In Brief
PAKISTAN ELECTIONS 2023
PR Exclusive Update 21
PML-Q on merger with PML-N
On 12 November, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, a senior PML-Q leader, claims that his party is not merging with any other political organization. Shafay further added that the PML-Q candidates would run with tractors as their electoral emblem. The people of Pakistan, according to PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat, had high expectations for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and the next administration would need to focus on restoring the economy, eradicating unemployment, and reducing prices. He asserts that rather than engaging in politics of vengeance, people should let the past go and move on because the nation needs national peace and healing now more than ever. (“PML-Q says no merger, only seat adjustment with PML-N,” Dawn, 13 November 2023)
POLITICS
Alvi should speak for every party, says Solangi
On 12 November, during a press conference Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi asked President Dr. Arif Alvi to represent all political parties in compliance with the law and the Constitution to promote national unity. He stated that Alvi’s reputation would be damaged if he kept speaking on behalf of a single political party. He further requested that the president honour his own office. In response to a query, the minister stated that everyone should work together to uphold the Constitution and that elected officials will be in charge of the nation. Mr Solangi emphasized the value of democracy as a vehicle for communication and rejected several objections and grievances, stating that all parties and individuals had the right to express their concerns in the proper forums, such as the Pakistani Election Commission and the courts. Regarding the impending election, the minister restated the commitment of the interim administration to provide the ECP with complete support and cooperation in compliance with the law and the Constitution. ( “Solangi urges Alvi to represent all parties, not just one,” Dawn, 13 November 2023)
EXTERNAL
Pakistan claims the Afghan Taliban are in charge of the TTP
On 12 November, Pakistan's chief diplomat Asif Durrani said in an interview that Afghan Taliban are in charge of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He stated “We cannot fathom the fact that the TTP people, who are living in Afghanistan, are under their (Afghan Taliban) control. They are allowed to cross the Pakistan border and conduct sabotage activities, massacre and then go back. This is something that is discomforting for us.” Durrani added that TTP’s activities are affecting the bilateral relations of both countries. He went on to say that TTP is a major issue for Pakistan, stressing that the Afghan Taliban government was in charge of regulating and disarming the group. The Afghan Taliban, he claimed, could not avoid that obligation. Durrani also discussed the "symbiotic relationship" that exists between the TTP and the Taliban in Afghanistan. According to The Express Tribune, the Pakistani government frequently distinguished between the Taliban in Afghanistan and the TTP at the height of the war on terror and the US military campaign there. While labelling the TTP as a terrorist organization, they saw the Afghan Taliban as a national movement fighting against foreign occupation. But with the Afghan Taliban regaining control, perceptions and narratives have shifted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Pakistan now sees the TTP as the Afghan Taliban's wing. Some even speculate that the TTP is being used by the Afghan Taliban as a stooge against Pakistan. (Kamran Yousaf, “Pakistan accuses Afghan Taliban of controlling TTP,” The Express Tribune, 13 November 2023)
PROVINCE
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 93,000 unvaccinated children in the province
On 13 November, according to vaccinators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one obstacle to the eradication of polio in the region is parents' unwillingness to vaccinate their children against poliomyelitis. The province discovered that 93,017 youngsters were not vaccinated during an immunization drive that took place in October. Of them, 75,843 were not present when health professionals went to their homes to administer the vaccine. In the same way, 17,174 kids did not receive the anti-polio drops because their parents refused to give them the life-threatening vaccination. The competent authorities are hopeful that this year will bring about a breakthrough because the virus has been contained and the three newly diagnosed cases of polio are all related to the same union council in the Bannu district. That being said, they are also concerned about the children who have not received the vaccination, as it is doubtful that this debilitating illness will be eradicated in their lifetime. (Ashfaq Yusufzai, “KP records over 93,000 unvaccinated children in recent campaign,” Dawn, 13 November 2023)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: MoU with China Window
On 12 November, a MoU was signed between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial government Department of Elections and Rural Development and the China Window. China Window is a cultural central aiming to further Islamabad and Beijing’s cooperation. The MoU was signed between the Secretary of the Local Council Board Mian Shafiqur Rehman and the administrator of China Window Amjad Aziz Malik. The agreement states that they want to promote development in the province and support Chinese language classes. (“MoU signed to promote Chinese culture in KP,” Dawn, 13 November 2023)
Balochistan: Keystrokes on the political landscape
