Editorial Archives - Daily Country News https://dailycountrynews.com/category/opinion/editorial-opinion/ Sat, 14 Jan 2023 10:04:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.3 https://dailycountrynews.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/cropped-WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-24-at-6.19.02-PM-100x100.jpeg Editorial Archives - Daily Country News https://dailycountrynews.com/category/opinion/editorial-opinion/ 32 32 Neglecting the Facts https://dailycountrynews.com/neglecting-the-facts/ Sat, 14 Jan 2023 10:04:01 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=33031

The first step required for the betterment of any situation is to accept the reality. When you accept the reality only then you can take suitable steps towards the betterment in the real sense. If one is not ready to accept the reality of present then he can never take any fruitful step towards the […]

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The first step required for the betterment of any situation is to accept the reality. When you accept the reality only then you can take suitable steps towards the betterment in the real sense. If one is not ready to accept the reality of present then he can never take any fruitful step towards the betterment of future. Same is the case with the incumbent federal government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Pakistan. The economy of the country was continuously going down, but the government kept on neglecting the reality and followed the way of giving the satisfactory statements. Resultantly, the foreign currency reserves of the country kept on coming down rapidly. With every passing week the foreign currency reserves kept on depleting.
When the government is busy in celebrations of so called success in the Geneva conference due to the promises which were made by the international institutions and the world powers, the foreign currency reserves have come down to historical low. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves dropped $1.2 billion to $4.3bn as of January 6, the central bank said on Thursday, leaving the country with barely three weeks’ worth of import cover. The drop was due to external debt repayments, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said in a statement. Net foreign exchange reserves held by commercial banks stood at $5.8bn, and total liquid reserves at $10.1bn, the bank added.
No one can deny the fact of apparent efforts of the incumbent government for the betterment of the country particularly for the betterment of the economy of the country. The government recently hold Geneva conference where the countries and international institutions promised to give 9.7 billion dollars. Besides this the recent visit of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also in front of everyone. But, again there comes the issue of the acceptance of reality. The government has announced that the PM’s visit to UAE has added an assistance of 4 billion dollars. But, the reality is totally antithesis to the claims of the government. The reality behind the 04 billion dollars assistance from UAE and Saudi Arabia is that UAE rolled over the loan of 2 billion dollars which was to be paid by Pakistan in February and besides this the UAE announced another loan of 01 billion dollars for the country. Similarly Saudi Arabia announced 01 billion dollars for the imports of petroleum products which would be paid in terms of deferred payments. So, the collective dollars which are announced for Pakistan are 01 billion dollars by UAE. Remaining 03 billion dollars are not supposed to land in Pakistan’s account. But, the government is misleading itself and nation by saying that Pakistan has successfully got 04 billion dollars from UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Country is two weeks away from its default. Apparent efforts are being made, but, the result oriented things are still could not be materialized. Reserves are still coming down, but the government is still busy in satisfying itself and the nation. The economic situation of the country has reached to the point where there is the need of the hour to impose an economy emergency. Otherwise, neglecting the facts may cause huge devastations.
Published in Daily Country News, January 14th, 2023.

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Political Chaos https://dailycountrynews.com/political-chaos-3/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 08:44:06 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32948

Political chaos in Punjab assembly continues as the rift between the ruling parties and opposition is still existing. The federal backed Governor Punjab, Baligh ur Rehman gave the ruling of the dismissal of Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi when the CM refused to take vote of confidence on the order of the Governor. The […]

