Ather Kazmi's analysis on current political situation in Pakistan
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. Tazmi, I'll make my question short.
00:02Yes, of course.
00:03Tell me, some of the leaders of the government are inviting for negotiations with the PTI.
00:08Some are saying, I gave a reference to Jinnah Irfan Siddiqui.
00:12Who is more in need of negotiations?
00:15I want to know this from you, from both the parties.
00:19Look, if you look at the government, two years ago when Imran Khan's government was almost over,
00:25almost the same people are in power right now.
00:28And if you look at them continuously, they keep saying that the economy will improve,
00:32the situation will improve, a lot of things will get better.
00:36But if you look at even 1% of that, they haven't achieved anything.
00:41Neither politically, nor economically, nor if you look at it socially.
00:46If you look at it anywhere, you feel that there is a problem somewhere.
00:50You look at any field.
00:52So if you look at the negotiations, the government has said that they can never negotiate with them.
01:00If we go back a few days, the government minister was sitting on TV and saying that we have to impose restrictions on them.
01:06Then after that, there was a negotiation again.
01:09So I think the government also knows that the government will not achieve anything through negotiations.
01:15Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf will never accept the government through negotiations.
01:20And Tehrik-e-Insaf also knows that the people who are sitting on our mandate in the government,
01:26we will not achieve anything by negotiating with them.
01:28So I don't think there is a serious desire from both sides that the government,
01:33or Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf's desire is that there should be negotiations with the government.
01:38So right now, I don't see those negotiations happening, nor do I think anyone needs it.
01:44If there are negotiations, yes.
01:47I wanted to say that I feel that the people need negotiations the most right now.
01:53Because it is surprising that in any period of the government,
01:57whether it was Tehrik-e-Insaf, whether it was the PDM or the updated form of the PDM,
02:05there are only people who are pissed off.
02:07No matter what you say about it, there are perks and privileges.
02:11The Jamaat-e-Islami protest, I like it because it touches your heart.
02:17Why?
02:18If there are issues related to electricity, electricity bills, the people are suffering.
02:23If there are issues related to increased taxes on the salaried class,
02:26I compare it with the policies of India, which you hate.
02:31But the way they are facilitating the people, we can take it a little more seriously.
02:36Look at the formulas there, how taxes are raised.
02:39Or what is the ratio of direct and indirect taxes, what is the price of electricity?
02:43You compare South Asian countries with them because you say they are like us,
02:47but the economy is different.
02:49So this is bad somewhere, isn't it, Mr. Athar?
02:53Yes.
02:54Look, why is that?
02:55The relief that they are getting in taxes in India,
02:59they are getting electricity at a lower price.
03:01Why is this? What is the basic reason for this?
03:02Do you know how many budgets of India,
03:05four, five, six budgets have been presented by the same Minister of Treasury?
03:09And look at Pakistan, how many ministers of treasury have changed in the last five or six years.
03:14Secondly, one Arab person has just voted in India.
03:18Did you hear any voice there that there is another issue on our budget?
03:22When you are saying that we are making karahi meat without meat,
03:28then the problem is that when the basic answer is not complete,
03:34when the elections were held in your country on February 8,
03:37were the people in power who took their real votes in 2018 or 2013?
03:44This is the debate that will never end in Pakistan.
03:47Mr. Athar, but the thing is that what you are saying,
03:50my question basically is that you said that for the last four or five years,
03:55the same government or the same government has been presenting the same budget.
03:58So that is because of the performance.
03:59And secondly, it is not that they do not have a formula for the improvement of the people.
04:03It is not that they have changed four or five ministers of treasury in their time
04:07because they also did not have a solution.
04:09So that is also a problem.
04:10If the government looks at that time and says that it should be mandated on its basis,
04:14then even in those three and a half years, the people did not get anything at the end.
04:17I am talking about relieving the people.
04:19The people's wishes are in their place.
04:20Why can't anyone give relief?
04:23Yes, look at the people, the people will be relieved by those who are the real representatives of the people.
04:28The problem is that if there is no say in the issue,
04:33then he will not get relief in that way.
04:35If you know that the people are the real representatives of the people,
04:40then the problem will be solved.
04:41It is not possible that you come to power and then solve the problems of the people.
04:46The one who comes to power, for the purpose for which he comes, he solves the purpose.
04:50The people who are in power right now, their own problem is not getting solved.
04:53Their legitimacy is not getting solved.
04:56Their own problems are not getting solved.
