Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Clinging on: on Imran Khan’s ouster

Clinging on: on Imran Khan’s ouster

Imran Khan showed himself as an autocrat (अनियन्त्रित शासक, तानाशाह) by undermining (कमजोर करना, तोड़फोड़ करना, क्षति पहुँचाना) democratic processes

After a week’s delay, and twists and turns (complex situation with many surprising changes), Shehbaz Sharif has been voted in as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister at the National Assembly. Mr. Sharif, who won a majority of 174 votes in the 342-seat Assembly, has been made to wait for days due to (इस कारण, की वजह से, के कारण) the attempts by Prime Minister Imran Khan — now ousted (बाहर निकालना) — to abrogate (अभिनिषेध करना, रद्द करना, अधिरोहित करना) the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) process. While Mr. Sharif and the Opposition led by the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the Pakistan People’s Party, submitted a no-confidence motion on March 8, the debate was only scheduled on April 3 by Asad Qaiser, the National Assembly (An elected legislature (government/parliament)) Speaker from Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party. In the Assembly, Mr. Qaisar’s deputy rejected the NCM over allegations (आरोप, अभियोग) of a “foreign conspiracy (षड्यंत्र, योजना/साजिश)”, which was followed by Mr. Khan resigning, asking the President to dissolve (भंग करना, बर्खास्त करना) the Assembly and calling for (require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand) elections. The Supreme Court stepped in (में हस्तक्षेप करना, शामिल होना) to end the cascading (व्यापक, बह निकला) crises, and reversed (उलट देना, अमान्य करना, रद्द करना) the Speaker’s actions. Even when the Assembly was reconvened on April 9 under strict orders from the Court, the Speaker allowed a debate on the “foreign conspiracy” angle (दृष्टिकोण) to drag on (continue, persist, linger, carry on) for hours, before the vote to oust Mr. Khan was finally allowed just short of (से कम, अतिरिक्त) midnight on Saturday. The ruling PTI seemed (लगना, प्रतीत होना) unwilling (disinclined, resisting, opposed, hesitant) to give up (resign from, stand down from; renounce, forgo, abandon) power, and even proposed its own candidate, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, before resigning from the Assembly en masse (in a mass, all together, as a group) before Mr. Sharif was elected. Mr. Khan, who continues to allege (claim, assert, declare, state, contend, argue, charge, accuse) his ouster (निकाल देना, बेदखली) was the outcome of an “international regime (government)-change conspiracy”, has vowed (swear, pledge, promise, affirm) to now take his battle “to the people”, and is likely (probably, in all probability, presumably, doubtlessly) to spend the rest of the Assembly’s tenure (term, time, period, stint (in office); incumbency), due to end in August 2023, in a political campaign (an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group) against Mr. Sharif.

Mr. Khan’s defeat marks (indicate, signify, represent, denote) the first time a confidence vote has gone against a sitting (current; present) Pakistani Prime Minister. However, the ouster of a PM mid-tenure is not new in a country that has often (frequently, many times, regularly, recurrently, usually, habitually) seen the military establishment (an influential group) prevail over (succeed, triumph, be victorious, gain mastery, prove superior) any PM who challenges its power. In this case, the Army took no overt (clear, apparent, conspicuous, obvious, noticeable, observable, visible) action, but it is clear (obvious, visible, discernible, perceptible, noticeable, recognizable) that the strain (stress, tension, burden) between Islamabad and Rawalpindi was an important factor once the Opposition decided to push Mr. Khan out. The PTI’s dangerous flirtation (relationship, involvement, affair) with religious fundamentalism (fanaticism, radicalism, dogmatism/bigotry) did not help Mr. Khan. Nor could he rely on (depend on; resort to, have recourse to) his rabble-rousing (agitating, defiant, disobedient) street protests to save him, especially after he was unable to prove charges (complaint, criticism, objection, protestation, protest, problem) that his opponents acted as “agents of the US” in both the Assembly and in Court. There are lessons for Pakistan’s neighbourhood ((surrounding) country) as well (additionally, in addition, apart from, besides) from the outcome (result, consequence, effect) of Mr. Khan’s brand of politics: polarising the polity (a politically organized society), an unwillingness (hesitation, disinclination, reluctance) to work by consensus (an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence), and blaming external forces for domestic problems are the hallmarks (distinctive feature, characteristic, trait, attribute, quality) of autocrats, not democrats, who need to offer their people something more substantial (considerable, meaningful, significant, important) than demagoguery in the long run (eventually, in the end, ultimately).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.ouster (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निकाल देना, बेदखली
English Meaning - removal, dismissal, unseating, ousting.

2.autocrat (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनियन्त्रित शासक, तानाशाह
English Meaning - authoritarian, totalitarian; dictator, despot.

3.undermine (verb)

Hindi Meaning - कमजोर करना, तोड़फोड़ करना, क्षति पहुँचाना
English Meaning - weaken, subvert, sabotage, damage.

