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The power of rationality
If one were to choose a sequence of essentials for a nation to prosper, I would put rationality of their thought process on top. It is my firm belief that, without exercising this power, a state is left with little credibility to improve its lot, or that of its citizens.
It is also unfortunate that, since gaining independence, the assets that we have continually compromised are the very credentials of that momentous day. In addition to rendering them subservient to some ill-conceived compulsions emanating from foreign countries, we have also compromised them by practising policies aimed at aggrandising personal profits in preference to securing collective national interests. Today, we come across as a captive state banking for sustenance more on support that we can garner from outside than from internal effort embedded in unity and cohesion. Such an outlay makes for a cardinal sign of weakness, not strength.
To reap the fruits of our independence, one should revisit the speech that Quaid made from the floor of the first constituent assembly of the country on August 11, 1947, as also many others including the one where he addressed the civil service officers in Peshawar. He was clear and candid in spelling out the essentials the newborn state should espouse.
He underlined the centrality of freedom as equal citizens of the country beyond the confines of faith, caste, colour or creed. He went on to emphasise the sovereignty of the legislative body and the huge responsibility it places on the shoulders of the leaders to defend it. He dubbed bribery and corruption as curses and stressed the need to eliminate them.
Addressing the civil servants in Peshawar, he exhorted them not to fall victim to any pressure and do their duty as servants of the state and the people, and not the government in power at a particular time.
If one were to conduct an objective analysis of the happenings of the past decades, one would know that these are the very values which have been barbarously bartered for personal gains. Through a sinister process of politicisation of state interests, the concept of freedom, sanctity of the civil and other services and the need to protect the sovereignty of the state have all been compromised at the altar of enhancing personal wealth and power of the ruling elite and their crony cohorts.
While the state has suffered in terms of economic solvency and loss of stature among the comity of nations, it is the people who have borne the brunt of a spate of these misdemeanours by losing their dignity and self-respect on the one hand and the prospect of their growth and progress on the other.
The principal cause of all these belittlements can be traced to the placement of unnecessary curbs on the freedom of thought of the people. Intellectual activity and engagement create the space needed for nations to recognise their true destiny and chart a course to achieve it. By degrading people to be led as brainless lambs by the corrupt ruling elite, the national landscape would be rendered barren of ideas and momentum. Stagnation would automatically set in, which breeds nausea.
It is incumbent that such intellectual activity may cultivate multiple narratives which may be quite dissimilar from one another, but each one of them would carry its own weight. When the objective is clear, this diversity emerges as the essence of the intellectual thought process. We don’t cast stones at those with whom we may differ. We don’t lash them with invective-laden accusations. We don’t hand them a charge sheet, castigate them as traitors and force them into alienation from the societal mainstream. Like everyone else, they deserve to be there to make their contribution and help the state move forward.
While this has been a consistent tradition through the years of our existence, we have recently witnessed a rapid escalation in the scope of these curbs, which have stymied the prospect of our intellectual growth and consequent national salvation. A palpable fear syndrome pervades the environment, forcing people to resort to either staying locked in waiting for some improvement to set in, or plan on leaving the country by raising money through liquidating their paltry assets.
With close to four million people reported to have left in the last three years, this emigration amounts to a mass exodus, manifesting paucity of hope that a majority of citizens attach to living here. No state can prosper amidst such depressing conditions.
In the process, sanity and rationality become the principal victims. As the world becomes increasingly divided, there is a growing need to prioritise pragmatic and wise thinking for building a sustainable platform to deal with the emerging challenges. But the opposite seems to be the pattern where a counter opinion, born out of concern and sincerity, is construed as adverse to national interests and the individual is subjected to the harshest treatment, not excluding the possibility of spending time in jail, using a sequence of vicious legislations which are being adopted with alarming frequency. Already, the institution of an independent judiciary has been dealt a death knell, thus burying the possibility of the provision of justice in the country.
These conditions are not conducive to generating political stability, which imperils the prospect of economic growth. We have been dependent on support from international institutions and dole-outs from friendly countries. Instead of envisaging steps to decrease and ultimately eliminate this embarrassing dependence on outside sources, this scourge is increasing with time. As a matter of fact, every financial support secured from any quarter is touted as a great achievement and celebrated in glowing terms. Such behaviour is not just depressing; it is profoundly humiliating.
We need to get back to the basics. Not only have we forgotten our foundational ideals, but we have built a monstrous structure that rests on borrowed pillars. In the absence of internal cohesion and unity, as well as any genuine effort to address these issues, we are likely to continue declining. The governance approach requires a comprehensive overhaul.
The objective of a stable and self-reliant state cannot be achieved by blocking intellectual space with coercive measures. We should explore the power of rationality to unite people in an environment of peace and security, free from the threat of violence. Equally important is the need to stop insulting them by labelling them terrorists and traitors. They are not. They only exercise their right to differ.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and don’t necessarily reflect Geo.tv’s editorial policy.
The writer is a political and security strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute. He is a former special assistant to former PM Imran Khan and heads the PTI’s policy think-tank. He tweets @RaoofHasan
Originally published in The News
Despite having passed away as a result of suicide, the newly released memoir of Virginia Giuffre has dropped a bomb against Prince Andrew.
The conversation happened between US based royal commentator Kinsey Schofield and TalkTV’s host Jeremy Kyle.
The conversation went pretty drastically to an excerpt from Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, and accused the Duke of feeling “entitled” to her, and seemingly felt he had a “birthright” to have s** with her.
According to the host “one of the accusations from Giuffre that Prince Andrew was entitled and saw having sex with his abuse accuser Giuffre as his birthight.”
