veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Iran’s Rouhani: US Defeat at UNSC Shows Trump’s Low Regard Internationally

President Hassan Rouhani has highlighted Washington ’ s failure in its unlawful attempt at the UN Security Council to extend a UN arms ban on Iran , saying the meeting once again put on display another American political defeat for the world to see .
“ Over the past three and a half years and ever since the new US administration [ of President Donald Trump ] took office , we have been witnessing lawlessness in addition to illegal and inhumane acts against the Islamic Republic , ” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Rouhani referring to the Security Council session , where the US was sharply criticized for its push to have the UNSC extend the arms ban on Iran , which is set to expire in October under a 2015 nuclear deal endorsed by the Council ’ s Resolution 2231 .
At the event , the US was reminded by other UNSC members that it was no longer a party to the Iran deal — officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) — and could not resort to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place .
Rouhani said the UNSC meeting “ once again showed another American political defeat against the Islamic Republic.
” The second one happened “ yesterday at the Security Council , where all 14 other members of the body , except for the US , praised and supported the JCPOA , ” despite Washington ’ s attempts to force others into violating the deal , he added .
The Iranian president went on to say that Tehran will meet all its obligations under the nuclear agreement provided that the remaining sides do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the European signatories to the Iran deal — France , Britain and Germany — for failing to keep up their end of the bargain following Washington ’ s exit from the JCPOA , which prompted Tehran to take a set of retaliatory measures .
If the remaining signatories “ meet all their obligations tomorrow , Iran will follow suit .
Iran has always adhered to its political , legal and moral obligations throughout history , especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution .

President Hassan Rouhani has highlighted Washington’s failure in its unlawful attempt at the UN Security Council to extend a UN arms ban on Iran, saying the meeting once again put on display another American political defeat for the world to see.
“Over the past three and a half years and ever since the new US administration [of President Donald Trump] took office, we have been witnessing lawlessness in addition to illegal and inhumane acts against the Islamic Republic,” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.
The Americans, he added, may imagine that they have made some gains in their stepped-up economic pressure campaign against Iran, but “they have certainly failed politically, legally and morally on numerous occasions during the past three and a half years.”
“Yesterday, they suffered another defeat,” said Rouhani referring to the Security Council session, where the US was sharply criticized for its push to have the UNSC extend the arms ban on Iran, which is set to expire in October under a 2015 nuclear deal endorsed by the Council’s Resolution 2231.
At the event, the US was reminded by other UNSC members that it was no longer a party to the Iran deal — officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — and could not resort to the related resolution to keep the arms ban in place.
Cornered at UNSC, US faces historic rebuke from world powers over Iran At the UNSC, the US faces a rebuke from world powers, including its own allies, over its hostile push to secure an extension of the anti-Iran UN arms embargo.
“The Americans have suffered two major political setbacks in recent weeks: One concerns a draft resolution against Iran [to extend the arms embargo], which all Security Council member states — excluding the US — have opposed to this day.”
Rouhani said the UNSC meeting “once again showed another American political defeat against the Islamic Republic.”
The second one happened “yesterday at the Security Council, where all 14 other members of the body, except for the US, praised and supported the JCPOA,” despite Washington’s attempts to force others into violating the deal, he added.
The Iranian president went on to say that Tehran will meet all its obligations under the nuclear agreement provided that the remaining sides do the same thing.
He further criticized the European signatories to the Iran deal — France, Britain and Germany — for failing to keep up their end of the bargain following Washington’s exit from the JCPOA, which prompted Tehran to take a set of retaliatory measures.
“We waited for a whole year and remained committed to all of our obligations, but they did not do anything. In the second year, we gradually took five steps away from the deal. Again, they did not do anything,” Rouhani argued.
If the remaining signatories “meet all their obligations tomorrow, Iran will follow suit. Iran has always adhered to its political, legal and moral obligations throughout history, especially after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Surviving COVID-19 May Depend on the Hospital Which Admits You

Why Surviving the Virus May Come Down to Which Hospital Admits You In Queens , the borough with the most coronavirus cases and the fewest hospital beds per capita , hundreds of patients languished in understaffed wards , often unwatched by nurses or doctors .
Some died after removing oxygen masks to go to the bathroom .
In hospitals in impoverished neighborhoods around the boroughs , some critically ill patients were put on ventilator machines lacking key settings , and others pleaded for experimental drugs , only to be told that there were none available .
It was another story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which have billions of dollars in endowments and cater largely to wealthy people with insurance .
Patients there got access to heart-lung bypass machines and specialized drugs like remdesivir , even as those in the city ’ s community hospitals were denied more basic treatments like continuous dialysis .
In its first four months in New York , the coronavirus tore through low-income neighborhoods , infected immigrants and essential workers unable to stay home and disproportionately killed Black and Latino people , especially those with underlying health conditions .
Now , evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city residents : disparities in hospital care .

Why Surviving the Virus May Come Down to Which Hospital Admits You
by Erin Schaff/The New York Times
In Queens, the borough with the most coronavirus cases and the fewest hospital beds per capita, hundreds of patients languished in understaffed wards, often unwatched by nurses or doctors. Some died after removing oxygen masks to go to the bathroom.
In hospitals in impoverished neighborhoods around the boroughs, some critically ill patients were put on ventilator machines lacking key settings, and others pleaded for experimental drugs, only to be told that there were none available.
It was another story at the private medical centers in Manhattan, which have billions of dollars in endowments and cater largely to wealthy people with insurance. Patients there got access to heart-lung bypass machines and specialized drugs like remdesivir, even as those in the city’s community hospitals were denied more basic treatments like continuous dialysis.
In its first four months in New York, the coronavirus tore through low-income neighborhoods, infected immigrants and essential workers unable to stay home and disproportionately killed Black and Latino people, especially those with underlying health conditions.
Now, evidence is emerging of another inequality affecting low-income city residents: disparities in hospital care.
Read More:


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Intercept: Trump-Kushner Private Deals on COVID Drugs Deny Affordable Access by US Public

has failed to include intellectual property and pricing protections in at least four contracts for drugs to combat Covid-19 .
Legal safeguards meant to ensure that products developed with federal funds are affordable and widely available were missing from the contracts , which are worth more than $ 1 billion and were released along with other documents last week in response to freedom of information requests .
The omissions make it more likely that potentially lifesaving treatments and vaccines may be priced out of reach , even as the spiraling financial and health crises increase the need for affordable drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed with government funding are available to the public “ on reasonable terms.
” But the four agreements for Covid-19-related products — three of which were made by a division of the Department of Health and Human Services known as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , or BARDA , and one of which was made with the Department of Defense — notably omitted the phrase “ on reasonable terms.
” The government contracts with pharmaceutical companies Janssen , Regeneron , Genentech , and Ology Bioservices also limit the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Covid-19 , even though they are using taxpayer dollars to do so .
The details of the contracts , which were released to the nonprofit advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International , come as another pharmaceutical company , Gilead Sciences , announced pricing for its Covid-19 therapy , remdesivir .
That drug , which was developed with at least $ 79 million in federal funding , will cost private insurers $ 520 for a single vial , hundreds of times its production cost , which researchers at the University of Liverpool have estimated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more..
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[ Editor’s Note: Welcome to what you get when a crime family gets control of the White house. This is just another page in this sordid chapter that because the President is completely immune for everything he does as president, then that is a green flag for presidential family looting.
Will the Trump family see any of the now expected high profits that the drug companies make selling this drug at hundreds of times its cost to produce?…Jim W Dean ]
~
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has failed to include intellectual property and pricing protections in at least four contracts for drugs to combat Covid-19.
Legal safeguards meant to ensure that products developed with federal funds are affordable and widely available were missing from the contracts, which are worth more than $1 billion and were released along with other documents last week in response to freedom of information requests. The omissions make it more likely that potentially lifesaving treatments and vaccines may be priced out of reach, even as the spiraling financial and health crises increase the need for affordable drugs. Standard federal contracts ensure that inventions developed with government funding are available to the public “on reasonable terms.” But the four agreements for Covid-19-related products — three of which were made by a division of the Department of Health and Human Services known as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, and one of which was made with the Department of Defense — notably omitted the phrase “on reasonable terms.” The government contracts with pharmaceutical companies Janssen, Regeneron, Genentech, and Ology Bioservices also limit the government’s patent rights to the products being developing for Covid-19, even though they are using taxpayer dollars to do so. The details of the contracts, which were released to the nonprofit advocacy group Knowledge Ecology International, come as another pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, announced pricing for its Covid-19 therapy, remdesivir. That drug, which was developed with at least $79 million in federal funding, will cost private insurers $520 for a single vial, hundreds of times its production cost, which researchers at the University of Liverpool have estimated at 93 cents per dose. read more.. https://theintercept.com/2020/07/01/coronavirus-treatment-drug-contracts-trump/


