The full bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan is to start hearing the cases against the infamous NRO from 7th December, 2009. So this is the last chance of commenting on it.
As a result of the recent disclosures about NRO the PPP has emerged as a party of pretty women and ugly men, while the MQM has become “mera qasoor maaf”.
One of the obvious shortcomings of the non-law NRO is that it does not define the terms used in it. It speaks of the withdrawal of “political cases”, on the basis of which criminal and corruption cases have been withdrawn. If political is interpreted as criminal or corrupt then politics becomes tantamount to crime and corruption, a notion that must be universally condemned.
The most significant action under the NRO was the withdrawal of the Cotecna kick-back case from the Swiss courts. The fact is that Cotecna had bribed the government functionaries heavily to win a contract for assessing customs duty on imports at Pakistani ports. They used this position to make a list of the cosigners of those sensitive and defense related shipments which were exempted by government order from being examined by Cotecna; and sold it to the foreign agencies that had helped it in obtaining the contract. From these lists they were able to establish the identity of the Kahuta supply network which provided precision equipment and instrumentation for the uranium gas centrifuges being built there. Extremist Christian elements dubbed the Kahuta supply network, a legitimate business proposition, as the Khan nuclear proliferation network.
It is a pity that the brilliant Pakistani scientists who had made a technological breakthrough in which most western countries had failed, instead of being internationally acclaimed and rewarded were treated as wanted criminals.
In any case, the withdrawal of the case against Cotecna was abetment of international crime and treason against Pakistan. The NRO must be declared null and void ab initio and at least the Cotecna case must be reopened and the government of Pakistan should claim damages of at least ten billion dollars against Cotecna.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Monday, November 02, 2009
More Taxes?
Mr. Shaukat Treen the financial advisor to GOP keeps saying that the tax to GDP ratio in Pakistan is only 9-10% which is too low and should be increased. He seems to forget that agriculture contributes 25% of Pakistan's GDP and agricultural income is not taxed. So the actual Tax/GDP ratio of taxed GDP is more like 12-14% which is higher than China, India, Bangladesh, Russia and perhaps even USA. Any further increase in the taxation of the industrial and services sectors would be simply criminal and counterproductive. After all Mr. Tareen is a highly respectd Banker but hardly an economist (which I am not either, but I try to get my sums right). Tax the agricultural income and all of Pakistan's economic woes will disappear. We might even become able to say "get lost" to Kerry-Lugar circus.
It is worth mentioning here that the actual government expenditure in Pakistan is over 20% of GDP including income from the giant state owned enterprizes; but offers none of the benefits enjoyed by the citizens of European countries with similar state expenditure ratio.
The reason why agricultural income is not taxed in Pakistan is that most of it goes into the pockets of a few dozen landlord families easily identified as Chaudhrys, Makhdooms, Sardars, Maliks and Pirs. Add to them the decendants of the knights and title holders of the British empire such as Bhuttos. Unfortunately for the peolple of Pakistan, these families also dominate the political scene and abort any initiative to tax agricultural income by conniving together and with military rulers.
Everywhere in the world the agricultural sector feeds the nation, but in Pakistan it fleeces and starves the nation with impunity.
It is worth mentioning here that the actual government expenditure in Pakistan is over 20% of GDP including income from the giant state owned enterprizes; but offers none of the benefits enjoyed by the citizens of European countries with similar state expenditure ratio.
The reason why agricultural income is not taxed in Pakistan is that most of it goes into the pockets of a few dozen landlord families easily identified as Chaudhrys, Makhdooms, Sardars, Maliks and Pirs. Add to them the decendants of the knights and title holders of the British empire such as Bhuttos. Unfortunately for the peolple of Pakistan, these families also dominate the political scene and abort any initiative to tax agricultural income by conniving together and with military rulers.
Everywhere in the world the agricultural sector feeds the nation, but in Pakistan it fleeces and starves the nation with impunity.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Kerry-Lugar - 2
On looking carefully at at the Kerry-Lugar Bill it is obvious that although the intentions of its initiators may have been noble, it has been used to renege on the three agreements reached with the government of Pakistan on Sept 30, 2006 and to create possible excuses for not honoring in future the commitments being made now.
It is true that the Americans are desperate to break the Indians away from the Russian who are still communists and have the Indians as their only allies, but they should not do so at the expense of the Kashmiris or the pride and honor of the Pakistanis.
It is now Pakistan's internal necessity to fight the Taliban insurgency, but the problem is far too complex to be solved by sheer military force. A lot needs to be done in the West if the growing trends the Islamic world are to be set in the right direction.
Christian extremism has existed for so long that it has become the norm in the West. The recent rise of Islamic extremism is a reaction to the awareness of realities gained in the past two decades mainly through the internet.
It is true that the Americans are desperate to break the Indians away from the Russian who are still communists and have the Indians as their only allies, but they should not do so at the expense of the Kashmiris or the pride and honor of the Pakistanis.
It is now Pakistan's internal necessity to fight the Taliban insurgency, but the problem is far too complex to be solved by sheer military force. A lot needs to be done in the West if the growing trends the Islamic world are to be set in the right direction.
Christian extremism has existed for so long that it has become the norm in the West. The recent rise of Islamic extremism is a reaction to the awareness of realities gained in the past two decades mainly through the internet.
Obama's Peace prize
President Obama should be congratulated on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. After all it is a prestigeous award. The interesting thing is that the Nobel Awards committe found none of the nomonations entered before the due date worthy of the award, which means that the world has run out of people with a record of working for peace. Another interesting news is that the UN is now prepared to try some Israelis for war crimes in Palestine. Does it have anything to do with President Obama, or have the influential American Jews finally and rightly realized that the Israelis do not belong to them? In the past the US had won notoriety for unjustifibly vetoing resolutions against Israel. Let us hope that the world is moving in the right direction and will continue to do so in future.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Kerry-Lugar
The Kerry Lugar Bill is perhaps the greates exercise in corruption ever made in the world. It aims to set aside 1.5 billion dollars every year half of which would be paid out to the US politicians' favorite consultants and the other half would be doled out to the relatives of Pakistani rulers. At the end of 5 years the Pakistani public would be saddled with a debt of 7.5 billion dollars and a hefty amount of interest which it will have to pay through the nose. It doesn't make any difference to the American public because money borrowed from the Chinese at a lower interest rate would be lent to the Pakistanis at a higher rate, so if anything they stand to gain from it.
