Present conditions are

self-inflicted wound,

Laments Nawaz Sharif

Nawaz recalled that the PML-N was not ready to form a government in 2022, but saving Pakistan from default became a priority.

Abid Raza

LAHORE: Nawaz Sharif – who has served as prime minister thrice – on Thursday said Pakistan would have progressed and much better placed at a rapid speed, if the policies initiated by his government in 1990s were implemented without any interruption. 

Addressing a gathering at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he recalled that India had copied the policies introduced in 1990s – the first of his three tenures – and attained economic growth.

The then PML-N government helped businesses get rid of the vicious bureaucratic circles, Nawaz said about the trade liberalisation he had brought in Pakistan, which, he added, boosted the country’s national exchequer.

Other countries of the world too passed through the same phases, he noted with reference to the transition from a planned government-controlled economy to free market where the people have freedom to invest according to the needs and profitability while generating competition.

“We understand the economic hardships being faced by Pakistan,” he said, adding that rescuing the people from the current record-breaking inflation and poverty was their responsibility. 

“It is their right if the people demand development, [if they] demand education and health. The government is responsible for providing these services,” the three-time prime minister stressed.

Nawaz recalled that the PML-N was not ready to form a government in 2022, but saving Pakistan from default became a priority.

The resignation speech by Shehbaz Sharif, who was leading the ruling coalition, had been prepared, which checked himself, he told the audience – a development that didn’t happen but widely reported at that time.

“We develop the country, [and] then face exile and imprisonment too,” Nawaz said about his repeated experience.

He noted, “We had committed injustices against our parliament and prime minister ourselves” and “then handed over the country to someone else” – a clear reference to those who deposed him and brought the PTI chairman into power.

The rupee, the economy, the entire system had been ruined as a consequence, which resulted in a fivefold increase in prices, he mentioned. The electricity consumer receiving a Rs1,000 monthly bill during the PML-N government was currently getting Rs15,000, the PML-N supremo added.

Nawaz said Pakistan jumped in ranking and was placed 24th among the world’s economies during 2013-17. “We kept the dollar [exchange rate] at Rs104 for four years,” he said and added that the dollar would have been available for Rs40 or Rs50 if his government policies were not interrupted.

About the nuclear tests conducted in 1998, he said the Muslim nations had started trusting Pakistan as their custodian after he resisted the pressure and decided to go ahead the move, but the things went wrong since then and the country was begging for $1 billion. 

The current state of affairs was a product of “the poor decisions that we took ourselves”, as “we shot ourselves in the foot”, he remarked.

Nawaz also mentioned that the policy [interest] rate during his government was 6 per cent only, which had reached 22pc. “Who can do business with such a high policy [interest rate]?” he questioned. 

Pak refutes arms

sale to Ukraine

Pakistan says TTP in contact with “illegal residents”

Khayam Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday once again asserted it has not sold arms to Ukraine or Russia, refuting claims made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in its recently published investigation. Addressing the Foreign Office’s weekly media briefing today, spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said: “We are not even in a position to tell which side is using which weapon in this conflict.” She added that the arms sold by Pakistan to anyone have an end-user certificate. Earlier this week, BBC Urdu claimed to be in possession of documents that purportedly show Pakistan’s arms sale to Ukraine, an allegation that the Pakistani government has been consistently rejecting. In its report, BBC Urdu stated that the former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa addressed the passing-out parade of the British Royal Military Academy on August 12, 2022. As he saw the Pak-UK relations touching “historic heights”, a British military cargo plane landed at PAF Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi. In future, the plane would land at the same base for five times.

The report says that each time, the plane flew from Nur Khan Airbase to the British military base in Cyprus, Akrotiri, and then to Romania, at a time when Russia was waging war in Romania’s neighbouring country, Ukraine. Meanwhile, during the presser, the spokesperson informed about a meeting being currently held between Pakistan and Russia to prevent counter-terrorism. “Additional Secretary Haider Shah is leading the delegation from Pakistan.” Based on intelligence pertaining to the matter, FO said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is in contact with illegal residents in Pakistan. The spokesperson also spoke about Pakistan repeatedly asking the Afghan interim set-up to take action against TTP hideouts in their territory, which it said are used for attacks on Pakistan.

“We have asked Afghanistan to take action against these bases,” Baloch said. Last week on November 8, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar asked the Afghan government to take action against TTP hideouts and training centres in Afghanistan, urging it to ensure that “they must not be used against Pakistan”. When asked if Pakistan itself would take action against these hideouts in Afghanistan, Kakar said: “We are hopeful that they [Afghan government] will take an action themselves, which is in their own interest and also in our interest.”

Baloch gave a round-up of Pakistan’s presence at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) joint Extraordinary Session in Riyadh on November 11, during which PM Kakar condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza. “The caretaker prime minister demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people,” she said. The spokesperson added that the premier stressed the resolution of the Palestine issue according to the UN resolutions in the meeting with OIC members. Baloch said Pakistan welcomed the OIC-Arab League Joint Summit declaration. “We call on the international community to stop Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza.” Baloch also revealed that Pakistan has been elected to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Executive Board for the year 2027 and aims to establish connectivity in all regions.

Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has lamented that the violence continued to be perceived as a permissible means to attain one’s goals as evident from the May 9 incidents. The remarks made by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa came as a three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by the CJP, and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard a review petition filed against the SC’s 2019 judgement in the Faizabad sit-in case. Following Wednesday’s court proceedings, the government announced a three-member commission to identify those who planned, financed, and supported a sit-in at Islamabad’s Faizabad area six years back—a dharna that had brought a little-known religious party, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), into the national spotlight.

According to the government’s notification, the commission will also recommend legal action against the planners and executors of the protest which disrupted lives in the twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad between November 6 and November 27, 2017. As a result of the protest, the PML-N government had to sack its law minister Zahid Hamid. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the sit-in on November 21, 2017.

Later, a division bench led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa on February 6, 2019 unveiled its verdict in the sit-in case, criticizing the role of intelligence agencies in the saga. Soon after assuming office of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) in September this year, Justice Isa listed for hearing the petitions that had been filed against the SC’s February 2019 verdict.

Rawalpindi: A delegation of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) headed by President RCCI Saqib Rafiq called on H.E.  Hannu Ripatti, Ambassador of Finland in Islamabad. Matters related to enhancing bilateral trade, investment opportunities, exploring non-conventional sectors, facilitation under SIFC, cooperation and connectivity, sector specific information sharing, waste management and recycling, networking and tourism came under discussion.

Talking to the delegation, ambassador Hannu Ripatti said that Finland has a strong desire to strengthen trade ties with Pakistan and to do more business activities in a better way and through Fin Partnership which can facilitate and help imports and exports in both ways. Ambassador while accepting the invitation to visit RCCI said that he was planning to visit various chambers of commerce and industries aiming for better connectivity and cooperation. “Finland reopened its mission in Pakistan after the closure of 10 years, “he said.

The ambassador mentioned that a temporary location at the Serena Business Complex was being used but “soon will have the old premises and start routine operations”, including the issuing of visas. He said that the Business Council of Finland will host a business summit in Pakistan in February 2024 and related information will be shared with the chamber of commerce.

While answering to a question, he mentioned that a large number of Pakistani students were pursuing their studies in Finland; however, students were facing problems as they do not have longer-term visas for which applications have to be forwarded to Abu Dhabi which takes time.

RCCI President Saqib Rafiq who also has the portfolio of Chairman Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) discussed scope and opportunities in waste management, recycling the waste and energy from the waste.

Senior Vice President, Muhammad Hamza Sarosh, Vice President Faisal Shahzad, executive committee members Abdul Rauf, Mudasir Maqbool were also present in the meeting. —

PM reprimands “bizarre” justifications, narrative on killing of Gaza children by Israel

Ansar M Bhatti/DNA

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday calling Israeli barbarism in Palestine unparalleled even in the medieval era, reprimanded the world’s double standards on war ethos and its “bizarre and surreal” rationalization of the killing of children in Gaza.

The prime minister, addressing the annual Margalla Dialogue 2023 conference held by Islamabad Policy Research Institute
on “Evolving World Environment: Charting the Course for Our Future,” said Israeli forces were targeting vulnerable people in hospitals and eliminating children.

Referring to his discussions with some diplomats who defended Israeli actions by citing Israeli children’s deaths, he expressed his surprise at the argument. However, he reiterated that the killing of any child, regardless of faith or origin, is condemnable.

“So how many Palestinian children have to be killed to appease and address the Israeli anger? One, five, ten, 500, 1000, 4,700? Can they give us a number so that we can satisfy those parents to wait as some 10,000 children needed to be killed to address the Israeli anger,” he remarked.

He said those claiming to be the followers of Prophet Moses, were actually following the footsteps of Pharaoh by killing the children which was “utterly unacceptable.”

The prime minister, who had also been the IPRI’s board member, highlighted the potential for connectivity with the countries in the region including India, and said Pakistan never shied away from establishing trade links with India but it could not beg that as trade should be for mutual benefits.

However, he said before such links, it was essential to speak out on the Kashmir conflict as without addressing that issue, it was challenging to have normal relations with the current Indian regime.

He told the gathering that the Kashmir issue demanded attention aligned with the aspirations of its people as despite promises and UN guarantees, the Kashmiris could not be given their right to self-determination. Postponing the issue is not a solution as the historical resilience against colonization is evident, he added.

Referring to the Hindutva ideology infesting Indian society, he said such policies were a recipe for disaster.

He said contrary to the ongoing persecution in India, the minorities in Pakistan were sharing their destinies with Pakistan having deep entrenched roots in business as well as society.

The prime minister said Pakistan was faced with the challenge of non-state actors but the country was prepared to respond that, without needing anyone’s tangible assistance.