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PAKISTAN'S VISION 2030
#41
IMRAN KHAN LAUNCHES TREE PLANTATION COUNTRYWIDE AND NAME IT PLANT FOR PAKISTAN 
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#42
'TIME FOR NATION TO STOP GLORIFYING MONEY LAUNDERERS SAYS PM IMRAN 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1487779/time-for-nation-to-stop-glorifying-money-launderers-says-pm-imran


Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that it was time for the nation to "stop glorifying" money launderers who he said have caused damage to the country and impoverished the people. Taking to Twitter, he stressed that no sort of protocol should be extended to such elements who are now "seeking refuge behind 'democracy'" — a reference to members of the main opposition PML-N and PPP parties, several of whom are facing corruption and money laundering cases.

"Where [in the world] are plunderers of public wealth given such special treatment?" he questioned, without specifying what protocol he was referring to. The premier added that it was time to treat such people "as criminals".

Prime Minister Imran's tweet comes hours after he, in a Tuesday night national address heaped scorn on the opposition parties and announced the establishment of a high-powered commission under him to probe as to how successive governments of the PPP and PML-N took Rs24 trillion loans during the last decade and brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy.


The address had followed a
noisy budget session in the National Assembly and two major arrests — Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz by the National Accountability Bureau and MQM founder Altaf Hussain by London police — earlier in the day. On Monday, former president Asif Ali Zardari was also arrested by NAB.


Accusing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, PPP co-chairman Zardari and their families of money laundering, the prime minister presented figures to inform the nation that their fortune had increased manifold. Terming the Charter of Democracy signed by the PPP and the PML-N a ‘charter of corruption’, he said that people had been witnessing real change in the country as very powerful and influential persons were now facing accountability.



“Now I am ordering the establishment of a high-powered commission to ascertain what happened in the last decade and to bring to justice all those involved in bringing Pakistan to this condition.”

He said the commission would include representatives of intelligence agencies, the Federal Board of Revenue, Federal Investigation Agency and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and work under his (the PM’s) supervision. He alleged that the opposition parties got united and were trying to blackmail the government because they wanted a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). “They may threaten my government, they may threaten my life, [but] they cannot deter me. I will bring everyone who has brought this country to this state to justice. This is my promise to the people of Pakistan.”

Earlier, speaking at a meeting of PTI’s parliamentary committee, he expressed satisfaction over the arrest of opposition leaders in corruption cases and termed it a “good omen” for the future of the country.  “The arrest of PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz and Altaf Hussain is obviously good for the country,” said the PM, according to a participant of the meeting. The prime minister said the recent arrests showed that national institutions had been strengthened and across-the-board accountability was being conducted.
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#43
A BIG MOVE OF IMRAN KHAN AT SCO SUMMIT ABOUT US DOLLAR 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR--CD4TzTA



QATAR IS READY TO INVEST $22 BILLION IN PAKISTAN FOR ENERGY AGRICULTURE LIVESTOCK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5CCfWK3Uxk

A SIGNATURE OF IMRAN KHAN CAN BRING BACK MONEY TO PAKISTAN 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrQwbneSCvU




QAMAR BAJWA ASIF GHAFOOR AND TEAM WENT TO LONDON TOUR 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgUQ7nnYau8
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#44
BANKS ARE INCREASING THE US DOLLAR RATE IN THE OPEN MARKET OF PAKISTAN 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1haM5na65k


US DOLLAR PRICE RISING WITH TURKISH LIRA AND PAKISTAN RUPEES 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sbd8riwa6o
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#45
TIME TO BOOST THE ECONOMY OF PAKISTAN IN A RIGHT WAY 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6umHENXNAps



SOVEREIGNTY HINGES ON ECONOMIC AUTONOMY SAYS ARMY CHIEF 
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2002122/1-c...ignty-coas


Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday stated that there cannot be any sovereignty in the absence of economic sovereignty and while the country is going through a difficult economic situation, everyone needs to fulfill their responsibilities so that the initiatives taken by the government succeed.

The COAS was speaking at a national seminar titled ‘Pakistan’s Economy: Challenges and Way Forward’, organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis (ISSRA) at National Defence University (NDU) in Islamabad.

The seminar dilated on ways of overcoming budget deficit, low tax collection base, circular debt, loss-ridden public sector enterprises, fiscal indiscipline, undocumented economy, weak institutional capacity, low exports, meeting federal obligations within existing NFC arrangements and the perceptions surrounding the prevailing economic environment.


