Opinion View from the neighbourhood | From G20 in New Delhi and BCCI’s strong-arm tactics: What the Pakistani media is talking about

India, that is Bharat

The official invitations to foreign dignitaries for the G20 summit were sent by the President of Bharat instead of India. This curious move raised doubts with many speculating that the government is pushing to change the official name of the country from India to Bharat. The Pakistani media commented on the potential reasons for this move.

Dawn (September 8) says, “There’s speculation that the opposition’s new collective name, INDIA, the acronym for the Indian National Inclusive Development Alliance, is worrying the government ahead of the general elections in May.” Meanwhile, Express Tribune (September 7) believes, “While Indian nationalists can fairly claim that India has colonial connotations due to its foreign origin, Bharat has increasingly been used to signify not just Hinduism, but a specific, north Indian breed, which corresponds with the areas where the ruling BJP is the strongest.” Hence, “Abandoning an inclusive name in favour of one that may alienate a large portion of the country does not come across as a good reason, no matter how many votes it generates.”

Sexual harassment in Karachi school

The principal of a private school in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Irfan Ghafoor Memon, was arrested on September 4 for sexually harassing and blackmailing over 45 women under the pretext of providing them employment in the school. The incident came to light after a video of Memon and a female teacher went viral. The police recovered about 25 videos from Memon’s phone. This incident puts a spotlight on crimes in educational institutes that are meant to be nurturing and learning spaces for children.

The Nation (September 7) says, “To have the head of the institution—i.e. the principal—commit such vile acts jeopardises the very notion of safety… there must be an investigation into what the hiring process of educational institutes look like; we need effective profile scanning, a system for verifying qualifications, as well as accountability measures in place to deter even the potential of such acts being committed.” Express Tribune (September 7) says, “It is a disturbing reminder of the moral deprivation the country is currently suffering from… To prevent such incidents and protect the vulnerable schools across the country, there is a need to establish transparent and confidential reporting mechanisms, ensuring that students, staff and parents can voice their concerns without fear of retribution.”

BCCI’s strong-arm

On September 2, the Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan was washed out due to heavy rains in the Sri Lankan city of Kandy. With Sri Lanka experiencing rainy weather in many parts, five matches in Colombo could also be affected. So, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the Colombo matches will be moved to the city of Hambantota. But the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) “apparently at the behest of the BCCI, negated this” and emphasised that matches will be held in Colombo, as was decided earlier. Moreover, BCCI’s Jay Shah also “refused to entertain the offer by the Pakistan Cricket Board to shift matches of the Super Four stage from rainy Colombo to drier Lahore” (Dawn, September 9).

News International (September 6) says, “This sad state of affairs clearly underlines the fact that BCCI, which carries enormous financial muscle, continues to bully other boards especially Pakistan… This cannot be allowed to go on.” Dawn (September 9) says, “In effect, Mr Shah is running the tournament that PCB was supposed to host. Even Indian analysts agree that his position as ACC chief is a conflict of interest due to his BCCI role. Cricket will continue to be politicised for as long as he remains the ACC chief.”

Drug shortage

Pakistan is facing a shortage of key medicines and non-essential drugs as well as some life-saving drugs such as insulin, vaccines, and immunoglobulins. This has led to a booming black market that remains unregulated and with potentially counterfeit medicines.

Daily Times (September 8) says, “A crippling lack of forex reserves has hampered the overall capacity to import medicines as well as the raw materials used to manufacture drugs locally… A country cannot be expected to continue in a state where it appears unable to provide fundamental rights of healthcare to its citizens.” The Nation (September 5) talks about the measures needed to ensure the availability and safety of medicines saying, “The government must collaborate closely with pharmaceutical manufacturers, health authorities, and regulatory bodies to ensure the continued availability of essential medicines. Strict regulations and monitoring need to be implemented to curb the black market.”

adya.goyal@expressindia.com