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CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY OF PAKISTAN ARMY AT GHQ IN RAWALPINDI
29 NOVEMBER 2022
A TIMELINE OF PAKISTAN'S ARMY CHIEFS THROUGH THE AGES
How many army chiefs have been appointed during Pakistan's 75 year-long history?
https://www.dawn.com/news/1722817/a-time...h-the-ages
PAKISTAN: GENERAL BAJWA PASSES THE BATON OF COMMAND TO THE SUCCESSOR GENERAL ASIM MUNIR
NAJAM SETHI’s ASSESSMENT OF PAKISTAN’s NEW ARMY CHIEF
Karan Thapar | The Wire Live
LANGUAGE OF GENERAL ASIM MUNIR AND SHAHBAZ MUNIR AND SHAHBAZ SHARIF FOR FIRST MEETING
IMRAN KHAN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SAMI IBRAHIM
ASIM MUNIR - Expectation Vs Reality
GENERAL BAJWA RETIRES FROM PAKISTAN ARMY AFTER 42 YEARS
CHANGE OF COMMAND: GENERAL BAJWA HANDS OVER "MAGIC STICK" TO NEW ARMY CHIEF AND FEARS "GUMNAMI"?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhoQPEgEWZY
THE BAJWA DOCTRINE
PAKISTAN'S NEW CHIEF-OF-ARMY-STAFF GEN. ASIM MUNIR
PAKISTAN'S NEW CHIEF-OF-ARMY-STAFF GEN. ASIM MUNIR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiiZGsYpJR8
WHAT's SO SPECIAL ABOUT GENERAL ASIM MUNIR?
GENERAL ASIM MUNIR TAKES COMMAND AS 17TH CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723789/gen-asim-munir-takes-command-as-17th-chief-of-army-staff
Outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and newly appointed army chief General Asim Munir laid a wreath at the martyrs monument.
General Asim Munir took over as the new chief of army staff (COAS) at a ceremony held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa passed the baton of command to Gen Munir, making the latter the country’s 17th army chief.
Gen Munir was selected by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to succeed Gen Bajwa last week, ending days of speculation over the appointment. According to Radio Pakistan, Gen Munir will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army. Prior to the ceremony, both Gen Bajwa and Gen Munir laid a wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada (Monument to Martyrs) in GHQ and offered fateha.
The ceremony, which began shortly after 10am, kicked off with the GHQ military band performing national songs and a medley of folk tunes. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, senior serving and retired officers, diplomats as
well as government functionaries were in attendance.
Former army chief Raheel Sharif, Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present for the handover ceremony. — DawnNewsTV
Later, in a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the army chief and assured full cooperation of the government in areas related to defence and security.
‘Gen Munir professional, capable officer’
Addressing the ceremony prior to handing over the baton of command to Gen Munir, the outgoing COAS said he was thankful for being given the opportunity to lead the Pakistan Army.
Gen Bajwa congratulated Gen Munir on being appointed his successor and hoped his promotion would be a cause for the progress of the country and the army. He went on to say that his association with Gen Munir goes back 24 years.
“In addition to being a Hafiz-i-Quran, he is a professional, capable and principled officer. I am certain that under his leadership the army will reach new heights of success.” Gen Bajwa hoped the appointment of Gen Munir as the military chief would prove to be positive for both
the country and the army. He said he was handing over the army to an “expert and capable son”. Reflecting on his military journey, Gen Bajwa said the journey which began several decades ago was now coming to an end.
“I am thankful to God that he gave me the opportunity to work for this great army and gave
me the opportunity to lead it,” he said, reiterating that it was a “great honour” for him. He said that during his six-year tenure, the army had always responded to his call regardless of whether it concerned terrorism in different parts of the country or natural calamities. “And when I asked them for sweat, they gave me blood.”
Gen Bajwa said that the army’s sacrifices were acknowledged by the country’s friends and foes. “I am proud of my army that despite scarce resources, they defend the country’s boundaries from the ice-capped mountains of Siachen to the deserts of Thar.”
Gen Bajwa also quoted a saying from American military leader Douglas MacArthur, which states: “Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.”
“I will also into fade into irrelevance but my spiritual relationship with the army will remain,”
he said, ending his speech with prayers for the success of the new army chief and the Pakistan army.
Who is Gen Asim Munir?
Gen Munir is an outstanding officer, but because of the technicalities involved, it was earlier believed he may remain the proverbial dark horse in the race for the army chief’s position.
At the time of his nomination for the post, Gen Munir’s impending retirement date was Nov 27, which posed a technical hitch in his accession to the top slot. To counter this, he was given a promotion to the rank of four-star general with immediate effect after being named the army chief in a deviation from the norm.
Gen Munir was promoted to the rank of a three-star general in September 2018, but he took charge two months later. He entered the service via the Officers Training School programme in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He has been a close aide of Gen Bajwa ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under the outgoing army chief, who was then Commander X Corps. Lt Gen Munir was later appointed Military Intelligence director general in early 2017, and in October next year was made the Inter-Services Intelligence chief.
However, his stint as the top intelligence officer turned out to be the shortest ever, as he was replaced by Lt Gen Faiz Hamid within eight months, on the insistence of then-PM Imran Khan.
He was posted as Gujranwala Corps commander, a position he held for two years, before being moved to the General Headquarters as the quartermaster general.
GENERAL BAJWA: SIX TUMULTOUS YEARS AND A LEGACY UNLIKE ANY OTHER
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723708/commen...-any-other
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the 10th chief of army staff in the country’s history, retires today (Tuesday) after two eventful terms as the commander of the Pakistan Army, which is among the world’s largest in terms of active personnel, with a standing force of around half a million.
In Nov 2016, when Gen Bajwa was appointed army chief, Pakistan was battling a wave of terrorism in the north-west, managing a difficult relationship with arch-rival India, and figuring out the changing dynamics of its relationship with long-term ally United States, where the mercurial Donald Trump was about to take over as president.
Stepping into the larger-than-life shoes of his predecessor, Gen Raheel Sharif — whose image was systematically built by the military’s media machine as a ‘doer’ who ‘led from the front’ — was a challenge in itself for Gen Bajwa, who became the seventh army chief to have been picked by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif since 1990.
Gen Bajwa inherited two looming political and civil-military issues from his predecessor: the Panama Papers allegations against Mr Sharif and his family in the Supreme Court and the civil-military clash over the country’s counter-terrorism strategy that led to a public showdown in the aftermath of an exclusive story by Dawn; an episode that came to be known as ‘Dawn Leaks’.
Gen Bajwa took time to assert his persona in public. In the first few months, he focused on consolidating his command through promotions and transfers of key officers in both command and staff positions. A major reshuffle in December saw key corps commanders and staff officers including the DG-ISI, the DG-ISPR and the CGS from Gen Sharif’s era posted out.
The Maj-Gen to Lt-Gen rank promotions made by Gen Bajwa soon after assuming command brought in the army’s new leadership. Those promoted were given key positions. Meanwhile, at the two-star level, he brought in a new DG-MO (Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza), DG-MI (Maj Gen Asim Munir), DG-ISPR (Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor) and the crucially important DG-C at ISI (Maj Gen Faiz Hamid). These officers would prove to be key advisers in the years to come.
When Gen Bajwa assumed command, Operation Zarb-i-Azb had entered its final stages. At the time, he had indicated that, on his watch, the focus would be on consolidating gains from anti-terror operations and also ‘anti-corruption’ campaigns in Karachi.
He transitioned the military from heavy-kinetic operations to intelligence-based operations targeting terrorist holdouts and sleeper cells. This campaign was named Operation Raddul Fasaad, with the goal to tackle both terrorism and extremism as well as breaking the crime-politics-corruption nexus. This influenced the course of politics in the country, as the military leadership believed that while its officers and men were laying down their lives combating terrorism, civilian governance was not improving and was being constrained by corruption.
