Ripple Effect

the brigadier was v keen on attending some of the seminars and i told him politely thaty he knew where they were held and was welcome to going to ASR and attending them -- the meeting attended uneventfully and needless to say i never forwarded the brig or the good col any stories that my newspaper did not carry -- or carry the second time was when i was going to India to attend a seminar at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi -- this was in 2002 when the neighbours came close to war -- india had deployed its army at the border with pakistan and the latter had responded -- the NGO that sent the invitation was obviously well connected because i got a call from the indian embassy informing me that my visa had been approved -- the situation was so bad that when i got on to the shuttle in islamabad (which one takes from the convention centre, to go to various embassies), the driver wasnt even willing to stop at the indian high commission -- he kept on saying 'yeh log vis...

the other day at a dinner when someone found out that I was a journalist asked me whether i had experienced any dangerous situations -- i have done no wartime reporter, hell i have done no reporting from FATA or Swat either so cant say its been dangerous -- interesting, intriguing perhaps? the first time i had a brush with intelligence agencies was when i was a reporter in lahore - nawaz sharif has been ousted musharraf had taken over and the army had been deployed in WAPDA -- in the typical army response after any coup, as if deputing uniformed soldiers (and not qualified and competent engineers) was the answer to making a power utility company more efficient -- WAPDA was also my beat temporarily and i got a call from a col mansoor who it turns out had sent his staff to my house in defence as well -- this given that i had been living in said house for barely two weeks -- sharing it with the owner who was a single doctor -- and a family friend of a my brother in law -- i told my edito...

i have to say my days so far -- other than my time at the news when that paper's editorial pages really began to take shape (and then i left!) -- were spent at dawn -- there was one year as a sub-editor -- my very first year when i was sent to just about every department (or 'depart' as some people say it) -- this included the much-dreaded supplements which was thought by most to be a punishment given that one didnt have to be creative or even write anything to get by there -- after that were two and a half years as a reporter and then two and a half most fruitful years with dawn in lahore -- this was may 1998 -- i landed in lahore literally with a suitcase -- my red khyber was dispatched by my father from khi via an NLC trailer and i had to go somewhere near raiwind road to get it -- there were three or four days though that i had no car at all and i would walk from where i was staying at a house in block J to the main road -- and it was lahore's may heat (what was i ...

it's not that i was dying to attend the launch of her book but it would have been interesting to go to it nonetheless -- the new book by fatima bhutto -- a friend had my invited and i was supposed to collect it but couldnt for some reason or the other -- but was told that entry would not be possible without an invite -- how times have changed -- security concerns seem to override all other considerations -- till a few years ago going to a book launch was more or less a public affair --

a journalist who doesnt write is like a doctor who doesnt practise -- it's been five months now since i last wrote in print -- that's a very long time for any journalist -- hence maybe more recent entries on this blog what's the whackiest/unlikeliest (though true) stories that one got to do as a reporter -- one that comes to mind happened in the mid 1990s when i was a reporter with dawn in karachi -- and got the tip from a social event -- of a british man working for a well known securities firm in karachi who was asked to leave the country after his cover was blown -- he was working for british intelligence -- the story came on the front page and though the high commission in Islamabad would not confirm or deny it when they were contacted prior to its publication, no denial was forthcoming after it was printed -- the company that he worked for is no longer in pakistan but it is a respected name

there are some writers who began writing for the news when i was editor of its editorial pages -- i asked them to write for the new venture and a few like fasi zaka and aakar patel and george fulton graciously accepted and said that they would be happy -- i thank them -- aakar (who is a former editor of the leading indian afternoon paper midday and also one of india's largest gujarati dailies, and now also writes a column for live mint -- a joint venture with the wall street journal) said that he couldnt refuse his first pakistani newspaper editor -- and i thank him for that -- some others were less receptive and said that they would wait and see how the newspaper fares -- to each his/her own i guess but it does leave you kinda pissed -- if i were in there place i wouldnt give up the opportunity to write elsewhere especially if it came from an editor who bent over backwards to invite me and accommodate me for his earlier newspaper

the moron zaid hamid fell only when the orthodoxy in society went against him -- what does that say about the strength, or rather lack thereof, of progressive and liberal forces in Pakistan -- the latter cried themselves calling the man a charlatan and an agency plant but nothing happened until the conservative and rightist segments labelled him a follower of a false prophet -- wonder what ali azmat and maria b will do next

nestle power milk -- proud owner of pakistani print media (except dawn janab)

yesterday was quite a traumatic day in terms of my fatherhood -- which will turn five years this may 29

