The much anticipated iPad 2 launched today. After giving the Apple store a visit and having a hands on look at the iPad 2, I come to realize that my perception hasn’t changed a bit. Despite the long lines of anxious customers waiting outside of Apple stores – which are probably the first time buyers, – there isn’t much excitement for the second generation iPad. For an iPad owner there isn’t much for which I would spend another $500. Although it has two cameras (front and back), it is lighter and thinner, and apparently a bit faster, the new iPad is very similar to the first one. Besides taking the pictures I don’t see much use of the camera either. Since the video chat is only compatible with Apple’s FaceTime, and not with skype, which most of my friends use,. It has no benefit to me.

As far as having the tablet experience, I believe that the first iPad does good enough job, and now that it will be sold at a cheaper price, I would recommend getting that instead. But unless you have enough money or you are a gadget person, then go for it. For me, I shall be waiting for the iPad 3 or 4, with actual new features, before I make my next purchase.

Watch the unboxing of the iPad 2:

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @ LAHORE POST

The people representing the middle-class of Pakistan are in the constant struggle to outdo each other by showing themselves better and above the other. Not by their acts of righteousness but by their finical standings, they are in a race to the top. The hypocritical thing about this attitude is that, they hate the poor, envy the rich and consider the middle-class pathetic. Now there is nothing wrong with raising your social status, but doing it illegally and to belittle others is what corrupts a society.

The same class is the most vocal against the corruption of ruling elites, but never fails to bribe a clerk or for that matter accept a bribe to do a job for which they were hired. It is this extra under-the-table income that lets them raise their standards above their means. The most corrupt gets to surpass the others in this constant struggle towards the top. Doing so without paying a single rupee in taxes.

This middle-class claims to favor democracy, but does not agree with any of the political party or their ideology. They feel comfortable under a dictatorship. It is when the grassroots politics are shut, these people can relax in their air-conditioned offices and pile stacks of cash. Only under a democracy is the grassroots politics active, whose “stinking poor” off the street leaders get these officers out of their offices and on the fields to get some actual work done.

They like to claim that the rich, feudal, and elite politicians can never care for poor, since those politicians are not poor themselves. For which they call out the whole political system and its institutions. But when their wishes are fulfilled and a MNA’s like Jamshed Dasti – from a very humble background – is elected, they seem to not like the way he looks, dresses, or for that matter, how educated he is. So now they are hypocritically supporting Harvard graduated elite politicians over someone who “understands the poor.”

This shameful act of hypocrisy by our countrymen is not only displayed in social and political matters but also in religion. They seem to chant religious slogans, wear Arab styled garments, keep a beard, and at times pray and fast as well. But when it comes to follow the holy scripture, which they have decorated in their shelves, their acts are only limited to a show-and-tell contest. Their deeds are plagued with corruption and looting others in order to excel beyond their means. I do not believe any religion teaches this.

If the society starts to change its attitudes towards any of these matters, it will be a beginning of a long journey towards a better future. Otherwise this hypocrisy will chew off the fabrics of Pakistani society, and leave it paralyzed beyond treatment.

There is also a “religious” segment of Pakistani society which believes that democracy is not a system acceptable in Islam but an idea of the West. Little do they know, by making this assertion they are questioning the judgment of Muslims who would vote in the elections. When they question the judgment of a Muslim to be able to decide a leader for him / herself, they are questioning their ability of judgment in all matters, including religion.

So those who are preaching anti-democracy propaganda, are actually declaring that Islam has taught nothing to its believers. That its believers are ignorant, childish, and brainless enough to distinguish between right and wrong. And so this is their first argument against democracy.

Their other argument is, that the leaders – the people – chosen by the masses, do not possess the abilities and knowledge required to run a nation. These people do not consider the fact that those “Muslim” who are chosen to run the nation, should have the same Islam governing their lives that these people do. As all Muslims believe that Islam has taught us how to run all affairs, personal and/or state. So these anti-democracy preachers must be advising that Islam does not teach a Muslim how to be a good leader.

So why the hypocrisy by these anti-democracy so called religious preachers. Is it because democracy actually is a system based on a collective decision making and collective wisdom. And so they believe that their argument, which might stand a chance in a tiny group of people who follow these people, but will fail in a collective judgment of intelligent Muslims. They know that rhetoric and propaganda stands no chance in a truly democratic system, and political Islam has no space in it.

These anti-democracy preachers are not sincere with Islam or Pakistan for that matter. The only thing in their minds is not how they can make better Muslims, but how they can control the weak Muslims. Their Idea of a truly Islamic system of government is an authoritarian system in which they themselves will be hand picked for being an authority on religion and in-tern on all state matters.

Learning from the events around the Middle-East, where collective intelligence of people of nations with the similar autocracies have decided to turn against that system, we Pakistanis should also completely scrap this mindless idea that Islam and democracy is incompatible. The fact of the matter is that Islam complements democracy and vice versa.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @ LAHORE POST

Meanwhile as the chattering classes inside Pakistan watch this – sitting in front of their TVs in their comfortable air conditioned homes and offices – without blinking suggest the idea of a “Pakistani Revolution.” Most of whom have never stepped outside of their homes to protest or for that matter even vote in any one of the rare elections Pakistan has experienced.

