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ICEP Dawn Analysis

DAWN EDITORIALS PLUS OPINIONS
DECONSTRUCTION

Dated: Friday 17 July, 2020

BY: ICEP Analysts M.Usman & Rabia Kalhoro.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Note:
We pick out Opinions from different Newspapers
related to:

#Competitive Exams
#Essay Writing
#Current Affairs
#Historical episodes
#Pakistan Affairs
# General Knowledge
# Global Issues
# Geopolitics
# International Relations
# Foreign Policy

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Confusion abounds( in large numbers ) |DAWN EDITORIAL
Introduction
THE erratic and ham-fisted (clumsy) handling of the scandal over the Pakistani pilots’
licences issue is sowing further confusion. The Civil Aviation Authority, in what seems to
be a direct contradiction of Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s bombshell
revelation( a few weeks ago that nearly 40pc of Pakistani pilots had “fake licences”, has
said that all licences it has issued to pilots are “genuine and validly issued”.

The assertion(declaration) was made by CAA Director General Hassan Nasir Jamy in a
letter to a senior official of Oman’s aviation authority, which has expressed concerns about
the credentials of Pakistani pilots working in Oman-based airlines.

Further, Mr Jamy said that the CAA had verified/cleared the names of “96 Pakistani pilots
out of 104 names received from various civil aviation authorities/foreign airlines”.
According to him, the matter has been “misconstrued and incorrectly highlighted in the
media/social media”.

The allegation against the media is patently(without doubt) untrue, a red herring
(misleading information) meant to deflect from what has been a fiasco ever since Aviation
Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan made his shocking claim on the floor of the National
Assembly. He presented as established fact a matter that was still under investigation, saying
unequivocally(unambiguous) that 262 pilots had had proxies sit their exams. At a press
conference a few days later, he gave a breakdown as to which Pakistan-based airlines the
pilots concerned were working for, with the rest employed by foreign airlines, chartered
plane services and flying clubs.

PIA grounded (prohibited or prevented from flying)150 of its pilots over their allegedly
‘dubious’ licences. In subsequent weeks, news began to trickle(leak) in about batches of
Pakistani pilots, although only those employed by overseas airlines, being cleared by the
CAA of having dubious credentials(qualification) .

Meanwhile, the reputation of the country’s aviation Boondoggle

industry — particularly its flag carrier — and Pakistan’s an unnecessary and expensiv
regulatory authority, has suffered a grievous blow. The e piece of work, especially
European Union Aviation Safety Agency has barred PIA one that is paid for by
from operating to Europe for six months; the UK and US the public:
have also banned PIA flights.
Usage The senator called the
new highways proposal "a fr
There is also a semantic boondoggle at play here. The
aud and a boondoggle that
CAA is correct in stating that the licences are genuine, in the taxpayer should
that they have been issued by the authority certified to do not tolerate."
so. Some of them may, nevertheless, be dubious.

Critical Analysis
After all, the CAA recently apprised the Supreme Court of the measures it is taking to secure
its examination and licensing systems — which is an implicit admission of procedural
failures.What is beyond doubt is that the aviation minister and the CAA are not on the same
page. One wonders what Mr Khan’s objective was in publicly levelling such serious
allegations when the facts had yet to be established. If it was to ‘expose’ previous
governments’ culpability in the decline of the national airline, the resulting earthquake has
created a crisis from which the country’s aviation industry will take a long time to recover.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Hounding Buzadar out of job | Daily times Opinion
Introduction
Rumors are doing the rounds about the possible ouster(dethronement) of Punjab Chief
Minister Usman Buzdar in the media. Lengthy news articles, aided with anonymous
sources – called old guards of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) – have started a
countdown. Since his inception as the chief minister in 2018, Mr Buzdar has been getting
exit deadlines almost every day. The messengers (read seasoned journalists) of gloom and
doom (general feeling of pessimism) wake up every morning thinking this is the last day of
an introverted chief minister in the chief minister house. At sunset, they give the next day’s
deadline hoping for a breakthrough in their fake-news career. This is insane and should be
stopped.

