5 steps to solving Pakistan’s energy crisis
Out of all the problems we face as a country, energy seems to be the one that annoys us the most. It’s not that other issues are not important or are somehow less annoying; it is just that every single person in Pakistan uses energy in one form or another and hence is directly affected by it at a very personal level. So when a few days back I was invited as an expert delegate to the PML-N’s energy conference , I was pleasantly surprised that our political parties are beginning to showing signs of maturity and started talking issues. The ...
Read Full Post
The Pakistan-Iran pipedream
For a government often accused of indecision and weakness, Islamabad has been strikingly defiant about its determination to pursue a natural gas pipeline deal with Iran. Pakistan’s strident tone has not changed in light of Washington’s heightened sanctions regime vis-à-vis Iran, which bans countries from having commercial transactions with Tehran. The foreign ministry has declared that the sanctions do not affect the pipeline project. Other Pakistanis, however, fear that the sanctions may well present problems. One prominent lawyer has suggested Islamabad go so far as to lobby the UN to ensure the ...
Read Full Post
Circle of life
Feelings of being enraged; feelings of wanting to go out on to the streets and protest (not in a revolutionary mood though); feelings of smacking someone right in the middle of their head; feelings of sometimes shouting out loud in a helpless cry, and sometimes in a defeated sombre sigh. These are just some of the feelings, when the letters C, E, S and K are arranged in the order of KESC. I can already sense disgusted frowns appearing on some faces. Those not in Karachi probably have a victorious smirk on, or are thanking the Lord for His graciousness – aren’t you happy ...
Read Full Post
De(bt)ocracy is the best revenge
In a cosmetic democracy like Pakistan, the quest for securing or preserving political power is doomed to end in failure without a nod from the establishment which is the power behind the throne. Whether the regime is military or civilian, the establishment needs to have a political constituency. This explains why every military government in Pakistan cultivates relations with some political forces and tries to cobble together a political arrangement to further its interest. In my opinion, democracy in Pakistan is “off” the people, “far” the people “buy” the people! Talking of democracy reminds me of Bilawal Bhutto when, on ...
Read Full Post
In desperate times, PML-N calls for desperate measures
Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N are going to use the issue of electricity to get back into power. In public, every member of the party has stayed on message: that the power shortage is a reflection and final indictment of the PPP’s terrible governance and has convinced the PML-N that the government must go immediately. In private, though, some members of the PML-N, while sticking to their talking points about the corruption and mismanagement of the PPP, admit that they hope to topple the PPP government before the Senate elections in March, to prevent the PPP from getting a majority ...
Read Full Post
Energy woes: Taking up Iran’s offer
If the average person on the street was aware of the recent discussions between Iran and Pakistan, he would, more than anything, want them to succeed. The long queues at CNG stations and daily power outages are reason enough for Pakistan to grab on to this offer for assistance from its neighbour. The Iranian foreign minister was in Pakistan for discussions on a wide range of issues pertaining to economic cooperation. These include the much-talked about Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, which if it were built, could help reduce Pakistan’s energy burden. The deal for this pipeline was first signed in 1995 and ...
Read Full Post
The five things Pakistanis need to stop complaining about and embrace
Growing up in Karachi, I was just another average teenager. I went to school in the morning, I would play cricket in the afternoon, play some more cricket in the evening, and then round the day off with a good book. Ok, well, maybe the last part doesn’t fit in there, but you get the point. Like any other teenager, I would pride myself on my ability to talk and talk some more on pretty much any given topic. While I was more than eager to adorn my house with the Pakistani flag come August 14th, I was equally ...
Read Full Post
Fasting in times of load shedding
Past Shab-e-Barat, brace yourself for the month of fasting. Actually, Shab-e-Barat is a festival in name only. Its real significance is to usher in Ramazan. The halvas you are treated to, point to the imminence of thirty testing days followed by thirty rewarding evenings. The mandatory fast, requiring that one neither eat a morsel nor take a sip of drink for a whole day, is a test in itself. It’s a vivid reminder of the nature of hunger and thirst. It is only at the end of a day of fasting that one fully appreciates food and drink as God’s great ...
Read Full Post
Breaking down the KESC strike
The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) has been embroiled in a dispute with pockets of its unionised labour force for a while now. We have witnessed unbelievable scenes involving violent protests at the central office of the KESC, followed by accusations and counter-accusations from both sides. Now, the management of the electric supply company has stated that they were unable to procure additional supplies of furnace oil due to an ‘emergency’ situation, thus jeopardising the supply of electricity to the city. On the other hand, the roundabout near the Governor House has become a campsite, inconveniencing motorists on one of the ...
Read Full PostWhat the media did not tell you
As always, we have been busy with our usual chronic problems – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) having a go at each other, the worsening electricity crisis, crying and cribbing over foreign aid, making insane statements that hurt at least one segment of our society and so on. But, while the nation was kept busy with this, there were other serious developments happening on the political front and economic front that our lovely media forgot to tell you about because they either thought it was not news worthy or they just decided that you do not ...
Read Full Post
