Hundreds marched on the roads of the coastal town and later staged the sit-in against Imran government decision to grant Chinese trawlers fishing rights in Gwadar…reports Asian Lite News
Hundreds of fishermen, political workers and members of civil society staged a protest to cancel fishing licences of Chinese trawlers to protect the livelihood of the Gwadar fishermen.
The National Party and Baloch Student Organisation had called for the protest rally and sit-in in front of the Gwadar Press Club against the Imran Khan government’s move, reported Dawn.
The participants of the rally marched on the roads of the coastal town and later staged the sit-in against Imran government decision to grant Chinese trawlers fishing rights in Gwadar by issuing them licences.
Haji Fida Hussain Dashti, Faiz Nagori, Manzoor Qadir Bakhsh, Abid Rahim Sorabi, Muhammad Noor and leader of Gwadar’s fishermen Khuda-i-Dad Waju spoke on the occasion.
Waju said that fishermen of Gwadar were already facing violation of fishing limits by Sindh’s fishing trawlers and now the federal government had allowed foreign trawlers to deprive the fishermen of Gwadar of their livelihood, reported Dawn.
Speakers said the fishermen of Gwadar had vacated their fishing spots for the construction of the Gwadar port hoping that their economic conditions would improve once the port was ready, but now the federal government had issued licences to Chinese trawlers which was badly affecting their livelihood.
They alleged that the provincial fisheries minister and the federal government officials, instead of supporting the stance of the local fishermen, were giving statements in favour of the Chinese fishermen, reported Dawn.
Though Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan with ample natural resources, it remains the poorest and least populous. The Balochs have often raised the issue of under-development, but Pakistan has responded to it with forced abduction, torture, and harassment.
In 2015, China announced the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project in Pakistan worth USD 46 billion, of which Balochistan is an integral part. It would link Pakistan’s southern Gwadar port in Balochistan on the Arabian Sea to China’s western Xinjiang region. It also includes plans to create road, rail and oil pipeline links to improve connectivity between China and the Middle East.
The Balochs opposed China’s increasing involvement in the province. The CPEC has not benefited the people of Balochistan while people of other provinces enjoy the fruits of the mega project. This has led to widespread protests as the Chinese are viewed as encroachers who are squeezing out all the wealth from the region. (ANI)
Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa with Pakisatan Prime Minister Imran Khan
Islamabad is rife with rumours that PTI has lost the support of the security establishment and the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is becoming “favourite” of the army because of Imran Khan’s mishandling of Punjab, and the relationship with India, reports Mrityunjoy Kumar Jha
It was all set for Pakistani opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs younger brother Shahbaz Sharif to visit London.
The Lahore High Court had allowed him to leave but at the airport he was stopped from boarding the flight on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan, then in Saudi Arabia. According to a few Pakistani journalists who are “close” to the Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother Shahbaz Sharif was traveling to London to discuss a “reconciliation” formula with his brother. Incidentally, the message was “drafted” with the complete approval of Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
But crossing all red-lines an “angry” Imran Khan decided not allow the younger Sharif to execute his dramatic mission. “Selectors wanted Shahbaz to go to London but Captain Imran Khan said no,” said one journalist. He added that “the two- and half-year itch” has started, referring to the relations between General Bajwa and Imran Khan that are rapidly going south.
According to sources, Army Chief Bajwa and some senior leaders of Nawaz Sharif’s party PML-N had a few meetings. Following that, these leaders have stopped criticising the Pakistan army. In fact, three days ago former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the media that his party and leaders like Shahbaz Sharif have no differences with the army.
Once again, Pakistan’s capital is rife with rumours that the government of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has lost the support of the security establishment and the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is becoming “favourite” of the army because of Imran Khan’s mishandling of Punjab, and the relationship with India.
“He (army chief) had his own opinion on these matters and wanted to know how we managed it. We expressed our reservations over the way the government (Imran Khan’s govt) is managing it, the matters will be worsened,” said Abbasi.
The military establishment is apparently annoyed with Khan’s insistence in targeting the PMLN’s leadership in Punjab and his refusal to change the team running the province.
The key warning that an internal revolt was also brewing against Khan- led PTI came when one of the most senior leaders of the party from Punjab, Jahangir Khan Tareen, said that he was being “unfairly targeted” by government agencies on the behest of Imran Khan. Tareen has more than 30 loyal MPs in the party.
According to Pakistani observers, everything is not well between Imran Khan and his selector General Bajwa. Few months back, the Pakistani army chief called on both nations—Pakistan and India– to bury the past after the militaries of both countries released a rare joint statement announcing the renewal of a ceasefire agreement along a disputed border in Kashmir. But this has been followed by a series of flip flops from Imran Khan’s government.