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--FBI Warns: Beware of Fake Coronavirus Antibody Tests

The FBI said being offered a test at all is one sign you ’ re being scammed .
Labs test @ @ @ @ @ and if marketers offer free tests or dangle incentives for getting one , that ’ @ @ @ @ @ Other warnings include targeted ads on social media , email or unsolicited phone calls — @ @ @ @ @ offered a test without expressing interest through your doctor , say no , the FBI @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve received individual calls , texts or emails from unknown people telling you that @ @ @ @ @ take an antibody test , that ’ s not true either .
Antibody tests are @ @

Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Exclusive: Pakistan’s Bouncy Journey

Exclusive: Pakistan’s Bouncy Journey

After achieving which no one else could achieve , Quaid-e-Azam passed away one year after the birth of Pakistan .
Allah willed his departure honorably since had he lived longer , the chronic foul-mouthed intriguers would not have spared him .
He is the only leader who is held in highest esteem and remembered with approbation .
His untimely death created leadership crisis and power of pendulum kept swinging between the Governor General and PM .
Passage of Objectives Resolution in 1949 strengthened Religious Right and heightened secular-Islamic divide .
Murder of Liaqat Ali Khan in October 1951 gave rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw Ahmadi movement in West Punjab and language riots in East Pakistan .
The political class in West Pakistan was heavy with Choudhries , Maliks , Waderas , Sardars , Peers and industrialists who had gained material benefits from the British in return for their loyalty .
Devoid of high morals and competence to govern the ungovernable , they put self before national interests .
Power tussle between landholders of East and West Punjab and between Punjab and East Bengal delayed constitution making for nine years .
The British trained white-collar CSP cadre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aped the colonial masters by behaving like snobbish Brown Sahibs and never served the hapless people .
Their arrogant attitude and lackadaisical approach of early leaders were the major causes of alienation of Bengalis who were in the vanguard of Pakistan movement .
Ghulam Muhammad and Iskandar Mirza ’ s palace intrigues strengthened bureaucrat-military oligarchy and severely bruised growth of democracy .
Pakistan decided to change its status of non-alignment and join the SEATO , CENTO Western pacts in 1954 due to extreme security threats posed by India and Afghanistan backed by former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when PM Liaqat Ali preferred Washington over Moscow for his first state visit abroad .
Thereon , Pakistan tailored its foreign and defence policies in accordance with the wishes of Washington and it put all its eggs in the basket of USA .
Ironically none of the defence agreements had any clause of security against Indian aggression .
Owing to its full reliance on USA , Pakistan was termed as the most allied ally of USA .
Once President Ayub Khan took over power in 1958 , he made profitable use of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country .
His ten-year rule is acknowledged as the golden period of Pakistan which no other leader could emulate .
He missed the opportunity of liberating Kashmir in 1962 , but egged on by his blue-eyed foreign minister ZA Bhutto , he vainly tried to make amends by launching Operation Gibraltar followed by Operation Grand Slam in 1965 .
He is credited for defeating the nefarious designs of India wanting to destroy the armed forces of Pakistan in the 17-day 1965 War , and gaining an edge over six-time superior enemy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US sanctions , Ayub could have considerably narrowed the east-west inequity .
Prosperity in Ayub ’ s era made the 22 families affluent and widened rich-poor gap .
A class of egotist upstarts believing in pomp and show emerged in the 1960s .
ZA Bhutto and Mujibur Rahman emerged as top political leaders in the aftermath of 1965 war who were instrumental in splitting Pakistan .
Notwithstanding the closeness with USA , the relationship had its snags .
Problems arose when USA under John F. Kennedy started wooing India well-knowing that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to become part of the defensive arc laid by USA to contain Communism in South Asia .
Motivated by the desire of winning over India , the US provided all out military support to India after it was thrashed by China in 1962 border conflict in NEFA .
The western assistance coupled with Soviet support tilted the military balance in favor of India , which forced Ayub Khan to lean on China and he accordingly brought a slight change in Pakistan ’ s foreign policy .
Governed by the policy of enticing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars , imposed sanctions .
Indian military succeeded in cutting the eastern limb of Pakistan in 1971 due to all-out support of USSR .
India ’ s nuclear explosion in August 1974 and its expansionism were looked the other way by the US led west .
Although ZA Bhutto was criticized for playing a role in truncating the country , but he is credited for gifting 1973 Constitution and laying the foundation of nuclear program .
To restrain him , Henry Kissinger threatened him to be made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 April 1979 alienated Sindhis and divided the nation between Bhutto lovers and haters .
Pakistan under Gen Ziaul Haq was once again put under sanctions by Jimmy Carter regime in 1979 after it alleged that Pakistan had undertaken a nuclear program clandestinely and was developing an Islamic bomb .
Ronald Reagan took Pakistan on board to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan .
Mujahideen were eulogized and named holy warriors .
Zia era gave fillip to Jihadism , religious extremism and sectarianism , but Zia earned his name in history by playing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghanistan and in completing the nuclear program and also giving Islamic direction to the country .
During the rule of Zia ’ s handpicked Junejo , culture of loans from banks and writing off loans by the politicians came in fashion and black money as well Mafias gained strength .
Pak-US honeymoon ended soon after the US accomplished its objectives in 1989 with the help of Mujahideen and Pakistan .
The holy warriors were abandoned and later on declared terrorists .
It was put under harsh sanctions due to which it became politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Pakistan ’ s wounds , the US embraced India and was made its strategic partner .
Israel joined hands with the duo and the trio worked in unison to disable Pakistan ’ s nuclear program .
Their antagonism increased after Pakistan responded to India ’ s five nuclear tests by conducting six nuclear tests in May 1998 , and became the 7th nuclear power .
Thereon , denuclearization of Pakistan became an obsession of Indo-US-Israel nexus .
The democratic era from 1988 to 1999 saw PML-N and PPP locked up in infighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economically weak .
The two mainstream parties in their bid to topple the other had no time to combat the fallout effects of 10-year Afghan war which had militarized the society .
The armed uprising of Kashmiris in IOK was not cashed in to liberate J & K .
External debts swelled , and the state institutions became feeble .
That period intensified ethnicity/sectarianism and fortified Mafias , profiteers , hoarders , smugglers , drug peddlers and racketeers .
10 % Zardari blemished the image of Benazir Bhutto .
Disintegration of Soviet Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ super power .
The US neo-cons in league with President George W. Bush senior in anticipation to the fall of USSR had conceived a New World Order in 1989 and had chalked out plans to rule the world for the next 100 years .
This ambitious goal couldn ’ t be accomplished without harnessing the resources of the Eurasian belt , and neo-colonization of the Muslim world .
Israel dreamed of establishing Greater Israel since 1982 .
The first moves made in this regard were the initiation of Iraq-Iran war in 1989 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1991 , the Kuwait war and inhuman sanctions imposed on Iraq .
Color revolutions were instigated by CIA in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe to change pro-Moscow regimes .
In order to evoke the feelings of revenge among the Americans and Europeans , earn sympathies and cooperation of the world , and to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Middle Eastern Muslim countries , a false flag operation was craftily enacted on 9/11 .
The blame was put on Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden ( OBL ) based in Afghanistan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight the Soviets in the 1980s .
The Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were demonized and painted as the biggest threat to the world security .
Gen Pervez Musharraf was the architect of Operation Drass-Kargil in summer of 1999 in which seven peaks of strategic importance were seized .
Nawaz Sharif buckled under pressure of USA and G-20 and ordered withdrawal unconditionally .
Converting victory into a fiasco paved the way for Musharraf to dethrone Nawaz Sharif regime and take over the reins of power in October 1999 .
Musharraf readily fell into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badly in need of legitimacy .
Being liberal , he was otherwise averse to Mullahs and extremist Muslims .
He was led up the garden path by George W. Bush junior regime that it will atone the wrongs done in the past and would build relations based on mutual trust and equality .
Pakistan was made an ally and coalition partner of US-NATO , and a frontline state to fight war on terror on its soil .
It was also made a non-NATO ally and a strategic partner .
However , irrespective of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trusted and was given a raw deal .
Throughout the 19-year war on terror , it was insulted , humiliated , criticized and pressured to do more .
It was encrusted with unsubstantiated accusations of being either complicit with the terrorists or incompetent to deal with them , and providing sanctuaries to the terrorist groups .
No proof was ever furnished to prove their allegations .
War on terror brought USA in immediate neighborhood of Pakistan by virtue of which it started meddling into Pakistan ’ s internal affairs directly .
Pakistan was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India and Afghanistan in spite of the fact that Pakistan had put its national security at stake and had rendered sacrifices much larger than any other coalition partner and had produced excellent results .
What Pakistan received in aid or close support fund ( CSF ) was puny when compared with the human and financial losses it incurred .
As against $ 20 billion , bulk of which was of CSF , Pakistan lost $ 130 billion and suffered 80,000 human fatalities including 7000 security forces .
The tally of injured is three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improving the image of Pakistan which had sunk low and for attracting foreign investments and bolstering the economy .
Notwithstanding his superior personal qualities of head and heart and his 7-point agenda which had the potential to bolster Pakistan ’ s fortunes , Musharraf ’ s ambitious agenda mellowed down after he empowered King ’ s Party in October 2002 through enticements and high-handed tactics .
Thereon , he started compromising on account of political expediency mainly due to his yearning to prolong his rule .
Accountability became selective and anti-Pakistan MQM became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with TTP in Baluchistan and KP was ignored .
Indo-Pakistan peace treaty signed in January 2004 was a cunningly laid out snare by India .
Musharraf happily signed it naively thinking that it will help in resolving all core disputes including Kashmir and the two antagonists would live as friendly neighbors .
He compromised on Kashmir by reining in Jihadi elements , letting India to construct a fence all along the Line of Control , and suggesting out-of-box solution of Kashmir bereft of UN resolutions .
In his enthusiasm to develop extraordinary warm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconciled to existence of Pakistan , he forgot the psyche of Hindu Brahmans and their evil ambition of establishing mythical Akhand Bharat .
To please the West , he introduced concept of enlightened moderation and expanded electronic media exponentially , which promoted secularism and obscenity .
The lawyer ’ s movement in 2007 joined by civil society eclipsed his popularity and paled his impressive achievements .