Media propoganda criticized

The media’s role as watchdog cannot be undermined but when the media becomes a player
in the politicians’ power game, it only hurts the standards of journalism, not the politicians.
Media, by becoming the voice of the public, can question Buzdar’s government’s
capability to carry out governance functions and meet the manifesto of the ruling
party. The ruling setup in Punjab is not, of course, run by saints, as the Punjab government
has failed the party’s progressive manifesto on many fronts. Similarly, the government has
achieved many milestones in the last two years, which deserve appreciation.

Background and achievements Usman corridors of power

Buzdar the higher levels of
government where the most
The change of faces in power corridors is a normal thing important decisions are
and all over the world, ruling parties keep on changing faces made. Ruling & governing.
administration. affairs of
for better delivery. In the case of Mr Buzdar, it is not the state.
matter of governance. He belongs to the most
underdeveloped area of Punjab. His own hometown lacked
electricity when he was made the chief minister. This leaves a question mark on the
performance of previous regimes, which have been showering development funds on major
cities in central and upper Punjab regions over the years. Under the Buzdar-government,
now 70 percent of the constituency of the chief minister has got power connections. Being
the most familiar person to the problems of the least developed areas of Punjab, Mr Buzdar
has allocated dedicated funds for south Punjab. On the other
side, Mr Buzdar has not shown any political acumen
be in the swim (of
(awareness) to keep the political side in the swim. things) To be actively
involved in and
Conclusion knowledgeable about
something
He cannot face the media; he has failed to launch any
project which can be called a flagship programme of his stem the tide: to stop
something from continuing
government. He has not been able to stem the tide of
and increasing —+ of
dissenters (protester) within the party, and every time,
Prime Minister Imran Khan has to intervene to fend off Usage: We have to do
crises( to defend) . That is, however, a PTI problem, and something to stem the tide
the media’s job is to report them, not to become a force to of violence.
oust Mr Buzdar.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Fattening public debt | Express Tribune Editorial

Topic: The PTI government has now

added over Rs10.2 trillion to the public
debt since coming to power
Introduction
The government has let debt grow at an
astonishingly high rate of almost 16%, rising to
Rs34.5 trillion by May 2020. The gross public debt
figure is even higher, though official statistics will
not be released until next month. While the
government claims depreciation of the rupee, a
decrease in tax revenue, and expenditure related to
the Covid-19 coronavirus as reasons for the rise in
the debt, at least one claim can immediately be
In 2005, Pakistan adopted a
shot down.
Fiscal Responsibility and
The budget book of supplementary grants Debt Limitation (FRDL)
shows that Covid-19-related spending was Act 2005. To monitor
Rs289.4 billion, which is just 6% of the debt implementation of the law, the
added between June 2019 and May this year. Ministry of Finance publishes
Even the rupee was actually appreciating against an annual “Fiscal Policy
the dollar between until March when it crashed Statement” and an annual “Debt
from Rs154 to Rs167. If anything, by blaming the Policy Statement”.
currency crash prematurely, the government has
just weakened one of its future arguments for why The FRDL was enacted to
the debt rose when the next dataset is released. eliminate the “revenue deficit”
Meanwhile, the economic correction promised and reduce public debt to a
ahead of the 2018 elections seems even farther prudent level. The requirements
than ever. of the law include:

Halfway through PTI’s regime : (i) eliminating revenue

Ballooning debt pool deficits ;
(ii) (ii) lowering total
The PTI government has now added over Rs10.2 public debt to 60
trillion to the public debt since coming to power, percent of GDP;
an unprecedented figure for a government that is (iii) (iii) reducing public
not even halfway through its term. The PM had debt by at least 2.5
vowed last February to bring the debt below Rs20 percent of GDP each
trillion. That would have meant a commendable year; and
debt reduction of about Rs4 trillion during his (iv) (iv) limiting the
five-year term. Instead, he is on course to double issuance of new
public debt by the time the scheduled 2023 government
elections roll around. guarantees to 2
percent of GDP in any
The other government solution has been to amend
given year.
the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation
Act to empower its public debt office to plan and
ICEP Dawn Analysis
raise loans. While it sounds odd, debt reduction through debt creation can actually work, if it
is thought out and done properly. Unfortunately, the World Bank found serious deficiencies
in Pakistan’s debt management administration and policies. That leaves little hope for
correction, but plenty of time to speculate over the next great excuse.

