UN Resolution against Drones - And the Jingoism

The UN General Assembly passed a unanimous resolution against the drones on Wednesday December 18, 2013. It clarifies one thing for sure that there is a government in Islamabad today that knows what it is doing and how things must be done in the modern civilized world. While the jokers of Pakistan politics continue to play their “Dhandhli and Dharna”, the PMLN government has convinced the world, working on a diplomatic level, that drones are a threat to peace and are counter-productive in the quest for curbing the terrorism.

It is a successive victory of Pakistan at diplomatic front during the last two weeks. Earlier this month European Union awarded Pakistan with the GSP+ status and now the success in the UN on the issue of drones against the will of the all-powerful United States is an achievement that deserves applause. It also signifies the efficiency and effectiveness of this government that launched a potent diplomatic offensive at the international level to win two of the long-awaited battles at the diplomatic level on two of the most prestigious forums of the world.

“Trade – not Aid” was an election slogan of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and from the day that PMLN took over the government in Pakistan, it has been working tirelessly on this mission. The deals with Turkey and China earlier this year and now the GSP+ status are examples of the seriousness of the government in this regard. It is a fact that terrorism is one of the major hurdles in the way of economic boom in Pakistan and the PMLN’s efforts in this regard can also not be undermined at all. They, after coming into power, immediately called an All Parties Conference but it couldn’t be held unfortunately because of some “extremely important elephants that needed to be saved” in London. 

Post by I Hate Imran Khan (The Master of U Turn).

However, the APC was convened a few weeks later and it was decided that the government will hold talks with the Taliban. Unfortunately, a drone strike that killed Hakimullah Mehsud stalled the process and we went back to square one.

 

It was a huge set back to the peace process but the government didn’t lose hope despite the jingoism of the opposition parties, mainly one overly excited about the drones i.e. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. It is strange that while the Imran Khan led PTI was holding their other favorite “Dha” i.e Dharna (first is Dhandhli), the PMLN government was doing what it actually should have done about drones. It was continuously engaged on all forums taking up the matter of drones and was engaging other countries in its pursuit for ending this menace. As a result, it was able to carve out support from all quarters of the world and a resolution was passed unanimously by all the countries in the United Nations.

Funny it is that the government is, for the first time in the last fourteen years, doing the right things in this War on Terror and the opposition is still on the same path of confrontation. PMLN was time and again accused of being a friendly opposition in the previous tenure to the Pakistan People’s Party government but it never resorted to useless criticism in order to wash this stain away. It kept supporting the right moves by the government and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, the then Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, always remained highly critical of the government’s inability and corruption, thus maintained a balance. Every time he spoke, he had something very important to say and never once faltered in his long speeches; never said a word that was irrelevant or baseless. Contrary to what we saw during the previous government, the opposition today has been crying hoarse since day one over the alleged rigging in the Elections. They have never come up with anything significant that could be either presenting a bill, point towards some mistake committed by the government or even discussing a certain act.

Yes, but they have done one thing with all the valour and devotion in the world and that is “condemnation” - Condemnation of anything and everything that any of their opponents ever did. It is rightly asked if Shirien Mazari, the Secretary Information of PTI, is actually the Secretary for Information or she is the Secretary for Condemnation in her party. Imran Khan constantly kept asking for end to drones and the government was also doing the same but in a different manner. While he was staging sit-ins, the government was being a little sensible in its approach and was able to win support of the world in the United Nations.

But old habits are seldom forgotten. The opposition was totally unaware of what the government was doing in this regard which clearly indicates that there is hardly a working relationship between the government and the opposition and also indicates towards the lack of interest of PTI in the national issues. Some lady named Anila Khawaja who runs Imran Khan’s twitter handle was so ill-informed that despite several stories published in the national dailies about the government’s expedition for getting a resolution passed in the UN General Assembly unanimously against the drones, she was stupid enough to tweet from @ImranKhanPTI (that is Imran Khan’s official Twitter handle by the way) that even the UN was passing resolutions against drones but the government of Pakistan was not taking a clear stance.

Doesn’t it put on display the lack of maturity of these good for nothing losers? Yes it does, but, in my well-considered (not humble at all) opinion, it is not because they didn’t know about it. They knew about it but they were being led by nature. As the saying goes, habits can change but nature doesn’t. They were yet again playing the same old game that was on display in this image that I posted around a year ago on this very blog.