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Political chaos in Punjab assembly continues as the rift between the ruling parties and opposition is still existing. The federal backed Governor Punjab, Baligh ur Rehman gave the ruling of the dismissal of Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi when the CM refused to take vote of confidence on the order of the Governor. The ruling side was of the view that as the session of the assembly was already continued so another session could not be summoned at the wish of the Governor. Therefore, the CM did not take the vote of confidence and the deadline date approached. After the deadline the Governor issued the order of the de-notification of the CM Punjab and ordered to dissolve the assembly. At that moment CM Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi took the case to the Lahore High Court (LHC) for challenging the decision of Governor. Since then the case is under discussion in the LHC.
On Wednesday, the issue came under discussion at LHC. Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Asim Hafeez remarked on Wednesday that it was compulsory for a chief minister to have round-the-clock support from a majority of lawmakers in the house. He passed these remarks as a five-member bench comprising him, Justice Abid Aziz Shaikh, Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, and Justice Muzamil Akhtar Shabir took up Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s plea challenging Governor Balighur Rehman’s orders to de-notify him as the provincial chief executive.
Important developments regarding CM Punjab’s status during the hearing at LHC include, Lahore High Court extends “interim relief” of reinstating Elahi as chief minister till Jan 12; Court says chief minister can’t dissolve assembly until 9am today; LHC judge observes CM must have round-the-clock support of a majority of assembly members; Elahi rejects court’s offer of fixing a date for a vote of confidence; PML-N asserts Elahi can’t “run away” from trust vote; Elahi’s lawyer says governor’s order aimed at preventing assembly dissolution. The hearing has been adjourned for one day.
The struggle for power in Punjab is continued. The coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Q is currently having majoring in the assembly. But, still the ruling parties are not taking any pragmatic step to take vote of confidence. There are 180 seats of PTI in the Punjab Assembly and PML-Q is having 10 seats. One independent candidate in Punjab Assembly is also supporting the government. In this way total numbers in the hand of the government is 191 whereas 186 votes are required for making government in the province. One of the PTI’s Member of Punjab Assembly, Momina Waheed has announced not to support Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi in case of confidence vote. If CM Punjab decides to take vote of confidence then despite losing the support of Momina Waheed Chauhdry Pervez Ilahi is still having 190 votes. So, the majority is still in the hands of Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi. But, still the ruling government is not in the favor of taking vote of confidence which shows that there is something wrong in the bottom. Today is very important as the LHC will hear the case again and may take a final decision to rap up the mess which has been created in Punjab.
Published in Daily Country News, january 12th, 2023.

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Show Off https://dailycountrynews.com/show-off/ Mon, 09 Jan 2023 08:51:16 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32843

The incumbent government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) believes in showing off all the times even if it costs very high. The group of 14 political parties ousted the former Prime Minister Imran Khan by chanting the slogan of progress and development along with the betterment of economy. But, the results which are being witnessed […]

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The incumbent government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) believes in showing off all the times even if it costs very high. The group of 14 political parties ousted the former Prime Minister Imran Khan by chanting the slogan of progress and development along with the betterment of economy. But, the results which are being witnessed by everyone currently during the government of PDM are totally anti thesis to the slogans. During same month last year Pakistan was having foreign reserves of 16 billion dollars. But, today the country is having only 4.5 billion dollars which are not enough for the imports of one month more.
All the indicators of economy are showing that the practical default of the country has been started. But, the government’s habit of sacrificing everything for its show off still could not be changed. The day when the foreign currency reserves of the country hit the historical low the government released advertisements casting thousands of rupees just to show the masses that economy is all set. There were satisfying contents in the advertisements which were published at the front pages of all the leading newspapers. The content of the advertisement was totally distracting one.
Besides this, the government’s officials are still not ready to admit the reality. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves currently stand at $10 billion and not $4 billion as $6 billion held by commercial banks also belong to the country. The minister made the remarks on Saturday while talking to a private news channel and maintained that Pakistan’s due debts are being returned on time and the country’s forex reserves will “stabilise again very soon”. The statement by the financial czar comes a day after this paper had reported that the country’s forex reserves held by the central bank fell to $4.5 billion – hardly enough to finance 25 days of imports – after Pakistan returned over $1 billion in loans to two foreign commercial banks.
All bells of danger have been rung, but the show off movement by the government is also continued. The Finance Minister has given an irresponsible statement by saying that country is still having 10 billion dollars. The 06 billion dollars in commercial banks are basically not the money of the country instead it is the money which has been deposited by the people of the country. But, the Finance Minister has counted this money with foreign currency reserves. This money cannot be added to the foreign currency reserves. If the country will do so than the masses will loose their money and also confidence from the banks.
When a country defaults then every citizen of that particular country gets disturb. It happens when the country adds the money of people to the foreign currency reserves. Then it happens that the account balance of every citizen comes down to zero automatically. Banks also refuse to pay back money of people. In the current situation if the country does not get the assistance from any friendly country then the reserves will further come down and country may face the default situation. Government should try to avoid show off now. Steps should be taken while accepting the reality.
Published in Daily Country News, January 9th, 2023.

