I was sad to see on youtube many Pakistani’s celebrating India’s defeat in the World Cup Cricket final by Australia, as if Pakistan had won the World Cup.
Naseem Shah delivering a crucial over in the Pakistan vs. Afghanistan cricket match
Many Pakistanis distributed sweets, danced, and did other foolish things
These silly and misguided people did not realise that it was their own defeat too, since India and Pakistan are really one country, with a common culture, and were one for 500 years ( since the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar ). We were temporarily and artificially divided by that British swindle called Partition in 1947, on the basis of the bogus two nation theory, to keep Hindus and Muslims fighting each other, and thus to keep us weak and backward. But we are sure to reunite one day, like West and East Germany, or North and South Vietnam, under a secular government with modern minded leaders determined to transform our subcontinent into a highly modern, highly industrialised, and highly prosperous region, with its people enjoying a high standard of living, and leading decent lives.
When Pakistan was defeated by England in the T20 World Cup cricket final on 13th November 2022, I called Indians who celebrated it stupid, since it was really India’s defeat too ( since we are one nation )
Babar Azam addresses the Pakistan cricket team – Motivation and unity for success.
Pakistan is in a terrible situation. The government is bankrupt and the economy is in shambles. Massive protests are being held everywhere against exorbitant electricity bills, and rise in prices of oil, gas and food.
The political situation is dismal, and a reign of terror has been imposed by the army and police, thousands thrown in jail, often after being dragged out of their homes, and many beaten, tortured, killed, or ‘disappeared‘. The judiciary, whose duty was to uphold people’s rights under the Constitution, is lying impotent. Minorities, like Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs, live in fear.
No doubt by their massive ongoing demonstrations they have proved that they are not a bunch of cowards, as was earlier supposed, and will not take things lying low. But that is not enough. Clarity of ideas is now needed, otherwise they will be like blind men or men groping in the dark, and going from the frying pan into the fire.
Since the time of Partition in 1947, and even from before, false ideas were drilled into the heads of Pakistanis e.g. Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan as an Islamic State was correct and justified, since Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations ( the 2 nation theory ), who cannot live together, and Jinnah, the main creator of Pakistan was a great man ( Baba-e-Quom or Father of the Nation ),
Changing the mindsets of people, removing false ideas, and replacing them with truthful ones, is an extremely difficult and long drawn process. It is very painful to the majority who have held such false ideas for long, and would be very reluctant to discard them. And it requires tremendous patience and forbearance in the enlightened minority seeking to educate the majority and persuade them to give up their false ideas. They will have to endure abuses, vilification, and often even physical attacks by the majority.
Historical experience shows that the majority give up false ideas only when there is an economic crisis or war, for then people’s lives are so terribly and adversely affected that they find it impossible to continue living and thinking in the old way.
For instance, the French Revolution of 1789 was caused by the bankruptcy of the government of King Louis 16 and the huge rise in the price of bread.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was caused by the First World War, and the huge rise in prices of bread in Russia.
The Chinese revolution which culminated in 1949 was caused by the Japanese invasion of China, and rural bankruptcy in China.
Pakistan is currently going through a severe economic crisis, and to survive Pakistanis will now have to rethink over what was dished out to them for over three quarter of a century, and which they had faithfully lapped up.
This will be very painful for most Pakistanis, for they will be questioning what was regarded as gospel truth for long. It will be like Copernicus’ heliocentric theory questioning the Biblical ( and the Greek astronomer Ptolemy’s ) assertion that the sun goes around the earth ( the geocentric theory ), which was believed as the final truth all over Europe for 2000 years.
Moreover, it will also be dangerous because questioning them will not only invite the wrath of the mullahs and religious extremist organisations like the Tehreek-e-Labaik, it is also a crime since section 123A Pakistan Penal Code makes speaking against Partition an offence carrying a sentence of upto 10 years imprisonment.
However, the truth cannot be suppressed forever, even by laws. Supporting Copernicus’ theory was also at one time dangerous as it went against the Bible, and one could be burnt at the stake for that ( Galileo survived by recanting). Yet it spread, and is believed by everyone today.
Since long I have been saying :
(1) Partition was a British swindle, to keep Hindus and Muslims fighting each other, and thus to prevent united india from emerging as a modern industrial giant ( as China is today ) and become a big rival to Western industry.with our cheap labour.
