PPP destined to complete its term
First, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) withdrew support from the government. Then the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) pulled out and we counted the minutes, waiting for Prime Ministers Gilani’s government to collapse. The Oil and Gas Regulation Authority’s (OGRA) intimation of an increase in petroleum prices in the New Year came as no surprise to economists watching the steady rise in global petroleum prices, though ever the opportunist opposition parties rallied to condemn the government’s move. Commentators had been predicting an increase since the middle of December, while the formula for calculating oil prices is widely known. Should we have repeated the mistake ...
Read Full PostTax contribution: Show me the money
Taxation forms the backbone of state finances. The military, as an arm of the state, relies on state finances for its budgetary requirements. As I am often reminded, the Army is in a state of war, so one should support it without any criticism. However, any commentary that comes through the media or official sources, everyone agrees that the military is underfunded. A political hot potato While we are in a state of war, the RGST has become a political hot potato. The opposition has jumped on the anti-RGST bandwagon, while other parties such as the TI and JI prefer the, “taxes imposed under foreign diktat” line of argument. Whether the RGST is required or not, is a debate for another article. Why those patriotic Pakistanis that should ...
Read Full PostCriminal negligence: Needless death at Bahria Town race track
On Sunday, five people died as a speeding car lost control and crashed into a group of spectators. What is extremely unfortunate is the fact that these deaths and injuries were completely avoidable. As details emerge, attention will focus on young reckless drivers. Our roads proliferate with underage drivers who, due to a combination of parental wealth, a grotesque sense of entitlement and teenage hormones, not only break the law, but are often involved in needless accidents. They drive around locally “suped up” cars, with little or no quality control. That however is one side of the coin. This tragedy took ...
Read Full PostIt’s the education, economy and environment, stupid!
The dominant national narrative encourages the diversion of resources to meet the needs of our nation’s military. The budget statement is incomplete without statements that go something like: the government is more than willing to offer whatever resources the military demands to meet the nation’s defence. Whether we should sign a blank cheque and then allow the audacity to dare to question where the money is spent is an argument that creates much passion; however, as time passes by, it is becoming increasingly clear that the perpetuation of such policies is making our nation both internally and externally insecure. The shrinking ...
Read Full PostBowing to Arab pressure: Nature pays the price of politics
The “West” is by far Pakistan’s favourite whipping boy. Many view the Pakistani state as subservient to Western demands, compromising its interests and the welfare of its citizens to please its “master”. Closer to home are another set of masters who have made Pakistan their playground and its peoples its servants. The rulers of many Gulf States have for long relied on the cheap labour that has built their palaces, roads, buildings and filled the rank and file of their military. Not content with the rabid exploitation of the Pakistani labour class, endangered species such as the houbara bustard famous in ...
Read Full PostGeneral Kayani, the real man in power
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was recently included in the Forbes World’s Most Powerful People. Ranked at 29, General Kayani is Pakistan’s only representative on the list. The authors of this list took account of four broad criteria. First, Forbes looked at the number of people the individual had influence over. General Kayani’s decisions undoubtedly affect every Pakistani. As the guiding figure behind Pakistan’s defence and foreign policy, his decisions directly affect the conflict in Afghanistan and by extension, the nations who have a stake in Afghanistan’s future. Second, the editors looked at whether “they have significant financial resources relative to their peers.” ...
Read Full PostWhose country is this anyways? (Part II)
My second blog for The Express Tribune was titled “Whose country is this anyways?” At the time, the Supreme Court was hearing a case regarding the construction of the Citizen Club. The Club was meant to be an alternative to the oversubscribed and packed Islamabad Club. Articles such as “Will there be a Citizen Club in F-9 Park” claimed that the citizens of the twin cities (those who were eligible for membership that is) were eagerly awaiting the opening of the club as it offered excellent facilities including: an auditorium having 475 seats, three conference halls, two banquet halls, one party hall, ...
Read Full PostDear elitist, don’t take away my vote
Musharraf’s return to politics and the MQM’s land reform bill has brought the ubiquitous villain, feudalism, to the centre of political debate. Hand in hand, a view that has been aired vociferously is the notion that “illiterate” and “poor” people waste their votes. It’s the fault of those “damn illiterate people” who choose the wrong people, some say. Others have argued that it’s a shame that “A PhD and an illiterate farmer both have an equal vote”. In a nutshell, it seems that a strand of the urban English-speaking elite believes that the electorate doesn’t know what’s best for them; that they are responsible for bringing in the current “democratic dispensation” of crooks ...
Read Full PostAn overdose of Musharraf-ism
Musharraf’s return to politics has generated a range of emotions that are on obvious display judging from the comments on two recent articles. Judging from some of the emails I have received one would hope that supporters of the APML would rise above the bullying tactics of the PPP/PML-N/MQM that Musharraf has himself declared his intention to do. Whether the 50 points are better than the 20 or vice versa is a never ending debate. As politics is all about aligning oneself to one party’s or individuals ideas and at times staunchly supporting it. An advantage of multiparty politics ...
Read Full PostWhat we don’t know will hurt us
An overzealous media sniffing a tectonic shift in Islamabad, readied itself in obvious enthusiasm to cover the news of the expected ‘change’. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. The troika resolved to protect the current dispensation…the self-proclaimed defenders of what they choose to call ‘democracy’, while the reality of Pakistan is closer to that of a kleptocracy. If we were in a democratic polity, decisions that alter the destiny of nations wouldn’t be made behind closed doors, through inoculators, with gentle nudging and helpful prodding of US and Saudi diplomats. We have a President who in dubious circumstances inherited the leadership of his slain wife’s ...
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