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Islamabad [Pakistan], February 11 (ANI): Tough times are ahead for Pakistan as Islamabad and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have failed to reach a staff-level agreement on a much-needed USD 1.1 billion bailout package aimed at preventing the country from going bankrupt. Analysts believe that the current economic crisis in Pakistan is a culmination of decades of faulty policies, reported The <keyword id="12543719" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="al-arabiya-post" source="Orion">Al Arabiya Post</keyword>. Pakistan is seeking a USD 7 billion bailout package from the IMF to prevent the collapse of the economy. While the visiting IMF delegation is asking for several reforms and compliance with its conditionality. The IMF mission, led by <keyword id="14447716" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nathan-porter" source="Orion">Nathan Porter</keyword>, began talks on January 31 with the Pakistan government represented by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for the ninth review of the assistance package. <keyword id="2093498" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pm-sharif" source="Orion">PM Sharif</keyword>, while addressing an apex committee meeting in <keyword id="42462" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="peshawar" source="Orion">Peshawar</keyword> following Monday's mosque bombing that killed over 100 people, said, "As I speak, the IMF delegation is in Islamabad and they are giving Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his team a tough time." Notably, the resource allocation pattern in Pakistan from one budget to another puts a disproportionate focus on populism and militarization. This has put an additional burden on its exchequer leading to an unsustainable fiscal gap, reported Al Arabiya Post. Pakistan Prime Minister <keyword id="11977746" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="shehbaz-sharif" source="Orion">Shehbaz Sharif</keyword> said on February 3 that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was giving a "tough time" to his country over the restoration of stalled bailout package at a time of "unimaginable" crisis. Shehbaz Sharif admitted that the country has no option but to accept the IMF conditionality. "You all know we are running short of resources," Sharif said, adding the country was "facing an acute economic crisis". Moreover, the Pakistrupee, which has been in a steep slide since last week, hit a record low against the US dollar. The Pakistani rupee fell by 1.9 per cent to a record low of 276.58 per dollar in the inter-bank market the same day, according to the Central Bank, reported Al Arabiya Post. As the IMF bailout package is conditional on Pakistan implementing IMF suggested measures, its release would require Islamabad to take tough decisions. After the first round of technical talks between the IMF team and the government concluded on February 4, Pak Prime Minister observed that the lender was imposing conditions that were "beyond our wildest dreams". The discussions covered details of expenditure and revenue performance to identify the policy measures- both revenue and non-revenue- that would have to be taken over the next four months of the current fiscal year. The <keyword id="16465663" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pak-prime-ministered" source="Orion">Pak Prime Ministered</keyword>, despite calling the IMF conditionality unimaginable acknowledged that the country had no choice but to implement the conditions. It has been seen that Islamabad has a policy obduracy and inertia that prohibit it to shun its populist policies and take reform measures on debt, fiscal, trade and structural fronts to address its economic woes, reported Al Arabiya Post. Analysts opine that the rocky road Pakistan is passing through is its own creation. In the first instance, a debt-dependent growth strategy is itself a sure recipe to fall into a debt trap, especially when industrial growth and diversification are limited and the export basket is primarily made up of primary goods. The debt dependence has also eroded the sovereignty of Pakistan and the country's economic and foreign policies are dictated by those who provide funds. Such dependence on external funding has impeded the structural transformation of the Pak economy and its indigenous growth impetus. Secondly, an artificially designed threat perception in Pakistan created by the vested interests in Islamabad's establishment has totally distorted the allocation of resources in the country giving undue emphasis on militarisation in the name of preparing for a threat that does not exist. The third most remarkable flaw in Pakistan's economic policy is a deliberate and foolhardy choice of missing the development opportunities generated by free trade, reported Al Arabiya Post. While Pakistan has a good location to leverage the presence of two giant economies in its neighbourhood, it has opted to isolate one of them and sided with the other at the cost of huge losses in trade creation. Not giving the Most Favoured Nation status to India and keeping the trade routes closed for direct trade is a self-defeating proposition. Islamabad could no more avoid taking hard decisions. The situation continues to deteriorate. With only around USD 3.10 billion in foreign exchange reserves, which can only cover 18 days' worth of imports, and a shortage of basic goods including food and medicine and ever-spiralling inflation, the choice to comply with the IMF conditionality would not be easy for Pakistan. (ANI)

