Countries around us reached the Moon but Pakistan not rising from the Earth: Nawaz Sharif
Lahore, Dec 21: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has held the military establishment responsible for the country's economic woes, saying the countries around us have reached the Moon but Pakistan is not rising from the Earth.
"Pakistan has been stuck in difficulties. We go two steps forward and then 10 steps backwards this has been happening for the last 75 years. Who is responsible for this?" the 73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo questioned, indirectly referring to the powerful military.
He was addressing the parliamentary board meeting here on Wednesday.
Referring to India, Sharif said: "The countries around us have reached the Moon while we could not rise from the Earth who is responsible for this?"
Early this week, Sharif had said neither India nor the United States are behind Pakistan's miseries. "No one else but we are responsible for our downfall as we shot ourselves in the foot."
On Thursday, the three-time former premier spoke to his party's minority members here and lauded their contributions for the development of the country.
"There were many comrades of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who played their part in making Pakistan," he said, adding that a national leader does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion. He said the minority community is Pakistan's asset.
Sharif reiterated that those who drove Pakistan into an unprecedented crisis and made the lives of Pakistanis unbearably miserable should be made accountable.
He would often hold former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-ISI chief Gen Faiz Hamid and two former chief justices of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa responsible for Pakistan's woes. He said they ousted him from power in 2017 and imposed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supremo Imran Khan on the nation.
"Unimaginable damage has been done to his country and those responsible for it will not go unaccounted for," he declared.
Sharif, the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times, returned to Pakistan in October after a four-year self-imposed exile to lead his party in the general elections. He has been receiving PM-designate protocol with the blessings of the military.
Besides, all his corruption cases in which he was convicted have been set aside after the Islamabad High Court has given him a clean chit.
The PTI alleges that under the 'London Plan' Nawaz Sharif will be made the Prime Minister following the February 8 polls with the blessing of the military establishment under Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and Imran Khan and his party will be crushed.
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Activists write open letter to Odisha govt flagging anti-Christian violence
New Delhi: Activists and rights campaigners John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander have expressed serious concern over the alleged rise in violence and intimidation against Christians in several districts, accusing both Hindutva organisations and sections of the police of targeting the minority community.
In a strongly worded communication addressed to the state administration, the signatories said they had received disturbing testimonies from affected people regarding social boycott, denial of burial rights, physical assaults and police intimidation.
According to the activists, Christians in some areas were allegedly boycotted by villagers, while people who traded with them, employed them or provided them shelter were also targeted.
The letter also highlighted what it described as “gruesome” incidents involving the prevention of burials of Christians within village burial grounds and even on privately owned lands belonging to Christian families. The activists said there were cases where bodies remained unburied for days due to opposition from local groups, while in some instances burials were allegedly forced to take place in forest areas outside village limits. Funeral prayers were also reportedly disrupted.
The signatories further alleged that in certain districts the violence escalated into physical assaults on Christians. They claimed that some victims were tied to trees and beaten, while others were allegedly placed inside sacks and assaulted. The letter also mentioned a few reported instances of sexual violence and attempts to burn people alive, which, according to them, were stopped at the last moment.
Expressing particular concern, the activists said many victims had testified that police personnel joined hands with Hindutva organisations to force Christians into signing “compromise” agreements. These agreements allegedly required them to give up their faith and stop collective worship.
The letter also accused the police of registering serious criminal cases against victims of attacks instead of taking action against the attackers. According to the signatories, many of those attacked were detained in police stations and jails, while in some cases the police themselves allegedly played a direct role in intimidation and violence against Christians.
Stating that there appeared to be a “complete breakdown in the constitutional machinery of the state” in relation to Christian minorities, the activists urged the administration to uphold and protect the constitutional and religious rights of all citizens without discrimination based on religion, caste or creed.
The letter was signed by John Dayal, Aakar Patel, Vidya Dinker and Harsh Mander.
