Page 50 - Tehelka Issue 15 August 2018

around the w rLd

Heart-throb cricketer all set to become

Pakistan’s iSi-backed prime minister

Former cricketer and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Nariman Tamimi, were then transferred by the army to
(PTI) chief Imran Khan declared victory in the country’s the Palestinians territories, where a festive homecoming
general elections after his party won 116 seats in the awaited them in their hometown village of Nabi Saleh.
272-seat National Assembly. While Khan maintained Ahed was arrested in December after she slapped two
a commanding lead, his party will not be able to form a Israeli soldiers outside
majority government as at least 137 seats are needed for her family home. Her
government formation. Millions of Pakistanis flocked to mother had filmed
polling stations to vote amid violence, including a suicide the incident and
attack in the western city posted it on Facebook,
of Quetta that claimed at where it went viral
least 31 lives. There have and instantly turned
been allegations from her into a symbol of
various quarters within resistance to Israel’s
and outside the country half-century-old
that the polls were either military rule over the
rigged or not held in a Palestinians. With
transparent manner as her unruly mop of
the all-powerful military curly red hair, the Palestinian teen quickly became an
backed Khan and ensured icon. In Israel, however, she is seen by many as either as
that he won at any cost. a provocateur, an irritation or a threat to the military’s
There were incidents of deterrence policy.
the media being gagged and the judiciary has also been in
the spotlight for awarding punishment to former Prime
Minister and PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif, who would
have been Khan’s main opponent, in a corruption case. in recent weeks, hundreds of Syrian families have
This election has been only the second civilian transfer of suddenly learned that their missing relatives have been
power in Pakistan’s 70-year history that has not seen a registered as dead by the government, after the first
single Prime Minister complete his or her term in office public acknowledgment by the Syrian government that
owing to military coups and other violent unrests. hundreds if not thousands of prisoners died in state
custody. Many of the documents show that the deaths
occurred years ago, in the early part of the uprising
against President Bashar al-Assad that evolved into a
Seventeen-year-old Palestinian protestor Ahed brutal civil war. Analysts believe the quiet changes in
Tamimi was released from prison by Israel after she status show that Assad is confident enough of winning
served an eight-month sentence for slapping and kicking the war and remaining in power that he can make that
Israeli soldiers at the West Bank. Ahed and her mother, admission without fear of repercussion, prodding the

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