NRO was his last gift to the nation the ill-effects of which are still being borne by the people .
It enabled the most corrupt Zardari to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the strongest president .
During Zardari ’ s 5-year black rule , ethics , high morals , values and principles were replaced with immorality .
Corruption as well as corrupt practices scaled new heights , state institutions corrupted and ruined , and economy reached the brink of collapse .
Energy shortfall which started in 1995 as a result of Independent Power Plants climaxed when Raja Pervez Ashraf , known as Raja Rental , held the chair of PM .
Mafias turned into uncontrollable monsters and Karachi became lawless due to MQM terrorism .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , money laundering and fake accounts .
Collation partners PPP , MQM and ANP looted the national wealth with both hands due to which the rich became richer , the poor poorer .
The chaos suited the adversaries of Pakistan which waited with bated breath to snatch Pakistan ’ s nukes on the plea that the country had become ungovernable .
Entry of over 10,000 CIA agents without ISI clearance , Raymond Davis incident , followed by helicopters stealth attack in Abbottabad , Memogate scandal and attack on Salala posts all happened in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the military and the ISI which busted Memogate and got Hussain Haqqani removed from the post of ambassador in Washington , Pakistan might have been reduced to a compliant state of USA and India .
The domestic situation became so murky that the people lost heart in democracy and started looking for an alternative .
PTI under Imran Khan ( IK ) which had emerged on the political canvas in mid-1990s remained in wilderness but came into prominence in 2011 essentially due to poor performance of PPP .
The five-year rule of PML-N @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added to its caps were overcoming energy crisis by adding 12000 mw electricity in national grid and ending 20-hour load shedding , tackling gas shortage , controlling rural and urban terrorism , launching biggest development program , lifting GDP to 5.8 % , and above all signing historic CPEC agreement with China which attracted $ 46 billion China ’ s investment for the game changing project .
All these achievements were made in spite of politics of agitation of PTI and PAT and judicial activism , which retarded progress .
What PML-N failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership which had reduced the country to a carcass , bridle corrupt practices and to carry out reforms of the institutions .
Sharif brothers multiplied their wealth beyond their means .
The other weak aspects were Nawaz Sharif ’ s distrust of the Pak military and fondness for Modi .
He paid lip service to BJP ’ s persecution of Kashmiris in IOK and agreed to the contention of Modi to place the issue of terrorism higher than Kashmir cause .
Like Benazir and Zardari , Nawaz was also branded as a security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he stated that Pakistan had a hand in Mumbai attacks .
Rapid progress of CPEC became an added cause of worry for the Indo-US-Israel nexus since it has the capacity to overturn their global ambitions and make China the leading economic power and Pakistan a self-reliant nation .
RAW shifted its focus towards CPEC and Baluchistan where Gwadar seaport is being developed and for that purpose had positioned naval officer Kulbushan Yadhav at Chahbahar .
Pakistan was treated unfairly by USA despite Gen Musharraf , Zardari and Nawaz going out of the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting up with Delhi-Kabul enmity meekly .
They earned the displeasure of people of Pakistan who see USA as a double-dealing unjust and ruthless Satan filled with Muslim hatred .
By and large the world is convinced that the US wrongly holds Pakistan responsible for its failures in Afghanistan and whips it callously to lessen pains of its fault lines .
For India and Afghanistan , the real promotors of intrigue and terrorism , the US has different set of standards .
They are cajoled and richly rewarded .
In Afghanistan , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has no complaints .
All genuine and unreasonable demands of India are met forthwith .
Major reason behind the US discriminatory policy is that it had occupied Afghanistan under a false pretext and had initiated war on terror with an ulterior motive .
Pakistan was never an ally but was and still is the target .
It was made an ally to achieve short-term objectives since without whole-hearted support of Pakistan , the US-NATO adventure into Afghanistan to topple Taliban regime would have been extremely onerous and costly .
While CIA , MI-6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NDS sat under one roof to make plans , ISI was kept out of the loop .
An anti-Pakistan and pro-India regime under Hamid Karzai ( later of Ashraf Ghani-Dr. Abdullah ) was installed in Kabul which allowed the foreign agencies to use Afghan soil to undertake biggest covert operations against Pakistan in order to destabilize , secularize , denuclearize and balkanize it .
People of Pakistan braved the hardships of dictatorship and corrupt civilian rule and remained in two minds which one was better .
Majority favored military dictatorship which provided better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy .
Fed up of the two mainstream parties , they looked for a big change and saw PTI under IK as a better alternative .
IK highlighted the ills of both PML-N and PPP and held them responsible for running sham democracy and plundering the country .
He raised the banner of ‘ change ’ and New Pakistan .
PTI improved its political standing from one seat and formed a government in KP .
It became the second and third largest party in Punjab and in the Centre respectively in the 2013 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a heavy mandate for the 3rd time due to its heavy vote bank in Punjab .
PPP was reduced to a regional party based in Sindh .
Effective demonization of Sharif brothers by PTI and its partners supplemented by six months sit-in , electronic/social media and judiciary under chief justice Saqib Nisar , helped the PTI to win elections in July 2018 with a narrow margin .
It formed government in KP , but it couldn ’ t even muster simple majority in the Centre and in Punjab .
To form governments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , MQM-P , BNP-M , GDA and independents , all with soiled past .
PPP managed to retain its bastion of Sindh , while PML-N was clean bowled .
Political manipulations earned IK the title of ‘ selective PM ’ and the opposition pointed their fingers towards the military establishment .
Already heavy with electables from other parties , the PTI got compromised at the very outset by relying on allies which it had severely criticized , and appointing non-elected on key posts .
Repeated U-turns , downslide in economy , soaring inflation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of opposition parties that IK and his team are incompetent .
Major folly on part of PTI is that it took over without any homework and started its innings on wishful assumptions .
Major ones were return of looted $ 200 billion from foreign banks , Pakistanis living abroad will flood the banks with remittances , tax base would get enlarged , and corruption would die down .
It lived in the fool ’ s paradise that milk and honey would start flowing in soon after popular and charismatic IK would take over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t take into account that Pakistan is the most difficult country to govern and there are too many intriguers and spoilers whose sole job is to create hindrances and spoil the game .
In the last 72 years , the land of the pure has become socially , morally and politically diseased , due to which immorality , dishonesty and corrupt practices have seeped into every layer of the society .
Moreover , the state institutions are dysfunctional , high and low government officials down to peon are governed by feudal mindset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-existent .
Surrounded by sycophants and dishonest and opportunists , IK instead of first putting PTI ’ s house in order by conducting internal elections , restructuring the non-performing political system based on dynastic and family politics and British inherited bureaucratic system , reining in the mafias controlling state institutions , taking a look at the constitution whether it is attuned to the aspirations of the people , removing flaws in capitalist oriented economic system which has failed to alleviate poverty , evaluating the judicial system which is pro-rich , the three-tiered education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social and primary healthcare infrastructure which has kept the rural belt out of loop , the large and unwieldy provinces which are difficult to govern , he started chasing his political opponents vehemently .
While none of the assumptions materialized , his financial team has performed poorly which is IMF selected .
The two decisions of increasing the bank rate to 13.25 % in order to reduce inflation , and to heavily devalue the Rupee so as to increase exports neither reduced inflation nor enhanced exports , but added weight of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Phenomenon of loans grew in scope .
On top of it , coronavirus has further bled the economy and GDP , which declined from 5.8 % in 2017 to 2.1 % , might dip to -02 % .
Pakistan is faced with rising poverty , unemployment , surging inflation and price hike , mounting debt burden and fiscal deficit .
There have been crisis after crisis in two-year tenure of PTI .
The economic crunch has rendered IK powerless to accomplish his dream of providing jobs to one crore jobless , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to transform the country on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina .
Not a single Mafia has been collared , which have become uncontrollable monsters , and no institutional reforms undertaken .
NAB is spinning around the pole star with zero results , while judiciary ’ s reputation stands soiled .
Convicted NS managed to slip out of the country .
Allies of PTI have begun to jump the ship and BNP-N has taken the lead .
Leading lights within the party have started fighting and some are aspiring to take over from IK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18th Amendment to play Sindh card .
Foreign-aided anti-Pakistan groups have grouped together to intensify terrorism , Indo-Afghan nexus is busy devising techniques to destabilize and unravel Pakistan .
No step has been taken to provide relief to the 9 million locked up Kashmiris in IOK since August 5 , 2019 and undergoing worst oppression .
Opponents of IK are paying him in the same coin and leaving no stone unturned to tarnish his reputation .
It didn ’ t take long for the PTI to realize the gravity of the situation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all macroeconomic indicators went into negative .
IK ’ s lack of experience of management , his weak decision making capacity and lack of empathy , his inexperienced team , alliance with blackmailers , constraints of 18th Amendment , unreformed state institutions , bankrupt economy , mountain of debts , accountability making no headway , together with political and internal security challenges and Kashmir imbroglio , when viewed in context with dangerous designs of Indo-US-Israel nexus has made the overall situation grave .
Plight of the people is going from bad to worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talk of yet another experiment of presidential form of government , or national government , or government of technocrats has become louder .
Some suggest tough martial law for ten years minus politicians , while others propose an in-house change .
To hide its inadequacies , PTI is making the same old excuse of blaming the predecessors .
Apologists are of the view that the muck of 72 years can not be washed in 2 years and that IK is still the best choice .
There is a growing perception that the ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deliver and after PTI ’ s failure there will be a complete political vacuum because of absence of a viable national party .
IK is however unruffled and is confident that he will weather the storm and will sail past the choppy waters to the shores of prosperity .
Is this yet another wishful assumption or he has a solid plan up his sleeve ?
The question is that will it be wise to pin hopes for a better tomorrow on outdated and dysfunctional system ?
The writer is a retired Brig @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security analyst , international columnist , author of five books , Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan , Director Measac Research Centre , member CWC PESS , Member Council TJP .
[ email protected ]

