Islamabad, December 5, 2022: U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome joined Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif at Mangla Hydro Power Station today to celebrate the completion of a $150 Million U.S.-funded project to refurbish and improve the station’s power generation capacity. The project adds 300 megawatts of additional power to the station’s capacity, enough to provide power to 100,000 households and 2 million Pakistanis. The U.S.-funded project in collaboration with private firms and the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is the latest project in a long history of U.S. assistance to help Pakistan develop clean, renewable energy.
“This project builds upon the foundational partnership of the original construction. We are proud of our enduring efforts to help extend Mangla Dam’s useful service as a reliable source of clean energy and irrigation water,” said Ambassador Blome. “When Mangla Dam was built in the 1960s by U.S. engineering firms, it was one of the largest earth-filled dams in the world. Not only is it an impressive achievement in engineering, it is also an excellent example of the Green Alliance between the United States and Pakistan.”
The United States invested in Pakistan’s electrification more than 50 years ago, constructing dams and hydropower plants that continue to provide reliable, efficient, and clean energy today. These projects dramatically increased Pakistan’s electricity capacity – today powering the homes of more than 50 million people. The dams also help to prevent catastrophic water shortages, mitigate the effects of flooding and expand agricultural productivity. The Mangla and Tarbela Dams alone can store about 10 percent of the water passing through Pakistan. Gomal Zam Dam irrigation doubled agricultural output in the surrounding area, providing food and economic opportunities to thousands of people, and helped save lives and livelihoods during the recent flooding.
The new army chief on Saturday said the military was ready to defend “every inch of our motherland” if attacked, during a visit to the Line of Control (LoC).
The visit came less than a week since General Asim Munir took charge as the 17th army chief of Pakistan at a ceremony held at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on November 29.
The change of command ceremony took place after a gap of six years, as General Qamar Javed Bajwa, now retired, was given a three-year extension in 2019.
According to the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief interacted with officers and soldiers and appreciated their high morale, professional competence and combat readiness while performing their duties in challenging conditions.
“We have noticed highly irresponsible statements from Indian leadership on G-B & AJK recently. Let me make it categorically clear, Pakistan’s armed forces are ever ready, not only to defend every inch of our motherland, but to take the fight back to the enemy, if ever, war is imposed on us,” the COAS emphasised.
General Asim said that any misconception resulting in a misadventure will always be met with the full might of the armed forces backed by a resilient nation.
“Indian state will never be able to achieve her nefarious designs. The world must ensure justice and deliver what is promised to the Kashmiri people as per the UN resolutions,” the army chief concluded.
Earlier on arrival, Corps Commander Rawalpindi Lieutenant General Shahid Imtiaz received the COAS.
The statement comes in response to India’s Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi’s remarks he had made last month that the Indian Army was “always ready to make sure that ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations, but if broken at any time, we will give them a befitting reply”.
He added that the Indian military was ready to execute the government’s orders, such as, taking back AJK, according to the Indian media.
“As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the government of India. Whenever such orders are given, we will always be ready for it,” Lt Gen Dwivedi was quoted as saying.
He further levelled allegations related to terrorism against Pakistan.
Filmmaker Nadav Lapid, head of the jury at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), slammed the controversial film The Kashmir Files – an official entry at the event – calling it a “propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival”.
The controversial Kashmir Files, laced heavily with the anti-Muslim sentiment, has warranted attention from critics and politicians as they voice their condemnation and air their concerns in the wake of the film’s plot, which is thick with right-wing radical patriotism.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the event in Goa, in the presence of top government ministers, Lapid said, “All of them [jury members]” were “disturbed and shocked” to see the film screened at the festival. The annual film festival is organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, which is part of the Union ministry of information and broadcasting.
“I’d like to thank the head of the festival and the director of the programming for the cinematic richness of the program, for its diversity, for its complexity. It was intense. We saw seven films in the debutant competition, and 15 films in the international competition — the front window of the festival. 14 out of them had cinematic qualities, defaults and evoked vivid discussions,” said Lapid.
“All of us were disturbed and shocked by the 15th film, The Kashmir Files. That felt like a propaganda, vulgar movie, inappropriate for an artistic competitive section of such a prestigious film festival. I feel totally comfortable openly sharing these feelings here with you at this stage. In the spirit of this festival, can surely also accept a critical discussion, which is essential for art and life,” Lapid added in his remarks at the event.
