The more things change….

IF all you have is a hammer all problems will look like nails And in the government s hammer-only arsenal, a blanket ban through Pemra is used often, regardless of who is in government

The Pakistan electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Monday barred the television channels from live and recorded coverage of rallies or public gatherings by any party, organisation, or individual being held in the federal capital The rationale is yet another smattering of the usual:

Such footages/images were seen on TV screens without any editorial oversight during a recent standoff between political party workers and law enforcing agencies in lahore wherein, a violent mob used petrol bombs, injuring armless policemen and blazing police vehicles The live telecast of such footages on different satellite TV channels created chaos and panic among the viewers and Police

That’s an argument for better law enforcement and not for banning coverage It might also be an argument for not letting things come to a pass politically, for there to be such conflagration Yes hell is other people and yes the political opposition might be behaving unreasonably but what is politics if not the art of the possible?

Granted there can be limits to such possibilities and a sitting government might have to take some unsavoury (but legal) steps But why should they involve the banning of coverage of political rallies?

The previous dispensation used to live in the first half of the last century given how it used to block newspaper routes as well, ensuring that entire housing societies don t get particular newspapers in the morning, in addition to arm-twisting the local TV cable operators to ensure a particular set of TV channels aren t broadcast The incumbent government might not have done that but have taken the legal route of banning things through Pemra

None of the governments realise themselves, or is informed by the state’s information apparatus that even if we discount for the principles being violated in this banning spree, they won’t achieve much of any desired effect either, because news content is increasingly being consumed on digital platforms and social media The internet networks cannot be shutdown given how much foreign exchange our ever burgeoning IT industry gets us And even if in the throes of desperation, the internet services are shut down momentarily all the backlog cellphone footage piled up during the blackout will be uploaded nigh immediately when things are back online

We need more transparency less opacity

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif

PA k I S TA N is facing so grave multiple crises that political leaders and media have ignored many important issues and matters

In this regard Indian Spy kulbushan Jadhav s case also needs attention to keep it in the limelight kulbushan Jadhav, alias hussain Mubarek Patel, is an Indian spy (terrorist) who was apprehended on March 3, 2016 during a counter-intelligence operation from Mashkel, Balochistan province, while he was travelling to Pakistan on an Iranian passport

A serving Indian Navy officer Jadhav was involved in espionage, acts of terrorism, and sabotage against the state of Pakistan especially in the Balochistan his cynical activities cost Pakistan thousands of lives and hence he was awarded death sentence in April 2017 by the the Field General Court

Martial (FGCM)

Yadhav joined the Indian National Defence Academy in 1987 and was commissioned in the engineering branch of the Indian Navy in 1991 During his service years, he was promoted to the rank of Naval Commander

Notably, in a video statement, kulbhushan openly admitted that he was the serving agent of Indian secret agency RAW in Balochistan, and during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar Baloch to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan economic Corridor project (CPeC) he confessed that he spied for India and was assigned with the task to create unrest in karachi and Balolchitan to destabilize Pakistan

In this context addressing a joint press conference with the then Federal Minister for Information P e r v a i z R a s h e e d t h e t h e n D i r e c t o r G e n e r a l o f

I n t e r- S e r v i c e s P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s ( I S P R ) l t G e n

Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016: kulbushan Yadav s arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often he pointed out that Yadav was a n a c t i v e o ff i c e r o f t h e I n d i a n N a v y p r i o r t o h i s joining RAW he also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in Chahbahar Iran after he joined RAW in 2013

During interrogation Jadhav revealed that at Wadh khuzdar he was in contact with haji Baloch whom he provided financial and logistic support including separatists and the Islamic State network in karachi he elaborated that his job was to hold meetings with Baloch insurgents and collaborate with them to carryout terrorist activities leading to the killing or maiming of thousands Pakistani citizens Jadhav disclosed that he had met haji Baloch several times, sometimes for planning sectarian violence in karachi and the rest of Sindh province he also told that the masterminds of the Safoora bus attack where gunmen shot dead 45 Ismaili passengers were also in contact with haji Baloch While upon information provided by Jadhav Pakistan s intelligence agencies arrested hundreds of undercover operatives, working to sabotage peace in Pakistan, saving thousands of innocent lives from potential harm