Little that these – chattering classes of Pakistan – might know, what they are seeing on the TV is nothing new to Pakistan. The revolution they are so unfamiliar with, due to their social standing, actually started in Pakistan 44 years ago. It was an idea of a visionary leader – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto – who formed Pakistan Peoples Party, the largest political entity existing till today.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s revolution was not only against the then dictator General Ayub Khan, but also against the status-quo and the elite / military establishment’s control over Pakistan’s resources. The revolution was to realize the social and economic justice and the emancipation of the disenfranchised and economically poor classes of Pakistan.

Ever since its creation the Pakistan Peoples Party has fought many battles on the street, protesting against dictators and unjust governments. Its leaders have faced many years of jail, torture, and even sacrificed their lives in the process. If you were to give a name to the revolution of Pakistan, it will be the Pakistan Peoples Party.

Even if the people demanding revolution in Pakistan are supporting any of the alternative parties such as Pakistan Muslim League (N / Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, then they are not sincere about revolution. Those parties are known to be the pro-establishment and pro-status-quo parties. They are not revolutionaries. Leaders like Imran Khan, has never seen the inside of a police station, while Nawaz Sharif would never die for his principles, and Altaf Hussain will not step on Pakistan’s soil. Revolutions are not ethnic or area based, like these parties are. They are fought with fervor, struggle, and discipline which all of these parties lack.

Pakistan Peoples Party is the true revolutionary party, and it is better that we understand this sooner than later, and join the party (or at-least go out and vote for it). That is if we truly believe in a revolution. Otherwise watching revolutions on TV screens and social networking websites are not too bad of an idea, at least you get to enjoy your popcorns.

Originally Posted @ LUBP

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, spoke with CNBC’s Erin Burnett about political stability, economic opportunity, and the future of US-Pakistan relations.

[Source]

It really makes me wonder, if we will continue to live in denials and disbelieves of being a perfect and “pure” society or will we start living like a true “Pak”istani. Our issues seem to be restoring a bunch judges due to their perceived “moral” stance against a dictator, or striking down a “national reconciliation ordinance” and restarting the corruption cases which were created in a corrupt manner to begin with. And to top it all off we got Dr. Aafia Siddiqui – a convicted terrorist – to lead our list of national priorities.

As I read and hear of the atrocities and crimes committed against women in our great nation, I am forced to question, how many of those protesters at the Aafia rally actually respect and treat their wives with dignity at home. How can we change when our, twenty-first century’s self proclaim, preachers and television pundits teach the otherwise.

The right politics, I believe, is the politics that leads us to self correct ourselves. The politics that forces us to look within and not be hypocritical. Not talk of corruption when we know the whole society is corrupt, but try finding solution that will solve our everyday problems so we will be less corrupt. Not look at how other countries are treating their citizens but start treating ours with respect and dignity and give them their human rights. Treat all citizens equally – regardless of their color, creed, sex, sect, or caste – and give them all equal constitutional rights and freedom to practice their believes however they wish to.

For all I know is that “God will not change the condition of the people until they change what is within themselves.”- 13:11 Quran.

In a recent press conference Mian Nawaz Sharif – the head of the largest opposition Party Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) – claimed that terrorism in Pakistan is a result of government’s foreign policies. Sharif made the comments two days after two terrorist suicide bombers had attacked the most popular Sufi shrine in Punjab. The province that his party controls.

While attacking the federal ministers for criticizing his party’s provincial government’s failure to stop the attacks, Sharif replied with his own criticism on the federal governments’ foreign policy. Rather than giving solutions and answering why his government fails to provide security in the province they control, he blamed the federal government for not sharing the right intelligence. While it is on record that intelligence over all past incidences have been shared with the provincial government.

Nawaz Sharif and his party is believed to have ties to various terrorist organizations in the past. Sharif had alegedly met Osama Bin Laden, who funded his party to oppose and weaken the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s government.

On the other hand Imran Khan – the head of another right-wing political party Pakistan Tereek-e-Insaf (PTI) – also related terrorism in Pakistan to government’s alliance with United States. He Stated that:

the government of Pakistan [is] a slave of the US and added that the ongoing terrorism in the country would continue until Washington stopped meddling in the internal affairs of Islamabad - Dawn News

This same rhetoric has also been used by religious parties to criticize the federal government of Pakistan Peoples Party. The religious parties along with PMLN and PTI has criticized the government’s decision to take the war to taliban’s doorsteps in Pakistan’s western bordders, and have suggested negotiations with the terrorist organizations as an alternative.

Every now and then the rightist – PMLN, PTI, and religious parties – cite unconfirmed news stories on Afghanistan and American government’s policy to negotiate with taliban as an example for Islamabad to follow. However in the past government of Pakistan has negotiated with the Pakistani Taliban, only to see negotiations fail, or the taliban breaking the agreement to further their aims.