Asif Haroon Raja for VT
After achieving which no one else could achieve, Quaid-e-Azam passed away one year after the birth of Pakistan. Allah willed his departure honorably since had he lived longer, the chronic foul-mouthed intriguers would not have spared him. He is the only leader who is held in highest esteem and remembered with approbation. His untimely death created leadership crisis and power of pendulum kept swinging between the Governor General and PM. Passage of Objectives Resolution in 1949 strengthened Religious Right and heightened secular-Islamic divide. Murder of Liaqat Ali Khan in October 1951 gave rise to ethnicity and regional loyalties. 1953 saw Ahmadi movement in West Punjab and language riots in East Pakistan. The political class in West Pakistan was heavy with Choudhries, Maliks, Waderas, Sardars, Peers and industrialists who had gained material benefits from the British in return for their loyalty.
Devoid of high morals and competence to govern the ungovernable, they put self before national interests. Power tussle between landholders of East and West Punjab and between Punjab and East Bengal delayed constitution making for nine years. The British trained white-collar CSP cadre, the crème of the nation, aped the colonial masters by behaving like snobbish Brown Sahibs and never served the hapless people. Their arrogant attitude and lackadaisical approach of early leaders were the major causes of alienation of Bengalis who were in the vanguard of Pakistan movement. Ghulam Muhammad and Iskandar Mirza’s palace intrigues strengthened bureaucrat-military oligarchy and severely bruised growth of democracy.
Pakistan decided to change its status of non-alignment and join the SEATO, CENTO Western pacts in 1954 due to extreme security threats posed by India and Afghanistan backed by former Soviet Union, which had got irked when PM Liaqat Ali preferred Washington over Moscow for his first state visit abroad. Thereon, Pakistan tailored its foreign and defence policies in accordance with the wishes of Washington and it put all its eggs in the basket of USA. Ironically none of the defence agreements had any clause of security against Indian aggression. Owing to its full reliance on USA, Pakistan was termed as the most allied ally of USA.
Once President Ayub Khan took over power in 1958, he made profitable use of the US largesse by carrying out all-round improvements in the country. His ten-year rule is acknowledged as the golden period of Pakistan which no other leader could emulate. He missed the opportunity of liberating Kashmir in 1962, but egged on by his blue-eyed foreign minister ZA Bhutto, he vainly tried to make amends by launching Operation Gibraltar followed by Operation Grand Slam in 1965. He is credited for defeating the nefarious designs of India wanting to destroy the armed forces of Pakistan in the 17-day 1965 War, and gaining an edge over six-time superior enemy. But for the war and the US sanctions, Ayub could have considerably narrowed the east-west inequity. Prosperity in Ayub’s era made the 22 families affluent and widened rich-poor gap. A class of egotist upstarts believing in pomp and show emerged in the 1960s. ZA Bhutto and Mujibur Rahman emerged as top political leaders in the aftermath of 1965 war who were instrumental in splitting Pakistan.
Notwithstanding the closeness with USA, the relationship had its snags. Problems arose when USA under John F. Kennedy started wooing India well-knowing that it was the camp follower of USSR and had refused to become part of the defensive arc laid by USA to contain Communism in South Asia. Motivated by the desire of winning over India, the US provided all out military support to India after it was thrashed by China in 1962 border conflict in NEFA. The western assistance coupled with Soviet support tilted the military balance in favor of India, which forced Ayub Khan to lean on China and he accordingly brought a slight change in Pakistan’s foreign policy. Governed by the policy of enticing India, the US instead of helping Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars, imposed sanctions. Indian military succeeded in cutting the eastern limb of Pakistan in 1971 due to all-out support of USSR. India’s nuclear explosion in August 1974 and its expansionism were looked the other way by the US led west.
Although ZA Bhutto was criticized for playing a role in truncating the country, but he is credited for gifting 1973 Constitution and laying the foundation of nuclear program. To restrain him, Henry Kissinger threatened him to be made a horrible example. His hanging on 4 April 1979 alienated Sindhis and divided the nation between Bhutto lovers and haters.
Pakistan under Gen Ziaul Haq was once again put under sanctions by Jimmy Carter regime in 1979 after it alleged that Pakistan had undertaken a nuclear program clandestinely and was developing an Islamic bomb. Ronald Reagan took Pakistan on board to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Mujahideen were eulogized and named holy warriors.
Zia era gave fillip to Jihadism, religious extremism and sectarianism, but Zia earned his name in history by playing a key role in ousting Soviet forces from Afghanistan and in completing the nuclear program and also giving Islamic direction to the country. During the rule of Zia’s handpicked Junejo, culture of loans from banks and writing off loans by the politicians came in fashion and black money as well Mafias gained strength.
Pak-US honeymoon ended soon after the US accomplished its objectives in 1989 with the help of Mujahideen and Pakistan. The holy warriors were abandoned and later on declared terrorists. It was put under harsh sanctions due to which it became politically and economically weak. To rub salt on Pakistan’s wounds, the US embraced India and was made its strategic partner. Israel joined hands with the duo and the trio worked in unison to disable Pakistan’s nuclear program. Their antagonism increased after Pakistan responded to India’s five nuclear tests by conducting six nuclear tests in May 1998, and became the 7th nuclear power. Thereon, denuclearization of Pakistan became an obsession of Indo-US-Israel nexus.
The democratic era from 1988 to 1999 saw PML-N and PPP locked up in infighting, which made Pakistan politically unstable and economically weak. The two mainstream parties in their bid to topple the other had no time to combat the fallout effects of 10-year Afghan war which had militarized the society. The armed uprising of Kashmiris in IOK was not cashed in to liberate J&K. External debts swelled, and the state institutions became feeble. That period intensified ethnicity/sectarianism and fortified Mafias, profiteers, hoarders, smugglers, drug peddlers and racketeers. 10% Zardari blemished the image of Benazir Bhutto.
Disintegration of Soviet Union in 1992 made USA the unchallenged sole super power. The US neo-cons in league with President George W. Bush senior in anticipation to the fall of USSR had conceived a New World Order in 1989 and had chalked out plans to rule the world for the next 100 years. This ambitious goal couldn’t be accomplished without harnessing the resources of the Eurasian belt, and neo-colonization of the Muslim world. Israel dreamed of establishing Greater Israel since 1982. The first moves made in this regard were the initiation of Iraq-Iran war in 1989, followed by the First Gulf war in 1991, the Kuwait war and inhuman sanctions imposed on Iraq. Color revolutions were instigated by CIA in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe to change pro-Moscow regimes.
In order to evoke the feelings of revenge among the Americans and Europeans, earn sympathies and cooperation of the world, and to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Middle Eastern Muslim countries, a false flag operation was craftily enacted on 9/11. The blame was put on Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden (OBL) based in Afghanistan, which had been created by CIA to fight the Soviets in the 1980s. The Al-Qaeda and the Taliban were demonized and painted as the biggest threat to the world security.
