Here’s what’s happening across the border: Pakistan foreign minister alleges US blames it for upsetting Afghanistan’s stability; Pakistan government unveils new Twitter handle to tackle fake news.
Here’s why Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor was so heavily trolled on Twitter
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor, has sent Twitterati in a mad frenzy after his tweet terming Pakistan’s army as “Brand of Pakistan” went viral on the microblogging site.
We are not just the ’Armed Forces of Pakistan’, we are a Brand… ‘Brand of Pakistan’.
?? pic.twitter.com/TjckWy0GXL
— Asif Ghafoor (@peaceforchange) September 30, 2018
Jungjoo Gernail, an anonymous Twitter user who always uses the tone of mockery and sarcasm, tweeted a hilarious retort to this. He said that army is not just ‘brand Pakistan’ but also “brand cement”, “cornflakes”, “fertlisers”, among others. He also used terms such as “vote chori” to link this to the ongoing controversy surrounding the recently held general election in Pakistan. The opposition has been alleging that the 25 July polls were rigged and that the army had a role in it.
https://twitter.com/GernailSaheb/status/1046757048040476672
Journalist Asad Hashim had a similar comment on Ghafoor’s tweet.
Gul Bukhari, a Lahore-based human rights defender, has also made a sarcastic comment on Ghafoor’s tweet. “Please do not underestimate them, Banks, Leasing, Cement, Fertilizers, Foods, Sugar, Shopping Malls, Engineering (electoral), Entertainment (judicial) and last but least, an army…” she tweeted.
Another Twitter user, Fatima, also took a swipe at Ghafoor by saying that the army should be confined to its work — which includes looking after the country’s security and not meddle in commercial businesses.
We are not just the ’Armed Forces of Pakistan’, we are a Brand… ‘Brand of Pakistan’.
?? pic.twitter.com/TjckWy0GXL
— Asif Ghafoor (@peaceforchange) September 30, 2018
S.M. Qureshi says Pak to work for a ‘stable and peaceful Afghanistan’
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said his country has been “unjustly blamed” by the US for the unrest in Afghanistan, reported Daily Times.
“When you are in a difficult situation, you look for scapegoats, for areas and people and institutions that have not delivered to your expectations,” Qureshi said in an interview to Fox News.
He went on to assert that “a stable and peaceful Afghanistan” was in Pakistan’s interest and to achieve this, the country would “use whatever influence” it has on Taliban to initiate peace talks.
The foreign minister also spoke about the prospects of discussing the issue of Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor jailed for helping the CIA track down Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011, with the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo ahead of their meeting Tuesday.
Maintaining that courts will decide Afridi’s fate, Qureshi said: “We have a legal process. Afridi went through that legal process, he was given a fair chance to plead his case. He was sentenced; he was convicted, and is serving a sentence… We expect you to respect our legal process, as we respect yours.”
Imran Khan asked by chief justice to set an example by regularising Bani Gala property
Chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar Monday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should lead the way by regularising his Bani Gala property as per the country’s property laws, reported The Express Tribune.
While hearing the ongoing Bani Gala encroachment case, the CJP remarked that Khan should be the first person to pay fine so that others who also have non-regularised properties can take a cue from him.
The case which has been taken notice of by the Supreme Court is about the illegal constructions at Korang Nullah area in Bani Gala, Islamabad. The CJP also mentioned that Khan himself “had asked the apex court to take notice of the issue when he had not become the prime minister”.
According to the chief justice, the apex court had made it clear earlier that encroachments would be demolished and would take a decision on properties in the area.
Pakistan unveils new Twitter account to counter fake news
In order to “identify and expose fake news and documents”, the information and broadcasting ministry Monday created a new Twitter account, ‘FakeNewsBusterMoIB’, reported The Express Tribune.
The move comes in the wake of rumours about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s lawmaker Maleeka Bokhari’s appointment as chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme, a poverty reduction programme in Pakistan.
The objective of social media is information, education and knowledge sharing. It should be based on truth and should not spread #FakenNews and disinformation, to achieve ulterior motives. Otherwise, it will erode its credibility. @fawadchaudhry @gop_info https://t.co/HIfYe7qQ4w
— FakeNewsBusterMoIB (@FakeNews_Buster) October 1, 2018
Information and broadcasting minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “A series of fake notifications and news is systematically spread on social media, it started from a media dinner picture and now there is a series of such rubbish.”
“Without affecting freedom on social media, we need to take strict action against fake news,” he added.
Pakistan’s Digital Rights Foundation earns accolades at the UN
A Pakistani rights group, Digital Rights Foundation, was among Forbes’ top 10 entrepreneurs to receive accolades during United Nations’ General Assembly (UNGA) meet in New York last week, reported The Express Tribune. The entrepreneurs were selected after they presented at the UN Solutions Summit, held on the sidelines of UNGA.
Started by Nighat Dad in 2012, DRF is a women-led foundation, which aims at educating Pakistanis regarding their digital rights and how to respond in case of any online harassment. It also campaigns against the misuse of personal information of customers by government agencies. It helps women escape ‘honour killings’, fight online violence, among others.
We are covered in @Forbes among The Top 10 Entrepreneurs At The UN General Assembly. @DigitalRightsPK is one of them <3 https://t.co/f8mZTndRTA #UNGA2018 @shift7 @unfoundation #innovationsummit #SDGs
— Nighat Dad (@nighatdad) September 29, 2018
Islamabad, Riyadh hold talks on oil supply based on deferred payment
Pakistan and a delegation from Saudi Arabia Monday deliberated ways by which more than 1 lakh barrels per day (BPD) of oil could be supplied on deferred payment, reported Dawn. Additionally, talks were also held on Saudi Arabia’s investment of $12 billion in mostly the petroleum sector of Pakistan.
According to the report, Riyadh was to be given a large piece of land at Gwadar for putting in place a 5 lakh BPD refinery worth over $9 billion apart from an oil storage facility of around 2-3 million tonnes as per its plan to gain security of its export supplies.
The move is an attempt by Islamabad to buy petroleum products and crude oil on an instalment basis.