ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party is considered a front-runner to win general elections in February, will kick off his campaign next week, aides said, days after the Supreme Court cleared him to run for a fourth term.
The campaign for the Feb. 8 poll, delayed since November, looks set to fire up a lackluster race in an uncertain political environment after Sharif’s main rival and former premier Imran Khan, was jailed and disqualified from contesting.
“We will, God willing, start our mass campaign on Jan. 15,” Pervaiz Rashid, a close Sharif aide told Reuters, adding that the former premier would speak at a rally two days later.
Analysts believe the South Asian nation’s powerful military has thrown its backing to Sharif, 74, after it was locked in a standoff with former cricket star Khan, 71.
That gives Sharif an edge in a country where army generals mostly decide on making or breaking governments.
“Sharif is a front-runner because he and his party are back in the military’s good graces,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at Washington think tank the Wilson Center.
“In the polarized, vendetta-driven environment of Pakistani politics, it is brutally simple: Nawaz is a bitter rival of Imran Khan, and that serves the army well, which turned on Khan and doesn’t want him to return to power.”
The military’s public relations wing did not respond to a request for a comment.
Sharif’s party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also did not respond to a question about his ties with the military.
Despite Sharif’s return to Pakistan in October from four years in self-imposed exile, his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had not yet begun its campaign, since he faced a lifetime bar from contesting polls.
On Monday, however, the Supreme Court scrapped such lifetime election bans for those with criminal convictions, clearing the way for Sharif to run.
Major players such as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of late prime minister Benazir Bhutto have already begun campaigns, but these have been muted compared to past polls.
The two largest parties, the PML-N and Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have yet to gear up four weeks ahead of the election.
Bhutto’s son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, her party’s candidate for prime minister, pointed to the delay in launching Sharif’s campaign, saying it called into question whether elections would be held at all.
Khan’s PTI, the winner of the 2018 elections, which is known for festive gatherings that draw a good turnout, is grappling with a military-backed crackdown.
Its campaign efforts must also contend with state-backed efforts to block candidates on legal and technical grounds, it said, with its leader in jail.
“We are going through an election where people have no trust as they know and they are seeing that the state is blatantly pushing one party against the wall,” said author and political commentator Ayesha Siddiqa.
“We may get some activity, of course, when Sharif gets out and holds rallies.”
Sharif’s key pledge will be to rebuild the $350-billion economy which is in dire straits, battling high inflation, an unstable currency and low foreign exchange reserves, despite averting a debt default with an IMF bailout last summer.
“We have delivered on the economic front every time we came to power,” said the aide, Rashid. Previous terms in office saw Sharif favor policies focused on ambitious infrastructure-led economic growth.
Sharif, elected prime minister in 1990, 1997, and 2013, has blamed his 2017 ouster and subsequent corruption convictions on the military, with which he had fallen out. The military denies this.
That fallout is believed to have stemmed from differences over handling relations with arch-rival and neighbor India and his government’s treason trial of a former ruler and army chief, the late General Pervez Musharraf.
Still, Sharif appears to be the only viable option for the generals, said Aqil Shah, an author and specialist in the military politics of Pakistan at the University of Oklahoma.
“The military institution is only concerned with preserving and advancing its hegemonic interests,” he said. “Hence, it has no permanent enemies or friends.”
Pakistan’s former PM Nawaz Sharif to launch election campaign as front-runner
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Pakistan’s former PM Nawaz Sharif to launch election campaign as front-runner
- Sharif’s key pledge will be to rebuild the $350-billion economy which is in dire straits, battling high inflation
- His main rival and former premier Imran Khan has been jailed and disqualified from the Feb. 8 national polls
In major relief for consumers, Pakistan slashes petrol price by Rs15.39 per liter
- After Rs15.39 per liter reduction, new price of petrol has been set at Rs273.10 per liter
- Finance Division says decision taken due to declining prices of petroleum products in global market
KARACHI: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday slashed the price of petrol by Rs15.39 per liter for the next 15 days, with the move expected to bring major relief for consumers in a country reeling from inflation over the past two years.
Pakistan typically adjusts petroleum prices on a fortnightly basis, taking into account fluctuations in the international energy market and the rupee-dollar exchange rate. The latest decrease brings the price of petrol down from Rs288.49 to Rs273.10 per liter.
According to an official notification by the Finance Division released on Wednesday night, the price of high-speed diesel has also seen a downward revision of Rs7.88 per liter, setting it at Rs274.08 from Rs281.96.
“The prices of petroleum products have seen a decreasing trend in the international market during the last fortnight,” the Finance Division said in a press release.