Prime Minister Khan laid down a certain condition e that New Delhi must restore Article 370 of the Indian Constitution before Islamabad can consider the normalisation of relations. Obviously the Army top brass is not amused. The political situation in Pakistan is obviously reaching an inflection point.
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Wang stressed that China will continue to stand firmly with Pakistan in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic….reports Asian Lite News
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that he expects Beijing and Islamabad to take the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties to open up a brighter prospect for bilateral relations.
In a telephone conversation on Saturday with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Wang said the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan is unique, and bilateral relations have become a model of friendly cooperation between countries, reports Xinhua news agency.
Wang noted that over the past 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two sides have firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests.
Wang stressed that China will continue to stand firmly with Pakistan in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Beijing is also is ready to work with Pakistan to step up efforts to implement the outcomes of the video conference of Foreign Ministers of China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Covid-19 and play a bigger role in regional economic recovery, he added.
Noting that Pakistan has an important traditional influence on the Afghan issue, Wang said China recognises and appreciates Pakistan’s efforts to achieve peace in Afghanistan and calls for all parties to reach a political arrangement acceptable to all sides under the “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned” framework.
For his part, Qureshi congratulated the landing of China’s Tianwen-1 probe on Mars, and said bilateral relations have achieved fruitful results since the establishment of diplomatic ties.
He said his country hopes to jointly celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and push forward the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China.
Qureshi thanked China for its strong support for Pakistan’s fight against Covid-19 and expressed hope that his country would continue to enhance anti-pandemic cooperation with China.
Pakistan appreciates the joint statement on the Afghan issue issued at the China+Central Asia foreign ministers’ meeting, and maintains that US and NATO troops should leave Afghanistan in an orderly and responsible manner, and supports Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries in playing a bigger role in pushing forward the peace process in Afghanistan, he added.
There is a looming sense of fear in Pakistan that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will increase instability in its neighbourhood…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan said on Tuesday it will not provide air bases to the US after the troop withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan, vowing to protect the nation’s interests and support the Afghan peace process, according to Arab News report.
“No. We don’t intend to allow boots on the ground here, and Pakistan isn’t transferring any base (to the US),” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a press conference in the capital Islamabad.
Meanwhile, There is a looming sense of fear in Pakistan that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will increase instability in its neighbourhood, and add security threats in the region while putting China’s Belt and Road projects at risk, Nikkei Asia reports.
As the September 11 deadline of complete withdrawal is approaching, instability in Pakistan has steadily increased, and outlawed groups like Tehreek e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have increased cross-border attacks in the country.
According to the analyst Fakhar Kakakhel, the US pull-back, along with a weak Afghan government will seriously destabilize the region.
“In the future, TTP will have more safe pockets in regions close to Pakistani borders,” Kakakhel told Nikkei Asia. The report by the Japanese newspaper said that Taliban members from Afghanistan and Pakistan allegedly use the border region as a sanctuary.
Furthermore, experts believe the uncertainty in Afghanistan has provided TTP with a window to attack Pakistan, including the projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) worth around USD 50 billion.
As per the analysts, after the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, TTP can more easily attack targets that are key for Pakistan’s economy.
“Some (Chinese) investments are located near the traditional areas of TTP’s activities, so it makes them natural targets,” said Przemyslaw Lesinski, an Afghanistan expert at the War Studies Academy in Warsaw.
Michael Kugelman, the deputy director of the Asia Program at Wilson Center, told Nikkei that CPEC has not traditionally been a top target of TTP in Pakistan.
“But in recent months, anti-China rhetoric has [surfaced] in TTP propaganda, especially because of China’s oppression of Uyghur Muslims,” Kugelman told Nikkei.
Kugelman said that Pakistan, which has built a fence worth millions of dollars, will not get a 100 per cent deterrent against TTP cross-border attacks.
“Pakistan has genuine reasons to be concerned (of TTP),” he added. (ANI)
According to 2020 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters without Borders, Pakistan ranks 145 out of 180 countries as against the ranking of 142 in 2019. The rank is constantly increasing …. Writes Dr Badusha Ahmed Khan
Pakistan Resolution was a precursor to the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan and the essential freedoms mentioned in the Resolution have been translated into the Constitution. Article 19 of the Constitution provides the right to freedom of speech and expression and the protection of that right. Using the freedom movement and Pakistan resolution in 1940 at Lahore, the Constitution of Pakistan was framed and the Article 19 also guarantees freedom of press and media, one of the important pillars of Democracy.