The declining trend in terrorism, which started with Gen Sharif’s Zarb-i-Azb, continued till the end of 2020 and the very first signs of its reversal were witnessed in 2021. The next year (2022) was particularly regressive, with a 60 per cent spike in terrorist attacks over the previous year in eleven months so far. A total of 132 terrorist attacks have been reported in the past three months, including 50 alone in November.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been at the forefront of this wave. IS-KP, known colloquially as Daesh, and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) were the two other major perpetrators.
One of the most controversial steps taken over the past year, despite warnings from various quarters, was talks with the TTP. The militant group used the time afforded by the talks – brokered by their allies, the Afghan Taliban – and the subsequent ceasefire as a confidence-building measure to re-establish its footprint, eventually walking away from the accord on the pretext of a resumption of counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Visible signs of the TTP collaborating with Baloch insurgent groups complicated the challenge of protecting Chinese personnel working in Pakistan. A budding nexus between Baloch and Sindhi nationalist insurgents was also reported in this time. Baloch insurgents not only diversified their tactics but also carried out attacks outside Balochistan. Intensification of attacks on Chinese workers put immense pressure on the ‘iron brotherhood’ between Islamabad and Beijing for months.
Enforced disappearances have been a major human rights issue of concern for decades. However, during the past six years the problem aggravated as activists, journalists and students (particularly from Balochistan) were specifically targeted in large numbers. In April 2022, a report quoting the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances claimed that 4,581 people were reported missing between 2017 and 2021.
On the external front, Gen Bajwa assumed command during heightened tensions with India, with exchanges of fire and shelling across the Line of Control and Working Boundary being a near-daily occurrence. But his experience in this theatre helped him successfully manage the situation at LoC.
In February 2019, both countries navigated a tricky crisis after an aerial dogfight, which led Pakistan to capture an Indian pilot – only to release him soon afterwards. Meanwhile, in August 2019, though India unilaterally changed the status of the chunk of Kashmir in its occupation, Pakistan exercised restraint in escalating militarily. In late 2020, a backchannel began at the top level, which led to the renewal of the 2003 ceasefire agreement. It has been upheld without any incident since then.
On Afghanistan, Gen Bajwa oversaw the construction of a border fence. On his watch, the army prioritised fencing to manage irritants in the difficult relationship with the former government in Afghanistan. From 2018 onwards, Gen Bajwa green-lit Pakistan’s facilitation of talks between the Taliban and the US in Doha. An agreement between the Taliban and the US, which eventually led to the drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan, was hammered out in Doha with Pakistan’s help.
In the process, Gen Bajwa leveraged that facilitation role to navigate Pakistan’s troubled relationship with Trump-led Washington. On this front, he saw then PM Imran Khan as a partner in resetting ties with the US. In the end, however, both Mr Khan and Gen Bajwa had a divergent view of engagement with the US.
During his six years, Gen also Bajwa oversaw the modernisation of the army’s Air Defence command, in particular, the acquisition of HQ-9/P air defence systems from China. The army also inducted Chinese made VT-4 tanks, which is said to be the most advanced tank in Pakistan Army’s inventory. The army has also commissioned Chinese origin SH-15 155mm truck mounted howitzer in 2021 to enhance its strike prowess. Besides military hardware from China, the army acquired T129 gunship helicopters from Turkey in 2018.
It was also during Gen Bajwa’s tenure that Russia delivered Russian-made Mi-35M attack helicopters as part of a deal concluded in August 2015 that actually marked the end of
cold war-era Moscow’s embargo on military sales to Pakistan. Ties with Russia continued
to grow afterwards, but no notable purchases were made from there.
As the curtain falls on Gen Bajwa’s tenure, it remains to be seen if his successor, Gen Asim Munir, would carry on with the oft-referenced ‘Bajwa Doctrine’, which guided much of what happened during the past six years, or would he come up with something new.
WHERE DOES PAKISTAN's ECONOMY GO FROM HERE?
With global markets in turmoil and the prospect looming of worldwide recession, Pakistan faces a perfect storm.
Khurram Husain
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715309/where-...-from-here
MORE NOT LESS POLITICS IS THE ANSWER TO PAKISTAN's ECONOMIC CRISIS
Only through a sustained political process that increases inclusivity and representation of the many instead of the few can Pakistan meet its full economic potential.
Uzair M. Younus
https://www.dawn.com/news/1724852/more-n...mic-crisis
Posts: 1,881
Threads: 44
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WHILST A LOT OF ATTENTION HAS BEEN PAID TO UNDERSTAND THE POLITICAL TURMOIL AND TURBULENCE OF THE OUSTER OF THE PTI GOVERNMENT. THIS HAS FOCUSSED ON THE ARMY-CIVILIAN RELATIONSHIP AND ESPECIALLY THE ROLE OF THE COAS. IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT PAKISTAN NEEDS TO END ANY EXTENSION OF THE TENURE OF THE COAS. THIS ROLE NOT ONLY HAS EXCESSIVE POWER IN PAKISTAN BUT IS A HIGHLY POLITICAL ROLE.
ALSO WHILST THERE MAYBE VARIOUS POLICY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PREVIOUS PM AND COAS IT APPEARS THAT THE KEY FALLOUT WAS OVER FOREIGN POLICY. IN PARTICULAR A SHIFT FROM AN ANGLO AMERICAN ORBIT TOWARDS A MULTIPOLAR WORLD ORDER EMBRACING RUSSIA AND CHINA. GIVEN THE POLITICS OF THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW COAS IT HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THERE IS A NUANCED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NEW COAS AND IMRAN KHAN THE FORMER PTI PM. FROM THIS ONE CAN DEDUCE NO SECULAR POLITICIAN AND BY DEFINITION POLITICAL PARTY IN A DEMONOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM IS CLEAN. INDEED THERE APPEARS TO BE PRIMA FACIE EVIDENCE OF CORRUPTION IN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION. ONE HAS TO COME CLEAN ON THESE MATTERS. MAYBE LESS THAN OTHER ADMINISTRATIONS BUT NEVERTHELESS FALLIBLE.
THAT IS WHY MUCH RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED ON THE HISTORY AND ROLE OF THE MILITARY IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES AND AUTHORITARIANISM AND DICTATORSHIP. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE NEW ERA BEING CHARTED OUT HERE IN POST INDEPENDENT SECULAR MUSLIM STATES HAS TO PLACE MODELS OF ISLAMIC GOVERNANCE AND STATEHOOD AT THE CENTRE. IN THIS THE HEAD OF STATE/PM AND CIVIL LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO CONTROL THE ARMED FORCES. HOWEVER, THIS DOESN'T RULE OUT A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO. BUT WHERE ULTIMATE POWER RESTS NEEDS CLEAR DEMARCATION.
WHAT PAKISTAN NEEDS TO FOCUS ON AS DEFAULT LOOMS IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL TURMOIL AND A GLOBAL RECESSION IS CHANGING DIRECTION TOWARDS A GENUINE ISLAMIC POLITICAL ECONOMY. GIVEN THE HISTORICAL BRITISH RAJ AND AMERICAN LEGACIES IT NEEDS TO DISCARD ALL NONMUSLIM POLICIES AND STRUCTURES WHICH EMBED INEQUALITIES. FOR INSTANCE IF THE FEUDAL LANDLORD CLASS ARE INHERITORS OF PRIVILEGE AFFORDED BY BETRAYING THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT THIS NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED CRITICALLY. THIS SHOULD MEAN ANY FEUDAL LANDLORDS FOUND TO HAVE BEING LOYAL TO THE OPPRESSIVE BRITISH RAJ FORCES AND SUBVERTING AND PUTTING DOWN FREEDOM FIGHTERS NEED TO BE TRIED, DISINHERITED AND THE LAND DISTRIBUTED TO THE PEASANTS AND WORKERS.
