PTI spokesperson expressed his disapproval of Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar's statement over the functioning and political future of the party as “irresponsible and worrisome.”
In Brief
POLITICS
Protests in Balochistan by BNP-M
On 27 September, Balochistan National Party- Mengal (BNP-M) held protests over the tension in Wadh. The protestors stood outside Quetta Press Club headed by BNP-M’s Secretary General, Waja Jahanzeb Baloch and other party leaders. The protestors decried the government’s inactions against the armed force's extrajudicial measures leading to the displacement of several families. They alleged that the province has been mitigated with unfair treatment and subjected to death squads leading to hiked tensions. (Saleem Shahid, Abdul Wahid Shahwani, “Protests across Balochistan over growing Wadh tensions,” Dawn, 28 September 2023)
PTI against PM Kakar’s statement on Imran Khan
On 27 September, a PTI spokesperson expressed his disapproval of Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar's statement over the functioning and political future of the party as “irresponsible and worrisome.” The spokesperson linked the statements with the interim government’s role in unconstitutional political engineering in the country. He further stated that any move to remove Imran Khan from the ballot would be considered a criminal act and asked Kakar to not waste the country’s time by creating confusion. Furthermore, he highlighted that Kakar has no mandate or authority to exclude PTI and warned against the conspiracy meted out against them. (Syed Irfan Raza, “PTI slams PM Kakar’s remarks on Imran,” Dawn, 28 September 2023)
Petition filed with Supreme Court to uphold constitutional governance
On 28 September, a petition was filed by Raja Muhammad Irshad a former additional general stating that the country was in a condition of anarchy owing to the lack of constitutional governance. The petitioner stated that the court was obligated to uphold governance and they cannot remain oblivious to the trampling of fundamental and citizen rights. Additionally, it demanded the mandate and the role of COAS in state and federal government be clarified and put an end to the controversy. It stated: “It is [a] very serious allegation against the army’s top brass and the premier intelligence agency for destabilising the elected governments and manoeuvring the elections in the country.” (“SC urged to define army chief’s role in statecraft,” Dawn, 28 September 2023)
CII demanded the establishment of a special court to hear cases like Jaranwala
On 28 September, the Chairperson of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Dr Qibla Ayaz demanded the formulation of a special court to investigate and probe cases related to crimes like the Jaranwala incident. Qibla addressing the 234th CII special session said: “The public not to take the law into their own hands, because it would be contrary to the Quran, Sunnah, the Constitution and the established national norms.” He stressed that such actions negate the religious teaching but are politically motivated. (“CII demands special court to try Jaranwala culprits,” The Express Tribune, 28 September 2023)
Approval rate survey of various state institutions
On 28 September, The News International reported on a public opinion survey by Gallup on the approval rating of various media. The report found that Politicians stood at 39 per cent, Parliament at 47 per cent and the Election Commission of Pakistan at 42 per cent. The survey looked into the approval of the functions of various institutions where the army was at 88 per cent, police at 54 per cent and local government at 51 per cent. The survey was further divided into provinces over the army approval with Punjab at 90 per cent, Sindh at 88 per cent, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 91 per cent. On political leaders, Imran Khan scored the most with the highest rating of 60 per cent followed by Saad Rizvi and Pervaiz Elahi at 38 per cent. (Ansar Abbasi ,“ Military’s approval rating 88pc, politicians’ 39pc, parliament’s 47pc, media, judiciary 56pc,” The News International, 28 September 2023)
SECURITY
Car bomb attack defused in Quetta
On 28 September, Quetta police defused an attempt to carry bomb attack as the law enforcement were tipped about a suspected car presence in the parking area of a police station in Eastern Bypass. The report informed that over 35 kilograms of explosives were found and they also recovered arms and ammunition from the car as they took the suspect to custody. (Saleem Shahid, “ Car-bomb plot foiled in Quetta,” Dawn, 28 September 2023)
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“The picture published today of meeting of Apex Committee in Peshawar is a public declaration that the country is under Hybrid system. Is hybrid experience of last 6 years not enough to inject sanity instead of taking pride in it? Hybrid wrong; yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
-Farahatullah Babar
“I strongly opposed public hangings being introduced in a bill in Senate Interior Committee by JI colleague Sen Mushtaq. There is no proven link between deterrence & public executions, let alone death penalty. Quite the contrary. Sorry to see others arguing for a further brutalisation of society. Ziaul Haq introduced public punishments, what did that do? Rape and human rights crimes went up and have been going up ever since. The PPP opposes such laws.”
-Senator Sherry Rehman
“The PPP opposes such laws which were introduced during Zia's dark rule. We can't allow more the brutalisation of our society. Instead, the State should serve the people that would make us free from such penalties like the death.”
- Sikandar Ali Hullio
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Khurram Husain, ‘The limits to growth’
Dawn, 28 September 2023
“It is futile to point out to him that exchange rates and interest rates cannot both move in the same direction, especially when the country does not have the foreign exchange reserves to sustain such an action. To propose such a thing is a bit like proposing a water car as a solution to our persistent energy import bill. It is time to wake up, even if doing so is depressing.”
Farieha Aziz, ‘Peca strikes again’
Dawn, 28 September 2023
“The Islamabad High Court struck down the PTI ordinance expanding the ambit of Section 20 and the “harm to reputation” part of the 2016 version of the law introduced by the PML-N, but the “false information” portion was left intact. Separately, the Lahore High Court declared all of Section 20 to be constitutional. An appeal against the LHC order was filed before the Supreme Court (SC) and proceedings in the case were stayed. The case has yet to proceed further.”
Dr Murtaza Khuhro, ‘Pakistan in the digital age’
The News International, 28 September 2023
“Successive domestic crises, from the assassination of a prime minister due to – as most experts believe – his reluctance to participate in the Korean war to constitutional upheavals, illustrate that ad hoc governance has characterized Pakistan’s history. Such an approach is unsustainable. Nations cannot flourish when subjected to short-term, symptomatic treatments, a flaw also evident in the IMF’s macroeconomic strategies.”
Aman Rehan, ‘The good, bad, and discontented’
The News International, 28 September 2023
“The way forward: In addition to increasing base salaries, a few suggestions are as follows: law firms could provide breakdowns of how the salary may be used, such as a transport allowance or a phone allowance. Employers can also implement a mechanism where associates can show receipts for expenses incurred on court days or on-site client meetings (such as transport and food) and then claim these amounts from the firm. These are just starting points and can be built upon further. But more importantly, a shift in mentality needs to happen. On a higher level, better regulatory controls on the profession, and an overhaul of the legal education system is required.”
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“It is not for an interim prime minister to speak on complex foreign policy matters.”
-An opinion in Dawn, ‘Beyond their mandate’
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