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Depleting Reserves https://dailycountrynews.com/depleting-reserves/ Sat, 07 Jan 2023 09:45:03 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32802

Foreign currency reserves of a country play an important role in defining the lines of the economy of a specific country. A country having abundant foreign currency reserves supports its all the departments in a good way. But, when a country lacks the foreign currency reserves then the whole cycle of the country disturbs badly. […]

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Foreign currency reserves of a country play an important role in defining the lines of the economy of a specific country. A country having abundant foreign currency reserves supports its all the departments in a good way. But, when a country lacks the foreign currency reserves then the whole cycle of the country disturbs badly.
Pakistan is currently facing worst situation of economy. Foreign Currency reserves of Pakistan are continuously coming down. Last week country was having 5.8 billion dollars in foreign currency reserves. But, today the reserves have further come down. Now Pakistan is having only 5.6 billion dollars in the account. The reserves have come down to a drastic level. Country is standing at the verge of devastation. All the indicators of economy are showing that country will default soon. But, the government is still not accepting openly and is busy in giving the satisfying statements.
The options county having in its hand currently are only two including assistance from any friendly country or a package from International Monetary Fund (IMF). Efforts are being made to get assistance from Saudi Arabia and China. Besides this, steps are also being taken for engaging IMF. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Friday said an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation was slated to visit Pakistan in 2-3 days to “take up and finalise” the ninth review of the economy to unstick a direly needed bailout tranche of $1.1 billion. “I spoke to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and emphasised that Pakistan wishes to complete the IMF bailout programme,” the premier said during an address at the inauguration ceremony of Hazara Electric Supply Company (HAZECO). “I urged her to soften the terms of the deal because the masses cannot be burdened anymore. We have slapped taxes on the rich segments of society,” the premier claimed. “I also pleaded with her to dispatch a delegation for the 9th review under the loan programme and she replied that IMF officials are scheduled to visit Pakistan in over a couple of days (2-3) days.”
Despite knowing the fact that country is standing at the verge of default, the political parties are continuously playing the tactics of blame game. In a recent move, the prime minister criticised the previous government for undermining Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries including China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE because ex-prime minister Imran Khan utilised most of his energies for political victimisation and blaming the opponents. Calling Imran a thankless person, the prime minister said the PTI chief had nothing to claim the credit for any development project in KP, Sindh, AJK, GB, and Hazara. He said despite enjoying the immense support from the army, the PTI chief was ungrateful to the former military leadership General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and was instead hurling blames at him.
Pakistan is supposed to pay back the debt of more than 08 billion Dollars in March. But, the current reserves are standing at 5.6 billion Dollars. The government is expecting a miracle from IMF. But, in case the IMF agrees with Pakistan even then the country will receive just 1 billion dollars which would not be able play any decisive role. Efforts should be utilized more towards seeking the help from friendly countries so that the economy of the country may not default.

Published in Daily Country News, January 7th, 2023.

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Punjab Saga https://dailycountrynews.com/punjab-saga/ Fri, 06 Jan 2023 09:01:04 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32743

Punjab Assembly has become an epicenter of politics in Pakistan. The political scuffle between the ruling parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League Q with opposition has destabilized the province. The opposition parties had submitted the motion of no confidence against Chief Minister Punjab, Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi, but the matter lingered on due to the […]

