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Editor,

At the outset, the work done by the PAJSC is laudable. Much needed reforms have finally kicked in, the bandh call was a success, and we hope a logical conclusion is reached sooner than later.

However, what isn’t laudable is the vehement attacks made by few in the protesting-aspirants community, against all genuine absorbed candidates. More so, against the 2017 batch of APPSCE officers.

The decision on nullification and voiding has now been left to the Commission itself.

But it would be wrong to believe we will not fight for our rights. That we have remained silent all this while, must not be construed that we have accepted we were wrong, and that we will not act. No, let it be known, neither have we accepted it in the past, nor present, nor anytime in the future, that we are wrong.

What wrong did we commit? 2018, November 9th, Gauhati High Court passed an order, vacating its earlier stay order, asking all candidates to appear for the mains exam. Well, we followed the High Court’s order, and so did the Commission. The Commission even went on to issue prohibitory orders asking candidates not to indulge in antisocial activities which could debar them from future examinations too.

So sitting for the exam was wrong for all of you who didn’t appear? But was it not wrong on your part to appear when the law of the land directed you to do so. Are we living in an anarchic world, where there is no government, no law? I believe not. What we did, was we followed the rules and the law. And we were as mentally disturbed as all other candidates, the vitiated atmosphere that had engulfed the examination.

Well, the govt. has now left it to the Commission to decide on null and void. Let us enlighten you that it was the Commission who fought for the government and all those who appeared in the mains, both at the High Court level and Supreme Court level. If at all the Commission decides to declare the exam null and void and order a re-conduct, it will probably allow only those who followed its orders to appear. The mains result was declared in March 2020 after the Gauhati HC passed an order that the entire exam process be completed with a month’s time. Covid struck and the viva was postponed to June. Aggrieved aspirants filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, which was dismissed by Hon’ble SC, clearing the way for the exam process to be completed.

So what wrong we did commit here? That we appeared for the mains exams? If that is so, I am sorry to say this is probably the lamest of reasons. For many of us we did not even have friends in the Capital, nor were we part of any whatsapp groups. For many of us, we just wanted to appear and get it over with. Did we ask you not to appear? We have no right to decide your fate nor comment on your lives, nor your decisions. So we would be utterly grateful if you stopped commenting on our lives, our decisions, and our fate. You must have worked hard, and so did we. You have dreams, so do we. So to appear or not to appear is each and every aspirant’s own decision. Not for anyone else’s to decide. Why are you blaming us for your decision of not appearing? Is that not the most selfish thing to do?

The paper leakage is a totally different chapter. If the commission decides to declare the exams null and void, and if the top court find it right (assuming none of us will remain still and of course move the court), we will welcome the decision. Many of the attacking aspirants keep posting a decision on the Manipur PSC where court ordered re-conduct of the Mains. But did they read the order properly? It was only for those who appeared. I am sure our commission too would have that in mind. If you can think selfishly, so can we. Why should we accept that all those who didn’t appear for the mains defying court orders, be allowed to write again. We followed court orders, we followed what the commission asked. If there were malpractices in the written exam, only the ones who actually appeared, should be allowed to reappear. Well, this scenario is still quite farfetched considering the matter is sub judice and under investigation and arrests are still being made.

Arrests have been made! The AE, SI exams have had more arrests than the 2017 one, but still its amusing how the non-appeared candidates of 2017 are hell bent on scrapping the exam, whereas there are now official records on how the Courts and the Commission issued orders asking candidates to appear, with even the apex court ordering the exam process be completed. They call us selfish, this, that. Well, that is your inference. We know we have toiled day and night like any serious aspirant. How we are serving the state in our present capacity is for the govt and people to decide. Most of us haven’t said anything or written anything considering we have to keep CCS conduct rules in mind. But there is a limit to everything.

You talk about democracy and protests. Is democracy only for you? Well, this state, country, and its democracy is as much ours as it is yours. If you can fight so can we. Talks have been doing the rounds that the absorbed candidates are now crowdfunding for a legal fight. I haven’t received any request yet, but I will if requested to do so, and we will fight for our rights until an acceptable logical conclusion dawns. If you can make vehement personal attacks on us, we will make sure too, that we along with our parents and family fight for our rights, albeit judicially and with reason. Because if you believe you are right, we believe we are right too.

And if abiding by the law of the land, the orders of the courts, and the commission is wrong, we are not sure in a democracy, what could be more right.

In service APPSCE 2017 absorbed candidate

SAHIWAL: In a fiery speech on Monday, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz said “it is an election year, and elections will be held, but only after the scales of justice are balanced”.

Addressing a workers convention in Sahiwal, she demanded redress of ‘injustices’ against the party’s supremo, Nawaz Sharif, ahead of the next elections. “Elections will be held, but first all injustices done to Nawaz Sharif should be compensated,” she demanded. “The titles like godfather and Sicilian mafia [given by the apex court to Nawaz Sharif] will have to be withdrawn,” she thundered.

