PARTLY FACETIOUS: Naming and shaming has lost its pungency worldwide
'Naming and shaming is a tool that is dead.' 'It was not even birthed in the Land of the Pure. I mean, we go through cycles…'
'Yes I know about the cycles – boom which requires import of raw materials which are used to manufacture an item that is not that high in value addition plus the import of fuel and cooking oil which leads to severe balance of payment issues and then viola we need another International Monetary Fund programme.'
'No, that's not what I was referring to when I observed that naming and shaming is a tool that was never birthed in the Land of the Pure. Those who were named and shamed by Greedy for Portfolios Samdhi (GPS), in his former avatar as Minister of Finance, began to name and shame those members of parliament who never paid taxes and…'
'Ah, but this from a guy who never explained his own income source – I mean…'
'The court…'
'Indeed the court's verdict depends on arguments by the defence attorney and the prosecutor so GPS waits till his counterpart Samdhi is back in a position of strength and then neutralizes the prosecutor…'
'He is now off to China…do you reckon that…'
'China has always stood the test of…of…'
'Of time?'
'Well more the test of our leadership leading the country towards ruin and China has stood by us, so my point is whatever GPS may do wrong, the Chinese will have our back.'
'You mean irrespective of whether we have GPS or the Brown Pope or…or…'
'Has the Brown Pope shown any interest…'
'Well I heard that Notification Maryam Nawaz would be very happy if the Brown Pope diverts his attention towards the Foreign Affairs portfolio as he has been undermining her authority and…'
'How can a Minister of Interior with a jurisdiction limited to Islamabad…'
'IF you come via Bhatinda as they say the jurisdiction is countrywide and the Brown Pope does come via Bhatinda, but you know you distract me from what I was wanting to say. Naming and shaming has lost its pungency world-wide. The leadership of the Western world is taking decisions that one cannot endorse, in Israel and in trying to keep the Russia-Ukrainian war ongoing and…'
'Remember the famous dialogue from an Indian film whose name I don't recall – I mean, you have money and power and influence on one side, but these can be easily trumped if you have maa (mother) on yours.'
'I don't get you.'
'The West has its mainstream media on its side.'
'Hmmmmm.'
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Military notes of Indo-Pak conflict — the rundown
The writer is a retired major general and has an interest in International Relations and Political Sociology. He can be reached at tayyarinam@ and tweets @20_Inam During the last two weeks, in this series, we discussed the perceptual aspects of the recent Indo-Pak standoff, India's doctrinal collapse, the redefined deterrence and the 'Exterior' and 'Interior Maneuvers' by both sides, before and during the hostilities. We continue the debate… This was the first time that India under its supposed 'new normal' used 'cruise' missiles, both the BrahMos version (PJ-10 co-developed with Russia) as well as the European SCALP-EG targeting Pakistan proper. Pakistan also retaliated for the first time, employing its conventionally armed short-range Fatah-I and Fatah-II series of 'ballistic' missiles and other types. This was also the first time that RPVs (drones) were used with the intent of causing damage to the other side, in addition to reconnaissance and intelligence-collection roles. This was also the first time that strategic instability in South Asia was linked internationally to the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute and not terrorism per se. Let us quickly recapture the timelines from April 22 to May 22, 2025. In run up to the crisis, on April 22, five militants killed 26 civilian tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, including one Nepali national, leading to Indian finger pointing towards Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) groups. On April 23, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, closed Attari–Wagah border crossing, expelled Pakistan's military diplomats, reduced Pakistan's diplomatic staff and cancelled SAARC visas for Pakistani nationals. From April 23–30 border skirmishes took place. On April 24, Pakistan condemned the Pahalgam attack and termed India's response as 'unilateral'; and retaliated by cancelling Indian visas, evacuating Indian nationals, closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, halting all trade and warning India against diverting Indus water, calling it an act of war. On April 25, India initiated ceasefire violations across the LoC. National Security Committee (NSC) met in Pakistan on April 26. Iran stepped forward with an offer to mediate. And on April 30, India banned its airspace to Pakistan, and IAF intruded into Pakistani airspace. Escalation and military preparations took place during May 1–6. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after some initial ambivalence, 'expected' to speak with both foreign ministers on May 1. On May 3, Pakistan successfully test-fired its short-range Abdali ballistic missile. India escalated by cutting off all mail and trade links with Pakistan, banning Pakistani vessels from its ports and warned Pakistani ships against entering the Indian waters. On May 4, India stopped downflow from Baglihar dam on River Chenab. On May 6, Pakistan shot down 29 Indian drones near the LoC and in Punjab. And Iran's FM visited Pakistan proposing mediation. In the military operations (May 7–10), India launched 'Operation Sindoor', on May 7, conducting missile strikes on nine sites in Pakistan (Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, Bhimber, Chak Amru, Bagh, Kotli, Sialkot and Muzaffarabad). On May 10, IAF attacked eight major Pakistani air bases, including Nur Khan base in Rawalpindi. Pakistan, early on May 10, retaliated with Operation 'Bunyan-un-Marsoos', launching missile and drone combo on 26 military targets across India, and in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. It also launched another wave of