ISLAMABAD: Custodians of shrines, commonly known as pirs (spiritual leaders), are considered as vital part of Pakistani politics.
They enjoy a vast support of their followers both in rural and urban areas of the country that makes them power players in electoral politics.
The shrines of spiritual leaders are spread across Pakistan, especially in Punjab and Sindh provinces, besides the country’s federal capital – Islamabad.
The custodians of these shrines either contest elections from platforms of different political parties or announce their support for a particular candidate or a political party.
Their influence over the thousands of devotees make them a power players in electoral politics as devotees look to the pirs for guidance during the elections. Leaders of the key political parties visit them to seek their support.
“Basically, we are a conservative society and people still consider the pirs as their spiritual guide and take pride in becoming their devotees,” Professor Tahir Malik, political analyst and academic, told Arab News.
He said that in Punjab and Sindh provinces some pirs not only contest the elections, but are elected to the Parliament with ease as well. “They are electable candidates in their respective constituencies and change their political loyalties to remain in power and keep hold on their devotees-cum-constituents,” he said.
He added that shrine guardians participated in 1937 and 1946 elections of the subcontinent (partitioned into the two separate countries of India and Pakistan in 1947), emerging as a formidable force on the basis of their strong religious following.
“The pirs and their politics will keep thriving in Pakistan while superstitions and illiteracy persist,” he said, adding that control over the devotees is, however, waning with the increasing sway of the Internet and social media.
According to a research by Dr. Adeel Malik, a professor of development economics at the University of Oxford, there are around 64 shrines in Punjab province with direct political connections.
Multan district in Pakistan’s Punjab province has the highest number of shrine families in politics followed by Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Okara, Taunsa Sharif and Chishtian.
This research found that around 16 percent of the 342 members of the National Assembly that completed its five-year term in May belonged to shrine families.
For the 2018 elections, many shrine families are contesting the election from South Punjab while others support candidates and political parties of their choice.
Punjab remains the major battlefield for political parties for its number of seats in the National Assembly.
The province has 141 seats in the Lower House of the Parliament out of the 272 in which candidates contest direct elections.
It is said that the party to win Punjab can easily form a government in the center. This increases importance of the pirs and landlords in the province who emerge as the electable candidates for every political party.
The pirs, besides being guardians of the shrines, own vast extracts of agricultural land in their respective areas and collect donations from followers. This makes them virtually invincible in their constituencies.
Fayyaz Raja, a political analyst at a private television channel, said that the pirs and their followers traditionally supported two major political parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party – in the polls.
“This time the majority of them have switched to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf due to the Khatam-e-Nabuwat issue,” he told Arab News.
An amendment in Khatam-e-Nabuwat (finality of Prophethood) clause, now withdrawn, prompted a row in November last year and will cost the outgoing ruling party, PML-N, in this election, Raja believes.
Custodians of some shrines are contesting elections as independent candidates, he said, adding they would become part of a political wheeling and dealing after the elections to form the government and get ministries of their choice.
Raja said that in the past couple of months, PTI chairman Imran Khan has been exploiting the issue of Khatam-e-Nabuwat and has succeeded in getting support of different shrines.
“It is quite normal for these pirs to switch political loyalties ahead of the elections,” he said, “this time they have used Khatam-e-Nabuwat as the pretext and switched to PTI to become part of the power game.”
Shrines; the other invisible power in Pakistani politics
Shrines; the other invisible power in Pakistani politics
- According to research, around 64 shrines in Punjab alone have political connections
- Political analysts say pirs change their political loyalties before elections to retain political influence and a keep a hold on followers
Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028
- Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole, known for its challenging terrain, by China in 2028
- Pakistan’s rover will conduct scientific experiments such as lunar soil study and conduct tests for human presence
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency announced this week its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028, describing the development as a “significant milestone” for the South Asian country.
The Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole by China, expected to launch in 2028. The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the country’s space program, said its rover will land on the lunar south pole in 2028 as part of the Chang’ E 8 mission. The south pole of the moon is known for its challenging terrain and potential scientific discoveries.
In May, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.
“SUPARCO’s rover, with an approximate weight of 35 kilograms, will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission, which is part of the larger International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project,” SUPARCO said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space program, as SUPARCO’s indigenous rover will be part of the mission to explore the lunar surface.”
SUPARCO said the mission would involve scientific experiments such as lunar soil study, lunar surface mapping and testing new technologies for human presence on the moon. It highlighted that the rover, equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, would play a pivotal role in collecting data.
“This collaboration with China highlights the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and their shared vision for space exploration,” it concluded.
After ODI series win, Rizwan to lead Pakistan in first T20I against Australia today
- Pakistan to play three-match series against Australia on Nov. 14, 16 and 18 in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart
- Rizwan’s side defeated Australia 2-1 in three-match series last week to win first series in Australia since 2002
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead his side for the first time against Australia in a T20I format at Brisbane today, Thursday, after steering the green shirts to their first ever ODI series victory against the 2023 world champions since 2022.
Rizwan will become the 12th person to assume Pakistan’s T20 captaincy when he takes the field in Brisbane for the first T20I. Pakistan’s cricket team, encouraged by stellar performances from fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, beat Australia 2-1 in the three-match series that concluded last week.