If the Americans are really interested in helping Pakistanis and establishing a long-term relationship, they should double the money and direct it to providing loans at discounted rates for US-Pak private sector joint venture projects in power generation, mining, oil and gas exploration, coal gasification, basic chemical industries, industrial plant and machinery production and offer scholarships to Pakistani students for technical training and higher education in USA on merit. They could also spend some money on reducing the time taken for visa issuance to Pakistanis.
The absurdity of the Bill is that it makes "aid" for social and educational purposes conditional upon the actions of the military and intelligence organizations. It also intends to take away from the Pakistani people their right and duty of defending their national institutions. The worst part is that instead of being based on any laws or principles its dispensation is based entirely on the discretion of the Secretary of State. Will Hillary be remembered in history as the lady with the whip?
It seems that the Indian origin advisors of the US lawmakers have ensured that the bill would worsen rather than improve their relationship with Pakistan. The school home-work of most rich american kids is being done in India via internet, perhaps the same is true of the politicians. Or did the few extremist Christians of USA have a hand in it?
If the Americans are really interested in helping Pakistanis and establishing a long-term relationship, they should double the money and direct it to providing loans at discounted rates for US-Pak private sector joint venture projects in power generation, mining, oil and gas exploration, coal gasification, basic chemical industries, industrial plant and machinery production and offer scholarships to Pakistani students for technical training and higher education in USA on merit. They could also spend some money on reducing the time taken for visa issuance to Pakistanis.
The absurdity of the Bill is that it makes "aid" for social and educational purposes conditional upon the actions of the military and intelligence organizations. It also intends to take away from the Pakistani people their right and duty of defending their national institutions. The worst part is that instead of being based on any laws or principles its dispensation is based entirely on the discretion of the Secretary of State. Will Hillary be remembered in history as the lady with the whip?
It seems that the Indian origin advisors of the US lawmakers have ensured that the bill would worsen rather than improve their relationship with Pakistan. The school home-work of most rich american kids is being done in India via internet, perhaps the same is true of the politicians. Or did the few extremist Christians of USA have a hand in it?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
More Definitions - 1
1. Conservative = One having contempt for human weaknesses.
2. Constitution = A deliberated sacrosanct document used in countries with multi-religious populations as ultimate guidance for government and legislation without discrimination and acceptable to all segments of society for the regulation of their worldly affairs. In countries where more than 85% people adhere to a single religion, a secular constitution often becomes controversial.
3. Liberal = One having respect for human weaknesses.
4. Nineleven = Big farce, derived from 11th November, 2001 when simulation videos of the aerial impact of aircrafts on the World Trade Centre towers in New York were telecast while the buildings which had become unsafe due to a basement truck bomb attack in 1993 were demolished by sequentially controlled explosives planted at strategic points the night before. The operation was carried out after months of rumors that an aerial terrorist attack on New York was imminent. The planners had expected that that the buildings would be evacuated in an orderly manner after the initial explosions of petroleum drums on a few floors; they certainly had not anticipated that hundreds of firemen would rush in and die for nothing. The destruction was blamed by the US government on Osama Bin Laden a dissident Saudi who was blamed for explosive laden truck attack on US embassy in Sudan and was related by the extremist Christians to certain quatrains of Nostradamus.
5. Pakistan = South-Indian Muslim majority country formed in 1947 whose progress has been constantly impaired due to military conflict with neighboring India over Kashmir and internal conflict of interests and priorities between the armed forces and the rest of the population.
6. Statesman = One who can control others without annoying them.
7. Jinnahpur = Failed attempt by some British businessmen and their local friends to make Karachi an autonomous region that could be developed as a business hub to replace Hong Kong after its return to China in 1997. The idea was abandoned after competing cities of Dubai and Mumbai (Bombay) sponsored incessant violence and terrorism in Karachi which continued for years.
2. Constitution = A deliberated sacrosanct document used in countries with multi-religious populations as ultimate guidance for government and legislation without discrimination and acceptable to all segments of society for the regulation of their worldly affairs. In countries where more than 85% people adhere to a single religion, a secular constitution often becomes controversial.
3. Liberal = One having respect for human weaknesses.
4. Nineleven = Big farce, derived from 11th November, 2001 when simulation videos of the aerial impact of aircrafts on the World Trade Centre towers in New York were telecast while the buildings which had become unsafe due to a basement truck bomb attack in 1993 were demolished by sequentially controlled explosives planted at strategic points the night before. The operation was carried out after months of rumors that an aerial terrorist attack on New York was imminent. The planners had expected that that the buildings would be evacuated in an orderly manner after the initial explosions of petroleum drums on a few floors; they certainly had not anticipated that hundreds of firemen would rush in and die for nothing. The destruction was blamed by the US government on Osama Bin Laden a dissident Saudi who was blamed for explosive laden truck attack on US embassy in Sudan and was related by the extremist Christians to certain quatrains of Nostradamus.
5. Pakistan = South-Indian Muslim majority country formed in 1947 whose progress has been constantly impaired due to military conflict with neighboring India over Kashmir and internal conflict of interests and priorities between the armed forces and the rest of the population.
