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Showing posts from July, 2016

Significance of AJK poll results

Courtesy:-  Malik M Ashraf The PML (N) has made a clean sweep in the AJK polls by clinching 32 seats out of 41 directly contested seats, contrary to pre-poll assessments of political commentators and the propaganda of some private TV channels. The pundits who forecast mixed results have been fairly and squarely proven wrong. The elections were held in a peaceful atmosphere barring sporadic skirmishes among the workers of different political parties. However, no major incident of violence or irregularities was reported. Imran Khan and the PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari failed to create any impact. The factors which contributed to this landslide victory for PML (N) include: dismal performance by the PPP government during its tenure like the government under Zardari in the centre between 2008-2013; rejection of the politics of hurling unsubstantiated allegations against PML (N) government by both Imran and Bilawal; their immature approach to serious issues like Kashmir and lack of under

The inhuman humanity

Courtesy:-  MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF Attention global humanitarians: this is not  just  a territorial dispute  What goes on in Kashmir with the acquiescence and criminal tolerance of the so-called civilised world, never tiring of espousing the cause of human rights and human liberties whenever dictated by political expediencies and their own interests, rightly earns them the epithet of inhumane humanity.  What a shame that the self-styled champions of human causes, remain unmoved by the spilling of the blood of the people of Kashmir and the never ending orgy of rapes and violation of human rights by the Indian security forces. According to reports compiled by international human rights organisations the Indian security forces in Kashmir have killed nearly 94 thousand Kashmiris during the last 26 years, raped more than ten thousand women and killed more than seven thousand persons while in custody, under the protection of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, particularly section 7 of the

Foreign policy and its imperatives

Courtesy:- Malik Muhammad Ashraf   Management of foreign relations is the most arduous and complex task in view of the fact that the countries of the world have divergent national interests and foreign policy objectives in addition to host of other conflicting strategic interests. Nevertheless, all the nations of the world in the domain of their bilateral relations as well as working together on international forums try to ensure that their national and strategic interests are well served. Every country, therefore, has certain well-defined narratives, and strives to achieve them successfully. However, the success of the policy objectives depends on a variety of internal and external factors, and developments taking place in the region as well as at the global level, which have a direct bearing on the policies of a particular country. In the modern era, instead of use of brute military force, nations increasingly tend to rely on their soft power to pursue their foreign policy