Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Origin of Politics



Anthropologists tell us that initially the human race consisted of hunters who had to compete with animals for survival. Gradually, humans learned and developed home-building and cultivation which enabled them to establish agricultural settlements. However, although farming fulfilled the needs for grains and vegetables, a section of the male population still had to go out hunting to provide meat. Thus the communities divided into two distinct categories, namely farmers and hunters. The farmers concentrated on growing crops, developing new techniques of agriculture and experimenting with new crops to increase their output to feed the growing population. The hunters, apart from killing animals in the jungle and bringing their carcasses home, tried to develop new tools, weapons and methods of hunting. Soon it was found that it was more convenient to catch or herd the cattle to their villages, pen them and kill them when needed – and get milk as a bonus.
Later when the art of animal husbandry was developed, the hunters found a new vocation in protecting the villages from wild animals and attacks from the hunters of other villages, resulting in the evolution of civil and martial factions within the villages. As time passed, new professions developed and artisans and traders also became part of the civilian community while the martial community organized itself into an army of sorts. It was also discovered that locating the animal pens in the centre of the villages reduced the chances of their loss to both human and animal predators.
Eventually, fortifications were built in the middle of the villages for safe-keeping of some of the crops and cattle, and most of the valuables of the villagers. Each fortification was, probably, manned by a respectable administrator, a team of record-keepers, and a group of armed hunters or soldiers led by the bravest individual in the village. As the population and prosperity grew, fortifications were built around the entire city and the central depositories were converted into royal palaces, thus creating city-states or capitals of kingdoms. At some stage in the ensuing history, greed and opportunism overcame the guardians of public assets. The custodians and the soldiers conspired and the custodians took control of all the wealth of the people, appointed a king from among themselves and began to rule with the help of the soldiers. The farmers and artisans were forced to pay a portion of their produce as taxes in return for protection from both internal and external predators. Frequent skirmishes were fought with neighboring villages to keep people in a state of insecurity. Naturally, the king and the soldiers were very unpopular among the people and ways had to be found to remove this feeling. The king sent his soldiers to plunder the nearby weaker villages and celebrated the victories with the civilians. After a few generations the original usurpation was forgotten and the king became the divine ruler and source of inspiration. The king's word became the law. It is interesting that even in those days the rulers had discovered the psychological principle that given a high enough state of stress caused by threat and insecurity the people would fantasize and persuade themselves to admire the person or group capable of protecting them, no matter how evil he might be or how much he debased them.


..

Thursday, April 06, 2017

Dr. Asim’s Bail


Dr. Asim Hussain was born in Karachi, Pakistan on 28 November 1953 to Ms. Ejaz Fatima and Mr. Tajammul Hussain, the founding members of the Dr. Ziauddin Group of Hospitals.
Dr. Asim Hussain received his early education from the Karachi Grammar School and later enrolled in the Cadet College, Petaro at about the same time as Asif Zardari. After serving a brief period in the Pakistan Army, Dr. Asim Hussain retired as a Lieutenant and chose to pursue the degree of MBBS. He graduated from Dow Medical College (now, Dow University of Health Sciences) Karachi in 1978 and went to Europe for further studies. He became a member of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPS) in 1981 and continued his studies in Vienna, Austria.
He developed and expanded the hospital he had inherited until it became a teaching hospital and eventually a medical university. However, due to his political affiliation he also held the following positions:
·         Honorary Personal Physician to the President of Pakistan, since December 12, 2009
·         Advisor/Federal Minister Petroleum & Natural Resource from May, 2011 until May, 2013
·         Advisor to the Prime Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources/Federal Minister from November, 2008 until August, 2009
·         Chairman, National Reconstruction Bureau with the status of Federal Minister from May, 2008 until November, 2009
On the 27th of August 2015 Asim Hussain was detained by the Authorities in an ongoing operation within the city of Karachi launched by the Pakistani Army.
The charges against Dr. Asim range from providing protection and treating terrorists to embezzlement and corruption to the tune of Rs. 920 billion in course of his lucrative appointments.
I have never met him but have heard people talk about him. During Benazir’s reign as PM, steel products of Karachi’s Pakistan Steel Mills were sold officially @ Rs. 18,000/ton and in open/black market @ Rs. 30,000 per ton. The explanation given by the traders was that to buy any steel from the mills they first had to get a parchi or prescription form a certain doctor sahib after paying cash @ Rs. 6,000/ton.  The reason why nobody complained about this obvious extortion was that doctor sahib was a close friend of the first gentleman of Pakistan. Not surprisingly, the steel mill is now closed.
On March 29, 2017 Dr. Asim was released on bail, though his passport has been confiscated. For more details read Dawn.
It is interesting to note that whereas PPP leaders have been condemning the arrest and prosecution of Dr. Asim, the medical profession has kept quiet on the issue.