6. Statesman = One who can control others without annoying them.
7. Jinnahpur = Failed attempt by some British businessmen and their local friends to make Karachi an autonomous region that could be developed as a business hub to replace Hong Kong after its return to China in 1997. The idea was abandoned after competing cities of Dubai and Mumbai (Bombay) sponsored incessant violence and terrorism in Karachi which continued for years.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
9/11 and Religions
In order to check if there was any religious implication of the New York 9/11 terror event of 2001, I decided to compare the share of major world religions before and after that event. Data compiled from the 2008 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica gives the following picture:
Adherents of % of World Population by Year
Religion 1996 2001 2006
Christians 33.7 32.9 33.2
Muslims 19.4 19.7 20.4
Hindus 13.7 13.4 13.3
Buddhists 5.6 5.9 5.85
Jews 0.239 0.236 0.231
From the above table the following trends can be interpreted:
• The share of Christianity which was declining between 1996 and 2001 turned into a discernible increase between 2001 and 2006. Christianity gained.
• The share of Islam continued to grow at an accelerating rate as before. Islam was not affected.
• The decline in the share of Hinduism was slowed down, probably due to reduction in conversion rate to Islam.
• The advance of Buddhism turned into decline.
• The Jewish share continued to decline as before.
The future historian, who might also compile similar statistics and corroborate it with the military activity of the Christian nations during the period, might be tempted to conclude that during the early 21st century Christianity was spread on earth with the help of bombs and rockets.
Adherents of % of World Population by Year
Religion 1996 2001 2006
Christians 33.7 32.9 33.2
Muslims 19.4 19.7 20.4
Hindus 13.7 13.4 13.3
Buddhists 5.6 5.9 5.85
Jews 0.239 0.236 0.231
From the above table the following trends can be interpreted:
• The share of Christianity which was declining between 1996 and 2001 turned into a discernible increase between 2001 and 2006. Christianity gained.
• The share of Islam continued to grow at an accelerating rate as before. Islam was not affected.
• The decline in the share of Hinduism was slowed down, probably due to reduction in conversion rate to Islam.
• The advance of Buddhism turned into decline.
• The Jewish share continued to decline as before.
The future historian, who might also compile similar statistics and corroborate it with the military activity of the Christian nations during the period, might be tempted to conclude that during the early 21st century Christianity was spread on earth with the help of bombs and rockets.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Limits of Authority
In a democratic set up the parliament is sovereign with he limitation that it can only make laws or take decisions and actions in the interest of the people it represents. If any of its actions results in national loss, the rulers lose their right to govern. The European definition of sovereign meaning autocratic king does not apply to an Islamic democracy based on the Caliphate tradition of public accountability for the head of state or government.
The members of the assemblies, senate and president take an oath to act in public interest and not for personal gain. So any law (act of parliament or presidential ordinance) made for personal gain of current or ex-legislators or which tends to eliminate or diminish expectation of public gain is not a law but a conspiracy.
The Supreme Court has the right to interpret laws, and it should do so not only in the light of constitutional and legal provisions but also uphold the fundamental objective of public good.
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow a new span of 120 days for parliament to endorse lapsed ordinances is tantamount to assuming that they were promulgated yesterday. It could have made sense if the parliament had done so in the first 120 days of its formation. It can always introduce a new bill incorporating the contents of a lapsed one.
Since all the sitting judges were persecuted by ex-general Pervez Musharraf, they should not participate in his personal trial. A tribunal of unbiased judges could be formed if investigations show that he deserves to be tried.
The constitution contains an oath for military officers. If they have not taken it so far, they should be made to do so now to give them constitutional legitimacy. There should also be a similar oath for civil servants.
A UN team is investigating the death of Benazir Bhutto. But independent analysis has begun to point to the mind-boggling possibility that the IMF may have done a deal with Asif Zardari and arranged her brutal elimination.
The chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills has been sacked for corruption and PM Gilani has ordered an enquiry into misdealing starting from his own office. Why not from the president's?
Every year every citizen has to declare all his or her assets to the FBR and elected representatives submit a similar declaration to the EC. Have the president and all ministers and advisers of the present government done that? I f not why not ask them to do it post haste and make it public?
During his tenure as PM Nawaz Sharif had started a fund for national development to which everyone had contributed in local and foreign currencies. Why not start a new similar fund into which all patriotic Pakistanis should contribute at least half of their foreign assets? It could go a long way in resolving the financial crisis.
Nowadays the government is buying everything from Dubai. It should disclose the detailed identity of the suppliers in Dubai.
The members of the assemblies, senate and president take an oath to act in public interest and not for personal gain. So any law (act of parliament or presidential ordinance) made for personal gain of current or ex-legislators or which tends to eliminate or diminish expectation of public gain is not a law but a conspiracy.
The Supreme Court has the right to interpret laws, and it should do so not only in the light of constitutional and legal provisions but also uphold the fundamental objective of public good.
The Supreme Court’s decision to allow a new span of 120 days for parliament to endorse lapsed ordinances is tantamount to assuming that they were promulgated yesterday. It could have made sense if the parliament had done so in the first 120 days of its formation. It can always introduce a new bill incorporating the contents of a lapsed one.
Since all the sitting judges were persecuted by ex-general Pervez Musharraf, they should not participate in his personal trial. A tribunal of unbiased judges could be formed if investigations show that he deserves to be tried.
The constitution contains an oath for military officers. If they have not taken it so far, they should be made to do so now to give them constitutional legitimacy. There should also be a similar oath for civil servants.
A UN team is investigating the death of Benazir Bhutto. But independent analysis has begun to point to the mind-boggling possibility that the IMF may have done a deal with Asif Zardari and arranged her brutal elimination.
The chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills has been sacked for corruption and PM Gilani has ordered an enquiry into misdealing starting from his own office. Why not from the president's?
Every year every citizen has to declare all his or her assets to the FBR and elected representatives submit a similar declaration to the EC. Have the president and all ministers and advisers of the present government done that? I f not why not ask them to do it post haste and make it public?
During his tenure as PM Nawaz Sharif had started a fund for national development to which everyone had contributed in local and foreign currencies. Why not start a new similar fund into which all patriotic Pakistanis should contribute at least half of their foreign assets? It could go a long way in resolving the financial crisis.
