By Imran Qureshi

The ruling party’s sweeping victory in Gilgit should be an eye-opener to our ‘holier than the electorate’ media-men. They should realise that no party or leader is losing or gaining significant popularity despite their best efforts

Political programmes on our television channels are probably the only political institution here noisier than the Assemblies. The fiction they present is better than the soap operas, leaving the viewer on the edge of his seat waiting for the next episode; the crises they cook up have more ingredients than the cookery shows; the superheroes and villains they create are more imaginative than the cartoons and like the advertisements, they are bent on ‘selling’ their political agendas. Following are some myths that our anchormen seem to project again and again:

The NRO is a black law. Recently, both the electronic and print media went to town to denounce the NRO as shameful and universally unpopular. They should ask the people of Sindh and the thousands who suffered rampant political persecution during the period prior to1999 to tell what they honestly think of the law. This was an ordinance that undid injustice and enabled fair elections to be held. With the tyrannical proclivity that dictators and quasi-dictators have evinced to oppress political rivalry, this was the first democratic step to counteract this trend. In the alleviation of injustice to many innocent people under this ordinance, if some black sheep were also exonerated it is unfair to point fingers at them, since many other black sheep are strutting about the meadows smugly.

The lawyer’s movement was a success of the ‘long march’. Notwithstanding that undoubtedly it was morally and institutionally correct to reinstate the deposed judiciary and the worthy Chief Justice, by now it is tacit knowledge that there was a hidden hand behind the success of the ‘long march’, whether you like to believe this or not. Unfortunately the manner this movement succeeded seems to have unleashed an agenda of destabilisation (which our leading anchormen appear to welcome) and it has given a perception of a politically compromised judiciary.

Action against ‘Lal Masjid’ was bad. Please, let’s be quite clear about who are the enemies of our country and defy the writ of the law. If they are in the capital, so much the worse.

There should be price control on commodities (especially sugar). Again I will appeal for a more knowledgeable attitude. Price control is at best a short-term solution and detrimental to production in the long run. The worthy Supreme Court in its judgment on the sugar crisis consulted the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to advise it about the price of sugar and when the CCP recommended letting market forces establish the price, the CCP was criticised for exceeding its mandate. Consequently now the only way sugar comes into the market is by strong-arm tactics. Wait till you face the sugar crisis next year!

The government is doing nothing for the people. Often anchors rattle off ‘sugar crisis, atta crisis, energy crisis,’ in one breath. Let’s face it. Load shedding is currently a lot less than it has been in the last two years, though the consumption has increased. Why are we so negative? Why do we not give credit where it is due? Atta was a bumper crop because the government gave a much-needed increase in price to the farmer and this is the only crisis regarding wheat. Conversely because of low price and delay and deductions in payment for sugarcane to the farmer by mill owners, we had a shortfall in sugar production this year. Apart from forcefully trying to keep the price down and importing sugar at great cost, our government is trying earnestly to alleviate the crisis.

It will be pertinent to mention here that after the worst economic slump this country has known, when this government came to power, we are now on the verge of a turnaround. The cement sector is booming; OEMCs are showing good results; the textile sector has shown some improvement after two decades; our exports have increased; foreign investment had suddenly skyrocketed though in the first quarter of 09/10 it has declined because of increased terrorist attacks and instability; our agricultural production has increased substantially. In fact according to an international report we are on the verge of a turnaround and the only things holding us back are the power shortage (which is not this government’s fault) and the instability the electronic media is determined to promote.

Every issue that the media promotes is supported by the ‘14 crore awam’. This assertion is also repeatedly made by leaders of certain parties that did not participate in the elections and got no votes. I think the ruling party’s sweeping victory in Gilgit should be an eye-opener to our ‘holier than the electorate’ media-men. They should realise that no party or leader is losing or gaining significant popularity despite their best efforts and referring particularly to the channels in Punjab, they appeal only to a limited urban segment.

