Pakistan

Before this no-confidence move, there was another one

Written

3 years ago

Jan 25, 2021 04:45 AM

Yasir Ilyas

When Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he will try to convince the opposition on bringing a no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan, his comment was either cursed in certain quarters or welcomed in others.

Yasir Ilyas

The minister most detached from his matters pertaining to his ministry, Sheikh Rasheed, was the happiest, commenting in glee that Bilawal had finally come of age. Those familiar with the neighborhood culture will understand that in such situations, both the one coming of age and the dubious one who announces it become suspicious. However, it remains to be examined, was Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's statement really politically mature?

Let's walk back a bit, to August 2019 when the opposition brought about a no-confidence move in the senate. 64 votes were needed for the ouster of Sajid Sanjrani, and this was the number of senators who dined at the meeting before the vote. Ultimately though, 50 votes were found in the box. The rest just disappeared.

In what was a delightful slip of tongue, a veteran lawyer said that a "secret battle" had taken place. No doubt he wanted to say "secret ballot". These days, this lawyer is one of the plaintiffs in a case before the courts, pleading for holding senate elections through open ballot.

We can argue whether the failure of the 2019 movement was a cause or an effect. There were rumors that members who favour reconciliation did not disappear but instead got the job done. The movement was doomed at its very inception because of its concept. A barometer for measuring its failure is the nomination of the late Hasil Bizenjo for the spot of Chairman senate. Many understood then how the story will end. If Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had enough votes than it is inevitable that the candidate would be one of the Sharif clan. When the votes are not enough then the "principled stance" of nominating Raja Zafarul Haq or the "giving importance to smaller provinces" nomination of Hasil Bizenjo comes into play.

Coming back to cause and effect, one can give one advantage to the opposition that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had not been formed yet. Issues of joint concern were taken up by a Rahbar Committee, whose head remained a mystery. To understand what happened in 2019, we have to go further back to January 2018, a month traditionally tough for Prime Ministers in our country. Back then, Shahid Khaqan Abassi had to go to Balochistan in emergency, when the seemingly strong PML-N led Balochistan government. The movement started by Quddus Bizenjo suddenly gained strength with the backing of PML-N members Jan Mohammad Jamali and others.

Within a span of ten short days, the impossible became imminent. Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri resigned.

Between one successful no-confidence move in 2018 and an unsuccessful one in 2019, the picture becomes much clearer. And when we look at the overlooked, unsuccessful, government led movement of no-confidence against Saleem Mandviwalla, the murkiness all but disappears.

Is PPP the missing part of the puzzle? A party with a prime motive linked to another unsuccessful and successful no-confidence move? Bilawal's comment cannot be analysed in isolation. To judge the political maturity behind it, the saga of no-confidence moves must be kept in mind.

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Babar Azam all set to make new records during Ireland, England tours

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May 07, 2024 07:32 PM

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Lahore: Pakistan captain Babar Azam is all set to make new record during the Ireland and England tours.

The series, comprising three T20 matches, would commence with the first match scheduled for May 10 in Dublin as part of the Ireland tour.

With just one more victory, Babar Azam could secure the title for the most wins by a captain in T20 International cricket.

Currently, the record is held by Brian Masaba of Uganda, who achieved 44 victories out of 56 matches as captain.

Babar Azam currently occupies the second position on this esteemed list, boasting 44 victories in 76 matches as captain. Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan closely follows with 42 victories in 52 matches, while former England skipper Eoin Morgan holds the third and fourth positions respectively with 42 victories in 72 matches.

On the other hand, Aaron Finch, the former Australian team captain, leads with 76 matches under his belt. Babar Azam could potentially set a new record by leading the Pakistani team against Ireland on May 10.

Besides it, Babar Azam amassed an impressive total of 3,823 runs in 107 innings in T20 Internationals.

In order to surpass Kohli's record, Babar Azam just needed 177 runs to achieve the coveted milestone of 4,000 runs and to surpass the Kohli's record of 215 innings.

India's Virat Kohli, at this time, leads with 4,037 runs in 109 innings, closely followed by his compatriot and captain Rohit Sharma, who boasts 3,974 runs in 143 innings.

Technology

Pakistan, Kazakhstan vow to increase cooperation in IT sector

Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin reach understanding during a meeting in Islamabad

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May 07, 2024 09:05 PM

Hussnain Bhutta

Islamabad: Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Tuesday affirmed commitment to increase cooperation in IT and Telecom sector.

An understanding to this effect was reached during a meeting between Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin in Islamabad on Tuesday.

During meeting, the minister expressed Pakistan’s interest in strengthening ties with Kazakhstan in IT and telecom sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Yerzhan Kistafin affirmed his country’s commitment to increase cooperation with Pakistan in IT and Telecom sector, emphasizing that ties between two countries in this domain would be further strengthened.

Business

Local tyre industry asks govt to address smuggling, low ITP values in budget

The annual consumption of tyres in Pakistan stands at 14.5 million with local production accounting for 25%, imports for 15% and remainder smuggling.

Published

2 hours ago

May 07, 2024 08:24 PM

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Lahore: Local tyre industry on Tuesday appealed to the government to address smuggling and low Import Trade Price (ITP) values, which are two significant issues badly hurting the local tyre industry.

“To safeguard the local tyre industry, the government should focus on measures to curb smuggling. Strict measures include stringent enforcement by FBR to stop sale of undocumented tyres and tighten control at border check posts at Chaman, Torkham and Taftan,” said Hussain Kuli Khan, Chief Executive Officer, GTR.

He added that reduction in duties will not diminish smuggling which can be gauged by one example that a truck radial tyre 11.00 R20 (70% of share in truck bus radial tyres) has zero custom duty (on Chinese origin radial truck tyres) but it is still smuggled in from China in large numbers.

“The importers claim that if duties are reduced then smuggling will go down, as imports will rise. Last year, the imported tyre numbers nearly halved but there was no shortage of tyre in the market. This shows that the local tyre industry is capable of meeting the market demand,” reasoned Hussain Kuli Khan.

He added that in the motorcycle and agriculture tyres there is no smuggling and all demand is catered through local production as GTR is supplying passenger radial tyres and light truck radial tyres including SUV variants in the market.

“Soon another player will also start production of light radial commercial and passenger radial tyres. A truck bus radial plant is also in operation in Pakistan. The government needs to safeguard the local tyre industry and give it a level playing field,” said Hussain Kuli Khan.

Also, he added, the FBR can bridge tax deficits by maintaining duties on imported tyres and adjusting ITPS based on actual import prices, rather than lowering duty structures.

“The Local tyre industry acts as an import substitute, resulting in savings amounting to millions of dollars. It takes over 100 million US dollars investment to set up a radial tyre plant. It provides employment and revenue to the exchequer.

“In last six years, GTR has made substantial investments of more than 4 billion in plant and equipment to meet the local requirements. As the sole local tyre company producing all categories, GTR is committed to provide “Made in Pakistan” international quality tyres,” said ussain Kuli Khan.

He mentioned that GTR alone has contributed over Rs. 19 billion in taxes in the last 6 years.

It is pertinent to mention that the annual consumption of tyres in Pakistan stands at 14.5 million with local production accounting for 25%, imports for 15% and remainder smuggling.