Wednesday, April 05, 2017

A D Khawaja


The Sindh Police (Sindhi: سنڌ پوليس‎, Urdu: سنده پولیس) is a Law enforcement agency established in 1843 under proclamation issued by Sir Charles Naipiar, who became the conqueror of the State of Sindh by defeating the forces of Talpur rules at battle of Miyani near Hyderabad on 20 March 1843. This was the first ever Police force established in the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed] Ever since its inception, the organization raised on the model of Irish Constabulary to maintain law and order and law enforcement in Sindh, Pakistan. The department serves an area of ~140,914 km2., and has about ~105,234 police officers and staff to serve in the department. As of current, Allah Dino (AD) Khawaja is the current Inspector-General who was appointed in 2016.[2]
In March 2016, A.D. Khawaja took charge as IG Sindh Police. He could retain the post for only nine months, he was sacked by the Sindh government, reinstated by court order and again sacked on 2nd April, 2017
Khawaja, then AIG, led a three-member fact-finding committee to inquire the allegation of corruption, illegal appointments in the police and a lack of transparency in allocation of cost of investigation to investigation officers. The findings of the reports led to the sacking of former Sindh IGP Gulam Haider Jamali over corruption charges.
The former IG Sindh Police Ghulam Haider Jamali was sacked in March 2016 after the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe the alleged corruption in Sindh Police.
Some other headlines about Khwaja are as follows:
KARACHI: In a setback to PPP-led Sindh government, the Sindh High Court on Wednesday issued a stay order against sending the provincial Inspector General of Police (IGP) A.D. Khawaja on forced leave. The order was issued on a petition filed by seven citizens including Karamat Hussain, the head of an NGO and singer-cum-activist Shehzad Roy….
KARACHI: The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh, A.D. Khawaja, has sought an inquiry report from the SSP South regarding the reported firing incident in Karachi’s Delhi Colony on Friday on the vehicle of Faisal Vawda, a leader of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI). The IGP instructed that all the available evidences should be collected and…
KARACHI: The Inspector General of Police (IGP), A.D. Khawaja, on Saturday chaired a meeting regarding the upgradation of Madadgar 15. A statement said that the meeting also reviewed steps for effectively curbing crimes. It said that the meeting considered issues faced by Madadgar 15 such as response time, call connecting and prank calls etc and…
KARACHI: The Sindh Police is raising a new unit of 1500 personnel in the Counter-Terrorism Department that was set up after the initiation of the National Action Plan (NAP). This was informed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh, A.D. Khawaja, in an interview with the APP here. He pointed out that the new…
While rewarding a citizen for shooting a robber, Inspector General Sindh Police A.D Khawaja advised people of Karachi to use their licenced weapons in self-defense. Watch this report…
KARACHI: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh A.D. Khawaja has said that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are very close to the killers of prominent Qawwal Amjad Sabri.
IG Sindh Police, A.D Khawaja claims that law and order situation has improved in Karachi with no sign of target-killing anywhere. Watch this report…

