Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism & Hospitality of Pakistan

Munaza Kazmi

Throughout the human history, nothing had killed people in masses than the infectious diseases. Justinian in 6th century has perhaps killed half of the global population of the time, Black Death in 14th centaury have horrified the world by killing 200 million, 100 million died in 1918 with Spanish Flu: a figure lot more than the casualties of World War II, then 300 million expired resulting small pox and then the cruelest event of last year 2019 “Bush Fire” Australia, which not even taken 800 human lives but the loss of 1.25 billion innocent little creatures and now in year 2020 we are under another horrific event.

So, we can say our planet had gone through a number of pandemics since its creation or to the known human history, although none of them was akin to the recent one namely COVID-19 or Coronavirus. It can be presumed that, the reason of its being dangerous the most and distress and alarm in populace is its unpredictable nature and the slow unbearable death. Along with its severe implications on the global economy, routine business and unpredictable nature and on top with no medicine, no solution to undergo at least till yet.

The product of this pandemic is so overruling that it had made the de facto authorities of even the most powerful countries and regions handicapped. All of a sudden, the entire world had moved to a halt, with no proper means of cure, nothing but restrictions on global and domestic travel, rulings of social distancing and prolonged quarantine, which had devasted every business of life, what to say of mere economy or any other entity.

Resulting this unforeseen and unpredictable hurricane of Corona virus, the world had entered in a strange mystery, in every nook and corner we see shutdown and verdicts of distancing, even from our dear ones, every business is under lockdown but the most vulnerable is the tourism and hospitality. Following the pandemic measures, the industry of tourism and hospitality seemingly entering into tornado of huge crises. Consequently, Pakistan’s tourism and hospitality industry is at great risk, as people are unable to visit Pakistan following the fear of disease and viral measures. The world had come to a strange standstill, in a short period of time there came a sudden shift from over tourism to no tourist.

The industry of tourism and hospitality had entered into tornado of huge crises due to the devasting effects of the pandemic of Coronavirus. In the hindsight the industry of tourism and hospitality is at a great risk as people around world are unable to travel shadowing the viral measures and the risk of spread.

Airlines, roadways, cruise had been temporarily stopped their operations, the hotels and resorts had paused their services for the time being following the government orders in order to stop the spread of virus, which had caused a serious hit to the economy of Pakistan and also it is a big setback to the pains and labors in the way of reviving the industry of tourism and hospitality to the current regime of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Industry of tourism and hospitality of Pakistan is an emergent market and from last few years, Pakistan had pinned her hopes on the upcoming arrival of international tourist and was preparing for a healthy and warm welcome, since Pakistan once known in world by terrorism only had shed the old leaves and was budding with new, as it had earned a lot goodwill among the world and favorably good reviews and support from international media, the year of 2019 was proved lucky for the prospects of tourism.

The tales of love and hospitality were ringing in the ears of the people around the world, moreover Pakistan went famous for its hospitality where on social media we can find a number of stories one of them namely “Trevor James” from “Food Ranger” have shocked the world’s hospitality by making the famous line “Everything is Free in Pakistan! I Never Paid Once! (I tried!). Similarly, the government had done a lot for enhancing the tourism and in making the tourist arrival comfortable and easy; relax visa policies, visa on arrival, improved security and improvement in tourism infrastructure, even thou Islamabad the federal capital of Pakistan had featured as “among world safest capital” in World Crime Index report, furthermore many of the giant hotels of the world had signed agreement with Pakistan and some have been started their construction also in mega cities and metropolis.

Next to say the fruits of efforts were started to appear as all the hotels, resorts and flights were booked for the upcoming spring and then what came upon the world was never even thought in the wildest of our dreams; the pandemic of Coronavirus.

However, last year some recovery had observed, but due to our negligence again the number of registered cases started to increase with increase in death rate. This forced the government to halt the industry once again, which is not only affecting on the macro level but on the micro level as well, since a lot of family’s bread and butter is dependent on the income from hotels and tourism.

Moreover, Pakistan as a developing country whose economy is highly dependent on agriculture, manufacturing and service industries, it can be realized how shutdown measures, prolonged quarantine and disruptions in transportation and supply topple with travel restrictions had impacted the industry overall scenario and to the economy of Pakistan. a further increase in the miseries.

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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.

She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.

You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.

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Challenges of home learning during pandemic through the eyes of a student

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. 

Globally, everything has stopped. Projects have been delayed, workplaces closed and schools shut down. The world seems to have ground to a halt because of the novel coronavirus.