ALSO THE BORDER DEMARCATION WITH AFGHANISTAN WITH THE DURAND LINE AND THE LINE OF CONTROL WITH INDIA NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED WITH JUSTICE. THE QUESTION HERE IS REALLY WHETHER IT CAN BE DONE PEACEFULLY. WITH A NEW TALIBAN GOVERNMENT THERE IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY BUT IT NEEDS FRESH ISLAMIC THINKING. FOR INSTANCE HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH BORDERS DEVISED TO DIVIDE TRIBAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS? IT IMPLIES BORDERS NEED RETHINKING IF NOT ABOLITION AMONGST MUSLIM COUNTRIES REPLACED WITH AN ISLAMIC KHILAFATE SYSTEM AND DEVOLVED STRUCTURE. IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT ONCE AGAIN THIS IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF THE PAST UNJUST IMPERIAL LEGACIES THATS NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED.
MORE IMPORTANTLY THE PAKISTANI PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR NEED TO GO BEYOND THE RHETORIC THAT ONLY EX PM IMRAN KHAN CAN SAVE THEM AND BRING THE RULE OF LAW AND FREEDOM. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH AS PAKISTAN'S DESTINY WAS TO BE A MUSLIM HOMELAND. THE HUGE SACRIFICES WHICH MANY PAID WITH THEIR LIVES NEEDS TO BE HONOURED. IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT THE JINNAH DREAM DIED IN 1971 WITH THE BREAK UP OF PAKISTAN'S TWIN WINGS. BLAME FOR WHICH SHOULD BE EQUALLY APPORTIONED TO AN INDIAN HEGEMONIC CONSPIRACY AND PAKISTANI ELITE POLITICAL MISMANAGEMENT. SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THE DREAM OF A MUSLIM HOMELAND CAN ONLY MAKE SENSE AND BE COMPLETE AND HOLISTIC IF IT UPHOLDS ISLAMIC GOVERNANCE. A MUSLIM HOMELAND UPHOLDING ISLAMIC VALUES AND GOVERNANCE IN ALL AFFAIRS. IN THIS MODEL YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE AS IT HAS TO BE THE FULL PACKAGE.
WHEN IMRAN KHAN TALKS ABOUT THE RULE OF LAW HE IS RIGHT. THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE RULES ROOST THERE. WHAT WE ARE NOT HEARING ABOUT IS MORE ABOUT THE ISLAMIC RULE OF LAW WHICH IS THE SHARIAH. WITH HIS FOCUS ON BEING INDEPENDENT AND SHIFTING ALLIANCES IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD WE ARE NOT HEARING MUCH ABOUT AN ISLAMIC POLITICAL ECONOMY. THIS IS IMPORTANT AS FUNDAMENTAL RADICAL CHANGES ARE REQUIRED TO BREAK FREE FROM THE DICTAT OF THE IMF AND WORLD BANK AND RIBA BASED FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM.
SO THE DREAM OF PAKISTAN CAN ONLY BE RESURRECTED BY THE PEOPLE AND NATION COMING TOGETHER AND DEALING WITH UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THE CONCEPT OF A PAKISTANI KHILAFATE AND KHALIFA NEEDS TO RESOUND. IF THIS MEANS A TOTALLY NEW MUTAQQI INQILABI REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP SO BE IT.
CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY OF PAKISTAN ARMY AT GHQ IN RAWALPINDI 29 NOVEMBER 2022. GENERAL BAJWA PASSES THE BATON OF COMMAND TO THE SUCCESSOR GENERAL ASIM MUNIR
A TIMELINE OF PAKISTAN'S ARMY CHIEFS THROUGH THE AGES
How many army chiefs have been appointed during Pakistan's 75 year-long history?
https://www.dawn.com/news/1722817/a-time...h-the-ages
NAJAM SETHI’s ASSESSMENT OF PAKISTAN’s NEW ARMY CHIEF
Karan Thapar | The Wire Live
LANGUAGE OF GENERAL ASIM MUNIR AND SHAHBAZ MUNIR AND SHAHBAZ SHARIF FOR FIRST MEETING
IMRAN KHAN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SAMI IBRAHIM
ASIM MUNIR - Expectation Vs Reality
GENERAL BAJWA RETIRES FROM PAKISTAN ARMY AFTER 42 YEARS
CHANGE OF COMMAND: GENERAL BAJWA HANDS OVER "MAGIC STICK" TO NEW ARMY CHIEF AND FEARS "GUMNAMI"?
PAKISTAN'S NEW CHIEF-OF-ARMY-STAFF GEN. ASIM MUNIR
WHAT's SO SPECIAL ABOUT GENERAL ASIM MUNIR?
GENERAL ASIM MUNIR TAKES COMMAND AS 17TH CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723789/gen-asim-munir-takes-command-as-17th-chief-of-army-staff
Outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and newly appointed army chief General Asim Munir laid a wreath at the martyrs monument.
General Asim Munir took over as the new chief of army staff (COAS) at a ceremony held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Outgoing COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa passed the baton of command to Gen Munir, making the latter the country’s 17th army chief.
Gen Munir was selected by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to succeed Gen Bajwa last week, ending days of speculation over the appointment. According to Radio Pakistan, Gen Munir will be the 17th army chief to assume the command of the Pakistan Army. Prior to the ceremony, both Gen Bajwa and Gen Munir laid a wreath at the Yadgar-i-Shuhada (Monument to Martyrs) in GHQ and offered fateha.
The ceremony, which began shortly after 10am, kicked off with the GHQ military band performing national songs and a medley of folk tunes. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, senior serving and retired officers, diplomats as
well as government functionaries were in attendance.
Former army chief Raheel Sharif, Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb were also present for the handover ceremony. — DawnNewsTV
Later, in a telephone conversation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the army chief and assured full cooperation of the government in areas related to defence and security.
‘Gen Munir professional, capable officer’
Addressing the ceremony prior to handing over the baton of command to Gen Munir, the outgoing COAS said he was thankful for being given the opportunity to lead the Pakistan Army.
Gen Bajwa congratulated Gen Munir on being appointed his successor and hoped his promotion would be a cause for the progress of the country and the army. He went on to say that his association with Gen Munir goes back 24 years.
“In addition to being a Hafiz-i-Quran, he is a professional, capable and principled officer. I am certain that under his leadership the army will reach new heights of success.” Gen Bajwa hoped the appointment of Gen Munir as the military chief would prove to be positive for both
the country and the army. He said he was handing over the army to an “expert and capable son”. Reflecting on his military journey, Gen Bajwa said the journey which began several decades ago was now coming to an end.
“I am thankful to God that he gave me the opportunity to work for this great army and gave
me the opportunity to lead it,” he said, reiterating that it was a “great honour” for him. He said that during his six-year tenure, the army had always responded to his call regardless of whether it concerned terrorism in different parts of the country or natural calamities. “And when I asked them for sweat, they gave me blood.”
Gen Bajwa said that the army’s sacrifices were acknowledged by the country’s friends and foes. “I am proud of my army that despite scarce resources, they defend the country’s boundaries from the ice-capped mountains of Siachen to the deserts of Thar.”
Gen Bajwa also quoted a saying from American military leader Douglas MacArthur, which states: “Old soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.”
“I will also into fade into irrelevance but my spiritual relationship with the army will remain,”
he said, ending his speech with prayers for the success of the new army chief and the Pakistan army.
