Opposition insists PTI-led KP govt failed to bring change

PESHAWAR: When the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) formed government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak boasted about his party’s preparedness to run the government.

“We aren’t among those governments that start thinking what to do after coming into power. We have come prepared,” he said in his first speech in the provincial assembly. As his young and inexperienced MPAs thumped desks, he continued: “As soon as we sit in our offices, we will start work. We will not waste time in thinking what we have to do because we exactly know what we will do.”

After a year, critics say, most of his government policies are in disarray. They are still figuring out what to do by flirting with different ideas. “In the first year, at least it dawned on them that policies don’t exist,” said Sikandar Sherpao, Qaumi Watan Party’s provincial president. He served as senior minister in the PTI-led government for over five months, but parted ways when unilateral action was taken against his two of party’s ministers on charges of corruption.

“The first year of PTI government is disappointing,” said Afrasiab Khattak, a leader of the Awami National Party. PTI created a wave, particularly in KP, on the slogan of change. It promised in its manifesto to eradicate corruption, introduce a uniformed education system, hold local government elections, bring revolutionary improvement in health, put in place a system of accountability, ensure rule of law and good governance and set up a library in the Chief Minister House.

What many doubted even then was Imran Khan’s claim to realise several of the objectives within three months. Many wondered how he would do it, but PTI chairman appeared cocksure to deliver on the promises. He wanted corruption to go away in three months and hold local government elections during the same period. He wanted to bring a change and introduce a system of accountability in three months. And he wanted the Chief Minister House turned into a library.

“The way he made promises, people thought it would establish a role model government. He dashed people’s hopes,” said Pir Sabir Shah, provincial president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and former chief minister. “The change people hoped for never arrived,” he added.

After a year, Afrasiab Khattak believes the PTI squandered ANP’s gains against terrorism. “They blamed terrorism on our policies and said they would control it as soon as they would assume power. Today, we see an upsurge in acts of terrorism,” he alleged.

He said the PTI government’s policy of appeasement enabled militants to run a state within a state. He alleged that the government was unwilling to take ownership of the “struggle against terrorism” which had turned police into a demoralised force. “The minorities are insecure. The well-heeled people pay bhatta and ‘Fatafication’ of settled districts including Bannu, Kohat and Charsadda is underway,” he said.

The PTI claims it brought down the level of corruption, but its critics don’t buy it. “The corruption couldn’t be eliminated in 90 days. It continues even today,” Sikandar Sherpao said. “Action speaks louder than words,” Afrasiab sneered.

According to Sikandar Sherpao, it was the first time in the province’s history that a sitting chief secretary issued a charge-sheet against the chief minister. Khalid Masood, provincial general secretary of PTI, said they discouraged practices that could allow opportunities for corruption. “We discouraged corruption at ministerial level and we are still microscopically watching ministers,” he said.

The PTI fired two of its ministers a month ago on bad performance, but many believe the action was partly taken on charges of corruption against the two ministers. “Not we, the party itself produced a charge-sheet against its ministers,” said Afrasiab while making the point that the PTI government is corrupt. “We offer tenders online and made appointments in education through NTS,” Khalid Masood claimed. “We ended political interference in police,” he added.

The Fata Research Centre, a non-governmental organisation, in its one year government review concluded that corruption under PTI government has declined. However, it did not explain how it had declined.

The PTI failed to hold local government elections even after one year, let alone three months. According to Khalid Masood, the PTI government is ready for it since April 2014 but the Election Commission of Pakistan is not yet prepared.

Opponents also criticise PTI government for its ‘bad governance and incompetency.’ It failed to utilise funds of the annual development plan of 2013-14. “Around 70 percent ADP could not be spent,” Afrasiab said. The FRC report substantiates his claim as it says the government spent only 31.22 percent of the ADP. “There is no leadership in the PTI,” Afrasiab said, adding that it appointed a battalion of ministers, advisors and special assistants. “We thought they would work with 10 ministers,” he added.

Sikandar Sherpao alleged that the PTI government interfered in bureaucracy and transferred administrative secretaries frequently. He sees no improvement in education and health. “People have felt no change at all,” he said.

