Opinion View from the neighbourhood | What the Pakistani media is saying about Ram Navami violence in India

On the Ram Navami riots, Dawn said, “The pattern behind religious violence linked to processions is a common one. Hindu extremists, who are often armed, provocatively march though Muslim neighbourhoods and stop outside mosques to blast Hindutva war songs, and raise the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’” (April 4). It added: “This is a dark time for India’s minorities” and that “the opposition and civil society must raise a louder voice against this communal madness.”

In a separate editorial, Dawn commented on India’s amendment to its IT Rules 2021 saying it “should worry online platforms purveying news and views in particular about the country’s central government” (April 9). Speaking to why the government may have passed this, Dawn said, “the new rule may be aimed at plugging a significant resource on the internet from which bad news for the Modi government continues to seep through.”

SBS rate hike for IMF loan

Pakistan is facing a severe economic crisis with inflation peaking and foreign reserves rapidly drying up. But the main issue being discussed on the economic front this week was the rate hike of 100 points up to 21 per cent by the State Bank of Pakistan, which may or may not be a step towards securing the IMF loan.

Express Tribune (April 6) said, “amazingly, this is still significantly lower than… most analysts were predicting”. This was done “to avoid killing investment while also complying with the IMF’s stability conditions” but “unfortunately, there remains a high likelihood that neither of these goals will be accomplished”.

Dawn and The Nation had opposing views on rate hike. Dawn (April 6) said that, “those who think the latest round of monetary tightening… will restrain the soaring price inflation or bring us closer to the… agreement with the IMF are mistaken”. The Nation, on the other hand, believes that “the government’s sole focus seems to be on wrapping up this process [IMF agreement]”.

Meanwhile, Daily Times (April 6) says, “repeated delays in the IMF’s bailout program… are likely to push the country straight towards a recession”. Since “structural issues continue to haunt” them, it seems as though “without foreign intervention, it is unlikely that Pakistan will make a full recovery”.

News International (April 5) says that this hike “is short of the 200-300 bps hike the market expected, or the Fund desired” but the government seems to be “delivering just enough to keep the Fund interested but never going the whole hog to actually meet its criteria”. On the bright side, “Pakistan is still afloat”, its “bilateral lenders are warming up to the idea of lending a hand” and that “hard times will eventually pass — as hard times always do”.

Government neglect in Keamari deaths and SC’s Punjab-KP election decision

In domestic issues, the two main incidents that the media has been talking about are: Eighteen deaths in the Keamari district in Karachi, and the Supreme Court ruling on the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections.

The deaths in the Keamari district in Karachi occurred in January but the cause of the 18 deaths was assessed early this week by a medical board constituted by the health department. They found that the emission of toxic gases from a nearby illegal industrial area proved fatal for residents of villages nearby. Dawn (April 7) commented on this saying, “in future, land use and urban planning principles must be respected so that dangerous industries are located far from populous neighbourhoods”. The Nation (April 7) attributed it to the “non-seriousness of the offices” and that “action is necessary to hold those accountable”. Further, “provincial authorities, especially the CM and DG health, must ensure the implementation of the board’s recommendations”. Daily Times (April 8) also condemned the civic authorities and the negligence of the administration saying this has “become a trademark in industrial cities like Karachi and Lahore where earning a few extra bucks basks in the limelight at the expense of highly-dispensable health and humanity.”

Daily Times (April 5) calls the Supreme Court a “historic ruling” but says that this has “sparked great criticism from the government camp” with many questioning the route taken to reach this decision. The Nation (April 5) says, “the SC has directed the federal government to release election funds worth Rs 21 billion to the ECP by April 10 for elections to the assemblies of Punjab and KP.” But News International (April 5) cautions against a “executive versus judiciary faceoff” and adds, “if the government delays in releasing funds, it would not be in the ECP or the caretakers’ hands.” Regardless, “there is… little logic in resisting or, worse, ‘rejecting’ the verdict” (Dawn, April 5).

adya.goyal@expressindia.com