While I praise the government for their effectively taking this matter up on all the relevant forums of the world through aggressive diplomacy, I call for an end to nuisance by the maniacs in the PTI who believe that they have a monopoly over everything good happening in any part of the globe.

No. It was not Imran Khan whose useless Dharna and Dhandhli mantra did nothing to let the world know of Pakistan’s stance on the drones. It was actually Nawaz Sharif’s and his team’s brilliant diplomacy that brought the world to our stance. It is time for the PTI to stop staging these worthless sit-ins and start working. Their planned sit-in in Lahore is certainly not going to end the inflation in Peshawar that, by the way, is highest among all four provincial capitals of Pakistan according to the stats revealed by the State Bank of Pakistan for the month of November.

GSP Plus Status in EU … Yes, We Survived Again

It is December and every December since 1971 brings with it some sorry memories for the nation. We lost a hand in the very month and 90,000 of our soldiers were made prisoners by the Indian Army. The humiliating ceremony of the surrender by General Niazi in Paltan Ground, Dhaka, was given coverage throughout the world. We failed to keep Bengal with us, true. It took away one of our hands from us but what it couldn’t take away is our resilience. It couldn’t fade away our resolve to struggle for a democratic country and our will to survive.

If there is one thing that is displayed from every aspect of our lives as a nation is that we know how to survive. Under situations when all the experts count our Cricket Team out of a tournament, we somehow manage to sneak into the final four and at a number of occasions we have even managed to win those tournaments. Such was the case even with the World Cup that we won in 1992. And it happens all the time. We survived from the Earthquake, we survived from the floods. We have a habit of lifting ourselves up whenever world starts to count us out. And that is what happened again yesterday.

Last night when the news broke that the European Union has awarded GSP+ status to Pakistan, the first thing that came to my mind was exactly this, ”It seems we’ll survive … again.” There have been days in the past when our existence was threatened from our Eastern borders. A mighty India just the other side of the border with a nuclear strength and its media threatening that it could run us over any moment, gave several of us a few sleepless nights. But just then, when the entire world was against us, on May 28, 1998, we came up with five nuclear explosions, letting everyone know that we, too, have the ability to destroy India if we get attacked. And that we haven’t fallen yet and that … We have survived!

This time, unlike the military threats in the past, the challenge is much different. However, it is probably more lethal than all the military threats that we have had so far and this challenge is our troubled Economy. Just a few months back, we all thought that this economy does not have the ability to bounce back. The rising prices of dollar in the country made even the best of economists worry and the investors’ trust seemed shaking. But while most of us were unable to anticipate, the Karachi Stock Exchange continued to perform well. God knows whether it was a gimmick or genuine, however, it seems to have paid off.

The massive inflow of investment within just a few months and the continuous good performance of the Stock market has brought trust into the market and with it crossing new barriers every new day, the prospects seem to be good for the foreign investment. At this juncture the support that the government has won from the European Union is like a lifeline for our economy.

Pakistan, through this opportunity, will be able to access 27 different countries of Europe without paying the duty for its products. Quoting directly the message on Facebook by Hina Pervaiz Butt, MPA from PMLN: “PAKISTAN WINS GSP+ status by the Eurpean Parliament, which means Pakistan’s textile manufacturers and exporters will now have access to 27 European countries without having to pay duties. During last 5 months, PM Nawaz Sharif engaged Ambassadors of EU, British govt. in particular, CM Shehbaz paid special visit to Germany, Diplomatic channels were used to make US influence the EU in support of Pakistan. 360 degree professional lobby finally worked for Pakistan in winning GSP+ status. With this privileged status, our textile exports are expected to touch the figure of $14.4 billion in next 5 years, millions of jobs will be generated. Predicting the increase of demand of our textile which will eventually need more energy for production, an LNG import deal is already done with Qatar which will bridge the gap of gas demand/supply by Nov 2014. It’s the WIN of Pakistanis and the acknowledgement of our Quality Products in the WORLD.”

This certainly is a great achievement and the months and years to come will surely prove that this government has achieved one of the most vital milestones in the form of this GSP+ status from European Union. The efforts for the acquiring of this status and other trade agreements by this government will certainly reap long term benefits for Pakistan and the future will surely be much better than the past.

We can safely say that we have survived again. Thanks to Pakistani public that it voted wisely and gave the mandate to the party that has done wonders in the past and is capable of doing it again. May Allah help us all!