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Punjab Assembly has become an epicenter of politics in Pakistan. The political scuffle between the ruling parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League Q with opposition has destabilized the province. The opposition parties had submitted the motion of no confidence against Chief Minister Punjab, Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi, but the matter lingered on due to the ruling of the Governor Punjab regarding de notification of CM Punjab. So, the matter reached Lahore High Court which postponed the hearing till January 11.
During this period two big developments took place. One was that the opposition parties took the no confidence motion back and the other was that the discussion generated regarding the vote of confidence. As the session of Punjab Assembly is scheduled to take place on January 09, so there were talks that the CM may get the vote of confidence on the said day before the scheduled hearing at LHC on January 11. While considering this point the political parties had started disturbing the number game in the Punjab Assembly. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA, Momina Waheed announced not to vote for Ch Pervez Ilahi in confidence voting. After her statement a number of speculations circulated across the country that the government of PTI and PML-Q in Punjab is in great danger as MPA’s are going to change their direction.
The prolonged discussion about confidence motion ended on Thursday evening when CM Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi announced that he is not going to take the vote of confidence. In a press conference in Lahore, the chief minister said: “I don’t accept the letter that the governor has written for the vote of confidence. If I take the vote of confidence, then it means that I am accepting the letter.” The move will likely intensify the political turmoil in Punjab, which came to a halt after the Lahore High Court (LHC) reinstated Elahi as the CM following his de-notification by the governor. The court reinstated Elahi on December 23 and adjourned the hearing till January 11. Although it restricted the CM from dissolving the assembly, the court said its order would not stop Elahi from taking a vote of confidence. As a result, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), an ally of Elahi started works and the party’s leaders claimed that the CM would take the trust vote before January 11, the hearing’s date.
The number game in Punjab assembly is in the favor Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi currently. Punjab assembly is comprised of 371 members and the votes of 186 members are required for making government in Punjab. In the current situation PTI and PML-Q are jointly ruling the province. PTI has 180 seats and PML-Q has 10 seats. So, Chaudhry Pervez Ilahi has total 190 votes and in case one PTI’s MPA not gives vote to Ilahi even then the number would be 189. But, the situation can be problematic in case few other MPAs also announce their support with the PTI’s MPA Momina Waheed. So, apparently the situation is in the favor of Ch Pervez Ilahi. If he decides to get the confidence vote then he can manage to get the majority. But, to avoid any mishap he has decided not to go for taking vote of confidence. So the Punjab Saga in politics of Pakistan seems to be continued in coming days.

Published in Daily Country News, January 6th, 2023.

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Dealing Terrorism https://dailycountrynews.com/dealing-terrorism/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 06:56:56 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32670

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has once again posed serious threats to the security of the country. Operating from neighboring country, Afghanistan, TTP is actively engaging its targets in Pakistan. Terrorists have successfully created a sense of insecurity in the country once again. Law enforcement agencies and people of the country presented huge sacrifices for the restoration […]

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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has once again posed serious threats to the security of the country. Operating from neighboring country, Afghanistan, TTP is actively engaging its targets in Pakistan. Terrorists have successfully created a sense of insecurity in the country once again. Law enforcement agencies and people of the country presented huge sacrifices for the restoration of the sense of security in the recent past. But, the terrorist groups have put the security of the state at stake again.
Government and armed forces are committed for ensuring peace in the country. The high ups have tried their best for engaging TTP on table talks. But, the faction is continuously carrying on its activities against Pakistan. Therefore, the government has decided to shift its policy towards TTP. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Tuesday said that there will be no talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or any other terrorist organisation. Talking about the National Security Committee meeting, in an interview, Sanaullah said Pakistan has decided to share evidence with the Taliban government as the terrorists based in Afghanistan are involved in terror activities here. The interior minister said that Afghanistan had promised that its territory would not be used against any other country, and the Afghan government would be asked to fulfil that promise.
When government is taking all the essential measures to deal with the TTP, India has got the chance to defame Pakistan worldwide by mentioning Pakistan as the epicenter of terrorism. Indian minister made a veiled attack on Pakistan during a press conference in Vienna along with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg. “We spoke on the threats to international peace and security that are posed by terrorism, including its cross-border practices, violent extremism, radicalisation and fundamentalism. Their effects cannot be contained within a region especially so when they are deeply connected to narcotics and illegal weapons trade, and other forms of international crime. Since the epicentre is located so close to India, naturally our experiences and insights are useful to others,” he alleged.
Indian allegation has been strictly responded from Pakistani side. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said: “Pakistan rejects the baseless and frivolous accusations made by the Indian External Affairs Minister. His latest tirade is a reflection of growing frustration over India’s failure to malign and isolate Pakistan.” She said that for the last several years, India has engaged in a malicious campaign to mislead the international community through a fictitious narrative of victimhood and vile anti-Pakistan propaganda.
Being an arch rival, India never miss any chance to accuse Pakistan. Currently Pakistan is facing a new emerging wave of terrorism so India has once again raised finger at Pakistan. Although the whole world has a better understanding of the norms and values which are being practiced by the Moodi’s led government in India. The fascist government of India has violated all the norms and values in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). State terrorism is being waged in IIOJK by Indian authorities. The country whose government itself is waging terrorism in IIOJK has no moral ground to raise finger at Pakistan which is itself a great victim of the terrorism. Country’s struggle to deal with terrorism is continued in the right direction. India should see its own internal matters instead of accusing Pakistan at international forums.