Gen Pervez Musharraf was the architect of Operation Drass-Kargil in summer of 1999 in which seven peaks of strategic importance were seized. Nawaz Sharif buckled under pressure of USA and G-20 and ordered withdrawal unconditionally. Converting victory into a fiasco paved the way for Musharraf to dethrone Nawaz Sharif regime and take over the reins of power in October 1999.
Musharraf readily fell into the honeycombed trap of USA since he was badly in need of legitimacy. Being liberal, he was otherwise averse to Mullahs and extremist Muslims. He was led up the garden path by George W. Bush junior regime that it will atone the wrongs done in the past and would build relations based on mutual trust and equality.
Pakistan was made an ally and coalition partner of US-NATO, and a frontline state to fight war on terror on its soil. It was also made a non-NATO ally and a strategic partner.
However, irrespective of the impressive labels, Pakistan was never trusted and was given a raw deal. Throughout the 19-year war on terror, it was insulted, humiliated, criticized and pressured to do more. It was encrusted with unsubstantiated accusations of being either complicit with the terrorists or incompetent to deal with them, and providing sanctuaries to the terrorist groups. No proof was ever furnished to prove their allegations.
War on terror brought USA in immediate neighborhood of Pakistan by virtue of which it started meddling into Pakistan’s internal affairs directly. Pakistan was given a step-motherly treatment as compared with India and Afghanistan in spite of the fact that Pakistan had put its national security at stake and had rendered sacrifices much larger than any other coalition partner and had produced excellent results. What Pakistan received in aid or close support fund (CSF) was puny when compared with the human and financial losses it incurred. As against $20 billion, bulk of which was of CSF, Pakistan lost $ 130 billion and suffered 80,000 human fatalities including 7000 security forces. The tally of injured is three times more.
Musharraf took credit of improving the image of Pakistan which had sunk low and for attracting foreign investments and bolstering the economy. Notwithstanding his superior personal qualities of head and heart and his 7-point agenda which had the potential to bolster Pakistan’s fortunes, Musharraf’s ambitious agenda mellowed down after he empowered King’s Party in October 2002 through enticements and high-handed tactics. Thereon, he started compromising on account of political expediency mainly due to his yearning to prolong his rule. Accountability became selective and anti-Pakistan MQM became his forte. MMA’s hobnobbing with TTP in Baluchistan and KP was ignored.
Indo-Pakistan peace treaty signed in January 2004 was a cunningly laid out snare by India. Musharraf happily signed it naively thinking that it will help in resolving all core disputes including Kashmir and the two antagonists would live as friendly neighbors. He compromised on Kashmir by reining in Jihadi elements, letting India to construct a fence all along the Line of Control, and suggesting out-of-box solution of Kashmir bereft of UN resolutions. In his enthusiasm to develop extraordinary warm relations with archrival India, which never reconciled to existence of Pakistan, he forgot the psyche of Hindu Brahmans and their evil ambition of establishing mythical Akhand Bharat. To please the West, he introduced concept of enlightened moderation and expanded electronic media exponentially, which promoted secularism and obscenity.
The lawyer’s movement in 2007 joined by civil society eclipsed his popularity and paled his impressive achievements. NRO was his last gift to the nation the ill-effects of which are still being borne by the people. It enabled the most corrupt Zardari to ascend to power in 2008 and become the strongest president.
During Zardari’s 5-year black rule, ethics, high morals, values and principles were replaced with immorality. Corruption as well as corrupt practices scaled new heights, state institutions corrupted and ruined, and economy reached the brink of collapse. Energy shortfall which started in 1995 as a result of Independent Power Plants climaxed when Raja Pervez Ashraf, known as Raja Rental, held the chair of PM. Mafias turned into uncontrollable monsters and Karachi became lawless due to MQM terrorism. Zardari & Co excelled in financial terrorism, money laundering and fake accounts. Collation partners PPP, MQM and ANP looted the national wealth with both hands due to which the rich became richer, the poor poorer.
The chaos suited the adversaries of Pakistan which waited with bated breath to snatch Pakistan’s nukes on the plea that the country had become ungovernable. Entry of over 10,000 CIA agents without ISI clearance, Raymond Davis incident, followed by helicopters stealth attack in Abbottabad, Memogate scandal and attack on Salala posts all happened in 2011. But for the role of the military and the ISI which busted Memogate and got Hussain Haqqani removed from the post of ambassador in Washington, Pakistan might have been reduced to a compliant state of USA and India.
The domestic situation became so murky that the people lost heart in democracy and started looking for an alternative. PTI under Imran Khan (IK) which had emerged on the political canvas in mid-1990s remained in wilderness but came into prominence in 2011 essentially due to poor performance of PPP.
The five-year rule of PML-N was much better. The feathers it added to its caps were overcoming energy crisis by adding 12000 mw electricity in national grid and ending 20-hour load shedding, tackling gas shortage, controlling rural and urban terrorism, launching biggest development program, lifting GDP to 5.8%, and above all signing historic CPEC agreement with China which attracted $46 billion China’s investment for the game changing project. All these achievements were made in spite of politics of agitation of PTI and PAT and judicial activism, which retarded progress.
What PML-N failed to do was to proceed against PPP leadership which had reduced the country to a carcass, bridle corrupt practices and to carry out reforms of the institutions. Sharif brothers multiplied their wealth beyond their means. The other weak aspects were Nawaz Sharif’s distrust of the Pak military and fondness for Modi. He paid lip service to BJP’s persecution of Kashmiris in IOK and agreed to the contention of Modi to place the issue of terrorism higher than Kashmir cause. Like Benazir and Zardari, Nawaz was also branded as a security risk after Dawn leaks, and when he stated that Pakistan had a hand in Mumbai attacks.
Rapid progress of CPEC became an added cause of worry for the Indo-US-Israel nexus since it has the capacity to overturn their global ambitions and make China the leading economic power and Pakistan a self-reliant nation. RAW shifted its focus towards CPEC and Baluchistan where Gwadar seaport is being developed and for that purpose had positioned naval officer Kulbushan Yadhav at Chahbahar.
Pakistan was treated unfairly by USA despite Gen Musharraf, Zardari and Nawaz going out of the way to do the biddings of Washington and putting up with Delhi-Kabul enmity meekly. They earned the displeasure of people of Pakistan who see USA as a double-dealing unjust and ruthless Satan filled with Muslim hatred. By and large the world is convinced that the US wrongly holds Pakistan responsible for its failures in Afghanistan and whips it callously to lessen pains of its fault lines. For India and Afghanistan, the real promotors of intrigue and terrorism, the US has different set of standards. They are cajoled and richly rewarded. In Afghanistan, the US has sunk $ 1.4 trillion and has no complaints. All genuine and unreasonable demands of India are met forthwith.