However, students continue their education through online learning and via video calls with their teachers, especially in big cities such as Jakarta. The model is currently the best alternative as keeping schools open poses a safety risk for students.

Globally, many countries have adopted this approach. Schools in New York, the United States, prepared for online learning by distributing gadgets to their students, ensuring they had access to learning materials. As of early April, education authorities distributed around 500,000 laptops and tablets to their students, allowing them to participate in classes online.

When the first two COVID-19 cases were announced in Indonesia in early March, the country was in a panic. On March 14, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced that all schools in Jakarta were to be closed. However, many schools were not ready to apply home learning programs yet. The online classes implemented in Indonesia work differently from those in the US. This is due to a lack of preparation in this country.

As a student participating in the home-learning program, online school was confusing to adjust to as we had not been prepared through simulations or practices beforehand. Students reported the home-learning program to be even more stressful than regular classrooms. Some of the common reasons for this went along the lines of: "Normal classes may have been difficult, but having friends makes it so much more manageable and less stressful. Online classes take out the benefits of having friends to socialize with and being stuck alone with nothing but assignments."

Many students participating in home-learning programs also say that the workload of online classes is larger than that of regular classes. The general consensus is that home-learning programs — although highly beneficial and a good alternative to school as schools are closed — still require some getting used to by students, as it is a novel concept and not many are experienced with them.

However, although the closing of schools does have a silver lining (home-learning programs where students are still able to learn), the true sufferers of the government order of school closings are the students in less fortunate situations and the students who are in schools that are not well-funded.

This is because those students lack the devices and internet access to be able to participate in online classes, and the schools do not have the capacity to teach online. Unlike in New York where devices are distributed to students by schools and private companies, in Indonesia, there is yet to be this kind of effort.

This leaves many students in a bad spot where they are unable to receive an education. Although internet service providers have been giving out free data packages, they are simply not capable of supporting video calls on programs such as Zoom.

To further complicate things, it seems that COVID-19 will last a while in Indonesia. For context, in China, it took months for the transmissions to stabilize — and this was with a fast government response, instant lockdown and people obeying the rules and quarantine policies.

Despite the lack of a nation-wide lockdown, schools remain closed, meaning that students who have no access to a device or internet connection will have a difficult time maintaining their education. Due to these factors, they will be in a very difficult spot educationally until the COVID-19 pandemic dies down in Indonesia. In this situation, the government should make extra efforts to support the education sector and build a sense of solidarity among schools, such as by facilitating networks between international and national/public schools to share experiences and study methodologies for online teaching.

Thankfully, there are now some alternatives to online learning in which students in less fortunate situations could participate. The Education and Culture Ministry recently introduced a Belajar di Rumah (Learning at Home) program through state-owned broadcaster TVRI (for the next three months) and a platform called Guru Berbagi (Teachers Sharing), providing creating learning and teaching materials. To add on to this, however, the government should still have more offline options for students without internet access, such as the distribution of books and learning materials.

Personally, I feel that online classes are a great alternative to normal in-school classes. As a 10th grader participating in online classes right now, I have been able to focus more and perform better.

The presence of COVID-19 will directly and permanently change education in the future, seeing that we must be able to adapt to working and studying online for any kind of reasons and situations. I believe, both TVRI’s Belajar di Rumah program and the Guru Berbagi platform will leave a legacy and should be continued to support class teachings for good.

Only time will tell whether online classes will be a good substitute for normal classes, and if they are, there will be a rise in online educational programs and online universities. (kes)

 

Rarkryan is a 10th-grade student at BINUS School Simprug

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COURTESY thejakartapost

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Possible scenarios in Afghanistan after US withdrawal

After two decades of U.S. warfare in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has announced the date for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and ends the longest war. According to him, the United States wills withdrawal its entire military forces from Afghanistan military bases by 9/11/2021.

Many Afghanistan politicians do not believe that the U.S. withdraws all of its troops because the central government of Afghanistan does not have adequate preparation after the U.S. withdrawal situation. 

However, in this article, I will explore the thinkable scenarios in Afghanistan after the U.S. troop’s withdrawal?  In this study, I will focus on some possible situations in Afghanistan.

First, achieving peace and construction of Afghanistan National Unity Government (ANUG) is the first possible option post-exit of U.S., Now that foreigners have announced they have left the country, there is no reason for conflict. Such a situation will achieve long peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region; this option needs a comprehensive peace, including internal and external players involved in the coming peace process. 