Who is Gen Asim Munir?
Gen Munir is an outstanding officer, but because of the technicalities involved, it was earlier believed he may remain the proverbial dark horse in the race for the army chief’s position.
At the time of his nomination for the post, Gen Munir’s impending retirement date was Nov 27, which posed a technical hitch in his accession to the top slot. To counter this, he was given a promotion to the rank of four-star general with immediate effect after being named the army chief in a deviation from the norm.
Gen Munir was promoted to the rank of a three-star general in September 2018, but he took charge two months later. He entered the service via the Officers Training School programme in Mangla, and was commissioned into the Frontier Force Regiment. He has been a close aide of Gen Bajwa ever since he commanded troops in the Force Command Northern Areas as a brigadier under the outgoing army chief, who was then Commander X Corps. Lt Gen Munir was later appointed Military Intelligence director general in early 2017, and in October next year was made the Inter-Services Intelligence chief.
However, his stint as the top intelligence officer turned out to be the shortest ever, as he was replaced by Lt Gen Faiz Hamid within eight months, on the insistence of then-PM Imran Khan.
He was posted as Gujranwala Corps commander, a position he held for two years, before being moved to the General Headquarters as the quartermaster general.
GENERAL BAJWA: SIX TUMULTOUS YEARS AND A LEGACY UNLIKE ANY OTHER
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723708/commen...-any-other
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the 10th chief of army staff in the country’s history, retires today (Tuesday) after two eventful terms as the commander of the Pakistan Army, which is among the world’s largest in terms of active personnel, with a standing force of around half a million.
In Nov 2016, when Gen Bajwa was appointed army chief, Pakistan was battling a wave of terrorism in the north-west, managing a difficult relationship with arch-rival India, and figuring out the changing dynamics of its relationship with long-term ally United States, where the mercurial Donald Trump was about to take over as president.
Stepping into the larger-than-life shoes of his predecessor, Gen Raheel Sharif — whose image was systematically built by the military’s media machine as a ‘doer’ who ‘led from the front’ — was a challenge in itself for Gen Bajwa, who became the seventh army chief to have been picked by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif since 1990.
Gen Bajwa inherited two looming political and civil-military issues from his predecessor: the Panama Papers allegations against Mr Sharif and his family in the Supreme Court and the civil-military clash over the country’s counter-terrorism strategy that led to a public showdown in the aftermath of an exclusive story by Dawn; an episode that came to be known as ‘Dawn Leaks’.
Gen Bajwa took time to assert his persona in public. In the first few months, he focused on consolidating his command through promotions and transfers of key officers in both command and staff positions. A major reshuffle in December saw key corps commanders and staff officers including the DG-ISI, the DG-ISPR and the CGS from Gen Sharif’s era posted out.
The Maj-Gen to Lt-Gen rank promotions made by Gen Bajwa soon after assuming command brought in the army’s new leadership. Those promoted were given key positions. Meanwhile, at the two-star level, he brought in a new DG-MO (Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza), DG-MI (Maj Gen Asim Munir), DG-ISPR (Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor) and the crucially important DG-C at ISI (Maj Gen Faiz Hamid). These officers would prove to be key advisers in the years to come.
When Gen Bajwa assumed command, Operation Zarb-i-Azb had entered its final stages. At the time, he had indicated that, on his watch, the focus would be on consolidating gains from anti-terror operations and also ‘anti-corruption’ campaigns in Karachi.
He transitioned the military from heavy-kinetic operations to intelligence-based operations targeting terrorist holdouts and sleeper cells. This campaign was named Operation Raddul Fasaad, with the goal to tackle both terrorism and extremism as well as breaking the crime-politics-corruption nexus. This influenced the course of politics in the country, as the military leadership believed that while its officers and men were laying down their lives combating terrorism, civilian governance was not improving and was being constrained by corruption.
The declining trend in terrorism, which started with Gen Sharif’s Zarb-i-Azb, continued till the end of 2020 and the very first signs of its reversal were witnessed in 2021. The next year (2022) was particularly regressive, with a 60 per cent spike in terrorist attacks over the previous year in eleven months so far. A total of 132 terrorist attacks have been reported in the past three months, including 50 alone in November.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been at the forefront of this wave. IS-KP, known colloquially as Daesh, and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) were the two other major perpetrators.
One of the most controversial steps taken over the past year, despite warnings from various quarters, was talks with the TTP. The militant group used the time afforded by the talks – brokered by their allies, the Afghan Taliban – and the subsequent ceasefire as a confidence-building measure to re-establish its footprint, eventually walking away from the accord on the pretext of a resumption of counter-terrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Visible signs of the TTP collaborating with Baloch insurgent groups complicated the challenge of protecting Chinese personnel working in Pakistan. A budding nexus between Baloch and Sindhi nationalist insurgents was also reported in this time. Baloch insurgents not only diversified their tactics but also carried out attacks outside Balochistan. Intensification of attacks on Chinese workers put immense pressure on the ‘iron brotherhood’ between Islamabad and Beijing for months.
Enforced disappearances have been a major human rights issue of concern for decades. However, during the past six years the problem aggravated as activists, journalists and students (particularly from Balochistan) were specifically targeted in large numbers. In April 2022, a report quoting the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances claimed that 4,581 people were reported missing between 2017 and 2021.
On the external front, Gen Bajwa assumed command during heightened tensions with India, with exchanges of fire and shelling across the Line of Control and Working Boundary being a near-daily occurrence. But his experience in this theatre helped him successfully manage the situation at LoC.
In February 2019, both countries navigated a tricky crisis after an aerial dogfight, which led Pakistan to capture an Indian pilot – only to release him soon afterwards. Meanwhile, in August 2019, though India unilaterally changed the status of the chunk of Kashmir in its occupation, Pakistan exercised restraint in escalating militarily. In late 2020, a backchannel began at the top level, which led to the renewal of the 2003 ceasefire agreement. It has been upheld without any incident since then.
On Afghanistan, Gen Bajwa oversaw the construction of a border fence. On his watch, the army prioritised fencing to manage irritants in the difficult relationship with the former government in Afghanistan. From 2018 onwards, Gen Bajwa green-lit Pakistan’s facilitation of talks between the Taliban and the US in Doha. An agreement between the Taliban and the US, which eventually led to the drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan, was hammered out in Doha with Pakistan’s help.
In the process, Gen Bajwa leveraged that facilitation role to navigate Pakistan’s troubled relationship with Trump-led Washington. On this front, he saw then PM Imran Khan as a partner in resetting ties with the US. In the end, however, both Mr Khan and Gen Bajwa had a divergent view of engagement with the US.
During his six years, Gen also Bajwa oversaw the modernisation of the army’s Air Defence command, in particular, the acquisition of HQ-9/P air defence systems from China. The army also inducted Chinese made VT-4 tanks, which is said to be the most advanced tank in Pakistan Army’s inventory. The army has also commissioned Chinese origin SH-15 155mm truck mounted howitzer in 2021 to enhance its strike prowess. Besides military hardware from China, the army acquired T129 gunship helicopters from Turkey in 2018.
It was also during Gen Bajwa’s tenure that Russia delivered Russian-made Mi-35M attack helicopters as part of a deal concluded in August 2015 that actually marked the end of
cold war-era Moscow’s embargo on military sales to Pakistan. Ties with Russia continued
to grow afterwards, but no notable purchases were made from there.
As the curtain falls on Gen Bajwa’s tenure, it remains to be seen if his successor, Gen Asim Munir, would carry on with the oft-referenced ‘Bajwa Doctrine’, which guided much of what happened during the past six years, or would he come up with something new.
WHERE DOES PAKISTAN's ECONOMY GO FROM HERE?
