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Recent Appearances... Rantburg

India-Pakistan
Zardari orders Sindh CM to launch 'large-scale operation' against criminals in Karachi
2024-05-02
[GEO.TV] President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
has directed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to launch a large-scale operation against street criminals in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
, dacoits in the Katcha area, and narcos throughout the province in close coordination with other provinces.

President issued number of directives including taking action against the drug mafia, curbing stolen goods trade, completing much-delayed Karachi Safe City project and others to restore law and order in Sindh particularly bucolic provincial capital amid rising violent mostly peaceful street crimes.

The development came during a special meeting chaired by President Zardari to review the law and order situation in the province at the CM House on Wednesday which was attended by the high-ups of the federal and provincial governments, as well as representatives of the security institutions.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Hussain Shah, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, chief secretary, inspector general police (IGP), Director General (DG) Rangers Sindh and other bigwigs were present in the meeting.

The meeting was held to review overall law and order situation in the province, specifically the longstanding issues of Karachi street crimes, katcha bandidos, menace of narcotics, land grabbing, security of foreign nationals, as well as acquirement of facilities and resources.
Related:
Asif Ali Zardari 05/01/2024 Rana Sanaullah appointed PM Shehbaz's adviser on political affairs
Asif Ali Zardari 04/20/2024 Membership of two PTI-backed MNAs suspended for using 'abusive language'
Asif Ali Zardari 04/15/2024 PTI-led opposition alliance 'conspiring' against country: Baby Bhutto


Link


India-Pakistan
Rana Sanaullah appointed PM Shehbaz's adviser on political affairs
2024-05-01
[GEO.TV] Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....

President Rana Sanaullah as his adviser on political and public affairs.

President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
approved the appointment of the PML-N stalwart as the prime minister's adviser, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

The statement posted on president’s official account on X, formerly Twitter, said that Sanaullah will have the status of a federal minister.

"The president approved the appointment of Rana Sanaullah Khan on prime minister’s advice under Article 93-1 of the Constitution," the post read.

It is pertinent to mention that the PML-N stalwart served as the interior minister during the previous government, but lost in general election 2024 on the National Assembly seat (NA-100) in Faisalabad
...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after...
Sanaullah's appointment comes a day after Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s designation as deputy prime minister as an additional charge to his existing post.

It may be noted that the former interior minister had recently expressed the possibility of being given role in the federal government.

While speaking on Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath" on Monday, the politician said that Nawaz would decide about giving a ministry to him after concluding his China visit.
Link


India-Pakistan
Membership of two PTI-backed MNAs suspended for using 'abusive language'
2024-04-20
[GEO.TV] Taking action against two politicians over "unparliamentary gestures," National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Friday suspended membership of two Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) backed Sunni Ittehad Council
...an Islamist(aren't they all in Pakistain?) political party which claims to represent the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. Member parties of the Sunni Ittehad Council includes the Aalmi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat of Pir Afzal Qadri (of Gujrat) and Jamiat Ulema e Pakistan - Sawad e Azam of Sayyid Mahfooz Shah Sahib Mashadi...
(SIC) politicians Jamshed Ahmad Khan Dasti and Muhammad Iqbal Khan for the current session for using abusive language during the President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
’s address.

Yesterday, the PTI-SIC politicians staged a strong protest and created a ruckus during the maiden joint sitting of parliament yesterday after the February 8 nationwide elections which was addressed by President Zardari in which he stressed the need for political reconciliation.

Today, the lower house of parliament adopted a motion introduced by the NA speaker regarding suspending the two members.

The motion, which was read by Speaker Sadiq, stated that both MNAs used "abusive language" and approached the dais of the speaker in a "threatening manner", which was an "unacceptable" action.

Link


India-Pakistan
Incarcerated PTI President Parvez Elahi 'still sincerely stands with Imran Khan'
2024-04-09
[GEO.TV] Qaisera Elahi, the wife of incarcerated Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) President and former Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....

chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, on Monday said that her husband still sincerely stood with his party’s founder Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
Addressing a joint presser along with Shujaat Hussain’s sister, Sumaira Elahi, in Gujrat, Qaisera Qaisera said: "Parvez Elahi still sincerely stands with Imran Khan."

At the same time, she blamed incumbent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for creating rift between her husband and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

Differences emerged within the Chaudhry clan — an influential political family in Punjab’s Gujrat — last year after Elahi announced supporting PTI founder Imran Khan while his cousin Shujaat was standing with his old friends, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
and the Sharif family.

