Pakistan news and discussions

weatheriscool
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Pakistan news and discussions

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Bus carrying pilgrims overturns in SW Pakistan, killing 20
Source: AP

By ABDUL SATTAR
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A speeding bus carrying pilgrims overturned on a highway and fell into a ravine in a remote area in southwestern Pakistan before dawn on Friday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 50 others, police and officials said.

The accident happened in Khuzdar, a district in Baluchistan province, local police official Hafeez Ullah Mengal said. Rescuers transported the dead and injured to military and government hospitals, he added.

Imam Bakhsh, one of the injured passengers, told The Associated Press by phone that passengers had repeatedly warned the driver to be more careful. He blamed the driver for the accident, saying he was enjoying music and driving recklessly.

Imran Ahmad, an official with the Levies security force said driver negligence apparently caused the accident, but that officers were still investigating.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-4a5 ... 0309f97664
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Re: Pakistan news and discussions

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After KP, PM Imran launches health insurance programme for all residents of Punjab

Published December 13, 2021

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched on Monday a programme to give health insurance to all residents of Punjab, announcing that by the end of March, all families in the province will get the 'Naya Pakistan Health Card'.

Under the scheme, families can avail free medical treatment of up to Rs1 million per year.

After Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which began offering all its residents health insurance under the same scheme in February, Punjab is set to become the second province to offer its residents universal coverage.

Addressing the launching ceremony of the programme in Lahore today, Prime Minister Imran lauded Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for spearheading the project in the province.

"This is a landmark, defining moment in the journey of Pakistan becoming a welfare state," the prime minister said.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1663578
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caltrek
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Defiant Before No-Confidence Vote
by Q Zaman
March 31, 2022

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/3 ... dence-vote

Introduction:
(Al Jazeera) Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he will not resign, striking a defiant tone ahead of a no-confidence vote expected to take place on Sunday.

Khan, 69, lost his majority in parliament on Wednesday when a key ally quit his coalition, which could give the opposition the 172 votes in the 342-seat house needed to force him out.

The opposition has accused him of corruption and economic mismanagement, amid high inflation and a weakening currency.

“There is only one honourable exit for [Khan] and that is resignation,” Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), told reporters on Thursday.

But Khan, in a live address to the nation later on Thursday, rejected calls to step down.
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caltrek
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Re: Pakistan news and discussions

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Here is The National's take on the cirsis facing Imran Khan:

Imran Khan Says He Will Not Resign Before Vote to Oust Him on Sunday
March 31, 2022

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/a ... on-sunday/

Introduction:
(The National) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a televised address to the nation on Thursday that he would not resign before a vote to oust him is held on Sunday.

Mr Khan also said a “western country” is backing his removal because he visited Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin last month.

No Pakistani prime minister has ever seen out a full term and Mr Khan is facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018. His opponents accuse him of economic mismanagement and foreign policy bungling.

The government is also battling to contain a rise in militancy by the Pakistani Taliban, which on Wednesday announced an offensive against security forces during Ramadan, which is due to begin with the sighting of the next new moon.

Debate on the no-confidence motion was due to start on Thursday, but the deputy speaker suspended proceedings when members of Parliament declined to first address other items on the agenda.
Don't mourn, organize.

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caltrek
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With Yet Another Prime Minister’s Exit, Army Shows It Reigns Supreme in Pakistan
by Sharat Sabharwal
April 1, 2022

https://indianexpress.com/article/opini ... n-7846829/

Introduction:
(The Indian Express) Another prime minister of Pakistan is on the verge of losing office without completing his tenure. What went wrong with Imran Khan’s prime ministership? What does his impending departure mean for Pakistan and India?

Imran Khan’s political career — which was floundering since the founding of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996 — was given a boost by the army from 2011 onwards to counter Nawaz Sharif. He promised “Naya Pakistan” and won the 2018 election with the army’s support. This resulted in a hybrid arrangement, in which Khan flaunted his proximity to the army and was seen as doing its bidding. He adopted an autocratic style of governance, thereby alienating some close associates. He hounded his political opponents through selective accountability and galvanised them into joint action. However, he did not display the requisite political and administrative acumen to deal with Pakistan’s intractable problems.

Less than four years later, he is on the edge of a political precipice and Naya Pakistan continues to stare at its long-standing problems. He has presided over an economy characterised by high inflation, sliding (Pakistani) rupee, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and a mounting debt burden. The relationship with India remains fraught. His attempts to forge a relationship that goes beyond Afghanistan with the Biden administration have failed. He managed to alienate Saudi Arabia in 2020, making them recall one of their loans and end the deferred payment facility for oil imports. The army leadership had to step in to mollify the Saudis. He has failed to stem extremism and terrorism.

Every civilian surrogate promoted by the army has sooner or later felt stifled and defied them at the cost of their wrath.
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caltrek
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Pakistan is Thrown into Crisis After the Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament
by Diaa Hadid and Abdul Sattar
April 3/ 2022

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/10904901 ... 771565b535

Introduction:
(NPR) ISLAMABAD — Pakistan plunged into political crisis Sunday after the prime minister, Imran Khan, dissolved parliament ahead of a vote on a no-confidence motion in which he was widely expected to lose.

The decision to break up the parliamentary session ahead of the vote marked a stunning attempt by Khan to remain in office despite widespread economic and political discontent across Pakistan. A successful no-confidence motion would have likely seen the formation of a new government. Instead, the country looks headed to fresh elections – giving Khan a potential new lease on keeping the job.

The opposition says it will challenge the move in the country's Supreme Court. The court said it would take the challenge up on Monday, but it remains far from clear how the court may rule.

