The British Labour Party Historic Victory It won more than 400 seats in the general election on July 4th. Keir StarmerIn his first speech as British Prime Minister, he said Britain needed a “greater reset” after 14 years in power with the Conservatives at an end – people unhappy with former chancellor Rishi Sunak’s handling of the economy, the migrant crisis and the declining quality of public services – but Labour faces an unenviable task.
dawn (July 6) Expectations for Starmer Speaking after the stunning victory he said: “With great power comes great responsibility. Labour must now translate its election promises into concrete results.”
Regarding Starmer’s foreign policy: The Nation (6 July) believes that “no major changes to UK foreign policy are expected… As his opening speech suggests, and as the British public has made clear, we can expect moderate politics in the UK under Prime Minister Starmer.”
India’s World Cup victory
The T20 World Cup 2024 ended on June 30th. India take home the trophyIn a tense final against South Africa, India looked to be struggling until the very end, but some brilliant batting from Virat Kohli and some excellent bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya rescued victory. Amazingly, India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. The media celebrated India’s well-deserved victory and pointed out weaknesses in Pakistan’s game.
The Express Tribune (July 1) lamented the Pakistan team’s performance and said, “For captain Rohit Sharma and man of the match Virat Kohli, there couldn’t have been a better time for the match to end than today. For Pakistan and cricket-mad fans, the match ended far too soon on June 14.”
News International (July 2), commenting on the position of Indian cricket, acknowledged that “the Indian cricket team remains one of the most valuable brands in sport…But for better or worse, it is becoming increasingly clear that much of the new energy and impetus for cricket is coming from the private sector.”
Controversial Finance Bill
Pakistan’s parliament passed the tax-heavy Finance Bill 2024 on June 28, which came into force on July 1. Considering the economic situation, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had promised that all classes would contribute to improving the country’s economic situation when he presented the budget three weeks ago. The opposition had refused to approve the budget, calling it unfair. However, this new bill seems to contradict Aurangzeb’s claims, with the salaried classes once again bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.
dawn (July 2nd) states, “The public has discovered that the Chancellor’s ‘assurances’ were nothing more than a cruel joke…It is now widely accepted that the Coalition’s ‘crisis budget’ will achieve little more than a squeeze on those who are already paying taxes…Real economic correction has once again been postponed.”
Daily Times (July 1) called for concrete action on the government’s promise to curb perks to policymakers, saying, “So far all we have heard is ‘plans’ for a bloated cabinet and intentions to merge ministries. If the government wants to be trusted, it needs to first show its responsibility.”
Security measures in Muharram
The Islamic month of Muharram begins on July 7. Pakistan is facing security concerns due to past terrorist activities. This year, as part of security restrictions, the Punjab provincial government asked the Ministry of Interior to impose a blanket ban on social media apps to prevent hate groups from inciting violence through online posts. The media has opposed the move and called on the government to reconsider.
The Express Tribune (July 6) suggests a more regulated approach rather than a total ban, because “the more we try to suppress emotions, the more ways and forms they will find themselves expressing themselves.” The editorial states, “In the short term, governments should devote resources to strengthening monitoring and management of social media and digital platforms, but only to quickly identify and remove hate speech content.”
The Nation Reflecting on general security measures for Muharram (July 6), he said, “Police forces must be adequately equipped to ensure security on such a scale…The sensitive situation during this month should be fully taken into consideration by the federal and state governments and all measures must be completed by the day of Ashura.”
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