I look forward to how the Afghan government maintains the balance of power between the Taliban and other political parties; this is very crucial because the imbalance drawback to the collapse of government and Afghanistan will plunge into civil war as we experienced during the Najibullah government as well.

In the external arena, the most affirmative scenario is the situation for the regional country will not be worse. The U.S. will continue its support to the Kabul government in the post-exit era. The external stakeholders, particularly China and Russia, are interested in stability and durable peace in Afghanistan through cooperation with the other regional states (Pakistan, India, Iran, and Turkey). The resolution of the Afghanistan issue will guarantee the security of South and Central Asia its vital for China and Russia because of the core threats to China and Russia from Afghanistan terrorist groups activities, its danger for the U.S. as well.

Another significant reason is that Afghanistan is the gateway to the Central Asian States with potentially untapped energy resources. The regional Actors want direct access through Afghanistan to these natural resources to meet their dire energy demands. Because of American military presence in the region, the regional countries, particularly Iran, Pakistan, China, and Russia, felt threatened. They began to oppose and protect their interests connected with Afghanistan’s peace and security. The notion is that, in the prolonged presence of the United States, these states that have economic and security interests in Afghanistan would be in danger.

China and Afghanistan have several ongoing projects underway, and different transnational actors have sabotaged these projects on several occasions. Likewise, Pakistan has a direct border link with Afghanistan, has several stakes in Afghanistan, and needs access to Central Asia. Pakistan also has concerns about the presence of America. It has also made strong connections with China so that mutual interests could be met by joining hands together.

Similarly, Iran and Russia being strategic partnerships have profound political and economic interests in Afghanistan and arch-rivals of the United States. Both countries have to oppose the actions of the United States and a potential threat for both country’s interests in the Afghan mainland and Central Asia. It means the diverging interests in Afghanistan of regional and American interests, politico-military outcomes would in the long term seem not conducive for lasting peace in Afghanistan unless these could have a political consensus on the said diverging interests vis-à-vis Afghanistan internal reconciliation.

If all stakeholders involving in the Istanbul negotiation, they could form an ANUG that all have so far required. Agree, this will be the best option to end the war, and such a government will be bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

Second, maintain the status quo: U.S. President announced the date of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, reminding that the United States continued its assistance, exceptionally provide large military and financial aid to Afghanistan.

It is unclear whether such a promise will be fulfilled; if the U.S. keeps its support, particularly military and financial assistance to Kabul, the Afghan security forces have enough power to maintain the status quo after the U.S. exit. In this case, if the peace talks in the Istanbul conference fail, the Kabul government will survive. 

The Afghanistan national army will able to fight against the Taliban and other terrorist groups. Let us remember that Dr. Najib’s government was still strong in terms of power, defense. Still, the main reason was led to his government downfall are the imbalance between internal control and ethnic divisions. Regarding imbalance, we can see the role of General Dostum. In the beginning, he was a core ally with Najib when he turned to the North alliance because he did not see himself in the power position.

The ongoing situations in Afghanistan are similar; the statement should focus on the role of warlords and political parties to maintain the inter balance this significant for the central government to survive. On the other hands, the economic and military support for the Afghanistan government crucial because without external support Afghanistan government cannot survive; if the necessary financial resources for security are not available from external donors at the same times in the government of the internal situation have many challenges such as insurgency, terrorist, ethnicity, corruption, and warlords. The current conditions Afghanistan faces the external and internal threat; the Afghanistan government need to deal with it.

In this situation how the Ghani will deal with post-U.S. withdrawal, he has two choices two survive the first; he imbalance with China and Russia because china can help Afghanistan financially and play a significant role to force Pakistan and Taliban as well, this choice very dangerous if he fails cannot survive if he succeeds he will be overcome both threats. The second is to keep its alliance with the U.S. this situation will maintain the status quo but not bring durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.          

Third, the collapse of government and going to civil war:  after two decades of war, the U.S. shortcut way to bring peace in Afghanistan. Washington tries to face save from withdrawal of Afghanistan. The U.S., represent Khalilzad, has provided a draft Afghanistan Peace Agreement to the Kabul government and Taliban. The core idea is to replace the elected Afghan government with a transnational one that may occur, including Taliban and negotiation between the parties for a future permanent system. 