The situation in Afghanistan is different and incomparable to Pakistan. In Afghanistan, America is a foreign force and the taliban are a political reality. Having ruled Afghanistan, the talibans have political stakes in the country. If Americans or Kabul decides to negotiate with the reconcilable taliban, that would be in the interest of all parties and the future of Afghanistan. It would be to end war in Afghanistan and leave the country in a governable situation.

Contrary to that, Pakistani taliban are not a political reality, but rather an illegal militia. There are no grounds for negotiations with the Pakistani taliban or any other terrorist organization inside Pakistan. They don’t have a constituency or a vote bank for that matter.

Although the Pakistani taliban cannot be negotiated with, there are political players which can be. For which Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani has called for an APC (all parties conference). So the taliban’s like-minded political parties can also be consulted in a discussion to formulate a national anti-terror policy.

One can only hope that the rightist parties will not derail the agenda of the conference just to get their absurd anti-USA policy agreed upon. Rather focus on a strong policy that strictly deals with terrorism inside Pakistan and suggests ways to tackle it. Part of the solution would be for the right-wing parties to shun their alliances with any sort of extremist organization and allow government along with law enforcing agencies to take conclusive actions against those who operate on Pakistani soil.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @ FPA

As the government gets ready to present its third annual budget (2010-2011), reports and estimates for the next fiscal year is the talk of the day for economists and politicians in Pakistan.

Besides all the buzz created by media commentary and the editorials, which is mostly negative, Pakistan’s economy is said to be stabilizing for which there is very tangible evidence. Most of which were presented in the latest economic survey report.

The economic report has showed stability in today’s economic indicators compared to last few years’. Some of those indicators presented in the Economic Survey (2009-2010) are as listed below.

The economy grew by 4.1% during 2009-10 after a modest growth of 1.2 % in 2008-09.

The industrial output expanded by 4.9 %, with Large Scale Manufacturing posting a 4.4 % rate of growth.

The services sector grew by 4.6 % as compared to 1.6 % in 2008-09.

For 2009-10, the fiscal deficit is aimed to be kept in check at 5.1 % of GDP, despite the absorption of larger-than-budgeted security-related spending.

The external current account deficit was contained to 5.6 % of GDP (US$9.3 billion) in 2008-09 from a high of 8.3 % of GDP in 2007-08 (US$13.9 billion). The current deficit is expected to decline to under 3 % of GDP in the current year.

Foreign exchange reserves have been rebuilt to nearly US$15 billion, from their low of under US$6 billion in October 2008.

Inflation declined from 25 % in October 2008 to a recent low of 8.9 % in October 2009, though it has accelerated sharply of recent and is showing persistence.

The total installed electricity generation capacity has increased to 20,190 MW during July-March 2009-10 from 19,780 MW during the same period of last year

The number of villages electrified increased to 147,038 by March 2010 from 133,463 by March 2009, showing an increase of 10 %.

Overall exports recorded a positive growth of 8% during the first ten months (July-April) of the current year against a decline of 3% in the same period last year.

Trade deficit improved by 13.9% from $14,218 million in July-April 2008-09 to $12,238 million during July-April 2009-10.

Social safety nets have been strengthened. Benazir Income Support Program is being streamlined. Pro-poor spending is significantly rising over recent years

2009-10 started with a recovery in the Capital Markets following the global financial crisis. The KSE-100 Index crossed the 10,000 points barrier on 12th March, 2010, however it could not be sustained.

Net inflow of foreign investment in Pakistan from July 2009 to March 2010 was US$431.9 million which was a large increase  considering the negative foreign portfolio investment in the  last financial year.

Economic Survey 09-10

While projecting Pakistan’s economic future, by analyzing the next budget, these figures should be kept in mind . As these reflect the present foundations which can undermining any skepticism about the future of Pakistan’s economy and what the next budget is capable of delivering.

Sana’s Blog:
www.sanavision.wordpress.com

Farhad’s blog
www.criticalppp.org/lubp

Sana, Anas and Kamran — discussing the situation in the latest episode.

Anas’ Blog: http://anasm.wordpress.com/

Sana’s Blog: http://sanavision.wordpress.com/

Note: It is pertinent to mention that the audio conversation presented in this post appears to be an intentional leak by the Punjabi Taliban or the ISI (first posted on the ISI fan page on facebook). While the exact intentions of this leak are not known, readers / listeners are ‘advised to exercise caution’ in drawing any conclusions. To that end, it may be useful to reflect upon the questions that we pose below:

The LUBP presents a most direct incriminating evidence against Hamid Mir, founder of the Pakistani Taliban Union of Journalists (PTUJ). This telephone conversation between Hamid Mir and a Punjabi Talib took place days before Khalid Khwaja, an ISI operative, was killed by his kidnappers, the Punjabi Taliban.

Please listen carefully to this audio clip and post your comments on the conversation you hear in the comments section below.