We Must Cherish What PMLN has Done So Far

While the government is being grilled from all quarters on the issue of inflation, the facts are a little different from the popular mantra. It is true that the electricity prices have increased during the last few months but it is also true that so far the electricity prices have been increased only once during the current tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) government. It is also true that though this rise in the price of electricity was criticized on media and the legislators alike, the price hike was carefully directed towards the privileged classes of the country and the 68% of the consumers did not get affected by this price hike. There are PMLN achievements that we must mention and cherish and we should celebrate them instead of being pessimist all the time.

At the same time, the government made sure that the problem of load shedding gets resolved. While the Prime Minister and the Water and Power Ministry have been constantly working in this regard, the line losses were also controlled. A crack down on the gas and electricity thieves was carried out by the government and there was significant success. 3933 criminal cases have been registered in the province of Punjab since June this year and out of these 3,933 cases 3,311 were against the power theft and 622 against the Gas theft, according to the report published in the Express Tribune on November 22, 2013. This had caused a loss of Rs. 5.479 billion to the national exchequer.

We also need to see that the commercial use of fuel consumption has also dropped significantly. According to the stats revealed by Hunbultex Pvt Ltd the Electricity Bill of the company for the month of November last year was Rs. 19,136 and the generator fuel had a cost of Rs. 42,000. On the other hand, this year the same company has paid Rs. 36,972 as electricity bill and nothing for the fuel as they did not require any generator this year. Apparently, it can be said that the company saved around twenty thousand rupees despite the rise in the power tariff at their office just because there was no load shedding.

The food prices have gone rampant, it is true. There is no arguing the fact that the prices rose to a level that nobody could even anticipate but that is true for the oil prices as well. While the government had estimated the cost of the oil to rise to about $ 115 per barrel in the budget for this year, the oil prices rose much higher due to the US-Syria standoff. Right now, the government is unable to control the oil prices and the dire situation of the finances of Pakistan, courtesy the previous government’s criminal negligence, it is almost impossible to give any subsidies as well. Besides, the district management simply cannot do anything about the market forces. At most they can bring the cost down from Rs. 30 to Rs. 28 for a given commodity but nothing more. It also needs to be noted that the prices have come down drastically during the last two weeks but there is no mention of this price cut anywhere in the media which is an intellectual dishonesty and even the Prime Minister mentioned this last week during the launching ceremony of the Youth Business Loans Scheme.

It is true that there are problems but talking about the problems only will never take us anywhere. We need to realize that there are positive things happening as well and unless we do not look towards the positive aspects, we are never going to get rid of the negative effects of the problems.

We can always feel pride in mentioning that our exports have increased this year comparing them to the last. We can feel pride in the fact that EU has granted us the GSP+ status that will allow us to have access to 27 countries of the European Union without paying duties. We can cherish the fact that there is no load shedding, scores of new power projects are being installed and the country is about to make it to the goal of becoming load shedding free within the next five years. And of course we can feel happy that no corruption case has surfaced during the last six months and Pakistan has improved twelve places in the corruption indices according to the Transparency International.

Things are improving and we must acknowledge the government’s resolve to take Pakistan forward and trust their efforts because it was us who voted them to power, nobody else.

Talks mantra seems to be losing its popularity in Pakistan - World Bulletin

 My Article Published on Turkish Magazine World Bulletin

Pakistan has been going through a tough period and with more and more attacks taking place every year it is under heavy threat from the armed forces. While the dominant political forces of the country including the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the main opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice) led by the Cricketer turned politician are in favor of a dialogue with the Taliban yet the growing number of attacks is a serious issue and currently the idea of dialogue seems to be losing its popularity among the masses.

In the previous days, a massive attack was carried out by the armed groups in Peshawar on Christian churches and more than sixty people lost their lives in the two attacks that were carried out simultaneously. According to the initial reports there were several people praying in a compound in the church when one of the gunmen entered the room and exploded himself. As people tried to flee from the room through the other door yet another gunman entered the compound from the other side and exploded himself too. The two suicide bombers have not only caused several lives to end and leave millions grieved behind them but they have also caused KhurramDastgir Khan, Federal Minister for Privatization, to say on famous TV show on Geo hosted by renowned journalist Hamid Mir that the space for talks has been minimized by the attack carried out yesterday.