With global markets in turmoil and the prospect looming of worldwide recession, Pakistan faces a perfect storm.
Khurram Husain
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715309/where-...-from-here
MORE NOT LESS POLITICS IS THE ANSWER TO PAKISTAN's ECONOMIC CRISIS
Only through a sustained political process that increases inclusivity and representation of the many instead of the few can Pakistan meet its full economic potential.
Uzair M. Younus
https://www.dawn.com/news/1724852/more-n...mic-crisis
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PAKISTAN IS AT A TIPPING POINT AS IT FACES A DEFAULT. MIND YOU SO DOES THE THE REST OF THE WORLD. THE TIME TO EXPOSE THE REALITIES AND MATERIALISE AN ALTERNATIVE GLOBAL RESET ARE UPON US. AS HUMANITY HAS SLEEPWALKED INTO THIS IT MAYBE IN FOR SHOCKING THERAPIES TO ACHEIVE EQUILIBRIUM.
PAKISTANI MARKETS WILL CLOSE AT 8 PM DUE TO SHORTAGE OF US DOLLAR AND OIL
IS PAKISTAN FINALLY GOING TO DEFAULT IN 2022 OR 2023 ?
SHOCKING - WHY YOUTH IS LEAVING PAKISTAN AT A CRAZY SPEED ?
PAKISTAN's STORY OF DEBT
https://www.dawn.com/news/1726921/econom...ry-of-debt
The recent debate on whether Pakistan is going to default or not requires revisiting the country’s current debt and reviewing how it has accumulated over time.
The story of Pakistan’s economy is incomplete without the character of its debt. Pakistan’s economic challenge began following Independence in August 1947, as it had to seek financial help. The structural diagnosis of Pakistan’s debt requires a deep understanding of policy interventions, which put the country on a debt trajectory, and an investigation of how certain groups pushed the country into debt to protect their vested interests.
The two South Asian economies — India and Pakistan — were in a dismal state at the time of Partition. Pakistan inherited 17 percent of colonial India’s revenue stream and about 33 percent of its army then. This inheritance set the budgetary priorities for the many governments to come.
Although we shared some economic experiences with neighbouring India, we could not come out of the debt trap since entering the first International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme in 1958. With a total of 22 IMF programmes, Pakistan has stayed under the multilateral lender’s shadow most of its independent life. In contrast, India and Bangladesh have reached out to the IMF only on seven and 10 occasions, respectively.
While Bangladesh’s economy no longer depends on external debt, studies show that it still happens to have a substantial negative relationship between economic growth and external debt. It must then be an even greater source of concern for Pakistan, which increasingly depends on external debt to meet its financing needs. The trajectory of Pakistan’s economy cannot be explained without delving into the debt it has accumulated over the last 75 years
In the past 75 years, Pakistan has frequently faced multiple episodes of near-crisis experiences, where it had to face enormous pressures on fiscal imbalances and on its balance of payments. Time and again, the IMF has provided aid to prevent further damage, which Pakistan used to bring around short-term stability in the economy, using conventional economic stabilisation tools.
Graph 1. Source: Finance Division, Pakistan Economic Survey 2021-22 Islamabad, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan
These crises are frequent, and their effects have accumulated in the long run. The long-term challenges have always been there and have been affecting the overall economic growth and development of the country.
India did lag behind Pakistan in the beginning. And at some point, in the 1980s, Pakistan’s economic growth exceeded India’s. But India’s 1990 economic reforms put it on the right path of sustainable growth. However, in Pakistan, boom and bust remained at the centre of its economic journey.
WHAT HAS BROUGHT US HERE?
After the first decade, Pakistan started spending more than it was earning. The size of the government continued to increase as government jobs were being exchanged with votes by political parties and with the support of military dictators, which mounted pressure on the national kitty.
The trajectory of Pakistan’s economy cannot be explained without delving into the debt the country had incurred over the last 75 years. The debt added to the combination of factors which translated into lower growth. This has resulted in the country not being able to maintain macroeconomic stability since Independence.
Graph 2. Source: Finance Division, Handbook of Statistics on Pakistan Economy 2020, Pakistan Economic Surveys, various years, Islamabad, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan
Pakistan’s current economic situation is evidence of the unrelenting issues in the structure of the economy. The country faces an unstable GDP, record-low exchange rate, accompanied with other issues, such as rising inflation and a widening current account deficit. When it comes to the people, whose living is substantially affected by the instability and shocks, what serves as an aid in society’s ability in withstanding these economic shocks is the banking sector. At the same time, the successful reform of the banking sector is a necessary condition for fiscal and monetary stabilisation.
Graph 4. Source: Finance Division, Handbook of Statistics on Pakistan Economy 2020, Pakistan Economic Surveys, various years, Islamabad,
In the past 75 years, Pakistan has frequently faced multiple episodes of near-crisis experiences, where it had to face enormous pressures on fiscal imbalances and on its balance of payments. Time and again, the IMF has provided aid to prevent further damage, which Pakistan used to bring around short-term stability in the economy, using conventional economic stabilisation tools.
ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ORDER
The data in Graphs 1 and 2 shows how Pakistan went to every possible door to get loans and financial support, from commercial banks to friendly countries, and from international lenders to multilateral development agencies.
Graph 3. Source: Finance Division, Pakistan Economic Survey 2021-22, Islamabad, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan.
But instead of fixing the economy at the structural level, the state has made it a rentier economy — extracting rent in an unproductive manner. Pakistan’s financial elite largely remains engaged in securing different subsidies, even if it makes the country borrow more and add to the existing debt. Attracting investment and promoting innovation amidst piled debt has always remained a huge challenge for Pakistan. Under-development and vulnerabilities in these areas limit the effectiveness of macroeconomic policy for the entire economy.
A mature and well-developed domestic financing sector is important for enterprises to function, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that instigate entrepreneurship and innovation. Innovation plays a part in the development of the economy and helps reduce poverty by creating new jobs.
However, in Pakistan’s case, the shortcomings in the business environment have not encouraged economic growth, and Pakistan is ranked 108th in the ranking of countries in the World Bank’s Doing Business report.
Graph 5. Source: Finance Division, Pakistan Economic Survey, various years, Islamabad, Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan
THE ROAD TO SUSTAINABILITY
Agriculture is one of the major sectors of Pakistan’s economy, with a contribution of 24 percent to the Gross National Product and 19 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This sector is the backbone of the economy as it provides sustenance for the whole population and contributes to foreign trade. It also employs at least half of the Pakistani labour force. With the development of the agriculture sector, the country will become self-sustainable in food. The export potential is also huge and can bring valuable foreign exchange.
One of the reasons for the country’s balance of payment crisis is the negligence of the agriculture sector. In recent years, Pakistan has started importing wheat and cotton which has brought more pressure on the country’s import bill. The opportunities lost in agriculture can be attributed to the key policies that have kept Pakistan’s focus on areas that were not fruitful for the economy.
Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan
The World Bank’s latest GDP growth estimates for financial year 2020-21 is 8.7 percent for India and 4.3 percent for Pakistan. Between 1993 and 2020, Pakistan could achieve more than 6 percent GDP growth for only two years — 2004 and 2005 — whereas India’s GDP growth exceeded 6 percent 18 times during the same period. Our obligations for debt servicing are increasing every passing day, and our imports exceed our exports almost all the time.
The question we hear the most is why Pakistan has not been able to keep up with its neighbouring economies? The answer lies in our own economic decisions and priorities.
With a national aptitude and potential for agriculture, the country has almost neglected the sector in the last 40 years or so. Agricultural land is increasingly being converted into housing societies without any planning.
Getting out of the current debt trap is critical for the country’s economic success. But it will not be possible without taking some tough decision.