“The Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has worked out the consumer prices, based on the price variations in the international market. The prices of Motor Spirit & HSD for the next fortnight, starting from 16th May, 2024, are accordingly being lowered.”
Pakistan slashed prices of petrol by Rs5.45 per liter on May 1 due to declining prices of petroleum products in the global energy market.
The South Asian country significantly increased fuel prices after securing a short-term, $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year.
The rising rates also led to spiraling inflation in the country, though the government started offering relief to the people by gradually bringing down the petroleum prices.
Pakistan is already in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure another loan which is expected to be bigger in terms of size and duration.
Pakistan’s religious affairs minister arrives in Saudi Arabia to review Hajj arrangements
- Around 15,819 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia weeks before Hajj begins
- Minister to review pilgrims’ accommodations and other Hajj arrangements during trip
ISLAMABAD: Religious Affairs Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to inspect Hajj arrangements in the Kingdom, as thousands of pilgrims from Pakistan begin to arrive in the holy cities for the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which 63,805 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators. This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14-19.
“Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain has reached Saudi Arabia to inspect Hajj arrangements,” the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said.
The minister was accompanied by Dr. Syed Ata ur Rehman, the additional secretary of the religious affairs ministry, on his visit to Saudi Arabia. Officials of the Pakistan Hajj Mission in Saudi Arabia welcomed the minister upon his arrival at Jeddah airport.
“The federal minister will meet senior officials of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra and the Pakistani Hajj Mission,” MoRA said.
Hussain will be briefed about Pakistan’s Hajj operations at the control office in the Pakistan Hajj Mission, the ministry said, adding that he would also meet Hajj pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah during his trip.
“He will also review accommodations of the Hajj pilgrims, catering companies and various other arrangements,” the ministry said.
Pakistan’s religion ministry has confirmed that around 15,819 pilgrims from the country have arrived in Saudi Arabia weeks before the Hajj begins.
The government has set up two control rooms, one each in Makkah and Madinah, to facilitate Hajj pilgrims and ensure their pilgrimage remains hassle-free.
Hundreds of students, civil society activists rally in Karachi to mark ‘Nakba Day’
- Pro-Palestinian supporters mark May 15 as “Nakba Day” when over 700,000 Palestinians were driven from their lands in 1948
- Pakistani civil society members call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, boycott against Israeli brands and those that support war in Gaza
KARACHI: Hundreds of Pakistani students and civil society activists on Wednesday rallied in the southern port city of Karachi to mark 76 years of Palestinians displaced from their homeland, calling for an end to the “genocide” in Gaza as Israel escalates military tensions in the Middle East.
Palestinians refer to May 15 as the “Nakba,” Arabic for “catastrophe” when some 700,000 Palestinians in 1948 fled or were driven from their homes before and during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed Israel’s establishment.
Protest rallies in several parts of the world were held on Wednesday amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, where the Israeli military has killed at least 35,173 people and injured 79,061 others since October 7, 2023.
Nearly a dozen civil and women’s rights organizations took part in the protest rally which began at Do Talwar roundabout in Karachi till Teen Talwar, another important landmark of the city.
“The civil society of Karachi is marking Nakba Day today and the purpose for that is to identify that Palestinians were the actual residents or the actual people who can lay claim to the land that Israel lays claim to at this point in time,” Ahmed Shabbar, one the organizers, told Arab News.
He called on students from other parts of the country to join the protest campaign for Gaza.
“There are multiple layers to this campaign and we invite the civil societies of Lahore and Islamabad and Quetta and students across Pakistan as well to unite because this is just the first event,” Shabbar said. He vowed that more protests would be held in the coming days.
Shabbar said the foremost demand of the protesters was for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and for Israel to be held accountable for its actions.
He said Pakistan’s civil societies’ demands also include that Pakistan join South Africa in the International Court of Justice to hold Israel and its supporters accountable for its crimes in Gaza.
Shabbar said protesters were also seeking an apology from the German ambassador to Pakistan, who had shouted at a Pakistani student for interrupting him during his speech at a conference last month. The pro-Palestinian supporter had questioned the ambassador for Germany’s support for Israel’s controversial actions in Gaza.
He said the civil societies were also calling for a boycott of Israeli products or those brands that support Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Mehnaz Rehman, a leader of the Aurat Foundation rights movement, said protesters had gathered to protest against Israel’s atrocities, particularly against women and children.
“They are killing children,” Rehman told Arab News. “They [people] should come forward and protest against Israel and demand a ceasefire. We demand ceasefire immediately,” she said, praising American students for raising their voices for Palestine.