Published in Daily Country News, January 5th, 2023.

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Energy Conservation https://dailycountrynews.com/energy-conservation/ Wed, 04 Jan 2023 08:38:00 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32639

Electricity and gas shortage in Pakistan during the winter season has become a must factor. Every year the rulers chant slogans during the summer that the government has overcome the issues of the shortage of energy. But, these slogans always proven wrong as with the beginning of winter season citizens face huge issues due to […]

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Electricity and gas shortage in Pakistan during the winter season has become a must factor. Every year the rulers chant slogans during the summer that the government has overcome the issues of the shortage of energy. But, these slogans always proven wrong as with the beginning of winter season citizens face huge issues due to the shortage of electricity and gas. This time the government is also facing worst situation of economy due to which the citizens are already facing high rates of petroleum products. At this stage the government is planning to further increase the rates of petroleum products for dragging the country out of the current situation.
While considering the overall energy shortage in the country, the federal government on Tuesday announced an energy conservation policy. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Tuesday said the federal government had approved the energy conservation plan that enforces the closure of markets at 8:30pm and wedding halls at 10pm along with banning the usage of inefficient appliances that would save the country around R62 billion. Asif announced the cabinet’s decision in a press conference. He was accompanied by other ministers including Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for energy Khurram Dastgir Khan, and Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.
The government has decided that markets will be closed by 8:30pm; Wedding halls will be shut down by 10pm; Use of inefficient fans of 120-130 watts to be banned; Filament bulbs will not be produced from Feb 1, 2023; All govt offices to install energy-efficient appliances; Electronic motorbikes will be introduced in the country; Awareness campaigns to be launched on electronic, social media; Committee formed to deliberate on WFH policy; New building code being devised; Use of conical geysers to be made mandatory within a year; and Streetlights across the country will be turned on alternately.
The decisions taken by the government are very good and are in the favor of the current situation being faced by the country. But, due to the current political instability in the country the decision of the federal government has been rejected by the Punjab government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while maintaining that the federal government did not took them in confidence in this regard. Besides these governments, Traders and restaurant owners have also categorically rejected the federal government’s decision to shut all malls and markets by 8:30pm in line with the new energy conservation plan. Ajmal Baloch, president All-Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran (APAT) said that the shops will not close before 10pm, while restaurants will remain open till 11pm. Terming the government’s strategy for saving energy by halting the economic growth “counter effective”, Ajmal suggested that government officials stop using air conditioners and heaters in offices while protocols and allowances are given to bureaucrats and rulers should be stopped.
The decision of closing the markets earlier is a wise decision and is in accordance with the norms of civilized world. But, in the current situation when sky rocketing inflation has badly impacted the masses across the country the government has brought such a policy which will further affect the citizens. Instead of taking energy conservations steps during the bad times the government should follow the lines of making long term policies of energy conservation in the good times. So that the decision may not affect the people when they are already affected.

Published in Daily Country News, January 4th,  2023.

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New Year Challenges https://dailycountrynews.com/new-year-challenges/ Mon, 02 Jan 2023 11:26:57 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32604

New year’s eve was celebrated across the country and around the World as 2022 proved to be a productive year for some countries while the most testified for others including Pakistan. The previous year left Pakistan in multiple challenges ranging from political uncertainty to rising terrorism and economic insecurity. This year begins with a fresh […]

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New year’s eve was celebrated across the country and around the World as 2022 proved to be a productive year for some countries while the most testified for others including Pakistan. The previous year left Pakistan in multiple challenges ranging from political uncertainty to rising terrorism and economic insecurity.

