Pakistan

Is liberal democracy in its death throes?

Written

3 years ago

Feb 12, 2021 08:37 PM

Saeed Qazi

We, indeed, are a unique generation. Behind us, not very far away, lies the debris of Stalinism while in front of us are crumbling neoliberal economic structures, plunging liberal democracy in the worst ever crisis of its history.

Saeed Qazi

The denizens of the lands and countries considered a heaven on earth watch in awe the misery engulfing those considered the most fortunate under the sun, whom death and hunger stalks unchecked, while their governments watch them helplessly.

Covid-19 and ensuing economic crisis is perhaps one of the sharpest turns that history ever took. Long standing certainties vanished in a matter of weeks giving way to a most uncertain future, forcing the citizens of the most powerful country on earth and in history to look for safer zones. Till date, thousands of American citizens, who could afford it, have migrated mostly to Australia in a matter of a few weeks. The others built bunkers and moved away from the cities and suburbs to save their lives from fatal coronavirus and unruly mobs.

A great revolutionary, Ted Grants, once said that it was an insult to revolutionaries to be surprised by events. They should predict them in advance. And, of course, there was no dearth of those who painted this scenario in their perspectives long before it happened.

The most pertinent question that follows is what triggered this unthinkable scenario for the most of us in the first place. Ted Grant also predicted that fall of Stalinism would hasten the demise of neo-liberalism and it took almost 40 years to reach where we find ourselves today.

At least now, it hardly requires one to be a genius to understand as to why and how it happened. It was unbound avarice and artificial expansion of the market through cheap credit to keep the assembly lines of the economy running. People bought their homes, cars, furniture etc on borrowed money and were paying their installments and one fine morning the recession rendered them jobless and in a matter of days they were lining up in their SUVs outside food banks with begging bowls in their hands.

All the economic theories that once earned Nobel Prizes became a laughing stock. Even the UN Secretary General has to publically admit that the system in place was utterly incapable to deal with such a crisis, though, quite understandably, he stopped short of admitting the fact that the crisis was created by the very system itself in the first place.

Policy makers are still groping in the dark as to what could be the solution to this crisis and even if they know the solution, they understand pretty well it won't be acceptable to their employers.

Meanwhile, discontent of the public at large is expressing itself in one after another protest movement in various countries all over the globe.

What this crisis has laid bare in very clear terms is the inadequacy of the economic and political structures in place. They are anti-people in character and content and utterly out of sync with the needs of over seven and half billion people living on this planet. One revolt after another is on the order of the day. The movements as yet are looking for the leadership which presently is not to be found but no vacuum stays forever.

Petty politics on non-issues may soon give way to sudden social convulsions like the one we saw on Thursday in Islamabad when disgruntled government employees took to the streets and clashed with police in scenes eerily reminiscent of war zones.

The meaningless wrangling between the ruling PTI vs. PDM may not last for long in the wake of pressing needs of the masses at large. Deteriorating economic conditions of the people may once again drag them to the arena of history where another battle against vested interests earnestly awaits them.

The writer is a senior journalist and political analyst.

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Saeed Qazi

Saeed Qazi is a senior journalist and political analyst

Sports

Pakistan decide 15-member squad for T20 WC

Fast bowlers Hassan Ali, Agha Salman and Irfan Niazi will be part of the team as additional players

Published

58 minutes ago

May 17, 2024 02:42 PM

Noor Fatima

Lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday finalized the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup, which will be announced after the first T20 against England.

The final consultation on the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup in America and West Indies this year has been completed. The squad includes five fast bowlers, four all-rounders and three wicket-keepers.

Out of the 18-man squad for the tour of Ireland and England, 15 players have been selected while the other three players will accompany the team as travel reserves.

The 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup includes captain Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.

Apart from this, fast bowlers Hassan Ali, Agha Salman and Irfan Niazi will be part of the team as additional players.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is the only team that has not announced its squad for the T20 World Cup so far, on which the former players are criticising the cricket board. Former chairman PCB Ramiz Raja said in his podcast that the selection committee should announce the squad immediately so that the players do not face any conflict.

World

French police kill man suspected of trying to set fire to synagogue

Investigations by France’s police inspectorate general are automatically launched whenever an individual is killed by the police

Published

30 minutes ago

May 17, 2024 03:10 PM

Faisal Ali Ghumman

Rouen, France (AFP): French police on Friday shot and killed an armed man who was allegedly trying to set fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen.

“National police in Rouen neutralised early this morning an armed individual who clearly wanted to set fire to the city’s synagogue,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X.

Police responded at 6:45am local time to reports of a “fire near the synagogue”, a police source said. A source close to the case told AFP that the man “was armed with a knife and an iron bar, he approached police, who fired. The individual died”.

“It is not only the Jewish community that is affected. It is the entire city of Rouen that is bruised and in shock,” Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol wrote on X. He made clear there were no other victims other than the attacker.

Two separate investigations have been opened, one into the fire at the synagogue and another into the circumstances of the death of the individual killed by the police, Rouen prosecutors said.

Investigations by France’s police inspectorate general are automatically launched whenever an individual is killed by the police.

The man threatened a police officer with a knife and the latter used his service weapon, said the Rouen prosecutor. The dead man was not immediately identified, a police source said.

Asked by AFP, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office said it is currently assessing whether it will take up the case.

France has the largest Jewish community of any country after Israel and the United States, as well as Europe’s largest Muslim community.

There have been tensions in France in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, followed by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Red hand graffiti was painted onto France’s Holocaust Memorial earlier this week, prompting anger including from President Emmanuel Macron who condemned “odious anti-Semitism”.

“Attempting to burn a synagogue is an attempt to intimidate all Jews. Once again, there is an attempt to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Combating anti-Semitism means defending the Republic,” Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) wrote on X.

France was hit in 2015 by a spate of Islamist attacks that also hit Jewish targets. There have been isolated attacks in recent months and France’s security alert remains at its highest level.

Pakistan

Bikes scheme for students subject to environmental NOC

The court remarked that it is a criminal offense not getting environmental NOC before the project

Published

2 hours ago

May 17, 2024 01:13 PM

Noor Fatima

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday made the scheme of providing motorcycles to students subject to environmental NOC.

In the Lahore High Court, a hearing was held on the petitions related to remedial smog, Justice Shahid Karim heard the petitions of citizen Haroon Farooq and others.

During the hearing, the court remarked related to the scheme of providing motorbikes to the students by the Punjab government that it is a criminal offense not getting environmental NOC before the project.

The court made Punjab government's scheme of distribution of motorcycles among students subject to environmental NOC.

Justice Shahid Karim said that pollution is a serious problem which cannot be ignored.

The High Court while ordering all the parks of the city to be completely restored and made safe, remarked that fines should also be imposed to restore and make the parks safe.

Lahore High Court has ordered to submit report on restoration of seven sports complexes of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and cutting of trees.

Later, the court sought a detailed report from the Punjab government regarding the bike supply scheme by May 27.