The COAS endorsed the undeniable link between security and economy, stating both directly complement each other.

Cumulative debt has crippled national economy

He highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for restoring regional peace that will lead to better trade connectivity and reiterated the importance of regional security.

“Countries cannot develop individually, it is the region which develops. For our region to develop we need to have greater regional connectivity among all neighbours,” he stated.

Talking about the current economic situation, Gen Bajwa stated that the country is “going through difficult economic situation due to fiscal mismanagement”. “The armed forces played their part by voluntarily foregoing annual increase in defence budget and this is not the only step we are taking for the improvement of economy. We understand that the government has gone for difficult but quintessential decisions for long term benefits and what we are doing is playing our part. We all need to fulfill our responsibilities in this regard so that these difficult initiatives succeed,” he added.

Panel of speakers included Advisor to Chief Minister of Punjab on Economic Affairs and Planning Dr Salman Shah, Dean and Director IBA Dr Farrukh Iqbal, Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Almas Haider and FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, in his keynote address, shed light on the reasons which resulted into increasing these challenges. He counted perpetual security threats, inconsistent economic policies, poor economic discipline and lack of will to take difficult decisions in the past as major contributors to the economic situation the government is facing today.

The seminar was attended by large number economy experts, think tanks and representatives of business community.
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#46
IMRAN KHAN GETS THE TRUMP TREATMENT 
https://www.trtworld.com/video/tv-shows/imran-khan-gets-the-trump-treatment-burying-the-nakba/5d374620b9fa6764a9a5a0b9



AID HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST CURSES FOR PAKISTAN
PM IMRAN KHAN
https://www.dawn.com/news/1495748/aid-has-been-one-of-the-biggest-curses-for-pakistan-pm-imran


"Countries rise because of self respect and self esteem. No countries rise because of begging and borrowing for money." Prime Minister Imran Khan, during an address delivered at the United States Institute of Peace on Tuesday, impressed upon the audience that Pakistan seeks a "dignified relationship with the US" which is not curtailed by the securing or withdrawal of aid.

"I would like to have a relationship between the two countries of mutual trust. I would like to have a relationship as equals, of friendship. Not as it has been before [...] Pakistan wanting aid from the US and then for aid it is expected to do certain things. "The reason why I am happy leaving the US this time is that we now have a relationship based on mutual interest, which is peace in Afghanistan.”

The premier said that he had been asked about whether there would be a request for funds to which he had said: "I hate the idea of asking for funds. Aid has been one of the biggest curses for my country. What it has done is it has created the dependency syndrome."  "Countries rise because of self respect and self esteem. No countries rise because of begging and borrowing for money," he added.


Pakistan, US on same page about Afghanistan
He expressed confidence that there was "convergence between the United States and Pakistan" when it came to recognising that there is no military solution to deal with the war in Afghanistan. He said that he viewed the dynamic to be different now, as both sides were finally looking at things through the same lens. "The Pakistan Army was fighting but they [the US] thought we are not doing enough [...] we had gone out of our way. But this time, we are all on the same page that only a political settlement through dialogue will work," said the prime minister. In January this year, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo [url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1459671/trump-wants-to-end-long-drawn-out-wars-pompeo]had emphasised
a new "sustainable" strategy of the United States for fighting terrorism which seeks to end long, drawn-out wars.

“President Trump very much wants to end these long, drawn-out [wars] — 17 years now in Afghanistan,” the chief US diplomat had said. In today's discussion with Nancy Lindbord, the president of the United States Institute of Peace, PM Imran expressed great hope that a political settlement to the Afghan war can be reached and that the relationship between the United States and Pakistan had great potential after this visit. When asked what makes things different now in the relationship between the two countries compared to the past, the premier said: "I always felt [previously] that the relationship was never multi-pronged, always transactional."  The premier, providing a backdrop to the circumstances that led to the present situation in Afghanistan, said that the 'jihadists' had been convinced to fight against the Soviets and once the 'jihad' was over, the US packed up and left and "we were slapped with sanctions". "We were left with four million Afghan refugees [...] a number of militant groups created to fight the Soviets, all dressed up and nowhere to go, heroin, drugs — which at some point were used to pay for the fighting," he continued, to highlight the scale of the fallout after the war had ended.