Maryam, who also holds the position of party chief organiser, said: “Elections will be held after the conviction of innocent Nawaz Sharif is undone.” Nawaz, who is residing in London since 2019, stepped down as the prime minister on July 28, 2017, after being disqualified from holding public office by the Supreme Court in a landmark decision in a case. The five-member SC bench had unanimously disqualified Nawaz for failing to disclose his un-withdrawn receivables constituting assets from UAE-based Capital FZE in his nominations papers for the 2013 general election, stating that that meant he was not “honest” and “truthful”, as per the Constitution.

The PMLN leader said her party was not afraid of elections, adding that they were preparing for the upcoming polls. “The elections will be held after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan will be measured on the same standards of justice set for Nawaz Sharif,” she added.

The PMLN leader asserted that the polls would be held when the “watch thief” is brought to justice. “Watch thief must be held accountable. He is Pakistan’s biggest thief who did not even spare watches,” she added.

Maryam accused Bushra Bibi, former first lady, of receiving a five-carat diamond for approval of each file during the past PTI-led government. The PMLN leader claimed that traces that former spy chief Lt-General (retd) Faiz Hameed left behind were still saving Khan. Hameed is hatching conspiracies even today in Chakwal, she alleged.

Calling former chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar “Dam Wala Baba”, Maryam said he was still assigning the task to his “group” installed in the judiciary.

Berating the PTI chairman, Maryam said that Khan, despite being an “absconder” at that time, used to attend the hearing of the Panama papers case on daily basis in the court of Justice Asif Saeed Khosa.

Taking a jibe at Khan, the PMLN leader said that whenever the court summons him, the PTI chief shows his plaster cast. She also raised questions over the “slow pace” of proceedings of the cases filed against the deposed prime minister.

Maryam told Khan that the establishment, who reportedly brought him to power, has gone home now. “You have done bench fixing with the connivance of your facilitators,” she said. Commenting on the PTI chief’s court cases, Maryam asked him to stop being a cowardly leader and face the music. “A leader is not one who hides in his house with a plaster cast on his leg.”

About Khan’s reaction to audio leaks, the PMLN scion said the PTI chief would go on about “agencies recording” when he was in power. “Today, he asks who did the recording and who taped. You should speak up about what is in the audio tapes,” she questioned Khan in her address. Maryam insisted that the man who hid his child from Pakistan’s courts should be questioned.

Zachary Quinto joins David Harewood in the West End transfer of James Graham's play on the genesis of televised political debates.

Show InfoGet TicketsTickets from: £66CastPhotosVideos

James Graham has written himself a career defined by sharp political commentary that's as emotionally rich as the best of romantic dramas. From Thatcherian parliamentary narratives to Rupert Murdoch's rise to power, he has an extraordinary gift for inserting the matters into a socio-political context that makes his audience care.

Best of Enemies first premiered at the Young Vic last year, going on to win the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play and receive two nominations at the Olivier Awards. Graham opens his horizons to American politics this time around, analysing how the US presidential nominating conventions in the late 60s ended up influencing today's role of debate broadcasts and popularity.

It's a fascinating journey into the genesis of the current sensationalisation of the news. On the Right, we have conservative author William F Buckley Jr. On the Left, bisexual writer Gore Vidal. David Harewood and Zachary Quinto engage in a battle of wits and quips in a play charged with oratorical thrills.

By now we live in a world where politics are made through a screen; it's interesting to realise how Buckley and Vidal essentially paved the way for Matt Hancock to come third in I'm a Celebrity a few days ago and for Trump to go from The Apprentice to winning a presidential election.

While Best of Enemies is doubtlessly a big, snazzy West End production that rivals the spectacle of the original debates, the attention to detail is astonishing. Harewood reprises Buckey's ticks and cocky, uptight demeanour while Quinto toys with Vidal double-breasted tidiness and socialite loquaciousness. They share an elegant, sophisticated, deliciously watchable cattiness.

It's a frontal show, geared towards the auditorium, almost to excess. An ambiguous fourth wall, real footage projected onto the set, and many dynamically meta moments muddle fact and fiction under Jeremy Herrin's sleek direction. Buckley and Vidal's war of words plays in the shadow of the protests against the conflict in Vietnam, which becomes ammunition in the arsenal of these "controversialists".

One year after its premiere, it remains a frighteningly topical piece. Police brutality and the unequivocal power of television are used to one's own ends when fame becomes the currency of political advantage. The company deliver a who's who of the late-Sixties. Andy Warhol (Tom Godwin) and Aretha Franklin (Deborah Alli) are introduced in Vidal's circles as is James Baldwin (Syrus Lowe), while the real Paul Newman and Arthur Miller appear at the Democratic National Convention in a black-and-white interview.

