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MEDIA
Telecommunication Authority blames internet slowdown on damaged submarine cable
On 21 August, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) came under scrutiny during the National Assembly Standing Committee session on Information Technology and Telecommunication. In the past weeks, internet users have complained of slowdown that the government attributed to urgradation of its “web management system” to counter cyber attacks. On the contrary, the PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman in this meeting attributed the internet slowdown to a damaged submarine cable, diverting attention from the government installed firewall. He informed that the damaged cable would be repaired by 27 August. During the session, Pakistan People’s Party member, Sharmila Farooqi outrightly asked whether the firewall had already been installed. Rehman responded that it was a technical problem and the telecom authority had no role in it. On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf highlighted the prolonged social media ban and asked him when it would be lifted. He responded that he had no knowledge on this matter. In his speech, Rehman clarified that Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) were not blocked while some reports have claimed otherwise. He said: “I never stated that VPNs were being restricted.” On the same day, he filed a written response in the Lahore High Court outlining that the submarine cable was damaged and repairs were underway. As a result, the judge adjourned the hearing till 27 August, giving the government a grace period to submit detailed responses. (Jamal Shahid, “PTA official offers yet another reason for internet woes ,” Dawn, 22 August 2024)
ECONOMY
IMF bailout approval postponed to September, confirms Finance Minister
On 21 August, Minister for Finance Mohammad Aurangzeb confirmed that the International Monetary Fund was likely to approve the USD 7 billion bailout by next month. On the reason for this delay, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmed refused to admit that it was caused by the government not being ableto meet its“external financing gap.” He told journalists that Pakistan’s request for debt rollovers would be accepted once “when the maturity of deposits of $12 billion would become due.” These revelations came after the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue held on 21 August. The committee was briefed that the State Bank of Pakistan had imposed a mere fine of PKR 208 on banks for money laundering. Additionally, Senator Farooq H Nark rejected the government’s authority to approve the Deposit Protection Corporation Amendment Bill 2024 as it had been introduced by the caretaker government and ought to be reintroduced. On the other hand, Minister of Finance, Mohammad Aurangzeb informed the committee that assenting the bill was necessary to meet a target under the IMF Programme.Further, issues surrounding Federal Board of Revenue officers operating as Officers on Special Duty and money laundering in connection with the import of solar panels were discussed in camera. (Mehta Haider, “Aurangzeb says IMF expected to okay bailout package in Sept ,” The News International, 22 August 2024)
“Support from the IMF and China will provide only limited and brief respite,” warns an editorial in Dawn
On 22 August, an editorial in Dawn titled “Plugging the gap” reviewed successive government’s track record in managing fiscal deficit and financial prudence. The editorial highlighted that “unmanageable fiscal deficits” has been common to successive governments at least since 2010- “headline fiscal deficit has averaged over 6.3 per cent of GDP since 2010 and nearly 7.4 per cent in the last five years.” This has led to the aggregation of a huge amount of debt. Even though the current government had set the fiscal deficit target at “little below 6 per cent during the present fiscal” as mandated by the IMF, it still faces a budget deficit of PKR 8.5 trillion- an increase from last year’s deficit of PKR 8.3trillion. Governments have usually extensively borrowed to bridge this budget deficit and to meet its external debt financing needs. The editorial thus argues that it is hardly surprising that this government has also announced that will borrow PKR 32 trillion in the current fiscal “to fund its budget and pay off maturing foreign loans.” Pakistan’s overall debt burden has become 26 per cent of the GDP which is already “unmanageable.” Further, Pakistan’s current intent to borrow also depends on the Chinese accepting its request for a debt rollover of USD 7.9 billion and the IMF’s final approval to the USD 7 billion bailout. While the government has expressed confidence in being able to clinch both deals, the editorial pointed out that it is “facing significant challenges on both fronts.” The editorial emphasized these macroeconomic problems are not novel and been in the making for years due to “lavish spending to support the lifestyle of our ruling elites, bad policy decisions, structural flaws and economic underperformance.” The editorial blamed the inability of the government to implement tough reforms and the ineffectiveness of economic policy makers in setting Pakistan on a road to course-correction. The editorial suggested that in order “to reduce the country’s runaway deficit to below 3 per cent” tax revenues must be increased and “wasteful expenditure that props up the lifestyle of the rent-seeking classes” must be curtailed. (“Plugging the gap,” Dawn, 22 August 2024)
