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Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Key projects put on ice for another year
After a year-long campaign filled with lofty promises and bold slogans about launching ten state-of-the-art mega projects to address the city's core problems and essential needs, these much-publicised initiatives have now been postponed. Initially planned for the current fiscal year 2024-25 — already strained by a deepening economic crisis — the projects have been unceremoniously deferred to the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26. Over the past 12 months, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), the District Council, District Administration, and Municipal Corporation have all failed entirely to initiate a single one of these projects. The projects have been pending for 17 years, and continuous delays have caused their estimated costs to surge by 100 to 300%, with a further 25% increase expected after budget approvals. Among these mega projects are the Lai Expressway, sewerage water tunnel and treatment plant, Ghazi Brotha water project, new large-diameter steel pipeline from Rawal Dam for additional water supply, Mother and Child Hospital, Ring Road, three large commercial parking plazas, underpasses from Mareer Chowk to Liaqat Bagh Chowk, Doodhcha Dam, and Chehan Dam water supply scheme. All these projects were initially prepared between 2008 and 2012 but were sidelined due to frequent changes in political governments. The 22-kilometer Lai Expressway was launched in 2008, with its foundation stone laid by then-President General Pervez Musharraf. However, despite 17 years having passed, it remains incomplete. Its initial estimated cost of 1.7 billion rupees has now escalated to 11 billion rupees. The Mother and Child Hospital is a 12-year-old project. Although the state-of-the-art building housing 13 operation theaters was completed, the project has been shut down for the last three years. Originally costing Rs900 million, the building was completed with an OPD inauguration planned for April 30, 2022. However, the government was dissolved on April 10, and the project stalled. Since then, windows, cabinets, doors, iron grills, and machinery have been stolen, and the expansive building has become a shelter for bats, dogs, cats, and snakes. While an additional Rs25m was allocated, work stoppage has caused losses to soar to approximately Rs150m. The sewerage water tunnel and treatment plant, originally estimated at Rs3b and now costing over Rs6b, has been stalled for four years. Similarly, the Chehan Dam water supply scheme has been repeatedly promised throughout the year, but as the fiscal year ended, it too was pushed into the new budget. Its cost has risen from Rs600m to 650m. The Rawal Dam new pipeline and commercial parking plaza projects have proved to be mere publicity stunts. The Ghazi Brotha water project, crucial to meeting the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad's water needs for 100 years, was also neglected again this year. Without Ghazi Brotha, the water crisis of the twin cities cannot be resolved. The project cost has inflated from Rs8.7b to Rs20b over 10 years. The Doodhcha Dam and Ring Road projects have become deadlocked due to extreme delays. Their completion deadlines have expired repeatedly, and now they too have been pushed into the new fiscal year. Because of the severe financial crisis, the District Municipal Corporation failed to launch any significant development scheme during the outgoing fiscal year 2024-25. However, District Development Committee convener and MNA Engineer Qamar-ul-Islam claims that record-breaking roads have been constructed this year, and with a record development budget in the new fiscal year, all mega projects will finally be initiated.
India.com
03-06-2025
- Business
- India.com
Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf's ancestral property auctioned in..., bought by...
New Delhi: The name of former President of Pakistan and his family has now been permanently erased from government records of Kotana village. Thirteen bigha of the declared agricultural land of Pervez Musharraf's relatives has been registered in the names of buyers after the auction. As a result, the names of Pervez Musharraf and his family members have been completely removed. There was approximately 13 bigha of land belonging to former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's brother and family in Kotana village. Years ago, after all family members moved to Pakistan, this land was declared enemy property. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh took cognizance of this, and several months ago, the enemy property was auctioned off by the Custodian Office in Lucknow. It was purchased for 1.38 crore rupees by contractor Pankaj and Manoj Goyal from Baraut city, along with JK Steel from Ghaziabad. Supervisor Prashant Saini from the Enemy Property Custodian Office in Lucknow reached the Baraut Tehsil, where buyers registered the transfer of the related land in their names. After the transfer, the actual owners of this land became Pankaj Contractor, Manoj Goyal, and JK Steel from Ghaziabad. In this way, the name of Pervez Musharraf's family has been completely eliminated from this land. SDM Baraut Manish Kumar Yadav stated that the enemy property auctioned in Kotana has now had its buyers register the transfer in their names. It is noteworthy that Pervez Musharraf's father Musharrafuddin and mother Begum Zareen were residents of Kotana village. Both got married in Kotana. They moved to Delhi in 1943, where Pervez Musharraf and his brother Dr. Javed Musharraf were born. His family settled in Pakistan during the partition in 1947. The enemy property was registered, but besides Delhi, the family's mansion and agricultural land were located in Kotana village, where Pervez Musharraf's land was sold while his brother Dr. Javed Musharraf and other family members' agricultural land remained. Additionally, the mansion in Khotana was registered in the name of his cousin Humayun. The land of Pervez Musharraf's brother Dr. Javed Musharraf and other family members was registered as enemy property.