Tough times ahead for Pakistan as talks with IMF fails over bailout package

<keyword id="3001" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword>'s former military ruler General (retd.) <keyword id="44240" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pervez-musharraf" source="Orion">Pervez Musharraf</keyword>, the architect of the Kargil War in 1999, died on Sunday in Dubai after a prolonged illness, according to media reports. <keyword id="17431" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="musharraf" source="Orion">Musharraf</keyword>, 79, was suffering from amyloidosis, a rare disease caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body, according to his family. General (retd) Musharraf died at a hospital in Dubai, Geo News quoted his family as saying. He had been undergoing treatment at the American Hospital Dubai, the channel reported. The Express Tribune newspaper also said that Musharraf, who had been living in Dubai since 2016, breathed his last on Sunday, The general was the main architect of the Kargil War that took place months after then Prime Minister <keyword id="6576" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nawaz-sharif" source="Orion">Nawaz Sharif</keyword> signed a historic peace accord with his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lahore. After his failed misadventure in Kargil, Musharraf deposed the then Prime Minister Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999 and ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008 in various positions – first as the chief executive of Pakistan and later as the President. In March 2014, Musharraf was indicted for suspending the Constitution on November 3, 2007. In December 2019, a special court handed Musharraf a death sentence in the high treason case against him. The former military ruler left the country in March 2016 for Dubai to seek medical treatment. Musharraf was born on August 11, 1943 in Delhi. His family moved from New Delhi to Karachi in 1947. He joined the <keyword id="37837" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pakistan-army" source="Orion">Pakistan Army</keyword> in 1964 and was a graduate of the Army Staff and Command College, Quetta.

Ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai: Pak media

In the 2008 Batman movie “The Dark Knight”, Harvey Dent – played by Aaron Eckhart – says, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” <keyword id="3001" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword>’s yesteryear cricketing hero <keyword id="14676" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="imran-khan" source="Orion">Imran Khan</keyword> was ousted as Pakistan's prime minister (PM) after a vote of no-confidence last week. While he led his cricket team to victory during the 1992 Cricket World Cup, he failed to bring the same charisma to politics, where he was run out by hell-bent opponents, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), in his first <keyword id="585867" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Innings" source="Orion">innings</keyword>. <keyword id="6355601" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="khan" source="Orion">Khan</keyword> may not be a villain here, but a victim of history, perhaps. Khan was not the first prime minister to leave before completing his 5-year parliamentary tenure. Not a single one of them could not complete the full <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/9/factbox-no-pakistani-prime-minister-has-completed-a-full-tenure">tenure</a>. However, he was the first premier to be forced out of the parliament through a trust vote. Ironically, Pakistan’s powerful army and public support that brought Khan into power in 2018, were also among the main reasons behind his downfall now. He was elected in July on a platform of tackling corruption, fixing the economy for the poor with ample employment opportunities and building a ‘Naya Pakistan’ (new). Some <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/9/analysis-end-of-imran-khans-term">observers </a>believe that he was ousted on the account of skyrocketing <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/imran-khan-admits-pakistan-facing-massive-inflation-attempts-to-link-it-as-global-phenomenon/articleshow/89078297.cms?from=mdr">inflation </a>and ballooning foreign <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/pakistan-govt-s-external-debt-rises-by-20-in-h1-fy22-hits-rs-21-trn-122022600225_1.html#:~:text=Pakistan%20government's%20external%20debt%20rose,21%20trillion%20in%20December%202021.">debt</a>. Let’s go back to the beginning of this end, shall we? A rocketing cost of living in Pakistan, the Pakistani Rupee falling against the US Dollar and a deepening economic crisis contributed to public disgruntlement against Khan. The <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/pakistan">Pakistan</a> government's <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/external-debt">external debt</a> rose by a massive 20% in the first half of the last fiscal (2021-22) reaching a high of PKR21 trillion in December 2021. <div type="image" title="Pakistan&amp;#39;s debt trap" msid="90854314" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pakistan&amp;#39;s debt trap&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> By borrowing from foreign countries, Khan flouted yet another campaign promise made to his audience. In 2018, he criticised the previous ruling parties for relying on a “<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/no-country-with-begging-bowl-can-become-great-nation-pakistan-pm/articleshow/84522483.cms">begging</a> bowl’’ and pledging not to resort to external borrowing. Just a year later, Khan struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund. His government broke all previous records by borrowing $16 <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/7/26/imran-khans-first-year-in-office-u-turns-and-oppression">billion </a>in just one year, the biggest loan ever since the creation of Pakistan in 1947. These retractions of campaign promises gained him the embarrassing nickname “U-turn Khan.” <div type="image" title="Imran Khan has been making a u-turn on his campaign promises" msid="90854381" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Imran Khan has been making a u-turn on his campaign promises&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The ruling party was also grappling with the country’s double-digit <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/25/pakistan-inflation-imran-khan-no-confidence-vote/#:~:text=Pakistan%20has%20grappled%20with%20extreme,at%2015.1%20percent%20last%20week.">inflation </a>for much of its term. The sensitive price index, which includes the prices of essential food items, also recorded a rise of <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/870369af-b673-4ce5-bd86-d89d28be4d40">15.1</a>% in March this year compared to the same time last year. The pressure on Khan reached new heights in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, causing a surge in global oil prices. <div type="image" title="Pakistan&amp;#39;s inflation has been running high since 2019" msid="90854408" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pakistan&amp;#39;s inflation has been running high since 2019&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Sensing the eroding public support, Khan announced a <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/southasiasource/experts-react-pakistani-prime-minister-imran-khan-cuts-fuel-and-electricity-prices/">cut </a>in domestic fuel and electricity prices despite a global rise, which later turned out to be the final nail in his coffin. This move added to Pakistan’s chronic fiscal deficit and balance-of-payments troubles, which opened a clear window for Khan’s opposition to call for his resignation later. Khan’s democratic party seemingly wasn’t open to dissent either. Rana Sanaullah, a prominent parliamentarian and vocal critic of Khan’s government, was arrested in 2019 for allegedly trafficking drugs by the military-run anti-narcotics force. Sanaullah had <a href="https://twitter.com/hamidmirpak/status/1145686276886224896?lang=en">predicted </a>his arrest even before there was a warrant against him. Later on July 25, former Prime Minister <keyword id="6576" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nawaz-sharif" source="Orion">Nawaz Sharif</keyword> took to the streets across Pakistan to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/25/pakistan-opposition-holds-black-day-protests-against-pm-khan">protest </a>Khan’s assault on silencing dissenting voices. The account of what went wrong would be incomplete without mentioning the civil-military relationship, which took a turn for the worse after the reshuffle of army chiefs. Khan’s decision to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61047736">retain </a>Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, rejecting the nominee of army chief General Qamar Bajwa in October 2021, further weakened the former PM’s political position. He <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61047736">held </a>off issuing approval to change of posting for nearly three weeks before eventually giving in. After Bajwa <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/pakistan-isi-chief-faiz-hameed-7556079/">replaced </a>Hameed as the Director-General of ISI in October, Khan reportedly lost his support from the army. Khan is the latest in a long line of Pakistani prime ministers who have fallen out of their position before completing their five-year tenure. The newly appointed PM Shehbaz Sharif inherits a country in a parlous state, with a dysfunctional economic model.

SIMPLY PUT: Why was Imran Khan run out in his first innings?