In particular, we would like you to comment on:

1. Hamid Mir’s views on terrorists of Lal Masjid (Ghazi brothers);

2. Hamid Mir’s worldview of Islam, Jihad and CIA;

3. His views on Khalid Khwaja;

4. His views on Qadianis

5. His views on Pakistan’s intelligence agencies

6. His views on Javed Ibrahim Paracha, a notorious terrorist of Sipah-e-Sahaba in Kohat (also a leader of PML-N – does that ring a bell?)

7. What was Hamid Mir’s message to Khalid Khwaja’s kidnappers? Did that message lead to Khwaja’s murder?

8. What are Hamid Mir’s links with Hakimullah Mehsud and the Punjabi Taliban (Sipah-e-Sahaba)?

9. Why does Hamid Mir insist that Khalid Khwaja is not an ISI operative but a CIA operative?

10. Who are the real sponsors, protectors and promoters of Hamid Mir?

11. Is Hamid Mir a friend of Pakistan? or a friend of terrorists?

12. Who released this audio conversation? Punjabi Taliban? or ISI? What are their possible motives behind this release?

You can download this audio tape from the following link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?mm25oyymd4d

http://media-convert.com/convert/?xid=15-btvkodql

We will really appreciate if someone could please transcribe the conversation in Urdu and (perhaps someone else might) translate that into English. We request our visitors to help us in this task please.

Update: Read Hamid Mir’s explanation, Taliban’s press release in support of Hamid Mir, and our rebuttal

Update: The conversation is now also available on youtube in two segments:

Part 1

Part 2

Originally posted on LET US BUILD PAKISTAN

TRANSCRIPT (via Daily Times)

Transcript of Hamid Mir’s conversation

Hamid Mir: Many bombings are being carried out.

Unidentified man: Let’s see. There will be more of them. There are some in the pipeline. What do they (government) say about the operation in Orakzai? Will they stop it or not?

HM: No, they say it would not be stopped, rather they say they will also start an operation in North Waziristan and 40,000 troops will leave in a couple of days.

UM: In North Waziristan?

HM: Yes.

UM: Do you have any report on Khalid Khawaja etc.

HM: They say Khalid Khawaja Saab is in custody of one Azam Afridi in Darrakhel.

UM: Yes, yes Tariq Afridi (correcting HM).

HM: They are in Tariq Afridi’s custody.

UM: OK.

HM: Yes.

UM: So, are they men of the government or ISI?

HM: Who?

UM: These, Khalid Khawaja and Colonel Imam.

HM: Khalid Khawaja, according to my opinion, is not an ISI man, rather he is a CIA agent, an American CIA agent and he has links with the Taliban leadership.

UM: Yes, he met with Hakimullah and others when he came here last time.

HM: I personally know that Khalid Khawaja has links not only with CIA but he is also a front man of Mansoor Ijaz who belongs to a very big international network of Qadiyanis. Once he came to me along with Mansoor, who had a briefcase with him, and Khalid Saab told me that Mansoor is a key representative of the US government, so arrange his meeting with Syed Salahuddin, who is a mujahideen leader, and he along with him would resolve the Kashmir issue.

UM: All right.

HM: But I asked him what charm or magic lamp does he posses for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He said he had links with the Indian government and (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee Jee, which surprised me. I didn’t arrange the meeting, but I asked Mr Salahuddin who said Khalid Khawaja is sending messages that you should directly talk to India and the US on the issue and exclude Pakistan from it.

UM: All right, all right.

HM: After that, Mansoor Ijaz also asked me: Are you with us or not? I said, “I am not with you.” Then he conspired against me and got me sacked from the Daily Ausaf when I was its editor. So, I think Khalid Khawaja not only has links with the CIA but he is also an agent of the Qadiyanis, and I am very sad that he used to go to the Tribal Areas and meet leaders there.

UM: But now, I think, the Taliban have caught him and have demanded $10 million for the journalist.

HM: Do you know what part his (Khalid Khawaja’s) wife played in Lal Masjid?

UM: No, but it was something negative.

HM: It was that Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi Saab – may Allah bless him with a place in heavens. What he told me in his last days was, do you know that he did not completely agree with Maulana Aziz.

UM: Yes, yes.

HM: Mr Abdul Rashid Ghazi wanted to save the students inside the mosque and for that he showed flexibility and said, “I am ready to surrender on the condition that those who are with me will not be arrested and will be released.” But Khalid Khawaja’s wife was pressurised so much by Ume Hassaan that Maulana Abdul Aziz, without asking his brother, came out in a burqa, and Khalid Khawaja was involved in it (call disconnected).

UM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

HM: Yes,

UM: The call got disconnected.

HM: Ok.

UM: So, what were you saying about his wife?

HM: Yes, I was telling you that his wife pressurised him so much that Ghazi Saab said, “She says we have to fight, just fight for martyrdom.” After that Mr Khalid Khawaja came out of the mosque and his wife also fled, Khalid Khawaja’s wife.

UM: Yes, we heard that she had fled after that.