This year begins with a fresh political motion from the major opposition Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling for countrywide protests against sky rising inflation and to force the government for snap polls. The call is given amid unwavering terror incidents, uncontrolled inflation, fears of default and government’s inability to afford fresh elections and dissolutions of KP and Punjab Assemblies.

People’s prosperity is directly linked with economic stability while economic stability can’t be achieved in the absence of peace and political stability. These are three major aspects of ongoing uncertainty, mistrust and citizens’ craving for moving abroad, specifically educated class. According to official data released by the Bureau of Emigration, 765,000 educated youth left the country for overseas opportunities last year, nearly triple the 225,000 departures in 2021 and 288,000 emigrants in 2020. Among those left the country were over 92,000 well educated professionals like Doctors, Engineers, IT Experts and Accountants.

Earlier on December 20, 2022, it was an indirect admission of the government to default mantra as a Federal Cabinet meeting that ranked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme as the last option. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday the government had “no other option” but to implement the IMF conditions that was earlier termed by Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal as not-people friendly. Hinting at the further delay in reaching the agreement with IMF on the ninth review, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal last Monday told media that some of the Fund’s conditions were too harsh for the common people and can’t be accepted. “Still, the government is trying to negotiate [with IMF] and lessen the burden on the people,” the federal minister added.

According to a report released by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), Pakistan suffered 376 terror attacks in 2022 out of which banned terror outfits such as TTP, Daesh and BLA claimed responsibility for 57 of these strikes.  The report warned Pakistan is likely to endure more violence in 2023.

Security forces lost at least 282 personnel in 2022, with 40 fatalities only in December, in attacks that Included Improvised Explosive Device (IED) ambushes, suicide attacks and raids on security posts, mostly in the Pakistan-Afghan border regions.

In view of these major challenges, holding General elections are also in the limbo as polls are scheduled to be held in Pakistan less than 60 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly, which is set to dissolve on 13 August 2023, unless dissolved earlier: in which case the election shall be held within 90 days after dissolution according to the Constitution. This means that the election must be held no later than 12 October 2023.

So, in 2023, the government has to make an environment for general elections. It has to firmly depose security threats to the country and defeat terrorism. While the government also has to prove the default mantra as just a narrative built in political talk-shows. And the government also has to win the trust of people, businesses and foreign investors.

Published in Daily Country News, January 2nd, 2023.

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Closing from Pakistan https://dailycountrynews.com/closing-from-pakistan/ Sat, 31 Dec 2022 12:18:33 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32562

When the political blame game and race for power is continued in Pakistan, the economy of the country has reached to the point where the survival seems quite harder. The prolonged discussion on default has finally entered into the phase where the companies and industries working in Pakistan are continuously closing their operations. Besides this, […]

