Pakistan

A tale of two by-elections

Written

3 years ago

Feb 22, 2021 01:07 AM

Imran Yaqub Khan

"Sialkot district administration has joined hands with PML-N and pre-poll rigging is underway," blared a private news channel known for being pro-government.

Imran Yaqub Khan

When I saw this breaking news on the TV, I was startled. Then, when Firdous Aashiq Awan came on to the channel to confirm the news, I was astonished.

In my long journalistic career, I have not seen a representative of the government admit on television that district administration is not in their control. Who were Firdous Aashiq Awan's allegations directed at? The Chief Minister? The Chief Secretary and Secretary Interior her own government had appointed? The entire political and administrative leadership of the province? The news item made things clear even before polling had taken place. I became aware that law and order will be disrupted on the day of by-elections but even I could not have predicted that two lives would be lost to violence. I wonder who is responsible for destroying two families in the merciless game of thrones.

On polling day itself, videos surfaced on social media, showing motorcycle riders firing into the air indiscriminately in different areas of Wazirabad and Daska. Opposition was quick to allege that the miscreants were members of the ruling PTI. A few SHOs were named as being in cahoots with the miscreants. One video showed a few men firing into the air in the company of a PTI MPA, challenging their opponents.

There was more to come. When polling ended, Maryam Nawaz posted various videos on twitter, depicting alleged rigging. The bombshell clips showed opened bags full of votes. Is this the sanctity of the ballot? When PTI was in opposition, it cried afoul when ballots were torn, snatched or disappeared. What change has come about now that today they are in power?

Perhaps only this much change has materialized that they could allege 35 punctures without proof but today, there are videos of votes being stolen.

The icing on the cake arrived next morning when ECP released a letter about the situation in NA 75. Its contents are well known by now, a tale so incredulous that it is almost unbelievable. When I read the statement, I was forced to ask myself what remains to make us a complete banana republic.

If either the opposition or the government becomes this emotional about a single seat, then it is understood that they are fear something bigger. The opposition cannot do much with a seat or two but for the government, this panic denotes a deeper problem.

Whatever government ministers and representatives say on television, the situation on ground no longer suits them. Defeats in by-polls one after the other, the desperation for the federal senate seat and losing Nowshera after almost eight years of rule are no trifling inconveniences.

Nowshera was expected to be a tight race but perhaps even PML-N did not expect a win. It was confident of victory in both Daska and Wazirabad. In Balochistan, last week's by-election result was not unexpected but it did encourage PDM unlike any rally could.

Perhaps it is time for the government to assess how popular it is among the voters. If they acknowledge their waning support then their panic is not without reason. PDM has indeed achieved one of its targets.

Recent developments are cause for plenty of concern for everyone. Violence in elections is not a new phenomenon but the intensity of this week's polls are reason to be afraid of what the future will bring.

If the ruling elite does not reject such extremes and refuses to listen to each other, then instability cannot be avoided.

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Imran Yaqub Khan

Imran Yaqub is senior journalist and analyst

Pakistan

President approves appointment of ad hoc judges to SC

President Asif Ali Zardari gives approval under Article 182 of the Constitution

Published

11 hours ago

Jul 26, 2024 10:19 PM

Hussnain Bhutta

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday approved the appointment of ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

According to a statement issued by the Presidency, the President gave approval under Article 182 of the Constitution.

The judges include former Apex Court judges Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel. They will be appointed as ad hoc judges to the Supreme Court for a period of one year.

Sports

NBA rejects WBD (TNT) offer, goes with Amazon

Published

3 hours ago

Jul 27, 2024 06:00 AM

Web Desk

The NBA signed its 11-year media rights deal with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday after saying it was not accepting Warner Bros. Discovery's $1.8 billion per year offer to continue its longtime relationship with the league.

The media rights deals were approved by the league's board of governors last week and will bring the league about $76 billion over those 11 years.

WBD had five days to match a part of those deals and said it was exercising its right to do so, but its offer was not considered a true match by the NBA. That means the 2024-25 season will be the last for TNT after a nearly four-decade run -- though not long after the signing was announced, WBD said it would take "appropriate action" and said it believes the NBA has to accept its offer.

"The digital opportunities with Amazon align perfectly with the global interest in the NBA," league commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "And Prime Video's massive subscriber base will dramatically expand our ability to reach our fans in new and innovative ways."

Turner Sports strongly disagreed with the NBA's move, saying it believes the league "grossly misinterpreted our contractual rights."

"We have matched the Amazon offer, as we have a contractual right to do, and do not believe the NBA can reject it," TNT Sports said in a statement. "In doing so, they are rejecting the many fans who continue to show their unwavering support for our best-in-class coverage, delivered through the full combined reach of WBD's video-first distribution platforms. ... We will take appropriate action."

TNT said it continues looking forward to the coming season, "including our iconic 'Inside the NBA.'"

Under the new deal, Amazon Prime Video will carry games on Friday nights, select Saturday afternoons and Thursday night doubleheaders that will begin after the conclusion of Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" schedule. Prime Video will also take over the NBA League Pass package from WBD.