Critical Analysis
The government has not really offered a solution to the debt crisis. Its primary fix,
converting short-term debt to long-term debt, is only exacerbating the problem by adding to
debt-servicing costs while doing nothing to reduce the total amount owed.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

 A bouncy journey for Pakistan: 1947-2020 (Part 1)
| Global Village Space Opinion |

Important for Pakistan Affairs

After achieving which no one else could achieve, Quaid-e-Azam passed away one year after
the birth of Pakistan. Allah willed his departure honorably since had he lived longer, the
chronic foul-mouthed intriguers (one who forms plots) would not have spared him. He is
the only leader who is held in highest esteem and he is today remembered with greater
approbation (appreciation) after seeing the sorry plight of the Indian Muslims and Muslim
Kashmiris at the hands of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and Indian forces.

▪ His untimely death created leadership crisis and power of pendulum kept swinging
between the Governor General and PM.
▪ Passage of Objectives Resolution in 1949 strengthened Religious Right and
heightened secular-Islamic divide.
▪ Murder of Liaqat Ali Khan in October 1951 gave rise to ethnicity and regional
loyalties.
▪ Corruption raised its head due to unfair allotment of properties to refugees by the
Evacuee Trustee Board. 1953 saw Ahmadi movement in West Punjab and language
riots in East Pakistan.
▪ The political class in West Pakistan was heavy with Choudhries, Maliks, Waderas,
Sardars, Peers and industrialists who had gained material benefits from the British in
return for their loyalty.

Devoid (lacking) of high morals and competence to govern the ungovernable, these families
put self before national interests. Power tussle between landholders of East and West Punjab
and between Punjab and East Bengal delayed constitution making for nine years. The
British trained white-collar CSP cadre, the crème of the nation, aped(imitate) the colonial
masters by behaving like snobbish (superior) Brown Sahibs and never served the hapless
people. Their arrogant attitude and lackadaisical approach of early leaders were the major
causes of alienation of Bengalis who were in the vanguard (forefront) of Pakistan
movement. Ghulam Muhammad and Iskandar Mirza’s palace intrigues(conspiracy)
strengthened bureaucrat-military oligarchy and severely bruised growth of democracy.

Pak-US Relationship
Pakistan decided to change its status of non-alignment and
join the SEATO, CENTO Western pacts in 1954 due to
Non-
extreme security threats posed by India and Afghanistan
Aligned Movement
backed by former Soviet Union, which had got refers to the movement
irked(annoyed) when PM Liaqat Ali preferred Washington of states considering
over Moscow for his first state visit abroad. Thereon, themselves not
Pakistan tailored its foreign and defence policies in formally aligned with
accordance with the wishes of Washington and it put all its or against any major
power bloc.
eggs in the basket of USA. Ironically none of the defence
agreements had any clause of security against Indian
aggression. Owing to its full reliance on USA, Pakistan was
termed as the most allied ally of USA.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Advent of the Golden Era of Pakistan
Once President Ayub Khan took over power in 1958, he
made profitable use of the US largesse (generosity) by
carrying out all-round improvements in the country. His Operation Gibraltar was the
code name given to the
ten-year rule is acknowledged as the golden period of strategy of Pakistan to
Pakistan which no other leader could emulate(match) . He infiltrate Jammu and
missed the opportunity of liberating Kashmir in 1962, but Kashmir, and instigate the
egged on (agitate) by his blue-eyed foreign minister ZA locals in starting a rebellion
Bhutto, he vainly (unsuccessfully) tried to make amends against Indian rule there.
by launching Operation Gibraltar followed by Operation
In August 1965, Pakistan
Grand Slam in 1965. Army's Azad Kashmir
Regular
He is credited for defeating the nefarious(wicked) designs Force troops,[8][9] disguised
of India wanting to destroy the armed forces of Pakistan in as locals, entered Jammu and
the 17-day 1965 War, and gaining an edge over six-time Kashmir from Pakistan with
superior enemy. But for the war and the US sanctions, the goal of fomenting an
insurgency among
Ayub could have considerably narrowed the east-west
Kashmiri Muslims. However,
inequity. Prosperity in Ayub’s era made the 22 families the strategy went awry from
affluent and widened rich-poor gap. A class of egotist the outset due to poor
upstarts believing in pomp and show(show off) emerged in coordination, and the
the 1960s. ZA Bhutto and Mujibur Rahman emerged as top infiltrators were soon
political leaders in the aftermath of 1965 war who were discovered.
instrumental in splitting Pakistan.