Nowadays the government is buying everything from Dubai. It should disclose the detailed identity of the suppliers in Dubai.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The Real Issues
There are some interesting arguments going on in the supreme court of Pakistan. But the most important issues to my mind are?
1. Did a general (Musharraf) and a judge (Dogar) conspire to subvert and deface the constitution of Pakistan and usurp the basic human rights of the Pakistani citizens?
2. Every time the constitution is abrogated, the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs. So when the PCO was lifted, didn't the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs automatically?
3. The orders issued by the self appointed chief of army staff on 3rd. November, 2007 are a disgrace to the Pakistani nation. Shouldn't they and all references to them be expunged from all official records?
4. Shouldn't there be referendum to confirm every president appointed by the parliament?
1. Did a general (Musharraf) and a judge (Dogar) conspire to subvert and deface the constitution of Pakistan and usurp the basic human rights of the Pakistani citizens?
2. Every time the constitution is abrogated, the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs. So when the PCO was lifted, didn't the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs automatically?
3. The orders issued by the self appointed chief of army staff on 3rd. November, 2007 are a disgrace to the Pakistani nation. Shouldn't they and all references to them be expunged from all official records?
4. Shouldn't there be referendum to confirm every president appointed by the parliament?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Theory of Mutuality
Since the Universe is expanding, it could be because the stars having a very high temperature repel each other. Gas molecules also repel each other at temperatures above the boiling or liquifaction temperature. With apology to Newton, it seems that the mutual force existing between two bodies is related to their masses, temperatures and mutual distance, and can be either attractive or repulsive (positive or negative) depending on these three (or more?) factors. The problem is that we have calculated the mass of the Sun based on the gravitational constant derived from forces between brass balls at earth temperature. It is possible that the actual mass of the Sun is many times greater and the specific force of mutuality between the Earth and Sun as may times smaller. Now don't ask me to fit the Big Bang into my Theory of Mutuality.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Putting The Record Straight
During the time of G20 meeting in London in April 2009, I made it a point to follow the proceedings and the statements of the participating leaders. Barack Obama was obviously the star of the show. He was focused and well informed. Yet as usual, his advisers had kept some of the facts from him.
He didn’t seem to be aware that the terrorist sanctuaries in FATA in Pakistan are located in places that have been the sites of Afghan refugee camps for the last 30 years. Terrorists breed in refugee camps be it in FATA, Palestine, Israel, Kashmir, North or South America, Africa, Australia, Europe or any part of Asia. People who have to live in squalor as second class citizens without identity or any hope for future become desperate and succumb to destructive ideas.
The Afghan refugee problem started in 1969 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In those days India was a close friend of both the Soviet Union and Afghanistan and it is obvious that the Soviets must have consulted the Indian leaders before invading Afghanistan. Had the Indians not encouraged them, the world would have been a different place today. And the Indians encouraged the Soviets to invade Afghanistan because they knew that such action would result in a huge influx of refugees into Pakistan and strain the economy and destabilize the country. Ever since 1947 it has been the policy of the Indian government to create problems for Pakistan so that it would not have time or resource to push for a plebiscite in Kashmir as per UNSC resolutions 38, 39, 47, 51, 80 etc.
The 62 year unrest in Balochistan has also been fomented by India and Iran because the Iranians have been afraid that oil drilling in Balochistan will cause their oil wells to run dry. Although on surface the Iranians have been friendly to Pakistan, the funds for the Baloch rebels have been persistently routed through that country.
The British and the Americans do not need to reinvent the wheel about terrorism. I had personally witnessed the numbing terrorism of IRA in early 70s which was financed from New York and Tripoli. When the funds dried up, things changed. Similarly Barack and Hillary only need to ask their elders what thing were like in Chicago and its Black ghettos or New York and its Bronx district during the sixties.
The American think-tanks, some of which are dominated by extremist Christians and Jews and most which rely on Indian advice have serious misconceptions about Islam and Asia. Muslim intellectuals are by their religious training averse to speculative thinking and fail to impress them. The Hindus, on the other hand make excellent underdog manipulators of opinion.
The West’s common reference to Hinduism is Gandhi who was a believer in the peace oriented Vedas, whereas majority of Indians follow the Aryan Brahmanism based on the war lyrics of Mahabharata which tend to promote a ferociously aggressive, sadistic and deceptive culture.
Religious extremists can be found everywhere and in every walk of life. Examples of politicians are Uk’s Straw and India’s chief minister Modi. Examples of military men are India’s Col. Prohit and USA’s Gen. McKiernan.
Recently a new full fledged war has started in Northern Pakistan resulting in the displacement of nearly one and half million people, who are being put in new refugee camps. I had said even before the operation started that it would not be long term solution. The Taliban will just hide their weapons and move into the refugee camps along with the civilian population and keep in hiding there until they find another opportunity. The terrorists that would breed in the Swat refugee camps may be far more dangerous and resourceful than anything we have seen before.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Recent History
Selected items from the URL given below should enlighten you about the background of what is happening today in Pakistan.
http://pakistanspace.tripod.com
February 28, 1987 Indian journalist Kuldip Nayyar's interview with Dr. Qadeer Khan is published in London Observer, in which the latter is quoted as saying that Pakistan has developed a nuclear bomb. An international controversy erupts over what is labeled as the "Islamic Bomb."
June 4, 1987 Finance Minister Yasin Wattoo announces in budget speech that 20 billion rupees will be generated through a defence tax and across the board increases in the prices of all essential commodities. June 4 -12 Mass agitation against budget; two dead, several injured. June 12 PM Junejo withdraws all controversial taxes; part of the fiscal gap to be filled by small car ("generals in Suzukis") austerity drive.
December 18, 1987 Benazir Bhutto, "Daughter of the East," ties knot with the relatively unknown Asif Ali Zardari at Karachi's Kakri Ground. One of the most colourful weddings in national history, it is attended by thousands of well-wishers from all walks of life.