“she goes into three separate occasions in this book where she claims she was trafficked to have sex with Andrew. And I think disturbingly one of the worst parts for me is she tells a story about [Ghislaine] Maxwell allegedly praising her the morning after their first encounter, saying, ‘You did well. The prince had fun’.”
“I hate that language because that language reminds me of the email that Prince Andrew, you know, we’ve we’ve seen in the last few days that Prince Andrew sent Jeffrey Epstein. I mean, it’s just that the language is very similar like ‘having fun, ‘playing’.”
But, to Ms Schofield “these are these are grown people dealing with in some cases young teenage girls”.
- Punjab to take action against extremist party inciting violence, hate.
- Punjab govt to include Afghan citizens in tax net.
- Provincial govt proposes stricter laws for illegal weapons.
The Punjab government has decided to approach the Centre to impose a ban on an “extremist party” following the recent wave of violent protests orchestrated by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
At a high-level meeting on law and order, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, the provincial leadership approved “historic” and “extraordinary” measures.
Without naming any party, the statement issued by the provincial government said those involved in inciting violence, spreading hatred and violating the law will be arrested “immediately”.
It further said that extremist party’s leaders and workers responsible for the deaths of law enforcement agencies’ personnel and involved in damaging public property will be tried in anti-terrorism courts.
The leadership of the party is also expected to be placed on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which places strict limits on their movement and activities.
As part of the broader clampdown, the provincial government plans to seize all of the party’s properties and assets, which will be handed over to the Auqaf Department. It’s also moving to ban the group’s posters, banners, and advertisements entirely. Their social media accounts will be shut down, and any associated bank accounts frozen. The statement has also signalled that any misuse of loudspeakers, in violation of the Loudspeaker Act, will be met with tough penalties.
The move comes as part of a broader crackdown aimed at restoring public order and reinforcing the writ of the state and rule of law after recent unrest across the province.
Earlier this week, the law enforcement agencies launched a crackdown on TLP protesters and dismantled their protest camp in Muridke, resulting in violent clashes and dozens of arrests.
According to the senior police official, one station house officer (SHO) on duty was martyred, and 48 police personnel sustained injuries, 17 of whom were wounded by gunfire during the clashes with TLP protesters.
TLP protesters tried marching towards the federal capital despite the ban on public gathering under Section 144, resulting in days of turmoil across
The TLP march also left at least 40 government and private vehicles burnt and several shops set ablaze.
At least three TLP workers and a passerby died in the violent clashes, while reports showed that at least 30 civilians were also wounded.
Inclusion of Afghan citizens in tax net
In the same meeting, the Punjab government has also decided to focus on undocumented Afghan nationals living in the province. It plans to include Afghan citizens in the tax net and start collecting real-time data on those staying illegally.
Meanwhile, a whistleblower system is being introduced to allow people to report illegal residents while keeping their identities confidential.
The government will also carry out targeted operations against unregistered foreigners and their businesses, with deportations to follow under federal guidelines.
Stricter arms laws
Moreover, the provincial government is also coming down hard on those possessing illegal weapons. Citizens have been given one month to register their legal firearms at local service centres. Arms dealers across the province will have their inventories checked, and no new licences will be issued during this time. The province has also asked the federal government to step in and regulate weapons manufacturers and factories.
One of the most significant changes is the stiffening of penalties for possessing illegal weapons. From now on, offenders could face up to 14 years in prison and a fine of up to Rs2 million. The crime will now be considered non-bailable.
- About 4,100 workers have been notified of layoffs during shutdown.
- Two unions representing government employees brought case.
- Judge says explicit political motivation not allowed under law.
A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to halt mass layoffs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown while she considers claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal.
During a hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to block layoffs at more than 30 federal agencies while the case proceeds.
The decision is likely to be appealed quickly, but it offers a reprieve for federal workers facing a nearly year-long push by the Trump administration to slash their ranks.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House said last week that it had begun substantial layoffs across the US government, as Trump followed through on a threat to cut the federal workforce during the government shutdown, now in its 15th day. In an order on Wednesday, Trump extended an existing freeze on hiring new federal workers, with exceptions for military personnel and appointees to political roles.
About 4,100 workers at eight agencies have been notified that they are being laid off so far, according to a Tuesday court filing by the administration.
Illston’s ruling came shortly after White House Budget Director Russell Vought said on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that more than 10,000 federal workers could lose their jobs because of the shutdown.
Illston at the hearing cited a series of public statements by Trump and Vought that she said showed explicit political motivations for the layoffs, such as Trump saying that cuts would target “Democrat agencies.”
“You can’t do that in a nation of laws. And we have laws here, and the things that are being articulated here are not within the law,” said Illston, an appointee of Democratic former President Bill Clinton.
Judge demands details on layoffs
Democracy Forward, a legal group that represents the unions, said Illston made clear that the president’s targeting of federal workers was unlawful.
“Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation,” Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
Illston ordered the administration to provide by Friday an accounting of any “actual or imminent” layoffs and to outline the steps agencies are taking to comply with her ruling.
A US Department of Justice lawyer, Elizabeth Hedges, at the hearing said she was not prepared to address Illston’s concerns about the legality of the layoffs. She instead argued that the unions must bring their claims to a federal labour board before being able to sue over them in court.
Illston disagreed and chided the Justice Department for refusing to take a position on the unions’ legal claims.
“The hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal,” she said.
The American Federation of Government Employees and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees claim that implementing layoffs is not an essential service that can be performed during a lapse in government funding, and that the shutdown does not justify mass job cuts because most federal workers have been furloughed without pay.
Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but need at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats are holding out for an extension of health-insurance subsidies. Democrats have said they will not cave to Trump’s pressure tactics, and a renewed bid to pass a spending bill failed on Wednesday.
India’s manmade yarn trade slows ahead of Diwali; PC yarn slips
Last member of the first successful Everest expedition dies
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