PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS

ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria
Al Bahria CSS Institute)
DAWN Editorials: 14 September 2023, Thurs
Thursday
Nawaz`s return
AFTER living in London in self-exile for the last four years, PML
PML-NN leader Nawaz Sharif is finally
set to return to Pakistan next month. This is welcome news. This paper has time and again called
on Mr Sharif to return and face political and legal realities and end the remote management of hish
party both when the PML-N N was in opposition and then in government. That he is finally ready to
return to the country and engage with his party and supporters face to face will come as a relief to
his party`s second-tier
tier leadership that has spent the last
last year making too many trips to London to
seek Mr Sharif`s
if`s advice on several issues.

However, the country Mr Sharif is returning to is, in many ways, quite different to the one he left in
2019. The economy is in a historic mess and businesses are rapidly losing confidence.

Households cannot pay their electricity and food bills. The government is not generating enough
revenue to address any of these serious challenges, and there are no quick fixes to the country`s
woes.. Terrorism, too, is on the rise. The state of human rights in the country is dire.. And political
space is as narrow as ever. In this grave situation, what message will Mr Sharif give to his
supporters? How will he explain the last 16 months of the PML PML-N-led
led PDM government`s
performance? How does he plan to counter the enormous support base of the incarcerated Imran
Khan, who remains popular despite being pushed out of politics? Importantly, how will Mr Sharif
proceed legally against the court cases against him? The return of the elder Sharif has often been
linked to the timing of general elections in the country by members of his party. Now that he is
returning, he must call for timely elections and then face the decisions of a public that is angry and
crushed by multiple economic burdens. For many months after the PDM government came to
power, it was speculated that the PML-N
PML N was afraid of elections because of how much political
capital it had lost during Mr Sharif`s` prolonged absence, and later because of the PDM`s inability
to give relief to the public.

Though Mr Sharif`s key rival has been removed from the political battlefield for now, the matter of
the PML-N`s bruised support remains. How he will galvanise his party, and persuade voters
remains to be seen, but his party seems to think the `Nawaz Sharif effect` itself will yield some
positive results. When he returns, Mr Sharif will not only have to explain why he left and stayed
away from the country for four years, but also what his party plans to do to address the serious
serio
internal challenges the country is facing.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Self-exile Noun Leaving country voluntarily

02 Mess Noun Chaos, disorder

03 Woes Noun Sorrows, miseries

04 Dire Adjective Terrible, awful, horrible

05 Grave Adjective Severe , critical, serious

06 Incarcerated Adjective Imprisoned, locked up

07 Speculated Verb Wondered, considered

08 Prolonged Adjective Extended, expanded

09 Bruised Adjective Damaged, harmed

10 Galvanise Verb Motivate, energize

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610
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 PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS
ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria
Al Bahria CSS Institute)

DAWN Editorials: 14 September 2023, Thurs

Thursday
Afghan reckoning
TWO years after the US completed its chaotic retreat from Afghanistan, and handed the country
back to the Taliban, the American general who was overseeing the operation at the time has made
public his regrets about the debacle.

While speaking to media outlets recently, retired Gen Kenneth Mc McKenzie,

Kenzie, who was chief of
Centcom the US military`s formation that supervises operations in this region described his
country`s withdrawal from Afghanistan as a `fatal flaw`. He observed that it was the `wrong
decision`, and America`s departure allowed the militant Islamic State group to establish a firm
foothold in Afghanistan. There can be little argument with the general`s description of his
administration`s botched exit strategy. Yet what Gen McKenzie failed to address was why America
and its allies stuck
k around in Afghanistan for so long in the first place.

