Junaid Yasin

[Jemima Goldsmith @Jemima_Khan]

Prime Minister @andyburnham and Foreign Secretary @Ed_Miliband : how much longer will Britain remain silent?

For three years the father of my two sons, and Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has been brutally penalised by his political opponents, in a personal vendetta by Army Chief, Asim Munir,  which according to the UN,  amounts to torture and which  is now taking a potentially fatal toll on his physical and mental health. 

He has endured 3 years of solitary confinement. For nearly ten months now his family has been denied contact with him. He has been deprived of the most basic human contact, denied access to books, lawyers and doctors.

The international human-rights standards are unequivocal. Under the UN’s Nelson Mandela Rules, solitary confinement lasting more than 15 consecutive days is prohibited and amounts to torture.

He has endured this treatment not for 15 days, but for three years.

Pakistan’s own Supreme Court has now intervened: ordering comprehensive  medical treatment, access to his personal doctor, regular family visits and twice-weekly calls with his sons.

Yet those orders are being defied.

This is no longer simply a Pakistani political matter. It is a human-rights emergency.

He has deep and lifelong ties to Britain. He studied at Oxford University, captained Oxford University cricket and spent years playing county cricket in England. His relationship with this country stretches back more than half a century. His charitable activities were internationally recognised, and  include building the only free cancer hospital in Pakistan as well as a university.

His sons, my two boys, Sulaiman and Kasim, are British citizens. They have been forced to watch their father’s health decline from thousands of miles away, prevented from visiting him, denied visas, publicly threatened by government officials with arrest themselves, and even denied court-mandated regular phone calls. 

I have repeatedly appealed to the UK government to intervene. Purported attempts at back channelling have evidently failed. The previous Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy informed me in writing that Britain would not  intervene if my sons, British citizens, are arrested when they travel to Pakistan to visit their father. 

@FCDOGovUK: Britain must now speak out publicly and unequivocally. Demand that Pakistan comply with its own Supreme Court;  restore Imran Khan’s medical access, his right to see his family, end his prolonged isolation and uphold his fundamental human rights.

Pakistan is a Commonwealth country. Britain has a long and proud tradition of standing against arbitrary detention, inhumane treatment and the denial of fundamental rights. Those principles mean very little if we invoke them only selectively and neglect them when inconvenient.
This an appeal to the new Burnham government  to please now do the right thing.

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@fawadchaudhry I am not and will never defend or support PPP but the media reporting on Punjab is always absent on key issues whereas even the petty topics of KHI are discussed since many years. Same with JI they are Punjab based political party but they always show power in KHI only

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

RT @aliktareen: Genuine question: do we still need PTV? 🤔

This week the ECC approved a Rs 13 billion bailout to cover its salaries and ope…

[Umm e Fari @farii_022]

یہ ویڈیو ملتان کی ہے 📍 اور اس میں نظر آنے والا لڑکا میرا بہت قریبی دوست ہے 💔 جو Subway میں کام کرتا تھا۔ افسوس کی بات ہے کہ صرف اس وجہ سے کہ وہ کچھ لوگوں کو باہر سے کھانا اندر لانے سے بہت ہی politely منع کر رہا تھا، کیونکہ یہ ریسٹورنٹ کی پالیسی کے خلاف تھا، اسے مبینہ طور پر بدترین تشدد کا نشانہ بنایا گیا 😡💔۔

کسی بھی ریسٹورنٹ کی پالیسی پر عمل کروانا کسی ملازم کی ذمہ داری ہو سکتی ہے، لیکن صرف اس بات پر کسی انسان پر ہاتھ اٹھانا کسی صورت قابلِ قبول نہیں۔ 😡⚠️

یہ واقعہ صرف میرے دوست کے ساتھ نہیں ہوا، بلکہ یہ ہم سب کے لیے ایک سوال ہے ❗ کیا عام اور غریب آدمی کی کوئی عزت اور کوئی حق نہیں؟ 😔💔

تمام لوگوں سے اپیل ہے 🙏 اس ویڈیو کو زیادہ سے زیادہ شیئر کریں 🔄📢 تاکہ یہ معاملہ متعلقہ حکام تک پہنچے، ذمہ دار افراد کے خلاف قانونی کارروائی ہو ⚖️

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@kschehzad and taking the funds set a side for IT infrastructure development for the budget fiscal management.

