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In using 'suicide' to bash each other, Pakistani politicians have reached a new low

In using 'suicide' to bash each other, Pakistani politicians have reached a new low

Is it ever okay to tell a person to commit suicide? No. Never.
Updated 13 May, 2019

It's well documented that PM Imran Khan made some pretty strong statements during his election campaign. In one of them he professed: "I would rather die than ask for money [for the country]."

Now, after negotiations with the IMF have yielded an agreement on a bailout package for Pakistan, Khan's detractors are using his own words against him.

Following news of the agreement PML-N party worker Marriyum Aurangzeb said to press that: "Imran Khan had said he wouldn't go to the IMF... but after the agreement that was finalised yesterday I think it would have been best if Imran Khan had committed suicide."

Even Bilalwal Bhutto used suicide as a punchline, taking to Twitter to say:

Holding a politician accountable to his past promises is one thing, but openly stating that you wish an individual would commit suicide is entirely something else.

What with suicide rates spiking in many countries, and with suicide being the second leading cause of death among young people (15-29 years of age), suicide is not a subject that can be treated lightly.

And yet, Pakistani politicians seem to be doing just that. In addition to Marriyum Aurangzeb and Bilawal Bhutto, in an earlier speech before the Senate JUI-F federal General Secretary Maulana Haideri said he and his party were wondering when Prime Minister would commit suicide:

Unfortunately, the public seems to be following suit. After the IMF agreement was announced many took to social media to express a similar wish for the Prime Minister... and saner voices and few and far in between.

Here's hoping sanity will prevail soon.

