Gen Asim Munir is known as ‘Mullah General’ in Pakistan, and his remarks have justified this tag. He was not addressing a gathering of Maulanas. He was addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, where Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his ministers and other army generals were present.
Pakistan army chief General Asim Munir has raked up Jinnah’s two-nation theory, saying “Muslims are different from Hindus”. The general, in a provocative speech, said, “Our forefathers realised we were different from Hindus in every aspect of life, our religion, our customs, our traditions, our thoughts and our ambitions are different. That’s why they laid the foundation of the two-nation theory. We are two nations, we are not one nation”. Gen Asim Munir is known as ‘Mullah General’ in Pakistan, and his remarks have justified this tag. He was not addressing a gathering of Maulanas. He was addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, where Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his ministers and other army generals were present. The convention was meant to garner more investments from those of Pakistani origin, but the army chief himself became the Maulana at the convention. On attacks by Baloch freedom fighters, the general said: “Do you think terrorists can take away the destiny of our nation? The 13-lakh strong Indian Army, with all its weapons, if it cannot intimidate us, do you think these terrorists can subdue our army?” The Army chief then raked up Kashmir by describing it as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” and promised to help separatists. India immediately reacted and said that Pakistan has “only one role in Kashmir, and that is, it must vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir”. Gen Munir, who took over as Army Chief three years ago, is supposed to retire this year. Shahbaz Sharif’s government is going to give him an extension, as was evident during the Pakistani PM’s speech, where he praised Munir. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while speaking at an event in Gujarat, said: “Pakistan is still stuck with its terrorism industry… India has changed; I wish I could say Pakistan has changed. Unfortunately, they continue to develop bad habits in many ways.” Jaishankar is right. The world has changed, but Pakistan has not. It is stuck with old issues. The speech of Mullah General is quite evident. The very existence of the Pakistan army starts by spewing venom against India and ends with keeping the Kashmir issue alive. Pakistan army’s task begins from giving sanctuary to terrorists, and ends with large chunks of properties being handed over to Army generals. Pakistan is now in a dark abyss, facing mounting debts and people suffering from hunger. Pakistan is practically isolated throughout the world. None of the big economic powers wants to lend money to Pakistan, and yet, Pakistan is unwilling to change. In Hindi, there is a proverb “Rassi Jal Gayi, Par Bal Nahin Gaya” (literal meaning, the rope is burnt, but its strands remain).
Why reel making can be risky
Navi Mumbai Police detained four youths for creating a scare by making a video reel with one of them lying inside a moving MUV’s boot with one hand dangling outside. On Monday evening between Vashi and Sanpada, the stunt was performed and a video reel was posted on social media. Within two hours, police nabbed the four youths with the vehicle outside Sanpada railway station. When asked, the youths said they wanted to make a reel to promote their shop selling second-hand laptops. One youth lay inside the boot, the second one drove the car, and the other two youths made the reel while riding a bike. The reel ends with the boot being opened and the youth saying, “Don’t be afraid, I sell laptops”. The shop owner, Kuldeep Nishad, claimed that his shop’s sales rose after the reel was posted on social media. Police released them with a warning and the youths promised not to make such reels in future. In my ‘Aaj Ki Baat’ show on Wednesday, I had shown how a mother was drowned while making a reel and her kid was frantically shouting “Mummy”. The Navi Mumbai reel was a marketing gimmick to shock viewers and make them buy products. In Bengaluru, a man was caught in the ED’s net when he posted a fake picture. S Satish from JP Nagar, Bengaluru, posted the pic of a dog on social media claiming that he had bought the world’s costliest wolfdog from the US for Rs 50 crore. An ED team reached his home to inquire how he paid Rs 50 crore. His bank accounts were checked. No big financial transaction of this amount was found. Finally, it was found that Satish had made a false claim. The pic of the so-called wolfdog was that of an Indian breed dog belonging to his neighbour. The moral: Do not believe anything that is posted on social media as gospel truth.
Joining politics: Why Robert Vadra will have to wait
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s husband, Robert Vadra, was questioned for the third consecutive day by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Gurugram land deal. He was interrogated for 18 hours over the last three days. Priyanka accompanied her husband and waited for him at the reception to come out. On Thursday, Robert Vadra told reporters that his popularity has risen and he wanted to join politics. Robert Vadra’s ambition is to join active politics. He has been noticed working actively in Amethi and Rae Bareli during elections, and occasionally, he voices his aspiration to join politics. He wants a role for himself in Congress, but presently, he has been halted by the Gandhi-Nehru family. This is the reason why he frequently alleges that he is being made a political scapegoat for his land deals. By doing charities and appearing on public forums, and by being active during election campaigns, he has expressed his intention to join public life several times, but he is yet to get any positive signal from his in-laws’ family. It seems Robert Vadra will have to wait for now.
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India’s Number One and most followed Super Prime Time News Show ‘Aaj Ki Baat- Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show has redefined India’s super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries. Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm.
