Russia unravelled after they fell to Mexico in their opening game. Flick brushed off suggestions that this defeat in any way resonated with that game four years ago. What reverberated through the Khalifa Stadium, though, was Japan’s boundless energy — one that Flick wished his side had shown.
CM KPK visits Shangla, upgrade University campus
From Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has formally inaugurated the University of Shangla, which is a milestone project towards addressing the shortage of higher educational facilities in the district to a great extent.
Addressing media persons and a public gathering after the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister announced free education for children of coal mine workers at the university, adding that the incumbent provincial government is focused on the uplift of backward districts of the province to ensure uniform development. The establishment of Shangla University was a much needed project which will contribute greatly towards human development not only in Shangla but the whole adjacent region. It is the desire and effort of the provincial government to ensure that the youth of this area are imparted with quality higher education instead of working in coal mines.
Mahmood Khan clarified that his government is committed to establishing tourism as an industry in the province in order to provide livelihood opportunities and enable people to earn their living in their respective districts. Regarding the kidnapping of coal mine workers from District Shangla in Baluchistan province, the Chief Minister clarified that the government is in touch with the government of Baluchistan and expressed hope that the kidnapped workers will be recovered soon.
The Chief Minister stated that despite the financial constraints created by the imported federal government, the provincial government is fully committed to completing the development activities in the province within the stipulated time frame. However, he said that his government has already communicated its concerns to the federal government and made it clear that if we do not get the legitimate rights of the province, we will not refrain from staging a sit-in in front of the national assembly.
He also announced that the true independence march from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would move on Saturday towards Iqbal Park in Rawalpindi and said that provincial ministers and MPAs would be leading the march from their respective constituencies.
He said that the provincial government is going all out to ensure that everyone has equal access to higher education, adding that the provincial cabinet, in its 83rd meeting held the other day, has formally approved the launching of education card scheme with the aim of imparting free education in government colleges.
Touching upon the development projects in district Shangla, the Chief Minister said that the construction of 27 km long Chakisar and Karora to Ajmir roads has been reflected in the portfolio of the Asian Development Bank, which on completion will provide an all-time solution to traffic congestion in the area. He further stated that the notification regarding the establishment of Kana Tehsil in district Shangla has also been issued, which was a longstanding demand of the local people.
With regard to the proposed independence march, the chief minister said that the people from all over the province would participate in the true independence march with zeal and zest.
In a separate event held here at the Chief Minister’s House, Peshawar, a delegation of local bodies representatives called on the Chief Minister at his office. Issues related to local government were discussed in detail during the meeting. The Chief Minister on the occasion reiterated that the issues being faced by the local bodies representatives would be resolved on priority basis. In his statement issued after the meeting, Mayor Mardan Himayatullah Mayar said that a high level committee has been constituted in order to resolve the issues after which the call for protest in District Peshawar has been withdrawn.
Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad celebrates Armed Forces Day
ISLAMABAD, NOV 23 /DNA/ – Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad on Wednesday celebrated the Armed Forces Day with a vow to uphold the image of Bangladesh Armed Forces and boosting the country’s positive image across the world.
Chief Guest State Minister for SAFRON Senator Talah Mahmood, High Commissioner of Bangladesh Ruhul Alam Siddique, Defence Attache Brig. General Abdul Fazal Sanaullah and others cut cake to celebrate the Armed Forces Day of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner and the Defence attaché wished to have even more robust relations with Pakistan.-DNA