Though this Article guarantees Freedom of Press in Pakistan, the Government of Pakistan, virtually run by Pakistan Army since Pakistan came in to being, thinks otherwise. This can be illustrated through the number of killings and abduction of Journalists in Pakistan.
According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Brussels, at least 138 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1990 till 2020. If one goes back further, many journalists have been killed and abducted since creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.
According to 2020 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters without Borders, Pakistan ranks 145 out of 180 countries as against the ranking of 142 in 2019. The rank is constantly increasing.
In a recent incident on 18 March, 2021, a 31-year-old Hindu journalist, Ajay Lalwani, was shot dead by some unidentified assailants while getting a haircut at a barbershop in Sindh province for exposing Muslim Clerics involved in conversion of Hindu girls.
In 2020, four Pakistani journalists — Aziz Menon, Javedullah Khan, Anwar Jan, Shaheena Shaheen were killed.
Shaheena Shaheen – A journalist, an artist, always struggling for women’s rights and empowerment, was shot dead in Turbat, Balochistan on 5th September, 2020.
Anwar Jan was shot dead by two gunmen on the evening of 23 July, 2020 while he was returning in his motorbike to his hometown at Barkhan. Anwar was working for the daily newspaper, Naveed-e-Pakistan and used to post regularly about corruption on social media.
Javedullah Khan was the bureau chief of Islamabad-based Urdu-language daily, Ausaf in Swat. Some unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle on 25th Feb, 2020, leaving him seriously wounded. He was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment.
Aziz Menon, who worked for the privately-owned Sindhi TV Channel, KTN News and the Sindhi-language Daily Kawish newspaper, was found strangled to death in an irrigation ditch on 16 Feb 2020 near the town of Mehrabpur in the Naushahro Feroze District of Sindh province.
Though a number of journalists are being killed in Pakistan on a regular basis, no human rights organizations or Human Rights activists are ready to cover this issue. Hamid Mir, a famous Pakistani journalist, columnist and an author who currently hosts the political talk show Capital Talk on Geo News, was attacked on April 19, 2014 by the Pakistani intelligence because he had expressed concerns about the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan. However, he had survived and the Geo TV, blamed Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam, the then ISI Chief as an accused and flashed his picture in the Television. . The ISI became furious and declared that GEO TV should be shut down for bringing a national institution into disrepute.
This kind of behavior is not just with Journalists but with everyone who tries to speak against highhandedness of Pakistan Army and the other security agencies of Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai and Gulalai Ismail are the clear examples of it. The military has quietly, but effectively, set restrictions on reporting: from barring access to regions including Baluchistan where there is armed separatism and religious extremism, to encouraging self-censorship through direct and indirect methods of intimidation, including calling editors to complain about coverage and even allegedly instigating violence against reporters.
The military has clashed with Pakistan’s elected government, which tried and ultimately failed to assert civilian control. Journalists find themselves in the middle of this battle, struggling to report while staying out of trouble. Issues including religion, land disputes, militants, and the economy can all spark retaliation—and laws such as the Pakistan Protection Ordinance, a counter terrorism law that allows people to be detained without charge for 90 days, are used to retaliate against critical reporting. Female journalists must navigate additional pressures when reporting in religiously conservative areas, such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or rural districts. Sometimes, even the briefest lapse in security can expose a journalist to near-fatal consequences.
Pakistan’s constitution guarantees freedom of the press and access to information, and the country has a large and robust media industry, including extensive privately held broadcast news. And yet, true press freedom is elusive. While the military is not solely responsible for the pressures facing the media, its hands can be found almost everywhere. That is why, the Media personnel in Pakistan, except a few, are always concerned about their safety if they report anything against the Government or the Army. The underlying reason for caution is often fear of retaliation as the military exerts control and seeks to retain its influence and position under civilian rule. Consequences are harsh for journalists who attempt to push back.
In many parts of Pakistan, both sides have managed to create an atmosphere of fear that is preventing free thinking and honest and objective reporting … That atmosphere of fear has increased over a period of time, and when reports come about abduction or attempted abduction of a free-thinking journalist in Islamabad or Karachi or elsewhere, it solidifies this whole notion that journalists remain under threat. A number of editors at newspapers and broadcast media also described a step-up in phone calls from the military advising or complaining about coverage, although they often declined to talk about it openly.
Pakistani media consumers aren’t getting a full or accurate picture of critical issues facing the country. This is no accident. The military and other powerful institutions have established lines of control to stifle the press, by promoting people and issues considered favorable, and limiting the dissemination of content found objectionable.
This is the tragedy of a so called democratic country which is yet to find out the real democratic system.