"Warner Bros. Discovery's most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video's offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon," the NBA said Wednesday. "Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans. Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience."

The new package on Amazon also includes at least one game on Black Friday and the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game of the league's in-season tournament, the NBA Cup.

"Over the past few years, we have worked hard to bring the very best of sports to Prime Video and to continue to innovate on the viewing experience," said Jay Marine, global head of sports for Prime Video. "We're thrilled to now add the NBA to our growing sports lineup, including the NFL, UEFA Champions League, NASCAR, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, Wimbledon and more. We are grateful to partner with the NBA and can't wait to tip off in 2025."

ESPN and ABC will keep the league's top package, which includes the NBA Finals. ABC has carried the Finals since 2003.

ESPN/ABC will combine for nearly 100 games during the regular season. More than 20 games will air on ABC, mainly on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, while ESPN will have up to 60 games, mostly on Wednesday nights with some Friday games. ABC and ESPN also will combine for five games on Christmas Day and have exclusive national coverage of the final day of the regular season.

During the playoffs, ESPN and ABC will have approximately 18 games in the first two rounds each year and one of the two conference finals series in all but one year of the agreement.

Shortly after the NBA's announcement, the WNBA announced its own 11-year media rights partnerships with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC, under which the league will receive about $200 million per year, a source told ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Beginning with the 2025-26 season, Disney's package of WNBA and NBA games will be available to stream on its digital platforms, including on Disney+ in select markets around the world.

"As the media landscape continues to evolve, this forward-thinking agreement represents a significant and bold step in our mission to serve sports fans, anytime, anywhere, including opportunities to successfully navigate the global digital transition," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. "Through a premium collection of regular- and post-season game rights, culminating with the NBA Finals and WNBA Finals, plus studio and original content initiatives, we look forward to building upon our legacy of innovation with the NBA and continuing to play an important role in the extraordinary growth trajectory of the WNBA."

The return of NBC, which carried NBA games from 1990 through 2002, gives the NBA two broadcast network partners for the first time.

NBC will have up to 100 regular-season games, including on Sunday night once the NFL season has ended. It will air games on Tuesdays throughout the regular season, while a Monday night doubleheader would be exclusively streamed on Peacock.

NBC will also have the All-Star Game and All-Star Saturday Night. During the playoffs, NBC and/or Peacock will have up to 28 games the first two rounds, with at least half on NBC.

NBC and Amazon also will carry one of the two conference finals series in six of the 11 years on a rotating basis. NBC will have a conference final in 2026-27 followed by Amazon the next season.

"The return of NBA basketball to the NBC Sports family comes with enormous benefits and excitement for our fans," Silver said. "And through its multiple platforms -- especially NBC and Peacock -- and its expansive resources, NBCUniversal promises to build on the deep tradition and history of the NBA on NBC."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Technology

How the Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling could doom net neutrality

Without Chevron deference, the FCC might not be able to protect net neutrality for long.

Published

4 hours ago

Jul 27, 2024 05:00 AM

Web Desk

On today’s episode of Decoder, we’re talking about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Chevron deference and what it means for the future of the internet.

I’ve been covering the fight over net neutrality for almost my entire career as a tech reporter — over 15 years now. The idea is that internet service providers shouldn’t be able to discriminate between what services you access on the internet: AT&T shouldn’t be able to slow down X and speed up Threads, and Verizon shouldn’t be able to block Zoom because it owns BlueJeans.

It’s pretty basic stuff, and after all this time, the Biden administration’s Federal Communications Commission once again made it the law. But big telecom companies truly hate the idea that anyone would regulate their networks, and they once again filed a lawsuit over it. Until very recently, everyone sort of understood the arguments in a case like that and how they would go — like I said, I’ve been covering this for 15 years now. It felt familiar.

But then, everything changed. In late June, the Supreme Court issued a bombshell opinion in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned something called Chevron deference — the idea that courts should generally defer to agencies like the FCC when it comes to interpreting ambiguous parts of the law.

That means the net neutrality lawsuit is suddenly very different. It’s now about whether the court thinks the internet should be neutral, not the FCC. And wouldn’t you know it, the Sixth Circuit immediately halted the FCC’s new net neutrality order and asked for briefs on how the Loper Bright ruling would change the case.

I invited Verge editor Sarah Jeong on the show to talk about all of this with me, and you’ll really hear us get into it. I mean, for the last 40 years, judges have basically deferred to federal agencies when it comes to the details of interpreting law because the agencies employ experts and have really deep subject area knowledge.

But now, judges will be empowered to make their own interpretations and throw out old ones. And with a dysfunctional Congress that can barely pass any laws as it is, the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright is a major power grab for the judiciary over the other two branches of government.

It’s a very big deal, with some far-reaching consequences for basically everything, including the environment, labor law, and all manner of regulation. Here at The Verge, our policy team has been tracking this outcome for a long time, so I wanted to have Sarah come on the show to break down how we got here and what it means for the future.

If that sounds really chaotic and unstable to you, well… you’re not wrong, and you’ll hear us discuss that toward the end, when we did our best to put this state of affairs into context and try to figure out what happens next.