POLITICS
Lt Gen Faiz Hameed: Imran Khan wants an Open Trial for the former ISI Chief
On 21 August, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan called for an open trial of Lt Gen Faiz Hameed. He said: “I demand an open trial of Faiz Hameed with media given access to cover it.,” Ex-Inter-Services Intelligence chief, Lt General Faiz Hameed was taken into custody for alleged abuse of power and violation of the Army Act. Criticizing Khan’s comment, Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tararresponded : “The founder chairman of PTI is constantly trying to make this matter controversial with his statements.By not declaring Faiz Hameed’s case as an internal matter of the army, the PTI founder chairman has proved that Faiz Hameed was indeed an asset of the founder chairman.” Khan had earlier distanced himself from Hameed after he was taken into military custody. Referring to this, Tarar stated that Khan’s changing stance is proof that he suffers from “serious anxiety and uncertainty.” He accused the PTI chairman of abandoning those who stop him. In other news, speaking at a programme on Geo News, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif pointed out that both Imran Khan and Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had deemed General Faiz’ trial an internal matter, however, Khan’s trial should be open for the country to know how he functioned as a Prime Minister. ( Khalid Iqbal, “Imran seeks Gen Faiz’s ‘open trial’,” The News International, 22 August 2024; “Tara berates Imran for open trial comment,” The Express Tribune, 22 August 2024)
Prime Minister to host PPP delegation to iron out recent differences over ministry downsizing and Punjab relief plan
On 22 August, Dawn reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited a delegation of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to iron out recent differences between the two on issues pertaing to ministry downsizing and the reduction in electricity prices for Punjab. Both these decisions have received heavy criticism from the PPP. A source told Dawn that “Yes, [PPP] chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has received a formal invitation from the prime minister for a meeting at the PM House [on Thursday] which will be followed by a dinner.” The tensions between the PPP and the ruling regime mounted after the Punjab government announced a PKR 14 per unit relief for electricity consumption between 200-500 units for residents in Punjab. The PPP government of Sindh and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had criticized both the federal and Punjab governments. Responding to these criticisms, PM Sharif had clarified that the relief was being funded by the Punjab provincial government and not the centre. He had further suggested that “Instead of politicking, provincial governments should follow Punjab’s course of action to provide relief to their people by utilizing funds from trillions of rupees transferred to them under the National Finance Commission award.” (“PM, Bilawal to iron out differences over power tariff relief, rightsizing ,” Dawn, 22 August 2024)
PTI to proceed with rally plans despite non-approval from administration
On 21 August, the Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf was not granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) to carry out its rally to Tarnol Chowk. This development came as an outcome of a meeting between the District Intelligence Committee, the Islamabad district administration, inspector general and deputy commissioner. The Inspector General indicated security concerns at the PTI rally location. A suspicious bag was found in a mosque which led to the deployment of security around the mosque and the bomb disposal squad. Other reasons cited were the presence of the Bangladeshi cricket team and protestors approaching the Supreme Court premises, which would further complicate security concerns However, the PTI was unfettered by the committee’s decision. PTI President of Islamabad, Amir Mughal said: “The protest will take place as scheduled.” On the contrary, Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar was doubtful of the opposition party’s rally as the Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) peaceful-sit was not allowed to enter Islamabad. However, PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat announced that the caravan heading from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be large enough to be unfiltered by any force. (“PTI to go ahead with capital march sans NOC ,” The Express Tribune, 22 August 2024)
National Accountability bureau enforces measures to protect parliamentarians
On 22 August, The News International reported that the National Accountability Bureau has decided to issue Statements of Purposes (SOPs) to deal with cases against all parliamentarians. All complaints against them will be notified to the NAB chairman before taking any further steps. To ensure fair treatment, custodians of the parliament, namely, the senate chairman, speakers of National Assembly and provincial assemblies have been appointed to protect the rights and privileges of the members. Additionally, a Parliamentary Accountability Facilitation Cell (PAFC) is being created to not entertain trivial, pseudonymous and mala fide complaints against the members. The PAFC will be in charge of information sharing at the complaint verification phase and the identity of the parliamentarian will be confidential to avoid undue harm to their reputation. (“Unfair accountability in past: NAB issues new SOPs to protect Senators, MNAs, MPAs,” The News International, 22 August 2024)