swarm drones, loitering munitions and Fatah missiles targeting 26 locations along India's western border. On the same day (May 10), the Saudi FM called for de-escalation, Secretary of State Rubio spoke with both PMs and NSAs, urging restraint. Pakistan's DGMO reached out to the Indian side for direct military-level communications. President Trump mediated the ceasefire and announced it on X. On May 11, Pakistan claimed victory against India. Both sides subsequently conducted propaganda offensive through aggressive diplomacy by sending delegations to global capitals. In between the above compressed timeline, a lot went through. The Indian attacks, as per information available through open sources, were 'supposedly calibrated' during May 8 and early on May 9, whereas the wider attacks during May 9-10, still 'presumably' calibrated, were dangerously escalatory, as these were aimed at Pakistan's SEAD (suppression of enemy air defences) systems, after IAF having lost aircraft on May 7. It was sometimes on the morning of May 9 (the US time and evening in India/Pakistan), that the US received unspecified, new but 'alarming intelligence' about dangerous escalation between both sides, as reported by CNN and corroborated by The New York Times. The US worries emerged before the dramatic escalation during the night of May 9-10, but no source has actually 'identified' those worries. The 'speculation' is that Washington observing Pakistan's launch of short-range Fatah-I and -II ballistic missiles and others for the first time during May 9-10 night got aggressively involved. Islamabad's stockpile of tactical nuclear arsenal and Indian thinking of continuing a conventional war of punitive retribution provided a background to it. Some analysts also attribute it to Pakistan's deft diplomacy, signalling to and drawing on the US interlocution, spurred by 'readiness changes in Pakistan's stockpiles', besides the announced meeting of Pakistan's National Command Authority, that oversees the non-conventional means of war i.e. the nuclear weapons. The DG ISPR had, on May 9, declined calls for de-escalation due to the planned riposte under Pakistan's 'quid-pro-quo plus' strategy, to equalise losses caused by the Indian attacks. India later struck Nur Khan airbase around 2:30 am on May 10. This attack was meant to 'strike where it would hurt', to quote the Indian Director-General Air Operations, Air Marshal Bharti. However, that was an escalatory message. The Indian attacks also targeted Rafiqui, Rahim Yar Khan and Sukkur bases during the first wave of strikes, followed by the IAF strikes at Sargodha, Bholari and Jacobabad airbases and some military infrastructure at Murid, Chunian, Arifwala and Pasrur. This was India 'knocking on the nuclear door', and it presumably provided more muscle and lethality to Pakistan's riposte, that was dubbed equally if alarmingly escalatory by Washington. In de-escalation, the predominant view is that the Saudis, the Americans, the Turks and the Qataris rushed to quell India 'not because Pakistan asked, but because Delhi could not stabilize the board…Pakistan had not flinched; it had not folded. It escalated, absorbed and redrew the board'. More on ceasefire exclusively later. Continues…
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Bilawal vows strong response if India builds dams on rivers flowing into Pakistan
Bilawal Bhutto along with members of the delegation held a post-visit press briefing at Pakistan High Commission in London, UK on June 11. Photo: Listen to article Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned that Pakistan would take more aggressive actions if India goes ahead with plans to construct new canals or dams on the three rivers flowing into Pakistan. 'Were they to act on it, Pakistan has been very clear: we'd consider that an act of war,' he said. Speaking at a press conference in London on Wednesday, Bilawal warned that the risk of a nuclear conflict between Pakistan and India could become a reality if New Delhi carries out its threat to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), calling the move "water terrorism" and an act of war. 'India and Pakistan are bound by the terms of the IWT. India will have to take back and withdraw its threat,' he said, referring to the ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Chairman PPP and Head of Pakistan's High-Level Delegation, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing a press conference from London. — Pakistan Peoples Party Digital (@pppdigitalpk_) June 11, 2025 Bilawal, who is leading a parliamentary delegation to garner international support for Pakistan amidst rising tensions with India, expressed pride in Pakistan's military strength. He praised the leadership of COAS Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. 'We are proud that the Pakistan Army won the war against India. Pakistan Army proved that it can defeat India, both at the military and the diplomatic front,' he added. The PPP leader also raised concerns about India's role in transnational repression, pointing to Western intelligence evidence suggesting Indian involvement in terrorism on foreign soil, including the killings of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the assassination attempt on Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States. Bilawal stated that despite India's efforts to push a narrative of Pakistan's involvement in the Pahalgam attack, the Western world has refrained from siding with India due to evidence of its involvement in terrorism beyond its borders. 