"Absolutely unprecedented," said Amber Rahim Shamsi, an analyst and former broadcaster who is now the director of the Center of Excellence in Journalism at the International Business Administration. "This is a constitutional crisis."

"This is Imran Khan changing the nature of the game," she said. "The opposition had the numbers, and it was pretty much a sure vote. Had it gone through, the prime minister would have been removed from office."
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weatheriscool
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caltrek wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:05 pm Pakistan is Thrown into Crisis After the Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament
by Diaa Hadid and Abdul Sattar
April 3/ 2022

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/10904901 ... 771565b535

Introduction:
(NPR) ISLAMABAD — Pakistan plunged into political crisis Sunday after the prime minister, Imran Khan, dissolved parliament ahead of a vote on a no-confidence motion in which he was widely expected to lose.

The decision to break up the parliamentary session ahead of the vote marked a stunning attempt by Khan to remain in office despite widespread economic and political discontent across Pakistan. A successful no-confidence motion would have likely seen the formation of a new government. Instead, the country looks headed to fresh elections – giving Khan a potential new lease on keeping the job.

The opposition says it will challenge the move in the country's Supreme Court. The court said it would take the challenge up on Monday, but it remains far from clear how the court may rule.

"Absolutely unprecedented," said Amber Rahim Shamsi, an analyst and former broadcaster who is now the director of the Center of Excellence in Journalism at the International Business Administration. "This is a constitutional crisis."

"This is Imran Khan changing the nature of the game," she said. "The opposition had the numbers, and it was pretty much a sure vote. Had it gone through, the prime minister would have been removed from office."


The middle east is so fucked up that it almost needs a king or a strong arm dictator for any stability. Pretty sad............
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Yuli Ban
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Pakistan in political turmoil as leader dissolves Parliament
Pakistan’s prime minister threw the country into political limbo on Sunday, accusing the United States of attempting to oust him and canceling a no-confidence vote he was poised to lose. He then ordered the National Assembly dissolved so new elections can be held.

The moves by Imran Khan appeared to set off a constitutional crisis: Pakistan’s Supreme Court must rule on their legality, but it adjourned until Monday and gave no indication when the matter would be settled. In Pakistan, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has just begun.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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Yuli Ban
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weatheriscool wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 12:27 am
caltrek wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2022 9:05 pm Pakistan is Thrown into Crisis After the Prime Minister Dissolves Parliament
by Diaa Hadid and Abdul Sattar
April 3/ 2022

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/03/10904901 ... 771565b535

Introduction:
(NPR) ISLAMABAD — Pakistan plunged into political crisis Sunday after the prime minister, Imran Khan, dissolved parliament ahead of a vote on a no-confidence motion in which he was widely expected to lose.

The decision to break up the parliamentary session ahead of the vote marked a stunning attempt by Khan to remain in office despite widespread economic and political discontent across Pakistan. A successful no-confidence motion would have likely seen the formation of a new government. Instead, the country looks headed to fresh elections – giving Khan a potential new lease on keeping the job.

The opposition says it will challenge the move in the country's Supreme Court. The court said it would take the challenge up on Monday, but it remains far from clear how the court may rule.

"Absolutely unprecedented," said Amber Rahim Shamsi, an analyst and former broadcaster who is now the director of the Center of Excellence in Journalism at the International Business Administration. "This is a constitutional crisis."

"This is Imran Khan changing the nature of the game," she said. "The opposition had the numbers, and it was pretty much a sure vote. Had it gone through, the prime minister would have been removed from office."


The middle east is so fucked up that it almost needs a king or a strong arm dictator for any stability. Pretty sad............
It's basically largely due to horrible geopolitics.
The Near/Middle East was stable once upon a time, until the Mongols ravaged the place. And by the time they recovered, Western powers fractured the place horribly along lines that don't even make sense. The partition of India into India and Pakistan was a good idea on paper, but was really poorly thought out. So basically what I'm saying is that if we want to resolve all these crises, we ought to hit it at the root of the source— poorly drawn borders, deliberately inflamed ethnonationalism, and funding despots. But this would require such a big reset that it might cause more problems than it'd resolve. Most countries would rather not be broken to pieces...
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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caltrek
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What is going on in Pakistan? And why has the US been dragged into it?
by Ayesha Jalal

https://theconversation.com/what-is-goi ... -it-180731

Extract:
(The Conversation) What prompted the calls for a no-confidence vote?

The basic charge against Imran Khan is mismanagement, especially in Punjab – Pakistan’s second-largest province in terms of area and its most populous.

Khan came to power in 2018 promising a “new Pakistan” and an end to the corruption that has for decades been part of Pakistan’s politics. But he has failed to live up to that promise. Khan’s appointed chief minister in Punjab, Usman Buzdar, has been accused of widespread corruption, taking bribes and receiving money in return for making bureaucratic appointments. Even members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have broken with the prime minister over his backing of the now outgoing Punjab chief minister.

On top of this, Khan has been criticized for his handling of everything from the pandemic to soaring inflation in the country.

Where does the US come into this?

With his position as prime minister under threat, Khan has fallen back on a tried-and-tested tactic in Pakistani politics: Blame the United States.

Khan’s new narrative is that there is a foreign conspiracy to oust him from power. And it is America, Khan says, that is really behind the no-confidence motion filed by opposition lawmakers.
U.S. Denies Khan’s Claim It Wants Him Ousted in Pakistan

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... n-pakistan

Introduction:
The U.S. denied claims from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that the Biden administration is seeking to oust his government...
Don't mourn, organize.

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