Pakistan

Whispers, rumors and rulers' narrative!

Written

3 years ago

Oct 15, 2021 02:09 AM

Imran Yaqub Khan

The change of top command in Pakistan's most important intelligence agency was generally considered normal, but then those with access to the ruling circles started whispering differences and stopped the notification of the appointment of the new DG.

Imran Yaqub Khan

These whispers emerged as rumors on social media. The market for rumors on social media continued to heat up, with some key government ministers allegedly trying to "firefight". Disagreements over a minor issue eventually escalated into a week that the government spokesman had to admit.

The appointments and transfers were announced on October 6, the rumors continued for four days. On October 10, the Prime Minister addressed the main function of Ashra Rehmatul Lil Alemeen (SAW) and one of his sentences was considered the big news of the day. The Prime Minister said in the history of the world, there has hardly been a general greater than Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed (RA). He had never lost a war. Even then Hazrat Umar (RA) asked Hazrat Khalid to quit command for another. What was the context of his sentence? No one felt the need to consider it, but its meanings began to be taken in the context of rumors circulating on social media. Estimates began to be made.

After two days of silence, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had to come in front of the cameras and talk about these rumors. He told the media in detail that the Prime Minister and the Army chief had a long meeting, the Prime Minister and the Army Chief have close ties, the Prime Minister's Office will never take any step that would tarnish the honor of the Army or the Commander-in-Chief and Nor will the military take a step that would tarnish the image of the prime minister or the civilian setup. Legal procedure will be followed for the appointment of new DG ISI, all constitutional and legal requirements for the appointment of new DG ISI will be met.

After this statement of Fawad Chaudhry, many more explanatory statements came from various personalities, then the journalists who were also in close contact with the Prime Minister's House were fed tickers in the name of sources that the Prime Minister while talking to the cabinet members said, "The appointment of DG ISI is my prerogative. The situation in Afghanistan demands that no change be made in this post for another six months. If the army has honor, then the Prime Minister's House too. The impresison that I am a puppet PM is wrong. The PM decides the name from the list of three names."

At the same time, the Prime Minister's favorite phrase was added to the un-fed tickers that "if I am not nervous, you should not be nervous either". The emphasis was on cabinet members. Maybe no one knows what was behind it.

Although the tickers fed from the Prime Minister's House were designed to defuse the situation, these tickers don't seem to benefit the government, but rather the advisers have created a state of confrontation. As far as the press briefing of the Information Minister is concerned, he also took the same stance as that expressed by the PMBAT reporters, the only difference being that the attitude of the Information Minister and the choice of words was careful. He spoke in muffled words.

The change of government is actually a tragedy, which it is now facing. From day one, this government tried to give the impression that the relationship between the top military leadership and the government was warm and the position was the same on every issue, for which the word "one page" was used repeatedly. In the current situation, those who have filed a "one-page" writ are unable to tell the nation that if the hell broke loose over the usual transfer of a post. The manner in which the issue is being handled isn't a good omen.

One page impressors successfully run their agenda for three years. The wreckage of their every incompetence and bad governance kept falling on one page. The opposition was also in control because of one page. One page hid every weakness. Now the secret of not having a page is open, so panic is spreading. In the same panic, the PTI supporters discussed the point of civil superiority. Even those who raise this point are not well-wishers of the government. What will be the result of this shake-up? The answer lies in our political history.

Most importantly, this disagreement is by no means a question of civil superiority. The stubbornness to maintain the personality of one's choice in any position cannot be termed as civil superiority. Those who give such an impression deliberately or unknowingly pave the way for institutional conflict.

The fact that the "one-page" writ petitioners have perpetuated the impression of national institution's involvement in important decisions for their own political interests is not a formal and explicit attempt by the military to refute this impression outright. The impression was made and the impression was gaining momentum. Now if someone tried to make unnecessary noise of the civil superintendent, then the silence may not be maintained and the position of the other side will also come to the fore and the noise of the civil superior may say Don't stay It is better to be careful.

Civil supremacy is in fact an ideology and principle that has taken root in the world with the concept of democracy. First of all, we have to focus on promoting real democracy in the country. Real democracy is the civil supremacy. It isn't possible to use the slogans of "one page" when support is needed to form and run a government, and when it comes to likes and dislikes, it is civil. The upper hand should be made a crutch. All the requirements of true democracy must be met.