He said that after 9/11 Pakistan again joined the US [in the fight against terrorism]. "I only had one seat in parliament. When Gen Musharraf consulted us [on whether we should join the war] I opposed it and said we should stay neutral."   He then went on to explain, why he felt it would have been in Pakistan's best interest to remain neutral. "We had created these 'jihadi' groups in the 80s. We had indoctrinated them in the idea of 'jihad'. That foreign occupation in Afghanistan [...] it was a religious duty to fight them. So all these foreign groups, including Al Qaeda had arrived in Pakistan."   "Now comes 9/11. And the US invades Afghanistan. And now we are trying to tell the same groups, who had close links with the Pakistan Army — because they were created by the Pakistan Army — now we are telling them because the good guys are there, its no longer 'jihad'."    "Now obviously, a lot of them turned against the Pakistan Army because the Pakistan Army was then trying to neutralise them."   The premier said that the years that followed were "the worst time in our history".   "These groups turned against the Pakistan Army and the State of Pakistan. And not only that, there were linkages between these groups and the Pakistan security forces because they had created them. "We had insider attacks, the GHQ was attacked, the generals were killed, the ISI headquarters were attacked. The Army at one point could not go into the cities in military clothes or with military cars. It was that bad," said PM Imran, as he asserted his view of why Pakistan should have never gotten involved.


"The second thing was the tribal areas. We should never have sent our Army into the tribal areas. "The tribal area per capita was the most weaponised area in the world, he said," pausing to provide a brief history of the region that had been left autonomous post-British era and that had "lived by its own rules". 

"In 2004, under pressure from the US, the Pakistan Army went into the tribal areas to flush out Al Qaeda. What happened was, after Tora Bora in Afghanistan, a few of the Al Qaeda moved down into our tribal areas which were semi-autonomous. When they sent the Army in [...] you know armies are not meant to go into civilian areas. "Whenever you send your army into civilian areas there will always be human rights abuses because there is no army there, there are just guerillas operating from villages. "The collateral damage created what became the Pakistani Taliban. There was no Pakistani Taliban [group] before," he said. 


"In my opinion, we should have stayed neutral. That way we would have control over these militant groups and we could have, in our own time, neutralised them," he added, before going on to say: "But because we became a part of the US war, they turned against Pakistan."   He said that what followed was a watershed moment in Pakistani politics, recounting the 2014 Army Public School massacre in which 150 school children were slaughtered by the TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) — the Pakistani faction of the Taliban. "There was a reaction [to the APS tragedy] within Pakistan. All the political parties signed the NAP (National Action Plan) and we all decided that we will never allow any militant groups to operate within Pakistan."  The premier said that because there had been such a sizable presence of these groups [estimating them to be around 30,000-strong] that had obtained "training in some theatre — Afghanistan or Kashmir", there had been a challenge which no one was willing to take previously.   "Prior to our government coming into power, past governments did not have the political will [...] we were the first government to start disarming militant groups. "We have taken over their institutes, their seminaries, we have [placed] administrators there. For the first time we have decided there will be no armed militias inside our country."


'Strategic depth no longer a concept'
Lindbord then talked about the ongoing Afghan peace process and the possibility of a breakthrough and asked whether the Pakistani government is able and willing to make the commitments to help move the dialogues forward, especially if the Taliban and the government are not able to get a meeting organised. To this, the premier responded by saying: "The fear among the Pakistan military establishment was always that there would be a two-front situation. So there would be the eastern front, which is India, and if Afghanistan was also in the Indian sphere of influence then Pakistan would be sandwiched between the two." He said owing to this worry, the military always wanted what it called "strategic depth". "But this has changed. Today there is no concept in Pakistan of strategic depth. Because we feel that by interfering in Afghanistan, in order to secure the strategic depth, we have actually done a lot of damage to our own country. And for no rhyme or reason we have become partisan in Afghanistan's internal affairs. 


He said that in the past there was always this impression that Pakistan Army is an independent entity and governments have no control over it.  "I can sit here and tell you that as I speak, the Pakistan Army is exactly behind the government's programme. Whatever policies from day one, whether it was peace with India, they were behind us," he said, pausing to mention that when he had decided to release the Indian pilot captured by the Army, they supported his decision. "There is no difference between the policies of Pakistan's security forces or the policies of Pakistan's democratic government." He said that the Afghans should be "left to decide what they want, what sort of government they want and we should facilitate the peace process". "So this is the big difference now. We are all on the same page...and fortunately the US is on the same page [...] 19 years of conflict and this could have gone on. Thank God for President Trump. This could have gone on for another 19 years without any result."