It is a fact that there is growing hatred for the drone attacks in the country and the world by and large disapproves of them. It is also true that these drone attacks are one of the major irritants in the commencement of any peace deals between the government and the Taliban yet we must also remember that these strikes are just one of the several factors. There is no denying the fact that Sufi Mohammed, who signed the peace deal with the government back in 2009, had declared the government of Pakistan Un-Islamic in 1994 and started to mobilize a militia to overthrow the government as well, which was later crushed, however, by the Pakistan Army. It is a question raised by a large faction of the society that what moved Sufi Mohammed to declare Benazir Bhutto’s rule as Un-Islamic when there were no drones at all?

It must be realized that the Taliban are no less than a threat to the existence of Pakistan and if the government continues to keep repeating its “Talks” mantra there doesn’t seem to be an end to this barbarism. The Army personnel killed earlier this month by the armed groups in Dir and the DI Khan Jailbreak just a couple of months back were no routine incidents. Several militants fled from Police’s custody and killing of a soldier ranked as high as a Major General is no fun. They are challenging the state and unfortunately the state still seems to be indecisive.

Killing Christians is not only a "terrorist" attack but a serious breach of the teachings of Islam as well. In his last days, Prophet Mohammed (SAWW) ordered the Muslim Caliphs after him to take special care of the Non-Muslims living in their countries. It must be remembered that the Christians living in Pakistan have never been an irritant factor for the state or Islam. They have lived peacefully for centuries in the region and their contribution in the society can never be overlooked. By killing peaceful Christians, Taliban have called upon the wrath of Allah and if the state does not act now it might be too late, more may get killed and God may not be willing to forgive the rulers then for the massacre of His men.

