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September 2010

Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan

By Qaisar Sultan

There is a dilemma faced by the nation regarding the Supreme Court’s dubious inability to contain an irreparable damage done to the country by corrupt, evil, inept politicians who have become the legislators in Pakistan, an insult to the term and its concept. There seems to be stretched out long debates, intentional delaying tactics, cute excuses, confusions, rumors about some kind of payoff to some judges by the politicians and threadbare legal arguments and waste of money of the tax payer. During the Musharraf regime, there were genuine fears of all kinds. When general Musharraf ignored the Supreme Court, the question was asked: Who could make him to surrender to the decision of the Supreme Court; and what could happen if he refused to listen to the Supreme Court’s decisions? The question is: What the Supreme Court can do to force the democratic and supposedly a constitutional government to abide by the decisions of the highest court in the country? Read More »Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan

A NEW WAVE OF FRIGHT AND TERROR IN KASHMIR

ALI SUKHANVER

 Neither USA, the commander of the universal war against terror, nor the most challenging so-called Muslim extremists   could stop the notorious priest Terry Jones from burning the Holy Quran; it is something very strange; Terry Jones seems the most powerful  because he simply ignored all threats and admonitions by saying ‘ My foot’ to all. If Al-Qaeda and Taliban were really as powerful as portrayed by the western media, they would have till now slaughtered the notorious priest Terry Jones; the culprit behind the burning of the Holy Quran on 9/11 this year. The silence of these so-called Muslim extremist groups over the burning of the Holy Quran is not only surprising but also somewhat suspicious. Their silence questions their existence. In the story beginning from the insulting caricatures of the Holy Prophet and surely proceeding forward after this heinous episode of the burning of the Holy Quran , we find Read More »A NEW WAVE OF FRIGHT AND TERROR IN KASHMIR

KARACHI: Pak Suzuki, Honda Atlas increase prices

By Moonis Ahmed

Two local car manufacturers– Pak Suzuki Motors Co Ltd and Honda Atlas Car Pakistan Ltd – have increased per unit prices on their different models from Saturday, according to a letter of the companies sent to authorised dealers.

“The decision to increase prices on different models of Suzuki and Honda has been implemented from September 18”, said an authorised dealer. “Both the companies, however, gave appreciation of yen against rupee as a reason for this increase in prices.”
Read More »KARACHI: Pak Suzuki, Honda Atlas increase prices

ISLAMABAD: Floods renew Kalabagh Dam debate

 

* ‘Chronic mistrust’ among provinces, central government

The summer’s floods in Pakistan have reopened a quarter-century-old debate on whether to build a large hydroelectric dam on the Indus River or not, a dispute that has split the nation along regional lines.

Supporters say the water reservoir could have prevented much of the floods’ devastation and boosted agricultural production along the river. Opponents say just the opposite.

The debate over the Kalabagh Dam shows how the worst natural disaster in Pakistan’s history, affecting some 20 million people, has unearthed deep fissures in its society. There is a chronic mistrust among the provinces and the central government, and critics accuse wealthy landowners of naked self-interest in wanting to ensure the Indus keeps irrigating their crops. Read More »ISLAMABAD: Floods renew Kalabagh Dam debate

Default with dignity or die in disgrace —Amjad Ayub Mirza

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Angry at the fact that the monies so urgently needed for the post-floods reconstruction drive were being swallowed up by the black hole of debt, which was mostly accumulated during the tenures of unrepresentative governments, many considered it unjust to be asked to repay the $ 3 billion in annual debt servicing for the accumulated $ 55 billion debt

As Pakistan celebrates a sombre Eid-ul-Fitr overshadowed by the shock and grief of our losses in the recent floods, Gulbaz Masih of the Dutch charity Good Angels has boarded a flight from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to Islamabad. He will be escorted to a campsite near Charsadda in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering the Taliban hotbed tribal belt that separates Pakistan from Afghanistan, where he will be distributing food packages among the flood victims.Read More »Default with dignity or die in disgrace —Amjad Ayub Mirza

Is Pakistan heading for a change?

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By Farrukh Saleem

 ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the “Army neither intends to come to power nor will it come to power. The judiciary is independent and pro-democracy” adding that there is no “threat to democracy as the civilian government came to power after making numerous sacrifices and winning the 2008 elections.”
Read More »Is Pakistan heading for a change?

Gwadar Port may be given to China

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By Amir Mateen
 GWADAR: The news that Gwadar port is all set to be taken away from the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) and is likely to be given to the Chinese may have repercussions that go much beyond its white sand shores.

Official sources confirm that “an understanding to that effect has already developed at the highest levels but it will take a while before the legal and administrative constraints are removed.” The biggest constraint remains the agreement with the PSA, which was given the right to run the port for 40 years. However, official sources are confident that the PSA had given them sufficient grounds to revoke the agreement. Apart from its failure to bring a single commercial ship to the Gwadar docks, the PSA has not invested even a fraction of the $525 million it had committed to spend in five years. Read More »Gwadar Port may be given to China

Is It the Right Time to Overthrow the Democratic Government?

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BY QAISAR SULTAN

  What should we do when it is obvious that the state is failing rapidly? Should we rely on a failed democracy? Should we stay silent knowingly that the elected leaders are incompetent, corrupt and destroying the country? The democracy in Pakistan has failed over and over again. There is no doubt that the democratic system of the government provides fairness and progress, not only on social grounds, but also economically benefits the country. Instead, we have experienced the social decay and weak economy during the democratic governments. The democracy seems to bring in the worst ethnic feelings among provinces in Pakistan. The political parties are more bigoted than the people of Pakistan- They exploit their constituency by bringing out the uncalled fears of others. From Nawaz Sharif’s “Jag Punjabi Jag” to Zardari regular threats to the state on Sindh card to Baluchistan’s separatism and popularity of Taliban in Pakhtoonkhwa and the killing of Pathans in Karachi, the country is coming apart. In the Pakistani style democracy, the feudal lords, Jagirdars, vaderas and rich get the best opportunity to expand their power and making money. If the democracy cannot provide security and bring about the happiness to its people, what is the purpose of a democratic dispensation that denies all the virtues of a democratic government? There are no individual rights and protection to the minorities. In the absence of utilitarian consideration of democracy, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as the elected rich groups and their cronies make more money through corruption.Read More »Is It the Right Time to Overthrow the Democratic Government?

Musharraf plans show of power in UK

LONDON: Barely two months after the Pakistani state-sponsored rally of President Asif Ali Zardari in the city of Birmingham, former president Pervez Musharraf will address a major public rally in the same city.
Scheduled for 3rd of October in Britain’s second largest city after London, the Oval Banqueting Suite in Birmingham’s Spark hill area has been chosen by supporters of Musharraf to demonstrate that the self-exiled leader of the newly formed party, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), has a lot of muscle to flex and enjoys the support of Pakistanis abroad.Read More »Musharraf plans show of power in UK