PM Sharif should install a War Cabinet

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif needs to put together a War Cabinet. The current cabinet produced two offsprings — talks with the TTP and multibillion rupee infrastructure projects. The attackers of the Jinnah International Airport have killed them both (talks are dead and no private investment is coming to Pakistan).

In 1916, PM Herbert Asquith of the United Kingdom was asked to form a small War Cabinet. He kept on delaying it and was finally forced to resign. PM Lloyd George then took over and formed a small, five-member War Cabinet to fight the war.

In 1939, PM Chamberlain formed a 9-member War Cabinet. PM Churchill had formed a five-member, bi-partisan War Cabinet. Australia fought the war with a seven-member War Cabinet. President Kennedy formed a War Cabinet in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Bush formed a War Cabinet in response to the September 11 attacks.

The current cabinet’s priorities are completely out of sync with reality. Here’s the reality. Fatalities in terrorist violence: 52,409 (till June 8, 2014). Security forces personnel killed: 5,775. Suicide attacks: 396 (killed 6,021; injured 12,558). Bomb blasts: 4,932.

The current cabinet’s priorities are completely out of sync with reality. Here’s the reality. General officers martyred:Lieutenant-General Mushtaq Baig, Major-General Ameer Faisal Alvi and Major-General Sanaullah Niazi. Here’s the reality. Military installations attacked: GHQ Rawalpindi, Minhas Airbase, Mehran Naval Base and Pakistan Ordinance Factory.

The current cabinet’s priorities are completely out of sync with the mainstream. Here’s the reality. Prominent civilians killed: Benazir Bhutto, Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti.

Now, here are 22 words from the budget speech: “959 KM Karachi-Lahore motorway project …. 892 KM Gawadar-Ratodero Motorway …. 200 KM long Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab Section…. 460 KM Raikot-Havelian-Islamabad Section…the Karakoram Highway.” Let us look reality ‘straight in the eye and deny it’.

What Pakistan needs is a War Cabinet-a cabinet capable of integrating and directing the war effort both in the tribal areas and urban centers; a cabinet with time-bound powers to establish war-time special courts; a cabinet empowered to restrict war-time individual freedoms; a cabinet with powers to regulate the war-time media.

Pakistan cannot win without denying terrorists three things: physical space, ideological space and funding. What Pakistan needs is a War Cabinet — a cabinet comprising the military high command (to take back physical space), an intellectual segment (to deny ideological space) and a financial wizardry component (to deny funding).

According to Shaheen Sehbai, “….the fact is that Pakistan and its critical institutions have collapsed and it is now time for a major, immediate, almost earthshaking, political and administrative renovation effort, to get back control before everything spins out of hand.”

Pakistan’s democracy has to go to war to save the state as well as democracy. The British democracy went to war under PM Churchill’s War Cabinet. The War Cabinet had the following four characteristics: One - politics was subordinated to military considerations. Two — concentrated authority. Three — the raison d’etre was the successful prosecution of the war effort. Four — democratic accountability to the electorate was temporarily suspended.Can we win this war without a War Cabinet? Who said, “The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it?”

KP cabinet approves 2014-15 budget proposals

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has approved 2014-15 budget proposals.

The budget will be presented during the provincial assembly session scheduled for 4:00 PM today (Sunday). The budget which is in excess of Rs400 billion will be presented by senior provincial minister and JI leader Siarjul Haq.

Rs139.70 billion has been allocated for annual development programme which includes Rs39.65 billion from the foreign development fund.

The budget allocation for education and health has also been increased in this year’s budget. Over Rs24.63 billion have been allocated for health while Rs79.92 billion have been allocated for education.

The provincial budget also includes the following projects: Peshawar mass transit, mobile hospitals, schools, highways, roads and bridges.

It is expected that the budget will also include a 15% pay raise for government employees.

Sindh cabinet approves 2014-15 budget proposals

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet has approved the provincial budget proposals for fiscal year 2014-15.

The provincial cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

The provincial budget has allocated 30 per cent for education. Sindh Education Minister Nisar Khuro said 4,000 students of class 4-10 will be provided a stipend of Rs2500-Rs3500.

Egypt govt to quit, Sisi to make cabinet changes: media

CAIRO: Egypt´s military-installed government was due to resign Monday, with new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to make changes to the cabinet on his first day in office, media reported.