‘Personal opinion’
After massive backlash, another IFFI jury member Sudipto Sen took to Twitter to clarify a few things. He said that Nadav Lapid’s comments on The Kashmir Files are his personal opinion. He further added that, as a juror, he refrained from making any political comments. One of the jury members and filmmaker Sudipto Sen took to Twitter to clear the air surrounding the controversy.
He wrote, “Whatever has been said by IFFI 2022 Jury Chairman Mr Nadav Lapid about the film, The Kashmir Files, from the stage of the closing ceremony of 53-rd IFFI was completely his personal opinion. In the official presentation of the Jury Board to the Festival Director and in the official Press Conference, where we 4 juries (the fifth jury had to leave for her personal emergency) were present and interacted with the press, we never mentioned anything about our likes or dislikes. Both were our official collective opinion (sic).”
He further added, “As jurors, we are assigned to judge the technical, aesthetic quality, and socio-cultural relevance of a film. We don’t indulge in any kind of political comments on any film and if it is done, it is completely in a personal capacity – nothing to do with the esteemed Jury Board (sic).”
The Ruckus
The director of the film, Vivek Agnihotri, since then posted a cryptic tweet hours after his film was termed ‘vulgar propaganda’ by the jury head at the ongoing 53rd International Film Festival of India. Without mentioning the film or the incident, Vivek tweeted about how ‘truth can make people lie’.
Actor Anupam Kher, who played the lead in The Kashmir Files, has responded on jury head’s claims. On Tuesday morning, while speaking to the media, he referred to Lapid and said, “It seems pre-planned as immediately after that the toolkit gang became active.”
He added, “It’s shameful for him to make a statement like this. Jews have suffered Holocaust and he comes from that community. For him to make such a statement, he has also pained those people who have been victims of this tragedy many years ago. May God give him wisdom so that he does not further his agenda on stage using the sufferings of thousands.”
In the late hours of Monday, Ranvir took to Twitter and wrote, “The singling out of a film and the language used to describe it is completely unbecoming of a film jury or critic. It reeks of politics. Cinema has always been the harbinger of truth and change, not an agent to stifle or snuff it. Shameful display of political opportunism at IFFI.”
About The Kashmir Files
The problematic film was released in March of this year and is set in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The story is concocted from the interviews conducted by Agnihotri that form the basis of this fictional drama. The interviews are of first-generation victims of the alleged Kashmir Genocide of the Pandit Community of 1990.
It is important to note that the ethnic cleansing that took place indeed saw lives lost in the region; however, it is vital to point out that the numbers pale in comparison to the 1947 Jammu massacre that tallied at over 200,000 Muslims murdered in cold blood.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday denounced a top Indian military official’s statement about taking control of parts of Azad Kashmir as an “apt manifestation” of the Indian army’s “delusional mindset”.
“The unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian army officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of Indian armed forces’ delusional mindset and showcases the vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought,” an early morning tweet by the ISPR director general said.
The unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian Army Officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of Indian Armed Forces’ delusional mindset and showcases the vivid imprint of domestic political showboating on Indian military thought (1/5)
The tweet referred to Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi’s statement from Tuesday, following Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks about “retrieving” parts of Azad Kashmir and his claims that citizens were subjected to human rights violations in the region.
According to Hindustan Times, Dwivedi, who is the general officer commanding-in-chief of the Indian army’s northern command, responded to the minister’s statement by underscoring that a resolution on the matter already existed in parliament.
“As far as the Indian Army is concerned, it will carry out any order given by the government of India. We are always ready for it,” the report quoted him as saying.
The army official from across the border also alleged that “there were around 300 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir at this time, with another 160 waiting for an opportunity to cross the LoC (Line of Control) and sneak into India”.
In its rebuke, the ISPR said: “The fallacious remarks and unfounded allegations of so-called ‘launch-pads’ and ‘terrorists’ are an attempt to divert attention from the Indian army’s repressive use of force and gross human rights violations against innocent, unarmed Kashmiris striving for their right of self-determination, upheld by international law and enshrined in UN (United Nations) Security Council resolutions.”
The military’s media affairs wing further said the Indian officials “lofty claims and surreal ambition is intellectually insulting.
“[The] Pakistan military is a force for good and a proponent of regional peace and stability.”
However, the ISPR warned, this desire for peace “is matched with our capability and preparation to thwart any misadventure or aggression against our territory, an assertion comprehensively validated on numerous occasions, including recently in the Balakot episode”.
In the interest of regional peace, the Indian military would do well to abstain from “irresponsible rhetoric and vitriolic communication to shore up electoral support for their political masters’ regressive ideology”, the ISPR asserted.