News18
12-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
At 4 Days, What This The Shortest Conflict Between India And Pakistan?
Last Updated: Since 1947, India and Pakistan have fought four wars, but this latest conflict was notably brief Was this the shortest 'war' between India and Pakistan till date? The intense cross-border firing and drone activity between the nuclear-armed neigbours continued for four days, but there were no incidents along the heavily militarized Line of Control on the night of May 11 to 12. On Saturday, both nations agreed to cease all military operations on land, in the air and at sea to avoid further escalation. Since 1947, India and Pakistan have fought four wars, but this latest conflict was notably brief. First War Lasted 15 Months The history of India-Pakistan wars includes four major conflicts and several significant military operations. The first war, known as the Kashmir War, occurred between 1947 and 1948, spanning 15 months. This conflict began in October 1947 and lasted until January 1949, involving Pakistan-backed tribal attackers aiming to seize Kashmir. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir subsequently merged with India, saving half of Kashmir while Pakistan occupied the other half, termed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). A United Nations-mediated ceasefire ended this war. Second War Lasted 22 Days The second war in 1965 lasted for 22 days from August 5 to September 23. Triggered by Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, it saw India gain a significant advantage before a ceasefire was declared. The Tashkent Agreement in January 1966 restored the pre-war status quo. Third War Lasted 13 Days In 1971, the third India-Pakistan war, also known as the Bangladesh Liberation War, lasted 13 days from December 3 to December 16, and resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. This conflict led to a historic defeat for Pakistan, with 93,000 soldiers surrendering. The subsequent Simla Agreement established the Line of Control (LoC), with India returning captured territory to Pakistan. The Kargil War of 1999 was a prolonged conflict, lasting around 2 months and 20 days. It began in May and ended on July 26, involving the infiltration of Pakistani forces into the Kargil region. India emerged victorious, reclaiming its territory and causing international disgrace for Pakistan, leading to a military coup by General Pervez Musharraf. Other Major Military Conflicts And Operations Rann of Kutch Conflict (1965): Border clashes took place in the Kutch region of Gujarat in April 1965, lasting about one to two weeks. Operation Parakram (2001–2002): Following the Parliament attack on December 13, 2001, Indian and Pakistani forces remained in a tense standoff along the border for 10 months. Though a full-scale war was avoided, it marked one of the longest military deployments between the two nations. Uri Surgical Strike (2016): In response to the Uri terror attack on September 18, 2016, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the LoC on the night of September 29–30. The operation lasted only a few hours. Balakot Air Strike (2019): After the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, 2019, the Indian Air Force launched an airstrike on February 26, 2019, hitting terror camps in Balakot. The strike lasted only a few minutes. The recent four-day conflict was triggered by an attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists on Indian tourists in J&'s Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 people. Two weeks later, India launched Operation Sindoor and bombed terror bases in Pakistan and PoK. Pakistan responded by unsuccessfully targeting Indian military installation in Jammu and Punjab, followed by missile and drone strikes on civilian areas. India successfully intercepted and fended off the attacks, retaliating by inflicting heavy losses on Pakistan military establishments. Intense shelling on the LoC continued until the ceasefire at 5 pm on May 10. First Published: May 12, 2025, 12:25 IST
India Gazette
11-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"They are repeating the same mistakes that Musharraf made"
New Delhi [India], May 11 (ANI): G Parthasarathy, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, strongly criticised Pakistan's military leadership for its misadventures after India launched Operation Sindoor targeting nine terror sites in the country. Drawing a parallel with the Kargil conflict, he said, 'When I was in Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf initiated the Kargil conflict by taking over high mountains in the Himalayas. We taught them a lesson at the high altitude of the Himalayas and drove them out of Kargil. I am not surprised that General Asim Munir is repeating the same mistakes that Musharraf made.' Parthasarathy further emphasised the dominance of Pakistan's military over its civilian government. 'Musharraf made that mistake, staged a coup and then took over. I hope they are able to protect their civilian Government now in Pakistan after Asim Munir is made to look ridiculous like we did to Pervez Musharraf earlier on in Kargil,' he stated. He credited the Indian government and the armed forces for their role, saying, 'All credit to Mr Modi and everyone in his government but most credit to our Army, the armed forces as a whole.' 