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11893449" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword>'s political opposition ousted Prime Minister <keyword id="11995831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="imran-khan" source="Orion">Imran Khan</keyword> in a no-confidence vote on Sunday.</li><li>The country's Parliament will hold a vote on Monday to determine the new prime minister.</li></ul>ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's political opposition ousted the country's embattled prime minister in a no-confidence vote early Sunday, which they won after several of Imran Khan's allies and a key coalition party deserted him.The combined opposition that spans the political spectrum from the left to the radically religious will form the new government, with the head of one of the largest parties, the Pakistani Muslim League, taking over as prime minister.Anticipating his loss, Khan, who charged the opposition colluded with the United States to unseat him, has called on his supporters to stage rallies nationwide on Sunday. Khan's options are limited and should he see a big turnout in his support, he may try to keep the momentum of street protests as a way to pressure Parliament to hold early elections.Khan earlier had tried to sidestep the vote by dissolving Parliament and calling early elections but a Supreme Court ruling ordered the vote to go ahead.The vote comes amid cooling relations between Khan and a powerful military who many of his political opponents allege helped him come to power in general elections in 2018. The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75 years and wields considerable power over civilian governments, who worry a disgruntled army could unseat them.The opposition called for Khan's ouster charging economic mismanagement as inflation soars and the Pakistani rupee plummets in value. The vote caps months of political turmoil and a constitutional crisis that required the Supreme Court to sort out.In an impassioned speech Friday, Khan doubled down on his accusations that his opponents colluded with the United States to unseat him over his foreign policy choices, which often seemed to favor China and Russia and defied the U.S.Khan said Washington opposed his Feb. 24 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin hours after tanks rolled into Ukraine, launching a devastating war in the heart of Europe.Ahead of the vote his lawmakers addressed Parliament attack a letter Khan said told of a senior U.S. official, who was not named, who informed top Pakistani diplomats that Washington's relations with Pakistan would improve if Khan was ousted. Human rights minister Shireen Mazari said the memo named Khan and said that if he was out of power "all would be forgiven."She went on to ask: "Forgiven for what? What is our sin?"The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan's internal <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword>. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday there was "absolutely no truth to these allegations."Still, Khan urged his supporters to take to the streets, particularly the youth who have been the backbone of his support since the former cricket star turned conservative Islamist politician came to power in 2018. He said they needed to protect Pakistan's sovereignty and oppose U.S. dictations."You have to come out to protect your own future. It is you who have to protect your democracy, your sovereignty and your independence. ... This is your duty," he said. "I will not accept an imposed government."Khan's allegations of U.S. involvement are likely to resonate with many in Pakistan, says Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington -based Wilson Center"Khan's conspiracy allegations will resonate in a country where there's a tendency to ascribe the worst possible motives to U.S. policy, especially because there is a past history of U.S. meddling in Pakistani politics," said Kugelman.Khan's insistence there is U.S. involvement in attempts to oust him also exploits a deep-seated mistrust among many in Pakistan of U.S. intentions, particularly following 9/11.Washington has often berated Pakistan for doing too little to fight Islamic militants, even as thousands of Pakistanis have died at their hands and the army has lost more than 5,000 soldiers. Pakistan has been attacked for aiding Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents while also being asked to bring them to the peace table.The no-confidence vote loss for Khan brings to power some unlikely partners.Among them is a radically religious party that runs scores of religious schools. The Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam, or Assembly of Clerics, teaches a deeply conservative brand of Islam in its schools. Many of Afghanistan's Taliban and Pakistan's own homegrown violent Taliban graduated from JUI schools.The largest among the opposition parties — the Pakistan People's Party, led by the son of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League — have been tainted by allegations of widespread corruption.Pakistan Muslim League leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was convicted of corruption after being named in the so-called Panama Papers. That's a collection of leaked secret financial documents showing how some of the world's richest hide their money and involving a global law firm based in Panama. Sharif was disqualified by Pakistan's Supreme Court from holding office. The new prime minister is expected to be Sharif's brother Shahbaz Sharif after a vote for the new prime minister is held in Parliament on Monday."This would be the first time in Pakistan's history that a no-confidence vote succeeds in ousting a Prime Minister -- the fulfilment of a constitutional process that was far from guaranteed after Khan's attempts to derail the vote," said Elizabeth Threlkeld, Pakistan expert at the U.S.-based The Stimson Center. "That, in itself, is significant, and could give Pakistan something to build on going forward."___Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted in a no-confidence vote