A Common Man from Karachi - My article on Frontier Post

My article originally published on Frontier Post at: A common man from Karachi

Ali Zaidi
 

You can’t understand the problem it is not as simple as you think, Police and Rangers will arrest few of them but they can’t do operation cleanup in Karachi. This was quoted by a young man who left crimes and started a new life in a nearby village of Karachi.
I was really enjoying my debate with this man because he had real fact and figures of Karachi’s problem. I want to state his words in his native language, “You have no idea what MQM, Aman Committee and other gangs fight each other for? Tell me brother what do they fight for? “Why is MQM so obsessed with the People’s Aman Committee of Lyari even though they had been in alliance with the PPP in Province as well as Federation for the last five years? They have also been in alliance with the ANP then why do they kill each other in Karachi?”
These questions were raised by him. I was just listening and trying to get the answers. This discussion took place before the elections. “In Karachi there are many constituencies where not even a single MQM supporter lives yet they get many votes from these areas”, he said. “Yes” I said bewildered, “but there are many Non-Urdu speaking natives yet they support MQM. This is also a reality which none of us can deny”. This was my point of view.
“MQM is obsessed with the Aman Committee because previously only one party collected the extortion money but now there are two. And of course nobody wants to share his meal because that’s how it is. Same is the case between ANP and MQM. It is not only the “Parchi System through which extortion money is collected. From your home, shops, offices, business to the mosques, all are paying it.”
I ignored this as an emotional and anti MQM speech. But now top agencies of Pakistan have confirmed that this all is happening in Karachi. I am a PMLN a supporter so I neither support ANP nor any other party. But being a lover of Karachi I should contribute to let the truth come to surface. The areas in which MQM has support are well developed areas. They have water and electricity facilities for 24 hours. They pay 500 to 1000 rupees in the name of development charges. But in return they get many facilities from MQM so they have no problem in paying this.
Every shopkeeper, rickshaw and taxi driver also has to pay on daily or monthly basis but most of them are happy because they are being provided with secure environment in an illegal way. MQM is in government for past 10 plus years. They have their Nazims, MPAs and MNAs in most parts of Karachi. Are they not getting salaries or funds from government to provide these facilities to their supporters?
It’s another dimension that how they get this majority. The same thing has been started by other parties of Karachi. ANP collects “Bhatta” in North Karachi and in Gulistan e Johar sector. They have their existence in Quaidabad and adjoining areas but very few cases have been reported there. This doesn’t mean that ANP is not involved in this menace. Several times they had armed fight with MQM in different areas on this issue. Rabia City, Johar, Orangi town (Katti Pahari) and new Karachi are major affected areas of this war.
Their areas of support are not developed. They have a strong militant wing in Karachi. Most of the drug Mafia working in these areas is under ANP’s control. Hottest issue few days back was Lyari. In Lyari Kitchi and Baloch are two major communities. Lyari is 70% in control of People’s Aman Committee which is now called Karachi City Alliance led by Uzair Baloch.
Aman Committee is definitely involved in extortion collection and kidnapping of traders and their families. In Lyari Kitchi Aman committee is a subsidiary of MQM. They are supported by MQM by all means. There are areas like Naya Abad and Memon Society where no Baloch can enter. And in Chaiywara and other parts of liyari Urdu speaking and Kitchis cannot enter. Few areas of Malir and Landhi are in control of MQM (Haqiqi). They were previously led by Aamir Khan.
Haqiqi is a well-known militant party. I personally never heard any news regarding extortion money collected by Haqiqi but they are certainly involved in target killing and kidnapping for ransome. In few areas they support other parties against MQM like Sindhi Goths near Korangi industrial area.
Above is the little roundup of major parties areas and their role in the problems of Karachi. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Sunni Tehreek and Shia religio-political parties also have their militant wings. Although they are not involved in extortion collection yet they also target their companions in the name of religion. On several occasions Sunni Tehreek and SSP fought on the issue of Mosques. But how they collect extortion and if someone refuses to pay what happens to him is also a long story which will be stated later in another post. Each and Every person who lives in Karachi would agree with these facts.
There is a saying that “There are several good protections against evil but the surest is cowardice”. The people of Karachi can understand this line quite well. Karachi is a densely populated city with variety of people living in different areas who have come here from various parts of the country. But the main reason is that Karachi is the only city where you can live with a salary of Rs. 10,000. I used to hear that Muhajirs were treated brutally in the past. That’s why MQM was organized and they started to spread hatred against Punjabis, Sindhis and Pathans.
But frankly speaking they have been in government for fifteen years which were not followed by PPP and PMLN. There would hardly be any problem in Karachi which MQM is not a part of. I just oppose MQM because a little bit of political activity against MQM can risk your life. General Secretary of PMLN Shaheed Tariq Khan was murdered because he was against the land mafias which were occupying a cricket ground near his house. But he was killed and they succeeded in their mission.
Question arises here that why am I giving most of my arguments against MQM? It is only because they own Karachi. Many times you would have listened to their press conferences in which they admit this. There are many MQM leaders who always remain under threat from their own party. Crime story of Karachi cannot be closed in a month. That is because no one trusts the law enforcement agencies.
The police officers who were involved in 92 and 95 operation were targeted and they got serial numbers by newspapers. When they can’t save their own officers, how can they give protection to common man or witnesses of a murder? Those who say that these operations were against MQM must also answer then the question that who killed those Police Officers?
No one can stop extortion collection in Karachi completely but please give protection to lives of people. Law enforcement agencies have lost their trust. People believe that Nawaz Sharif administration can improve the situation. We request the government not to get black-mailed by press conferences and other tactics.
This is a reality that even opponents of PMLN say that PMLN and PTI have no military wings in Karachi as other all parties have. Don’t hesitate in taking any step. But we cannot afford more casualties in Karachi.
It is the thinking of a common Karachiite. Our agencies are very strong. There is not even a single person who can give proofs of killings to police or rangers because he knows he has to live in Karachi. This is a big task for Federal Government. Let’s see how they cope with the matter.

A Look at PMLN 99 Days

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a democratic government completed its term in the Parliament, held the elections and peacefully handed over the government to the winners. This peaceful transition did not happen just like that. It happened after much struggle and lessons that were learnt the hard way unfortunately. The politics a few years ago was quite harsh and favoring even a good decision by the government was impossible for the opposition parties because the fallout could be heavy.

But this time, both the big players of Pakistani politics, Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan People’s Party left no space for the undemocratic forces. Credit must be given to the main opposition party that did not get carried away with the allegations of friendly opposition. PMLN and Nawaz Sharif had to face serous criticism from different quarters yet the party and its leader did not change the course. They decided to ask for votes based on their performance and it finally paid off.

PMLN won simple majority in the Elections held in May 2013 and the government seems to be on

a mission ever since it has taken over. Democratic norms and principles that Mian Nawaz Sharif had followed while being in the Opposition were carried forward as Nationalists were allowed to make Government for the first time in Baluchistan and the ruling party in the Center also lent its hand to the Nationalists which never happened in the past. At the same time, the fiercest critique of PMLN, Imran Khan and his party was allowed to form government in the province of KPK while PMLN had the option to form its own. These gestures have certainly taken the democracy a step forward and we hope that this process will never be reversed.