Oct 15, 1988 Shariah Ordinance fizzles out as there is no NA to approve it and its creator, General Zia, is dead
Dec 1, 1988 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan nominates Benazir Bhutto PM.
August 6, 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan (right) dismissed Benazir Bhutto (left)'s government today on corruption charges. He has promised fresh elections on October 24 (NA) and 27 (PA).
Oct 10, 1990 - Aif Zardari arrested in Unnar case. Care taker prime minister Jatoi.
Nov 6, 1990, Nawaz Sharif elected Prime Minister.
Jul 18, 1991 NA passes 12th Amendment Bill for setting up Speedy Courts to decide criminal cases within 30 days.
February 7, 1991 The Nawaz Sharif administration announces a ground breaking 25-point economic package which, among other measures, eases the country's stringent foreign exchange control rules. At the same time, foreigners are allowed to repatriate profits as well as principal and to invest in the local stock market.
Jan 7, 1992 Government signs agreement with South Korean firm Daewoo for construction of 339 km motorway, to be completed in 3 years
Jan 11, 1992 PM inaugurates construction of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway
Mar 23, 1992 State Bank launches "no questions asked" Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates in US dollars; international uproar ensues.
June 19, 1992 Daybreak As the army and Rangers stand by like indifferent spectators, Haqiqi dissidents set upon Altaf Hussain's MQM, first in Landhi and then elsewhere in the city.The unthinkable has happened. Within the space of ten tumultuous days, Sindh's political landscape has changed beyond recognition as the army's operation in the province turns its guns on the MQM. Overnight, establishment eulogies to Altaf Hussain have been replaced by army supervised tours of captured torture camps, as a party that once held Karachi in vice-like grip suddenly finds itself on the authorities' most wanted list. (Contributed by Irfan Malik)
Sep 5, 1992 Yellow cab scheme is extended; locally assembled vehicles included, loans raised to 90 per cent of total price and foreign banks allowed to issue loans.
November 26, 1992 PM inaugurates PTV-2, a satellite educational channel
Jan 8, 1993 COAS General Asif Nawaz Janjua dies suddenly.
Apr, 1993 Hamid Nasir Chatta and 3 other ministers resign from federal cabinet in protest against Nawaz Sharif's nomination as PML president.
Apr 17, 1993 PM Nawaz Sharif addresses the nation, accusing President Ghulam Ishaq Khan of conspiring against the govt; "I will not take dictation," he says defiantly.
Apr 18, 1993 Sharif dismissed by President; caretaker PM Balkh Sher Mazari and his cabinet including Hamid Nasir Chattha, Asif Zardari and Farooq Leghari to supervise new elections.
May 26, 1993 Supreme Court bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nasim Hasan Shah (right) has declared the President's action unconstitutional, restoring the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the National Assembly. This is the first time in the history of the nation that a court has placed a deposed prime minister and parliament back into the saddles.
July 18, 1993 COAS Kakar intervenes, forcing both PM and President to resign; fresh elections to be held on Oct 6 (NA) and Oct 9 (PA).
Jul 18 Moeen Qureshi takes oath as caretaker PM and Senate Chairman Wasim Sajjad becomes acting president. Caretaker Prime Minister Moeen Qureshi seems intent upon thrusting his World Bank expertise and ethics on the country. Economic transparency is the cry of the day: Yellow cab scheme is scrapped and Sharif's grand motorway is also shelved. Qureshi government issues a list of loan defaulters, who may be barred from contesting the new elections, as well as a sensational roster of the amounts paid in income tax by some of the richest people in the country, including the Sharif family.
October 19, 1993 Benazir Bhutto takes oath as PM after NA elects her with 121 votes against Nawaz's 72; Wattoo of the PML (J) becomes Punjab CM despite only a handful of seats, in effect keeping a PPP nominee out of Punjab once again; Abdullah Shah Sindh CM, Aftab Sherpao in Frontier and Zulfikar Magsi in Balochistan.
Nov 4, 1993 Murtaza Bhutto arrested at Karachi airport on his return from Syria on pending charges of terrorism and 1981 hijacking.
Nov 13 PPP nominee Farooq Leghari, ex-foreign minister, elected president in run-off against Wasim Sajjad.
Jun 24,1996 Jamaat-e-Islami stages dharna (sit-in) in Islamabad: three party workers killed in clashes with police.
September 20, 1996 Mir Murtaza Bhutto, along with Ashiq Jatoi, is killed near his Clifton residence in what authorities claim was a police shootout with his body guards, but the feeling persists that this was a well-planned murder. The public, depending on who one talked to, is pointing accusingly at Murtaza's sister and Prime Minister Benazir, her husband Asif Zardari and even the President. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).
November 4-5, 1996 Something serious was certainly afoot. On the night of November 4, troops were on the move in Islamabad as well as in all the provincial capitals, and it seemed the nation was witnessing yet another military coup. But this time the midnight knock came at the behest of President Farooq Leghari, who then told the nation that he had dismissed the Bhutto government on charges of extra-judicial killings, corruption, mismanagement of the economy and complete breakdown of law and order. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).
Dec 12, 1996 President announces adult franchise for Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) in February elections, discarding the system of one malik (tribal chief), one vote.
February 3, 1997 In the wake of a landslide victory in Election '97, Nawaz Sharif's PML and its allies sweep to power. The PML (N) wins an astounding 134 seats and the PPP crashes to an all-time low with just 18. The MQM gets 13, while Imran Khan and Mussarat Shaheen fail to make an impression, as does Ghinwa Bhutto.
Apr 9, 1997 PAF Squadron Leader Farooq Ahmad arrested in New York while trying to sell 2 kg of heroine
Apr 24, 1997 Admiral Mansurul Haq dismissed on charges of corruption and misappropriation of funds.