The results of Pakistan’s national elections are yet to be finalised, but it looks like <keyword id="14676" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Imran-Khan">Imran Khan</keyword>’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is set to win the most seats in the National Assembly, paving the way for the former captain of the Pakistani cricket team to become the country’s next prime minister. Given the backing Khan has from the army, some have already declared that his electoral victory was assured. This election is a significant one. Not just for Pakistan, which is witnessing only the second consecutive transition of power between civilian governments in its 71-year history, but also for <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. The new prime minister will set the tone for the country’s relationship with India for the next five years. The former Prime Minister <keyword id="6576" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nawaz-Sharif">Nawaz Sharif</keyword>, currently in jail on corruption charges, was a strong proponent of better ties with India, something the Pakistani military was reportedly against. While it might be too early to predict how the India-Pakistan relationship will progress over the next five years, and if at all, here is what one can expect from Imran Khan if he becomes prime minister. A potential improvement in trade ties In the buildup to elections, Imran Khan has been vocal about the sorry state of Pakistan’s finances. At PKR10.6 trillion, the country’s debt is around <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-30/imf-bailout-looms-for-pakistan-as-debt-surge-raises-alarm">31% of its GDP</a>, and is increasing even more due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). As part of his “New Pakistan” platform, he has pledged to fix the economy and provide better infrastructure and jobs. As a possible solution to the problem, Khan has advocated for <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-imran-khan-pakistan-is-bankrupt-better-india-ties-will-boost-trade-2640517">a stronger trade partnership</a> with India, which could mean that the country gets designated with the Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) once he’s elected. The PTI’s manifesto has called for strategic talks with India on a host of issues including trade. This does, however, marks a complete about-turn from the party’s stance in November 2016, when it called for <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/world/imran-khans-tehreek-e-insaf-calls-for-pakistan-to-sever-trade-ties-with-india-3127470.html">an end to trade ties</a> with India after a skirmish at the Kashmir border which resulted in the deaths of 13 people. A less-conciliatory approach on the Kashmir issue While Khan recognises that the Kashmir issue is a huge impediment to a mutually beneficial Indo-Pak relationship, he hasn’t offered anything substantial in the way of a solution and has made no mention of the government’s funding of proxy terrorist outfits. He has toed the line on the Kashmir issue, choosing to echo the oft-quoted “need for peace” and conflict resolution based on proposals from the UN Security Council. The Pakistani army’s disapproval of Nawaz Sharif’s conciliatory approach to the Kashmir issue can give us a clue to what Khan’s policy will be. He could very likely end up taking a hardliner approach after caving in to pressure from the military establishment. Conversely, he could end up taking a more cooperative approach in the interest of stronger trade ties. However, the Pakistani army’s interests lie in continued tensions along the Kashmir border, which justifies high defense spending. The maintenance of the status quo Even though Imran Khan founded the PTI with the goal of transforming Pakistan, his drubbing in the 2013 elections caused him to adopt a pro-military and pro-Islamist stance - a political maneuver that has paid off this year. While he lacks a strong political philosophy, the army’s tacit endorsement and public’s disillusionment with PTI’s rival parties has helped him win political favour. But he lacks experience, and the strings of his government will likely end up being pulled by the army. In short, there doesn’t seem to be any real change on the cards for the India-Pakistan relationship. As the country’s prime minister, Khan’s foreign policy will be in the vein of his predecessors. He will make overtures to neighbours like India and try and make progress on issues like trade and connectivity, but only with the approval of the “deep state”. In Pakistan, prime ministers may come and go and political parties may rise and fall, but the army remains. As a result, so does the Indo-Pak relationship.