Unelected advisors are ruining the president’s image. Let’s be quite clear that advisors are not political personnel but experts in their field; they need not be elected. The above myth appeals only to those who want to think badly of some people. If we consider the facts fairly, our security is doing an admirable job in the face of a difficult and deadly situation. Who knows how many countless lives have been saved because of at least five occasions when suicide bombers have exploded themselves at check-posts and thus been unable to achieve their objectives; also because of the innumerable caches of explosives and arms that have been intercepted and terrorists apprehended. We only see the tragic devastation of these blasts; we do not see the frustration, demoralisation and setbacks in the ranks of our enemies when their efforts are foiled, operatives caught and their networks smashed. We should give credit where it is due, no matter what your personal feelings about a certain individual.

PPP is losing popularity and becoming isolated. This myth falls in the same category as an earlier myth that there is a rift between the prime minister and the president, which died because it was untenable. Of course, with the trend of logic of some anchormen (and women) it is natural they come to such conclusions to prove they are correct. However, these scripts about the opinions of supporters of a political party should be written by actual party supporters and not those wanting to find fault, don’t you agree? There is an important difference in attitude to be noted here. In totalitarian regimes it is important for the leader to be correct every time and obedience unquestioning, whereas in more democratic setups difference in opinion can prevail and wrongs corrected. However, people who only appreciate dictatorships may consider these procedures as mistakes and signs of weakness. The most important fact to note is that in a recent Gallup poll it was found that 31 percent to 46 percent people think that the media is causing instability. If you have not heard this before — because the media is not covering this — you have read it now. So whether the PPP is losing popularity or not is doubtful, but the media definitely is!

The media is free. No! In fact, the electronic media is very costly; still they manage to find a lot of sponsors for both advertisements and agendas. Of course the government is supposed to have influence and exert it in its favour but unfortunately the PPP is probably the only political party in history that even when it is in power seems to be treated like the opposition.

So let us remember that hallowed adage from the Holy Book, ‘Amr bil marroof, va nahee anil munker’ and interpret it in its true constructive sense. Let’s not spread fasaad and only criticise what needs to be criticised and praise what needs to be praised.

Fashion rocks! Strings put in a surprise appearance at the Veet Celebration of Beauty show Saba Imtiaz Karachi From a very personal perspective, I hate surprises. Particularly surprise phone calls, where you spend at least three agonizing minutes while the caller makes you guess his/her identity. Or surprise birthday parties, which are a pain to organize and by [...] Related posts:

1. Strings return from their first leg of US tour “It was tiring but great fun.” – Faisal Kapadia It’s…
2. Atif pulls Strings Here’s something that sounds pretty interesting. Pop band Strings…
3. Strings – KAWH Tour Pictures [In Boston] FOR MORE KOI AANAY WALA HAI [KAWH] TOUR PICTURES…

KARACHI: Two workers of the Awami National Party were booked for extorting money from shopkeepers on Wednesday.

Shah Faisal Colony Station House Officer Atif Shah said the two men Asif and Zafar were extorting shopkeepers near Falak Naz Apartment. The shopkeepers complained to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers who caught them and handed them over to the police. The officer said a case has been registered against them.

‘Stop police from harassing citizens’: President Awami National Party Sindh chapter Shahi Syed has demanded of the provincial government to stop police from intentionally harassing a particular ethnic group in the city.

The provincial head of the Pukhtoon-backed ANP said the police was arresting and harassing all those citizens who did not have identity cards. “At least the police should provide them an opportunity to present identity cards before lodging FIRs against them,” Syed demanded. He also criticised the role of National Database and Registration Authority saying it was reluctant to issue identity cards to a particular ethnic class in the city.

[www.dailytimes.com.pk]

LAHORE: The supply of sugar to shops through town administrations and union council nazims is only benefiting shopkeepers aligned with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – leaving those allied with other parties to rue their fate or think seriously about shifting loyalties.

Union council nazims are responsible for identifying shops that are to be supplied sugar by town administrations. However, a Daily Times survey found that shopkeepers on lists provided by union council nazims from the Pakistan People’s Party and the PML-Quaid are being “completely ignored”.