Bring proof of rigging or quit assemblies,

Says if Imran is right, KP govt is also product of rigging; path of agitation to cost PTI

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid has said that the country cannot afford the politics of confrontation, and told PTI chief Imran Khan that if he had any proof of rigging in the elections, he should bring them on the floor of the Assembly.

In an interview, the information minister said that Imran Khan would suffer a lot if he proceeded on the path of the politics of agitation with the backing of Tahirul Qadri and Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.

Pervaiz Rashid said if according to Imran Khan, the elections were rigged, then his own party’s government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also a product of rigging. In this situation, he said, Imran Khan and his party have no right to sit in the assemblies or run the KP government. He asked Imran Khan to resign from the KP government and assemblies and then fulfil his love for protests on the roads.

The minister was confident that Imran Khan would lose his case in the court of the people as he lost in the apex court. He said Imran Khan lost the rigging case in the court and his party’s candidate lost the seat to the PML-N candidate. In this way rigging was done against the PML-N and not the PTI, he argued.

He said Imran Khan has been pursuing the politics of negative tactics and that is why people rejected him in the general elections. He asked the PTI chief to wait for the appropriate time.

Pervaiz Rashid said the PML-N government has been formed with the backing of the people and not with the support of the PTI.

The minister said there is parliament in the country, an independent judiciary and all the institutions are gaining strength. “Instead of agitating on the roads, Imran should bring his case to parliament.” He said the bright future of the country is linked to democracy only.

Govt ready to bring Musharraf’s mother back: NA told

 

ISLAMABAD: All political parties in the National Assembly, except the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on Monday backed the special court for indicting the former dictator General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in the high treason case and rejecting his plea to go abroad for treatment. They described it as a golden day in the democratic history of the country and proof of the supremacy of law.
Seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achackzai was more vocal in hailing the decision of the special court saying symbolic punishment would suffice even if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally forgives him. “If anyone wants to pardon him, then punishment should come first,” he said while speaking on a point of order.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured the National Assembly that the government would fully implement the decision of the judiciary in this regard.But, at the same time, he offered that the government was ready to bring Pervez Musharraf’s ailing mother to Pakistan from the UAE. “We can bring Musharraf’s mother back to Pakistan by an air ambulance. We will have to pay a heavy price if we start showing leniency to criminals,” he said.

Khawaja Asif said this was a defining moment in the history of the country as the judiciary had given a historic decision by charging a person who had abrogated the Constitution. “It has been proved that there will only be the supremacy of law in the country,” he said and added that after today’s decision, they had achieved another milestone in democracy.

The defence minister was of the opinion that those who voted in favour of the emergency rule would also be taken to task. “The judiciary has turned our dream into a reality on the rule of law,” he added.

He said that there was no pressure on the government in this matter.He said Pervez Musharraf dragged the country into a war that cost the lives of 50,000 Pakistanis. He also handed over his countrymen to the United States and surrendered the sovereignty of the country. “Now we have taken initiatives to end that war, which is costing us billions of dollars every year.”

The minister claimed the government and the military were on the same page in respect of all national issues and all institutions would forge ahead in unison for progress and peace in the country.

He endorsed Mahmood Khan Achakzai’s view that if the Constitution was abrogated again, the country would suffer an irreparable loss.Khawaja Asif said equality before the law was the basic ingredient of the rule of law and nobody could be treated discriminately before the law.

He said it was unfortunate that even those people managed to get elected to parliament who had supported the dictators. “But, today there is an independent judiciary in the country, peaceful transfer of power from one government to the other has taken place and the provinces have been given autonomy through the 18th Amendment.”

He said over the past decade, the thinking of the army had also changed and it had not intervened in politics.Khawaja Asif said today citizens of the country were mature and they would not tolerate any hindrance in the path of democracy and those who had abrogated the Constitution would be held accountable.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid said the government had followed the path of supremacy of the Constitution, democracy, free media and an independent judiciary. He said the government was ready to provide all facilities for the treatment of Pervez Musharraf’s mother and was ready to provide an air ambulance to bring her to Pakistan for treatment.

He said the chief minister Punjab had constituted a committee headed by Inspector General Police, Punjab, to investigate the issue of threat to chairman Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

About the attack on journalist Raza Roomi in Lahore, the minister said that the government was taking all-out measures for the protection of journalists and those involved in this attack will not be spared at any cost.