After weeks of intense speculation and rumours, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday chose Lt Gen Asim Munir as the new chief of army staff (COAS).
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb made the announcement on Twitter, saying the premier had made the choice while exercising his constitutional authority. She further said that Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza had been picked as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
Key developments
PM picks Lt Gen Asim Munir as new COAS and Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as CJCSC
Information minister says summary for appointments has been sent for president’s approval
Defence minister hopes president will not make the appointments “controversial”
PTI chief Imran Khan says “I and the president of Pakistan will act according to the Constitution and laws” after the summary is received
Outgoing CJCSC General Nadeem Raza holds farewell meetings with president and PM
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee is an inter-services forum that works for coordination among the three armed forces. The CJCSC also serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister and the National Command Authority.
She went on to say that a summary of the same had been sent to President Arif Alvi.
Speaking to the media minutes after the announcement was made, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the matter had been decided according to the law and the Constitution, calling on the nation to refrain from viewing it through a “political lens”.
He expressed the hope that the president would not make the appointments “controversial” and would endorse the advice of the premier.
The defence minister reiterated that the president should endorse the premier’s advice so that a “controversy may not arise”. “This will also help our country and the economy to get on track. Currently, everything is at a standstill.”
He expressed the same in a tweet, saying that the advice had been forwarded to the president. He went on to say that it would now be a test for former premier Imran Khan where he could either strengthen the institution responsible for defending the country or make it controversial.
“This is also a test for President Alvi, whether he will follow political advice or the constitutional and legal advice,” he said. “As the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, it is his duty to protect the country from political conflicts,” he said about Alvi.
Imran to consult with Alvi
Meanwhile, PTI’s official account quoted Imran Khan as saying “when the summary comes, I and the president of Pakistan will act according to the Constitution and laws”.
His statement comes a day after Imran claimed President Alvi would “definitely” consult him as soon as the summary for the appointment of next army chief reaches his office.
“President Alvi will definitely consult me on the summary for the appointment of army chief and take a decision as per the law and Constitution. I am head of the party that Dr Alvi belongs to,” he remarked while speaking to journalists at his Zaman Park residence on Wednesday.
Outgoing CJCSC calls on Alvi, Shehbaz for farewell meetings
Outgoing CJCSC General Nadeem Raza held farewell meetings with President Alvi and PM Shehbaz.
A statement from Aiwan-i-Sadr said Gen Raza called on President Alvi in a farewell meeting.
President Arif Alvi and Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Nadeem Raza photographed in a farewell meeting on Thursday.—President House
“The president appreciated the services of General Nadeem Raza for national defence,” it said. “The president expressed his best wishes for Gen Raza.”
Separately, the PML-N tweeted a video of Gen Raza meeting PM Shehbaz at the PM House. “The prime minister paid tribute to Gen Raza for strengthening the defence of the country and for his services to the army.”
COAS appointment saga
Outgoing COAS Qamar Javed Bajwa was originally supposed to retire in 2019. However, his tenure was extended for three years by then-prime minister Imran Khan in Aug 2019, just three months before he was set to retire.
Despite speculation about him seeking another extension, Bajwa had indicated several months ago that he planned to retire this year.
His retirement plan was later confirmed by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on at least a couple of occasions and the general had himself in the last few months twice made it clear that he had no intentions to carry on — once during his visit to the United States and then again, while speaking at the National Security Workshop at National Defence University.
The next army chief’s appointment is at times mentioned as one of the major subplots in the ongoing political crisis engulfing the country which began earlier this year following the tabling of a no-trust motion against Imran.
Doubts about Bajwa’s retirement plan had been so strong that Imran, when faced with the vote of no-confidence, suspected that the political move against him was linked to Gen Bajwa’s impending retirement. He had, therefore, offered an indefinite extension to Gen Bajwa in a bid to pre-empt the then opposition’s vote against him, as per a recent presser by senior military officials.
Gen Bajwa started his farewell visits to formations on Nov 1 with a visit to the Army Air Defence Command and followed up the next day with a visit to Armed Forces Strategic Forces Command. Since then, he quietly toured a number of formations.
In a farewell address, Gen Bajwa acknowledged that the military received criticism for “unconstitutionally interfering in politics”, and at the same time criticised political parties for erring and being intolerant towards rivals.
He also called on political stakeholders to reflect on their attitudes as the “army had started its catharsis” as he emphasised the need for the restoration of political stability.
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