04:58So how will they solve the problems of the people?
05:00So the basic thing is that the government should be the real representative government
05:05who has a mandate, who has at least public support.
05:08When you have to take strict decisions, you need the support of the people.
05:13Today, all the people...
05:14Yes, yes.
05:15Athar, we are reading many columns of commentators and journalists.
05:20They are giving indications that a lot can change.
05:24Khwaja Asif's statement is also talking about October.
05:26He himself is talking about the PTI re-election.
05:28But tell me, let's assume that there is no chance that the elections will take place.
05:35Do we have so much money that we can spend on it?
05:38Secondly, what changes will come?
05:41What reforms will happen that will be very different from the current results?
05:46Or will they be completely acceptable to everyone?
05:48What will happen between August and December that the PTI is saying that the elections should take place?
05:57Look, the political parties say that we are going to come to power and things are going to change.
06:03Every political party has these kinds of statements.
06:06But the issue is that why is the current government so afraid?
06:11What is it afraid of?
06:12The current government has a large majority.
06:14Even if the PTI gets special seats, their majority will not end.
06:21What guarantee does Khwaja Asif have that no one will bother him until October-November?
06:26This is a big question.
06:28If no one bothers the government until October-November, then who will bother them after October-November?
06:36So this is a big issue.
06:37When your government is standing on these things that no one will bother us until October,
06:42or we have this guarantee until November, then you do not solve the problems of the people.
06:46You are trying to solve your own problems.
06:49So the same thing I said earlier, that the government should at least know that its own future is not in danger.
06:56If the dispute between Form 45 and Form 47 does not end, then the real issues...
07:01But there is one more issue.
07:03...the electricity bill, the inflation, which you pointed out, who will pay attention to that?
07:07The people who are elected to vote, if there is a two-third majority, then they go to the parliament sometimes.
07:17And if there is a simple majority or a government, then they keep looking for pleasure.
07:23Ultimately, no one is able to think about the problems of the people.
07:27This is also a cause of concern.
07:30Yes, this is a true concern that people do not think about the problems of the people.
07:36But if you do not talk about someone's problems again and again and do not do their work,
07:42and if it is in the hands of that person, then that person will remove you from there.
07:46If you do not do it once, if you do not do it twice, then the third time he will say,
07:50I do not want to give him a chance, I am removing him.
07:52So this is the real thing that whoever has a problem, he does not have the power to bring it or remove it.
07:59When it happens, when there will be real representatives,
08:02over the years, people will keep changing, then they will know that we have solved the problems of the people.
08:08And the second thing is that whatever our whole system is at the moment,
08:11I agree with you 100% in that.
08:14But I feel that we do not pay attention to the problems of the rulers or the problems of the noble rulers.
08:20We pay attention to their intentions.
08:22We do not pay attention to the real issues of the people.
08:26Absolutely. And for this, we are very grateful to Mr. Gauhar-e-Jaaf
08:30for his social media tweets.
08:32Now there is a debate about IPPs.
08:34Athar, the last thing.
08:36Do you think that the protest of the Jamaat-e-Islami will end now?
08:42Or will these people be able to achieve something?
08:44No, look, first of all, they have gauged public sentiment.
08:48And they are talking about the real issues of the people.
08:52And they have also received a lot of leniency from the government.
08:56If you see, four people are standing for justice,
08:58so far 15 cases and 144 cases.
09:02So here too, you feel that some people have a license for protest.
09:06TLP people came, they also came and sat.
09:08These people came, they also sat.
09:10You can see how many cases have been filed so far.
09:12And on the other hand, if Tariq-e-Insaaf launches a rally,
09:14then 35 cases will be filed by the evening.
09:16So the government also needs to see that everyone is given an equal opportunity.
09:22Those who want to protest, must do it.
09:24And those who are protesting, they also need to take care
09:26that you do it while staying within the rules and regulations.
09:30And the support of the people will certainly be received.
09:32The people are in trouble at the moment.
09:34But this matter of IPPs,
09:36as Anwarullah Kakar and Gauhar-e-Jaaz are also speaking on this,
09:40they were in power for some time.
09:42At that time, they did not say anything.
09:44Suddenly, these things have also come to mind.
09:46But this issue is very serious.
09:48And it needs to be looked at.
09:50Thank you so much, Athar.
09:52Thank you very much.
09:54We tried to talk about the overall politics.
09:56Let's know what the journalists in Islamabad are thinking.