HM: Yes, she ran away and then Maulana Abdul Aziz also came out in the burqa.

UM: I think, he insisted for that.

HM: Yes, he had done all this. After that Maulana Abdul Aziz was arrested and Mr Abdul Rashid Ghazi telephoned me and said, “Now, I don’t have any option. Now, my family and ulema have been defamed as my brother was arrested in a burqa and presented on Pakistan Television. This is a large stain which can only be removed with my blood.” So, he lived up to his words and sacrificed. So, Khalid Khawaja and his wife, anyone may know or not, they will have to answer before Allah Almighty.

UM: He, recently, came here and met my companions. He was saying, “You can work in Pakistan as we say, if you want to. I can arrange your ‘setting’ with an admiral in Mianwali. So, you should not burn US containers in Pakistan, you can rob them and sell them to a person recommended by us.” He was saying, “We would provide you everything for carrying out activities in Pakistan.”

HM: Do whatever you want to with the containers, burn them or rob them, I have nothing to do with it. But ask him what relationship he has with Mansoor Ijaz and William Casey? William Casey was the chief of CIA.

UM: Right, right.

HM: He (Khawaja) himself has confessed in front me that he had links with William Casey. Ok! Leave William, ask him about the Qadiyanis, because I personally believe that Qadiyanis are worse than infidels, what kind of links does he have with Qadiyanis? What relationship does he have with Mansoor Ijaz? Why does he use his money? Why does he go everywhere with him when he comes to Pakistan? Why does he bring him to the mujahideen?

UM: Yes, he has a son in al Qaeda.

HM: Yes, his son would also be a spy like him.

UM: Yes, I talked to the shaikhs about him. They said they were keeping him on the sidelines.

HM: His biggest betrayal to me was that there was a mujahid, Abdul Rehman Al Canady.

UM: Yes, there was one Canady.

HM: He was martyred in North Waziristan. He came to me with Canady’s wife and a daughter, saying Canady’s son, Karim, is at Rawalpindi’s CMH and is injured and the army had arrested him. He asked me to arrange a meeting between the injured and his mother. I said this is very difficult for me and I can’t do this because already they are all against me. But, he said all that you need to do is to arrange a meeting between a mother and her son. So, I arranged it with a lot of difficulties and sent the woman to Rawalpindi CMH, but when she reached there she took a camera out of her burqa and asked her son to record a message that he is innocent, has no links with anyone and has been kept here illegally. She was arrested there because a nurse saw her and seized the camera from her. But I was held responsible for all of it as they told me that I had sent this woman. It was revealed after her arrest that the woman had a Canadian passport and had visited Canada two months ago. After that I faced a lot of difficulties. The Canadian government released the woman and her daughter and then she went back to Canada. In Toronto, she held a press conference and admitted that she worked for the CIA. Now Khalid Khawaja has a long beard and his wife wears a full veil so people like us, who are involved in worldly affairs and have committed sins, believe that if we will help them, we might be forgotten for our sins. When these kinds of people betray us, we lose confidence on the religion itself.

UM: Absolutely, neither we are wrong nor is the army, but people like him have created the difficulties.

HM: However, if he is somewhere, ask him at least that you used the name of Abdul Rehman Canady, you worked with Mansoor Ijaz, you have worked William Casey. And there is one Javaid Ibrahim Piracha, who has a very big seminary in Kohat.

UM: Yes, yes.

HM: You all know the services of Piracha Saab. So, he fraudulently invited Piracha Saab in Islamabad and told him he wanted to arrange his meeting with a prominent personality. He took him to the US deputy foreign minister at Serena Hotel and said, “He is Mr Piracha and he can arrange your talks with the al Qaeda and Taliban.” Piracha Saab is a well-educated person. I observed that he was betrayed and came out of the room and escaped from there. Then he called me and said, “You were right about him (Khalid Khawaja).”

UM: Right, right. He went to him last time.

HM: Yes, Piracha Saab told me about that. He said, “He came to me and Col Imam was also here and told Col Imam that don’t go anywhere with this guy.” He (Piracha) said, “What can I do if he comes here and I can’t force him out of my house, but you don’t go anywhere with him.” Mr Piracha said Col Imam didn’t want to go with Khalid Khawaja, but he forced him to go with him.

UM: Right, maybe to use as human shield. But Shah Abdul Aziz, that MNA of Kirk, is supporting him a lot. He was meeting everyone here and asking for his release.

HM: He would have fooled Shah Abdul Aziz.

UM: Yes, he was asking people to release him and said you may keep the journalist, whose ransom will be paid to you by him.

HM: Ok! His release depends on them who have kept him, but convey them these three questions that what is your link with Mansoor Ijaz, whose father fled with the atomic secrets of Pakistan. Mansoor Ijaz’s father was an atomic scientist and he fled to the US with the atomic secrets of Pakistan. Once he (Ijaz) offered Benazir Bhutto a quid pro quo deal in 1995 that all the debts of the country will be forgiven, if she recognised Israel. That means he was also an agent of Israel.