TOTALLY BIZARRE-16th May, 1997In one of the most bizarre cases filed in pakistans history the leader of the opposition in the Sindh province and other leaders of the previous govt have been charged with murdering G.H. Unnar a onetime ally of theirs. According to available information G.H Unnar died of cardiac problems. Unnar was previously indicted in a case with Asif Zardari in looting an expatriate (US citizen of Pakistani origin) under bizarre circumstances in which the expatriate was led to a bank supposedly with a bomb tied to his legs to withdraw millions which were to be used for a charity hospital. Both Zardari and Unnar were not convicted in the case.
Dec 2, 1997 President Farooq Leghari resigns in the wake of a complicated battle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister.
Dec 23, 1997 A Supreme Court bench of 10 judges holds invalid the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1994. On the directive of the same bench, the federal government has appointed Mr Justice Ajmal Mian as the Chief Justice. This blunt move has brought to an end the complicated tussle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister that had been going on since the last month.
Dec 31, 1997 PML nominee Rafiq Ahmed Tarar is voted President amid sarcasm from liberal newspapers, who have openly accused that his major qualification for the office seems to be his personal friendship with Nawaz Sharif’s autocratic father.
http://pakistanspace.tripod.com
February 28, 1987 Indian journalist Kuldip Nayyar's interview with Dr. Qadeer Khan is published in London Observer, in which the latter is quoted as saying that Pakistan has developed a nuclear bomb. An international controversy erupts over what is labeled as the "Islamic Bomb."
June 4, 1987 Finance Minister Yasin Wattoo announces in budget speech that 20 billion rupees will be generated through a defence tax and across the board increases in the prices of all essential commodities. June 4 -12 Mass agitation against budget; two dead, several injured. June 12 PM Junejo withdraws all controversial taxes; part of the fiscal gap to be filled by small car ("generals in Suzukis") austerity drive.
December 18, 1987 Benazir Bhutto, "Daughter of the East," ties knot with the relatively unknown Asif Ali Zardari at Karachi's Kakri Ground. One of the most colourful weddings in national history, it is attended by thousands of well-wishers from all walks of life.
Oct 15, 1988 Shariah Ordinance fizzles out as there is no NA to approve it and its creator, General Zia, is dead
Dec 1, 1988 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan nominates Benazir Bhutto PM.
August 6, 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan (right) dismissed Benazir Bhutto (left)'s government today on corruption charges. He has promised fresh elections on October 24 (NA) and 27 (PA).
Oct 10, 1990 - Aif Zardari arrested in Unnar case. Care taker prime minister Jatoi.
Nov 6, 1990, Nawaz Sharif elected Prime Minister.
Jul 18, 1991 NA passes 12th Amendment Bill for setting up Speedy Courts to decide criminal cases within 30 days.
February 7, 1991 The Nawaz Sharif administration announces a ground breaking 25-point economic package which, among other measures, eases the country's stringent foreign exchange control rules. At the same time, foreigners are allowed to repatriate profits as well as principal and to invest in the local stock market.
Jan 7, 1992 Government signs agreement with South Korean firm Daewoo for construction of 339 km motorway, to be completed in 3 years
Jan 11, 1992 PM inaugurates construction of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway
Mar 23, 1992 State Bank launches "no questions asked" Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates in US dollars; international uproar ensues.
June 19, 1992 Daybreak As the army and Rangers stand by like indifferent spectators, Haqiqi dissidents set upon Altaf Hussain's MQM, first in Landhi and then elsewhere in the city.The unthinkable has happened. Within the space of ten tumultuous days, Sindh's political landscape has changed beyond recognition as the army's operation in the province turns its guns on the MQM. Overnight, establishment eulogies to Altaf Hussain have been replaced by army supervised tours of captured torture camps, as a party that once held Karachi in vice-like grip suddenly finds itself on the authorities' most wanted list. (Contributed by Irfan Malik)
Sep 5, 1992 Yellow cab scheme is extended; locally assembled vehicles included, loans raised to 90 per cent of total price and foreign banks allowed to issue loans.
November 26, 1992 PM inaugurates PTV-2, a satellite educational channel
Jan 8, 1993 COAS General Asif Nawaz Janjua dies suddenly.
Apr, 1993 Hamid Nasir Chatta and 3 other ministers resign from federal cabinet in protest against Nawaz Sharif's nomination as PML president.
Apr 17, 1993 PM Nawaz Sharif addresses the nation, accusing President Ghulam Ishaq Khan of conspiring against the govt; "I will not take dictation," he says defiantly.
Apr 18, 1993 Sharif dismissed by President; caretaker PM Balkh Sher Mazari and his cabinet including Hamid Nasir Chattha, Asif Zardari and Farooq Leghari to supervise new elections.
May 26, 1993 Supreme Court bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nasim Hasan Shah (right) has declared the President's action unconstitutional, restoring the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the National Assembly. This is the first time in the history of the nation that a court has placed a deposed prime minister and parliament back into the saddles.
July 18, 1993 COAS Kakar intervenes, forcing both PM and President to resign; fresh elections to be held on Oct 6 (NA) and Oct 9 (PA).
Jul 18 Moeen Qureshi takes oath as caretaker PM and Senate Chairman Wasim Sajjad becomes acting president. Caretaker Prime Minister Moeen Qureshi seems intent upon thrusting his World Bank expertise and ethics on the country. Economic transparency is the cry of the day: Yellow cab scheme is scrapped and Sharif's grand motorway is also shelved. Qureshi government issues a list of loan defaulters, who may be barred from contesting the new elections, as well as a sensational roster of the amounts paid in income tax by some of the richest people in the country, including the Sharif family.
October 19, 1993 Benazir Bhutto takes oath as PM after NA elects her with 121 votes against Nawaz's 72; Wattoo of the PML (J) becomes Punjab CM despite only a handful of seats, in effect keeping a PPP nominee out of Punjab once again; Abdullah Shah Sindh CM, Aftab Sherpao in Frontier and Zulfikar Magsi in Balochistan.