The ex-army chief was sworn in on Sunday, nearly a year after ousting elected president Mohamed Morsi after millions protested against the Islamist´s divisive one year rule.

"The cabinet ended its last meeting on Monday morning ... during which it prepared its letter of resignation to be presented to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi," state news agency MENA reported.

Egyptian newspapers reported that Sisi is expected to ask interim prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab to continue in his post, but could make minor changes to the cabinet.

The government installed by Sisi, who has been the de facto leader since he ousted Morsi, has carried out a brutal crackdown on the former president´s Muslim Brotherhood in which more than 1,400 people have been killed and thousands more jailed.

Hours after his inauguration, Sisi, in a warning to the now blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, said there will be "no leniency and truce with those who resort to violence".

"I am looking to a new era built on reconciliation and tolerance.. except with those who committed crimes or used violence as a tool," he said on Sunday in his first national address as president.

"I am saying clearly that those who shed the blood of the innocent and killed ... the sons of Egypt, they don´t have a place in (our) march."

At his inauguration, Western countries alarmed by the brutal police crackdown on dissent were represented mostly by low-level representatives.

Sisi becomes Egypt´s second elected president since a popular uprising overthrew longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011, unleashing more than three years of political turmoil.

Hollande ex-partner named to new French Cabinet

French President Francois Hollande has approved a new Cabinet that includes his ex—companion Segolene Royal as minister of environment and energy.

The new government was named Wednesday after discussions between new Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Hollande, and follow a crushing defeat for their Socialist Party in municipal voting last week.

Laurent Fabius and Jean—Yves Le Drian keep their positions as foreign affairs and defense ministers in the new government. Former Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici has left the government and the brief has been split between two Socialists- Michel Sapin will take charge of finance, and Arnaud Montebourg will be in charge of industry and economy.

Royal was the Socialist candidate for President in 2007 but lost.

Sisi remains Egypt defence minister as new cabinet sworn in

CAIRO; Egypt's army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to stand for president, was retained as defence minister in the new cabinet sworn in Saturday, state television showed.
The new line-up led by prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab was unveiled after Hazem al-Beblawi's government resigned on Monday amid mounting criticism of its failure to tackle a floundering economy and worsening industrial unrest.
The new cabinet is tasked with organising a presidential election that is expected to bring Sisi, who is also a vice prime minister, to power.
Sisi, who has emerged as Egypt's most popular political figure since he led the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July, has not yet announced his candidacy in the election scheduled for this spring.
However, his aides say he has already decided to stand. In order to do so, Sisi must first step down as defence minister and army chief.
One of his aides told AFP this week Sisi is expected to stay on as defence minister until an electoral law has been passed.
The new government faces a host of challenges including huge security problems and economic woes, ahead of the election seen as a major step in a roadmap outlined by the interim military-installed authorities after Morsi's ouster.
Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected and civilian president, was ousted following mass protests against his one-year rule which was marred by allegations of power grabbing and worsening an already dilapidated economy.
Analysts say the formation of a new government is likely to work in Sisi's favour as he would like to stand in the election with a government that has a good record.
Since July, Egypt has been battling deadly street violence and militant attacks that have scared off foreign investors and tourists alike.
Beblawi's government had become increasingly unpopular despite announcing two economic stimulus packages aimed at kick-starting the economy with funds provided by friendly Gulf Arab states.
Many Egyptians, weary of the three years of turmoil since the 2011 toppling of former strongman Hosni Mubarak, view Sisi as a strong hand who can restore stability.

GSP plus: Cabinet committee formed

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. PHOTO: ISRARUL HAQ 

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday constituted a special cabinet committee to benefit from the GSP Plus status granted to Pakistan by the European Union. Minister for Industries Muhammad Shafique will be the convener of the committee.
Minister for labour and human resource, minister for human rights, Advisor to the Chief Minister Ijazun Nabi, MNAs Khusroo Bakhtiar, Pervaiz Malik, MPAs Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, SM Tanvir, Azfar Hassan, the chief secretary, Industry Department secretary, Labour secretary, women development secretary, the human rights secretary, environment protection secretary and Punjab Investment Board chairman will be its members.