I am not an economist or work in the Government function but economic sense therefore I would like @Asad_Umar @MiftahIsmail and @AliKhizar to comment/n

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@kschehzad There is a long history of PML-N es Dar sb to use these funds to bridge fiscal gaps when they want to use it. Rem, making pay of PKR 480 bil to settle CD within one month of taking role of Finan Ministry in 2013 so that huge bud deficit will be reflected in PPP Govt last year 6/n

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@kschehzad Unless, Govt has made a plan to set a side equal value of int expense every yr to make payment on the Yr 15. Historical fiscal management suggest otherwise even if they have plan to setup a separate fund for the settlement of Zero-Coupon bond. 5/n

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@kschehzad Since the Govt always follow cash basis for fiscal numbers rather than accrual-based acc. This means all the Govt Yr 1 to Yr 14 year will enjoy relief of zero int exp on the loan taken by the Govt and the one who will assume the of Govt of Yr 15 will take the burden of this 4/n

[khurram Mushtaq @khurramchaudry]

Accounting is not Economy ,Control is not Governance.

پاکستان اس وقت ایک عجیب تضاد کا شکار ہے۔ بظاہر ریاست کے تمام طاقتور ستون ایک ہی صفحے پر کھڑے نظر آتے ہیں۔ سیاسی مزاحمت کو کمزور کر دیا گیا، میڈیا بڑی حد تک کنٹرول میں آ گیا، عدلیہ کا وہ جارحانہ جوڈیشل ایکٹیوزم تقریباً ختم ہو گیا جو کبھی حکومتوں کے لیے مستقل دباؤ ہوا کرتا تھا، احتسابی ادارے غیر مؤثر یا مکمل طور پر تابع دکھائی دیتے ہیں، الیکشن کمیشن سے بھی حکومت کو کوئی حقیقی خطرہ محسوس نہیں ہوتا، اور انتظامی مشینری مکمل طور پر حکومتی Extention بن چکی ہے۔ یعنی وہ تمام رکاوٹیں جنہیں ماضی میں حکومتی ناکامیوں کا سبب قرار دیا جاتا تھا، آج بڑی حد تک ختم ہو چکی ہیں۔

لیکن سوال یہ ہے کہ پھر بھی پاکستان کیوں نہیں چل رہا؟

اس کی بنیادی وجہ یہ ہے کہ ریاست نے “کنٹرول” کو “گورننس” سمجھ لیا ہے۔ سیاسی نظم و ضبط، میڈیا مینجمنٹ اور مخالف آوازوں کو دبانا معیشت نہیں چلاتا۔ معیشت اعتماد، پیداوار، سرمایہ کاری، صنعتی توسیع، توانائی کی سستی دستیابی، پالیسی کے تسلسل اور مستقبل کے یقین سے چلتی ہے۔ آپ کسی معاشرے کو انتظامی اور coercive طریقوں سے خاموش تو کر سکتے ہیں، لیکن ترقی پر مجبور نہیں کر سکتے

پاکستان کا سب سے بڑا المیہ یہ ہے کہ ہم نے معیشت کو ایک زندہ، متحرک اور انسانی نظام کے بجائے صرف spreadsheets اور balance sheets کا کھیل سمجھ لیا ہے۔ ہماری موجودہ معاشی پالیسیوں کا مرکز growth, productivity, industrial expansion اور human development نہیں بلکہ صرف accounting adjustments رہ گئے ہیں۔ کبھی trade deficit کم ہونے کو تاریخی کامیابی بنا کر پیش کیا جاتا ہے، کبھی current account surplus کو معاشی استحکام کا ثبوت کہا جاتا ہے، اور کبھی imports کو دبا کر یا demand کو crush کر کے یہ تاثر دیا جاتا ہے کہ معیشت سنبھل گئی ہے۔ حالانکہ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ اگر ایک ملک میں صنعت سکڑ رہی ہو، کاروبار بند ہو رہے ہوں، نوجوان بے روزگار ہو رہے ہوں، غربت بڑھ رہی ہو، per capita income خطے میں سب سے نیچے جا رہی ہو، exports مسلسل regional competitors سے پیچھے رہ جائیں، اور عام آدمی کی قوتِ خرید تباہ ہو رہی ہو تو پھر خوبصورت balance sheets قوموں کو ترقی نہیں دے سکتیں۔

