Connect with us

Pakistan

Journey from resistance to reconciliation!

Written

on

The effects of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban's occupation of the entire country are being felt throughout the region.

Imran Yaqub Khan Profile Imran Yaqub Khan

The Afghan Taliban will conquer Kabul, a prediction made by the US intelligence a year ago, and the chairman of the US military, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milli, acknowledged it in a US Senate committee. Mark Milli also said he had been adamant for a year that if the United States left Afghanistan unconditionally, no one would be able to stop the Afghan Taliban from occupying the country, with the help of the United States and its allies. The established Afghan army and government will disintegrate.

In view of this change in the region, major capitals have formulated policies and Pakistan is nowhere to be seen in these policies. Whether it is the US trilateral defense alliance-- Oaks --or the four-member informal alliance-- Quad, or the European Union's Indo-Pacific policy, India seems to be important in all pacts.

A few short-sighted people who call themselves intellectuals and analysts are celebrating victory without fully understanding the situation in the region. Terrorism has witnessed an increase in the country since the formation of the Afghan Taliban government, and after the Taliban's victory, there were 35 terrorist attacks in Pakistan in August alone, in which 52 civilians were killed. The figures, published by the American broadcaster Bloomberg with reference to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, are shocking. Economic activity is influenced by Bloomberg reports, and foreign investors and international financial institutions formulate policies based on Bloomberg reports.

It's not difficult to predict what effect the Bloomberg report and the new wave of terrorism will have on the country's already crippled economy, but some unscrupulous friends of the rulers are still chanting "all is well". Same Bloomberg report mentioned that a foreign investor had postponed a deal to buy a Pakistani company, which is just one example.

Ameer Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister in Kabul's interim government, said in a statement yesterday that US drones were flying over Afghanistan, a clear violation of state sovereignty. He named the United States and called on governments around the world to respect Afghanistan's sovereignty. Where did these drones fly from and through which route did they enter Afghanistan? The interim government of Kabul has not given any indication yet but this issue will also arise tomorrow and Pakistan could be traditionally blamed. Prime Minister Imran Khan had long ago raised the slogan of "Absolutely Not", but perhaps the new administration of Kabul also began to doubt Islamabad and this slogan became a sign of diplomatic failure and our rulers were seen muttering this message.

"Even strangers are angry with me, even strangers are unhappy."

If that were the case, efforts would have been made to improve the situation, but the situation is much worse now. A storm is about to lift. The coming of this storm is signaled by a bill to be introduced in the US Senate. The bill aims to impose sanctions on those who helped the Taliban conquer Kabul. Within 180 days of the bill's passage, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence will submit a report to the congressional committee detailing Taliban supporters.

The first report will look at which state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, helped the Taliban between 2001 and 2020. Who provided the Taliban with safe havens, financial support, intelligence, medical care and supplies? Armed them and helped determine their military, administrative or strategic direction? It will also look at how the Pakistani government, including state and non-state actors, helped overthrow the US-led Afghan government in 2021. The report, called for in the proposed US congressional bill, also called for a review of allegations that the Pakistani government, including state and non-state actors, attacked the Taliban in the September 2021 Panjshir Valley and resisted the Taliban. Helped

The powers that be must have sensed the internal situation of the country and the geopolitical situation in the region and the storm raging in the US Congress. Feeling the atmosphere and maybe that is why the ruling party is also going into electoral mode. Recently, a few political birds that have changed allegiances have been brought under the sway of the PTI. These birds have come at a price, not at the behest of traditional power centers, but at the behest of this government. The leaders of the opposition parties will also get hints and they have sensed the situation on the basis of political experience.

The signs that the opposition making preparations have been circulating for days, but former Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's virtual address on Tuesday is an important development in this regard. Former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif said, "Your and my slogan is, respect the vote, these are our goals, abide by the constitution, do not break the parliament, do not arrest the prime minister, let the country run, and respect the civil government. 

If we get all this through reconciliation, then Bismillah (With the name of Allah Almighty), if we get it through resistance, then still Bismillah, we are ready for both." This speech of the former prime minister is a sign of political change in the country, the clear proof of which and the first major change is the willingness of the PML-N leader himself for reconciliation.

All further stages in the journey from resistance to reconciliation are in the hands of PML-N President Mian Shehbaz Sharif. It seems that Shehbaz Sharif has persuaded his elder brother without holding his feet. If this is indeed the case, then understand that now an interesting turning point has come in this political game and this is the decisive turning point.

Continue Reading

Pakistan

UK, Pakistan reaffirm commitment to strength relations

Meeting emphasized strong coordination between Pakistan and the UK on broader bilateral and regional issues

Published by Noor Fatima

Published

on

Islamabad: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with British Foreign Secretary for Pakistan and Afghanistan Hamish Faulkner.

