Prolonging General Bajwa's term an historic blunder, says Asad Qaiser
In a surprising turn of events, Asad Qaiser, the former Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly and a prominent leader of PTI, has publicly apologized for supporting the extension of former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure. This admission, made amidst political unrest in the country, marks a significant shift in Pakistan's political arena.
Qaiser, in a statement, labelled the extension granted in 2019 as a "wrong decision" and a "historic error" made by the then PTI government. He expressed regret over the move, acknowledging its negative repercussions and apologizing to the entire nation. This apology signifies a significant political admission from the party that had originally supported the extension.
The extension of General Bajwa's command beyond the original term has been a contentious and polarizing issue, contributing to tensions between civilian leadership, military influence, and opposition parties. This move has affected Pakistan’s political stability significantly. Qaiser's statement appears to be an attempt to address public dissatisfaction and possibly to distance PTI from controversial elements of its past governance.
However, the situation remains politically fraught, with PTI denying any "backdoor talks" with the current government. The apology has been framed by some analysts as either a sincere realization or a reactive political gesture aimed at managing ongoing instability.
Meanwhile, other political developments are unfolding in Pakistan. Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a political leader, has stated that the Tehreek will neither speak ill of anyone nor use immoral language. Their sole purpose, he asserted, is to protect the Constitution. Asad Qaiser, in a separate statement, vowed to use every forum, including parliament, courts, and the public, to advance their struggle against injustice and oppression.
The minister has also highlighted the positive economic developments in the country, such as a surplus in the current account, declining inflation, increasing exports, and a continuously gaining stock market. However, these improvements have not gone unchallenged. There are concerns about the state of the nation's education system, with approximately 27 million children out of school, and 40% of children's development being affected.
Moreover, the minister has questioned the opposition's discontent with the improvement in international ratings of the national economy, the substantial increase in remittances, and the foreign investment that has now fallen to the lowest level in the last 50 years. The opposition leader, Asad Qaiser, has also criticized the denial of the right for MPs to visit prisons, calling this move unlawful and undemocratic.
The economic situation has been discussed in detail by Muhammad Zubair Umar, a former Governor of Sindh. He questioned where these loans were used and accused Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif of hypocrisy for calling taking loans from the IMF shameful but congratulating each other on getting loans.
The value of a salary of Rs50,000 in April 2022 has reduced to only Rs20,800 today, due to which the purchasing power of the people has decreased by 60% in three years. The unemployment rate has reached 22%, with a youth unemployment rate of 30%. These economic challenges have led to weekly inflation reaching 50%, and about 11.2 million people living below the poverty line.
In the midst of these challenges, the country's foreign exchange reserves have fallen drastically. At the time of the no-confidence motion, they were $17 billion, but they fell to $4 billion in a short period of time. However, the risk of default was not felt then.
Veteran politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai has warned that any attempt to change the Constitution would destabilize the country. He has also warned that when the people are angry, the end of the biggest rulers is revealed and reiterated the need to organize the people to protect the Constitution.
These developments in Pakistan's political and economic landscape promise a complex and challenging future. The apology from Asad Qaiser, while significant, does not seem to have resolved the deep-seated issues in the country's political and economic spheres. It remains to be seen how these events will shape Pakistan's future.
- Asad Qaiser's apology for supporting General Bajwa's tenure extension signifies a significant shift in Pakistan's political policy-and-legislation.
- The extension of General Bajwa's command has been a divisive issue, contributing to conflicts between the civilian leadership, military influence, and opposition parties.
- In a statement, Asad Qaiser labelled the extension as a "wrong decision" and a "historic error."
- The apology has been framed by some analysts as a sincere realization or a reactive political gesture aimed at managing ongoing instability.
- Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a political leader, has vowed to protect the Constitution and use every forum to advance their struggle against injustice.
- The minister highlighted economic improvements such as a surplus in the current account, decreasing inflation, and increasing exports, but concerns about the state of the education system remain.
- The opposition leader, Asad Qaiser, has criticized the denial of the right for MPs to visit prisons, calling the move unlawful and undemocratic.
- Muhammad Zubair Umar, a former Governor of Sindh, accused Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif of hypocrisy for criticizing taking loans but congratulating each other on receiving them.
- The value of a salary of Rs50,000 in April 2022 has reduced to only Rs20,800 today, leading to a 60% decrease in purchasing power for people over the past three years.
- Veteran politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai has warned that any attempt to change the Constitution would destabilize the country and reiterated the need to protect it.