SECURITY
Army chief wants the State to prevent "social media-induced hysteria"
On 21 August, the broadcaster PTV posted a tweet on social media platform X, quoting the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir In which he stated that “It is the responsibility of the state to keep the public away from the implications of social media-induced hysteria and fitna.” This statement comes as the military establishment has consistently warned about the dangers of propaganda spread through social media. Over the years, campaigns, posts and other content have been very critical of both the government and the military which has led to numerous arrests and cases filed against journalists and people who express dissent on social media. Therefore, it has resulted in restricted internet access and bans on platforms. This has been justified by the use of phrases such as “negative propaganda” or “digital terrorism,” the latter has often been used by the military against its critics, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and its supporters. The use of “digital terrorism” is also against PTI founder, Imran Khan’s tweet on X which urged his followers to read up on what led to the separation of East Pakistan in the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report. In his other statements, General Munir addressed the country’s youth, calling them the “biggest and most valuable asset” which would “go to waste under any circumstances.” (“State responsibility to protect public from social media’s negative implications, army chief says ,” Dawn, 21 August 2024)
“The state needs to take note of the troubling developments on the militancy front,” cautions an editorial in Dawn
On 22 August, an editorial in Dawn titled “Signs of trouble” urged both the civilian government and the military to “take note of the troubling developments on the militancy front.” The editorial referenced several recent attacks on security forces by the militants and cautioned the return of militants to areas which had been deemed to be clear of them. For instance, according to the ISPR numbers referenced in Pakistani media, approximately 139 security forces had lost their lives until July 2024. Further, there are reports of the reactivation of Lashkar-i-Islam and its activities along with the TTP in KP’s Tirah Valley. Locals have informed Dawn that these militants are conducting patrols in the valley with impunity and are asking locals for food and shelter. The locals also revealed that “the police and Levies had ‘vanished’.” The editorial also reminded that both these militant groups have colluded in the past and can prove to be “a fresh headache for the state.” The local population should not be left alone to be exploited by these groups and neither should the state allow militants to “set up parallel governance structures” as had previously happened in Waziristan and Malakand. The editorial suggested that security forces should be equipped with “better gear and training” along with “crack new units” must be trained to deal with the new set of challenges. (“Signs of trouble,” Dawn, 22 August 2024)
PROVINCES
Balochistan Home Minister de-seated following election tribunal verdict
On 21 August, the Current Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove of Balochistan was unseated by an election tribunal ruling following a petition filed by a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl representative. The Election Tribunal-1 reversedLangove’s victory from the PB-36 Kalat constituency. The verdict declared Langove’s election null and void and ordered re-elections and preparation of Form 45 in polling stations 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92. It also said that Form 47 and 49 should be prepared and the results must be announced in the candidate’s or their agent’s presence. Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti was discharged by Election Tribunal-2 in a petition signed by his competitor Mir Gohram Bugti. The latter challenged Bugti’s eligibility as he was formerly a Caretaker Interior Minister who quit his post before elections. (“Poll tribunal ‘de-seats’ Balochistan home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove,” Dawn, 22 August 2024)
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The series of arrests of journalists and intimidation of judges started during the period of General Ayub Khan. Insurgency Kashmiris were arrested for Bhutto's refusal to blackout. The judiciary gave relief to the insurgency. Judges were threatened. Had to resign.
- Hamid Mir
Sher Afzal Khan Marwat was arrested by the police A heavy contingent of police has arrested Sher Afzal Marwat and taken him to Golra police station.
- PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
It is sad to see that a woman, intoxicated with wealth, crushed 5 people, out of which two died, and the entire machinery of the government is engaged in saving her instead of making her a lesson.
- Jamaat e Islami Pakistan
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"In this highly combustible environment, when the Supreme Court resumes work next month, there are bound to be fireworks."
-An opinion in Dawn, ‘Test of fragile democracy?’
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