Referring to the upcoming by-election in PP-32 Gujrat constituency, she said: "I am surprised that 25-year-old milk-drinking baby Musa Elahi is contesting elections against 78-year-old Parvez Elahi."

Musa Elahi is the son of Chaudhary Wajahat Hussain, the younger brother of the PML-Q chief.

"Parvez Elahi, at the age of 78, is still brave enough to bear hardships," she added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Elahi has been lingering in prison since June 1 last year in connection with multiple cases registered against him.

Elahi was taken into custody by anti-corruption officials from near his residence in Lahore on June 1 in the Rs70 million corruption case related to the embezzlement of development funds allocated for the Gujrat district. Since then, the former Punjab chief minister was re-arrested multiple times after being released on the orders of the relevant courts.

Link


India-Pakistan
Zardari gets elected as president for historic second time with overwhelming majority
2024-03-10
[GEO.TV] Same old crap, same old crooks.Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman >Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
, the joint candidate of the ruling mob alliance, was elected as the country’s president for the second time after he defeated PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council
...an Islamist(aren't they all in Pakistain?) political party which claims to represent the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam. Member parties of the Sunni Ittehad Council includes the Aalmi Tanzeem Ahle Sunnat of Pir Afzal Qadri (of Gujrat) and Jamiat Ulema e Pakistan - Sawad e Azam of Sayyid Mahfooz Shah Sahib Mashadi...
(SIC) nominee Mahmood Khan Achakzai with a huge margin.

Zardari Saturday secured 411 electoral votes in parliament and all four provincial assemblies with the backing of allied parties — mainly Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
-Pakistain (MQM-P).

Ackakzai bagged 181 votes as he was only able to secure the majority of votes in the PTI-backed SIC-dominated Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Prominent politicians who cast ballots in the National Assembly include former premier Nawaz Sharif
...served two three non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...
, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Zardari, MQM-P’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Farooq Sattar. PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaiser, and Achakzai among others also voted in the presidential election.

To ensure democratic traditions, Zardari also met his rival candidate Achakzai in the House.

Chief Justice of Pakistain (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa will administer an oath to President-elect Zardari at 4pm today (Sunday) at the President House.

As many as 381 politicians out of 398 cast ballots in both houses of parliament, while 17 politicians belonging to Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...the political wing of the Pak Taliban...
-Fazl (JUI-F), Jamat-e-Islami (JI), PTI, and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) did not cast vote in the presidential election due to different reasons.

The JUI-F,JI and GDA had announced a boycott of the presidential elections, while PTI senators — Shibli Faraz, Ijaz Chaudhry and Azam Swati — also did not participate in the voting.

Likewise, in the three provincial assemblies — Sindh, Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
, and KP — Zardari obtained a majority of votes while Ackakzai was only able to win the majority vote in the KP Assembly.
Related:
Sunni Ittehad Council: 2024-03-06 Zardari tipped to win presidential election as PPP 'secures' 345 electoral votes
Sunni Ittehad Council: 2024-02-26 Six-party alliance falling short of two-thirds majority in NA
Sunni Ittehad Council: 2024-02-21 Magic number achieved: Shehbaz PM, Zardari president as PPP, PML-N finally agree
Related:
>Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2024-03-08 Accountability court suspends arrest warrants of Hasan, Hussain Nawaz
>Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2024-03-07 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not given a fair trial: Supreme Court
>Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2024-03-06 Zardari tipped to win presidential election as PPP 'secures' 345 electoral votes
Related:
Mahmood Khan Achakzai: 2024-03-06 Zardari tipped to win presidential election as PPP 'secures' 345 electoral votes
Mahmood Khan Achakzai: 2016-08-11 'Remarks against intelligence agencies unacceptable'
Mahmood Khan Achakzai: 2016-08-11 Ex-Pakistani MP: Security establishment’s support for Taliban an open secret
Link


India-Pakistan
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was not given a fair trial: Supreme Court
2024-03-07
[GEO.TV] The Supreme Court of Pakistain on Wednesday issued its reserved opinion on the trial, sentence, and execution of the late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
...9th PM of Pakistain from 1973 to 1977, and 4th President of Pakistain from 1971 to 1973. He was the founder of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP). His eldest daughter, Benazir Bhutto, would also serve as hereditary PM. In a coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, Bhutto was removed from office and was executed in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent...
, saying that he did not get a chance to a "fair trial".

