Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dawn 09 June, 2020 by M.usman and Rabia K.
Dawn 09 June, 2020 by M.usman and Rabia K.
COLOUR Psychology
NAB, FIA, FBR, CCP, SECP; are directed to take action respectively:
Conclusion:
Abbreviations:
Pin down: fix firmly in place; confirm, determine; force into revealing the truth.
Pavement (British): a raised paved or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side
of a road.
Oozing: of a fluid) slowly trickle or seep out of something; move in a slow, creeping
way: blood was oozing from a wound in his scalp | honey oozed out of the comb.
Morphed: change or cause to change smoothly from one image to another by
small gradual steps.
Wretched: (of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state: I felt so wretched
because I thought I might never see you again.
YET again lives have been lost in a building collapse in Karachi — this
time in Lyari. The narrow residential construction is said to have boasted
no less than 40 living units or flats in a thickly populated area. The
condition of the building was such that residents were aware of the
imminent disaster. The lean five-storey structure appeared to tilt, an
ominous sign that apparently compelled some of the families lodged there
to escape. So far, six bodies have been retrieved from the debris of the
building that caved in on Sunday, and many people have been rescued. But
it is still unclear how many people might still be beneath the mountain of
concrete which has now become a site from where officials and politicians
of all stripes can conduct their favourite blame game.
Jawed Naqvi
All members respectively presented their views about how post pandemic situation
would look like, what ideologies would be amended or expired. It was really a
debate among scholarship people.
Search: stop the war coalition, you will find this on Facebook and click on it.
__________________________________________________________________
Introduction:
WOULD the post-Covid-19 world see a more equitable socioeconomic order, with
bourgeois parties forced to tend to the planet and the life it sustains? Or are we
heading towards more of the same — an unequal world spawning brutal conflicts
and human misery?
Tariq Ali hosted an online Zoom discussion with Jeremy Corbyn and Arundhati
Roy under his Stop The War banner. The topic was Coronavirus, War &
Imperialism. The anti-war movement that Ali and others organised post-9/11 did
not stop the American invasion of Iraq but it inspired strong voices against
imperialism across the continents.
Enjoy now the Writers view about the Topics being discussed there.
Also the fervour the anti-war protests infused has not waned, as can be seen from
anti-Trump demonstrations raging periodically across Europe, Australia or
Canada, and at home in the US. India seems to be the rare exception where, as was
the case with George W. Bush, Donald Trump is officially admired when his name
is mud everywhere else.
The anger and anguish over the racial murder of George Floyd blends into a force
that has also been driving the movement against war around the world. But there
are major challenges, and there are reasons for being cautious.
The anger over the murder of George Floyd blends into a force that has
also been driving the movement against war across the world.
Word has also been doing the rounds among anti-racism protesters in Minneapolis
and beyond that Obama short-changed the black constituency he purported to
serve. Someone had prematurely described his presidency as the end of history of
racism, it is said.
Colin Powell’s public support for Joe Biden too can be seen in a similar vein, as
one coming from the man who lied to the world for his troops to invade Iraq. And
he favours the candidate who presided over the destruction of Libya and Syria as
Obama’s deputy. All this happened without taking the foot off the accelerator in
the continued bipartisan destruction of Afghanistan.
There is a chance that the rest of Europe would accept Corbyn’s post-Covid-19
vision of a non-discriminatory, state-funded health system taking root, thereby
undermining the neoliberal argument for privatisation. Perhaps the Democrats
would be willing to recast Obamacare into a truly genuine health welfare scheme
in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Tariq Ali took the view that the 2008 global financial crisis had raised similar
hopes of capitalism’s imminent course correction if not outright demise. However,
far from surrendering any quarter, capitalism bounced back in a more vicious
avatar.
Ali chose to stick to his familiar view, honed in experience no doubt, that mass
movements and not parliamentary approaches would eventually bring about the
needed change. But he did ask Arundhati Roy whether a challenge could be
thrown by India’s bourgeois parties to Narendra Modi over human rights abuses in
Kashmir and generally against his antagonism towards the poor, the minorities,
and the country’s left and liberal activists, far too many of whom have been thrown
in prison.
Corbyn referred to India but more positively. He took heart from the support he
saw from practically all communities for Indian Muslims in their campaign against
a religiously discriminatory citizenship law. The state turned it into a communal
slugfest.
Arundhati Roy disabused both of their easy notions of the Indian situation. The
knee and neck — reference to the way George Floyd was choked to death by the
policeman — were interlocked across the world, she said. Kashmir was not bereft
of this high-handedness nor was the rest of India. Roy gave credit to Rahul Gandhi
as one opposition leader who was speaking out against the oppressive Indian
regime. Sadly, he seems to be alone.