Due to this disagreement, the role of any key player is not immediately in jeopardy, but once the impression of "one page" disappears, opposition parties and social elements opposed to government measures will surely be encouraged. Even those cornered within the ruling coalition will be free to decide according to the new situation as those who have completed three years despite continuous bad governance have lost an important support.

Now the chances of an anti-government movement will increase, and sit-in politicians may face new sit-ins. This means that if precautions are not taken, the situation can take any turn. The exsisting state of affairs can take any turn. Under these circumstances, if the PTI had to be ousted from power, the party's narrative will be that of a "political martyr"?

Up Next

"Don't panic!"

Don't Miss

'Spiritual democracy and its followers'

Imran Yaqub Khan

Imran Yaqub is senior journalist and analyst

Regional

Project 2025 is infiltrating the Trump administration already

Published

4 hours ago

Nov 21, 2024 07:00 AM

Web Desk

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, a 900-page opus of conservative policy recommendations published by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. But he has nominated two of the document’s co-authors to Cabinet-level positions, and many others served in his first administration, which suggests the document may be a window into what the next four years could bring. On Monday, Trump nominated Brendan Carr, who wrote Project 2025’s chapter on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to head the agency. He has also appointed Tom Homan, a Heritage Foundation fellow named as a contributor to Project 2025, as his so-called “border czar.” Eighteen of the 40 co-authors and editors of the report served in the first Trump administration. Among them are Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security; Christopher Miller, former acting Defense secretary; and Russell T. Vought, former director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is reportedly being considered for another top post in the coming administration. During the 2024 campaign, Democrats sought to tie Trump to Project 2025 — a policy agenda they decried as “dangerous” and “shockingly radical” — framing it as a blueprint for his second term that is much more detailed than the GOP’s 28-page platform. The document focuses on proposals to expand presidential power, gut the federal bureaucracy, enact the priorities of the religious right, deregulate, and more. Trump at one point claimed to have “no idea who is behind it” and denied any connection with it when asked about it at the September presidential debate: “I have nothing to do with Project 2025. I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it purposely. I’m not going to read it.” However, since Trump’s reelection, some of his allies have suggested that the document was always intended to be the playbook for his second term. Trump’s nominations of Carr and Homan seem to support that idea. Neither will require additional Senate confirmation to take on their roles; through them, they will be in a position to advocate for Project 2025’s ideas on communications and immigration, respectively. Here’s what we know about Carr and Homan and the ideas relevant to their posts outlined in Project 2025. Brendan Carr Carr, a pick approved by Trump’s billionaire backer Elon Musk, currently serves as the senior Republican on the FCC and was previously its general counsel. Now, he is set to take the helm, steering the commission toward a hardline stance against Big Tech and what he describes in Project 2025 as its “attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” Among his key proposals in Project 2025 is ending legal immunities for internet platforms hosting user-generated content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That would require stricter content moderation on the part of these platforms or cutbacks to the degree to which users can contribute content, fundamentally changing the way people interact online. At the same time, he wrote in Project 2025 that he wants to ensure that “Internet companies no longer have carte blanche to censor protected speech.” That echoes some of Trump’s other Cabinet picks who are seeking to crack down on “wokeness” in their respective agencies. Carr also supports efforts to block TikTok in the US, identifying it, along with the Chinese smartphone producer Huawei, as a national security threat. He claims in Project 2025 that TikTok is part of a Chinese “foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to millions of Americans.” However, there are reasons to believe that a TikTok ban would, as Vox previously reported, have “serious consequences for online expression,” which include shutting down what has proved a hub for activism. Carr may have some difficulty enacting his agenda initially, however. The commission will have a 3-2 Democratic majority until next June when Trump will be able to nominate a new member. Homan isn’t named as an author of a particular chapter of Project 2025 but as an overall contributor — and some of his stated hardline views on immigration and the border are reflected in the report. He started out as a Border Patrol agent in the 1980s and worked his way up through the immigration agencies, becoming the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s removal operations arm under former President Barack Obama. There, he presided over the most immigrants ever deported in a single year, exceeding 400,000. Under Trump, Homan served as acting director of ICE but was never confirmed to the position permanently by the Senate. Homan’s new role as “border czar” appears to involve far-reaching responsibilities. Those include overseeing the implementation of Trump’s mass deportations policy — the centerpiece of the former president’s immigration agenda. That means Homan’s responsibilities will likely intersect with many of the numerous immigration priorities outlined in Project 2025. Here is a non-exhaustive list of what’s included: * Expanding the use of a legal authority known as “expedited removal” to quickly deport immigrants who crossed the border without authorization. * Deporting immigrants even in currently protected, sensitive zones like churches. * Ending large-scale parole programs that the Biden administration has relied upon as a deportation shield for individuals from certain countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. * Ending programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation. * Creating a new legal authority akin to the Title 42 policy, which was implemented by Trump and maintained by Biden to rapidly expel immigrants arriving on the US southern border on the dubious public health grounds of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Homan has yet to indicate whether he or Trump fully endorses these policies. But unlike Trump, who claims to have never read Project 2025, Homan put his name to the document, and could draw from it in his new role.