Comments

Shuaib May 13, 2019 04:49pm
The context is that the PM himself said he would commit suicide. Bilawal is saying that medics should be ready to assist the PM if he were to commit such an action.
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Chingez Khan May 13, 2019 04:50pm
So cheap. shame on them.
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Shah May 13, 2019 04:51pm
Well if we start recounting the statements then our Biloo and his dad would be in trouble
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shuaib May 13, 2019 04:53pm
Yes, certainly yes........one who, with repeated yelling at political opponents over loans, gained unfair advantage, distort the economic sense of common person should be named and shamed and should repeatedly be reminded of his rhetoric so that no one else could play with the country's economy, in future. Shame IK as much as one can
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Yousuf May 13, 2019 05:01pm
PPP and PMLN are the cause for bringing this country to its current sufferings. They have looted the country left and right and have no shame.
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Alka May 13, 2019 06:01pm
@Yousuf The ex members of PMLN and PPP are now office bearers in PTI government, isnt it? So they should also take the blame
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Yemeen ul Islam Zuberi May 13, 2019 06:40pm
@Alka But they are not the leadership!!
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Syed Arif Hussain Zahidi May 13, 2019 07:08pm
@Shah Please do start we shall see how far you go !!
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Syed Arif Hussain Zahidi May 13, 2019 07:11pm
@Yousuf You are wrong, in fact you have not even the foggiest idea of what you are saying ... Since this blame game is tearing the country apart, let the Supreme Court and the State Bank come out with all the details ... From 2008 till 2019, everything shall be clear to you.
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Moth May 13, 2019 07:35pm
The thing that wonders me is only one. Nawaz Shabaka Zardari Balawal - every one know that IK is a very honest person and he wants to grow Pakistan - why they do not help him. What is wrong with them.
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Imran May 13, 2019 07:38pm
Low is having rule over Sind for 30 years and not being able to provide clean water or healthcare but rather lying about it. Bhutto-Zardari s are no longer the choice of the people.
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Imran May 13, 2019 07:39pm
@shuaib you have just defined the opposition.
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Edris May 13, 2019 07:53pm
I wonder when our so called leaders say anything for the betterment of Pakistan.... instead of these useless tweets :
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Citizen26 May 13, 2019 08:08pm
The day IK had said about IMF, check out the date and the debt Pak had. Then look up how much debt had increased by 2018 elections. This is more saner and logical thing to talk about. Holding someone for his comments without a complete context is not a new trick. This is coming from medieval times and has always been considered lowly.
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Lahori kid May 13, 2019 08:10pm
OK, so the PM said what he said, but you have to be smart enough to understand what he meant by it, yes the PM used wrong wording, no doubt, but what he meant by his statement was, he would not go to the IMF, but that was before the government realized that the numbers PML-N had shown were bogus, the depth was a lot worse than initially shown by the PML-N government. What choice does the new government have? I don't care which party had taken over, IMF bailout was inevitable, no getting around it.
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Jimmy May 13, 2019 08:33pm
Imagine how bad things are if Imran Khan agreed to IMF package. Have to commend him for his determination to sort things out even if its at the cost of his reputation. Remember we are in this mess due to policies of previous governments of PPP and PMLN.
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Tony May 13, 2019 08:37pm
Are they reminding Imran on what he said standing on the container? Imran and other top leaders should learn to give away sweeping statements. It has not helped anyone in the past and will not help in future. It would only add frustration to already oppressed nation. Most of Imran claims are proving false and show how low politicians get in order to win the top seat.
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Bhaijan May 13, 2019 09:00pm
PM IK dislikes burden of loan & corruption to last degree, whatever he said was his utmost disapproval. But at that time you guys (COD) parties were in driving seat, instead of stopping you further accelerated the corruption & loans. The bad sewed by COD parties are being reaped today by nation. The people today believe you are responsible, you are not going to be spared from corruption cases, while people of Pak are brave and resilient, the present difficulties will go soon, while all corrupt guys must believe this time they are surely destined towards jails & prisons.
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MK May 13, 2019 09:12pm
Shame on all of us who is getting along with the cheap remarks from the opposition. We have to grow up. Yes indeed IK said that but we need to think why he said that, if he would have said that i will go to IMF as well, will he be at the leading position today. From IK's perspective he was true what he did not know , how much BOOKS were cooked in the government. One do not get to know those things until you sit in the government. Our Awam is very naive sometimes. We have never seen in the past how much debt we are in and how it is getting utilized. I will say one thing that at least these past few few months have shown us how much debt we owe and what critical situation we are in. how the money was used int he past government. Previous governments have created temporary bubbles to control the economy which led us to where we are today. Yes i would say that IK should get the looted MONEY back, and it is possible by justice system not by IK.
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IMRAN JAVAID May 13, 2019 09:48pm
All this noise from people who have no principles of their own so expecting them to be mindful of sensitive topics such as suicide is a bit of misplaced expectations.
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Moona May 13, 2019 10:14pm
Nononononono! You don't get to defend him this way.
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Truth May 13, 2019 10:18pm
Those who can, do. Those who can't poke fun at others. Neither Bilawal nor PML-N hoodlums and semi-literate clan are worth sweating over. Let them watch and weap as IK takes the country forward.
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gullu Badsha May 13, 2019 10:19pm
@shuaib, It is a well known fact around the world that the loans have been acquired because the economy was left in distress by the previous governments. IK is also on record saying that he did not know, until he took over as PM, what the condition of the economy was. It was worse than he had ever imagined. When he was in the opposition there was no way he could get access to any records, statements or documents as the corrupt beauraucracy refused to assist him
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Ali May 13, 2019 10:52pm
People and media channels who give so much coverage to a Rural Sind party which is the most corrupt party on the planet need to self evaluate whose interests they are serving , These people are not worth talking about we need to move on
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Jimmy May 13, 2019 11:56pm
@Syed Arif Hussain Zahidi. It is you who doesn't have the foggiest idea. Do some proper research.
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Jigar May 13, 2019 11:58pm
PMLN and PPP: two sides to the same coin. People ar3 suffering because of their policies. Any correctional measures will be resisted by people. Will take time for reforms to bear fruit.
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Sid May 14, 2019 12:12am
@Alka when did the Shariffs join PTI? Did I miss something?
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Jamal May 14, 2019 12:28am
The amount of love and respect IK gets from us no one can come near it . We have faith in him .
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m:ahmed May 14, 2019 12:29am
@Shah Learn some decency in talk-
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moazzam khan May 14, 2019 12:58am
Total rubbish and sick mentality of our opposition leaders who had tweeted like this?
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Zak May 14, 2019 02:43am
The opposition is sick and anti state. At a time when the country is going through challenging times left by these same political parties, now these enemies of pakistan are trying to pooint score. At the end ,regardless of any thing, Imran khan has one quality that none of these people have and that is HONESTY.
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Ahmad Gul Kainth May 14, 2019 03:43am
Such a low we have witnessed in our era!!! Our politicians are yet to be educated that this is not a discussion or mockery. Those who commit suicide go through a phase of pain, regret and ostracism. Let them get education about metal health
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ansa May 14, 2019 06:11am
PM himself said now others are just reminding him
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Muqtadir Urrehman May 14, 2019 06:33am
We are called muslim but we don’t understand the teaching of Islam. So there is a saying “First weigh it then speak out”
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independentthinker May 14, 2019 07:11am
This is worse than what I would expect to hear from a juvenile and here we have our national leaders commenting as such! It is no wonder Pakistan lacks progress, when there is serious shortage of common decency amongst our leaders.
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AZAM AKBAR May 14, 2019 07:45am
@Shah Mr. Shah, You are right.
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AZAM AKBAR May 14, 2019 07:47am
@m:ahmed Mr. m:Ahmed, Decency? What for?
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Dawn May 14, 2019 09:15am
Undignified comments by the lowly opposition.
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Mrs.khalil May 14, 2019 09:54am
Instead of criticizing politicians, we should analyze ourselves, such people are in politics, because we elect them . Before stamping ballot paper, had we ever think , What we are electing to rule us,No, never . So instead of shaming them , we have to change our criteria of choosing Politicians.
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AAhmed May 14, 2019 10:04am
@shuaib The reason he was yelling is exactly what he is facing ? They were subsidizing public services by borrowing for it, buying petrol at higher price and selling at lower, they brought private electricity provider at higher rate of purchase and supplying the same at lower rates to consumers, holding the exchange rate at Rs. 100 for dollar they enabling local consumers to purchase imported goods while paying less Rupees to exporters for their foreign earnings, it was a well planned strategy, he was yelling but truthfully what these politicians of PML-N and PPP did in past ten years, amounts to treason. They secured their future by amassing wealth in overseas to escape when Pakistan gone bankrupt, which they were conspiring to do together with their foreign cronies. A foreign military would not have done what they did to this country. Pakistan turned economically so weak that its security had been compromised today. And they have a courage to call IK to suicide ?
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putho madre May 14, 2019 02:59pm
If he didn't mean it why he said it.
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Daskalos May 15, 2019 03:11am
@Yemeen ul Islam Zuberi , on the contrary all the PTI top leadership is now comprised of PPP and PML-N lotas.
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Chacha May 15, 2019 06:13am
Very true but this is taste of PTI medicine
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