What was supposed to be a counterterrorism operation to bring Al Qaeda to justice for its role in
the 9/11 attacks turned into America`s longest war, a nightmare that was partpart-military
military occupation,
part-civilising
civilising mission. Needless to say, America failed in all these respects. The US spent over $2tr
on the Afghan war effort, while tens of thousands of people died, including American soldiers. Yet
by far the biggest victims were the Afghan people: according to some studies, over 47,000 civilians
perished duringng the war. And the final result of this massive loss of blood and treasure is that the
Afghan Taliban once again control Kabul, just as they did before the 2001 invasion. Moreover, by
the Americans` own admission IS has been strengthened, while terrorist groups such as the TTP
have been emboldened.. Billions of dollars` worth of American military equipment, including
weapons, were left behind in Afghanistan, and have made their way into the hands of militants.
Though the White House has downplayed this, Pentagon tagon documents provided to Congress paint a
troubling picture. The American invasion of Iraq saw similar `achievements`, with IS emerging
from the smouldering rubble of the occupation, while a functioning country was left shattered.. Has
the American establishment
lishment learnt any lessons? Probably not. Projecting American military might
in the name of fighting terrorism and supporting democracy has left numerous states devastated,
while bringing no real benefits to the American people. It is this penchant for militarismlitarism and
exceptionalism that the American system must rectify.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Reckoning Noun Calculation, estimate

02 Retreat Noun Noun Run away, withdrawal

withdraw
03 Debacle Noun Disaster, catastrophe
04 Fatal flaw Noun Tragic flaw, hamartia
05 Botched Adjective Substandard, failed
06 Perished Verb Passed away, died
07 Downplayed Verb Devalued, softened

08 Rubble Noun Debris, ruins

09 Shattered Adjective Devastated, crushed
10 Penchant Noun Liking, inclination

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610
4438610 0300-4469650
0300 0300-1905555
1905555 042-35911609
 PUNJAB JUDICIAL OFFICERS
ACADEMY
(A Project of Al-Bahria
Al Bahria CSS Institute)

DAWN Editorials: 14 September 2023, Thurs

Thursday
Pest attack
THE whitefly attack on the cotton crop is back to haunt growers from south Punjab. Market news
suggests a substantial decrease in crop arrivals for ginning following the pest`s onslaught.
onslaught
Conflicting reports are pouring in from the affected districts, however. Traders are expecting the
overall national output
tput to remain at 8-9m
8 9m bales against the official target of 12m for the ongoing
harvest. Earlier, healthy cotton arrivals, which rose 50pc to over 3m bales from last year by the end
of August, had spawned hopes that production targets would be met. The red reduced
uced crop size will be
a major setback for our textile exports and widen the trade gap. Some farmers nonetheless say that
the scale of the attack, which is caused by rising temperatures in the cotton belt, isn`t as large or
intense as is being propagated byy traders. The government is yet to make its own assessment of
potential crop losses. Yet, all are predicting that the output will be much less than the targeted
production, even if the harvest remains higher
higher than last year`s 5m bales.

The Punjab authoritiesies have started taking measures to save the crop in the affected areas, with
army helicopters and drones called in to spray pesticides to control the whitefly, which not only
reduces the crop`s size and affects its quality but can also spread plant viruse
viruses.
s. It is too early to say
if the measures will contain production losses and the
the spread of pest infestation.

However, it is clear that the agriculture department is not doing its job properly. Whitefly attacks
on the cotton crop are not uncommon; we hear about them almost every year when the
temperature goes up in the cotton-sowing
cotton sowing areas of Punjab and Sindh. It iis imperative that an early
warning system is created to initiate timely action for protecting the crop from pests and farmers
from financial losses as soon as the weather starts to take an unfavourable turn.

Sr.# Word Part of Speech Meaning in Urdu Synonyms

01 Haunt Verb Disturb, bother, irk
02 Substantial Adjective Considerable, ample
03 Onslaught Noun Attack, assault

04 Spawn Verb Generate, create

05 Setback Noun Blow, hindrance

06 Propagate Verb Produce, raise

07 Pesticides Noun Insect killers

08 Infestation Noun Plague, influx, invasion

09 Imperative Adjective Essential, vital, crucial
10 Unfavourable Adjective Inappropriate, unsuitable

Arranged by: Prof Naveed Sabri

21 Babar Block, New Garden Town, Near Barkat Market Lahore
0333-4438610
4438610 0300-4469650
0300 0300-1905555
1905555 042-35911609