It is a fact that ever since A.D Khwaja took charge of Sindh police, there has been reduction in street crimes in Karachi and oppression of the poor by landlords in interior Sindh. The thing that seems to have broken the camel’s back is his recent order asking thousands of plain clothes men in police service to put on uniform and contribute in normal police service. Although it seems like a very reasonable action it reminds me of a conversation I had with a young Sindhi police officer many years ago. The young man was convinced that anything that happened under the supervision of the Chief Secretary and the IG had to be legal and honorable. So he described how in the small police station where he was posted plain clothes men used to deposit about three lac (300,000) rupees every day by extortion from street hawkers, encroachers gambling den and prostitution centre runners and other wrongdoers. According to him the money was divided into three parts according to some formula, and the Chief Secretary and IG’s representatives collected their shares. Of the money left with SHO, most was spent on delivering groceries and buying plane tickets for the families of “high officials” and “leaders”. Of course, there is also the question of boosting party coffers for the coming elections when votes may cost more than before. 

Thursday, March 09, 2017

Good Hindu in Kashmir


The following is a copy of a sensitive Indian's account and feelings about what is everyday occurrence in Kashmir as posted on facebook:



The following video is a graphic evidence of what Rahul has written:





Tuesday, March 07, 2017

Terrorism in India

The following is a report on terrorist activities in India Published by Indian Times. This should serve as an eye opener for those who are blinded by the Indian propaganda of Terrorist activities in Pakistan. Most terrorist activity takes place in India far from Pakistani borders by local separatists who want to have a free homeland outside the British cobbled Indian Union.

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/india-had-the-highest-number-of-blasts-in-the-world-in-the-last-two-years-more-than-iraq-syria-and-pakistan-271391.html


India Had The Highest Number Of Blasts In The World In The Last Two Years, More Than Iraq, Syria And Pakistan
FEBRUARY 12, 2017
17.5K SHARES
   
Though India isn't at war at present like many countries in Middle-East, yet India had the highest number of bomb blasts in the world in the past two years. According to the statistics of the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC), which is part of NSG, India's number in terms of having blasts is even greater to countries like Iraq, Syria and Pakistan which are more or less at war for the last decade.
The NBDC analyses and disseminates data related to bombing incidents in India and across the world. 
Bombshell Tells how India fares when it comes to blasts
In 2016, India witnessed over 337  Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) blasts. According to Bombshell, the journal published NBDC, nin  2015, a total of 268 IED blast rocked various parts of the country whereas country saw 190 blasts in 2014, 283 blasts in 2013 and 365 in 2012.
In comparison, Iraq, one of the most hostile places at present in the world, witnessed a total of 221 IED blasts last year to be in the second spot in the list.
Our neighbour Pakistan with 161 IED blasts remained at fourth spot to be followed by another hostile place Afghanistan with 132 IED blasts, Turkey with followed by  71 in Thailand, 63 in Somalia and 56 in Syria.
In 2015, Iraq witnessed 170 IED blasts, Pakistan 208, Afghanistan 121, Iraq 170 and Syria 41. 
The states which suffered the highest number of IED blasts last year were Chhattisgarh-60, Jammu and Kashmir-31, Kerala-33, Manipur-40, Odisha-29, Tamil Nadu-32 and West Bengal-30. 
Last year, one among many high-casualty bomb blasts took place in Bihar on July 18. Ten commandos of an elite CoBRA battalion of the CRPF were killed when a squad of 200 Maoists trapped and cordoned the troops and exploded about 22 IEDs in the Aurangabad-Gaya forest area in Bihar. 
Some of the other major IED incidents in India were:
Analysis of IED blasts in India 
Last year, there was a 26 per cent increase in IED blast incidents vis-a-vis 2015 and casualties have increased by 3 per cent vis-a-vis 2015, according to the NBDC. 
An analysis of IED data for the last 10 years (2007-2016) has revealed that there has been an average of 277 blasts, 223 fatal casualties and 724 non-fatal casualties over the years. 


Monday, January 16, 2017

Submission on Article 66.


