Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Old beginning: On Pakistan politics

Old beginning: On Pakistan politics

Shehbaz Sharif’s political difficulties are compounded (intensify, increase, heighten, worsen) by the economic crisis (आर्थिक संकट)

There was no level playing field in Pakistan’s general elections on February 8, in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, barred from fielding (nominate, propose, put up (a candidate) to stand in an election) candidates on its popular cricket bat symbol, was pitted against the military-backed (supported by military) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Still, voters backed (support, favour, endorse, uphold, approve of) the PTI, whose independents emerged as the largest bloc (group, unit) in the National Assembly with 93 seats, while the PML-N ended up second with 75 seats. While the results sprung a surprise for many, the post-election manoeuvres (activity, plan/operation, stratagem, tactic (carefully planned)) have hardly (मुश्किल से, कठिनता से) been surprising. The PML-N has joined hands with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and several smaller parties to form a coalition (गठबंधन, साझेदारी) government, which leaves out the PTI. Shehbaz Sharif, who became Prime Minister as part of an anti-Imran Khan coalition after the cricketer-turned politician’s government was toppled (remove, dislodge, unseat, evict, bring down, overturn, oust, overthrow) in a no-confidence vote in April 2022, will return to the post. Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, leader of the PML-N (Mr. Sharif is the elder brother of Mr. Shehbaz), has become the Chief Minister of Punjab, while Asif Ali Zardari, the former President and leader of the PPP, is likely (संभावित) to replace Pakistan President Arif Alvi (of the PTI). The coalition has the full support of Pakistan’s generals, while the PTI, which had accused the military of rigging (manipulate/conduct something fraudulently, particularly elections; falsify, fake, forge, distort, pervert, tamper with, tinker with) in dozens of seats, says it will stay in opposition and mount (organize, stage, prepare, arrange (a course of action)) legal challenges to the contested (disputed, doubted) results.

In many ways, the new alliance is a replica (प्रतिकृति) of the previous coalition government. Mr. Shehbaz was widely (व्यापक रूप से) unpopular as Prime Minister under whose watch (stint, spell, turn; a fixed period of duty) Pakistan’s economic woes (trouble, difficulty, problem, tribulation, distress, heartbreak, anguish, affliction, grief, pain) have multiplied — inflation (मुद्रा स्फ़ीति) stands at a punishing (arduous, demanding, taxing, burdensome, exhausting, back-breaking) 30%, while the economy is run on a $3 billion lifeline (जीवन रेखा) the IMF provided last year. Foreign exchange reserves, despite improving, still stand at a low of $8.2 billion. The new government will have to restart talks (deliberation, discussion, discourse, dialogue, negotiation) with the IMF for a bailout (an act of providing financial help/support by the outside investors to a bank/institution/organisation which faces serious financial difficulty) package. Even if a deal is reached quickly, it is not going to be a magic bullet ((quick, easy & effective) solution, answer, resolution, way out, remedy, cure, antidote, panacea) for Pakistan’s debt-laden (burdened with debt) economy, which is facing repayments worth $70 billion over the next three years. Moreover (इसके अतिरिक्त), the country is also facing growing (बढ़नेवाला, प्रगतिशील) security challenges in its border region with Afghanistan. That Mr. Shehbaz, instead of Mr. Nawaz who had a history of confrontation (सामना, मुकाबला) with the military, was chosen to lead the coalition suggests (सुझाव देना) that the member parties and the power behind the scene prefer status quo (यथास्थिति). But the voters did not want the status quo. Also, if the military hoped that Mr. Khan and the PTI would be sidelined (remove from the centre of activity; take someone out from the centre of attention; keep someone in a less influential position) after the election, that is not going to happen. Mr. Shehbaz’s challenge is to lead a difficult coalition through choppy political waters while taking tough decisions to pull the economy out of what he calls “the hole it has fallen into”. A tall ask (difficult demand; tough/challenging situation) indeed (वास्तव में).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.economic crisis (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आर्थिक संकट
English Meaning - a period in an economic cycle in which an economy faces difficulties for a long time.

2.hardly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - मुश्किल से, कठिनता से
English Meaning - barely, almost not.

3.coalition (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गठबंधन, साझेदारी
English Meaning - alliance, union, partnership.