The main point on which the PMLN had raised its Election campaign on was energy crises and when the time to deliver on the promises came, it was up to the mark. While there was only 8000 Mega Watt electricity being produced during the last tenure, the production was increased to 17000 Mega Watts. Paying the circular debts off helped and several new projects have also been started. The first official visit that the Prime Minister made after holding his office was to China and various power generation projects were agreed upon between the two countries. 2200 Mega Watt Nuclear Power Plant will also be set up according to the agreement signed during this visit. First ever Energy Policy was also given during these 99 days.

Gaddani Power Prjoect, Expansion of the existing dams, reinstatement of Nandipur Power Project and starting work on the construction of new big and small dams have marked the government’s priorities. Pakistan is going through serious energy crises and the government has set up a target of meeting the needs by the end of this tenure and leaving enough space for the coming governments that they are able to plan for the future in this regard. It can be predicted that if the current government gets success in curbing the menace of load shedding during this tenure, it’ll be a huge benefit for it in raising its next election campaign.

Pak China Economic Corridor is yet another master stroke by the current government. Currently the balance of payments is pre-dominantly in China’s favor between the two countries but if this policy is implemented there will be better prospects for Pakistan. The MoU signed between Pakistan and China in this regard estimates the trade to be 15 billion dollars between the two countries through it.

The United Kingdom has agreed to invest seventy billion (70 billion) dollars in the Education sector of Pakistan during the next five years. It was only possible because of great efforts put in by the Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif during the last tenure. His efforts were admired by the British officials at a number of occasions and it was due to this goodwill that the UK has agreed to invest such a large amount in this sector. 

Karachi is burning. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost during the last five years and the numbers are growing every new day. PMLN had promised to do all it can to resolve Karachi issue and set to work immediately after coming to power, one of the major breakthroughs that the government has made during its first 99 days also includes consensus of all the parties on the resolution of Karachi issues. An operation has already been launched in the city and the Police and Rangers have been given free hand by the Government to take care of the matter and deal with the terrorists with an iron hand.

The APC was called by the Government on the War on Terror and all the major stakeholders were asked to represent their parties. All presented their points of view and it was agreed upon that a dialogue will be carried out with the Taliban initially peace would be given a chance. The peace process is now backed by all the political and military stakeholders and it is hoped that it will be a success this time.

A major crackdown has been launched against the power and energy theft throughout the country and major gains have been noted. The major drop in the load shedding was also witnessed in the country and this is one of the major reasons that have helped the government to insure minimum load shedding.

It is a fact that industrialists, journalists, politicians and bureaucrats are bought by the governments to forge the facts and help their governments to sustain but being committed to maintaining transparency in all its operations, PMLN’s government has abolished the secret funds of all the ministries within the first 99 days except the Security Agencies’ Secret Funds. To insure the transparency and smooth functioning of the government owned enterprises this government has set up independent transparent commission to select the CEOs of these institutions.

The previous government never seemed serous in implementing the orders by the courts but as a clear gesture to highlight its commitment with the cause of the free judiciary in the country PMLN government made eminent lawyer Munir A Malik its Attorney General who was the President of Supreme Court Bar Association in 2007 and the man who announced to launch the Lawyers’ Movement when General (r) Musharraf tried to sack the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

It is also the first government to engage all the stakeholders and finally devise a National Security Policy and the fruits of which will be more visible in the days to come. An institution is to be set up in the days to come which will ensure smooth communication between the government, relevant ministries, security agencies and law enforcement agencies.

Major drop in the load shedding, Providing tooth and nail to the Security apparatus of the country, new agreements with China in the field of energy, UK’s investment in Education sector, willingness of several countries in the investment in almost all the sectors of the country, sky-rocketed Karachi stock exchange, huge profits in Railways and agreements for mega projects like Bullet Train and Gwadar-Kashghar Trade Channel have jelled in to give a solid start to the government. Nawaz Sharif’s third innings has started off in style. We hope that the excellent performance of the first ninety nine days is carried forward.

Post by PML(N).

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to be Next KPK Governor?