To
Honorable Justice Asif Saeed Khosa,
Supreme Court of Pakistan,
Islamabad.

Sir,
After following the proceedings of the court on Panama Papers today, I feel compelled to seek your permission to make the following submissions of which the court would perhaps be already aware.
Article 66 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reads as follows:
66. Privileges of members, etc.- (1) Subject to the Constitution and to the
rules of procedure of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), there shall be freedom of
speech in Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and no member shall be liable to any
proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in
Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), and no person shall be so liable in respect of the
publication by or under the authority of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) of any report,
paper, votes or proceedings.
The key words in this clause are “anything said or any vote given by him in
Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament),”
This provision of immunity has been made irrelevant by Article 63A inserted in the 18th Amendment which reads as follows:
63A Disqualification on grounds of defection, etc.- (1) If a member of a Parliamentary Party composed of a single political party in a House-
(a) resigns from membership of his political party or joins another Parliamentary Party; or
(b) votes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the
Parliamentary Party to which he belongs, in relations to-
(i) election of the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister; or
(ii) a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or
(iii) a Money Bill;
he may be declared in writing by the Head of the Parliamentary Party to have defected
from the political party, and the Head of the Parliamentary Party may forward a copy of the declaration to the Presiding Officer, and shall similarly forward a copy thereof to the
member concerned:
Provided that before making the declaration, the Head of the Parliamentary Party shall
provide such member with an opportunity to show cause as to why such declaration may not be made against him.

This clearly means that the vote cast or sound of Aay or Nay made by a member of the House is subject to proceeding in the court of the Head of the Parliamentary Party. There is no reason why a speech or statement should be exempted. In fact the stipulations of Article 63G should also be subject to scrutiny by a court of law.
Finally, Clause 63A (5) states as follows:
(5) Any party aggrieved by the decision of the Election Commission may within thirty days, prefer an appeal to the Supreme Court which shall decide the matter within three months from the date of the filing of the appeal.

This without doubt means that the Supreme Court of Pakistan is the final arbiter of the conduct of a member of any house of Parliament in Pakistan within the Parliament or outside.

Sent to: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

Friday, October 28, 2016

Dark October


The month of October, 2016 may be remembered in history as a dark month in Pakistan due to the various news items that have appeared in the news media.
First there was news of a man who was sentenced to death five years ago and on appeal was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan only to be found that he had already been hanged two years ago.
The second news item was about two brothers who were sentenced to death for murder and were acquitted on appeal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, again to be found that they had already been executed a year ago.
The third was about the sentencing to life imprisonment of a sitting member of the National Assembly belonging to the ruling party  for multiple murders in 1998.
Whereas the first two instances show a complete disregard of justice and fair play by the incumbent government in Pakistan and particularly in Punjab province, the third shows that the ruling party issued ticket to at least one person under trial for multiple murders who was eventually found guilty. It raises doubts about the others.
The rapid succession of such disturbing news is simply shattering. Is it just a coincidence or is it just the tip of an iceberg to which the news media has woken up now?  It is noteworthy that none of these significant news items has found a place on Google’s servers.
Ironically, there has not been a public uproar on this issue mainly due to the preoccupation with the popular demand for judicial enquiry on the revelations of possible massive corruption in high places in the Panama papers leaked some time ago, and government’s repressive actions .  There have been mass protests by the entire civil society and all political parties except the ruling party. The government has blocked a bill moved by the opposition parties because the Panama finger points towards the prime minister himself. The disclosures show that the prime minister concealed million of dollars worth of foreign assets in his nomination papers. Analysts are unanimous that any judicial enquiry is certain to result in his disqualification. Islamabad and parts of other cities are beginning to display the scenes of concentration camps in the government’s bid to thwart rightful protest. The country seems to be moving towards civil war and possible martial law. A number of constitutional appeals are pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan on these issues.
Without meaning to show disrespect it must be point out that the leniency of the judicial commission on Election Rigging may be responsible for the current pathetic situation. The watering down of massive rigging as mismanagement and lack of prowess on the part of the election staff not only emboldened the errant politicians but also in a manner legitimized fraud and dishonesty.
The onus now lies on the Pakistani high judiciary to take bold decisions and make historic judgments. Let us hope that in the near future the Judiciary will rise above the doctrine of necessity and fluidity of judgment and deliver judgments reminiscent of Islamic judicial traditions.