'Pakistan media freer than British media'
He then went on to talk about how free the media in Pakistan is, saying that he had spent 18 summers of his life in Britain where he had noted that the media is very open and free.
"The Pakistan media, in my opinion, is even freer than the British media [...] it is not just free but sometimes out of control," said the prime minister. He went on to say that in Britain no media would have published the kind of remarks that the Pakistani media had since he had come into power. "A prime minister of a country and this man sits on television and says he is 'getting divorced tomorrow'," he said, referring to rumours that had circulated in the media a few months ago about his allegedly rocky relationship with First Lady Bushra Bibi. "In the olden days, this guy would have been beaten up. In Nawaz Sharif's time, he had journalists beaten up. Asif Zardari — people were petrified of him. People would disappear," he said. The premier said he, on the other hand, had gone through the legal channels to take action. "So what we need, is to control the media, not through the government but through a media watchdog. "They reported wrongly that the IMF had said that the rupee would fall, to a number they quoted. There was a run on the rupee. Who would do that [anywhere else in the world]?"    He said that the government was on the one hand struggling to revive the economy and on the other hand the media was falsely reporting such things and causing a run on the rupee. "I feel very strongly we will strengthen the media watchdog. It is not censorship. There are 70-80 channels in Pakistan. Only three reported they were having some problems."
He said that the media would have to be more accountable and will have to answer for their source of income. "Even if we ask them about taxes, they say this is against freedom of expression."



'Iran should not be pushed into conflict'
When asked what role Pakistan can play in calming the rising tensions with Iran without ruining the relations it has with other countries, the prime minister said that an offer had already been made to Iran for Pakistan to play a role and until recently, Iran was receptive to the idea, but now seemed "desperate". He urged all the countries to avoid pushing Iran into a conflict. "I'm not sure all the countries realise the gravity of the situation if there is a conflict with Iran [...] This is not going to be the same as Iraq. This could be much, much, worse. It will have grave, adverse consequences for our country [as well].  "It could unleash terrorism where Al Qaeda would be forgotten," warned PM Imran.
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#47
AT A TIME OF THE RISE OF "STRONGMEN" POPULIST NATIONALIST LEADERS GLOBALLY THE FUTURE OF ETHNO RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES HAS BECOME A BURNING ISSUE. IF THIS IS NOT HANDLED THESE TENSIONS MAY ERUPT TO THE SURFACE AND NATIONAL COHESION MAYBE THREATENED FATALLY.  IN THIS CONTEXT THERE IS GREAT NEWS COMING FROM PAKISTAN THAT AS A MODERN ISLAMIC NATION STATE IT WANTS MINORITIES TO THRIVE AND FLOURISH. IMRAN KHAN HAS REMINDED PAKISTANIS THAT JINNAH ENSURED THAT THE NATIONAL FLAG WAS NOT JUST GREEN REPRESENTING MUSLIMS BUT WHITE WHICH REPRESENTS THE NONMUSLIM MINORITIES. PAKISTAN HAS BEEN GIVEN UNFAIR AND NEGATIVE PRESS ON THIS FRONT AND IT'S IMAGE NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED. VARIOUS INITIATIVES PROMOTING SIKHISM, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY ARE TO BE LAUDED AND SHOULD BE RECIPROCATED. ISLAM HAS AN INHERENTLY PLURALISTIC AND MULTICULTURAL VISION OF PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE FOR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE PROPAGANDA OF ISLAMOPHOBES ON THE ONE HAND AND THE TAKFIRI EXTREMISTS ON THE OTHERHAND NEEDS TO BE REJECTED AND ELIMINATED. MORE ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE PAID TO THIS GLOBALLY.      

 
MINORITY DAY 
THOSE WHO CONVERT OTHERS BY FORCE DO NOT UNDERSTAND ISLAMIC HISTORY, PM SAYS 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1496888

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said there was no precedent in Islamic history for forcefully converting others, and those who do so "know neither the history of Islam, nor their religion, the Quran or Sunnah."

The premier made the remarks while addressing an event around the National Minority Day hosted at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad. The premier said that Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) life was a road map for people to follow till the day of judgement. He explained that the Prophet himself had given minorities religious freedom and protected their places of worship, "because the Quran orders that there be no compulsion in religion".