اکاؤنٹنگ صرف یہ بتاتی ہے کہ numbers اس وقت کہاں کھڑے ہیں، مگر economy یہ طے کرتی ہے کہ قوم کہاں جا رہی ہے۔ ایک accountant خ��ارہ چھپا سکتا ہے، imports روک سکتا ہے، taxes بڑھا سکتا ہے، electricity اور petroleum levy کے ذریعے temporary numbers بہتر کر سکتا ہے، لیکن وہ growth create نہیں کر سکتا۔ معیشت اس وقت چلتی ہے جب factories چلیں، exports بڑھیں، energy affordable ہو، سرمایہ کار کو اعتماد ہو، middle class expand کرے، innovation پیدا ہو اور ریاست لوگوں کے اوپر بوجھ ڈالنے کے بجائے ان کے لیے مواقع پیدا کرے۔ بدقسمتی سے پاکستان میں اس وقت spreadsheet management کو economic governance سمجھ لیا گیا ہے، جبکہ قومیں accounting tricks سے نہیں بلکہ production, confidence اور vision سے اٹھتی ہیں۔
میں ایک فیکٹری چلاتا ہوں تو میرے پاس اکاؤنٹنٹس، بینکرز، انجینئرز اور انتظامی عملہ سب موجود ہوتے ہیں، مگ�� ان میں سے ہر شخص “ویژن” نہیں رکھتا۔ اکاؤنٹنٹ صرف سپریڈ شیٹ دیکھتا ہے۔ اگر کسی منصوبے میں ابتدائی نقصان نظر آ رہا ہو تو وہ فوراً خطرہ سمجھتا ہے، کیونکہ اس کی تربیت کھاتوں کو متوازن رکھنے کی ہوتی ہے، مستقبل کے مواقع پیدا کرنے کی نہیں۔

یہی مسئلہ آج پاکستان میں ہے۔ ہماری معاشی پالیسی صرف جدولیں بہتر دکھانے تک محدود ہو چکی ہے۔ جاری کھاتوں کا خسارہ کم دکھا دیا، درآمدات دبا دیں، ٹیکس بڑھا دیے، بجلی، گیس اور تیل مہنگا کر دیا وقتی طور پر بیلنس شیٹ بہتر نظر آنے لگتی ہے، مگر مجموعی معیشت سکڑنا شروع ہو جاتی ہے۔ صنعت کی لاگت بڑھتی ہے، کاروبار بند ہوتے ہیں، بے روزگاری بڑھتی ہے، عوام کی قوتِ خرید گرتی ہے اور مجموعی ترقی منفی سمت میں چلی جاتی ہے۔ پھر جب معیشت سست ہوتی ہے تو حکومتی ریونیو گرتا ہے، اور ریونیو گرتا ہے تو مزید ٹیکسز اور قیمتوں میں اضافے کا سہارا لیا جاتا ہے۔ یوں ملک ایک ایسے vicious cycle میں داخل ہو جاتا ہے جہاں معیشت کو سہارا دینے کے بج��ئے مسلسل نچوڑا جاتا ہے۔

اکاؤنٹنگ صرف یہ بتاتی ہے کہ آج کھاتوں میں کیا ہے، مگر معیشت یہ طے کرتی ہے کہ قوم کل کہاں کھڑی ہو گی۔

[Miftah Ismail @MiftahIsmail]

Why is there 8 hours of load shedding in Punjab and KP right now?

1: Incompetence. Qatar Gas hasn’t sent a cargo since March 4. The government has had one and a half months to restart domestic gas supply. The government has failed to do so. It should not have taken more than two weeks. Has 400 mmcfd of gas been made available, big power plants in Punjab would have produced 2000 MWs of power.

2: Priorities. The government is still preferring to give pipeline gas to fertiliser companies rather than to the power sector. We already have adequate stocks of urea for the beginning of the Kharif season, and only 10% or so of their total gas would be cut temporarily. But still the government isn’t diverting. Whether against sugar mills, oil marketing/refining companies or fertiliser companies, the people of Pakistan always lose under this PMLN + PPP government.

3: Incompetence again. The government can already send electricity from south (where it has excess power) to north and is not utilising this capacity fully. But by giving repressed gas and diverting fertiliser gas to the power sector, it would not only increase power production in the north but further increase its capacity to transmit power from south to north, as the grid becomes more stable.

4: Not taking responsibility. When there was LNG, this government said we are getting LNG and this is making the cost of power and gas too high and we can’t sell cheaper local gas. Now that we don’t have LNG, they are blaming not getting LNG for load shedding. In both cases, inexplicably, it is the fault of LNG but not the government!

5: Not taking responsibility again. We keep hearing that power prices are high because there is so much excess capacity. (Essentially the prime minister blaming his brother the ex-prime minister). Now that we have shortage of only one type of fuel, why aren’t we using other plants. Where is the excess capacity? What happened to power from coal, nuclear, wind, solar, and hydro?

6: Incompetence, yet again. Mian sb is PM for four years. Why hasn’t the government developed transmission lines to convey cheaper power from south to north. If you have set up more power in the country’s south (where port, coal, gas and more wind is available) for use in the north, shouldn’t you then ensure that power can be delivered to the north? Surely it cannot take more than 4 years.

Everywhere you look, this government comes out incompetent, siding with the rent seeking elites against the people, and taking no responsibility. Hence there is zero delivery.

[Atif Mian @AtifRMian]

How Pakistan made the world over 3 trillion dollars richer

On April 7, the world edged toward Trump's 8pm ultimatum that "a whole civilization will die tonight." By mid-afternoon, Polymarket gave less than a 5% chance for a ceasefire. But then in a flurry of last-minute diplomacy led by Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif, ceasefire odds shifted from near-impossibility to 100%, as both U.S. and Iranian leadership publicly acknowledged the important role played by Pakistan.