Sunday, October 23, 2016

Moving Movie on Kashmir


I recently watched the 2014 Indian Hindi movie "Haider" set in Indian occupied Kashmir, directed and produced by Vishal Bhadwaj. The story is based on the age old theme of love and treachery, but it depicts quite graphically the hardships of the Kashmiri people and the atrocities of the Indian army. Alongside repeated suggestions that political freedom is meaningless without freedom from the obsession of revenge which has constantly poisoned the communal life in India, it also shows how the lives of most Kashmiris revolve around the freedom struggle. It clearly shows the role of the Indian army as an oppressive, cruel and vindictive occupation force. By projecting the story characters, it also hints that the Muslim Kashmiri politicians who are participating in the puppet elected government of Indian occupied Kashmir are committing treachery towards their brethren.

The United Nations Security Council resolutions no.  47 is copied below from the UN archives:
  
Decision of 21 April 1948 (286th meeting): Modification of instruction to the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan. On the return of the Indian delegation the Council continued consideration of the question. The draft resolutions submitted to the Council eventually were replaced at the 284th meeting on 17 April by a joint draft resolution submitted by the representatives of Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, the United Kingdom and the United States, 535 which was voted upon paragraph by paragraph and adopted at the 286th meeting on 21 April 1948.536 The resolution read as follows: 537

 “The Security Council,
 “Having considered the complaint of the Government of India concerning the dispute over the State of Jammu and Kashmir,
 “Having heard the representative of India in support of that complaint and the reply and counter complaints of the representative of Pakistan,
 “Being strongly of opinion that the early restoration of peace and order in Jammu and Kashmir is essential and that India and Pakistan should do their utmost to bring about a cessation of all fighting,
 “Noting with satisfaction that both India and Pakistan desire that the question of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan should be decided through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite,
“Considering that the continuation of the dispute is likely to endanger international peace and security, 
“Reafirms the Council’s resolution of 17 January,
 “Resolves that the membership of the Commission established by the resolution of the Council of 20 January 1948 shall be increased to five and shall include in addition to the membership mentioned in that resolution, representatives of------ and------, and that if the membership of the (Commission has not been completed within ten days from the date of the adoption of this resolution the President of the Council may designate such other Member or Members of the United Nations as are required to complete the membership of five;
 “Instructs the Commission to proceed at once to the Indian sub-continent and there place its good offices and mediation at the disposal of the Governments of India and Pakistan with a view to facilitating the taking of the necessary measures, both with respect to the restoration of peace and order and to the holding of a plebiscite, by the two Governments, acting in co-operation with one another and with the Commission, and further instructs the Commission to keep the Council informed of the action taken under the resolution, and to this end, ……”

India has been postponing that plebiscite for the last 68 years on a series of inordinate excuses and started wars with Pakistan when pushed to the limit. The situation now is totally acceptable for anyone with even a modicum of humanity.


The Indian leaders need to realize that the Plebiscite in Kashmir will not be their defeat, but the triumph of the principles of democracy and human rights which they claim to cherish and will free Kashmiris, Indians and Pakistanis alike from the bondage of revenge.

..

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Kashmir Struggle

The video in following link tells what the unrest in Kashmir is all about. In spite of over half a million Indian troops they are screaming for freedom to unite with Pakistan.

Link


..

Thursday, October 06, 2016

Good Indian


Arundhati Roy is a bold and respected Indian journalist. Apart from her good looks, she also has a clear vision of world events. Here is what she spoke at the time of the last Indian elections.

Arundhati

..