Pakistan’s politics has always remained marred with corruption, distrust and deception. It is a fact that all parties have willingly accepted turncoats to their ranks and the same have been rewarded heavily in the last sixty seven years but the stories of true friendship and loyalism have also been made in the politics of the same country. PML-N did not want to accept the turncoats after the return of party leadership from the forced exile but unfortunately the political situation demanded something else. Although many were allowed to join the party but when it comes to rewarding the key posts, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been quite up to the task.

Most important ministries were given to the politicians who were not only loyal to the party but also had extensive experience of holding the offices. Whether it is Sartaj Aziz in the Foreign Ministry or Ishaq Dar in the Finance Ministry, Prime Minister has given responsibilities to only the smartest in the business. It is rumored that Iqbal Zafar Jhagra is the strongest candidate for the Governor’s office in the KPK and if this happens it’ll just be a perfect decision.

Iqbal Zafar Jhagra has stood along the party and the leadership under all circumstances. He was allured by the then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf with positions and money but he remained strong on his feet. While the party leadership was in exile and the provincial body of the party was in dire conditions, it was Iqbal Zafar Jhagra who held the party together and despite internal rifts that occasionally arose in the party he always stayed away from controversy.

 

This is the reason why he enjoys strong support from the provincial leaders of the party and being the Secretary General of the party he has earned respect at the central level as well. He is a Pakhtoon yet his stature as a national politician has always earned him love from Hazara division as well as other parts of the country. Despite serious differences with the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf at party level, Jhagra has always talked sense and was never offensive while making remarks about the opposing parties. Never would have anyone heard a personal comment from his side about the opponents and his speech and criticism has always been objective.

For this reason he is well-respected in the PTI ranks as well and the provincial government of KPK would also not have a problem having him as their Governor. In every manner, he has the potential to govern and maintain harmony among all the stakeholders in the KPK, Center and the party. There just can’t be a better choice than him.

With Love for India, from Pakistan

With Love for India, from Pakistan

The Sixty Days of Tsunami

As things continue to get messier in the terror stricken province of Pakistan i.e. KPK the provincial government continues with its blunders. The list of blunders that is just around two months old is getting longer every new day and if the trend continues soon the performance of the current government will overshadow the complete dysfunction that has ruled the province for the last five years.

Looking at the timeline of these errors or follies committed by the KPK government one realizes that the hard earned reputation of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf of being different from rest of the parties is going to fade away in a very short time if they continue in the same fashion.

Immediately after the elections on May 11, 2013 there were news coming out that there are some internal rifts in the party as Asad Qaiser and Pervaiz Khattak involved in a tug of war for the post of Chief Minister Khyber PakhtunKhuwa. It was sad for the die heart party fans to see their elected representatives fighting for power who they thought had become loyal to Pakistan after joining their party. However, Asad Qaiser was later satisfied with the Speakership as the party Chairman Imran Khan put his weight in his old Aitchison College fellow Pervaiz Khattak.

After that fiasco the new controversy popped up when three relatives of the same Pervaiz Khattak were awarded tickets on the reserved seats for women in the Assembly. After remaining in a state of denial finally the party admitted that the rumour had all the truth in it and while Asad Umer, who is also called the Brain of PTI told the media that all three were deserving candidates and had been the founding members of the party, the disgruntled (at that time) leader of the PTI Mrs. Fauzia Kasuri told that it was not the case. She told that while one of the three were deserving and not the other two she also mentioned that the one deserving was also brought into the party folds by her efforts and that was around four years ago not sixteen.

The misery continued as on the inaugural session of the National Assembly the party’s candidate for 

Prime Minister Makhdoom Javed Hashmi out of courtesy said that he still believed Mian Nawaz Sharif to be his leader while making his speech in the Assembly. This triggered a wave of abuses as always from the PTI troll army but the worst was yet to come. The party Chairman himself asked for an explanation and finally Javed Hashmi who is one of the most senior and respected politicians of Pakistan had to apologize publicly “for hurting the sentiments of his followers”. It was quite embarrassing for the sane supporters of the party to see their chairman reacting to childish demands of his supporters in an equally childish manner.

Next in line was the CM KPK’s show off before his friends as immediately after assuming the office the CM decided to take a flight in the government owned helicopter to a Walima ceremony of his friend’s son. Later, however, the CM paid the dues from his pocket but it still needs to be answered that if he has enough in his pocket that he can travel by helicopters for attending Walima ceremonies then why the respected CM did not pay any taxes in the year 2012.

