Analysis, Side Feature

Views on the News – 20 Feb 2019

Headlines:

  • Imran Khan Gets Out the Begging Bowl
  • India Blames Pakistan for Pulwama Attack
  • Liberalism Gone Mad

Imran Khan Gets Out the Begging Bowl

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed $20 billion worth of investment deals during his visit to Pakistan. The deals are primarily focused on new energy projects, including an oil refinery complex in the port city of Gwadar. Imran Khan took over the country on the back of decades of mismanagement and corruption and after making numerous promises of real change. But ever since he has pursued the same policies that he criticised his former leaders of pursued.  He has turned to the IMF despite criticising Nawaz Sharif for doing the same. He has also taken the begging bowl around the world begging for investment and loans. Whilst this may ease the pain temporarily it in no way deals with the underlying problems of Pakistan. This was the same strategy pursued by all the previous regimes.

 

India Blames Pakistan for Pulwama Attack

On 14 February 2019, a convoy of 78 vehicles transporting more than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel from Jammu to Srinagar was attacked by a vehicle-borne attack. The attack resulted in the death of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and the attacker. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed. A Jaish-e-Mohammed youth Adil Ahmad Dar, a Kashmiri local, was identified as the attacker. India laid the blame squarely upon Pakistan, India’s top military commander in Kashmir, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency of “controlling” the attack with Jaish-e-Mohammad commanders, but he provided no evidence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is facing an election later this year, has vowed a strong response and says he will give the military free rein. The Indian government within minutes of the attack laid the blame on Pakistan, before any formal investigation or before any of the facts were even clear. The sabre-rattling has led to reprisal attacks upon Muslims in Kashmir as well as demonstrations by right wing Hindu’s across the world at Pakistan embassies.

 

Liberalism Gone Mad

The French government has started proceedings to change the law to get ‘mother’ and ‘father’ removed from all school paperwork. The words ‘mother’ and ‘father’ couple are be replaced by ‘Parent 1′ and Parent 2’ in all French schools. The French government has started the legal process to make the change in a bid to avoid offending same-sex parents. Alexandre Urwicz, President of the Association of Homo-parental Families, told local news outlets: “At first, we welcomed the amendment because, technically, it allows our families to be included in forms that previously did not allow it.” The birth place of liberal values has now extended to the very definition of male and female. Across Europe liberals are working to change not just relations between men and women, but even promoting the right of people to change their genders. The very idea of liberalism is there are no boundaries and the consequences of the effects are secondary to liberals.