Pak-US honeymoon period fades

Notwithstanding the closeness with USA, the relationship had its snags(pitfall) . Problems
arose when USA under John F. Kennedy started wooing(seek the favour) India well-
knowing that it was the camp follower of USSR and had refused to become part of the
defensive arc laid by USA to contain Communism in South Asia. Motivated by the desire of
winning over India, the US provided all out military support to India after it was thrashed by
China in 1962 border conflict in NEFA(North-East Frontier Agency) .

▪ The western assistance coupled with Soviet support tilted the military balance in favor
of India, which forced Ayub Khan to lean on China and he accordingly brought a
slight change in Pakistan’s foreign policy.
▪ Governed by the policy of enticing(attractive) India, the US instead of helping
Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars, imposed sanctions. Indian military
succeeded in cutting the eastern limb of Pakistan in 1971 due to all-out support of
USSR.
▪ India’s nuclear explosion in August 1974 and its expansionism were looked the other
way by the US led west.

Although ZA Bhutto was criticized for playing a role in truncating (cutting) the country,
but he is credited for gifting 1973 Constitution and laying the foundation of nuclear
program. To restrain him, Henry Kissinger threatened him to be made a horrible example.
His hanging on 4 April 1979 alienated Sindhis and divided the nation between Bhutto lovers
and haters.

Pakistan under Gen Ziaul Haq was once again put under sanctions by Jimmy Carter
regime in 1979 after it alleged that Pakistan had undertaken a nuclear program
clandestinely and was developing an Islamic bomb. Ronald Reagan took Pakistan on board

ICEP Dawn Analysis

to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Mujahideen were eulogized(praise highly) and named
holy warriors.

Zia era gave fillip to Jihadism, religious extremism and sectarianism, but Zia earned his
name in history by playing a key role in ousting Soviet forces from Afghanistan and in

completing the nuclear program and also giving Islamic direction to the country. During the
rule of Zia’s handpicked Junejo, culture of loans from banks and writing off loans by the
politicians came in fashion and black money as well Mafias gained strength.

Pak-US honeymoon ended soon after the US accomplished its objectives in 1989 with the
help of Mujahideen and Pakistan. The holy warriors were abandoned and later on declared
terrorists. It was put under harsh sanctions due to which it became politically and
economically weak. To rub salt on Pakistan’s wounds, the US embraced India and was made
its strategic partner.

Israel joined hands with the duo and the trio worked in unison to disable Pakistan’s
nuclear program. Their antagonism increased after Pakistan responded to India’s five
nuclear tests by conducting six nuclear tests in May 1998, and became the 7th nuclear
power. Thereon, denuclearization of Pakistan became an obsession of Indo-US-Israel
nexus.

The democratic era from 1988 to 1999 saw PML-N and PPP locked up in infighting, which
made Pakistan politically unstable and economically weak. The two mainstream parties in
their bid to topple the other had no time to combat the fallout effects of 10-year Afghan war
which had militarized the society. The armed uprising of Kashmiris in IOK was not cashed
in to liberate J&K. External debts swelled, and the state institutions became feeble. That
period intensified ethnicity/sectarianism and fortified Mafias, profiteers, hoarders,
smugglers, drug peddlers and racketeers. 10% Zardari blemished the image of Benazir
Bhutto.

A new world order

Disintegration of Soviet Union in 1992 made USA the unchallenged sole super power.
The US neo-cons in league with President George W. Bush senior in anticipation to the fall
of USSR had conceived a New World Order in 1989 and had chalked out plans to rule the
world for the next 100 years. This ambitious goal couldn’t be accomplished without
harnessing the resources of the Eurasian belt, and neo-colonization of the Muslim world.