(3) Pakistan is a fake, artificial country. It is part of India, and will one day inevitably reunite with India ( along with Bangladesh ) under secular, modern minded, patriotic leaders determined to rapidly industrialise and modernise the country, and give our people a high standard of living and decent lives
(4) The leaders of both India and Pakistan are puppets of Western countries, and will obey their orders. So the way out for the people of both India and Pakistan is to launch a mighty united people’s struggle led by secular, modern minded, patriotic leaders to overthrow the present political systems and create a new one under which united India rapidly industrialises and modernises, and the people get decent lives..
As to when this historical struggle will begin, how much time will it take to attain success, how will it be conducted, who will be its leaders, etc it is impossible to predict, since one cannot be rigid about historical forms. The people will have to use their own creativity to figure all this out
Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Wednesday indicted Imran Khan in the Toshakhana corruption case, in fresh trouble for the former prime minister who was arrested by paramilitary Rangers a day earlier from the Islamabad High Court premises.
Khan, 70, has been in the dock for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman was indicted in the Toshakhana case. The charge sheet was read out to Khan in the courtroom.
Khan was present in the District and Sessions Court where judge Humayun Dilawar conducted the hearing. Khan has denied any wrongdoing.
The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months.
It alleges that Khan had “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana – a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept – during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in October last year for not sharing details of the sales. The election body later filed a complaint with the district court to punish him, under criminal laws, for selling the gifts he had received as prime minister of the country.
Watch Video: India’s Hard-Hitting Attack on Pakistani Counterpart Bilawal Bhutto After SCO Summit
In a hard-hitting attack on his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called him the “promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry” after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting on Friday.
On Bhutto Zardari’s comments on tackling terrorism, Jaishankar said Pakistan’s credibility in dealing with is depleting even faster than their forex reserves. Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating the menace, the external affairs minister said, “Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.”
The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. “Do not see it as anything more than that,” he added. On the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. He said as a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly.
(AGENCIES)
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Jammu, May 1 (GNS): Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Special Governance Camp for West Pakistani Refugee families, today at Chakroi, RS Pura.
Addressing a large gathering, the Lt Governor said the special Governance Camp aims to resolve grievances, verification of pending cases, awareness about various welfare & self employment schemes and placement drive with focus on eligible candidates from displaced families.
“Article 370 & 35A had denied political rights & other benefits to West Pakistani Refugee families & prevented their scope of progression and upward mobility. Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided them the rights enjoyed by other citizens of the country and they are no longer treated as refugees,” the Lt Governor said.
The Lt Governor shared the UT Administration’s resolve to extend the benefits of government schemes to their families.
“The Government is working with dedication & commitment to realise the dreams of the community. It is a fresh dawn, which offers the people limitless possibilities and a new hope to the youth. We will ensure they become architects of J&K’s strong and prosperous tomorrow,” added the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also reiterated the government commitment to work for the larger interest of the displaced families
“Governance camp will act as an institutional structure to effectively resolve all the pending cases within a time frame and mitigate the problems of farmers. Our thrust will be on measures for economic & social development, social justice & equality,” observed the Lt Governor.
Ownership rights of lands to West Pakistani Refugees will be ensured by the UT administration on the directions of the Central Government, the Lt Governor added.
The Lt Governor further assured every possible support and assistance from the government to the youth of West Pakistani refugee families in their entrepreneurial & business ventures. He also said all the opportunities for skill development and sports will be provided to the youth.
Youth must come forward and avail the benefits of all schemes and programmes of Mission Youth, he added.
The Lt Governor distributed sanction letters to the beneficiaries of different Government Schemes. He also interacted with the representative of West Pakistan Refugees and assured appropriate redressal of their issues and demands.
The Camps for employment generation & grievance redressal will be organized at different districts till 10th May 2023. Earlier, the UT Administration has organized Special Governance Camps for Kashmiri Migrants and Displaced Persons of PoJK to ensure saturation of social security schemes, self-employment and skilling.
Bharat Bhushan, Chairperson DDC Jammu; Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Labba Ram Gandhi, President WPR Association; members of West Pakistani Refugee families, Senior Officers of administration were present on the occasion. (GNS)
Chandigarh: The Border Security Force (BSF) has handed over an aged Pakistani national, who crossed the international border into Indian territory inadvertently in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, to the Pakistan Rangers, a statement said on Sunday.
“Forward deployed BSF troops apprehended one Pakistan national ahead of the border fence, when he crossed the International Border and entered into the Indian territory in Bhakhara village under Ferozepur district on Saturday,” the BSF said in a statement.
“Nothing objectionable was found with the individual. The BSF approached Pakistan Rangers and lodged its protest. Thereafter, on April 22 itself at 8.33 p.m., the apprehended Pakistan national was handed over to Pakistan Rangers as a goodwill gesture and on humanitarian grounds.