Various shopkeepers from Union Council 102 (Wahdat Colony) – which has a population of almost 200,000 with 30,000 registered voters – complained that they had not been supplied sugar “in total disregard of the list provided by the union council nazim … although we followed the prescribed procedure and submitted copies of our identity cards”.

One of the shopkeepers in the area said sugar was being supplied to a limited number of shopkeepers, “especially those who are affiliated with the ruling provincial party”. Another shopkeeper, Malik Ilyas, said that even the process for the supply of sugar had been politicised. He said political differences between nazims and naib nazims were affecting not only shopkeepers, but were also troubling consumers. “It is beyond me how families can manage an entire week using just a 1 kilogramme bag of sugar they buy from Sunday bazaars … political differences are wreaking havoc for those involved in the supply chain and the end consumers,” he said.

Citizens urge: Meanwhile, waiting in lengthy queues at Sunday bazaars to buy the essential, citizens called on the government to realise that the masses were suffering. “Whether it is flour or sugar … it appears we are predestined to stand in lengthy queues. The government should come up with a uniform policy to address issues related to the supply chain … we are even willing to buy essentials at higher rates if the government can ensure their smooth supply,” they said.

Meanwhile, UC-102 Nazim Akbar Khan said he provided a list of 107 shops from his area to the district government. “There was nothing political to the list, but I was asked to make it shorter … I then cut the list down to 36 shops, but sugar was not supplied to even those shops,” he said, adding that those aligned with the PML-N were being favoured.

UC-96 Nazim Tahir Altaf said his union council had a population of around 420,000 people, but sugar was not available at a single shop in his area. He claimed that some quarters – after buying sugar at government rates – were “supplying the essential to someone else at higher rates”. He said issues related to the supply chain must not be politicised.

[www.dailytimes.com.pk]

BAHAWALPUR, Nov 17: A few ruling members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) are reportedly eying 600 acres of the Government Regional Agriculture Research Station in Model Town-A here, Dawn has learnt.

These MPAs have forwarded a plan to the Punjab government to initiate a project on the land of the research station to provide residential plots to homeless people, allocating a lion’s share for their kin and themselves. The proposed colony will be set up on vast tracts of the institute land lying at the back of Bhutta colonies from Model Town to Karachi Bypass.

It is learnt that MPAs have succeeded in influencing Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who has reportedly asked the agriculture secretary to examine the proposal. If the plan is executed, the institution providing guidance to farmers for the last 40 years will be shifted somewhere in the desert of Cholistan.

Research Station Regional Director Niaz Ahmad Chaudhry confirmed the report, saying the agriculture secretary had informed him that an official namely Nazar Muhammad Chohan from the Punjab Privatisation Board would visit the station soon to examine the land and submit a report to the government.

The research station was established in 1952 on a small scale in Khanpur. In 1969, it was shifted to Bahawalpur with 611 acres at its disposal to carry out research on various crops. Presently, the station has 14 departments working on wheat, cotton, sugar, dates, vegetables, horticulture, jojoba, agronomy, gouar and soil testing. A pesticides laboratory has recently been completed at a cost of Rs100 million.

Dawn learnt the research station had introduced several seed varieties last year, especially of wheat and cotton.

The regional director said 11 wheat varieties evolved by the station had been introduced in the country in the previous years. He said a new wheat variety, Aas, with a potential of 7,000 kilo per hectare was recently evolved here and was awaiting government’s approval for introduction.

Horticulture Director Mushtaq Ahmad Alvi told Dawn that in 2003, a date-palm farm with 32 varieties was developed on 25 acres costing Rs10.82 million. Last summer, the farm sold dates worth Rs1 million. He said in the next 10 to 15 years, 50,000 suckers would also bring revenue at the rate of Rs300 each. He said in the next five years, the farm would be in profits. The closure or shifting of the research station would affect 200 employees.