Conclusion:
It was an engaging discussion, and the format attracted large participation. It was
of course no substitute for Tariq Ali leading the students in a historic 1968
students’ uprising in Europe, or Jeremy Corbyn addressing an anti-Trump rally in
Trafalgar Square during his visit, or Arundhati Roy preferring imprisonment over
tendering apology to the supreme court. As happens with online discussions, not
everyone was completely attentive. For example, someone in the audience wrote to
ask if Ms Roy was single. She must have laughed, perhaps saying: “Singular”
NFC controversy (Important for understanding Current Affairs etc)
Notes
What is NFC:
How it is formalized:
The share of the Provinces in each Award of National Finance Commission shall
Within six months of the commencing day and thereafter at intervals not exceeding
five (consecutive) years, the President shall constitute a National Finance
Commission consisting of the Minister of Finance of the Federal Government, the
Ministers of Finance of the Provincial Governments, and such other persons as
may be appointed by the President after consultation with the Governors of the
Provinces.
_____________________________________________________________
Introduction:
The NFC is a body constituted in terms of Article 160 of the Constitution. It serves
as the bridge between the federation and the provinces and inter se the provinces in
relation to the distribution of financial resources. Its mandate is to determine the
chunk of tax revenue to be included in the divisible pool, the vertical distribution
of funds between the federation and provinces, and the horizontal distribution inter
se the provinces.
Unfortunately, the recent notification issued by the president, by which the 10th
NFC was constituted, leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, despite having been issued
with much fanfare, the notification seems to have created more controversy than
goodwill.
Firstly, at the very onset, there is ambiguity as to whether the president had acted
on his own or on the advice of the prime minister. The notification appears to be
silent on this matter, and it has been conclusively held by the Supreme Court
already, the president is bound to act on the advice of the prime minister, who in
turn may only render such advice upon the matter being put before and approved
by the cabinet.
Thirdly, the president has attempted to bring within the scope of the NFC matters
which are clearly beyond its jurisdiction. For example, the president has defined as
a term of reference the issue of ‘public debt’ and its repayment. However, the said
subject matter is covered by Entry No. 8 of Part II of the Federal Legislative List,
which clearly states that the Council of Common Interests is the appropriate forum
in which discussions, recommendations, and policy decisions regarding public debt
may be formulated, whereas parliament retains unfettered jurisdiction to pass any
required legislation in relation to the same in terms of Entry No. 10 of Part I of the
Federal Legislative List.
Furthermore, and amongst other things, the president has also sought that the
commission recommend an allocation of resources/ budget for Azad Jammu &
Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, whereas in terms of the Constitution, the assessment
and allocation of resources for the same is exclusively within the domain of the
federation and parliament. On the whole, such matters do not appear to fall within
its domain, and in defining terms of reference in relation thereto, the president
appears to be in violation of clear constitutional provisions.
Conclusion:
In light of the above, it is clear that the notified commission has given rise to
varying legal impediments which may handicap and impinge upon its ability to
perform its functions. As the commission is important for maintaining cordial
relations between the federation and provinces, the president would do well to
revisit and realign it in line with the Constitution.
Explanation in Urdu of the NFC problem:
Scales of accountability
Arifa Noor
IT was a scene straight out of an Amitabh Bachchan film when the ‘police’ (NAB
in this case) arrived too late to catch Shahbaz Sharif at his residence. The wanted
man had already left. It could be said of both Bachchan and Sharif that ‘in ko
pakarna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai’ (it is not just difficult to catch them, it is
impossible)!
All the NAB team achieved was providing considerable fodder to the ever-hungry
news channels because by the time there were reports that the team had left Model
Town for Raiwind, everyone knew that Shahbaz Sharif would now remain MIA till
the next morning’s hearing at the Lahore High Court. No one really thought the
high-octane ‘chase’ was meant to yield any result. When it is serious about an
arrest, the organisation goes where the man is — remember how it arrested Shahid
Khaqan Abbasi as he was driving to Lahore — and doesn’t bother raiding places
of residence in the hope that the man would be at home having a cuppa.
And this is not a particularly sceptical view of the matter. Most, if not all, are
convinced that for more than one reason Shahbaz Sharif, and most other Noonies,
have now done their ‘time’ and are not going to be returning behind bars soon.
The cases will continue, old as well as new. They will continue to be investigated
and the sword of another arrest will continue to dangle over them all but it will not
fall (easily). And the reason for this, or one at least, is that the party has fallen in
line. The sher may not have been tamed completely but it has retreated wounded
and that is enough. Because even as it licks its wounds, its existence provides some
pressure on the PTI the way Imran Khan’s roars earlier were a constant headache
for the PML-N government.
If the point is to keep them looking over their shoulders, it’s a job well done.
