Let’s work for five years, don’t pull our legs: PM

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has told the agitating elements “don’t pull our legs and of the country. Let us work for the future of it and serve its youth for five years together dedicatedly.”
Addressing the launch ceremony of Prime Minister’s Youth Proramme (PMYP) scheme for distribution of laptops on Friday at the Jinnah Convention Centre, he said, “I have a clear picture of the world but some TV channels are presenting some other world.”

He said his government would change the fate of the nation within the mandated period as loadshedding, lawlessness and other ills in the society would be eliminated. Nawaz said the politics of strikes and sit-ins was against the progress of the country and asked the political groups to let the PML-N government act upon its agenda of the country’s development.

He said some elements who wanted to take to the streets in the name of revolution, were working on the agenda to push the country back to the era of darkness and misery. On the contrary, the prime minister said, the PML-N government was working on a “real revolution” by making the youth a part of the country’s development.

He said “We are working with commitment and zeal for the development of the country. There is no justification for creating hurdles on our journey of national development. I dream of a bright future for the youth while on the roads some sections of people are bent upon pushing the country back into the dark ages, he said.”

“I am unable to understand the agenda of the people who are agitating. Are they agitating against our development agenda?” The prime minster asked the youth to stand with those who want to take the country forward on the path of peace and prosperity, and not with those who want the nation to plunge into darkness. The people of Pakistan had voted PML-N into power as they believed that this party had the capability to deliver. He said the PML-N is working with determination to eliminate power loadshedding since work has been initiated on mega development projects like Lahore-Karachi motorway and Pakistan-China trade corridor.

He said the government has launched the operation to eliminate terrorism and he is working on a plan to bring legislation on banning illegal weapons across the country. He said his party lacked majority in the Senate and faced difficulties in passage of this new legislation for elimination of illegal weapons. He expressed hope that the opposition parties will realise the importance of such measures to overcome incidents of robbery, extortion and kidnapping for ransom.

He said a feel-good factor has increased the stock index, while new employment opportunities are being generated and all sectors are witnessing positive change. A smart contingent of Punjab Police presented guard of honour to the talented students. The prime minister pointed out that the contingent is especially here to present salute to the “real VVIPs” who are in fact the students of the country.

He informed the audience that under the Rs4 billion scheme, about 100,000 students across the country would be getting quality laptops per year for a period of five years. The scheme is aimed at boosting the scope of research, quality education and improved access to information and communication technology among the graduate and post-graduate level students in the country. The prime minister said that he personally approved the design of the laptop that was prepared by Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He expressed hope that the students will utilise it prudently in the advancement of their studies.

Among other projects for youth, he said Rs1.2 billion had been allocated for the Fee Re-imbursement Scheme (FRS) under which 40,000 students will be getting a refund of up to Rs100,000 every year. “I wish to extend this facility to all the students of Pakistan. No student should remain uneducated due to resource constraints,” he added.

The prime minister referred to his promises made during his election campaign and said he remained committed to take the country forward. The government would facilitate those who had education and skill by providing them enough resources to move forward in their lives and help their families by earning respectably.

He recalled the criticism against the loan scheme for the youth by various quarters, and said that time has proved success of the scheme. Nawaz said that currently only 12,000 applicants had got the loans, while more funds are available for more loan seekers. “I am happy to tell you that the successful candidates have started their businesses and have even started paying back the loan. The loan scheme is a trust we have posed in our youth and they have proved themselves trustworthy. There is a special quota for special persons and students and it is being observed in all the schemes,” he added.

He said that no government in the past had the courage to provide loans of up to Rs2 million to needy youth. No questions were asked to the students to which party they support before providing the laptops, he said. “It does not matter if you have voted for me or not, I am still your prime minister and responsible to provide you all facilities,” he said. In all 1,740 students were present at the Convention Centre to receive their laptops on the launching day. The prime minister also distributed the laptops among the students hailing from all the provinces and Fata, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Nawaz stressed that merit is the only qualification needed to qualify for our schemes.