"How can we then take it into our own hands to forcefully convert someone to Islam — either by marrying [non-Muslim] women [...] or on gunpoint or to [by threatening to] kill someone because of their religion?" he asked.

"All these things are un-Islamic. If God hadn't given his messengers the power to impose their beliefs on someone, who are we [to do so]?" he asked, explaining that the messengers' duty was only to spread the word of God. 

Riasat-i-Madina
The premier said that since coming to power, he had said that the Riasat-i Madina was the only model for Pakistan, which had been created in the name of Islam. Imran shared that Allama Iqbal had said that when a Muslim rises, they aspire to this model (the model of the state of Madina), and when they fall, they deviate from this model. "This is why I want this model to be studied in the country. What was the Riasat-i-Madina? We are trying that universities teach courses on the Riasat-i-Madina," he said.

According to Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran also said that though the government was merely implementing the law against previous leaders, they were raising a hue and cry. Addressing the ceremony, President Dr Arif Alvi also reiterated that the ideas of the Riasat-i-Madina be brought to Pakistan.



WILL ENSURE MINORITIES TREATED AS EQUAL CITIZENS IN NAYA PAKISTAN, VOWS PM ON QUAID'S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1453520/will-e...nniversary

Prime Minister Imran Khan on the occasion of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's birth anniversary assured minority communities that they would be treated as equal citizens in Naya Pakistan "unlike what is happening in India". The prime minister on Tuesday tweeted that "Naya Pakistan is Quaid's Pakistan and will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India." He added that Jinnah had envisaged Pakistan as a "democratic, just and compassionate" nation.
 
"Most importantly, he wanted our minorities to be equal citizens. It should be remembered that his early political career was as an ambassador for Hindu Muslim unity," the premier said, adding that Jinnah's struggle for a separate nation for Muslims only began when he realised that Muslims would not be treated as equal citizens by the Hindu majority.
 
It is the second time in a week that the prime minister has highlighted the treatment of minorities in India. On Saturday, the premier had asserted that Pakistan would ensure equal rights to all minorities and show Indian premier Narendra Modi’s government "how we treat the minorities in Pakistan in stark comparison to the minorities’ status in India". He had said that in India voices were being raised about the discriminatory treatment of minorities.




MADINA STATE AND 'NAYA' PAKISTAN 
Pervez Hoodbhoy


PRIME MINISTER Imran Khan says naya Pakistan shall soon resemble the seventh-century state of Madina. Beginning with his inaugural address of Aug 20, he has repeated his vow on no less than 11 separate occasions. Although all Muslims acknowledge the Madina state as a model of perfection, Khan leaves unsaid just how closely naya Pakistan shall be its image. Is achieving egalitarianism and welfarism the goal? Is the Madina state also a template for Pakistan’s political and judicial reconstruction?

To create a prosperous welfare state is an admirable — and universal — objective. Serving the needs of their citizens without prejudice, a few modern states already have operational systems in place. To join them, just five minutes of serious contemplation can tell you what needs to be done here in Pakistan. 

It’s almost a no-brainer: eliminate large land holdings through appropriate legislation; collect land and property taxes based upon current market value; speed up the courts and make them transparent; make meritocratic appointments in government departments; change education so that skill enhancement becomes its central goal; make peace with Pakistan’s neighbours; choose trade over aid; and let civilians rule the country rather than soldiers.

That’s pretty hard! Implementation shall need no less than a revolution, bloodless or otherwise. But if Imran Khan wants to emulate the Madina state as a political entity, it will be way trickier. Modern states have geographical boundaries, a practice that followed the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) between European powers. But for the Madina state, borders were irrelevant — where you lived did not matter.


Is Imran Khan’s goal to adopt the Madina state’s laws and emulate it as a political entity?


Built around a tribal accord, Misaq-i-Madina, citizenship required only that an individual submit to the authority of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Perhaps anticipating that his followers would someday spread beyond the oases of Makkah and Madina, he very wisely left unspecified which territories constitute Dar-ul-Islam. 

How to reconcile the contradictory notion of a borderless ummah versus an Islamic state with borders? Islamic scholars from the time of Al-Mawardi (972-1058) to the anthropologist genius Ibn-i-Khaldun (1322-1406) have differed. Another, Maulana Abul Ala Maudoodi, while residing in pre-Partition Hyderabad (India), opined that creating Pakistan as a separate entity was contrary to Islamic teachings and traditions. Instead, he said, India as a whole must be converted to Islam. This wasn’t easy and so ultimately he supported the demand for Pakistan. 