At the same time, president Ghani receives a letter from U.S. Secretary of state Blinken saying it was “urgent” to “accelerate peace talks” and move “quickly toward a settlement.” The letter also has asked Turkey to host a high-level meeting between the Afghan sides “in the coming weeks to finalize a peace agreement.” Suppose the government is to think of independent defense. The Istanbul conference is a good opportunity for the Taliban and Kabul governments to achieve peace; otherwise, the situation will be worse. The current situations are an important opportunity for all different parties, ideologies, groups, and ethnic groups have come together.

The unification and arrangement of these products is a complex and arduous task and requires compassion and sacrifice. On the other hand, if the Kabul government delays the negation to remain in power and the Taliban also holds up to returning to power by force, this condition will disintegrate because the ethnic, linguistic, religious, and other divisions turn into armed conflict. In the worst-case scenario, then the 1990s, conflict and war and killing will be restarted, and Afghanistan situations will be worse than Iraq and Syria. In conclusion, this paper argues the future situations of Afghanistan after the U.S. force withdrawal from Afghanistan.

During the history of Afghanistan’s statement constantly losing in the diplomatic arena in this crucial moment, how the Ghani governments deal with internal and external issues? All Afghanistan people wish the politicians can play a good role and end the forty-year war and move towards prosperity and stability. If the intra-afghan dialog fails, keep the status quo is also good, at least worse government better than no government, for the benefit of the people and the inhabitants of the big cities, as far as it is acceptable.

It is like being delivered in an explosion and suicide attack in these twenty years, and so on. But if we go to the civil war and ethnic conflict and alley to alley, people will forget the previous civil war. I hope that will not happen. People are starving for peace and stability. It would be suitable for political leaders to abandon their interests, focus on the national interest, and move toward a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.

 

Written by: Hameedullah Nasrat, PhD Scholar, School of International and Public Affairs, Jilin University China.

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Russia may play leadership role in Middle-East peace

Zamir Ahmed Awan

The situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly. The recent unrest in Israel is growing like fire and entering into a dangerous zone. The clashes between armed police and helpless Palestinians are witnessed everywhere. Here are signs of full-scale war, which may engulf some of the neighboring or regional countries.

Iran-Israel tension has reached a full-fledged war-like situation. It has crossed the limit of verbal threats and warnings, but practical attacks were also seen in recent days. Looking at the magnitude of their weapons and intensity of rivalry, one can predict a disastrous conflict.

However, the US has shown flexibility toward Iran for the nuclear deal but with strict conditions. It is still appreciated that the President Joe Biden Administration has considered the settlement of disputes with Iran. Iran is also willing to reach such a nuclear deal where sanctions would be removed, and its frozen assets may be returned back to Iran immediately, and trade sanctions may be removed. Itan’s ailing economy is under immense pressure due to irrational sanctions. There is a ray of hope.

Houthis in Yemen are getting stubborn and refused to attend the UN meeting, Which might complicate the Saudi-Yeman conflict further. The UN was trying to find a solution to end the ongoing war.

The situation in Lebanon is also not good; especially, the economic crisis seems more dangerous. On the political front, the power struggle and French interference are worsening the situation further. Lebanon might be a small country, but its geostrategic location is vital for peace in the whole region.

The direct contact between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran was a big surprise, and promptly opening up of diplomatic missions is encouraging. In fact, both are Muslim nations and sharing many things in common; It was the interest of the US to sell expensive weapons to the Oil-Rich Arab States, that is why they used Wester bais media to create tension between Arabs and Iran. President Trump was openly admitting that his friendship with Saudi Arabia was for selling more arms and weapons to support the rapidly falling economy of the US.

Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have also come close to each other and trying to overcome differences amicably. Turkey has huge potential to stabilize the whole region and promote developments. There exist historical, cultural, religious, and political relations between the two Muslim countries. There are more things in common than differences.

Egypt and Turkey are also in contact, which will smooth the ways of peace and stability in Libya too. Both countries are important states in the region, and cooperation among them will positively impact the region.

Qatar may be a small state but politically very active in the region. Qatar is a state, who hosted the Afghan Peace talks between Taliba and the US directly. Qatar’s balanced foreign policies are playing a significant role in bringing the regional countries closer.

Pakistan is the only nuclear power in the Muslim world with a powerful army. Pakistan’s visionary leadership is very active for peace and stability in the whole region and globally. Pakistan is playing a pivotal role in the peace process in Afghanistan. Earlier, the Pakistani Prime Minister visited Riyadh and Tehran to bring two Muslim brothers closer.