On 13 November, an editorial in Dawn “Strategic moves on Balochistan’s political chessboard,” stated that the Balochistan's political landscape appeared to be changing once more. A number of influential individuals who had previously sided with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) are now gravitating toward the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has recently been dubbed the “king’s party” by both its opponents and some former allies. The op-ed noted Mir Saleem Ahmed Khoso, a former minister in Jam Kamal Khan Alyani's coalition government in Balochistan, left the PPP a few months after joining the group only serves to confirm some people's growing suspicion that the PML-N may soon be in a position to control the province. The return of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from London last month has fueled excitement within the party, with many crediting his homecoming and the favourable occurrences that have befallen the three-time prime minister for the resurgence of interest in joining his party. (Saleem Shahid, “Strategic moves on Balochistan’s political chessboard,” Dawn, 13 November 2023)
SOCIETY
Pakistani teacher awarded Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023
On 9 November, The News International reported on a Pakistani teacher awarded the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2023. Sister Zeph is a dedicated educator for underprivileged children and teaches them from her courtyard. Sister Zeph was chosen from 7,000 other nominations from various countries. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay also congratulated Sister Zeph for her contribution and said: “We all remember a teacher who has had an impact on our life and changed our future. It may sound like a truism but it's true: teachers are life-changers.” (“Pakistani teacher awarded global prize for educating indigent children,” The News International, 9 November 2023)
ECONOMY
SIFC proposes halting of nonstarter projects
On 13 November, Business Recorder reported that provinces are resisting the Finance Ministry’s order to halt and remove 137 non-starter projects and transfer the projects with 20 per cent progress. This proposal was created by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). SIFC Secretary of Finance Imdad Ullah Bosal stated that these projects hog 33 per cent of the total allocation of funds which cannot be sustained. The proposal outlined the following measures; Zero financial progress projects to be halted, separated funding for SDG Achievement Program to halt; projects with 20 per cent progress to be shifted to respective province and projects with 80 per cent progress to be furthered. (Mushtaq Ghumman, “Projects: Centre facing resistance from provinces,” Business Recorder, 13 November 2023)
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“Throwing out Afghans & arguing they were all invaders is another ‘murder of history’ wonder if Pakistan will change names of its weapons 4m Abdali to Ranjeet?”
- Ayesha Siddiqa
“The jail trial in the cipher case has been approached in the Islamabad High Court against the in-camera hearing, which was held on Tuesday. There was malice in it because on the last date the court had given a clear instruction to the Attorney General that the trial cannot be conducted as per the above plan, now because they are afraid only of the image of Imran Khan. He immediately agreed that if you go to the court now, there is an excuse! But the court has been told that earlier they used to say that indeed you have been attacked in Wazirabad, your life is in danger, but still you must appear. 26 hours Zaman Park operation was done for this, but see their excuses today!”
-Naeem Haider Panjutha
“Met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Riyadh and conveyed sentiments of the people of Pakistan. We stand firm in solidarity with Palestinians against the tragic loss of innocent lives in Gaza & the West Bank.” - Anwaar ul Haq Kakar
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Muhammad Wajahat Sultan, ‘Democracies and prospective voting’
The Express Tribune, 13 November 2023
“Pakistan, the voting system is based on patronage and retrospective voting. A retrospective voting system is defined as one in which different identities and social groupings take precedence over policy considerations. Voters chose short-term objectives expectations, and shortcuts like party affiliation or social identity. Such voters in electoral processes are considered myopic voters. Democracies never ripen when retrospective aspects drive voting behaviours.”
Huma Yusuf, ‘Climate adaptation’
Dawn, 13 November 2023
“Critiques of climate adaptation approaches are still too high level. McKinsey celebrates that 84 per cent of the parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have adaptation plans, but points out these are not grounded in the physical risks they ameliorate, do not articulate financing needs, and are yet to be executed. Even critiques of NAP focused on the lack of details around financing mechanisms and the scant specifics on implementation. But there is little mention of the disconnect between adaptation planning and societal attitudes more broadly. Without meaningfully changing ourselves and our society, we will not successfully adapt to a climate change-affected world.”
Editorial, ‘Taxing retailers’
The Express Tribune, 12 November 2023
“Retailers yield such political influence that they can even get laughably low flat taxes withdrawn by threatening to strike, while salaried people are left to pick up the slack. This is why wholesale and retail trade makes up about 19% of the economy but only account for less than 1% of total tax revenue. The government needs to reform tax collection, but such reforms need to be both fair and effective, which would require coordination to ensure that the retailers are forced to show their revenue — primarily through digitisation of the economy — because we have over 75 years of precedent showing that retailers cannot be trusted to self-report their income.”
Arif Hasan, ‘Afghan refugees’
Dawn, 13 November 2023
“THE manner in which Afghan refugees are being repatriated from Pakistan is unfortunate. Under the Citizens’ Act, anyone born in Pakistan is a Pakistani citizen. If you apply this law, relatively few Afghans will be repatriated. According to international law, only those who are not registered as refugees can be deported, and that too under specified conditions (which are not being followed), one of which emphasises safeguarding their dignity.”
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