Time has increased, not decreased, territorial affiliations. Everywhere, inside and outside Islam, large national armies protect borders and nationalism competes fiercely against religion as an emotive force. Imran Khan’s pledge to grant citizenship to 1.5 million desperate Afghan refugees was potentially a first step towards the Madina state, one inclusive of all Muslims. Human rights activists were ecstatic. But, once the adverse reaction set in, Imran’s U-turn followed. He cannot be blamed alone: previous Pakistani governments refused to naturalise Bengali refugees and Burma’s persecuted Rohingya minority. Nationalism often trumps religious solidarity these days. 

Moving on: what about judicial matters? Shall laws of the Madina state apply in naya Pakistan? Viewed through the prism of history, the accord negotiated by the Holy Prophet was perfectly logical at a time of bitter intertribal wars. The interested reader may consult Dr Tahirul Qadri’s PhD thesis on the Misaq-i-Madina. This lists 63 rules for determining diyat (blood money); ransoms to settle tribal feuds; life protection for Muslims and Jews; apportioning of war expenses; etc. These led to peace within the framework of Arab tribal justice. But justice is an ever-evolving concept in every culture and religion. So, for example, 2,000 years ago, Aristotle had argued that some individuals and races are “natural slaves” better enslaved than left free. And, until 200 years ago, socially respectable Americans were slave owners. Kinder ones treated slaves better but slave-owning is now viewed as utterly abhorrent.

Among today’s Muslims, apart from the militant Islamic State group and Boko Haram and a few others, no one defends slavery. Countries legally forbid it even if slaves are to be treated extremely well. In Pakistan too, owning slaves is a criminal offence. Pakistani law also makes it illegal to barter women as goods or as booty. Owning another human being was considered okay once but isn’t kosher anymore and anywhere — and under any circumstance. The notion of egalitarianism has evolved as well. Nearly all societies now accept, or give lip service, to the idea that all people are equal before the law. Limited to men at first, it was extended later to include women as well. In 2009, Pakistan legally recognised transgender as a separate category; earlier this year some transgender candidates ran for elections, albeit unsuccessfully.

Blood money, common in earlier times, also takes on a very different flavor. Pakistanis were outraged when a grinning Shahrukh Jatoi emerged from jail after murdering 20-year old Shahzeb Khan in cold blood. Jatoi’s wealthy parents had purchased his pardon through diyat, probably by pressuring Khan’s family. Months earlier, CIA contractor Raymond Davis had been released after the families of the two men he had killed were paid $2.4m as blood money. 

The world of yesterday and the world of today bear no comparison. One marvels at the Holy Prophet’s sagacity in negotiating a better deal for all warring Arabian tribes. Still, we should appreciate just how different the world has become from those times. The combined population of Makkah and Madina was less than Kharadar’s, a typical Karachi neighbourhood. Joblessness and lack of housing were non-issues; air pollution and load-shedding hadn’t been conceived; and white-collar crime was awaiting invention centuries later. No police or standing army existed in the Madina state. There were no jails.

It is easy to see why certain religious slogans appeal to the popular imagination. In a country that is deeply unequal and plagued by huge class asymmetry, people yearn for an unblemished past when everything was perfect. But when political leaders promise to take us there, how seriously should we take them? The masses had responded favourably when Gen Ziaul Haq had raised a similar slogan in the 1980s — that of Nizam-i-Mustafa. Disappointment soon followed. Can it be different this time?
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#48
DISCUSSION ON GROWTH OF GWADAR AND ITS NEW MASTER PLAN 2019 





CPEC FIRST CONVOY 


 
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#49
IN MEETING WITH TYCOONS, ARMY CHIEF STRESSED  'INTIMATE' LINK BETWEEN NATIONAL SECURITY, ECONOMY
www.dawn.com/news/1508749/in-meeting-with-tycoons-army-chief-stressed-intimate-link-between-national-security-economy-ispr

The military's media wing on Thursday issued a formal statement about the much-talked-about meeting a day earlier between the army chief and some of Pakistan's most powerful business tycoons. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has reportedly told a group of businessmen that the country's "improved internal security environment" has "created space for increased economic activity".  ISPR said Gen Bajwa had made the remarks while addressing the business community and the government's economic team at the concluding session of a series of discussions and seminars titled 'Interplay of economy and security'.