“The BSF always takes a humane approach, while dealing with inadvertent border crossers,” the statement said.
London: UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman remains defiant amid accusations of being racist after she said that an overwhelming majority of sexual grooming gang members in parts of England were British Pakistani men, reiterating that the “truth” cannot be classed as racist.
In an article for The Spectator’ magazine this week, the Indian-origin Cabinet minister stressed that it was necessary to acknowledge the role that ethnicity played in covering up the grooming gangs scandal.
Targeting the Opposition Labour Party, Braverman said “unfashionable facts” such as the ethnicity of those behind such scandals in parts of England were being countered by “fashionable fictions.”
“If we are to address the injustice of the grooming gangs scandal, we must be willing to acknowledge the role that ethnicity played in covering it up,” Braverman writes in the article entitled The truth can’t be racist’.
“To say that the overwhelming majority of perpetrators in towns such as Rotherham, Telford, and Rochdale were British Pakistani and that their victims were white girls is not to say that most British Pakistanis are perpetrators of sexual abuse. The former is a truth, one that made authorities reluctant to confront the issue. The latter is a lie, the speaking of which would be a disgraceful prejudice,” she writes.
She lamented the “politician’s lot” as she admitted that her motives for making the statement will be questioned, but hit back at those “casually” accusing her of racism for speaking plain truths.
“There is something peculiar about this political moment, where those of us advancing unfashionable facts are beaten over the head with fashionable fictions. I suppose the ethnicity of grooming gang perpetrators in a string of cases is the sort of fact that has simply become unfashionable in some quarters. Like the fact that 100 per cent of women do not have a penis,” she notes, alluding to another emotive debate around transgender access to female spaces.
Her intervention comes in the wake of strong objections from within the British Pakistani community, including claims that it has led many to distance themselves from the governing Conservatives since Braverman’s comments earlier this month for the launch of the government’s new Grooming Gangs Taskforce.
Last week, the British Pakistani Foundation (BPF), which claims to represent 18,000 Pakistani heritage members, wrote to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ask his cabinet minister to withdraw her “irresponsible words” as it would be perceived as normalising bigotry against the community.
Similar letters were also issued by other British Pakistani groups, with Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi warning that she feared a backlash against British Muslims due to the remarks.
In a series of television interviews earlier this month, Braverman said that the perpetrators of sexual crimes via grooming gangs are “groups of men, almost all British Pakistani”.
Led by the police and supported by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Downing Street says that data analysts will work alongside the government’s new Grooming Gangs Taskforce using cutting-edge data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who carry out these offences, including police recorded ethnicity data.
Abu Dhabi: A Saudi and Pakistani national won the grand prize of one million dollars (Rs 8,18,49,600) each in Dubai Duty-Free (DDF) draw held in Concourse D of Dubai International Airport on Wednesday evening, April 12, 2023.
66-year-old Salem A, a retired IT consultant from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, became a winner of one million dollars in Millennium Millionaire Series 419 after buying the lucky ticket number 3516, which he had purchased online on March 27.
Salem was ecstatic to hear the news that he was now a dollar millionaire.
“There are no words for what I feel at the moment, but in one word, really, really thank you Dubai Duty-Free from the bottom of my heart. This came at a very good time,” Salem told Gulf News.
He is the 11th Saudi national to win a million dollars since the inception of the Millionaire promotion in 1999.
Second winner— 42-year-old Abdul Ahad, a Pakistani national based in Bahrain, also won one million dollars in Millennium Millionaire Series 420 with ticket number 1890, which he purchased online on April 3.
Abdul Ahad, works as an administrator for a restaurant and has been living in Bahrain for the past five years.
He is the 24th Pakistani national to have won one million dollars since the start of the promotion.
London: A British Pakistani diaspora group has written an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, urging him to clarify the remarks of his Home Secretary Suella Braverman which, they say, stigmatised their community in relation to grooming gangs behind child sexual exploitation.
The British Pakistani Foundation (BPF), which claims to represent 18,000 Pakistani diaspora members, called on Sunak to ask his Cabinet minister to withdraw her “irresponsible words” as it would be perceived as normalising bigotry against the community.
Similar letters have also been issued by other Pakistani diaspora groups, all calling for the Indian-origin Cabinet minister’s comments to be withdrawn.
In a series of television interviews earlier this month ahead of the launch of a new Grooming Gangs Taskforce, Braverman said that the perpetrators of such crimes are “groups of men, almost all British Pakistani”.
