DON’T DELAY
   Date :26-Jan-2021

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AFTER the landmark verdict of the Supreme Court asking the Centre to grant Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in Army’s non-combat units, a wave of hope and cheer had swept across the nation. The Centre, too, had issued an order in this regard. However, as things stand, after a bunch of petitions filed by some women officers in the apex court, the Army seems to be taking time to address the issue. The women officers have alleged that out of 422 officers found fit for Permanent Commission only 277 have been granted PC. Others have been kept on hold for “medical and administrative reasons”. The Army must have its own mechanism to take care of the ambiguities but since the officers have been forced to move the apex court yet again, it is hoped that the top military brass resolves the issue soon. Granting PC to women officers was, indeed, a progressive judgement coming from the top court as women officers have proved their mettle in leadership roles in other forces too. The Government had also welcomed the verdict as a right step forward in the country’s defence ecosystem. It is now time for the Army administration to move beyond optics and do it with substance.
 
ECONOMIC TURMOIL
 
FROM granting permit to the Arab Royals to hunt endangered birds to mulling mortgage of iconic parks, Pakistan’s miserable financial condition is forcing its hapless leadership to employ all tactics to bring in money to save the country’s crumbling economy. Desperately in need of a loan of around Rs 500 billion, Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan is reportedly considering mortgaging Islamabad’s 759-acre large F-9 park. This measure has come after the special permit issued to UAE Royals by Mr. Khan to hunt the Houbara bird in this season of hunting. Pakistan has no other option than to go the whole hog while pleasing the Arab world because of the largesse it has received in form of loans. Already in doldrums due to the demand from Saudi Arabia to repay its USD 3 billion soft loan, Pakistan is now seeking to keep UAE, its second-largest source of foreign remittance, in good humor. It seems a tough task for Mr. Khan given the subtle shift in the region’s geopolitics. The growing chasm in relations between Pakistan and its two biggest financial sources is indicative of what lies in future for Mr. Khan. Mortgaging park is just a band-aid treatment. It won’t heal the disease.