Israel dreamed of establishing Greater Israel since 1982. The first moves made in this regard
were

▪ the initiation of Iraq-Iran war in 1989,

▪ followed by the First Gulf war in 1991,
▪ the Kuwait war and inhuman sanctions imposed on Iraq.
▪ Color revolutions were instigated by CIA in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe to
change pro-Moscow regimes.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

In order to evoke the feelings of revenge among the Americans and Europeans, earn
sympathies and cooperation of the world, and to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and
Middle Eastern Muslim countries, a false flag operation was craftily enacted on 9/11. The
blame was put on Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden (OBL) based in Afghanistan, which
had been created by CIA to fight the Soviets in the
1980s. The Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were buckle under pressure. (Expression)
demonized and painted as the biggest threat to
To have one`s will weakened when
the world security.Gen Pervez Musharraf was put under intense stress.
the architect of Operation Drass-Kargil in
summer of 1999 in which seven peaks of strategic Usage: After being at boot camp for a
importance were seized. Nawaz Sharif buckled week, he buckled under the pressure and
had to be sent home.
under pressure of USA and G-20 and ordered
withdrawal unconditionally. Converting victory
into a fiasco paved the way for Musharraf to
dethrone Nawaz Sharif regime and take over the reins of power in October 1999.

Musharraf readily fell into the honeycombed trap of USA since he was badly in need of
legitimacy. Being liberal, he was otherwise averse to Mullahs and extremist Muslims.
He was led up the garden path by George W. Bush junior regime that it will atone the
wrongs done in the past and would build relations based on mutual trust and equality.

Pakistan was made an ally and coalition partner of US-NATO, and a frontline state to
fight war on terror on its soil. It was also made a non-NATO ally and a strategic
partner. However, irrespective of the impressive labels, PakistanPakista was never trusted
and was given a raw deal. Throughout the 19-year war on terror, it was insulted,
humiliated, criticized and pressured to do more. It was encrusted with unsubstantiated
accusations of being either complicit with the terrorists or incompetent to deal with them,
and providing sanctuaries(refuge) to the terrorist groups. No proof was ever furnished to
prove their allegations.

War on terror brought USA in immediate neighborhood of Pakistan by virtue of which it

started meddling into Pakistan’s internal affairs directly. Pakistan was given a step-motherly
treatment as compared with India and Afghanistan in spite of the fact that Pakistan had put
its national security at stake and had rendered sacrifices much larger than any other coalition
partner and had produced excellent results. What Pakistan received in aid or close support
fund (CSF) was puny(negligible) when compared with the human and financial losses it
incurred. As against $20 billion, bulk of which was of CSF, Pakistan lost $ 130 billion and
suffered 80,000 human fatalities including 7000 security forces. The tally of injured is
three times more.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

The rise of Musharraf
Musharraf took credit of improving the image
of Pakistan which had sunk low and for
attracting foreign investments and bolstering
the economy. Notwithstanding his superior
personal qualities of head and heart and his 7- Musharraf’s 7-point Agenda
point agenda which had the potential to bolster 1. Rebuild national
Pakistan’s fortunes, Musharraf’s ambitious agenda confidence and morale.
mellowed (settled) down after he empowered 2. Strengthen the
King’s Party in October 2002 through federation, remove inter
enticements (temptation) and high-handed provincial disharmony
(autocratic) tactics. Thereon, he started and restore national
compromising on account of political cohesion.
expediency(advantage) mainly due to his 3. Revive the economy and
yearning (longing) to prolong his rule. restore investor
Accountability became selective and anti-Pakistan confidence.
MQM became his forte(strength) . 4. Ensure law and order and
MMA(Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal) ’s hobnobbing dispense speedy justice.
(association) with TTP in Baluchistan and KP was 5. Depoliticise state
ignored. institutions.
Indo-Pakistan peace treaty signed in January 2004 6. Devolution of power to
was a cunningly laid out snare(trap) by India. the grass roots level.
Musharraf happily signed it naively thinking that it 7. Ensure swift and across
will help in resolving all core disputes including the board accountability.
Kashmir and the two antagonists would live as
friendly neighbors. He compromised on Kashmir
by reining in Jihadi elements, letting India to construct a fence all along the Line of Control,
and suggesting out-of-box solution of Kashmir bereft(deprived) of UN resolutions. In his
enthusiasm to develop extraordinary warm relations with archrival(opponent) India, which
never reconciled to existence of Pakistan, he forgot the psyche of Hindu Brahmans and their
evil ambition of establishing mythical Akhand Bharat. To please the West, he introduced
concept of enlightened moderation and expanded electronic media exponentially, which
promoted secularism and obscenity.