PMYP Chairperson Maryam Nawaz Sharif said the present democratic government has been effectively fulfilling the promises it made with the people. The launch of the laptop scheme is part of these promises. She said those students who come on merit will be eligible to get a laptop and there would be no discrimination at all. She said all good students will now be able to get all the required help in education and will not lag behind due to lack of resources. She said that similarly the FRS is also getting a very positive response.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif soon after taking oath announced six schemes, of which five were for youth. The FRS, PM Youth Loan, while Micro Finance for the youth will be launched in a few days. He said the Ministry of Finance had already released the full amount of Rs4 billion for the scheme. Local manufacturing of the laptops will create new employment and bring technical expertise to the country, he said. He said with the launch of the 3G technology, the students will experience faster internet speed and mentioned that the students would also get free EVO 3G dongles with their laptops. He said purely merit and transparency are being ensured in the schemes and no political interference at work in it. He said that all youth schemes are to continue for five years.

Higher Educational Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said for the first time, the HEC had received its full budget and got Rs63 billion for various projects. He said an inbuilt application in laptops would provide various academic productivity tools to the students including a Digital Library to access more than 6,000 research journals offered under National Digital Library Programme besides a lot of other online facilities to the students.

Nawaz to Modi: Let’s resolve all issues through talks

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has written to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi expressing satisfaction over his recent meeting and said he was looking forward to work with him in harmony to resolve all unsettled matters through talks.
In a letter released to the media by the Prime Minister’s Office here, the prime minister said he had “returned much satisfied” with a meaningful exchange of thoughts on matters of bilateral and regional interest.

Nawaz Sharif thanked Modi for this generous hospitality in the enduring Subcontinental tradition. He mentioned that millions in Pakistan and India were living in poverty who deserved the foremost attention of their governments.

“In many ways their future is integrated with our common economic destiny, and I firmly believe that in our concerted efforts lies the welfare and prosperity of our two nations,” the prime minister said. “It is my earnest hope that our endeavours will lay the foundation for a much brighter future,” he added.

Nawaz Sharif held talks with Modi in New Delhi last month after attending the inauguration of the Indian premier, who swept to power in a landslide election victory.

Modi’s invitation to Nawaz Sharif was a surprise move seen as a significant olive branch to Pakistan. The letter was sent last week to India’s foreign ministry through the Pakistan High Commission.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif termed the approval for financing of $700 million loan for Pakistan by the World Bank as a historical achievement.

Ishaq Dar apprised the prime minister of the World Bank’s approval for financing the 4,500MW Dasu Hydropower Project.The prime minister said $600 million will be utilised for the Dasu Hydropower Project and $100 million for the Sindh irrigation project.

The premier congratulated Ishaq Dar and his team for this remarkable achievement and said it shows confidence of the multilateral donors and foreign countries in the economy of Pakistan. He said the projects would lessen the power shortages and help in better utilisation of water resources.

The minister said the World Bank’s loans were purely concessionary and cheap. “The repayment schedule is spread over a period of 25 years including five years grace period, with low interest and nominal administrative charge of 2% per annum. It will also help in the reduction of domestic debt,” Ishaq Dar said.

Let’s hear the unheard answers

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani media went berserk last week. ‘Patriotic’ anchors heaped scorn on Geo TV for its remarks about those in an agency held responsible in the wake of an attack on senior anchorperson Hamid Mir.

They were furious about the negative portrayal of those in the agency held responsible but oblivious to the growing concerns over threats to journalists from the intelligence agencies. Their debate was centered on the coverage of allegations against the responsible. Not a single segment, let alone complete programme, was devoted to a discussion of why journalists consider elements in the agencies a threat.

In a majority of the cases, the anchors were found hand-in-glove with the choice panelists. A dissenting voice would form part of the panel but only for the purpose of ‘flogging’ which was inevitable if one belonged to the Jang Group.