Source: [www.dawn.com]

LAHORE, Nov 19: Nine ordinances promulgated under the Provisional Constitutional Order during the Musharraf regime became laws when Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer endorsed the bills on Thursday. These bills were passed by the provincial assembly in its 15th session.

Former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf had imposed Emergency Plus on Nov 3, 2007 and promulgated a PCO and amended the Constitution to add Article 270-AAA to it for giving legal cover to the ordinances promulgated during the ‘mini martial law’.

However, the Supreme Court in its July 31, 2009 verdict declared the Emergency Plus and order measures unconstitutional and illegal and directed endorsement of the ordinances promulgated during the period from relevant assembly.

The verdict also covered nine of the ordinances promulgated by the Punjab governor, making the provincial government table these before the Punjab Assembly to make laws for covering the measures taken under the ordinances.

The enactments included: the Punjab Rented Premises Act, 2009; the Punjab Regulatory Authority Act, 2009; the Punjab Govern-ment Employees Welfare Fund (Amendment) Act, 2009; the Punjab Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 2009; the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying (Amendment) Act, 2009; the Punjab Katchi Abadis (Amendment) Act, 2009; the Hi-Tech University of Taxila Punjab Act, 2009; the Provincial Motor Vehicles (First Amendment) Act, 2009; and the Provincial Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Act, 2009.

[www.dawn.com]

Telenor Web self Service Telenor introduce one more effective service for its subscribers, Telenor Web self Service, telenor recently lunches it to make its customer more security about there subscriptions it help to see November Name under which the subscription is registered Subscription number Postal address of the subscriber Email address of the subscriber Services subscribed Price Plan applicable on your subscription Friend & Family [...]

In Pushto by Rahim Majrooh Translation by Syed Aadil Omer I’ve always thought, If nothing else, but at least in the matter of love all the comely people in the world wouldn’t have any sense of deprivation. They would be thorougly self-sufficient with abundance of love for them; they would be happy in possession of this treasure without any complain or displeasure, for they are [...]

Much has been discussed about the in-famous National Reconciliatory Ordinance where 5,800 crooks were pardoned by the then President Pervaiz Mushrraf as an attempt to broker a deal for his own extended stay as the President of Pakistan. This NRO in effect opened the flood gates to allow thousands of white collar criminals and murderers to return back to Pakistan and reestablish themselves to (re)loot Pakistan yet again, and by golly in the short spam of three years they have done a brilliant job, heck third time around they went straight into business, since now these were all hardened criminals now given an executive golden key to make millions courtesy of a selfish dictator who thought his own stay in Islamabad was more precious then the country itself

The NRO was brokered in late 2007 where then we all had raised some hell about this criminal bill, but the movers and shakers of the country thought it in “their” best interest to keep this list private and extend large pardoning pleas to all the beneficiaries, be it thousands of murderers in Karachi or the ruthless Mr. 10% criminal like Asif Zardari and his team cronies, all permitted to enter back into Pakistan with a precious to-die-for get-out-of-jail-card.

Now it seems that there is an attempt to turn the tables and some movers and shakers(?) within “the establishment” think that this is now an opportune time to make this list public after almost three years. We must understand this move is definitely a serious attempt to turn up the heat in Islamabad and make all these crooks a little uncomfortable (times-up) and possibly turn the tables, making way for another set of so-called cleaner leadership to assume power, which for now mostly means the Sharif Brothers

The list is endless and features criminal leaders from every corner of Pakistan, belonging to practically all parties which occupy our assemblies and ministries. It should be a shocking that it is at the hands of proven criminals that Pakistan is expected to come out of this economic and security crisis. It is this very same leadership that has been negotiating with the Americans, helping them (or not) in their war on terror and also guiding them in their efforts into Swat and Waziristan.

The list includes leaders from PPP, ANP, MQM, PML-F and some PML-N leaders (the main Sharif brothers were omitted as they then were not allowed to sleep with the enemy) [though they would have loved to]. The list is endless that if the people of Pakistan were to outlaw each and every politician from occupying public office, I assure you most of our parliament and cabinet would be found empty.

Pakistanis can only now Read and Weep