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THE 146TH BIRTHDAY OF THE FOUNDER OF PAKISTAN MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH IS ON 25.12 .2022. SO IT IS TIMELY TO CONSIDER AND REVIEW THE FUTURE OF PAKISTAN.
GEN BAJWA & NAWAZ SHARIF COLLUSION:
PAKISTAN's ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL COLLAPSE
Will history forgive Gen. Bajwa for colluding with Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari? Bajwa's personal agenda and acts have brought Pakistan's economic to this point of collapse where now State Bank of Pakistan does not have sufficient reserves to cover imports of more than three weeks? Total FOREX reserves, on the face of it, are less than $ 11 billion but around $ 6 billion are from private banks, companies and expats and remaining less than $5 billion are funds deposited by Saudi Arabia, UAE and China. But is anyone asking who is responsible for this? Unless Pakistan defeats the politics of "Dynastic Families" like Sharifs, Zardaris and Bajwa's, the country will have no future. In the end Pakistan's Establishment has to decide if it will allow itself to become a tool in the hand of powerful Indian establishment against Pakistani intelligentsia or will stand with the people and middle classes of Pakistan?
HOW THE ECONOMY OF PAKISTAN IS SINKING LIKE A TITANIC
SAVE THE ECONOMY BEFORE ITS TOO LATE -
PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CRISIS
LATIF KHOSA IS TALKING ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF PAKISTAN IN A CORRECT WAY
SAUDI EMBASSY ISSUED TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR EMBASSY STAFF IN ISLAMABAD
SECURITY OF ISLAMABAD GOT HIGH ALERT BY THE POLICE AND OTHERS
WILL PAKISTAN SURVIVE?
Zafar Bangash
Jumada' al-Akhirah 08, 1444
https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articl...an-survive
It is extremely depressing to witness the unfolding events in Pakistan. This has raised serious concerns about its very survival. The Pakistani elite comprise a criminal syndicate of feudal lords, the bureaucracy, military and media. They are all certified criminals, gangsters, rapists and murderers whose only purpose in life is to plunder state resources.
Despite its enormous natural wealth and thus huge potential, Pakistan is being run into the ground because the parasitical ruling elite are busy stealing all state resources and whatever else they can lay their grubby hands on. Theft and plunder have been institutionalized into the system.
Pakistan functions not so much as a state but as a huge real estate racket. Land mafias usurp lands belonging to others but the victims have little or no recourse in law to retrieve what rightly belongs to them. This is because the judiciary is just as corrupt. People’s genuine grievances remain in limbo for decades because the judges are too corrupt and easily bribed by the powerful to dispense justice.
On important issues, judges take their orders from the military high command despite the latter claiming that they are “not interfering in politics” and are “neutral”. Such bald face lies would be hard to find elsewhere. The depressing fact is that there is no rule of law in Pakistan.
The constitution, for what it’s worth, is treated with disdain. Successive army chiefs have violated the constitution by overthrowing civilian governments and grabbed power. The judiciary has provided legal cover for such illegal acts.
When the constitution is violated with such impunity and there is no accountability for gross misdemeanor, it leaves little room for optimism for the survival of the state. The social contract between the state and the people has not only broken down, it simply does not exist because the state itself has withered away.
Flag raising ceremonies and military parades, however impressive, do not make a state. They are mere attempts to hide the ugly reality of total breakdown. The people have not only lost faith in state institutions but also respect for them.
The country’s economic condition has deteriorated so rapidly since last April when Imran Khan’s government was overthrown through a soft coup that it is on the verge of default. Traditional sources of foreign funding, mainly handouts from the IMF and friendly Arab countries have dried up. Pakistani exports and remittances from overseas Pakistanis have also declined, the latter because people have no faith in the criminals imposed as rulers by the military.
Imran Khan’s quest to force elections in the country, though admirable, is misplaced. Elections will not help bring about change even if he wins the desired two-third majority in parliament. The entire system is rotten and has to be demolished completely. This will not happen unless the powers-that-be are defanged. That is a tall order and will require huge sacrifices in life and blood.
There is no evidence to suggest that Imran Khan is prepared to take that route at present. Perhaps, he is not sure of his supporters’ commitment. Even within his own party and allied parties, there are people secretly in league with the army top brass and taking directions from them. Under these circumstances, how can fresh elections solve the country’s problems?
When there is a cancerous tumor in the body, it has to be excised to give the body a fighting chance to survive. If the tumor stays inside, it will spread and infect other organs of the body. This is what seems to be happening in Pakistan.
In order to bring about change in society, it is important to analyze the prevailing situation and determine what is wrong with it. Following that, a clear direction must be provided as to where the society needs to go. The ultimate goal and how to achieve it must also be clearly articulated. Then comes the stage of mobilization of the masses.
Looking at the situation in Pakistan, there appears to be much confusion in the minds of those promising to bring about change. It does not help to promise change yet insist on working with the very people and institutions that are impediments to change.
Physical revolution must be preceded by a revolution in thought. Without the intellectual revolution, all struggle ends up as futile pursuit. The chaos that engulfs Pakistan is the result of such muddled thinking.
What is the way forward? The Prophetic Seerah offers very important lessons. While all Pakistanis, and indeed Muslims everywhere, claim to love the Prophet (pbuh) and will even give their lives to defend his honour, they have not internalized the lessons of his life’s struggle.
He totally rejected the Jahili system in Makkah and refused to have anything to do with it. When he was offered a power-sharing arrangement, before he could respond, it was rejected from on high by Allah. He does not want His committed servants to mix Haqq with Batil. The struggle for justice will face many challenges but these will have to be faced and surmounted in order to reach the destiny ordained by Allah.
YEAR OF POLYCRISIS
Maleeha Lodhi
January 2, 2023
https://www.dawn.com/news/1729501/year-of-polycrisis
2022 was a tumultuous year in Pakistan even by the standards of its turbulent political history. It confronted a polycrisis — several crises that converged to reinforce each other and create an overall challenge tougher to deal with than any single crisis. A political crisis, often with constitutional implications raged through the year, the economic crisis aggravated, the worst climate-induced floods in the country’s history tested national resilience and a resurgence of terrorist violence revived threats to Pakistan’s security.
The ouster of prime minister Imran Khan’s government by a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April set in train a series of events that drove the country into a state of perpetual crisis. Several aspects of the crisis distinguished it from those in the country’s chequered past. Never before was a prime minister removed by a no-trust vote. The crisis came to encompass all the country’s institutions — Supreme Court, parliament, Presidency, Punjab Assembly, ECP as well as the military, despite its claim to stay away from the political fray. Also there were few parallels in the country’s history of disruptions that delayed the transfer of power.
Unwilling to accept the loss of power, Khan launched a series of actions to first circumvent and then respond to the no-confidence move. He crafted the narrative of a foreign conspiracy to explain his ouster, openly accusing the army leadership of being part of this conspiracy. Although he never produced any evidence to back his charge — and later backtracked on this — it found ready believers among his loyal political base. The aim to delegitimise his opponents backfired especially as military spokesmen flatly rejected this narrative as false. As did a meeting of the National Security Committee.
Khan’s exit from power opened a new, uncertain and volatile phase in Pakistan’s politics. Led by PML-N, the 13-party PDM coalition that assumed power, got off to a slow and unsure start as it had to initially overcome impediments in the way of a smooth transition. Cobbling together a coalition cabinet — the largest in the country’s history — also took time and underlined the difficulties of forging agreement among disparate parties. Nevertheless, Khan’s fierce opposition kept this coalition united even if some constituent parties needed high maintenance from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was also obliged to constantly consult Mian Nawaz Sharif in London.