The lawyer’s movement in 2007 joined by civil society eclipsed his popularity and
paled his impressive achievements. NRO was his last gift to the nation the ill-effects of
which are still being borne by the people. It enabled the most corrupt Zardari to ascend to
power in 2008 and become the strongest president.

(PART 2- to be continued)
Asif Haroon Raja is a retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence & security analyst, international columnist,
author of five books, Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, member CWC
PESS, Member Council TJP. He can be reached at asifharoonraja@gmail.com

ICEP Dawn Analysis

 Gilgit-Baltistan as the fifth province
| The Nation Opinion |

Important for Current Affairs and Essay

Introduction
Infighting for power amongst local rulers of Gilgit resulted in an ousted Raja going to
Kashmir to seek assistance from the Sikhs in 1842. An army of one thousand was sent to
Gilgi—an ac which reshaped history by introducing a new outside force, Sikhs, in the
region. On March 16, 1849, Kashmir was sold to Gulab Singh by the British which created
the new princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. In this treaty, there was no mention of Gilgit,
Baltistan, Chilas, Hunza, Nager or Yasin. It was only after the death of Raja Gohar Aman in
1860 that some local rajas, who were fugitives in Jammu, returned to Gilgit with the Dogra

army and occupied it.

Liberation of Gilgit-Baltistan
In 1877, due to a threat by the Russians, Britishers appointed Major John Biddluph as an
Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and the region practically remained under British control.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

In 1928, the position of the region was clarified in a letter from a British resident of Kashmir
to the director of the Frontier Circles survey of India that the territory which comprised of
the Gilgit agency falls into three categories;

i. state territory -i.e., Gilgit Wazarat, comprising of Gilgit tehsil including Bunji with its
niabat of Astor.
ii. Second, the political districts of Nager, Hunza, Punial, Yasin, Ishkoman and Chilas.
iii. Last, the un-administered areas of Darel, Tangir, Kandia, Jhalkot, Sazin, Shatial and
Harbun.
Suzerainty (/ˈsjuːzərənti, -
It was also mentioned in the gazetteer that these areas rɛnti/) is any relationship in
acknowledge the suzerainty of Kashmir but form no part of which one region or polity
its territory and they only pay tribute to the Maharaja controls the foreign policy
and relations of a tributary
annually. On March 20 1935, the British decided to take
state, while allowing the
Gilgit Wazarat on lease from the Maharaja for 60 years and tributary state to have
an agreement was signed. Accordingly, the entire Gilgit internal autonomy.
agency was handed over to Maharaja. The local population
was never consulted about it as they, along with rajas, had
already decided in the favour of Pakistan.

On August 1 1947, Brigadier Ghansara Singh took over as governor. The people in
Gilgit never accepted his authority and on the night of October 31, the residence of the
governor was surrounded by scouts. The following morning, the Brigadier surrendered; the
Dogra flag was pulled down as Pakistan’s flag was raised.

The liberation forces emancipated(liberated) Skardu exactly one year after Pakistan’s
independence when Major Thappa, with his 250 soldiers, surrendered. The people of
ICEP Dawn Analysis
Gilgit-Baltistan were able to liberate their land from the Dogras and Indian army without
any external help and defeated a well-equipped and trained army with meagre resources.