UM: Yes, he used to ask my companions to work in Pakistan “as we say”. Actually, the killings of brigadiers in Rawalpindi might have been arranged by him, I think.

HM: It might be possible, but I have been watching this guy for the last 13 or 14 years and he is a suspected man.

UM: OK. Inshallah, I will meet Hakimullah in two or three days and talk to him about all this.

HM: All right

UM: Thank you so much.

HM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

UM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

Monday April 19, 2010 – President Zardari made history by signing the landmark constitutional reforms amendment bill into law. Zardari – after taking office 18 months ago – pledged to reform the constitution. He promised that all the anomalies that were created by the dictators to protect their powers will be removed from the constitution. After this amendment the powers he inherited from the former President, General Pervez Musharraf, has been reverted back to the Prime Minister. The significance of this gesture is that Zardari is the first President in Pakistan’s history to give up his powers and act as a figurehead President as the original constitution intended.

A great milestone was achieved when the Parliamentary Constitutional Reforms Committee finished drafting the bill for the 18th Amendment in Pakistan’s constitution. After 9 months of deliberations the committee, that represented all Parliamentary parties, came to a unanimous consensus on amending around 100 articles of Pakistan’s current constitution. Majority of the changes are made in effort to revert back to the original spirit of Pakistan’s 1973 constitution. This was followed by a week’s debate in National Assembly, where it passed unanimously, and later passed by the Senate after another week long debate.

Reforming the constitution after 37 years of its creation was not the only milestone this president completed in his 18 months in office. Creating consensus on a landmark National Finance Commission (NFC) Award was another tangible achievement by Zardari regime. The NFC Award along with the 18th Constitutional Amendment is aimed at giving the provinces more autonomy and decentralizing the authority and finances from the center to the provinces.

Pakistan’s media, which is overwhelmingly right leaning, opposes many of President’s policies and term him as a “unpopular president.” The media and press in Pakistan act like Fox News on steroids, giving it all they can to prove their point; whether it be conspiracy theories, one sided polls, false sense of nationalism, or even fortune tellers to predict the future of Zardari regime.

The flip-side of all the media’s Zardari-phobia is that the president might as well turn out to be one of the most powerful civilian presidents in Pakistan’s history. He had not only brought the institutional and democratic reforms as mentioned earlier, but also benefited and strengthened his party to great extremes. Holding the party together after the death of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, and leading the party to a victory in the, February 2008, general election polls was a tremendous task. He didn’t stop there; creating government of his Prime Minister, forging alliances with parties to make governments in all four provinces, taking majority in Senate without any tussle, having a chairman senate from his party, and leading his party to victory in Gilgit Baltistan, the newly formed unofficial province of Pakistan.

After his grand achievement, President Zardari, is back on the road selling the accomplishment of his government to the people while announcing and inaugurating various development projects along with organizing his party for upcoming local bodies’ elections. President Zardari has said that his party has completed eighty percent of work from their election manifesto and will continue to work for improving the lives of poor people of Pakistan.

As the President has transfered his powers to the parliament, it is up to them and all the political parties elected in the parliament, to focus on the issues that matter to the public the most. After the passage of 18th Amendment, It is high time that all parties should also create consensus over other national issues such as the energy shortfall, inflation, and economy.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @ FPA

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President Asif Ali Zardari, in a meeting with Director of US National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair, urged US to assist Pakistan in its own civilian nuclear technology deal to help overcome its dire energy needs. President had suggested that this kind of deal will not only bridge the trust deficit between the two countries, but also address many misperceptions about US inside Pakistan.

Some of those misperceptions are based on many conspiracy theories that are the limelight of Pakistani drawing rooms and various media outlets. Although most being hypothetical, some of those theories are based on the burden of history that the two countries carry in their relationship.

For the entire history of Pakistan, the relationship with United States has been a love-hate one, which at times had made them the most-allied-ally and at others axes-of-evil. It is a relationship that has almost always revolved around the security aspect and has been mostly with the Pakistan’s military establishment.

Since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s last visit to Pakistan, the US has been giving more attention to Pakistan’s economic and energy needs, rather than just the security and counter-terrorism. Ms. Clinton had stated that US will like to address Pakistan’s energy problem in a way that stands out and which will in-turn help create a better image of United States in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s energy problem is not only impacting its economy but its security as-well. There is an urgent need to produce more energy and meet the industrial and economic demands for today and the future. Currently Pakistan is producing 80% of its required electric demand, which is causing massive blackouts all around the country. United States can use this as an opportunity to tackle a problem that impacts the ordinary people directly and create a lot goodwill and a positive image.

Just recently the US special envoy Richard Holbrooke expressed Americas concern to help Pakistan with its economic and energy needs. He believes that it is the right time, in the US-Pakistan relationship, that more of US attention and resources can be diverted to help Pakistan.

The right time it is, as US and Pakistani intelligence forces are doing joint operations to capture high valued terrorist targets, reducing the trust deficit that existed 13 months ago. These unprecedented moves to build the trust between the two countries can go a long way paving the way for a new era of relations.