Major reason behind the US discriminatory policy is that it had occupied Afghanistan under a false pretext and had initiated war on terror with an ulterior motive. Pakistan was never an ally but was and still is the target. It was made an ally to achieve short-term objectives since without whole-hearted support of Pakistan, the US-NATO adventure into Afghanistan to topple Taliban regime would have been extremely onerous and costly. While CIA, MI-6, Mossad, BND, RAW and NDS sat under one roof to make plans, ISI was kept out of the loop. An anti-Pakistan and pro-India regime under Hamid Karzai (later of Ashraf Ghani-Dr. Abdullah) was installed in Kabul which allowed the foreign agencies to use Afghan soil to undertake biggest covert operations against Pakistan in order to destabilize, secularize, denuclearize and balkanize it.
People of Pakistan braved the hardships of dictatorship and corrupt civilian rule and remained in two minds which one was better. Majority favored military dictatorship which provided better governance, law and order and improved economy. Fed up of the two mainstream parties, they looked for a big change and saw PTI under IK as a better alternative. IK highlighted the ills of both PML-N and PPP and held them responsible for running sham democracy and plundering the country. He raised the banner of ‘change’ and New Pakistan.
PTI improved its political standing from one seat and formed a government in KP. It became the second and third largest party in Punjab and in the Centre respectively in the 2013 elections. PML-N returned to power with a heavy mandate for the 3rd time due to its heavy vote bank in Punjab. PPP was reduced to a regional party based in Sindh.
Effective demonization of Sharif brothers by PTI and its partners supplemented by six months sit-in, electronic/social media and judiciary under chief justice Saqib Nisar, helped the PTI to win elections in July 2018 with a narrow margin. It formed government in KP, but it couldn’t even muster simple majority in the Centre and in Punjab. To form governments, it had to seek help of PML-Q, MQM-P, BNP-M, GDA and independents, all with soiled past. PPP managed to retain its bastion of Sindh, while PML-N was clean bowled. Political manipulations earned IK the title of ‘selective PM’ and the opposition pointed their fingers towards the military establishment.
Already heavy with electables from other parties, the PTI got compromised at the very outset by relying on allies which it had severely criticized, and appointing non-elected on key posts. Repeated U-turns, downslide in economy, soaring inflation and price hike further reinforced the stance of opposition parties that IK and his team are incompetent. Major folly on part of PTI is that it took over without any homework and started its innings on wishful assumptions. Major ones were return of looted $200 billion from foreign banks, Pakistanis living abroad will flood the banks with remittances, tax base would get enlarged, and corruption would die down. It lived in the fool’s paradise that milk and honey would start flowing in soon after popular and charismatic IK would take over the reins of power. It didn’t take into account that Pakistan is the most difficult country to govern and there are too many intriguers and spoilers whose sole job is to create hindrances and spoil the game. In the last 72 years, the land of the pure has become socially, morally and politically diseased, due to which immorality, dishonesty and corrupt practices have seeped into every layer of the society. Moreover, the state institutions are dysfunctional, high and low government officials down to peon are governed by feudal mindset and lethargy. Merit based system is non-existent.
Surrounded by sycophants and dishonest and opportunists, IK instead of first putting PTI’s house in order by conducting internal elections, restructuring the non-performing political system based on dynastic and family politics and British inherited bureaucratic system, reining in the mafias controlling state institutions, taking a look at the constitution whether it is attuned to the aspirations of the people, removing flaws in capitalist oriented economic system which has failed to alleviate poverty, evaluating the judicial system which is pro-rich, the three-tiered education which has sharply divided the society, the social and primary healthcare infrastructure which has kept the rural belt out of loop, the large and unwieldy provinces which are difficult to govern, he started chasing his political opponents vehemently.
While none of the assumptions materialized, his financial team has performed poorly which is IMF selected. The two decisions of increasing the bank rate to 13.25% in order to reduce inflation, and to heavily devalue the Rupee so as to increase exports neither reduced inflation nor enhanced exports, but added weight of $ 40 billion to the already crumpled economy. Phenomenon of loans grew in scope. On top of it, coronavirus has further bled the economy and GDP, which declined from 5.8% in 2017 to 2.1%, might dip to -02%. Pakistan is faced with rising poverty, unemployment, surging inflation and price hike, mounting debt burden and fiscal deficit. There have been crisis after crisis in two-year tenure of PTI.
The economic crunch has rendered IK powerless to accomplish his dream of providing jobs to one crore jobless, to build 50 lac houses for the homeless and to transform the country on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina. Not a single Mafia has been collared, which have become uncontrollable monsters, and no institutional reforms undertaken. NAB is spinning around the pole star with zero results, while judiciary’s reputation stands soiled. Convicted NS managed to slip out of the country. Allies of PTI have begun to jump the ship and BNP-N has taken the lead. Leading lights within the party have started fighting and some are aspiring to take over from IK. Cornered PPP is taking advantage of 18th Amendment to play Sindh card. Foreign-aided anti-Pakistan groups have grouped together to intensify terrorism, Indo-Afghan nexus is busy devising techniques to destabilize and unravel Pakistan. No step has been taken to provide relief to the 9 million locked up Kashmiris in IOK since August 5, 2019 and undergoing worst oppression. Opponents of IK are paying him in the same coin and leaving no stone unturned to tarnish his reputation.
It didn’t take long for the PTI to realize the gravity of the situation, because within two years of its rule all macroeconomic indicators went into negative. IK’s lack of experience of management, his weak decision making capacity and lack of empathy, his inexperienced team, alliance with blackmailers, constraints of 18th Amendment, unreformed state institutions, bankrupt economy, mountain of debts, accountability making no headway, together with political and internal security challenges and Kashmir imbroglio, when viewed in context with dangerous designs of Indo-US-Israel nexus has made the overall situation grave. Plight of the people is going from bad to worse and their patience is wearing out.
Talk of yet another experiment of presidential form of government, or national government, or government of technocrats has become louder. Some suggest tough martial law for ten years minus politicians, while others propose an in-house change. To hide its inadequacies, PTI is making the same old excuse of blaming the predecessors. Apologists are of the view that the muck of 72 years cannot be washed in 2 years and that IK is still the best choice.
There is a growing perception that the ‘third force experiment’ has also failed to deliver and after PTI’s failure there will be a complete political vacuum because of absence of a viable national party. IK is however unruffled and is confident that he will weather the storm and will sail past the choppy waters to the shores of prosperity. Is this yet another wishful assumption or he has a solid plan up his sleeve? The question is that will it be wise to pin hopes for a better tomorrow on outdated and dysfunctional system?
The writer is a retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence & security analyst, international columnist, author of five books, Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, member CWC PESS, Member Council TJP. asifharoonraja@gmail.com