“We are writing to you to share our deep concern and disappointment at the Home Secretary’s recent comments and for you not speaking out against them,” reads the open letter issued on Tuesday.
These comments singled out only the involvement of British Pakistani males in so-called grooming gangs’ and holding cultural values totally at odds with British values’, it said.
“Words have consequences by stigmatising an entire community, and making it the face’ of child sexual exploitation, the Home Secretary’s remarks will detract attention from perpetrators who don’t meet her stereotypes, harming the very victims the Home Secretary ostensibly set out to protect but also further perpetrating violence against minorities,” it reads.
The letter references a report commissioned by the UK Home Office in 2020, entitled The characteristics of group-based child sexual exploitation in the community’, which had concluded that despite some high-profile cases, links between ethnicity and this form of offending cannot be proven.
It also references the most recent conviction of 21 men and women of “white British ethnicity”, who were last week found guilty of sexually abusing young children in Walsall in the West Midlands region of England over a decade.
“The divisive and dangerous way in which the Home Secretary is seeking to portray all British Pakistani males and insinuating that the community is complicit in their actions is reprehensible,” the BPF open letter notes.
“We, therefore, ask you to immediately clarify the Home Secretary’s claims and ask her to withdraw her remarks. We also ask for your prompt engagement with the British Pakistani community, and others, on this issue to ensure that the Home Secretary’s irresponsible words, and a government led by you, are not seen as encouraging and normalising bigotry targeted at British Pakistanis,” it concludes.
Earlier this month, Sunak had condemned the political correctness which prevented action against “vile” criminals as he unveiled his new taskforce to go after grooming gangs.
“The safety of women and girls is paramount. For too long, political correctness has stopped us from weeding out vile criminals who prey on children and young women. We will stop at nothing to stamp out these dangerous gangs,” he said at the time.
Led by the police and supported by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Downing Street says that data analysts will work alongside the new Grooming Gangs Taskforce using cutting edge data and intelligence to identify the types of criminals who carry out these offences, including police recorded ethnicity data.
United Nations: New Delhi has called for international condemnation of Pakistan sending weapons across the international border to terrorists operating in India.
“We are facing a serious challenge of cross-border supply of illicit weapons using drones, which cannot be possible without active support from the authorities in control of those territories,” India’s Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj told the Security Council on Monday.
“The international community should condemn such behaviour and hold such states accountable for their misdeeds,” she said.
Although Kamboj did not name Pakistan, the reference to the country was obvious.
Indian officials have reported drones coming in from Pakistan to drop weapons and drugs for terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir.
Last year till November, at least 22 such drones were reported captured by Indian agencies and 266 drone infiltrations were reported during the year.
In January, India’s Border Security Force discovered a drone dropping weapons in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
Participating in the Council session on threats and risks to international security from the illicit export of weapons, Kamboj also warned about the collusion between terrorists and certain countries that arm them.
“The quantum of these (terrorist) threats multiplies when certain states with dubious proliferation credentials, in view of their masked proliferation networks and deceptive procurement practices of sensitive goods and technologies, collude with terrorists and other non-state actors,” she said.
Again without naming Pakistan, she said: “For example, the rise in volume and the quality of the small arms acquired by terrorist organisations remind us time and again that they cannot exist without the sponsorship or support of states.
“The export of weapons and military equipment in violation of international law, exacerbating geo-political tensions, cannot be ignored.”
The Council meeting was convened by Russia as the president of the Council for this month in an attempt to draw attention to the supply of weapons by the West to Ukraine, although it does not generally appear to contravene international arms agreements.
Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenzia asserted that the weapons provided to Ukraine are finding their way to “criminals and terrorists via black markets”.
“Weapons that Western states delivered to Ukraine started to surface in various European states, where it adds to the arsenals of organised crime, a fact confirmed by European police officers. Such weapons also spread throughout the world, in particular, it finds its way to the militants in Africa.”
The US’ Alternate Representative Robert Wood accused Russia of getting weapons from “rogue states” like North Korea in violation of international regulations.
Russia had received infantry rockets and missiles in November last year in violation of Security Council resolutions, he said, and noted that again in violation of Security Council resolutions, Russia received drones from Iran and used them to attack civilians in Ukraine.
Responding to Nebenzia’s criticism of the West for supplying to weapons to Ukraine, Japan’s Deputy Permanent Representative Shino Mitsuko said that “we must look at the fundamental cause of the issue — Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.
She said that Ukraine was exercising its right of self-defence against aggression by Russia.