Here’s what Imran Khan becoming prime minister could mean for India

As the <keyword id="88504" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pakistan-national-assembly" source="Orion">Pakistan National Assembly</keyword> (NA) convenes on Monday to elect a new Prime Minister after PML-N President <keyword id="11977746" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shehbaz-sharif" source="Orion">Shehbaz Sharif</keyword> and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood <keyword id="10124" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="qureshi" source="Orion">Qureshi</keyword> their nomination papers, the PTI seems divided over its erstwhile decision of masse resignations by its lawmakers. While the cabinet division de-notified 52 members of the federal cabinet, 25 federal ministers, four ministers of state, four advisers to the Prime Minister and 19 special assistants, after Sunday's historic vote of no-confidence by the joint opposition against former premier <keyword id="14676" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="imran-khan" source="Orion">Imran Khan</keyword>, <keyword id="17435" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sharif" source="Orion">Sharif</keyword> having bright chances to make it to the top slot said the new cabinet would be formed only after consultation with all allies, reports Dawn news. As the PTI core committee remained indecisive in a meeting chaired by <keyword id="6355601" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="khan" source="Orion">Khan</keyword> on Sunday whether to go for en masse resignations of MNAs or not, the party chairman called the parliamentary party meeting at the Parliament House on Monday to make a final decision. Whether Qureshi will contest the election for the premiership or will resign along with other MNAs of the PTI and its allies depends on the outcome of the PTI parliamentary meeting. However, the PTI decided to give a tough time to the upcoming government through street protests if the PML-N won the contest in the parliament. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-decides-not-to-join-twitters-board-a-week-after-becoming-the-largest-shareholder-of-the-company/articleshow/90770619.cms">Elon Musk decides not to join Twitter’s board a week after becoming the largest shareholder of the company</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasa-collaborates-with-spinlaunch-to-test-an-innovative-mass-accelerator-launch-system/articleshow/90772382.cms">NASA collaborates with SpinLAunch to test an innovative mass accelerator launch system — a slingshot to send payloads to space</a>

Shehbaz Sharif to be elected as Pakistan's new PM today amidst protests against Imran Khan's ouster

<ul><li>On 8 October, Sharif appeared in the Lahore High Court to contest a petition filed against him for his remarks in an interview published in Dawn in May 2018. </li><li>Sharif had admitted that Pakistani militants had been responsible for the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and questioned how the government had allowed them to cross the border. </li><li>It was an unprecedented admission of <keyword id="3001" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pakistan">Pakistan</keyword>’s guilt and the backlash was instantaneous, with several state and non-state actors referring to his actions as treasonous. </li></ul>Few world leaders have had a worse year than the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, <keyword id="6576" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nawaz-Sharif">Nawaz Sharif</keyword>. In April 2018, he was banned from holding a political office for life by the country’s Supreme Court for lying about his sources of wealth. In July 2018, he and his daughter were sentenced to 10 and 7 years in prison, respectively, by an anti-corruption court in Pakistan for their alleged purchase of several flats in London with state funds. Even though he was released from prison last month following an appeal, Sharif found himself standing trial once again this week for admitting a fact that is adjudged to be universal knowledge. In an interview with Dawn, a Pakistani daily, in May 2018, Sharif admitted that the militants from the country had been responsible for planning and carrying out the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and questioned how the government had allowed them to cross the border. It was an unprecedented admission of Pakistan’s guilt and the backlash was instantaneous. It even resulted in a high-level meeting of Pakistani military officials, likely aimed at curtailing any damage from the “misleading statement” which supported “India’s narrative on the attacks”. Even though the Pakistani government itself confirmed that the last surviving attacker <a href="http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1870267,00.html">was a Pakistani national</a> in January 2009 and numerous countries, including the US, have recognised Hafiz Saeed, also a Pakistani national, as the head of the terrorist outfit that planned the attacks, it still seems a betrayal of the country to admit its fault. Even a former director of the CIA, Michael Hayden, who was in charge of the agency at the time, said in his memoir, “had no doubt that the attack was the work of Lashkar-e-Taiba”. On 8 October, Sharif appeared in the Lahore High Court to contest a petition filed against him for this act of “treason”. He was joined by Cyril Almeida, the journalist who interviewed him, and another former prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi - who had supported Sharif’s statement. The petition against Sharif found fault with his disclosure of politically sensitive secrets and disrespect of the country’s national institutions. In short, it comprised a “violation” of his oath of office as the statement could be used by the country’s enemies. Given that even admitting that the terrorists were Pakistani is tantamount to “treason”, it is no wonder that court proceedings against the people involved in the planning of the attacks have been poorly executed and inconclusive so far. None of the six accused have been convicted while Pakistani officials have been slow to act on evidence provided by India. This is why the outcome of the current proceedings against Sharif, Almeida and Abbasi is so important. To convict people of a crime, the refusal to acknowledge the crime needs to be corrected first.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister is undergoing a trial for “treason” after admitting that Pakistani nationals carried out the 26/11 attacks