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--North Carolina Lying About Meat Processing Plant Pandemic

Guardian : A chicken processing facility in western North Carolina reportedly underwent widespread testing for Covid-19 in early June .
Workers at the plant were scared .
Several employees had already tested positive and the company , Case Farms – which has been repeatedly condemned for animal treatment and workers ’ rights violations – was not providing proper protective equipment .
“ We don ’ t have a lot of space at work .
We are shoulder to shoulder , ” said one worker , who declined to be identified , during a recent union call .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but I have to go.
” On 8 June , the health department for Burke county , where the Case Farms facility is located , reported 136 new Covid cases , a 25 % increase in its total caseload .
Yet neither the company , county officials nor the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services would confirm whether those cases were connected to Case Farms .
It is just one example of the currently taut relationship between public health and the economy in North Carolina , as the number of Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is one of the largest pork and poultry producing states in the US , exporting roughly $ 1.25bn in hogs , chickens and turkeys every year .
Health departments in rural parts of the state , areas that often lean on large meatpacking or food processing facilities as primary sources of employment , have so far been tight-lipped about Covid-19 outbreaks in those plants .
read more

Guardian: A chicken processing facility in western North Carolina reportedly underwent widespread testing for Covid-19 in early June.
Workers at the plant were scared. Several employees had already tested positive and the company, Case Farms – which has been repeatedly condemned for animal treatment and workers’ rights violations – was not providing proper protective equipment.
Here's the same map, but with Sampson County circled instead of highlighted. The hotspots neighboring it are Bladen and Duplin counties. What's going on down there?? pic.twitter.com/M1018r6n6y
“We don’t have a lot of space at work. We are shoulder to shoulder,” said one worker, who declined to be identified, during a recent union call. “I’m afraid to go to work, but I have to go.”
On 8 June, the health department for Burke county, where the Case Farms facility is located, reported 136 new Covid cases, a 25% increase in its total caseload. Yet neither the company, county officials nor the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services would confirm whether those cases were connected to Case Farms.
The spike in cases in these counties all appear to be linked to outbreaks at meat-processing plants. Might be worth checking who donated to that sheriff's election campaign…https://t.co/8U1q21OpKK — Logan J Everett (@loganjeverett) June 25, 2020
It is just one example of the currently taut relationship between public health and the economy in North Carolina, as the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations rises.
Siler City is a meatpacking town in rural North Carolina, population 8,225. Workers in the tiny town are rising up in support of Black Lives Matter, drawing connections between their treatment by ICE and systemic police brutality. @facingsouth has more: https://t.co/wRnAiL24Fj — The Counter (@TheCounter) June 30, 2020
Hair salon refuses to serve employees of North Carolina meat processing plant over coronavirus fears https://t.co/fleK8BmhUS #News #Coronavirus via @dcexaminer pic.twitter.com/r43UxXFzS5 — Chris (@Chris_1791) May 26, 2020
Trump Forced Meat Processing Plants to Stay Open. Now There's Almost 600 Workers With Coronavirus at a North Carolina Plant. https://t.co/7RpFlCk1Y7 via @VICE — Jeffrey Levin (@jilevin) May 21, 2020
North Carolina is one of the largest pork and poultry producing states in the US, exporting roughly $1.25bn in hogs, chickens and turkeys every year. Health departments in rural parts of the state, areas that often lean on large meatpacking or food processing facilities as primary sources of employment, have so far been tight-lipped about Covid-19 outbreaks in those plants. read more
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/revealed-covid-19-outbreaks-meat-processing-plants-north-carolina


veteranstoday--2020-07-02--The Awful Truth Behind the Apartheid Death Squad Trained American Police (video)

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SOURCES:
Israeli historian Ilan Pappé on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine
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veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Colossal Lightning Bolts Set Size Records

On October 31 , 2018 , a spidery web of lightning unfurled over Brazil , stretching 440 miles across the sky—a length roughly equivalent to the distance between Boston and Washington , D.C .
The colossal flash set the record for longest-in-distance lightning strike recorded to date .
The electrifying event is one of two record-setting strikes recently confirmed by a World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) committee , according to a statement .
Another bolt lit up over northern Argentina on March 4 , 2019 , for a whopping 16.73 seconds , setting a record for the longest recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These are mind-boggling , incredible extremes , ” Randall Cerveny , a member of the WMO committee and a scientist at Arizona State University , tells Matthew Cappucci for the Washington Post ’ s Capital Weather Gang .
Researchers from the WMO used satellite imagery to confirm the record strikes .
The team published their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this month .
Lightning bolts result from a buildup of unbalanced electric charges in storm systems , according to NASA .
Normally , the flashes measure just a few miles long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seconds , reports Cappucci .

The electrifying event is one of two record-setting strikes recently confirmed by a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) committee, according to a statement. Another bolt lit up over northern Argentina on March 4, 2019, for a whopping 16.73 seconds, setting a record for the longest recorded duration of a lightning strike.
“These are mind-boggling, incredible extremes,” Randall Cerveny, a member of the WMO committee and a scientist at Arizona State University, tells Matthew Cappucci for the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang.
Researchers from the WMO used satellite imagery to confirm the record strikes. The team published their findings in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this month.
Lightning bolts result from a buildup of unbalanced electric charges in storm systems, according to NASA. Normally, the flashes measure just a few miles long and last for just one or two seconds, reports Cappucci.
Read More:


veteranstoday--2020-07-01--Maxi-Bust in Italy for ISIS Kamikaze’s Drug-Pills. Business or Restocking for Jihadists?