'India is involved in terrorism on Western soil, they are hiding the truth from their own people,' he said. Wrapped up a successful visit to London with a candid press interaction with Pakistani media in the UK. Throughout the high-level mission, we engaged across the board with UK officials, global think tanks, international media, civil society, and our vibrant diaspora, projecting… — BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) June 11, 2025 He further condemned Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar's threats to "strike deep inside Pakistan," calling them the rhetoric of a warmonger, rather than a diplomat. He called India a 'terrorist state' and said that its targeting of Sikhs had been exposed globally. The PPP leader also commented on the lack of evidence from India regarding the Pahalgam attack, stressing that India had failed to provide any identity of the so-called terrorists involved. Read More: India's unilateral suspension of IWT could destabilise regional peace: Bilawal Bilawal welcomed US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate between India and Pakistan, calling it a pragmatic approach. He noted that India's efforts to sabotage peace initiatives would not succeed. 'Kashmir is not a bilateral issue, it is an international issue,' he said, adding that India had no choice but to address the matter on a global stage. He concluded by announcing that Pakistan would soon present a new dossier to the international community, exposing India's role in terrorism and laying bare the "true face" of Indian aggression. Head of the High-level Multi-Party Delegation Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari @BBhuttoZardari, along with other members of the delegation held a post-visit press briefing at @PakistaninUK. The High-level delegation briefed about their meetings with leadership and senior officials of… — Pakistan High Commission London (@PakistaninUK) June 11, 2025 Following successful visits to Washington, New York, and London, the Pakistani delegation arrived in Brussels on Wednesday. Upon arrival, the delegation was warmly received by Pakistan's Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, and Luxembourg, Rahim Hayat Qureshi, along with officials from the Pakistani Embassy. The delegation is scheduled to meet senior officials from the European Union and Belgium. These meetings will address India's disinformation campaign, with the parliamentary delegation providing a robust response to India's aggressive stance and highlighting its intentions towards Pakistan. The delegation will also engage with leading European think tanks and international media representatives to further discuss the ongoing conflict and the importance of a peaceful resolution. Read Also: Bilawal warns Pakistan-India war threshold at 'historic low' The delegation's mission is to debunk Indian propaganda following the recent escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. The delegation, appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, aims to present Pakistan's position on the conflict, emphasising the need to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The members of the delegation include Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Masood Malik, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Harmony Senator Sherry Rehman, Chairperson of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, former minister for commerce Khurram Dastgir and MQM's Parliamentary Leader in the Senate Senator Faisal Sabzwari.
Express Tribune
6 hours ago
- Express Tribune
FO rejects Indian FM's 'irresponsible' remarks
Listen to article The Foreign Office (FO) rejected recent remarks made by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Brussels, describing them as "irresponsible" and advising India to refrain from spinning misleading narratives. The statement comes after Jaishankar launched another verbal attack on Pakistan, calling it 'Terroristan'. Speaking at a joint press conference in Brussels on Tuesday alongside European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, Jaishankar said, 'I'd like you to understand this is not a conflict between two states per se." 'This is actually a response to the threat and the practice of terrorism. So, I would urge you to make it. Don't think of it as India or Pakistan; think of it as India–Terroristan. You will then appreciate it,' he added. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the FO condemned the Indian minister's rhetoric and stressed that the discourse of top diplomats should promote peace and harmony, rather than producing 'bellicose punchlines.' "The tone and tenor of a foreign minister should be commensurate with his dignified status," the spokesperson said, underscoring the importance of maintaining diplomatic decorum in international relations. 🔊PR No:1️⃣6️⃣8️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ Pakistan Rejects the Remarks by the Indian External Affairs Minister Pakistan categorically rejects the irresponsible remarks made by the External Affairs Minister of India during different media engagements in Brussels. The discourse of top diplomats… — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) June 11, 2025 The spokesperson also pointed out India's ongoing campaign to mislead the international community with a fabricated narrative of victimhood. "India's continued anti-Pakistan diatribe cannot mask its sponsorship of terrorism beyond its borders nor its state-sanctioned oppression in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)," the statement read. The FO further called out India for attempting to deflect attention from its own involvement in terrorism, subversion, and targeted assassinations, urging the Indian government to reflect on its actions rather than pointing fingers at others. It highlighted the frustration evident in India's narrative, especially after its failed military operations against Pakistan last month. 'The narrative emerging from India betrays sheer frustration, following an unsuccessful military adventure against Pakistan,' the statement read. Read More: Jaishankar's 'terroristan' remark overlooks India's own role in regional instability, aggression The FO reiterated its commitment to peaceful coexistence, dialogue, and diplomacy but stressed its firm resolve to defend its sovereignty. 'Pakistan stands resolute in its intent and ability to safeguard its sovereignty against any aggression,' it added, pointing to Pakistan's robust response to India's recent strikes. The statement concluded by suggesting that Indian leaders improve the quality of their diplomatic discourse. 'History will judge not by who shouted the loudest, but by who acted the wisest,' it said.