Nov 4, 1993 Murtaza Bhutto arrested at Karachi airport on his return from Syria on pending charges of terrorism and 1981 hijacking.
Nov 13 PPP nominee Farooq Leghari, ex-foreign minister, elected president in run-off against Wasim Sajjad.
Jun 24,1996 Jamaat-e-Islami stages dharna (sit-in) in Islamabad: three party workers killed in clashes with police.
September 20, 1996 Mir Murtaza Bhutto, along with Ashiq Jatoi, is killed near his Clifton residence in what authorities claim was a police shootout with his body guards, but the feeling persists that this was a well-planned murder. The public, depending on who one talked to, is pointing accusingly at Murtaza's sister and Prime Minister Benazir, her husband Asif Zardari and even the President. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).
November 4-5, 1996 Something serious was certainly afoot. On the night of November 4, troops were on the move in Islamabad as well as in all the provincial capitals, and it seemed the nation was witnessing yet another military coup. But this time the midnight knock came at the behest of President Farooq Leghari, who then told the nation that he had dismissed the Bhutto government on charges of extra-judicial killings, corruption, mismanagement of the economy and complete breakdown of law and order. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).
Dec 12, 1996 President announces adult franchise for Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) in February elections, discarding the system of one malik (tribal chief), one vote.
February 3, 1997 In the wake of a landslide victory in Election '97, Nawaz Sharif's PML and its allies sweep to power. The PML (N) wins an astounding 134 seats and the PPP crashes to an all-time low with just 18. The MQM gets 13, while Imran Khan and Mussarat Shaheen fail to make an impression, as does Ghinwa Bhutto.
Apr 9, 1997 PAF Squadron Leader Farooq Ahmad arrested in New York while trying to sell 2 kg of heroine
Apr 24, 1997 Admiral Mansurul Haq dismissed on charges of corruption and misappropriation of funds.
TOTALLY BIZARRE-16th May, 1997In one of the most bizarre cases filed in pakistans history the leader of the opposition in the Sindh province and other leaders of the previous govt have been charged with murdering G.H. Unnar a onetime ally of theirs. According to available information G.H Unnar died of cardiac problems. Unnar was previously indicted in a case with Asif Zardari in looting an expatriate (US citizen of Pakistani origin) under bizarre circumstances in which the expatriate was led to a bank supposedly with a bomb tied to his legs to withdraw millions which were to be used for a charity hospital. Both Zardari and Unnar were not convicted in the case.
Dec 2, 1997 President Farooq Leghari resigns in the wake of a complicated battle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister.
Dec 23, 1997 A Supreme Court bench of 10 judges holds invalid the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1994. On the directive of the same bench, the federal government has appointed Mr Justice Ajmal Mian as the Chief Justice. This blunt move has brought to an end the complicated tussle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister that had been going on since the last month.
Dec 31, 1997 PML nominee Rafiq Ahmed Tarar is voted President amid sarcasm from liberal newspapers, who have openly accused that his major qualification for the office seems to be his personal friendship with Nawaz Sharif’s autocratic father.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Forbidden City
There is news that the PPP government intends to seal off all entrances into Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan to prevent the entry of protesters for an indefinite period and convert it into a sort of Forbidden City of ancient China. That would take the country back a few centuries.
The feared intruders (soon to be declared terrorists?) are the lawyers of Pakistan, a part of the cream of the society, who have been agitating for the last two years for the restoration of the uninterrupted status of the supreme and high court judges who had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the then unpopular military dictator Pervez Musharraf who had suspended the country’s constitution. For the last two years the high and supreme courts have been boycotted by most conscientious lawyers and very little genuine judicial activity has taken place.
The displaced judges were freed from captivity after the February, 2008 elections by the coalition government of PPP, PML(N) and others. But the coalition broke down when the PPP which led the coalition failed to restore the judiciary and PPP gained further concessions from its allies on the same pretext after the forced resignation of the ex-general president, without honoring any of its commitments. It is now being suspected that having reached a seemingly unassailable position the PPP is trying to eradicate all other political parties and national institutions in a systematic process of convictions by puppet judges, horse trading and even use of force.
Almost all of Pakistan’s lawyers, retired judges, intellectuals, civil rights activists, retired generals (except Pervez Musharraf) and politicians (except Peoples Party leaders) believe that the only practical way to snub the anti-constitutional actions of 3rd November, 2007 without acknowledging its existence is to restore Iftikhar Chaudhri as chief justice without a fresh oath, honoring his original oath of office. Any other gimmick will legitimize the much hated 11/3 treachery.
Once the legitimate chief justice is restored, all other matters can, hopefully, be resolved through due process of law.
The feared intruders (soon to be declared terrorists?) are the lawyers of Pakistan, a part of the cream of the society, who have been agitating for the last two years for the restoration of the uninterrupted status of the supreme and high court judges who had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the then unpopular military dictator Pervez Musharraf who had suspended the country’s constitution. For the last two years the high and supreme courts have been boycotted by most conscientious lawyers and very little genuine judicial activity has taken place.
The displaced judges were freed from captivity after the February, 2008 elections by the coalition government of PPP, PML(N) and others. But the coalition broke down when the PPP which led the coalition failed to restore the judiciary and PPP gained further concessions from its allies on the same pretext after the forced resignation of the ex-general president, without honoring any of its commitments. It is now being suspected that having reached a seemingly unassailable position the PPP is trying to eradicate all other political parties and national institutions in a systematic process of convictions by puppet judges, horse trading and even use of force.
Almost all of Pakistan’s lawyers, retired judges, intellectuals, civil rights activists, retired generals (except Pervez Musharraf) and politicians (except Peoples Party leaders) believe that the only practical way to snub the anti-constitutional actions of 3rd November, 2007 without acknowledging its existence is to restore Iftikhar Chaudhri as chief justice without a fresh oath, honoring his original oath of office. Any other gimmick will legitimize the much hated 11/3 treachery.