Sports

Amorim: Not weighed down by Man Utd's history

New Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has said he does not feel the weight of the club's history, speaking publicly for the first time since taking charge at Old Trafford.

Published

5 hours ago

Nov 21, 2024 06:00 AM

Web Desk

Rúben Amorim has said he doesn't feel "the weight" of Manchester United's history as he prepares to start his reign as the club's new head coach.

Amorim arrived in Manchester on Monday after being appointed as Erik ten Hag's successor on a two-and-a-half year contract.

The 39-year-old and his staff are still awaiting their visas before formally starting work. But ahead of his first game in charge -- set to be against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Nov. 24 -- he has insisted he's calm about the challenge ahead.

"I feel very relaxed," Amorim told United's in-house TV channel MUTV.

"Maybe because it's not game day. When we have a game I'm a different guy. But I really don't feel the weight. I'm really excited and I'm quite relaxed. I think I'm where I'm supposed to be. That's the feeling."

Amorim left Sporting CP to take the job following a successful stint in Portugal which saw him lift two Primeira Liga titles.

Sporting had not won the Portuguese title since 2002 when he won it for the first time in 2021. He's facing a similar task at United, who have gone 11 years without winning the Premier League.

"You can feel the history," said Amorim. "I'm really, really proud to be a Manchester United coach. It's amazing, it's a real honour."

Sports

USC unveils custom Kobe-inspired cleats to be worn against UCLA

The look is modeled after the pair Kobe Bryant debuted on Christmas Day 2010 and is exclusively customized for the USC Trojans.

Published

5 hours ago

Nov 21, 2024 06:00 AM

Web Desk

The USC Trojans are donning special cleats against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday inspired by an iconic Kobe Bryant shoe.

The program unveiled the exclusively customized Nike Vapor Edge Kobe 6 "USC" cleat on Tuesday. It's a nod to the Kobe 6 Grinch sneakers the Los Angeles Lakers legend wore on Christmas Day 2010.

The all-black look is paired with a cardinal and gold Nike swoosh. Kobe's logo appears in gold on the tongues of the cleats, as well as his signature on the heel, no different than the basketball sneaker.

In 2010, Bryant wore the now famous Grinches against LeBron James and the Miami Heat on Christmas. It included a snakeskin like texture, a nod to Bryant's "Black Mamba" moniker.

Lakers star Anthony Davis wore a pair of the Grinch colorway on Dec. 25, 2020, the 10-year anniversary of its debut.

"Playing for the Lakers, it's the 10th anniversary, it only just lines up for me to be able to wear those shoes," Davis said in 2020. "It's definitely an honor."

Bryant-inspired cleats are nothing new to the gridiron. Earlier in the 2024 season, Houston Texans receiver Stefon Diggs wore cleats inspired by Nike Kobe 5s. The Grinch cleats are set to be officially released in football cleat form by Nike on Friday, according to Nice Kicks.

The Trojans will wear their version of the cleats against the Bruins in the 92nd annual Crosstown Rivalry game.