Pakistan Prime Minister <keyword id="6576" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nawaz-Sharif">Nawaz Sharif</keyword> made yet another attempt to bring the Kashmir issue on the world stage and moved the United Nations to resolve the over two decade old conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations. 
 During his speech at the <keyword id="426867" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="United-Nations-General-Assembly">United Nations General Assembly</keyword>, Sharif said Pakistan was making all attempts and even “going an extra mile” to resolve all the issues with India. 
 “India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue. Let us be clear: talks are no favor to Pakistan. Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our differences, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and to avert the danger of any escalation,” Sharif said during the <keyword id="429560" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNGA">UNGA</keyword>. 
 Sharif also raked up the <keyword id="2931728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Burhan-Wani">Burhan Wani</keyword> issue and said he was a young leader murdered by Indian forces. 
 
“This indigenous uprising of the Kashmiris has been met, as usual, with brutal repression by India’s occupation force of over half a million soldiers. Over a hundred Kashmiris have been killed, hundreds, including children and infants, blinded by shotgun pellets and over six thousand unarmed civilians injured over the past two months,” he said. 
 
On the other hand, India was swift enough to take on Sharif’s tall claims and gave befitting replies to each of his statements made at the world diaspora 
 
This is what Sharif said and India’s rebuttal

India vs Pakistan at the UN General Assembly. Who said what

Indian <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, on the sidelines of the <keyword id="157954" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shanghai-Cooperation-Organisation">Shanghai Cooperation Organisation</keyword> (SCO) Summit. 
The two premiers shook hands before sitting down for delegation-level talks. 
 
Reportedly, Indian delegation included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while Sartaj Aziz, Sharif's advisor on foreign affairs and national security, was in the Pakistani delegation. 
 
The previous night, Modi and Sharif had exchanged pleasantries and chatted briefly at the dinner hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin for leaders of five BRICS nations and 10 SCO nations in Ufa. 
 
It is expected that Modi and Sharif will discuss the status of the bilateral ties and the future direction. 
 
However, Indian government sources told Economic Times that Modi-Sharif talks need not be construed a prelude to a resumption of the dialogue process between the two countries. 
 
Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said that it has always been (Pakistan) Prime Minister's policy to seek cordial and cooperative ties with all neighbouring countries including India. “It was in the pursuit of this objective that the prime minister would be meeting the Indian prime minister for a comprehensive exchange on all issues of common interest,” he had said. 
 
Meanwhile, sources indicated ET that Modi will strongly raise India's concerns on militancy with Pakistan and that all outstanding issues including inaction against Hafiz Saeed and 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. 
 
Modi and Sharif had met in Kathmandu last year for the SAARC Summit but they did not have a bilateral meeting over acrimony between the two countries at that time.