Once the legitimate chief justice is restored, all other matters can, hopefully, be resolved through due process of law.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Lawng March
Ex-general Pervez Musharraf did to the 11/3 judges what every general does to his officers -- maneuver them into a situation where they have to fight for their survival and save the general's skin. However, there is a difference between judges and army officers. Whereas army officers are trained in a vacuum in such a way that they become totally devoid of morality and conscience and care only about career advancement until they retire and come in contact with the real world, the judges are constantly involved in human disputes and ethical arguments which keeps their conscience alive. Infact, the law is the conscience of the society.
The legal/judicial fraternity of Pakistan has refused to digest the indignity of 11/3 and has demonstrated exemplary fortitude and unanimity in the struggle to restore the sanctity of the oath which is the foundation of the legal ethics. The betrayal of an oath is moral death, especially if it is from a judge. However, one good thing about the campaign is that the black sheep in the ranks of the legal/judicial fraternity have become marked. One wonders why Qasuri has not yet received the same treatment as Niazi.
The NRO-sanitized rulers of Pakistan obviously can not be bothered about such non-vulgarities as justice and fairplay. The people who do not feel ashamed about breaking written and signed pledges can hardly be expected to understand the significance of an oath.
The way things are moving in Pakistan, a civil war seems inevitable. If it will result in the purging out of undesirable elements as in the French revolution or the stronger unification of the nation as in USA, let it happen now rather than later. But in so doing we shoud be prepared to simultaneously fight an external aggression as in the case of the Bolshevic revolution in Russia.
Coming back to the judicial crisis in Pakistan, the 11/3 judges were judges before they committed the cardinal sin and need not be told the basics of judicial propriety. They have had a year to recuperate from the trauma of 11/3 and should be able to recall their courage and conscience to take the right decisions.
The legal/judicial fraternity of Pakistan has refused to digest the indignity of 11/3 and has demonstrated exemplary fortitude and unanimity in the struggle to restore the sanctity of the oath which is the foundation of the legal ethics. The betrayal of an oath is moral death, especially if it is from a judge. However, one good thing about the campaign is that the black sheep in the ranks of the legal/judicial fraternity have become marked. One wonders why Qasuri has not yet received the same treatment as Niazi.
The NRO-sanitized rulers of Pakistan obviously can not be bothered about such non-vulgarities as justice and fairplay. The people who do not feel ashamed about breaking written and signed pledges can hardly be expected to understand the significance of an oath.
The way things are moving in Pakistan, a civil war seems inevitable. If it will result in the purging out of undesirable elements as in the French revolution or the stronger unification of the nation as in USA, let it happen now rather than later. But in so doing we shoud be prepared to simultaneously fight an external aggression as in the case of the Bolshevic revolution in Russia.
Coming back to the judicial crisis in Pakistan, the 11/3 judges were judges before they committed the cardinal sin and need not be told the basics of judicial propriety. They have had a year to recuperate from the trauma of 11/3 and should be able to recall their courage and conscience to take the right decisions.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The Israeli Problem
The Dec, 2008-Jan, 2009 Israeli onslaught on the Palestinian population in Gaza was perhaps the most brutal and inhuman military action in recent history which attracted disgust even from conscientious Jews in many parts of the world. Over a thousand unarmed and innocent civilians including elderly citizens, women and children were mercilessly slain by incessant tank, artillery and aerial bombardment. The flimsy excuse put forward to justify such ferocious blood-letting reminds one of Aesop’s fable of the wolf and the lamb. And this was not the first time.
From time to time, the Israelis who are otherwise considered to be a civilized people explode into a frenzy of insane destruction and blood-thirst. Is it a genetic defect of the Zionist race as the Nazis believed, or are there external factors that bring about the hysteric, barbaric and insane behavior?
The Israelis are so overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Arabs around them that even if all the Arabs just honestly spit on them, the entire Israeli population would drown and perish. The handful of Zionists in whose hands a couple of million pious moderate Jews have become hostage in a practically resourceless piece of land snatched from the Palestinians depend heavily on assistance from the diabolical elements in the American and European ruling elite. During the confrontation with Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Israelis would have got overrun if the Americans had not airlifted munitions to them in gross violation of their own laws. Recently also the carnage was stopped only after the Americans were persuaded by saner people not to send military supplies to Israel.
The fact is that Israel can not survive for long without active American support. The Americans themselves believe (or pretend to believe) in peace and equality of man, yet they blindly support Israeli brutality. Could it be that the Israelis occasionally act in such inexplicable manner because they are ordered to do so to test new weapons, munitions and poisons developed in USA and Europe, or to refresh terror and intimidation in the minds of the Palestinian sympathizers, or last but not the least to divert the world’s attention from some other sinister deeds which go unnoticed? After all they are a universally despised three and a half million people who have nowhere else to go.
Personally, I would not care about what happens to the megalomaniac Zionists of Israel or elsewhere; but I do care about the two million or so pious moderate Jews who are trapped in a living hell. Their sweat and blood is being exploited by the Zionist elite of Israel and other western diabolical elements.
The Christian world, apart from USA, has disowned its Jewish populations and will never agree to accept them back. The only chance of their deliverance lies in Muslim compassion and magnanimity. It is about time Muslim countries realize the fact that moderate Jews are as close to Muslims as followers of any other religion can be. Whether they know it or not, the only people with whom moderate Jews can coexist with peace of mind are Muslims. It is true that those who go by the events of early Islamic era would think otherwise, but an enlightened Muslim and an enlightened moderate Jew have so much in common that they can be the best of friends.
I would strongly recommend that Muslim countries should adopt a policy of sympathy towards moderate Jews and allow them to migrate and settle and build Synagogues. The moderate Jews have produced many great minds of modern history; they are a resourceful and hard working people and will bring prosperity wherever they go.
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