A nine-member bench of the top court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistain (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, reserved its opinion on the 2011 presidential reference seeking to revisit the sentence, and execution of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) founder and former premier Bhutto on Monday.

The bench also comprises Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Musarrat Hilali.

"Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did not get a fair trial and it was not in accordance with the Constitutional requirement of due process," said CJP Isa while announcing the short order.

The court’s decision comes after nearly 12 years after a presidential reference seeking to revisit the sentence, and execution of the PPP founder and former premier was filed by former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979, following a verdict of the Supreme Court in a murder case that his party termed as "judicial murder".

The reference — filed by Zardari on April 2, 2011, under Article 186 of the Constitution — was taken up by the Supreme Court’s 11-member larger bench headed by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry which held five hearings of the reference.

On December 12, 2023, the reference hearing resumed under a nine-member bench headed by CJP Isa following a decision to fix an instant case under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023.

The SC had appointed amicus curies with expertise on the criminal and constitutional sides, seeking their assistance, particularly on the matter of maintainability of the instant reference, pending with the court for 11 years.

Apart from CJP, the other members of the bench include Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Musarat Hillai.

The bench had reserved its opinion earlier this week after hearing all sides.
Related:
Supreme Court of Pakistain: 2023-03-28 Marriyum terms Minar-e-Pakistan rally a flop show, Maryam urges Pak gov’t to file treason case vs Imran
Supreme Court of Pakistain: 2023-03-28 President warns PM of 'contempt of court' if polls not held 'as per given timeframe'
Supreme Court of Pakistain: 2021-04-16 PM Imran, federal cabinet approves blacklisting of TLP as a terrorist organization
Link


India-Pakistan
Maulana Fazlur Rehman to become Pakistan's next president, claims JUI-F
2023-12-04
[GEO.TV] JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
...Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty. Fazl seldom misses a meal and is now so large he has his own gravitational pull...
will become Pakistain’s next president no matter whether Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) or Pakistain Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) secures a majority in parliament following general elections scheduled for February next year, claimed a JUI-F spokesperson on Sunday.

Incumbent President Arif Alvi's five-year term ended on September 8 this year. However,
it was a brave man who first ate an oyster...
he is currently continuing as the country's head of state under Article 44 of the Constitution which allows the president to continue holding the office in the absence of the provincial and national assemblies — which were dissolved in January and August earlier this year, respectively.

The President of Pakistain is elected in a special session of the parliament, senate and all four provincial assemblies in accordance with Article 41 (3) of the constitution.

Alvi is the fourth head of state to complete his full term. The previous three presidents who completed their five-year terms were the fifth president Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry (1973 to 1978), the 11th president Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
(2008 to 2013), and the 12th president Mamnoon Hussain (2013 to 2018).

In an interview with a local TV channel, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah said if Fazl can be made the head of the Pakistain Democratic Movement (PDM), a multiparty alliance, then he can also be made the country's president, Geo News reported.
Related:
Fazlur Rehman: 2023-11-29 The little prince
Fazlur Rehman: 2023-11-06 'Muslim Ummah must unite against Israel's atrocities', Hamas chief tells Fazl
Fazlur Rehman: 2023-10-27 PTI top brass meets JUI-F chief Fazl after Imran's approval
Link


India-Pakistan
Despite Zardari's trust, Bilawal remains wary of election fixing
2023-11-21
[GEO.TV] Pakistain Peoples Party's (PPP) top leaders' statements about the credibility of the upcoming polls apparently indicate contrast in the party’s policy as Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
...former president of Pakistain, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in...
is hopeful of transparent polls while his son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari raises concerns about manipulation of the results and rigging.

A day after PPP Co-chairman Zardari said the country was moving towards transparent polls, PPP Chairman Bilawal hinted that the results of the poll might have been pre-decided.

"The country is moving towards transparent elections," Zardari had said in a recent statement amid PPP's calls for a "level-playing field", saying that the caretakers — appointed to oversee the country's affairs till an elected government takes charge — were favouring the Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N).

In his address to a rally in Nowshera on Monday, Bilawal warned that his party would not accept the elections if anyone interfered with the results, reiterating his demand for transparent polls.

"Parties with a 2/3 majority say they have reached an agreement [regarding upcoming set up]," Bilawal said, without elaborating further about who had made a deal with whom.

"There’s no use of an election if the results are pre-decided," Bilawal warned, noting that if anyone becomes the prime minister, then others will protest and hold sit-ins against the newly formed government.