Party’s Lahore President Mr. Aleem Khan was found to be a defaulter as well in the EOBI scandal and on the probe by the FIA he admitted to the same. (Complete story: http://siasatpakistan.blog.com/2013/07/16/abdul-aleem-khan-continues-to-be-pti%E2%80%99s-headache/)

KPK government started a public welfare project in the province of offering Iftar to all the patients in the government hospitals throughout the province. It was heart gripping to see that the tender was allotted to the brother of an MPA who runs Sarhad Catering. The price at which the provincial government is buying this modest Iftar Lunch Box is also much more than it actually should have been.

Later the CM KPK admitted that CM Shehbaz Sharif of Punjab is a great administrator and that he would want to follow the Lahore model to make Peshawar a modern city. As a matter of fact the latest news coming from Hazara University is that laptops are being awarded to the students there following the footsteps of Punjab’s Chief Minister. Laptop scheme was heavily criticized by the Chairman PTI Imran Khan and the rest of the party since the very announcement of it. This latest U Turn was thus one of the most interesting ones so far.

But the things are not just limited to certain people within the party. The conduct of the party head himself has been shabby and to some extent confusing for the followers. On one hand Imran Khan constantly kept demanding an APC where all the party heads sat with the Chief of Army Staff and discussed the KPK situation regarding the War on Terror while on the other hand he left for London just when the Federal Government announced the APC.

Funnier it was when he was spotted having a juice with the Prince Charles in a party that was organized for by some organization for saving the Asian Elephants for extinction. It is interesting that the PTI Chairman preferred Asian elephants over Pakhtoon men who are dying every day. It was said that he was in London for treatment but ironic it was because just a few months back while giving the Health Policy of PTI he had heavily criticized the “elite” of the country who go out of the country for their treatment.

Happy to see @ImranKhanPTI smiling in Prince Charles party. Wish he does so while in Pakistan. That will have good impact on his followers.

— Umar Cheema (@UmarCheema1) July 10, 2013

 

KPK Government appointed more advisers than any of the provinces and all were given the powers of a minister and also the luxuries and salaries that are equal to a minister. At the same time it is also worth mentioning that despite tall claims made by the party that no official would use protocol when in power, all the ministers continue to avoid standing by this promise.

Ayla Malik’s fake degree has been the talk of the town for the last few weeks and a whole and entire new Pandora’s Box has been opened in shape of PTI’s confrontation with the Supreme Court for this purpose yet the lady has not been suspended from the party ranks as yet. In fact no action has been taken against her so far.

A huge controversy stemmed up when the terrorists broke intothe DI Khan jail and around two hundred terrorists and criminals were set free by them while the government and the state machinery kept mum. The most controversial part is that all the security agencies knew what was happening and had informed the provincial government about it all. How many men, how, when and where could attack and what could they have achieved was all under their knowledge yet the government failed to make any arrangements.

Rains always wreak havoc in this part of the world during the months of July and August. PTI supporters always make fun of the other governments when they see one or two roads all drowned in water although they get opened for public within a very short while at least in Punjab as the organizations responsible for the purpose are immediately set to work. Their party head also criticized other parties for not being able to cope with the floods during the last two years yet he has not been seen criticizing his own party during the last three weeks when almost the entire province is flooded.

A fake MoU was signed by the KPK Government with a company named as Galaxy somewhere in Hong Kong but later it was found out that such a company did not exist. When the CM was confronted with this question he denied that he knew about such a deal. Shortly afterwards the PTI’s website removed the MoU’s copy.

And the latest news came when Imran Khan headed the KPK government’s meeting. It may be asked that in what capacity he could hold such a meeting especially knowing that he was the one who criticized the Punjab Government when the laptops were awarded by Mian Nawaz Sharif or his daughter.

The party boasted off its provincial budget in which 19% was allocated for Education including all the expenses that came under this head. Following the metrics Punjab has allocated 24% yet the PTI chief had the nerves to call his government’s budget the best for the same reason. It is good but is there any way that can be an alternative to such blunders? Although HaroonRasheed in a program today said that the KPK government is incompetent and Imran Khan must announce that he has nothing to do with it. Imran Khan must do something to correct his party but who would correct Imran Khan himself is the real question. The desire of Pakistanis to try something new can cost them heavily.