Meanwhile, the haguebased International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its verdict about the case of kulbhushan Jadhav In its judgment ICJ President Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf stated that Pakistan should review the case while considering under the laws of Pakistan The Court however rejected all other remedies sought by India, which included the annulment of the military court decision convicting Jadhav, restricting Pakistan from executing the sentence, securing Jadhav s release and ordering his return to India Therefore, Islamabad was given options somehow an appeal should lie before the civilian courts in this case

Indian officials

And the Foreign Office (FO) on July 18 2019 announced: As a responsible state Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander kulbushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws for which modalities are being worked out with India

Nevertheless, Islamabad on September 2, 2019 provided Jadhav an unimpeded, uninterrupted and recorded consular access in line with the international legal norms and commitments But, New Delhi fumed in anger and frustration after its convicted spy Jadhav supported Pakistan’s stance during his meeting with top Indian diplomat in Islamabad Besides showing optimistic approach on humanitarian ground Pakistan had also allowed mother and wife of Indian convicted spy kulbhushan Jadhav to meet him They visited Pakistan on December 25 2017 and met him at the office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad

It is mentionable that in their self-created arguments India s lawyers had told the ICJ that the case was farcical and based on malicious propaganda Pakistan s lawyers hit back by accusing Jadhav of terrorism Pakistan s attorney general stated that Jadhav’s “unlawful activities were directed at creating anarchy in Pakistan and particularly targeted the China-Pakistan economic Corridor”

During interrogation, Jadhav revealed that at Wadh, Khuzdar, he was in contact with Haji Baloch whom he provided financial and logistic suppor t including separatists and the Islamic State network in Karachi.

While challenging his sentence in the ICJ India had fabricated the story which also claimed that the spy kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy In fact, Yadhav was running a network of terror from Iran to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan, and was in collusion with terrorist outfits such as BlA BRA MQM (militant wing) TTP leJ and Daish (ISIl) Many of these groups have conducted a number of terrorist related assaults in Pakistan Iran Afghanistan including some other countries of South Asia

Nonetheless Yadhav remains a living proof of Indian hostility and state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan The world must take notice of Indian inimical designs and policy of aggression against its neighbours

On April 10, 2017, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa had endorsed the death penalty for Jadhav In June 2017 the Indian spy had filed a mercy petition against the death penalty in which he again confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan however before Pakistani authorities could make a final decision the ICJ after being approached by New Delhi had ordered a stay in his execution through an interim order

On July 17, 2019, after a petition lodged by India, the International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan to allow Jadhav full and unimpeded consular access to s e e n a n d u n h e a r d

Th e issue of refugees is a complex and pressing global concern Millions of individuals around the world have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict persecution and other forms of violence These refugees often find themselves in precarious situations, without access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, and healthcare The United Nations high Commissioner for Refugees (UNhCR) was established in 1950 with the mandate of protecting and supporting refugees around the world T h e a g e n c y h a s p l a y e d a c r u c i a l r o l e i n providing humanitarian assistance to those in need as well as advocating for the rights of r e f u g e e s o n a g l o b a l s c a l e D e s p i t e t h e b e s t e ff o r t s o f t h e U N h C R t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n r egions where the agency has fallen short in fulf i l l i n g i t s m a n d a t e Tw o s u c h r e g i o n s a r e M a l a y s i a a n d P a k i s t a n w h e r e t h e U N h C R offices have been criticized for their poor performance in addressing the needs of refugees In Malaysia, the UNhCR has been criticized f o r f a i l i n g t o a d e q u a t e l y p r o t e c t r e f u g e e s from arrest, detention, and deportation by the Malaysian government The country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and as such it is not bound by its provisions This has left refugees in a vulnerable position with little recourse when it comes to seeking legal protection The UNhCR in Malaysia has also been accused of failing to provide adequate assistance to refugees in terms of housing healthcare and education Many refugees in Malaysia are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with little access to basic services

