Here’s what’s happening across the border: Pakistan analysts have a lot to say about India’s move to cancel meeting ahead of UNGA; CPEC now finds its way to Cairo.
Malala Yousafzai now aiming to have a mastery over chess
Pakistani activist for girl’s education and youngest Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai was seen learning chess from renowned singer and social activist Shehzad Roy, reported The Express Tribune.
In a tweet posted Saturday, Roy said Yousafzai is a quick learner.
He also advocated the importance of extra-curricular activities as part of school curriculum, adding, “Chess is a mind sport and it should be a part of our school.”
What Pakistan’s intellectuals think about India’s cancellation of talks ahead of UNGA
Three days after India cancelled talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in New York scheduled for 26 September, the Pakistani media remains consumed with New Delhi’s decision.
According to Zarrar Khurho, in an article in Dawn, Imran Khan should not be blamed for the proposal to hold talks.
“The language used in the Indian cancellation is nothing short of a Bollywood script or a Star Plus drama,” said Khurho. He also added that India’s 2019 polls “will only escalate this situation.”
Defence analyst Amjad Shuaib claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not retain his popularity he assembled through his “anti-Pakistan narrative” if he showed any “flexibility”.
Shuaib suggested Pakistan to “give a counter-narrative” and bring to light India’s “tactics” to the world. He also added that India would hold talks only after 10-12 years “once they are done changing the proportion of the population in Kashmir — something that they have been actively trying to do.”
In his opinion published in The News International, Syed Talat Hussain, a well-known Pakistani journalist pointed out that Pakistan’s step to invite India for this talk was neither mentioned in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s election manifesto nor part of Imran Khan’s promises made post victory, someone who was considered to have an anti-Indian narrative until elections.
Muhammad Ali Ehsan, a member of the faculty of contemporary studies at Pakistan’s National Defence University, in his opinion in The Express Tribune said he was “appalled” at the Ministry of External Affairs statement, saying this showed their “lack of civility” and “mutual respect” for Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N sends offer to PPP in bid to form opposition alliance
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari has received a proposal to toughen the grand opposition alliance against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI government from former premier Nawaz Sharif through his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, reported The Nation.
A PML-N delegation led by Raja Zafarul Haq paid a visit to the residence of PPP secretary general Nayyar Bukhari and conveyed Sharif’s bid. The delegation told Bukhari that if his party joined the opposition alliance, the PTI government would have a rough time both inside and outside parliament.
PML-N, additionally, also tabled the offer of fielding joint candidates in the by-elections. The PPP leader assured response to the proposition after holding consultations with his party’s leadership.
PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif is expected to head his party’s delegation in a series of meetings with PPP leaders in the next few days, the report added quoting sources.
Interesting tweets of the day
An innocent Christian woman named Asia Bibi, a prisoner in Pakistan, is going to face execution, claimed constitutional law firm ACLJ’s chief counsel Jay Sekulow in a post. He posted a petition urging everyone to sign it so that Bibi can be saved.
#AsiaBibi: #Christian. Wife. Mother of five. Prisoner facing execution in #Pakistan. We must demand this innocent Christian mother's freedom before it's too late. Sign our urgent petition. https://t.co/hCDzgzBThO
— Jay Sekulow (@JaySekulow) September 23, 2018
While speaking to the Pakistani Americans a day before the United Nations General Assembly meet in New York, Foreign Minister S.M. Qureshi said overseas Pakistanis have helped Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government in many ways.
“We think Overseas Pakistanis are a great resource that we had not been able to tap. If you can do well here, you can also contribute to a change back home in Pakistan" Foreign Minister @SMQureshiPTI pic.twitter.com/y3RGZIEHSV
— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 23, 2018
A Twitter user named Sidrah Memon alleged that Qureshi got an airport shut for 20 minutes while leaving for New York last week so that his media people could click a picture of him in the normal queue instead of the VIP route.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi got the whole airport shut for 20 minutes so that his media team could film him standing in the queue to show he’s not using VIP route. 16 foreign office staff were on duty with him & 92 security personnel pic.twitter.com/21b5tbDhI9
— Sidrah Memon (@SidrahMemon1) September 23, 2018
Pakistan, Egypt and China discuss CPEC and BRI in Cairo
Representatives of various sectors including governance, bureaucracy, business, and policymaking from Pakistan, China and Egypt have convened in Cairo to deliberate ways by which partnerships and gains from the China-Pakistan Economic Project and China’s Belt and Road Initiative can be optimised, reported The News International.
The four-day CPEC-BRI Cairo Dialogue and Trade Summit, organised by Islamabad’s South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) aims to create a platform for dialogue between countries across Africa, Middle East, Asia and Central Asia as connection of ancient maritime trade routes from Suez Canal to new markets through the upcoming Gwadar Gateway remains a key focus of China’s Xi Jinping led BRI.
“Egypt is not only the gateway to Africa, it is going to be the gateway to emerging corridors of international trade and commerce. What we are proposing is the north-south corridor that is going to build up on the existing frameworks that are already in place through CPEC and BRI,” said SASSI president Maria Sultan.
Tensions between Pakistan-India won’t impact cricket, says PCB chief
Addressing a press conference late Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani said relations between India and Pakistan are unlikely to affect the cricket matches between the two teams, reported Geo TV.
Mani also said he is in touch with Indian counterpart Board of Control for Cricket in India.
At the upcoming International Cricket Council meeting, scheduled for 20 October, Mani will invite foreign teams to visit Pakistan, he added.