Here’s what’s happening across the border: A university in Pakistan has forced a student to apologise for a hate tweet, and global press body has condemned the country for curbing press freedom.
Nawaz Sharif accuses SC of partiality for allowing Musharraf to contest elections
Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Friday accused the Pakistan Supreme Court of partiality for allowing former dictator Pervez Musharraf, who was impeached as President, to file his nomination papers for the upcoming elections, reported The Express Tribune.
“Placing judges under house arrest, May 12, violating the Constitution, Akbar Bugti’s death. He has been named an accused in all, yet he is promised on-arrival leniency. I, on the other hand, cannot even obtain five-day permission to visit my wife. Under what law has he been allowed to contest elections? I want to see such laws too,” the PML (N) supremo told reporters at an accountability court.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court had relaxed its order of lifetime disqualification for Musharraf to contest elections based on the 2013 Peshawar High Court judgment. He was tried for promulgating emergency in November 2007.
University forces student to apologise for hateful Gul Bukhari tweet
The National University of Science and Technology Islamabad has made a student apologise for his misogynist tweet on the abdication of journalist Gul Bukhari.
The student, PTI activist Mohammed Musraleen, tweeted, “Sexual torture would be perfect for this shit #GulBukhari” on June 5.”
Journalist Gul Bukhari, who is also a critic of the Pakistani army, was kidnapped in Lahore Tuesday night and was freed Wednesday.
The university responded Friday by saying that appropriate action would be taken against Musraleen’s remarks.
NUST management has taken notice of the remarks made by its student, Muhammad Mursaleen, and appropriate action is being taken in this regard.
— NUST (@Official_NUST) June 8, 2018
Right after this, the PTI activist wrote an apology on Twitter. He tweeted, “I apologise for my remarks against Gul Bukhari, and for the anguish caused. My expression and choice of words were unacceptable. I shall be counselled by NUST Centre for Counselling & Career Advisory, and undergo mandatory community service so as to develop respect for women.” This tweet was also retweeted by the NUST handle.
PTI founder, Imran Khan yet to comment on this.
https://twitter.com/mursaleenpti/status/1005036870043136001
Reham Khan’s memoirs have stirred a storm, but who knows its name?
The unreleased autobiography of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan, a journalist, has already led to cases of defamation against the author. Reham has also claimed that the manuscript of her autobiography was leaked, or no one, including her ex-husband Hamza Ali Abbasi, an actor associated with the PTI, could have known the contents of her book.
Columnist Mazhar Abbaz writes in his opinion piece on the Geo TV website, “Is it not intellectual dishonesty to discuss a piece of work without knowing anything about it?” He further wrote that people are speculating about the content of the book and saying it contains “blackmailing” tactics, but no one even knows the title of the book.
“What is the title of the book? When will it be published, and by whom? No one seems to have answers to these questions, except Reham Khan… And what is in the book? Are the purportedly ‘leaked’ manuscripts authentic? Again, no one knows,” he wrote.
Sikh yatris arrive in Lahore to attend 5th Sikh Guru’s death anniversary
As many as 100 Sikh yatris crossed the Wagah border Friday to observe the 412th death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev ji, the fifth Sikh guru, in Lahore, The Express Tribune reported.
The pilgrims, who travelled in a special train from Attari Station in India to Wagah Lahore are expected to visit Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hasanabdal and Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, among other places, during their nine-day trip.
Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) secretary Tariq Wazir Khan, along with other important officials, welcomed the yatris, and promised to provide the pilgrims the best possible facilitie.
They will return to India on 17 June, a day after the central event of Shaheedi din and Jorh Mela at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee and the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee had earlier boycotted the event after the visa application of these pilgrims was rejected. However, the issue was resolved after a telephonic conversation between the Pakistan and Indian high commissioners.
Who is afraid of happy women? Pakistan.
Following the ban on Bollywood film Veere Di Wedding in the country, Dawn posed an important question in its editorial, “Why is Pakistan afraid of happy women?” The 1,200-word piece mulled over how Pakistan happily accepted narratives where women were shown to be suffering and weak, and rejected those where women partied and danced, and were joyous and happy.
Referring to the ban on Padman earlier this year, it added, “Pakistan also rejects stories of women who bleed.” Contrary to the culture of ban on women-centric movies, Padmaavat, which showed a large group of women committing jauhar, was allowed to be screened in theatres across the country.
Stating that it is necessary to present a deeper picture of women and their lives, it said, “Here is a film in which no woman gets raped or beaten up or forced into child marriage.”
Global press body condemns curbs on press freedom in Pak
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers’ (WAN-IFRA) board has urged the Pakistani authorities to allow unrestricted distribution of the daily newspaper Dawn, and denounced their “conscious efforts” to curb press freedom in the country.
Dawn reported that, at the World News Media Congress in Portugal, the board acknowledged various reports of the newspaper’s circulation being restricted in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and various army-controlled areas.
The board also took note of reports that suggested the crackdown on the newspaper happened right after the publication of an interview with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Untreated sewage puts marine life at risk near Clifton beach
According to research conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Pakistan, the continuous disposal of untreated waste into the Arabian sea through Karachi has resulted in the death of marine life around the beach, The Express Tribune reported.
Komal Naeem, a senior officer at WWF-Pakistan, told the newspaper that the study found a significant increase of biological oxygen demand in the sea water. An increase in this demand means a lower level of oxygen in the water, which ultimately results in more deaths.
The governing body for housing and municipal corporation, Defence Housing Authority (DHA), has reportedly been dumping millions of gallons of sewage into the sea for several years.
Pakistan’s Judicial Commission on Water and Sanitation has already issued a ban on all DHA construction.
Contributors: Priyamvada Grover, Sharanya Munsi, Manisha Mondal, Rupanwita Bhattacharjee, Alind Chauhan, Prateek Gupta and Nikhil Rampal.