« In 2018 , the same financial police who made the bust in Salerno confiscated nearly 100 million tablets of the narcotic meant for ISIS operatives in Libya that were being shuttled from pill mills in India and Sri Lanka by way of Italy ’ s notoriously unguarded port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria » .
The Daily Beast writes many extravagant things , sometimes it turns out to be an average of fantasy , but this time it implicitly accuses Italy with some reason .
Checking the coasts where , with the government ’ s placet , boats of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land every day is not an easy task .
Above all , it is not easy for the police if this human trafficking is managed by organized crime in Italy .
This can happen not only for the presence of Cosa Nostra in Sicily , Camorra in Campania and Ndrangheta everywhere , because it is the most powerful in the world so much that it has influenced some elections in Canada ( report on the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate 2018 ) but also for the Nigerian Mafia , now deeply rooted as demonstrated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ISIS / Al Qaeda terrorists , who have now become almost a single group , despite violent rivalries , under the wise direction of the MIT ( Millî İstihbarat Teşkilâtı ) intelligence services of Turkey who are sending their hidden soldiers of the Islamic State to Italy and Europe for years , now well paid mercenaries in the war in Libya .
Controlling a port known worldwide for the landing of tankers with Liquefied Natural Gas imported from the USA for a slice of Europe should theoretically be simpler .
But in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presence of mobsters intrigued by many powerful people from southern Italy and the entire nation .
The sensational and brilliant operation of the GICO ( Organized Crime Investigation Group ) of the Guardia di Finanza conducted in the port of Salerno with the ISIS maxi-drug seizure in part belies the idea of the unattended ports that have made on the Italian peninsula the Americans .
Indeed in US there are the main traffickers and drug dealers as recalled by the Pizza Connection operation conducted by the FBI together with the magistrate Giovanni Falcone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assassinated in an attack with a military explosive perhaps because of his investigations into these lucrative trades .
But this phrase from a media still famous in the USA helps us to understand not only the bitter reality with which Italy “ spaghetti , mandolin and mafia ” is considered in the world but also the highly probable critical issues of a country where in 2019 there several high-level politicians have also been arrested for sometimes suspicious , sometimes shamefully obvious , with the ‘ Ndrangheta and mafia associations in general .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raw as reported by the site of the state TV RAI News .
« Fourteen tons of amphetamines , about 84 million tablets with the “ Captagon ” logo , known as “ the drug of Isis ” or “ the drug of Jihad ” .
It is the largest seizure worldwide of this type of substances that was struck in the port of Salerno by the Gico della Guardia di finance of Naples in execution of a search decree issued by the prosecutor ’ s office of Naples – District anti-mafia director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigations into an organization with international projections – Rai News reports – The drug , for a market value of over a billion euros , was hidden in paper cylinders for industrial use inside three containers containing machinery .
As is well known , ISIS finances its activities also and above all with the trafficking of synthetic drugs , produced largely in Syria , which has become the leading world producer of amphetamines in recent years » « The Captagon is sold throughout the Middle East and is widespread both among fighters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because it does not make fatigue felt .
Initially produced mainly in Lebanon and widespread in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s , this narcotic substance reappeared in terrorist lairs – such as in the attack on the Bataclan in Paris in 2015 – and was therefore nicknamed the “ Isis drug ” or the “ Jihad drug ” .
According to the US Goddess ( Drug enforcement administration ) , ISIS makes extensive use of it in all the territories over which it exercises influence and controls its sale » adds the Italian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarming and reassuring in itself .
The pills intended to enrich ISIS were blocked by law enforcement agencies before being marketed in Italy and Europe .
But this episode raises a question that only those who have carefully analyzed the situation in Libya , torn apart by the civil war inflamed by Turkish mercenaries , can ask themselves .
Were this massive shipment of breathtaking pills – above all ideal to remove any inhibitory brake to an Islamic extremist suicide bomber – were sent to Italy , and therefore to Europe , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they the supply of drugs to annihilate the fear destined for the jihadists who have already infiltrated the Old Continent thanks to the boats that leave Libya every day ?
In a latest Gospa News report , we reported that well-informed sources on the Libyan conflict reported 14,000 jihadists who arrived in Libya ( in support of the Tripoli government ) , many of whom came from a military experience as terrorists of ISIS and Al Qaeda and not only as “ simple ” Syrian anti-Assad rebels of the National Syrian Army NSA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TNSA because it was created , controlled and managed by Ankara after the Peace Spring criminal operation launched in October 2019 by Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan .
In others we reported at least 200 jihadists who fled Libya and arrived in Italy through the boats of migrants rescued by NGOs .
We are not only thinking about the business of ISIS on amphetamines fortunately seized by Finance .
We also think about the fact that precisely those pills can help to find courage for terrible actions of the suicide bombers who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this is hindered today by GICO Finance investigators but it also happens in a very particular geopolitical context .
That of the Italian government that continues to make alliances in the Weapons ’ Lobby and with the Muslim Brothers of Qatar , hidden supporters of the Turkish operation in Libya not only accepted but also praised by the Italian ambassador in Tripoli .

by Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT Italy
Versione Originale in Italiano
«In 2018, the same financial police who made the bust in Salerno confiscated nearly 100 million tablets of the narcotic meant for ISIS operatives in Libya that were being shuttled from pill mills in India and Sri Lanka by way of Italy’s notoriously unguarded port of Gioia Tauro in Calabria».
The Daily Beast writes many extravagant things, sometimes it turns out to be an average of fantasy, but this time it implicitly accuses Italy with some reason. Checking the coasts where, with the government’s placet, boats of African, Middle Eastern or Asian migrants land every day is not an easy task. Above all, it is not easy for the police if this human trafficking is managed by organized crime in Italy.
This can happen not only for the presence of Cosa Nostra in Sicily, Camorra in Campania and Ndrangheta everywhere, because it is the most powerful in the world so much that it has influenced some elections in Canada (report on the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate 2018) but also for the Nigerian Mafia, now deeply rooted as demonstrated in previous reports, and for the infiltrations of ISIS / Al Qaeda terrorists, who have now become almost a single group, despite violent rivalries, under the wise direction of the MIT (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilâtı) intelligence services of Turkey who are sending their hidden soldiers of the Islamic State to Italy and Europe for years, now well paid mercenaries in the war in Libya.
Controlling a port known worldwide for the landing of tankers with Liquefied Natural Gas imported from the USA for a slice of Europe should theoretically be simpler. But in reality it is not because of the presence of mobsters intrigued by many powerful people from southern Italy and the entire nation.
The sensational and brilliant operation of the GICO (Organized Crime Investigation Group) of the Guardia di Finanza conducted in the port of Salerno with the ISIS maxi-drug seizure in part belies the idea of the unattended ports that have made on the Italian peninsula the Americans. Indeed in US there are the main traffickers and drug dealers as recalled by the Pizza Connection operation conducted by the FBI together with the magistrate Giovanni Falcone killed by Cosa Nostra in Sicily, assassinated in an attack with a military explosive perhaps because of his investigations into these lucrative trades.
But this phrase from a media still famous in the USA helps us to understand not only the bitter reality with which Italy “spaghetti, mandolin and mafia” is considered in the world but also the highly probable critical issues of a country where in 2019 there several high-level politicians have also been arrested for sometimes suspicious, sometimes shamefully obvious, with the ‘Ndrangheta and mafia associations in general.
We come therefore reporting the news naked and raw as reported by the site of the state TV RAI News.
«Fourteen tons of amphetamines, about 84 million tablets with the “Captagon” logo, known as “the drug of Isis” or “the drug of Jihad”. It is the largest seizure worldwide of this type of substances that was struck in the port of Salerno by the Gico della Guardia di finance of Naples in execution of a search decree issued by the prosecutor’s office of Naples – District anti-mafia director at the end of long and complex investigations into an organization with international projections – Rai News reports – The drug, for a market value of over a billion euros, was hidden in paper cylinders for industrial use inside three containers containing machinery. As is well known, ISIS finances its activities also and above all with the trafficking of synthetic drugs, produced largely in Syria, which has become the leading world producer of amphetamines in recent years»
«The Captagon is sold throughout the Middle East and is widespread both among fighters to inhibit fear and pain and among civilians because it does not make fatigue felt. Initially produced mainly in Lebanon and widespread in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, this narcotic substance reappeared in terrorist lairs – such as in the attack on the Bataclan in Paris in 2015 – and was therefore nicknamed the “Isis drug” or the “Jihad drug”. According to the US Goddess (Drug enforcement administration), ISIS makes extensive use of it in all the territories over which it exercises influence and controls its sale» adds the Italian national TV site.
The news is alarming and reassuring in itself. The pills intended to enrich ISIS were blocked by law enforcement agencies before being marketed in Italy and Europe. But this episode raises a question that only those who have carefully analyzed the situation in Libya, torn apart by the civil war inflamed by Turkish mercenaries, can ask themselves.
Were this massive shipment of breathtaking pills – above all ideal to remove any inhibitory brake to an Islamic extremist suicide bomber – were sent to Italy, and therefore to Europe, for a colossal business only? Or are they the supply of drugs to annihilate the fear destined for the jihadists who have already infiltrated the Old Continent thanks to the boats that leave Libya every day?
In a latest Gospa News report, we reported that well-informed sources on the Libyan conflict reported 14,000 jihadists who arrived in Libya (in support of the Tripoli government), many of whom came from a military experience as terrorists of ISIS and Al Qaeda and not only as “simple” Syrian anti-Assad rebels of the National Syrian Army NSA.
This war force was also called TNSA because it was created, controlled and managed by Ankara after the Peace Spring criminal operation launched in October 2019 by Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan.
In others we reported at least 200 jihadists who fled Libya and arrived in Italy through the boats of migrants rescued by NGOs. We are not only thinking about the business of ISIS on amphetamines fortunately seized by Finance. We also think about the fact that precisely those pills can help to find courage for terrible actions of the suicide bombers who have already arrived at our house.
All of this is hindered today by GICO Finance investigators but it also happens in a very particular geopolitical context. That of the Italian government that continues to make alliances in the Weapons’ Lobby and with the Muslim Brothers of Qatar, hidden supporters of the Turkish operation in Libya not only accepted but also praised by the Italian ambassador in Tripoli.
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio
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no reproduction without authorization – italian original version
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