Modi, Sharif meet, chit-chat on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Ufa

Days after terror attack took place <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Gurdaspur">Gurdaspur</a>, Punjab, it seems like the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Modi+">Modi government</a>’s call to resume <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bilateral+talks">bilateral talks</a> with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pakistan+">Pakistan </a>didn’t go well as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=RSS">Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) </a>as it believes that the <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> is "spending too much capital" on the two-way talks, which would not yield anything. 
 As reported by Economic Times, the probe revealed that the gunmen of Gurdaspur attack came. This is the prime reasons why the <keyword id="42498" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="RSS">RSS</keyword>, the BJP’s ideological partner, is not supporting the decision taken by the central government. 
 
If sources are to be believed, RSS wants the government to adopt a retaliatory approach to bring down the training camps allegedly run by Pakistan’s ISI in PoK region. 
 
The top government officials, requesting anonymity, informed ET that the party, under pressure from RSS and international expectations, has decided to precede with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=NSA">National Security Advisor (NSA)</a>-level talks with Pakistan, but will keep its options to strike back open. 
 
Explaining the government’s approach, a senior official from the security establishment said, "It will be more like a carrot and stick approach." 
 The official further added, "The talks have to proceed. There has to be at least one round since PM <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> and <keyword id="6576" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nawaz-Sharif">Nawaz Sharif</keyword> agreed at Ufa. Subsequent dialogue will depend on the outcome of this round of talks and also Pak's attitude." 
 
The official also informed about the possibilities of calling NSA-level talks if any sign of trouble comes into notice from Pakistan’s side, adding that India will keep its options open and choose the place and intensity of a retaliatory strike. 
 
Sources in the government admitted to have been pressurized by the Sangh, but said that they were positive about RSS’s support to whatever the Centre will decide. 
 
A senior BJP leader however said, "They have conveyed their views to the government time and again. The RSS has not been happy with the way Modi sarkar has been dealing with Pakistan right from the beginning, but they are allowing it space to work out the best possible approach." 
 
 Image: indiatimes

RSS unhappy with Centre’s call to continue bilateral talks with Pakistan

This is clear and concrete. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Prime+Minister+Narendra+Modi+">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> is not going to have any bilateral meeting with his Pakistani counterpart <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Nawaz+Sharif+">Nawaz Sharif</a> during his current visit to the US, although both of them are staying in the same hotel - the iconic Waldorf Astoria. 
 
According to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Ministry+of+External+Affairs+spokesperson+Vikas+Swarup">Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup</a>, there is no bilateral meeting scheduled between Modi and Sharif. 
 
When asked if there will be a "deliberate attempt" to ensure that paths of the two leaders do not cross, Swarup replied in the negative. 
 
"There will be no deliberate attempt (at paths not crossing). If a hand shake happens, you will get to see it. If a pull aside happens you will get to see it," he told reporters. 
 Sharif is slated to reach <keyword id="6355838" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York">New York</keyword> tomorrow evening. 
 
Modi will address the Sustainable Development Summit hosted by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UN+Secretary+General+Ban+Ki-moon+">UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon</a> on September 25, when the new and ambitious post-2015 development agenda will be adopted. 
 
On September 27, the Pakistani PM is scheduled to address the high-level meeting. 
 Modi will be in California on September 26 and 27 and will return to New York on September 28, when apart from meeting US President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword>, he will attend the high-level Peacekeeping Summit at the UN headquarters. 
 
As Sharif is also going to attend the summit, the multilateral gathering will provide a forum for the leaders of India and Pakistan to come face-to-face. 
 
Modi arrived in New York on Thursday for his second US visit and will depart for India late September 28 or the early morning of September 29 but Sharif will remain in the city. 
 He will address the annual debate of the <keyword id="107186" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="General-Assembly">General Assembly</keyword> on September 30, a day before India's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=External+Affairs+Minister+Sushma+Swaraj+">External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj</a> addresses the gathering of world leaders on October 1. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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