Dear PML-N family,
We are happy to be back with another issue of Horizon with a new and improved look. The country has seen enormous changes in the last six months. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI’s) government at the centre was removed from office through a vote of confidence, a first in the history of Pakistan. When the coalition led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) took over the reins of government, the country was facing multifarious crises. The government has been busy cleaning the economic and diplomatic mess created by the outgoing government. A report covers the six-month performance of the new coalition government.
The second important development is the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son in a money laundering case by a special court in Lahore. Likewise, PML-N Vice President Mariam Nawaz Sharif and her husband Captain (retired) Mohammad Safdar have been acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the Avenfield case four years after they were convicted in a witch-hunt against PML-N. After National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not bring any evidence against her and Ms Nawaz Sharif is now eligible to participate in elections. Another PML-N leader and Federal Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has been given a clean chit by Islamabad High Court after NAB failed to prove any wrongdoing in the Narowal Sports City project. This issue of the magazine explores the role of NAB as a tool for victimizing political opponents.
The third important development is the return of Ishaq Dar after five years of self-exile. He took the oath of the senator and later federal finance minister. You will find his profile in this issue.
However, the most pressing matter in the last six months is the damage caused by catastrophic floods in Pakistan this monsoon season. A third of the country is underwater, 1,700 people lost their lives and more than 33 million people have been affected. Pakistan needs urgent assistance for flood relief and rehabilitation and sustained efforts to adapt to climate change. The government has made an impassioned appeal to international bodies and leaders to consider the disproportionate impact of climate change on the country when it contributes less than one per cent to greenhouse gases. An article covers the impact of floods on Pakistan’s people and the economy.
Last but not the least, the Election Commission of Pakistan found PTI leader Imran Khan guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana reference case and disqualified him from holding public office. The one who built his whole narrative and political campaign on the alleged corruption of his opponents has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. We will thoroughly cover this case in the next issue of Horizon.
Editor-in-Chief
Saira Bano