The event had been held at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi, ISPR said. News media had reported that the businessmen had met the army chief at a dinner reception hosted by the latter. The chief of army staff briefed the business community and the government's economic team over the improved security situation in the country, saying: "National security is intimately linked to the economy while prosperity is a function of a balance in security needs and economic growth."

"Accessibility and responsiveness of the government economic team to the business community and the displayed understanding between public and private institutions is a good sign for the desired positive trajectory in economic activity," Gen Bajwa, who is also part of the National Development Council, was reported to have told the audience.

The ISPR said that the seminars and discussions in question were held "in order to bring stakeholders on one platform to formulate recommendations for a synergistic way forward".  The government's economic team, on the other hand, had apprised the attendees about the initiatives and measures being taken by the government to facilitate business and stabilise the economy. The business community also pitched in with its suggestions to improve ease of doing business. The businessmen assured that they would cooperate with the authorities to ensure that government policies are implemented and would "play their part" by paying taxes and investing in a "socially and economically responsible manner".

The meeting had been a topic of much discussion on social media, with some questioning why the businessmen had approached the chief of army staff directly instead of approaching the civilian managers of the economy. The press statement from the ISPR follows reports in the media that the businessmen in question had tabled their grievances with the government's economic team in front of the army chief.
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#50
DESPITE SOARING TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN OVER NEIGHBOURING KASHMIR THE COMMITMENT TO AND REALISATION OF THE KARTARPUR CORRIDOR IS TAKING PLACE. IT IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED AND OPENED IN NOVEMBER 2019 IN HONOUR OF THE 550TH BIRTHDAY OF GURU NANAK. IT IS SYMBOLIC OF THE RESPECT AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN PUNJABI MUSLIMS AND SIKHS FOR THEIR COMMON HERITAGE. THIS IS A RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL LANDMARK WHICH NEEDS TO BE SPREAD URGENTLY THROUGHOUT THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT ESPECIALLY IN INDIA AT A TIME OF THE RISE OF HINDUTVA. IT ALSO SHOWS THAT HISTORICAL DIVISIONS BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA CAN BE OVERCOME WITH VISION, COMMITMENT AND RESOURCES. MORE ON THIS WILL FOLLOW.  


KARTARPUR CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS REPORT  RIVER RAVI BRIDGE HAS BEEN COMPLETED 
28 May2019











COMPLETE PROJECT VIEW OF KARTARPUR SAHIB 



MODI TO INAUGURATE INDIAN SIDE OF KARTARPUR CORRIDOR ON NOVEMBER 8
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2078427/1-modi-inaugurate-indian-side-kartarpur-corridor-nov-8

Though no date has been fixed by Pakistan, an Indian minister disclosed on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Indian side of Kartarpur Corridor terminal on November 8, the Indian media reported. Tweets by India’s Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal suggest that the corridor project would be operational before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, which will be celebrated on November 12 this year, as envisaged by Pakistan. The Kartarpur Corridor will facilitate visa-free access to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib. “On November 8, history will be created with PM Narendra Modi ji inaugurating the Kartarpur Corridor,” Badal said in her tweeted.



“With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sikh Panth’s ardaas for ‘khule darshan deedar’ (free access) of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality!” she said, adding that Modi will inaugurate the integrated check post on the Indian side, according to several Indian news portals. Last week, Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Indian Punjab had invited President Ram Nath Kovind and Modi to attend the 550th Prakash Purb celebrations of Guru Nanak, including the historic opening of the Kartarpur Corridor.
Kartarpur is located in Pakistan’s Narowal district across the Ravi River, about four kilometres from the Baba Nanak shrine. In a major initiative last November, both India and Pakistan had agreed to set up the Kartarpur Corridor.

The corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Indian Punjab and facilitates visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur Sahib, established in 1522 by Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak. Last month, Pakistani said that the Kartarpur Corridor will be opened for Indian pilgrims on November 9. However, on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman said the date for the inauguration had not been fixed.

At a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said that the Kartarpur Corridor project was expected to be completed on scheduled time, with work under way on a fast pace. He added that the date of opening was yet to be finalised. Faisal mentioned that the opening would be on time as committed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, adding that formal invitation had been sent to former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of founder of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak.

An official of Indian Punjab had said last month Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will lead an all-party group to the shrine on November 9. The chief minister had said that Manmohan Singh would also visit the shrine with the group.
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