The sharp shift in probability of ceasefire from near-zero to certainty, allows us to estimate cleanly the market value of Pakistan's successful diplomacy. There was a sharp jump of 2.9% in S&P500 around the ceasefire announcement. The reaction was similar the world over.

Global markets represent about $125T, so a 2.9% jump represents a gain of 3.6 trillion dollars for the world. Pakistan helped create TEN times its own GDP for the world!

For me, the best part is not the trillions of dollar, but seeing Pakistan on the world stage as a peace maker.

I hope Pakistan runs with this new identity by promoting peace not only abroad, but also at home. That means moving away from politics of division and exclusion, and treating every citizen as its own.

[Miftah Ismail @MiftahIsmail]

Normally Platt’s diesel price is about 7% above Arab light. On March 16th it was 14% above Arab light (1st row). But the average premium given by our govt pricing formula in March is 93%.

Diesel sold in Pakistan in March was 590,000 tons and of this 413,000 tons (70%) was refined in Pakistan. And we paid Rs 152 per litre extra profit to domestic refiners. Which means we could have reduced diesel prices by Rs 100 per litre (even compensating the importers of finished product). But this unimaginative and elite- captured chose to burden the people.

The table below and info was shared with me by a petroleum industry professional Aqeel Ahmed Khan.

[Junaid Yasin @junaidyasin84]

@chjunaidsaleemi @SKMCH You can visit the website of @SKMCH and check the financial statements audited by the AF Ferguson (PWC) which is one of the leading audit firm locally and globally

[Mohammad Zubair @Real_MZubair]

If in your opinion PTI’s rise was a result of manipulation, does that mean everything had to be turned upside down following the vote of no confidence in April 2022. How can anyone in the ruling regime deny:
1. Unconstitutional acts of not holding bye elections in Punjab & Kp simply because PTI would have won 2/3rd majority. People’s mandate was denied - worst constitutional crime.
2. Delaying the national assembly elections in 2023 in order to facilitate Nawaz Sharif to come back to Pakistan only after Faez Isa was installed as CJ
3. Denying PTI its right to have bat as election symbol. Also ensuring PTI was not given opportunity to run its election campaign. The party could not even hold a simple corner meeting. Even going to the extent of 3 convictions one week before election against IK including the shameful iddat case. Dozens of PTI leaders were either arrested or forced to leave party or politics.
4. Worst to win elections on the basis of form 47. You can go back to see the screenshots of all tv channels around 9.30 or 10 pm on Feb 8, 2024 when PTI was leading in 90% seats across kp, Punjab & Karachi. The results were overturned on the night of 8th & 9th.
5. Through passing of 26th & 27th amendments, the concept of independent judiciary, parliamentary sovereignty & civilian supremacy have all been completely compromised.
I can go on with a long list of things that took place right under your watch including the worst human rights violations during the period of your rule Unfortunately you have watched with absolute delight at the hammering & destruction of PTI & its leadership. Recalling history is good. But living in present is more important.
If Saqib Nisar & company manipulated the system, why are you taking revenge against the 70% people of Pakistan who are standing behind leadership of Imran Khan.
The easiest recourse is to hold free, fair & transparent elections. Let the people of Pakistan decide. This is their fundamental right. @betterpakistan @Asad_Umar

[Mohammad Zubair @Real_MZubair]

Our rulers are having the kind of luxuries not even available in first world countries. We don’t need austerity for 2 months. The system needs to be dismantled

[Jemima Goldsmith @Jemima_Khan]

My sons Sulaiman & @kasim_khan_1999 applied for visas in January (again… ) to allow them to visit their father @ImranKhanPTI in Pakistan. The Pakistan consulate states that online visa processing normally takes 7–10 working days. It has now been 60 days. This despite the public promise that they could safely travel there to see their father after 4 years, made by both Defence Minister @khawajaMAsif to @mehdirhasan & PM spokesperson @mosharrafzaidi to @SkyYaldaHakim
Meanwhile, they are not allowed to speak to him on the phone, nor send him a letter. They haven’t seen him since 2022 after he was shot in an assassination attempt.
This is an appeal directly to Pakisan’s PM @CMShehbaz to please allow Imran Khan’s two sons to see their father asap, particularly since, by all accounts, his health is in decline.

[Faisal Sultan @fslsltn]

Thank you for your incredible generosity, Karachi! Rs. 550 million raised at yesterday's iftar. The people of Karachi have been our biggest supporters for the past three decades. Shukriya from the bottom of our hearts! #ShaukatKhanum @TheMahiraKhan
https://t.co/MxvrL1O0rY