Scenes intersect in the furious escalation of the events while the actual debates are only moved by Graham's carefully crafted and frankly arresting dialogue. It gives the material a neck-breaking pace as we witness how the redefinition of entertainment played out "live in colour". If there's a fault to find, it lies in the over-explanation at the end. A media analyst appears, tying a few loose ends and painting a picture of what's coming in their personal trajectories with an eye to what that means for us spectators, perhaps a small betrayal of little faith in the audience.

Bunny Christie builds a set that joins sides, with a figurative bridge with three old-timey-looking screens hiding part of a tv studio. With Max Spielbichler's video-contributions, the space transforms into a multi-media feast. Best of Enemies is an exceptional addition to a Theatreland that's generally lacking in political engagement, especially during the Christmas period. It's intense, brainy, and absolutely delectable. The latest West End must-see.

Best of Enemies runs at the Noël Coward Theatre until 18 February 2023.

Photo Credit: Johan Persson

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Source: Associated Press

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.

President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that “we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.

Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.

Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial.

The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the coast. In preparation for the operation, the FAA Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.

The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”

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Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.

The public disclosure of the balloon this week prompted the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing scheduled for Sunday for talks aimed at reducing U.S.-China tensions. The Chinese government on Saturday sought to play down the cancellation.

“In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.

China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.

The balloon was spotted over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.

The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.

Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”

Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping the situation. Some used it as a chance to poke fun at U.S. defenses, saying it couldn’t even defend against a balloon, and nationalist influencers leapt to use the news to mock the U.S.

China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon’s journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it based on the balloon.

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Visitors to Philip Wingard’s Southern Decorative Arts booth on Friday at the Aiken Antiques Show could view some valuable pieces of South Carolina history.

There were four pots and one jug that Wingard said had been “attributed to” David Drake, who also is known as Dave the Potter, for sale.

The prices for the individual pieces of stoneware ranged from $4,000 to $35,000.

“It’s got everything but Dave’s name on it,” said Wingard of the most expensive offering. “It’s got the two slash marks, the ‘LM’ for Lewis Miles and the date.”

As a slave in the 1800s, Drake became a well-known and prolific potter in the Old Edgefield District. Lewis Miles was among his owners.

Drake’s works are included in an exhibit, “Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The stoneware will be on view there through Feb. 5 and then will be displayed at other locations later this year and in 2024.

In addition to Drake pieces, Wingard, who lives in Clover, South Carolina, had vessels made by other potters in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina in his booth.

“I’m a pottery collector and dealer,” Wingard said. “I fell in love with pots when I was 36 years old. During a Christmas tour of homes, I went into the house of a friend of mine who was a preacher in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He had Burlon Craig face jugs, and I had never seen anything like them.”

Wingard, who owned a men’s clothing store at the time, was so impressed that he changed careers.

“I sold out and went straight into all this,” said Wingard, who has curated several museum pottery exhibits. “Things were revealed to me step by step, and eventually I became part of the research and the scholarship. I wrote an article about Thomas Chandler (another Edgefield potter) that was published in ‘Ceramics in America.’

“To me this is living the dream,” he added.

Wingard is a fan of the alkaline glazes that Drake, Chandler and their contemporaries used.

“It was an old Chinese formula, and it was a wonderful glaze to put on stoneware so you could preserve food safely,” Wingard said. “Prior to it in the South, they were using lead glazes, and lead glazes aren’t healthy for you. The alkaline glaze is utilitarian and very beautiful.”

Also available for purchase Friday at the Aiken Center for the Arts on the opening day of the Aiken Antique Show were furniture, jewelry, Oriental rugs, designer handbags, wood-carved birds and a variety of other items.

Bud Coward, who was helping out with security early in the morning, bought a lamp with a dog on its base.

“I don’t know the history of it or anything. I just liked the dog,” Coward said. “It looks like a long-haired Labrador retriever, and I had a dog that looked very similar to it. I found it when I was making my rounds.”

Linda Knox McLean attended the Antique Show with one of her sons, Richard Schmon, who recently moved here from Canada.

“It’s a pretty expensive realm here, but it’s fun to look at beautiful things,” McLean said.

Sharon Hagan, Sarah Malaby and Barbara Smoak are the co-chairs of this year’s Antique Show.

Proceeds support the Aiken Center for the Arts.

During the Cocktails & Collectors Preview Party on Thursday, “we had around 400 people attend,” Hagan said. “I think that’s the largest turnout that we’ve ever had. This is our only fundraiser of the year now, and it’s a premier event. Everyone in Aiken just loves it.”

The Antique Show continues through Sunday. The public can attend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets cost $20 apiece.

There are 20 or so vendors.

The Aiken Center for the Arts is at 122 Laurens Street S.W.