The government has a policy of detaining refugees and asylum seekers who are found to be in the country without proper documentation This has led to a situation where refugees are often forced to live in hiding unable to access essential services for fear of being discovered and detained One example of this is the case of Syed Fawad Ali Shah a Pakistani refugee journalist who was registered with UNhCR Malaysia Fawad was abducted in Malaysia and taken to Pakistan where he was held in detention for several months he was subsequently released but now faces false charges filed by the police and the FIA cybercrime circle his name has also been added to a stop list maintained by Pakistan s Federal Investigation Agency’s Immigration to prevent him from leaving the country and exposing corruption in Pakistani institutions

Despite the danger he faces the UNhCR and the International Organization for Migra- tion

(IOM) have failed to provide Fawad with a safe haven This has left him in a precarious situation, with little hope of escaping the persecution he faces In Pakistan the situation is equally dire The country is home to millions of refugees including Afghans Bangladeshis and Uyghurs Many of these refugees live in makeshift camps or urban slums without access to basic services such as healthcare legal aid education and sanitation The UNhCR in Pakistan has been criticized for its lack of action in protecting refugees from forced deportation This has led to situations where refugees are sent back to their home countries, where they face grave danger, imprisonment, or even death One example of this is the situation facing the Uyghurs refugees in Pakistan The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority group from China those have faced persecution and violence at the hands of the China government Many have fled to neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Russia, India and Pakistan where they are seeking refuge however in Pakistan the Uyghurs are not recognized as refugees This has left them in a precarious situation with little legal protection or access to basic services In recent years there have been reports of Uyghurs refugees being forcibly deported from Pakistan to China The situation for refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia is complex and multifaceted, with a range of challenges that must be addressed by the UNhCR and other relevant actors One of the key issues facing refugees in these countries is the lack of legal protections afforded to them In Malaysia the country’s non-signatory status to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention has left refugees in a vulnerable p o s i t i o n w i t h l i t t l e l e g a l r e c o u r s e w h e n i t comes to seeking protection The Malaysian government has a policy of detaining and dep o r t i n g r e f u g e e s w h o a r e f o u n d t o b e i n t h e country without proper documentation, which has led to a situation where many refugees are forced to live in hiding, unable to access basic s e r v i c e s f o r f e a r o f b e i n g d i s c o v e r e d S i m il a r l y, i n P a k i s t a n , r e f u g e e s f a c e a r a n g e o f legal challenges

The UNHCR in Pakistan has been criticiz ed for its lack of action in protecting refug ees from forced depor tation. This has led to situations where refug ees are sent back to their home countries, where they face grave dang er, imprisonment, or even death ligations under the convention This has led to situations where refugees are deported back to their home countries, where they may face persecution imprisonment or even death In addition to these legal challenges refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia also face a range of practical challenges when it comes to accessing basic services such as housing healthcare and education Many refugees are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions which has led to a range of health issues There have been outbreaks of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue fever, which have further exacerbated the challenges faced by refugees in these countries The lack of access to education is also a significant challenge facing refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia The UNhCR and other relevant actors must work to address these challenges and provide adequate support and protection to refugees in these countries

This may involve working with the governments of Malaysia and Pakistan to ensure that refugees are afforded legal protections and are not subjected to forced deportation It may also involve providing support for basic services such as housing healthcare and education as well as working to combat discrimination and prejudice against refugees in these countries One area where the UNhCR and other actors can make a significant difference is in the area of resettlement Resettlement is the process of relocating refugees to a third country where they can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity h o w e v e r r e s e t t l e m e n t i s a c o m p l e x a n d time-consuming process and there are often far more refugees in need of resettlement than there are available spaces In order to address this challenge the UNhCR and other actors must work to increase the number of available resettlement spaces and to streamline the resettlement process This may involve working w i t h g o v e r n m e n t s a r o u n d t h them to accept more refugees for re-