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When the political blame game and race for power is continued in Pakistan, the economy of the country has reached to the point where the survival seems quite harder. The prolonged discussion on default has finally entered into the phase where the companies and industries working in Pakistan are continuously closing their operations. Besides this, the basic medicines are also not available in the markets. The foreign currency reserves have come to 5.8 billion dollars which are not enough for trading just one more month.
Operations of a number of industries are being closed. The companies which had come to work in country are closing from Pakistan. Pak Suzuki is the company which is considered as the most favorite car manufacturer in Pakistan as people use their cars more as compare to others. But, Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) Monday announced that its production plant will be closed completely from January 2 to 6 due to the shortage of inventory level following a restriction on the import of auto parts. PSMC, in a notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has introduced a mechanism for prior approval for import under “HS code 8703 category (including completely knocked down – CKDs) vide circular No.09 of 2022 dated May 20, 2022”. Similarly the other most used brand of cars, Toyota, has already closed its plant from Pakistan. Similarly, the car manufacture company ‘KIA’ which recently got fame in the country has also announced to close its biggest dealership in the country. In an official announcement, Kia Lucky Motor Corporation (KLMC) has announced that one of its dealerships in Karachi is shutting down permanently. The shutdown of the company-operated dealership, Kia Motors Shahrah-e-Faisal, will take effect from January 1, 2023.
Not only the car manufacturers are closing their operations from Pakistan, but all the other industries including textile which is considered as the most beneficial industry is also under a great pressure, therefore a number of textile industries have announced to cut down the production. Nishat Chunian Limited, one of Pakistan’s largest textile companies, informed investors on Wednesday that it was temporarily shutting off some spindles because of market conditions. In a Pakistan Stock Exchange filing, Nishat Chunian Limited (NCL) stated, “The company has an installed capacity of 219,528 spindles and 2,880 rotors in its spinning division. Company has decided to temporarily close 51,360 spindles after one month due to market conditions.” Similarly another big name of Pakistan’s textile industry, Suraj Cotton Mills Limited (SURC)also announced to curtail its productions by 40%. SURC announced the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). “We would like to inform you that due to the worldwide economic recession and low demand, it is not feasible to continue with full production in our plants.
All the local and international business firms have lost their confidence from Pakistan. The indicators of economy are in front of them. So, they are quite clear that the country is going to default very soon. Therefore, the operations are being closed from Pakistan. One of the reasons is that due to shortage of Dollars imports have been stopped. So, a number of companies are facing acute shortage of important things required for production. The point to consider here is that companies are closing their operations, but political leadership is busy in their race of personal gains. The need of the hour is to impose an economic emergency in the country to avoid expected default in coming days.

Published in Daily Country News, December 31th, 2022.

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Technocrat Setup https://dailycountrynews.com/technocrat-setup/ Fri, 30 Dec 2022 11:07:45 +0000 https://dailycountrynews.com/?p=32512

There is ample discussion about technocrat setup in the country to meet the current challenge of defaulting economy. The discussion unfolded on Tuesday when the former Chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), Shabbar Zaidi said that the talks are underway for bringing in the technocrat setup in the country. Since then the discussions and speculations […]

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There is ample discussion about technocrat setup in the country to meet the current challenge of defaulting economy. The discussion unfolded on Tuesday when the former Chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), Shabbar Zaidi said that the talks are underway for bringing in the technocrat setup in the country. Since then the discussions and speculations regarding technocrat setup are surfacing everywhere.
However, the response from political parties shows that there is no reality in this discussion. The first response witnessed from the former Prime Minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan who has first time given the statement that he is no more seeing the general election to be held in near future. He considered the discussion regarding technocrat setup as a threat. The ruling parties are also negating these speculations as the federal minister for railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique categorically rejected the mantra of bringing the technocrat setup in the country.
Federal minister for interior, Rana Sana Ullah has also categorically rejected this discussion. Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) attempt to build up the narrative of a potential technocrat setup is aimed at stoking political instability and uncertainty, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said. It was stated by the federal minister while responding to a statement of PTI Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry, who had earlier said: “It’s a joke to bring a government of technocrats for two-and-a-half years.”
Similarly Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is also not in the favor of technocrat setup in the country. So, the response from all the political parties regarding technocrat setup is same. All the political parties are on the same page in this regard. But, the discussion that has been unfolded in the country needs a proper explanation as there are a number of questions which are being raised in the minds of people.
Technocrat setup is basically a setup of the government where the key positions in the government are given to the technocrats who are well trained and experts of their fields. Bringing such a system in a country always means that the political parties either have failed in running the state or have no eligibility for doing that. So, at this point such a system is usually introduced in the country with the backing of armed forces and establishment. Technocratic set ups are usually brought when the state is in a great trouble either due to some issue related to economy or others.
Pakistan is currently facing the worst economic situation. Foreign exchange reserves have come down to historical low. So, due to the defaulting economy a number of speculations are surfacing on media and social media. This is the reason due to which the discussion on technocrat setup has been unfolded. But, the question here is that whether technocrat setup is the only solution of the issues being faced by the country currently? So the answer is a big no. The reason is that all the three types of the government including Parliamentary system, presidential system, and technocratic system have been failed in Pakistan. The reason is only that the backend handlers remain same in all the cases. So, the technocrat setup is not the solution. Instead of bringing technocrat setup the political parties should wisely utilize the reserved seats for the technocrats.

Published in Daily Country News, December 30th, 2022.

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