Opinion A missing Hindu child in Sindh and how Pakistan’s image as an ‘unsafe’ nation hurts tourism
View from Pakistan: A cold war between Imran Khan’s PTI and the PML-N; US election drama — choosing between war apologists and a populist convicted on felony charges; the curious missing case of Priya Kumari; ease in visa policy.
Express Tribune (July 24) believes that while the “parents and protest organisers have welcomed the JIT’s progress… vague commitments have eroded trust in the Sindh police.” (File photo) 
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A ‘cold war’ in Pakistan
The tussle between the ruling party and Imran Khan’s PTI has seen moves from both sides. Earlier this week, the PTI announced that it would hold a hunger strike outside the Parliament House in Islamabad to call for the release of Imran Khan and others. Meanwhile, the government sealed PTI’s central office in Islamabad citing a “lack of fire and life safety arrangements”. However, the Election Commission (ECP) has finally acted on the supreme court’s directive and acknowledged 39 of the party’s 80 candidates as “PTI lawmakers”. The media in Pakistan is infuriated on behalf of the citizens who are faced with rising prices and “cannot sustain the bedlam for much longer”.
Questioning the ECP’s motive, Dawn (July 27) says, “Time will tell whether the ECP has been hostile towards the PTI under compulsion or for some other reason. Whatever the case may be, it has appeared obvious for a while that its priorities seem to be something other than midwifing and facilitating the democratic process.”
News International (July 24) believes that “the government seems clueless about fighting the PTI politically. It is time to reach out to opponents for talks because Pakistan faces challenges like the economy, terrorism and polarisation.”
On the plight of the citizens who are forced to endure this “cold war”, Daily Times (July 26) says that “the ongoing kneejerk scheme appears to have sandwiched the exasperated Pakistani common man between the two extremes (neither of which wishes to take the middle lane)… the ongoing government has had little time or resources to work on the provision of much-promised relief to millions.”
Where is Priya Kumari?
On August 19, 2021 — the day of Ashura — Priya Kumari, a seven-year-old Hindu girl went missing from Sangrar, a small town near Sukkur in the Sindh province. Curiously, she was seemingly abducted from a Sabeel, an area with maybe hundreds of people, while serving sherbet at a stall for Muharram. She remains missing and demands for her recovery are getting increasingly louder with the Sindh government having failed to make much headway.
Dawn (July 22) says, “Priya’s case represents the various divisions tearing society apart — faith, poverty, gender and crime.”
Express Tribune (July 24) comments on the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by the Sindh police and believes that while the “parents and protest organisers have welcomed the JIT’s progress… vague commitments have eroded trust in the Sindh police.”
The US election drama
In a surprise move on Sunday, US President Joe Biden withdrew his name as the Democrat nominee from the 2024 presidential race. He decided to step down “in the best interest of my party and the country”. According to reports, even Biden’s closest allies and those working on his campaign were taken aback by this announcement.
Express Tribune (July 23) points out that concerns around Biden’s age and mental health eclipsed the fact that former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump “continues to drive fact-checkers to the point of madness.” Commending Vice President Kamala Harris’s nomination, the editorial says, “In Harris, Trump will have an opponent that strikes at some of his weakest points.”
The Nation (July 24), on the other hand, believes that “VP Kamala Harris does not bring anything different to the table.” Given that “Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal with arrest warrants… will address a joint session of Congress… the choice for Americans is between war apologists and a populist convicted on felony charges.”
Passport trouble for Pakistan amid visa policy changes
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif eased visa regulations in an attempt to attract foreign investment and increase trade with other countries. Visa fees for tourists have now been waived for 126 countries. This announcement comes just as the Pakistani passport, for the fourth year in a row, has been classified as the fourth worst in the world out of 199, according to the Henley Passport Index. The reason attributed to both relief for visa and passport restriction is the perception of Pakistan as a crime-ridden nation.
The Nation (July 27) welcomes the change in visa policy but believes that “the policy alone will lead to little tangible change.” Emphasising the need for better security measures, it says, “The real solution is to address crime, infrastructure, and tourism facilities in the most popular destinations.”
Daily Times (July 27) blames this poor performance on “petty politics”. The editorial says, “The foremost of streamlining the creation of a business-friendly environment, an irresistible hub of tourism and a global corridor requires painstaking efforts from all political parties to rise above their petty differences and steer clear of debilitating short-term agendas.”
adya.goyal@expressindia.com
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