C Christine Fair, in her Wall Street Journal article “Pakistan Needs Its Own Nuclear Deal“, stressed on a need to make a civilian nuclear pact with Pakistan. She argues that it will help reduce the trust deficit and serve mutual interest of US and Pakistan. It will give US a leeway in asking for tougher demands such as “Pakistani cooperation on nuclear proliferation and terrorism.” She suggests that a deal like this could be very meaningful to the Pakistanis, which could also help in getting Pakistan to adhere to some of the tougher conditions on the Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation.

Ever since the US-India Civilian Nuclear deal, the Pakistanis have been yearning for equal treatment as a partner in the war on terror. They believe if a deal like this was possible for the Indians, why can’t the front-line-state on war on terror can get a similar deal. Although US has stated that its relationship with India is different than the one with Pakistan, does not mean that Pakistan cannot have a similar relationship with the United States in the future.

Ms. Christine Fair had suggested on having a “conditions-based civilian nuclear deal,” that will not only help US to convince Pakistanis to comply with nuclear non-proliferation demands, but also shut all terror organizations and revert from the strategy of proxy wars and strategic depth in Afghanistan using those organizations.

Pakistan could raise this issue as the two countries meet, March 24th, for another round of negotiations. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who will be chairing this meeting, suggested that he wants to see some action on American side. The agenda of the meeting includes in-depth discussions on various issues including energy.

Although it is likely that some form of energy plan might be announced after the US-Pak dialogue, it is far-fetched to believe that some type of civilian nuclear deal might be one of the options. Although, It might be too early to imagine the two countries getting to this level of confidence, it is not entirely impossible. Pakistan could follow India’s footsteps and do extensive lobbying on Capitol Hill if it wants to go this direction. Of-course it will require Pakistan to focus on internal issues and stability inside Pakistan, before it can get into this kind of contract or even imagine it happening.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @ FPA

Also see on Anas Muhammad’s Blog

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s careful treading through the power corridors received a severe blow as his public appeal to the Taliban for avoiding his fiefdom raised an unprecedented hue and cry in the National Assembly.

If the CM’s actions are not enough, the younger Sharifs meeting with Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani in Rawalpindi was taken as another political blunder made by the ambitious prodigy of a family known for its love affair with the Army GHQ and extreme-right entities – known as non-state actors in modern politicking.

Parliamentarians from across the board could not resist the temptation to pounce on the Sharifs by highlighting their Punjab-centric and pro-establishment past throughout Monday and for ridiculing the rest of the three provinces. Our friends from NWFP and Balochistan were furious and shared their venom by saying the Sharifs should start to bid adieu to all their hopes.

Perhaps taken aback by an unexpected (surely unscripted) slip of the tongue, the younger Sharif’s political mentors, especially the intellectual maestro from Lahore and GHQ-expert from Rawalpindi, could not do much but rush for fresh advice from their well-fed local and imported spin-doctors. Much to their grief, the outspoken street-smart wiz-kids of Lahori and Sialkoti origin could also not manage to help bail them out of the mess, as both of them have been dispatched to settle personal scores against the Chaudhrys of Gujrat in a by-election. Finding no one coming to the rescue of his political custodian, Hamza Shahbaz was forced to meekly stand before the media and take their blows on his chin.

Cafeteria, corridors and even galleries were abuzz with this discussion and Nawaz leaguers, who were very recently flying high on their by-election victories were visibly deflated, being forced to avoid making eye contact with the media. On the floor of the House, if their fellow male parliamentarians were asking for an apology from their party leader, they were also being shown dupatas by some female colleagues who were mimicking Nighat Orakzai, an NWFP MPA who had earlier in the day offered her head scarf to Shahbaz for being cowardly and perhaps for inciting the Taliban to attack others not in his province.

These heartbroken leaguers seem to have all the reasons for pointing fingers at the advisors of the Sharif bothers, especially towards the chair of their House leader, whom some of them consider an autocrat within the democratic (but currently dissolved) setup of their party. One of the leaguer, a lawyer from Lahore, could not remain silent, whispering “lets hope the elder Sharif starts listening to some saner elements now and come out of the company of his trusted men”.

Being an Amratsari-Kashmiri, he added that Mian sahib likes to eat well, get driven around by trusted men and get a good twitching massage on his kneecaps and legs. “But that cannot be true of a person who is dubbed as a leader in waiting and who undoubtedly holds complete sway in Punjab. It also remains a fact that of all the political parties, if anyone is matching MQM’s media model, then it’s the Sharifs. They believe in hiring the best of the best to work for their image glorification and providing them spin options.” A news-bugger, who claims to be a correspondent of some secret publication, was thrusting this analysis upon all of us when an ever-smiling MQM’s bhai-log kicked in with his usual dribble, “we have a media team equipped with technological superiority whereas Mian sahib prefers to hire those already serving in high positions”.