4.likely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - संभावित
English Meaning - presumably, possibly, probably.

5.replica (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिकृति
English Meaning - copy, duplicate, reproduction, replication.

6.widely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापक रूप से
English Meaning - commonly, generally, broadly.

7.inflation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुद्रा स्फ़ीति
English Meaning - simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.

8.lifeline (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जीवन रेखा
English Meaning - a thing that helps someone a “means of escape” from a difficult situation.

9.International Monetary Fund (IMF) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मुद्रा कोष
English Meaning - an international organization of 189 countries, headquartered in Washington, D.C., working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.

10.moreover (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - इसके अतिरिक्त
English Meaning - in addition (to), furthermore, besides, additionally.

11.growing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़नेवाला, प्रगतिशील
English Meaning - increasing.

12.confrontation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामना, मुकाबला
English Meaning - clash, fight, conflict, tussle, skirmish.

13.suggest (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुझाव देना
English Meaning - indicate, point to, denote, signify.

14.status quo (noun)

Hindi Meaning - यथास्थिति
English Meaning - the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs.

15.indeed (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - वास्तव में
English Meaning - in fact, actually.

16.compound (verb)

English Meaning - intensify, increase, heighten, worsen.

17.a level playing field (phrase)

English Meaning - a situation in which everyone has the equal chance of succeeding.

18.bar (verb)

English Meaning - prohibit, debar, forbid, ban.

19.field (verb)

English Meaning - nominate, propose, put up (a candidate) to stand in an election.

20.pit against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to cause someone to fight or compete against another person.

21.military-backed (adjective)

English Meaning - supported by military.

22.back (verb)

English Meaning - support, favour, endorse, uphold, approve of.

23.bloc (noun)

English Meaning - group, unit.

24.end up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - finish up, turn up, come/appear, find oneself (to a particular course of action in the end).

25.spring a surprise (phrase)

English Meaning - to do something that is not expected (or surprising).

26.manoeuvre (noun)

English Meaning - activity, plan/operation, stratagem, tactic (carefully planned).

27.join hands with (phrase)

English Meaning - work together with.

28.leave out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - miss out, omit, fail to include, ignore, reject, do away with.

29.topple (verb)

English Meaning - remove, dislodge, unseat, evict, bring down, overturn, oust, overthrow.

30.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 (legislative assembly or parliament)in order to prove the majority.

31.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.

32.rig (verb)

English Meaning - manipulate/conduct something fraudulently, particularly elections; falsify, fake, forge, distort, pervert, tamper with, tinker with.

33.mount (verb)

English Meaning - organize, stage, prepare, arrange (a course of action).

34.contested (adjective)

English Meaning - disputed, doubted.

35.watch (noun)

English Meaning - stint, spell, turn; a fixed period of duty.

36.woe (noun)

English Meaning - trouble, difficulty, problem, tribulation, distress, heartbreak, anguish, affliction, grief, pain.

37.punishing (adjective)

English Meaning - arduous, demanding, taxing, burdensome, exhausting, back-breaking.

38.run (verb)

English Meaning - operate, function, work, be in operation.

39.foreign reserve or forex (noun)

English Meaning - Foreign exchange. Forex or Foreign exchange reserves are the amounts of assets /money in foreign currencies that a country has in its central bank (in India, it is Reserve bank of India).

40.talks (noun)

English Meaning - deliberation, discussion, discourse, dialogue, negotiation.

41.bailout (noun)

English Meaning - an act of providing financial help/support by the outside investors to a bank/institution/organisation which faces serious financial difficulty.

42.magic bullet (noun)

English Meaning - (quick, easy & effective) solution, answer, resolution, way out, remedy, cure, antidote, panacea.

43.debt-laden (adjective)

English Meaning - burdened with debt.

44.debt (noun)

English Meaning - liability, financial obligation, borrowed capital.

45.laden (adjective)

English Meaning - burdened, loaded, overloaded.

46.sideline (verb)

English Meaning - remove from the centre of activity; take someone out from the centre of attention; keep someone in a less influential position.

47.choppy waters (phrase)

English Meaning - this idiomatic expression is used to refer to troublesome, difficult or uncertain times ahead.