My personal experience was no different. One ‘patriotic’ anchor wanted my presence in his show but didn’t want to hear me. In a desperate attempt to make an issue out of nothing, he dismissed the Saleem Shahzad Commission report (demanding legislation for the intelligence agencies) on the grounds that it had wrongly alleged this correspondent of not recording his statement. (As a matter of fact, the then-PFUJ President Pervez Shaukat had conveyed my unwillingness to the commission to record the statement without even contacting me). I told the anchor that it was not the commission’s fault; our journalist representative fed them the wrong information about me but he was unconvinced and handed his own verdict that could discredit the commission report demanding laws for the agencies.

Another channel that invited me for a discussion on the issue censored when I demanded laws for the agencies and said that holding them accountable was the only way forward. The said channel also muted the voice of Kamran Shafi, who was a co-panelist. Even the conclusion of the talk show host, Absar Alam, was censored.

Air Marshal (retd) Shahid Latif regularly featured in the programmes on this subject. He would repeat two questions: (1) Why was the Jang Group against the defence organisations? (2) Why was it that journalists belonging to this group alone who felt threatened by the agency? I tried to answer his questions but it was a cry in the wilderness.

To his first question, I gave a personal example. I have been meeting Shahid Latif several times. He would discuss the issues relating to nepotism and lack of accountability in the defence organisations. Wasn’t he anti-Pakistan by that standard? He was not. Traitors are only those giving voice to the concerns raised by the likes of Shahid Latif.

What about Lt. Gen. (retd) Shahid Aziz who authored a book “Ye Khamoshi Kab Tak.” Any civilian author of such a book could have been termed a traitor, if not killed. Was Lt. Gen. (retd) Shuja Pasha wrong when he told the Abbottabad Commission that his agency had roughed up some ‘decent gentlemen’? Was it the right decision of Musharraf to tell the US channel, ABC TV, about the rogue elements within the agency?

His second question is equally important. Incidentally, he has been found raising this question during TV shows hosted by the channel which lost several employees to terrorism and the TTP had claimed responsibility for the attacks. Does it look good putting this question to the channel inquiring the reason for becoming a specific target of the TTP? By the way, an anchor of that channel had also echoed the same line taken by Shahid Latif. For their education, journalists of the Jang Group and other organisations are also facing similar threats from the agencies.

Rauf Klasra, a senior journalist, is not affiliated with the Jang Group. His recent column would make instructive reading for the likes of Shahid Latif. He should also ask Kamran Shafi, who is also a retired soldier, who had also blamed the agencies for firing at his home in 2010. Absar Alam is also not affiliated with the Jang Group. Azaz Syed was not with Geo TV when his house was attacked twice. Imtiaz Alam is yet another example. Saleem Shahzad is not alive to tell him why he had sensed danger and accused an agency of an attempt on his life. He was silenced through violence. Abdul Salam Soomro, a cameraman of a Sindhi TV channel who made the video of Sarfraz Shah who was gunned down by Sindh Rangers in Karachi, could also explain his threat concerns.

Let’s believe for a moment that Hamid Mir’s suspicion that an agency is involved is baseless. His vocal position on a number of issues earned him many enemies. It is quite likely that somebody else might have attacked him. However, the question remains as to why he considered the agency the main threat to his life.

Let’s suppose that my allegations about the agency’s involvement in my kidnapping and torture were wrong. But it will also have to kept in mind that my belief in this regard was strengthened with the passage of time. The more I interacted with informed persons the more they endorsed my view.

This perception among journalists regarding threats from the agency must be taken up as a challenge by the agency. Equally important is for the ‘patriotic’ anchors to take up this issue in their programmes. Among them are those who were harassed in the past, something they had been sharing. A debate about this negative perception is not going to malign the agency. It will herald a new era of trust with each other.

American journalist Tim Weiner’s book on the CIA — ‘Legacy of the Ashes’ — could not weaken the most powerful agency of the world; it was a litany of failure though. The book rather generated a new debate and triggered reforms making the agency stronger and better.

Note: This reporter and some other people were not allowed to speak. As the Jang Group is being incriminated, to educate people and give the reporter a full opportunity to be heard, it is necessary to publish this story. – Editorial Board