Pakistain has a history of parties not accepting results and alleging outside interference after the announcement of results, with the winning candidates saying that the polls were transparent.

"We will only accept the choice of the people, not anyone else’s," Bilawal stated, noting that the only solution out of the quagmire for the country is "transparent polls".

The Election Commission of Pakistain has announced February 8, 2024, as the date for general polls across the country, with the PML-N also holding meetings with politicos to strengthen its position ahead of the polls.

In a similar stance, the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) has also called for a level-playing field, saying that authorities were not permitting the party to carry out electioneering as its chairman, Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
, remains incarcerated.
Related:
Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2023-11-07 Nawaz, Zardari 'agree to work together to save state'
Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2023-04-17 'Mr Ten Percent' should put country first and honour BB's legacy: Zalmay Khalilzad
Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari: 2023-03-25 Angry Imran 'to move courts' against police raid on Mar-a-Lago his residence
Related:
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2023-11-18 After blasting old-timers, Baby Bhutto says old politics Pakistan's worst enemy
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2023-04-25 427 Pakistanis reach Port Sudan for repatriation
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari: 2023-04-17 IMF wants ‘more guarantees’ as PM insists all demands met
Related:
Imran Khan: 2023-11-07 Pak Purge: Anti-terrorism court grants bail to Sheikh Rashid in May 9 riots case
Imran Khan: 2023-11-07 Nawaz, Zardari 'agree to work together to save state'
Imran Khan: 2023-11-04 PTI's Asad Qaiser arrested from residence in Islamabad: brother
Link


India-Pakistan
'Old politicians ought to be sent home,' Bilawal stresses need for new leadership
2023-11-17
Baby Bhutto's Mom was PM, his father was President Ten Percent, and his grandfather was PM until overthrown by Zia ul-Haq and subsequently hanged for not being Islamic enough or something.
[GEO.TV] As the country inches towards the general elections, Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Baby Bhutto Zardari
...Pak dynastic politician, son of Benazir Bhutto and grandon of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As far as is known, Bilawal has no particular talents other than being pretty and being able to memorize political slogans, but he had the good luck to be born into the right family and he hasn't been assassinated yet...
on Thursday underscored the need for new leadership and new politics, saying that the "old politicians will have to be sent home".

Addressing a workers' convention in Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
, Bilawal said that other parties are into old politics but there should be a "doctrine and manifesto" that the PPP possesses.

He said that new leadership and new politics are needed to come out of the crises, hitting out at the Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N, which has presented its supremo, Nawaz Sharif
...served two three non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...
, as a possible candidate for the prime ministership.

Nawaz is in Pakistain after ending a four-year self-imposed exile in October, but his participation in the elections remains in doubt due to legal issues — as he had been disqualified from holding public office.

"Such a leadership which is not stuck in the past, which thinks about the future, doesn't get caught up in politics and division," Bilawal said.

He further stated that people's problems won't be resolved if the "personal enmities are to continue like this". "Pakistain won't progress unless the vote is not given respect".

Link


India-Pakistan
Cop martyred in Quetta
2023-08-04
[Dawn] In a second assassination on police in as many days, another official belonging to Hazara
...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets...
community was martyred in Quetta on Wednesday.

The deadly shooting on the Benazir Bhutto
... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in...
overhead bridge marked the third killing of police personnel belonging to the Hazara community within the past 24 hours in Quetta.

Police constable Mohammad Jawad was on his way to perform duty in the Police Lines area when the assailants sprayed him with bullets using automatic weapons, officials said.

On Tuesday, two coppers guarding a polio
...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain...
vaccination team were rubbed out in the Nawa Killi area on the first day of a week-long vaccination drive. Both cops were also from the Hazara community.

In response to the attacks, the Hazara community expressed their grief and anger by blocking the western bypass in protest. The protest caused traffic suspension for several hours. No group or individual immediately grabbed credit for the shootings.

The situation remains tense as the authorities search for the perpetrators behind the attacks and try to bring justice to the families of the martyred.
Related:
Hazara: 2023-07-20 Daily Evacuation Brief July 20, 2023
Hazara: 2023-07-18 Afghanistan's Shi'ite Minority Suffers 'Systematic Discrimination' Under Taliban Rule
Hazara: 2023-06-25 Daily Evacuation Brief June 21-25, 2023
Related:
Quetta: 2023-07-20 TTP men used US weapons, uniforms in Zhob attack
Quetta: 2023-07-16 Khawaja Asif blasts Afghanistan after surge in TTP terror attacks
Quetta: 2023-07-13 9 soldiers embrace martyrdom as military winds up operation after ‘dastardly’ attack on Zhob garrison: ISPR
Link


India-Pakistan
The dogs of war
2023-05-18
[The Nation (Pak)] In the present charged political atmosphere, accusations, slurs and abuses are flying everywhere. The State is churning out statements and proposing ways and means of teaching a lesson to the opposition and its supporters in the public. Taking the cue, much is being written in print and electronic media to further suggest ways to suppress opposition and any dissenting voices, even if they are of the ordinary public. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
beating the drums of war, the politicians are not realizing that their words and actions may later come back to haunt them.