Karachi Agreement and gift of Gilgit-Baltistan to Pakistan

In 1949, through the Karachi agreement, Gilgit’s
agency was transferred to the government of Pakistan
from NWFP and the ministry of Kashmir Affairs and
Northern Areas was created.

According to the United Nation Security Council The Karachi Agreement,

resolution number 80, both Azad Kashmir and Northern formally called
Areas were included within the state of Jammu and the Agreement Between
Kashmir as areas which will be demilitarised prior to the Military Representatives of
holding of a plebiscite(poll) . India and Pakistan
Regarding the
According to Alistar Lamb, “the resolution threw Establishment of a Cease-
Northern Areas into a melting pot of the Kashmir Fire Line in the State of
dispute. Apparently, it was linked with Kashmir’s issue Jammu and Kashmir, was
to win the support of the people in case of a plebiscite. signed on 27 July 1949,
Successive federal governments introduced different supervised by the Truce
administrative and judicial reforms but not up to the Subcommittee of the
expectation of the people”. UNCIP

Timeline of key developments in

restoring the provincial status of
Gilgit-Baltistan
In 1999, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan were
citizens of Pakistan and directed the government to initiate appropriate administrative and
legislative measures.

In 2009, Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order (GBESGO) was

introduced according to which, the Northern Areas were named as Gilgit-Baltistan. The re-
naming of the region was welcomed as it gave it a name that the people could identify a
long-standing demand to. The order gave it a province like status with no representation in
the Parliament.

In 2015, the federal government constituted a committee headed by Sartaj Aziz which
proposed giving Gilgit-Baltistan the status of a province.

On May 27 2018, a new Gilgit-Baltistan order was introduced and all the powers of the
Gilgit Baltistan Council were transferred to its assembly. There was a mixed response to this
order as the majority termed it to be prime minister centric with absolute powers.

The GBESGO of 2009 and the Gilgit Baltistan Order of 2018 were challenged in the
Supreme Court of Pakistan. In response, it reconfirmed its earlier judgement given in the
case of Al-Jehad Trust that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan are citizens of Pakistan. The court
also suggested that certain changes should be made to the presidential order issued by the
present government and instructed the federal government to promulgate(enact) the
modified Gilgit-Baltistan Reforms of 2019.

ICEP Dawn Analysis

On August 5 2019, India revoked the special status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
(IOJ&K) by abrogating article 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution thereby bulldozing all
UNSC resolutions and annexing the IOJ&K. This was followed by the issue of the map
where Gilgit-Baltistan was shown in the union territory of Ladakh. The aim of issuing a new
map was to permanently change the status of Occupied Kashmir by giving India control of a
region that it did not physically possess. The demand of people is a merger with Pakistan
and their representation in the political and constitutional structure of the country—a
demand that has remained for the last 73 years because they liberated the region
without any outside support or backing.

The people of Gilgit-Baltistan are loyal and true patriots who want their identity with
Pakistan. Their demand is that they be declared as constitutional citizens of Pakistan with
Gilgit-Baltistan being made the fifth province of the country. Its assembly has already
adopted a unanimous(uniform) resolution for a full-fledged provincial status for the region.
The government has to find a way that will give them their full rights within Pakistan
in accordance with the international commitment under the UNSC resolution on
Kashmir.

Suggestions
This can be done by giving Gilgit-Baltistan provincial status on a provisional basis, pending
the implementation of the UNSC resolution. Proper representation may be given

▪ in the Parliament,
▪ National Economic Council (NEC),
▪ Council of Common Interest (CCI) and Indus River System Authority (ISRA) with the
powers to participate in decision making.

Their people are convinced that Imran Khan’s government can take this historic decision and
grant them their basic rights by making Gilgit-Baltistan the fifth province of the country.

By Masud Ahmed Khan.

The writer is a retired brigadier and freelance columnist

ICEP Dawn Analysis

Education amid Covid-19 | Modern Diplomacy Opinion

Amid the global pandemic that has troubled the world from east to west, the credibility of
education in Pakistan has been exposed. The governments around the globe have taken steps
that are either non-binding or unreachable to most of the students, primarily in under
developed and resourceless areas. In Pakistan, the education system has faced many
controversies ever since the pandemic has arrived in its borders. Significantly on the reach of
internet in rural areas. Most of the Pakistan’s population lives in rural areas where the
internet facility is not present. This has provoked students and teachers to hold protests in
Balochistan and other rural areas. Isn’t it necessary to question what the government has
done to ensure the continuation of education?

