In Pakistan, Imran Khan’s Long March and Tahir ul Qadri’s Azadi (Freedom) March have come and gone. There is no doubt that the government could and should have handled things better. There is also no doubt that its panic-stricken reactions encouraged both sets of marchers into believing they posed a greater threat than they actually did. But now, that is history.
They were given a free run. They marched and reached the capital. But their show of strength was poor. Mr Qadri had fewer numbers but his followers are diehard supporters. Mr Khan had greater numbers, though less than a tenth of the million he had promised. It soon became apparent to both leaders that their strength was insufficient to pose a real challenge to the government. Both reacted differently.
Mr Qadri, despite being a political nonentity, was the more astute. He came up with undeniable facts and figures and began to address real issues of governance. Admittedly, prime minister Nawaz Sharif inherited a destroyed economic system and had to spend billions to initiate a recovery. And yet, Mr Qadri's indictment was very stark and appalling. And it appealed to the people. He has taken up the common man's cause. Mr Khan, by comparison, seemed naive and rudderless.
Having started his protest ostensibly against rigging in the 2013 elections, he kept raising the bar. To start with, Mr Khan asked for an audit of four seats of the National Assembly (NA) and three of the Punjab provincial assembly. He later increased the number of NA seats to 10. Mr Khan continually asserted that he was not seeking midterm polls. Had the government agreed early enough to an audit, the wind would have been taken out of his sails. Emboldened by the government’s panicked reaction, he started seeking Mr Sharif’s resignation and midterm elections.
But the difference between the two is greater. Both succumbed to fatigue by the small hours of August 16. While Mr Qadri stayed in his luxurious trailer, Mr Khan decided to abandon his followers and went home to his palatial residence.
Not merely due to greater numbers, but also due to lack of administrative foresight, Mr Khan’s followers were left to fend for themselves, while Mr Qadri’s were attended to. Inevitably, Mr Khan’s group began deserting.
While letting both marches into Islamabad, the government set only one restriction: do not violate the Red Zone that houses parliament and diplomatic missions.
On Tuesday, Mr Khan exhorted his followers not to violate the Red Zone. In the same address, however, he warned the government that he should not be expected to be able to stop them from doing so, as they were an inexorable “tsunami”. I read this as deliberate licence to his followers. Fortunately, security forces were instructed not to retaliate.
Mr Khan’s desperation has been mounting. In his enthusiasm, he has adopted an inflexible position asking for Mr Sharif’s resignation and can see no way of getting there without a violent confrontation.
Consequently, while calling on the nation to respond to his call for “civil disobedience” on the one hand, he has also seemingly supported the provocative act of entering the Red Zone. If that leads to violence – which Mr Khan may expect and want – where will it end? In the interim, chaos is certain.
In calling for civil disobedience, Mr Khan is quoting the sterling examples of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela – but without referring to the vast difference between the situations under which they took up this call, and that of Pakistan today.
What is worse is that Mr Khan has asked members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party to resign from their elected positions in the Central and Punjab provincial assemblies, but not from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province where his party leads the coalition government.
In other words, his party will enjoy the perks of the offices they hold in KP, by continuing to run the provincial government even as they refuse to pay their taxes and bills.
Mr Khan has been accused of many things, including naïveté and being politically simplistic. But even his detractors have hesitated to challenge his innate honesty. This latent hypocrisy in his public position has surprised and disappointed many.
In this entire farce, the Pakistan army again played its role from behind the scenes. Reliable sources hold the army responsible for the government’s decision to permit the marchers to enter Islamabad as well as warning the government against retaliating to PTI’s provocative violation of the Red Zone.
Finally, the army chief called on both sides to find a non-violent solution to this crisis yesterday. To me this sounds ominously close to a final warning to resolve your issues.
But neither Mr Khan nor Mr Qadri is prepared to negotiate and the government wants to resolve things constitutionally. If Mr Khan showed flexibility, Mr Qadri would probably follow suit. As it stands, both seem determined to force an issue.
The army would prefer not to enter the fray. But how far and how long can it continue to avert the disaster that Mr Khan seems determined to bring about?
Whichever way it goes, Mr Khan has played his last card and it seems likely that he has lost.
Brig Shaukat Qadir is a retired Pakistani infantry officer
Company%20Profile
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Results
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Specs%20
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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INDIA%20SQUAD
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
More on animal trafficking
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Stage result
1. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix 4:42:34
2. Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Elia Viviani (Ita) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) BikeExchange-Jayco
5. Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo
6. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
7. Max Kanter (Ger) Movistar Team
8. Olav Kooij (Ned) Jumbo-Visma
9. Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
10. Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirate
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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