After Thursday’s match, Pakistan will play against Australia in Sydney and Hobart on Nov. 16 and 18 respectively. Pakistani cricketers Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usman Khan joined the T20I squad in Brisbane on Nov. 11 after undergoing a five-day training camp in the southern port city of Karachi.
“We are confident after beating Australia in the ODI series but international cricket is always challenging so we aim to do things as better as we can going into this T20I series against Australia,” Rizwan said a day before the match.
“We have determined the roles of various players in the team and look forward to executing our best plans not just in this series but also in the upcoming white-ball fixtures against Zimbabwe and South Africa.”
The Pakistan captain said he wanted to keep all the players involved in the series motivated.
“Of course, the conditions have helped the bowlers on this tour so far but we also want to prove our mettle as a batting unit and I look forward to an exciting contest in the three matches,” he said.
Pakistan last faced Australia in a T20 contest in March 2022 when the two teams played a one-off T20I in Lahore, which Australia won. In Pakistan’s last T20I series in Australia in November 2019, the hosts won 2-0 after the opening match ended in a no result.
Josh Inglis will lead Australia in the T20I series while Tim David and Nathan Ellis have joined Australia’s T20I squad. Josh Philippe, meanwhile, has replaced the injured Cooper Connolly.
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain – wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Imran Khan forms committee to lead Nov. 24 protest to Islamabad, conduct negotiations
- PTI is protesting alleged rigging of elections, calling for release of political prisoners, independence of judiciary
- Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment, election commission denies elections were rigged
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday he had formed a leadership committee to lead a planned protest in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 24 and conduct negotiations as his party prepares to launch an anti-government movement.
The jailed leader’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has announced a ‘long march’ to Islamabad over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary.
“I have formed a leadership committee to lead the protest and conduct negotiations,” Khan said in an X message from prison, urging his supporters to reach Islamabad for the protest and “not return until our demands are met.”
It was unclear who the committee would negotiate with, but in the past Khan has called for talks with the military, describing it as the “real decision-makers” as opposed to the “puppet government” led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Regarding the Nov. 24 protest, the PTI’s first demand is a rollback of recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment that it says is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. The party is also calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, and a return of “the public mandate” following what it believes was a rigged general election.
Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment and its election commission denies the elections were rigged. The government also says the recent amendments related to the judiciary are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.
Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current PM Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics.
Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated.
PM launches prevention program as over 33 million Pakistanis found to have diabetes
- Additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance
- Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, National Diabetes Day, his government was launching a new program for the control and prevention of diabetes in a country where over 33 million people had the chronic disease.
According to a new analysis in The Lancet journal released this week, the percentage of adults suffering from diabetes across the world has doubled over the past three decades, with the biggest rises coming in developing countries.
The serious health condition affected around 14 percent of all adults worldwide in 2022, compared to seven percent in 1990, the Lancet study said. Taking into account the growing global population, the team of researchers estimated that more than 800 million people are now diabetic, compared to less than 200 million in 1990.
“At the Federal level, we will be launching the ‘Prime Minister’s Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus’ under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination,” Sharif said in a statement.
“Objective of this program is controlling the disease in federal areas and improving capacities in all provinces for providing universal health coverage, diagnosis, and treatment for diabetic patients, along with raising awareness and behavioral change.”
With 33 million of its citizens having diabetes, Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations. An additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance, while approximately 8 to 9 million with diabetes remain undiagnosed.
“The major risk factors leading to diabetes in Pakistan are environmental and geographical reasons in addition to genetic variants, dietary, as well as inactive lifestyle,” Sharif said.
“The Government of Pakistan is fully committed in controlling this escalation and delivering wellbeing to diabetic population.”
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.
Type 1 diabetes affects patients from a young age and is more difficult to treat because it is caused by an insulin deficiency. Type 2 mainly affects middle-aged or older people who lose their sensitivity to insulin.
Army says suicide bomber recruiter among four militants killed in southwest Pakistan
- High value target recruited suicide bombers for separatist outfit BLA in district Kech, says army
- Last week’s bomb blast claimed by BLA at railway station in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 24
ISLAMABAD: Security forces shot dead four militants, among them a recruiter for suicide bombers for the separatist outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an intelligence-based operation in southwest Pakistan, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
The operation was conducted in Balgatar area of southwestern Balochistan province’s Kech district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said.
Pakistan launched an armed operation in Balochistan earlier this month against separatist militants behind multiple attacks in August in which over 50 people, including civilians and security officials were killed. The BLA also claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last week that killed at least 24 people and left 50 injured at a railway station in Quetta.
“During the conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, four terrorists including a high-value target, terrorist ringleader Sana (alias) Baru were killed,” the ISPR said.
“He was a focal recruitment agent, especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade in District Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies.”
Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the slain “terrorists,” the army’s media wing said. It added that security forces had launched a sanitization operation to eliminate any other “terrorists” found in the area.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares porous borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for decades. Ethnic Baloch nationalists have long accused the central government and Punjab of monopolizing profits from Balochistan’s natural resources.
The state denies these allegations and says it is working on several projects to usher in development in the gas-and-oil rich province.