Education is one of the most neglected sectors in Pakistan proven by the report of UNICEF
that the current literacy rate is below 60 percent. Even before the pandemic, about 24 million
children were reported to be out of schools, HEC funds were minimized and education was
given little space in the annual budget. This ignorance negates the Pakistan law on
education, mainly Article 25A and Article 38(d), which states that the state shall provide
education to every citizen.

If the government has already failed to give effect to the law and its constitutional duty
before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the question that arises is, how will it give
effect to the law and constitution while coping with the troubles for access to education
caused by the virus and once the pandemic has ended?

In a world where a communicable virus has proved itself fatal and is responsible for more
than half a million deaths, therefore realizing the gravity of the situation Pakistan
government announced to close schools. Government took some steps, as the end of the
pandemic is still not in sight, the motive is to save the education cycle from any disruption
and this transition is worth struggling. Recently, a tele-education channel was launched by
Prime Minister Imran Khan to keep the students associated with their education through
ICEP Dawn Analysis
dedicated lectures for class I to XII. The measures are clearly not enough given the ongoing
protests concerning the reach of the education in rural areas.

To analyze the challenges for online learning in Pakistan, particularly during this pandemic,
the first step is to factor in all the stakeholders of education. Initially students criticized the
move of education ministry in the wake of the issues stemming from quality and
connectivity issues but just like any other transformation, developing the capacity of the
institutions was going to take time. The drawbacks have been observed that most of the
students either do not have a laptop, and internet connection or they have no idea how to use
online platforms.

Besides, the idea of equitable education has become dubious with this selection because
financially all students are not equal. Most of the challenges are related to our behaviors: the
lack of acceptance for online education by students. Similarly, lack of individual space at
homes in joint family systems i.e. for families where parents and children both need to work
and study from home respectively.

The lack of awareness about digital learning ethics has worsened the situation. First issue is
the unavailability of the internet in remote areas which makes the students living in those
areas unable to get benefit from online education. The bandwidth limitations across the
country, with only a few exceptions, when combined with the increased usage burden on
feeble internet infrastructure, add to the misery of most of the students. Another challenge is
the expensive high-speed internet. As there is always a silver lining in the clouds, it is high
time to see opportunities in these challenging times. For a paradigm shift from traditional
teaching towards inclusively effective and equitable e-learning, some of the
recommendations include the development of a standard and comprehensive policy for e-
learning with the consensus of all the stakeholders alike.

The issues of educational institutes shouldn’t be ignored as well as in Pakistan, tuition fees
are the principal source of revenue for the majority of private sector universities and they
solely depend on it because the government hardly issues grants to them. But, since many
people have lost their jobs and students have applied for waiver in tuition fee and writing off
other charges such as clubs, sports and hostel rents, it has become a challenge for
universities as well. The government has also forced the universities to give relief to students
in payments and to opt for half payments. It has also instructed to pay salaries to the faculty
and staff by managing their resources. Likewise, no any employee would be fired from the
job as long as there is lockdown imposed in the country. This is quite difficult for
universities to survive.

There is a famous proverb, “In every crisis, there is an opportunity”. This is the right time
when whole world is in the race to invent the vaccine of COVID-19 we need to think that
being a nation where we are standing. Along with the enactment of the recommendations of
the health department, we need to paint the situation in a positive manner to our youth in a
way that human and viruses are born to live together. Until humanity triumphs with the good
vaccine of COVID-19, we must set a plan for students to learn how to work in this weird
situation. The new paradigm in the world emphasizes on online education and work from
home scenarios that can save time and resources, and is more practical. Hence, we must
move with the time or wait for the time to move past us while we are busy in addressing less
important issues.

The writer's name is Palwasha binte inam and she hails from Peshawar .She is a freelance
columnist and researcher.She is a social media human rights activist.

ICEP Dawn Analysis