Naureen Fatima, a protester, said Palestinians were driven out of their land over seven decades ago. She lamented that history was repeating itself.
“This is happening once again,” Fatima told Arab News. You know? And we see it’s happening under the backdrop of our complete genocide. This is happening in the year 2024.”
She criticized the international community for staying silent over Israel’s massacres in Gaza.
“Has mankind regressed? We think we have completely regressed,” she lamented.
“What is the point when we see that babies are being killed and they are dying? And there is no accountability, and this genocide continues.
“We are here to protest that. We are here because we don’t want this to happen.”
Separately, hundreds of students and teachers rallied at Karachi University to protest Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and support American students protesting across Europe and the US
Pakistan, China to finalize modalities for third party participation in CPEC
- In the past, Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye Germany, UAE, Iran, Indonesia, Afghanistan to join CPEC
- Pakistani deputy prime minister is on four-day visit to Beijing to discuss second phase of multi-billion CPEC initiative
KARACHI: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday Islamabad and China needed to finalize the modalities for other countries to be part of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, as Islamabad seeks to attract foreign investment into Pakistan.
Dar, who is also Pakistan’s foreign minister, was speaking at a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing, which the Pakistani official is visiting on a four-day official trip as Pakistan moves into phase two of CPEC, an initiative in which Beijing has pledged to invest $65 billion.
The project spans several phases, each with distinct goals and impacts on the region. The first phase began in 2015 and mainly focused on building critical infrastructure, particularly in the transportation and energy sectors. The second phase expands the focus to include industrial cooperation, agricultural development and the promotion of social and economic development. This phase is also expected to include the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), efforts to boost green energy production like hydropower and solar energy, and initiatives to modernize agriculture and increase exports.
In the past, Pakistan has invited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Germany, UAE, Iran, Indonesia and Afghanistan to join CPEC but there has been no progress on the invitation.
“As we embark on phase two of CPEC we look forward to developing corridors of growth, livelihood, innovation, green development, and inclusivity to carry forward our shared vision of making CPEC an inclusive and transparent project,” Dar said at the press conference.
“We also need to finalize the modalities for third party participation in CPEC.”
In 2022, then former prime minister Imran Khan welcomed all countries and international organizations to participate in the flagship project. PM Shehbaz Sharif has also invited other nations to join the project.
“We appreciate China’s development assistance to Pakistan and look forward to further enhancing China’s development footprint in Pakistan, to attract foreign investment in diverse sectors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC),” Dar said, referring to a special body set up last year to oversee foreign investments. “I commend China’s readiness to deepen our financial bilateral trade and investment.”
Dar said his visit would help in accelerating the implementation of the Mainline-1 (ML-1) railway project, a $6.8 billion project to upgrade its railway lines, along with the realignment of the Karakoram Highway and strengthening “cooperation in agriculture, mining, minerals, energy, information technology and industrial sectors.”
The Pakistani official also condoled on behalf of the Pakistani leadership and people over the killing of five Chinese workers in a suicide bombing in Pakistan in March.
Vowing to bring the planners, financiers and perpetrators of the attack to justice, Dar said China and Pakistan would maintain close cooperation through bilateral channels in this regard.
“I have shared with his Excellency, the foreign minister, extensive and deliberate measures we have taken to protect Chinese interests in Pakistan while thanking China for acknowledging the sacrifices Pakistan has made against terrorism,” he said.
“Let me express our focus on that. We will not rest until the last menace of terrorism is finally eliminated from Pakistan.”
Veon, partners to bridge online ‘AI language gap’ in Pakistan, other countries
- Language models often rely on swathes of online data to generate human-like responses
- Veon and partners to develop tools in Pakistan, Ukraine, Bangladesh and other countries
Telecom company Veon, mobile operator Beeline Kazakhstan, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the GSMA lobby group said on Wednesday they would work together to bridge an “AI language gap” for under-represented languages.
Large language models powering ‘bots’ like chatGPT often rely on swathes of online data, such as digital books, websites, articles and blogs to learn how to generate human-like responses. But data and resources in some languages are limited.
“Out of nearly 7000 languages spoken around the globe, only seven are considered high-resource languages in the digital world: English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Arabic, German and Japanese,” the groups said in a joint statement.
They will collaborate on developing tools and language model documentation in under-represented languages, including those spoken in the countries where Veon operates — Pakistan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Another language was Catalan, which is spoken by around 10 million people, the statement said.
“The lack of resources in other languages results in an AI language gap which leads to sub-optimal user experience in AI applications, deepens the bias in AI models and risks deepening the digital divide in AI technologies,” they added.