'As far as relations with Pakistan are concerned, you have a PM who has cut a pathetic figure and the Army virtually ran the country, their operations against India were not put up to the PM or approved by the PM by all accounts. If that has been done, it has not been spoken about and therefore, we have Shehbaz Sharif now asking for peace as his brother had sought with us during Kargil. So, all I can say is, I am very proud to be an Indian and I am having a good laugh at my Pakistani friends,' he added. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar officially announced the cessation of hostilities. 'India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so,' Jaishankar posted on X. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri explained that the cessation of hostilities was finalised following a call between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries. 'Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called Indian DGMO at 15:35 hours... It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time.' Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the cessation of hostilities, stating, 'Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' The cessation of hostilities followed a period of escalating tensions, triggered by a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 people dead. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, striking nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to retaliatory artillery shelling by Pakistan. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Diaries from ‘Operation Parakram'
'Operation Parakram' was launched by the Indian military after the terrorist attack on its Parliament at New Delhi on December 13, 2001. The might of Indian military was mobilised for an impending war with Pakistan, the perpetrators of the said terrorist attack. I had assumed command of my tank regiment during august 2011 and were out in the field for routine training and field firing in the deserts of Rajasthan with skeleton equipment and crews which got supplemented with our complete wherewithal once orders were received to mobilise to our battle stations. Spirits were high, morale touching the sky and my men and tanks raring to march across the international border. Large-scale movement of troops on road and rail to get to their designated take-off zones for an offensive or defensive roles was witnessed by the world and as a young Commandant of a potent tank regiment, there seemed no doubt that the fortune of fulfilling the ultimate dream of going to battle may become a reality. It was on the night of Lohri, January 13, 2002, when Gen Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan addressed his nation , an address laced with war rhetoric of an impending conflict with India, that we were quite certain that the balloon will go up. Well, we waited for the go ahead. Extensive reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and surveillance inputs were constantly fed to the fighting units to sharpen their tactics for a wholesome victory. We were at an operational briefing at a tactical headquarters and an interesting revelation through a radio intercept shocked us no end. Thus went the conversation between a tank regimental commander with his boss at the higher headquarters, 'Janaab, mere paas sirf 15 haathi (tanks) hain jo larai ke qabil hain baaki sab khalaas hain (Sir, I have only 15 tanks battle worthy out of a total of 45).' There was no surprise or shock in his response when the boss was quick to order, 'Bashir, chaurahe aur museum par khare haathion ko topi pehnaao aur apni fauj mein shaamil karo.. ginti poori honi chahiye (Bashir, remove trophy tanks at the roundabouts and public places and make up the total anyways)'. Similar intercepts of inadequacy in the war fighting machinery of our adversary came to light. Corresponding morale of Pakistani troops and its will to fight became evidently clear. Sadly, the war did not see the light of the day for whatever reasons and our dreams of visiting 'Sukkur' , a city in the Sind province of Pakistan, on our tanks, which was one of our objectives remained unfulfilled. But , this was the closest we came to an all out war after Operation Brass tacks in 1987, when cricket diplomacy bailed Pakistan out. Now, coming to the prevailing situation post-Pahalgam tragic episode. Both the nations are yet again on a sensitive brink. Pakistan is what it is. Rhetoric, false propaganda, denial and innocence in full demonstration. The situation of its economy, national strength and overall health has not seen an upward climb. Albeit, it has deteriorated since 2001, a good two decades and a half back when situation was precarious. It's military capability to get into an open confrontation with the fourth largest military of the world is slender to say the least. At best , cross border firings to expand its outdated ammunition is the recourse to show an offensive spirit. On the other hand, India's wiser strategy to stifle, suffocate and starve and keep 'cards close to the chest' will prove to be a force multiplier. Keeping our powder dry continues unabated, however. Like Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese general , philosopher and strategist righty remarked, 'The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.' avnishrms59@ (The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor, views expressed are personal)
