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- India’s separatist movements make its nuclear assets unsafe: Ausaf
- Khyber-Pakhtunkwa: Got name, now concentrate on real issues: Mashriq
- 18th Constitutional amendment: Landmark development in country’s history: Ausaf
- 18th Constitutional amendment: personal interest was given priority over national interest: Nawa-e-Waqt
- Pakistan Pulse
Ausaf, Editorial, April 13, 2010
India’s separatist movements make its nuclear assets unsafe: Ausaf
The Ausaf Daily has criticized the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over his concerns expressed in Washington that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are not safe and terrorists can get access to them. The Daily says that “India’s ruling class, media and politicians do not spare a chance to malign Pakistan and isolate it from the international community. There are 124 districts in India in which terrorists and separatists have their writ.” The paper opines that “dozens of separatist movements in India pose threat to its nuclear assets and at any time it can go in the hands of the extremists.” The Editorial notes that there have been some cases of enriched uranium smuggling in India which indicate that India’s nuclear assets are not safe. As regards Pakistan, the newspaper says that Pakistan has a strong Command and Control System which secures Pakistan’s atomic assets. Against this background, the editorial advises India that before blaming anyone else it should “introspect and safeguard its nuclear assets from the hands of terrorists and separatists.”
http://www.dailyausaf.com/news/id/28114/
Mashriq, editorial, April 17, 2010
Khyber-Pakhtunkwa: Got name, now concentrate on real issues: Mashriq
The debate over the 18th amendment continues in the Pakistani media for the second consecutive week. Many Pakistani Urdu Dailies have written editorials on the issue. The Mashriq Urdu Daily in its editorial notes that “we understand that this region should be protected from every kind of extremist elements. We should also be cautious about the planning of external elements who want to change the geographical map of the region.” The daily suggests that “the issue of the new name should be put to rest now” and the people in the region should move ahead and concentrate on another issues. It suggests that the ruling Awami Nationalist Party should ensure peace in the province and pursue people to invest in the region so that the region could prosper.
http://www.dailymashriq.com.pk/editoral/edit%204%2017.html
Ausaf, Eidtorial, April 17, 2010
18th Constitutional amendment: Landmark development in country’s history: Ausaf
The Ausaf Urdu Daily in its editorial describes the approval of 18th Constitutional amendment as a “landmark” development in Pakistan’s history. The daily says that “restoration of Constitution through 18th Constitutional reform was a difficult task, but for the first time in Pakistan’s history the opposition and government has achieved this landmark.” The daily opines that Pakistan’s leadership should continue this political unity in future and suggests that they should “put their differences aside and should think how to address issues concerning the people such as how to control prices of public utilities, how to control the spiraling petrol prices and hikes in electricity charges. They should also think how to counter the internal and external challenges posed to Pakistan. And how to improve the education system?” The daily says that this could only be possible when they develop the capacity of tolerance to face criticism.
The daily suggests that the political leadership should rise above their thinking of “point scoring” and only concentrate their energy on people’s welfare. They should not “try to take political mileage out of Hazara incident and should try to douse the fire there.” It warns the political parties that “if they try to add fuel to the fire (after unrest in Hazara) they cannot restore political unrest in the country.”
http://www.dailyausaf.com/news/id/28471/
Ausaf, Eidtorial, April 16, 2010
18th Constitutional amendment: personal interest was given priority over national interest: Nawa-e-Waqt
Commenting on the issue of Constitutional amendment and changing the name of NWFP, the Nawa-e-Waqt Urdu daily says that “after the passage of the bill by both the houses of parliament, NWFP’s new name (Khyber-Pakhtunkwa) has become a part of Pakistani Constitution and soon it will become part of official documents and textbooks.” The daily opines that changing the name of NWFP was “in fact a worst example of ‘political black mailing’ in which personal interest was given priority over national interest.” In an scathing attack of Nawaz Sharif’s role on the issue, the editorial says that “unfortunately, planning of country’s disintegration took place with the hand of Muslim League (N) leader Nawaz Sharif who provided an opportunity to Frontier Gandhi’s (Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan) heirs to realize his goal in exchange of support for 18th amendment bill.” The editorial further opines that “Nawaz Sharif who considers himself heir of Qaed-e- Azam has not only accepted the demand for changing NWFP’s name but has suggested the name of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa keeping the vested interest of his third term as Prime Minister.” This step was “sacrificing national interest over self interest.” The paper says that violence that erupted in Hazara, after the approval of the name by the senate, has endangered national integrity and has created a situation of political unrest in the country. The daily wonders whether Nawaz Sharif will realize his ambition of assuming Prime Ministership for third term? This is a big question, in the daily’s view.
http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-urdu-online/Opinions/Editorials/16-Apr-2010/10247
Pakistan Pulse
Majority of Pakistanis support changing NWFP’s name to Pakhtunkhwa: Opinion Poll
Though the vernacular press in Pakistan has a different opinion on the government’s decision to change NWFP’s name, public opinion seems supportive on the issue. An opinion poll conducted by the Asas Urdu daily suggests that an overwhelming majority supports the move. When the daily posed a question whether the government should change the name of NWFP, 8214 people responded “Yes” while only 2431 people responded “No”.
Q. Should the government change the name of NWFP? (Poll conducted on April 13, 2010)
Majority of Pakistanis support changing NWFP’s name to Pakhtunkhwa: Opinion Poll
Interestingly, yet another poll conducted amidst the political unease in Hazara division over changing NWFP’s name suggested that Pakistanis are in favour of granting Hazara a status equal to a province. Thus public opinion in Pakistan seems converging in favour of creating states along ethnic and linguistic lines. When the Asas daily asked respondents whether it would be better to give Hazara the status of a new province, a majority (6302 respondents) responded Yes.
Q. Would it be better to give Hazara the status of a new province? (Poll conducted on April 15, 2010)