Pakistan has to meet multiple challenges in 2023 in a deeply fractured and polarised state.
Confrontational politics remained the overarching reality of 2022. Imran Khan sought through the year to mount pressure on the government to hold immediate general elections. But PDM insisted on continuing in office until parliament completed its full term in August 2023. The country’s largest province and political heartland, Punjab, becoming the arena of nonstop power struggles. PTI and its ally, PML-Q led by Parvez Elahi, was able to seize control of the government after Hamza Sharif’s brief tenure. But the province remained unsettled with governance all but paralysed due to the stand-off between Lahore and Islamabad. At year end, both sides were locked in a fierce fight — PTI to secure dissolution of the provincial assembly and the PDM coalition to avert that by political manoeuvres.
Ceaseless political confrontation signalled the breakdown of politics in 2022. Amid heightening tensions, political disputes were no longer amenable to resolution by political means. Political rivals either resorted to the courts or turned to the army to further their political aims. An opposition-less National Assembly was marginalised and the political system came under increasing stress. State institutions faced growing pressure. The superior courts were expected by both sides to not just adjudicate legal and constitutional issues but also decide political matters. This turned the courts into arbiters of politics, rather than arbiters of law. The army became the target of repeated criticism by Khan and the subject of unprecedented public and media debate. It was variously accused of not intervening or intervening too much.
The economy was the make-or-break issue for the ruling coalition and country in the outgoing year. Deepening polarisation and political turmoil exacerbated the economic challenge with uncertainty casting a long shadow over a worsening public finance crisis. The dire situation urged Sharif to secure resumption of the IMF programme and seek funds from friendly countries to finance the record current account deficit, meet debt repayments and try to stabilise the precarious macroeconomic situation. Soaring inflation emerged as an even bigger political threat than Khan for the government, fuelling widespread public discontent.
The country saw the worst floods in its history which impacted over 33 million people and caused extensive displacement and destruction. The death toll exceeded 1,200, with massive damage to crops, homes and infrastructure. Relief and rehabilitation efforts by the authorities were augmented by financial assistance from overseas but it was clear that recovery would need more time and money. At the end of the year, flood victims in many areas faced food shortages and the risk of disease. The disaster imposed a heavy financial burden on an already struggling economy.
The government’s change of finance ministers five months into its tenure injected more uncertainty into a tenuous economic situation. As foreign exchange reserves depleted, the rupee weakened, exports declined, remittances contracted and debt payments piled up, speculation about a sovereign default began to intensify in the face of heavy external obligations ahead. Government ministers, however, rejected this as alarmist. The situation entered a critical phase when reserves plunged to $5.8 billion. By year end, it was unclear how Pakistan would navigate the economic crisis, especially in view of delay in the release of an IMF tranche in the bailout programme.
Imran Khan’s announcement in December to dissolve the Punjab and KP assemblies added to political and economic uncertainty and served to further darken the outlook for an economy teetering on the brink of insolvency. As if this wasn’t enough, the country witnessed a fresh wave of terrorist violence, with TTP militants striking across KP and beyond, including the capital. Clashes on the Pak-Afghan border and terror attacks on security personnel in Balochistan underlined growing security problems on the western frontier. But this confluence of political, economic and security challenges did little to unite the country’s political leaders. Instead, it left Pakistan having to negotiate multiple crises in 2023 in an unprecedentedly fractured state.
ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE
Dr Niaz Murtaza
https://www.dawn.com/news/1730887
We face many paths to doom today — both economic and security-related — but only a few paths to avoid it. But the state doesn’t adopt these paths as they undermine the interests of strong civilian and military elites who control policy.
While egalitarian ideas drove Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan freedom aims, ours mainly reflected the fears of Muslim elites about their interests under Hindu rule and had few pro-poor ideas. Since ’47, the Pakistani state has lived up very well to the objectives of its creation by ably guarding elite interests and ignoring those of the masses, so much so that it now faces doom. In fact, the Pakistani state may be in South Asia the one least focused on the people.
The limits of this elitism are vividly illustrated by the current perma-polycrisis. A crisis is bad enough, a polycrisis (one encompassing multiple domains such as economic, political, natural, social, etc) worse and a perma-polycrisis (a polycrisis that shows no signs of ending) more so. This crisis started as an economic one under the PTI and was exacerbated by the political standoff between Pindi, PDM and PTI; the global economic crisis; and finally the floods. No end is in sight to most of its immediate causes or the elitism in which it is rooted.
The history of successful states shows that social movements play a critical role in improving the quality of governance and making it more people-centred. Thus, it is critical for Pakistani society to organise itself better and form an alliance or coalition for change to force elites to adopt egalitarian policies that help avoid disaster. A coalition is a group of persons and/or entities that have common aims and who agree to work together towards achieving them. Coalition work includes three ingredients: agenda, partners, and strategies.
Our society needs coalitions to stand up to elites.
It is easy to list an agenda to avert doom. Economically, we must increase taxes and export revenues to reduce our fiscal and external deficits that often lead to crises; reform state enterprise (including milbus), power and water sectors; and increase investment and productivity to achieve sustainable growth. It means adopting poor-led progress strategies that make increasing the incomes of the poor as the main engine of national progress, by providing them with organisations, market power, protection, assets, skills and social services. Politically, it means civilian sway over Pindi and its spy agencies staying totally out of politics; devolution; police, judicial and bureaucratic reforms; peace with Baloch rebels and end of TTP terrorism. Externally, it means peace with India and good, balanced ties with all key allies like the West, Gulf states and China. Socially, it means ending extremism and full rights for women, minorities and other weak groups.
Progressive, grassroots, pro-poor groups are obvious partners for leading the coalition for this pro-poor agenda. But Pakistan’s situation is so precarious, especially economically even in the short term, that most components of this agenda would appeal to a much broader alliance, which is also necessary given the enormity of the task involved in swaying strong elite interests.
Thus, a broader coalition is needed, that includes pro-poor advocacy groups, farmer and labour entities as leaders, but also professional bodies of lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers and others, including media groups, business groups, academia and expatriate groups. This practically means all organised society willing to support such an agenda outside the narrow range of elite interests that currently control state policy or extremist and criminal groups. The starting step could be for progressive grassroots groups to come together and then gradually expand the coalition by inviting other societal groups to join it.
Finally, coalitions need effective strategies. Coalitions may be loose, when members work together for a limited time until they achieve or abandon a specific aim. They may also become permanent, with governing bodies, funding, and organisational structures. It will be naïve to expect such a diverse coalition to achieve any permanence. However, even so, a three- to five-year period may still be needed to influence state policy sustainably. The main strategy would be two-fold. First, it would involve influencing policymakers through direct meetings with them, media work, public meetings and protests. Second, it would involve educating the larger public about the issues and remedies to garner greater support for the cause.
The only feasible path forward for us now is for society to stand up to elites through coalitions. Even this doesn’t guarantee success, given the low odds of, first, putting such an alliance together and, second, it actually succeeding. But the chances of any other path succeeding are even lower. This sadly reflects our poor odds going forward.
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IMF DEMANDS CUT THE NUMBERS OF THE PAKISTAN ARMY
General Amjad Shoaib®
TRAP OF INTERNATIONAL FUNDING
Orya Maqbool Jan
HOW SHAHBAZ SHARIF GOT LOANS INSTEAD OF AID IN GENEVA
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PAKISTAN IS GOING TO ACCEPT ALL THE CONDITIONS OF IMF ONCE AGAIN
WORST ECONOMIC SITUATION OF PAKISTAN
Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
ARE WE AN INSENSITIVE NATION?
Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
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IS THIS BLACKOUT A RESULT OF THE NWO REGIME CHANGE OR A LACK OF STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT? EITHER WAY IT IS CLEAR THAT PAKISTAN NEEDS A RADICAL REHAUL.