Although in the remote past and in the recent past, various agents of RAW were captured in Pakistan, yet the case of kulbushan Yadav has exposed the real face of India’s ruthless terrorism while New Delhi has openly been trying to save kulbushan from the execution

We can conclude undoubtedly that Indian role in Pakistan became naked after the arrest of kulbhushan Yadav and his confession clearly proved that Indian RAW has a well-organized espionage system in Pakistan

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations and can be reached at: sajjad logic@yahoo com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

S e n d y o u r l e t t e r s t o : L e t t e r s t o E d i t o r Pakistan Today, 4 - S h a a re y F a t i m a J i n n a h L a h o re P a k i s t a n E - m a i l : l e t t e r s @ p a k i s t a n t o d a y c o m p k L e t t e r s s h o u l d b e a d d re s s e d t o Pakistan Today e x c l u s i v e l y

Being overweight and its problems

M A l N U T R I T I O N is a state of deficiency at macro and micro levels owing to deficient or surplus consumption of energy and nutrients The term encompasses under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, indicating intake issues related to vital minerals and vitamins in diet

Under-nutrition includes stunting, wasting and being underweight, while excess of nutrients or calorie consumption is defined as overweight and obesity According to the World health Organisation (WhO), more than one billion people suffer from obesity with 39 million children 340 million adolescents and 650 million adults being obese A report published by the World Obesity Federation in the ‘World Obesity Atlas 2022’ projected that about one in five women and one in seven men will be affected worldwide by obesity by the year 2030

With one-fifth of world s population South Asia is facing significant health problems in the form of obesity The WhO reported that 58 1 per cent Pakistanis are overweight and 43 9pc are in the obese category It is alarming that around 40pc of children in Pakistan are overweight or obese earlier this month (March 4), the World Obesity Day was observed as a reminder of the widespread menace which is actually largely controllable The day is observed to raise awareness about the global epidemic of obesity and its serious implications on health The day encourages individuals, communities and the government to take action by tackling obesity, which is the leading cause of preventable death globally Its widespread prevalence can be attributed to the availability of convenient and processed foods as well as the huge popularity of high-fat foods sweetened sugary drinks and beverages in Pakistan Simultaneously a sedentary lifestyle due to the widespread use of digital gadgets has decreased the level of physical activity efforts to combat obesity must include public health initiatives to change diet and physical activity patterns by creating green spaces walking or cycling tracks and recreational parks close to residential areas where women, children and men may spend time in healthy physical activities The promotion of balanced diet should be encouraged at home and schools with the aim of raising a healthy generation It is time to reverse this predictable disease, which requires a multi-faceted approach in prevention and treatment by involving healthcare providers, policymakers, general public, higher authorities and food industries

TABINDA ASHRAF SHAHID ISLAMABAD

Bad driving and its consequences

R O A D accidents are all too common here and despite efforts to improve road safety, the number of mishaps has remained high Also, with the increase in population, a significant spike in such accidents has been noted over the years According to official statistics, over 5,000 road accidents in the country over the last three years have resulted in as many deaths and some 15 000 injuries even though a number of motorways have been constructed and the condition of highways has been improved serious accidents continue to take place One of the main issues is that many drivers in Pakistan are untrained or have only informal training which leads to reckless driving and poor decision-making on the roads Additionally the passenger buses lack basic safety features like seat belts and air bags To make meaningful progress in terms of reducing the number of accidents, continued investment in road infra-structure and driver education is necessary Besides, stricter enforcement of traffic laws and penalties for reckless driving can help discourage dangerous behaviour on the roads In this regard, a national transport policy needs to be introduced, making it compulsory for transporters and private vehicle-owners to compensate the victims of their reckless behaviour

While Pakistan is a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention there are concerns that the country is not fully adhering to its ob-

FAWAD

HASHMEY LAHORE