And this is why there is less of a brouhaha over the investigations into the PPP —
there is no reason to believe that the PPP needs any taming. The process is already
complete and there is little fear of any ‘misbehaviour’.
And this is what accountability is about in Pakistan — nothing more than a means
for political ends. It is not even to brand the bad old politicians as corrupt. For if it
was simply a campaign to tarnish them, then it would make sense to pick one case
which is easy to understand and hammer in the misdoing. Think Surrey Palace. To
launch investigations into a multitude of complicated cases just proves
counterproductive — a complicated LNG case which is barely understood by those
doing hour-long programmes on it, followed by allegations of illegal
appointments, followed by some misuse of government cars. Or in the case of
Sharif junior, Saaf Pani and Ashiana followed by assets beyond means. There are
so many allegations that there is a fear that none will stick in the public perception.
But then, that is not the point. However, if the point is to keep them looking over
their shoulders, it’s a job well done.
And that is why our accountability cases are not tight, well-written film plots but
endless soap operas.
Remember the Panama case? The entire saga began with the publishing of the
Panama Papers in April 2016; by November 2016, the hearings began in the
Supreme Court. The new bench was formed in January next year. The first verdict
came a year after the Panama Papers were published in April 2017. By May, the
JIT was formed and it presented its report in court in July. In the last week of the
same month, Nawaz Sharif was dismissed and his government wrapped up. A
short year and some months and the first season was over.
And then began the endless plot twists — three years later, the JIT, the apartments,
the money trail, the time we all wasted every evening discussing the merits and
demerits of prosecution, defence and receipts, everything lies forgotten. The main
accused is in London and everyone is as sure of his return (after medical treatment)
as we were last week of Sharif junior’s arrest.
Nothing has changed since the 1990s except perhaps the period in which NAB was
really active and feared was far shorter this time around. Its reign of terror under
the second Nawaz Sharif government and then Musharraf was perhaps much
longer.
And the PTI also knows this, despite its bravado in public.
Perhaps this is why its latest corruption push is against the sugar industry rather
than pursuing the older cases; it knows the earlier battle has already been lost. But
the support base still expects accountability so the party has found a new cause in
sugar, which allows it to deliver on its ‘promise’ of sparing no one, not even those
within its fold. It is like someone who abandons one diet plan for another in the
vain hope of losing weight.
There is no doubt that Imran Khan is fixated on accountability and punishing the
PPP and PML-N, but it really is nothing more than the hysteria of the star-struck
fan standing outside Shahrukh Khan’s house. He can say what he wants and he can
return there every day but he won’t be able to get any closer to the star, who will
remain out of reach.
And this is why it is hard to believe that Khan is driving the witch-hunt of the PPP
and the PML-N because if he was, they wouldn’t all be sitting in the comfort of
their homes and giving interviews left, right and centre on how evil and unfair
accountability under the PTI is.
But it still helps that we all believe he is behind the accountability agenda because
it also puts him under pressure by uniting all the other parties against the
government.For this reason — if no other — Khan should have second thoughts
about the accountability process
Karachi’s collapse
Dr Noman Ahmed
YET another building in Karachi has collapsed, this time in Liaquat Colony, Lyari
on June 7. Initial reports revealed that residents were given notice to vacate due to
the building’s precarious condition. Building stock in the city has faced numerous
disasters in recent months due to various reasons. About 20 houses were destroyed
or damaged when Flight PK-8303 tragically crashed on May 22 in a residential
area. Recently, more buildings fell in the Ranchore Line and Gul Bahar
neighbourhoods, while on social media, users shared images of one suburban
building tilting as much as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Our institutional capacity to monitor building stock and identify land use-related
malpractices is shamefully negligible. The illegal conversion of land use from low
to high density is rising meteorically, despite repeated Supreme Court
interventions. The nexus of builders-developers-officials has led to dubious
authorisations of land use for lucrative commercial gains. Since zoning codes are
outdated and no valid city plan exists to manage development, such activities
flourish without restraint, with the so-called land-grabbing mafia a partner in
crime. Enforcement mechanisms are too frail to withstand enormous commercial
stakes.
People live in such inhumane and unsafe conditions to save on high transport
costs. Access to fire tenders, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are a
serious issue, with rising incidents of building fires and collapses exposing these
inadequacies and leading to greater loss of life.
To make residents lives safer, many baseline interventions are needed. The
location of the plane crash last month, for example, will require a detailed
engineering investigation to assess the damage to and structural fitness of impacted
buildings and remedial measures.
There are many larger issues that directly affect construction activities and
violations. A large number of agencies, mainly cantonments, do not follow the
provincial or local government’s writ on issues of development, thus creating
differing standards. Land-use data, required as a baseline to enforce any
regulations, does not exist. Without the required institutional planning and
regulating and monitoring mechanisms for urban development, more accidents
cannot be ruled out.