Revisiting the past is always painful for most of the players in our treacherous political history, but facts cannot be denied, said a soft-spoken parliamentarian hailing from the ANP. He said that following the first secret call-on of Shahbaz, Mian sahib had taken a back seat when he was told by party hawks that power remains the ultimate goal of the younger ace of the family. This was exactly the reason, why the late Sharif never introduced Shahbaz to Gen Jillani back in the 80s and offered Nawaz for induction in the Ziaul Haq set up.

From meeting with Osama Bin Laden to toppling Benazir’s 1988 government to formation of the IJI, the ANP leader claimed that Mian sahib had been in close contact with NWFP and FATA parliamentarians. Before the MQM, our parliamentarians used to be key to making governments, he recalled, adding that the Sharifs love for “Jihad” and his efforts to impose himself on the nation as Caliph are all part of our recent past. “I vividly remember the Jamaat-e-Islami’s advertorial campaign against Sharifs in which they relied on the slogan of “Qazi Aa Giya” (Qazi Hussain has arrived) and alleged that Nawaz had betrayed the cause of the IJI,” he added.

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20103\16\story_16-3-2010_pg7_1

Today we live in an increasingly dangerous world, which is filled with people who have their ulterior motives and willingness to harm others to benefit themselves. Our world is filled with criminals, gangsters, murderers, and terrorists. The people who would go to all extremes to get their way being inconsiderate of the rights of other human beings.

Every state and the government has the right to arrest any criminal it wishes to put off the street for the safety of others, it does that to keep the law and order intact, and most importantly to keep the social order in place. The state also provides services to its peaceful citizens, hoping that nothing out of ordinary will happen, that no one with their ulterior motives will try to abuse that service.

A service like a commercial plane is there to help its passengers travel, but often we see maniacs abuse that service, in other words hijack the plane for their own ulterior motives. That is when things start to turn chaotic, everyone panics, the innocent lives and the system is put on stake by a few hijackers.

In situation like this a state, who would arrest criminals, has to release them. At time it has to pay them, or help them escape. It does it for greater welfare of the innocent lives. It negotiates with the hijackers, listens to their demands, regardless of how absurd and illegal they are, state fulfills them.

When this happen and the plane lands safely, the passengers come out and breath freely, and many lives are saved, we consider it a victory of the state. Although state might have given up to many criminal demands, released prisoners, given money to the hijackers, or let them flee to a different country safely. The state does not lose in this case, but succeeds to protect the most valuable asset, the life of innocent.

This very situation occurred in Pakistan. As the country began a perfectly normal day, went on with its business, everything was perfect and normal till some one got into a flight and hijacked the plane. All the sudden there was uncertainty, havoc, and chaos, created by the commentators in the studios lashing out at the government for its inability to stop the hijacking.

As the hijackers stood to their grounds the government had to go in action, they started formulating plans, and counter plans, assuring their citizens that they have everything in control. Before the government could sort things out, it started to face retaliation from the sympathizers of the hijackers. Government stuck, between a rock and a hard place, started the process of negotiation with a very few options. It started to become a zero-sum-game, as the sympathizers and the commentators, disregarding the sensitivity of the situation, kept giving the “end of the world” impression.

All democratic governments know how to deal with situations like this, but the key is not to let its citizens panic, cause if they do, their negotiation position is compromised. That is exactly what happened – thanks to commentators and sympathizers of hijackers – and things got worse. Things happened exactly as the commentators wished, apparently they were hoping to capture a plane-crash in their cameras.

End of the day, the government gave into the demands of hijackers, allowing them to get what they wanted. Doing so the government succeeded in freeing up its citizens and saving the nation. Pakistan’s very valuable asset, democracy, and its citizens were saved from incurring great losses. It was a victory for the government, democracy, and the peace loving citizens of Pakistan.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED @

Saturday February 13 – The Chief Justice of Pakistan defied Presidential orders through a suo moto action against the Presidential notification for appointment of certain judges. Chief Justice, in a rare nightly emergency session, formed a three members bench that suspended two recommendations for judges’ appointment by the President. The matter will be heard by a larger bench on February 18^th.

The dust from the politically motivated NRO verdict hasn’t even settled, that the Chief Justice had other political plans to benefit his right-wing judicio-politico mafia.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had reportedly recommended appointing the recently retired Justice Ramday as an ad hoc judge of the Supreme Court, and to elevate Justice Saqib Nisar, the second most senior judge in the Lahore High Court, to the apex court. [Dawn - By Nasir Iqbal]

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Two years ago – February 2008 – Pakistan began its transformation to democracy with a general election that brought Benazir Bhutto’s PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) into power. The party decided to continue its policy, introduced by its slain leader Ms. Bhutto, of reconciliation with all political players. It formed a coalition government with its rival and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz) in Punjab province, ANP (Awami National Party) in NWFP province, and MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) in Sindh province. PPP also decided to share power with those parties in the center and the idea was to create a powerful democratic government alliance that can address all the challenges faced by the country after a decade long dictatorship.

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