Earlier, speaking on the issue, seasoned parliamentarian Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that the decision of the court should be backed by parliament and even if the prime minister wanted to pardon anyone, then the punishment should come first. “The time has come that every organ of the state must submit before parliament.”

He said the Pakistan Army was our own army and everyone loved it. He urged some TV anchors to avoid making a joke of parliament and politicians.Later, PPP parliamentarian Abdul Sattar Bachani proposed that the there should be an amendment in the Constitution according to which anyone who supports a dictator should be disqualified forever.

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq said it was a golden day in the history of Pakistan. He accused some anchors and parties of supporting Musharraf who had thrown out an elected government, dissolved parliament, subverted the Constitution twice, assassinated Bugti and pushed the country into war.

He said Turkey had experienced such a day when the generals were made accountable and now Pakistan had adopted the same path.Speaking on the issue, MQM legislator Asif Hussaini said the trial should be started from 1971 and all those who had subverted the Constitution should also be tried for treason.Parliamentary Leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Shaibzada Tariqullah also welcomed Musharraf’s indictment in the treason case.

Google commits $1mn to bring more women into technology sector

Google is challenging to increase the representation of women in their respective tech communities (AP photo)

Search engine giant Google has committed USD one million (over Rs 6 crore) to 40 startup-focused organisations, including Nasscom 10,000 Startups and Jagriti Yatra from India, to promote participation of women in the technology space.
The efforts, a part of ‘#40 Forward’ programme under Google for Entrepreneurs’, are aimed at finding new ways to advance female entrepreneurs, the Internet giant said ahead of International Women’s Day.
Google is committing USD 1 million in aggregate to 40 startup-focused organisations, challenging them to increase the representation of women in their respective tech communities, it added.
“From simply changing the times of events to accommodate busy moms to teaching young girls to see themselves as entrepreneurs, 40 of our partner communities will soon launch new programmes and outreach initiatives to encourage women founders,” it said.
Some of the selected organisations include 1871, American Underground and Galvanise (US), Campus for Moms (Israel), Club Kidrepreneur (Australia), Cc Hub (Nigeria), Jagriti Yatra and Nasscom 10,000 Startups (India) and Outbox (Uganda), among others.
“Along with our 40 partners, we hope to create more inclusive networks and to move the needle for entrepreneurs like my mom and young women like me who aspire to be like her,” Google Global Entrepreneurship Manager Bridgette Sexton Beam said in a Google Blogpost.
According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, women make up 30 per cent of US business owners and employ nearly 7.8 million workers.
Even though women-owned enterprises operate with far less capital, in the venture-backed tech industry, they produce 12 per cent higher returns.
“That means that not only is supporting women in business the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do,” Beam said.

Ishaq Dar stresses Pakistani Mission abroad to bring foreign investment

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar Monday emphasized upon the Pakistani Missions abroad to draw attention of the investors to Pakistan where huge potential is available for foreign investment.

This he said while speaking with Pakistan's Ambassador designate to Qatar, Shehzad Ahmad who called on him here.

The Finance Minister said that there is huge potential of foreign investment in Pakistan particularly in economy, energy and infrastructure sectors.

"We have introduced a very robust economic revival programme which includes public private partnership on the basis of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model", he added.

The Minister said that the new initiatives will be instrumental for economic rebuilding. Important initiatives include deregulation, undertaking structural reforms to improve management of public finances and making Pakistan an attractive investment destination.

He said that Qatar has expertise in energy sector and the Ambassador should encourage the potential investors from Qatar on opportunities available in the Country.

The Ambassador designate briefed the Minister on his plans to represent Pakistan effectively in Qatar. The Ambassador assured the Finance Minister that he will work hard to enhance existing cooperation between the two countries.

He also thanked the Finance Minister for his Ministry's commitment and support to provide assistance in attracting foreign investment in the Country.

Aamir Khan: Not into politics; we bring joy to people

According to the Press Trust of India Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan says he has no ambitions towards embarking upon a political career and claims there are other ways to serve the country. The Press Trust of India quoted the ‘Dhoom 3’ star as saying, "I am not shying away from politics. I am not interested in politics. I am interested in touching people's heart." "People enter politics because they want to serve the country and ...