POWER BREAKDOWN HITS PAKISTAN :
WHO's RESPONSIBLE
Imran Riaz Khan
ELECTRICITY BREAKDOWN IN PAKISTAN WAS A TIP OF THE ICEBERG FOR THE COUNTRY
UPCOMING STORM OF ELECTRICITY IS ON THE WAY TO PAKISTAN
WAS THERE ANY EMP ON PAKISTAN WHICH PUT MILLIONS IN DARKNESS DUE TO BLACKOUT
POWER OUTAGE SWEEPS PAKISTAN
SECRET PLAN EXPOSED
US statement on power outage
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! WE WILL NOT LET ANYONE DO THIS
Fawad Chaudhry
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CURRENT SITUATION OF
THE COUNTRY ?
Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
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IS THIS BLACKOUT A RESULT OF THE NWO REGIME CHANGE OR A LACK OF STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT? EITHER WAY IT IS CLEAR THAT PAKISTAN NEEDS A RADICAL REHAUL.
POWER BREAKDOWN HITS PAKISTAN :
WHO's RESPONSIBLE
Imran Riaz Khan
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE COUNTRY ?
Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
POWER BREAKDOWN IN PAKISTAN, SYSTEM FAILURE, CONSPIRACY OR PART OF NWO
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IS THE FATE OF PAKISTANIS ANALOGOUS TO THAT OF CAGED TIGERS WHO LEAP FOR FREEDOM, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE? IF THERE IS SUBSTANCE TO THIS REALITY THE NATION FACES A TURBULENT PERIOD OF ANARCHY, CHAOS AND INSTABILITY IN THE BREWING REVOLUTIONARY SCENARIO. HUGE ATTENTION IS BEING PAID TO THIS AS THERE WILL BE FALLOUT IN THE REGION IN END TIMES.
A WARNING NEEDS TO BE ISSUED HERE TO THE NWO POWERS BEHIND THIS. THEY NEED TO REALISE AS AN EXISTENTIAL SPIRITUAL WAR IS BEING WAGED THAT THEIR NEFARIOUS PLANS WILL NOT GO AS THEY PLEASE AS ALLAH IS THE GREATEST OF PLOTTERS. PAKISTAN IS A KEY THEATRE OF THE MANIFESTATION OF THE CONTEST OF WILLS BETWEEN THE FORCES OF FALSEHOOD AND TRUTH. THEY SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE FORCES OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE KNOCKING DOWN THEIR DOORS FOR THE COMING RENDEZVOUS.
IMRAN KHAN WILL BE ARRESTED?
Orya Maqbool Jan
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT ZAMAN PARK ?
Inside Story by Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
COURTS ORDER 2 DAYS REMAND OF FAWAD CHAUDHRY TO ISLAMABAD POLICE
WHO IS NEXT AFTER FAWAD CHAUDHARY?
Inside Story by Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
FAWAD CHAUDHARY's ARREST
Revelations of Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
FAWAD CHAUDHRY IS SHOWING UNGLI AFTER GETTING ARRESTED IN LAHORE
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PTI LEADERS ARE BEING ARRESTED RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. CAN THE USA IMPORTED PROXY GOVERNMENT EXPLAIN WHY? WHAT CRIMES HAVE THEY COMMITTED? AND WHY ARE GUNS AIMED AT THEIR LEADER IMRAN KHAN? IT APPEARS THAT IN A HOUSE OF CORRUPTION WE HAVE A POPULAR CLEAN PATRIOTIC GUY WHO IS ANTI-CORRUPTION AND COMMITTED TO HIS NATION. HIS CRIME APPEARS HE DOES NOT WANT TO BE A SLAVE OF FOREIGN MASTERS. AND HE WANTS TO LEAD AND GUIDE HIS NATION TO BE A SELF RELIANT INDEPENDENT COUNTRY. IF THAT IS HIS CRIME THOSE TRYING TO IMPOSE THE NOOSE ROUND HIS NECK DO NOT REALISE THE STORM BREWING THEIR WAY.
PAKISTAN IS A NATION BORN IN BITTER STRUGGLE CAN NOT THROW AWAY THE SACRIFICES OF PAST GENERATIONS. THE PEOPLE NEED TO STAND FIRM WITH THEIR LEADER AND LEADERSHIP IN THE CURRENT DIFFICULT PERIOD. THE PEOPLE NEED HOPE NOT HOPELESSNESS AND DESPAIR. THEY SHOULD ALSO PRAY FOR ALLAH SWT TO OVERCOME THE EVILDOERS.
IS THE FATE OF PAKISTANIS ANALOGOUS TO THAT OF CAGED TIGERS WHO LEAP FOR FREEDOM, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE? IF THERE IS SUBSTANCE TO THIS REALITY THE NATION FACES A TURBULENT PERIOD OF ANARCHY, CHAOS AND INSTABILITY IN THE BREWING REVOLUTIONARY SCENARIO. HUGE ATTENTION IS BEING PAID TO THIS AS THERE WILL BE FALLOUT IN THE REGION IN END TIMES.
A WARNING NEEDS TO BE ISSUED HERE TO THE NWO POWERS BEHIND THIS. THIS DAJALLIC SHOWER HAVE JUST FINISHED THEIR WEF DAVOS DO. IT IS CLEAR WHAT INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE DAJALLIC HIGH COMMAND HAVE BEEN ISSUED. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE EINSTEIN TO DECODE THAT THEY HAVE HAD THEIR ASSES KICKED IN HARD. SPIRITUAL MASTERS REALISE INSTRUCTIONS HAVE GONE OUT TO THESE PSYCHOS TO SPEED UP AND FAST FORWARD THE GLOBAL CHAOS WHICH IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST AND PRE-CONDITION FOR THEIR GLOBAL RESET AND NWO TO MATERIALISE. ANYONE UNAWARE OF THIS SHOULD GET OUT OF MY WAY AS THERE IS NO MORE TIME TO CARRY OTHERS WHO ARE CARRIED AWAY WITH MSM NONSENSE.
THE UNIVERSAL TAWHEEDI HISTORICAL MESSAGE DELIVERED HERE IS THAT THERE ARE SOME OUT THERE WHO REALISE THAT THE BATTLE IS ON FOR THE SOUL OF HUMANITY. WE SAY IN THE NAME OF SPIRITUAL MASTERS THAT IN THE EXISTENTIAL SPIRITUAL WAR BEING WAGED NOW THAT THEIR NEFARIOUS PLANS WILL NOT GO AS THEY PLAN AND PLEASE. AS ALLAH IS THE GREATEST OF PLOTTERS. PAKISTAN IS A THEATRE OF THE MANIFESTATION OF THE CONTEST OF WILLS BETWEEN THE FORCES OF FALSEHOOD AND TRUTH. THEY SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE FORCES OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE KNOCKING DOWN THEIR DOORS FOR THE COMING RENDEZVOUS.
IMRAN KHAN WILL BE ARRESTED OR HOUSE ARREST IN ZAMAN PARK LAHORE
IMRAN KHAN WILL BE ARRESTED?
Orya Maqbool Jan
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT ZAMAN PARK ?
Inside Story by Lt Gen ® Amjad Shoaib
IS GEN ASIM MUNIR TAKING PAKISTAN TOWARDS CIVIL WAR, ANARCHY, DESTRUCTION, ANARCHY, DEVASTATION?
IF SO, WHY ?
IMRAN's PLANNED ASSASSINATION? IF SO, WILL ARMY SPLIT?
They will salute & hand over nuclear assets!
RANA SANAULLAH ADMITS POWERFUL PEOPLE ARE AFTER IMRAN KHAN
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