Hundreds of opposition activists have been arrested along with their first and second-tier leadership by the state, which is simply unprecedented in the recent political history of Pakistain. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
would such violent mostly peaceful actions of arbitrary arrests, and baton charging, and tear gassing the protestors help to ease the charged atmosphere in the country? Similarly, houses of opposition leaders are being raided, thus setting another dangerous precedent in politics. Also, protesting families are manhandled in front of cameras with impunity, without realizing that local media may be influenced but not the foreign media which is continuously beaming ground realities to the international viewers.

Further, taking the State’s cue and molding public opinion, ideas are being floated in the print and media to repress the opposition—an essential ingredient of democracy. It has been suggested to set up ’rioter courts’ to punish the rioters, giving the example of the UK, which is the cradle of democracy and citizens’ rights are jealously guarded and the judiciary is independent and impermeable to any influence-hostile or condescending. To try the demonstrators, words like ’terrorism’ and ’terrorists’ are being thrown around like spaghetti, and everything is being painted as black or white: you are either with us or against us. In the UK, judges of the ’rioter courts’ handed sentences for vandalism, theft and arson only upon the provision of solid evidence provided by the law enforcement agencies, not at the whims and egos of a few. Similarly, it is being suggested to conduct trials by army courts. Such undemocratic steps would only weaken the institutions and democracy.

Among the political parties, PPP and its workers have suffered the most for democracy: the execution of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the liquidation of Benazir Bhutto
... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in...
(BB), the incarceration of former Pres Zardari and the flogging of PPP activists. BB was subjected to misogynistic slurs and faced a slew of cases. There are still iconic pictures of BB visiting her incarcerated husband with young children in tow. Therefore, PPP was always at the forefront to save democracy and give space to opposition. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
the torch of leadership has passed to a new generation: which, probably, has neither the experience nor memories of past political victimization, because of this no fire control measures are being initiated by the most mature political party in Pakistain.

There is a general glee over the victimization and abuse of the protesting public. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
keeping in view the political history of Pakistain, what goes around, comes around. Therefore, the petty and brutal tactics might come back to haunt everyone. The egos of a few have put the entire country in a spin and suddenly personal vendettas over the country’s interests have taken center stage. Political parties have probably forgotten the slogan: Democracy is the best Dire Revenge. So let sanity and saner minds prevail, lest everybody will lose what was hard won by BB—democracy
Link


Iraq
Former official reveals Saddam's covert support to foreign leaders
2023-05-14
Shafaq News / In an interview with Middle Eastern newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Salem al-Jumaili, the former head of the America division in the intelligence apparatus of Iraq's Ba'ath Party, disclosed that Saddam Hussein had provided financial backing to the electoral campaigns of both French politician Jacques Chirac and late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, aiding their victories.

al-Jumaili further divulged how Hussein's regime lent both monetary and military assistance to Lebanese General Michel Aoun during the "War of Liberation" aimed at expelling the Syrian army from Lebanon. He stated, "Saddam decided to punish the late President Hafez Al-Assad for halting the Iraqi oil pipeline that traversed Syria to Baniyas during the Iraq-Iran war, so he ordered support for Aoun, providing him with armored vehicles, ammunition, and $11 million."

The former intelligence officer also spoke of the Iraqi support extended to opponents of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's rule, after it was revealed that Gaddafi had supplied Iran with Scud missiles used to bombard Baghdad amid the Iraq-Iran war.

Additionally, al-Jumaili recounted a failed assassination attempt on Danielle Mitterrand, the wife of late French President François Mitterrand. She had been instrumental in publicizing the Halabja incident and Iraq's use of chemical weapons, prompting a decision to terminate her influence. In July 1992, during a visit to Sulaymaniyah province and while en route to the Halabja Martyrs' Monument, an explosive device was planted in her path, but she miraculously survived.
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