The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest and Pak-UK relations in the Islamabad meeting. Joint measures to promote bilateral relations were also discussed. Federal Interior Minister expressed his best wishes to British Deputy Foreign Secretary Hamish Faulkner.

Mohsin Naqvi reiterated his commitment to further strengthen Pak-UK relations. The meeting emphasized the need for strong coordination between Pakistan and the UK on broader bilateral and regional issues.

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott and Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK Dr Muhammad Faisal were also present at the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Interior Minister Naqvi said that the UK is a strong and best friend of Pakistan. The time has come to transform cooperation into a sustainable economic partnership. Your visit to Pakistan will bring more warmth to bilateral relations.

Mohsin Naqvi further said that there is a need to take joint measures against those spreading baseless and misleading rumors and propaganda on social media. Minorities in Pakistan have all rights, and the protection of minorities is our top priority.

Continue Reading

Weather

Smog returns, Lahore again tops most polluted cities

Air pollution rate in the garden city reached 593

Published by Noor Fatima

Published

on

Lahore: Smog has targeted Lahore and the city is at the top of the most polluted cities in the world.

The air pollution rate in the garden city reached 593, while the Indian city of Delhi is second with an Air Quality Index (AQ)I of 372, and Karachi is third with an air quality index of 214.

AQI of 876 was recorded in Lahore Cantt, 840 in Shimla Pahari, and 682 in DHA.

It is pertinent to note that educational institutions were open yesterday due to a decrease in smog, while the working hours of business activities were also relaxed.

Continue Reading

Technology

Sony’s new flagship A1 II has trickle-up features from cheaper cameras

The new Sony A1 II is poised to take on other flagship mirrorless cameras like the Canon R1 and Nikon Z9. And it’s releasing alongside a new FE 28-70mm f/2 zoom lens.

Published by Web Desk

Published

on

Sony announced its new A1 II pro-focused mirrorless camera during today’s livestream from its Creative Space event in New York City. The camera has various speed and performance improvements over its predecessor, plus a fast new zoom lens to accompany it.

The $6,499 A1 II sports a 50.1-megapixel full-frame stacked sensor that’s capable of shooting full-resolution RAW photos at 30 frames per second and up to 8K video at 30p (as well as 4K video at 120p). That’s not very different from the original A1, but the sequel model is adopting the body design of Sony’s A9 III with a slightly taller grip and improved ergonomics, an in-body image stabilizer capable of a claimed 8.5 stops of correction, and a speed boost button and pre-capture function (also like the A9 III). It also has both the AI processor for improved autofocus and the vari-angle tilting screen first introduced with the A7R V.

Front view of the Sony A1 II with no lens attachedFront view of the Sony A1 II with no lens attachedPreviousNext

1/6

Image: Sony

It sounds a bit like the speedy A1 body is getting some chip-bump performance improvements, and is also raking in all the quality-of-life benefits of its lower-end and slightly less expensive counterpart models in the Alpha lineup.

In addition, Sony has made a new FE 28-70mm f/2 GM zoom lens to launch alongside the A1 11 in December. Compared to the popular 24-70mm f/2.8 (a staple lens of nearly every camera maker), the new lens sacrifices a little at the wide end in exchange for that faster maximum aperture. Canon has a similar lens in its EOS R line, and using it feels like you’re using a bag full of prime lenses in just one zoom, but Sony’s model weighs in at 2.02 lbs. / 918g — about 1.13 lbs. / 512g lighter than Canon’s. Sony’s lens is also slightly cheaper at $2,899 compared to Canon’s $3,099, but either way, you’re paying a hefty sum for all that versatility.

The Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 GM lensThe Sony FE 28-70mm f/2 GM lensPreviousNext

1/5

Image: Sony

The fact that the A1 II remains a stacked sensor design and hasn’t adopted the global shutter means that the latter type of camera tech remains an outlier with the Sony A9 III. Perhaps the sacrifices to dynamic range and base ISO are not yet worth the trade-off in the A1 II with its much higher resolution.

Since its launch in 2021, the original A1 has been the camera with the least compromises in Sony’s lineup. It’s offered the trifecta of speed, resolution, and video chops all in one, as long as you were willing and able to pay a very high price. The A1 II looks like an extension of that, but its new capabilities seem less like something that will set the photo world afire and more like a modest upgrade. Meanwhile, the sequel model will have stiffer competition than ever, since models from other brands, like the Canon R1 and Nikon Z9, now have pro-level offerings that can better compete.

Comments
Continue Reading

Trending