4.due to (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - इस कारण, की वजह से, के कारण
English Meaning - because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.

5.oust (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बाहर निकालना
English Meaning - remove, dismiss, throw out, unseat, overthrow.

6.abrogate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अभिनिषेध करना, रद्द करना, अधिरोहित करना
English Meaning - revoke, repeal, overrule, override.

7.allegation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप, अभियोग
English Meaning - charge, accusation, indictment.

8.conspiracy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - षड्यंत्र, योजना/साजिश
English Meaning - (unlawful) plan/plot, intrigue, collaboration/deception, collusion.

9.dissolve (verb)

Hindi Meaning - भंग करना, बर्खास्त करना
English Meaning - disband, disestablish, dismiss.

10.step in (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - में हस्तक्षेप करना, शामिल होना
English Meaning - intervene, get involved, act, take action.

11.cascading (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक, बह निकला
English Meaning - (of a large number of something) overflowing (in a series/sequence).

12.reverse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - उलट देना, अमान्य करना, रद्द करना
English Meaning - invalidate, revoke, cancel, nullify.

13.angle (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दृष्टिकोण
English Meaning - perspective, approach, outlook, point of view.

14.short of (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - से कम, अतिरिक्त
English Meaning - less than.

15.seem (verb)

Hindi Meaning - लगना, प्रतीत होना
English Meaning - appear, look like.

16.cling on (to) (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - hold on to, hang on to, hold tightly grip, grasp, attach oneself to.

17.twists and turns (phrase)

English Meaning - complex situation with many surprising changes.

18.National Assembly (noun)

English Meaning - An elected legislature (government/parliament).

19.no-confidence motion (NCM) or motion of no confidence (noun)

English Meaning - the no-confidence motion means that one or more members of the national assembly (or parliament) have lost confidence in the appointed government. If the motion is accepted, then the party in power has to prove its majority in the House. The party can remain in power when it shows its strength through a floor test which is primarily taken to know whether the executive enjoys the confidence of the legislature. If they fail the floor test, the government has to resign.

20.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.

21.drag on (phrase)

English Meaning - continue, persist, linger, carry on.

22.unwilling (adjective)

English Meaning - disinclined, resisting, opposed, hesitant.

23.give up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - resign from, stand down from; renounce, forgo, abandon.

24.en masse (adverb)

English Meaning - in a mass, all together, as a group.

25.allege (verb)

English Meaning - claim, assert, declare, state, contend, argue, charge, accuse.

26.regime (noun)

English Meaning - government.

27.vow (verb)

English Meaning - swear, pledge, promise, affirm.

28.likely (adverb)

English Meaning - probably, in all probability, presumably, doubtlessly.

29.tenure (noun)

English Meaning - term, time, period, stint (in office); incumbency.

30.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.

31.mark (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, signify, represent, denote.

32.vote of confidence (phrase)

English Meaning - a vote of confidence, or a trust vote, is sought by the government in power on the floor of the House in order to prove the majority.

33.go against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be unfavourable, be disadvantageous.

34.sitting (adjective)

English Meaning - current; present.

35.often (adverb)

English Meaning - frequently, many times, regularly, recurrently, usually, habitually.

36.establishment (noun)

English Meaning - an influential group.

37.prevail over (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - succeed, triumph, be victorious, gain mastery, prove superior.

38.overt (adjective)

English Meaning - clear, apparent, conspicuous, obvious, noticeable, observable, visible.

39.clear (adjective)

English Meaning - obvious, visible, discernible, perceptible, noticeable, recognizable.

40.strain (noun)

English Meaning - stress, tension, burden.

41.push out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to make somebody leave.

42.flirtation (noun)

English Meaning - relationship, involvement, affair.

43.fundamentalism (noun)

English Meaning - fanaticism, radicalism, dogmatism/bigotry.

44.rely on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - depend on; resort to, have recourse to.

45.rabble-rousing (adjective)

English Meaning - agitating, defiant, disobedient.

46.charge (noun)

English Meaning - complaint, criticism, objection, protestation, protest, problem.

47.neighbourhood (noun)

English Meaning - (surrounding) country.

48.as well (phrase)

English Meaning - additionally, in addition, apart from, besides.

49.outcome (noun)

English Meaning - result, consequence, effect.

50.brand (noun)

English Meaning - type, kind, sort.

51.polarise (verb)

English Meaning - separate into two opposing groups.

52.polity (noun)

English Meaning - a politically organized society.

53.unwillingness (noun)

English Meaning - hesitation, disinclination, reluctance.

54.consensus (noun)

English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.

55.hallmark (noun)

English Meaning - distinctive feature, characteristic, trait, attribute, quality.

56.substantial (adjective)

English Meaning - considerable, meaningful, significant, important.

57.demagoguery (noun)

English Meaning - the practice of a political leader who gains popularity & power by exploiting common people with prejudices (preconception), false claims & promises.

58.in the long run (phrase)

English Meaning - eventually, in the end, ultimately.