Pakistan was silently playing diplomacy to defuse tension among the Muslim world and regional countries. It is a well-stated policy of Pakistan that we are partner with anyone anywhere any time for “Peace,” and we are not partner with anyone, anywhere or any time in the wars, aggressions, destructions, killings, etc. Pakistan is a peace-loving nation genetically and wanted to promote peace globally.

It is the first time when Prime Minister of Israel Netanyahu contacted President Putin, after desperate from the cold response from President Joe Biden. He might be facing severe challenges domestically and may not be able to keep his position within his own party or among the masses.

With this scenario, Russia has space to play a leading role in bringing peace, stability, and developments in the whole region. The Muslim world was victimized by the Western World (The US, NATO, and Allies) for almost a couple of decades. Millions of Muslims were killed, millions were made homeless, millions were forced to move into refugee camps either in their own countries or migrate to other countries.

The Infrastructure was damaged, agriculture & crops were destroyed, Business was ruined, the economy was damaged, civic life was damaged, the social structure was damaged, and etc. There exist anti-America solid sentiments all over the Muslim world. At the same time, many of them are looking toward Russia, including the State of Israel. Let Russia avail of this opportunity and extend its leadership role.

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COURTESY geopolitica.ru

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Extremism, & Radicalism; Enemies of Humanity

Munaza Kazmi

Worldwide, millions of people have been killed, disabled, displaced, widowed and orphaned as a result of acts of violent extremism. In the majority of cases, the statistics are available because it is a tangible, visible damage that can be measured. However, the discourse regarding around the extremism and violence that has inflicted on communities, societies and countries is still limited. States have introduced strategies and policies to prevent and counter violent extremism, but there is no strategy or policy developed till yet to address the long-lasting impact of extremism on individuals, families and communities.

Extremism today has become an outlook not only in the countries which have been directly affected by violent extremism but in countries that have not experienced it directly. In my opinion, extremism is an attitude and it becomes part of one’s belief system when it is not checked, condemned and disapproved by family, the larger community and the state itself.

Hence, this tendency permeates into institutions, organizations, families and the wider community and has devastating impact on the social harmony and unity.

However, the greatest impact of such a societal attitude is the transformation of a tolerant, accommodative and pluralistic society into an intolerant and exclusionist one. The intolerance of ordinary citizens matters because it impacts the socio-political sphere of the society.  Due to prevalent religious, ethnic and sectarian intolerance, people have less heterogeneous peer groups, they are more critical of others’ behavior and faith, and they do not feel free to express themselves because of the fear of negative consequences. 

This mass religious, ethnic, sectarian and political intolerance has resulted in a culture of conformity that constrains individual rights and liberty in many important ways. At the same time, cultural intolerance has divided once united communities on the narrow lines of sectarianism, religion, ethnicity and language. 

Can be recalled as a long-lost fairytale only that, once upon a time community have been living together peaceably with love and harmony, sharing religious and cultural festivals, supporting each other in time of sorrow and joy, without the notion of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christen but “bhai bhai”. But now living under the shadow of hatred, doubt and suspicion.

Moreover, the economic impact of extremism is the closure of many businesses in the affected areas. This results in a further increase in poverty, unemployment and various types of crimes. Extremism also has a devastating impact on women’s mobility, social protection and services. Many women are left as heads of households and a significant number as widows.

Thedisease of Extremism and Radicalism is more fatal than any other, since it not just infilters the heart but the soul. Nevertheless, itis changing the fabric of society, as one could seehow less tolerant, aggressive we became and without love and harmony for others.

However, some of the recommendations for policymakers in this context should be that, states honor their obligations under international human rights law to fight any discrimination and take effective measures to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in all fields of civil, economic, political, social and cultural life. Legislation protecting the rights of all religious communities should be adopted and implemented with the full commitment of police, judiciary and other actors.

In the face of the bleak global landscape of growing persecution and restrictions on religious freedom, it is imperative to hold interfaith dialogue and forge alliances within and between religious groups that can become a formidable force in coping with existing persecution and preventing it in the future.

Moreover, countriescan also work to institutionalize inclusive peace education as a long-term remedy and integrate diversity into education, so that our young generation consider the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of their societies an important part of their national heritage. More broadly, there is need for a greater understanding of the invisible and unrecognized impact of extremism on individuals and communities.

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Munaza Kazmi has recently done Master of Philosophy from Bahria University Islamabad. Her debut novel is Unrequited Love.

She’s an author, columnist writing in different newspapers and a researcher having seven publications till yet, she’s been writing since 2016.

You can connect to Kazmi at twitter @munaza_kazmi or on research gate as munaza kazmi.

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