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) The results of the parliamentary committee led by Raza Rabbani to suggest changes to the Constitution are eagerly awaited, not least because if implemented they could perhaps bring about some much-needed changes to the 1973 Constitution. While several reports have appeared of late touching on this important matter, for all intents and purposes the actual content of the proposed reforms is not yet known and will perhaps only become known once they are unveiled in parliament. However, one issue which has been reported on a bit more has been a proposal to rename the NWFP that has been a key demand of the ANP which controls that province’s government and which for many decades has championed the cause of Pakhtun nationalism. According to some reports, the issue threatens to derail the whole process of constitutional reform with the issue leading to severe bickering between the ANP and the PML-N. In this context, the latter’s stan...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) According to a report, Iran is upset that Pakistan, despite its severe power shortage, hasn’t taken up the former offer for cheap electricity for at least its western regions. While the authorities at Wapda and Pepco may be in a better position to answer why the offer hasn’t been taken up, our own answer is that this all is indicative of the way government – and in particular the bureaucracy – works in Pakistan. For instance, in 2009 right before the advent of summer, the minister for water and power said several times that loadshedding would end within a year and justified his -- now obviously outlandish – claim by saying that the government was tackling the problem in a serious manner. It turned out that the minister was referring to the rental power solution, which in due course of time became mired in controversy. This perception is more or less probably justified given the short-term nature of the solution provided by re...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) The interview to the BBC by former UN envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide in which he quite bluntly said that Pakistan’s arrest of Mullah Baradar ended up secret talks with the Taliban has created quite a storm. The Foreign Office in Islamabad has rejected Mr Eide’s assertions saying that Pakistan itself wanted these talks to go ahead and that its action to arrest Mr Baradar had been “misinterpreted”. A day earlier Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said – and one can understand his exasperation – that why would the former UN envoy make such a statement. Implicit in the foreign minister’s question would be a hint that perhaps Mr Eide is saying all this at some other party’s behest, a party which is not very happy with Pakistan’s action because it may have caused the said party to lose leverage with the Taliban. If this is indeed the case – though on the face of it there is no evidence to suggest that it should be – then the ...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) One couldn’t agree more with a retired Pakistani general in his assessment of the current state of ties between Islamabad and Washington, and his observation on perceptions in Afghanistan and Pakistan of this relationship. The general said that whenever something bad happens in Afghanistan Pakistan is immediately blamed, and in particular the ISI and the military while whenever something bad happens in Pakistan, America is blamed. We could add our own two cents to this. Take for example a recent survey in America according to which Pakistan ranks among the lowest in terms of countries with a positive image among Americans. This may be in part due to the image that the American mainstream media portrays to its readers and viewers of Pakistan as being a militant/Taliban-infested state overrun by fundamentalist Muslims all bent on teaching America ‘a lesson’. While reality may not exactly be that it would be fair to say that Pak...

Editorial -- Express Tribune -- (coming out soon in the market) What is one to make of Shahbaz Sharif’s speech that he made at a seminar at a seminary in Lahore on Sunday? In short, the Punjab chief minister is saying that the Taliban should not be attacking Punjab because one, the PML-N doesn’t “take dictation” from America and two, because both the PML-N and the Taliban have taken a stand against General Pervez Musharraf that is more or less the same. To quote the operative part of the chief minister’s somewhat shocking – but not entirely unexpected – statement: “General [Pervez] Musharraf planned a bloodbath of innocent Muslims at the behest of others only to prolong his rule, but we in the PML-N opposed his policies and rejected dictation from abroad and [sic] if the Taliban are also fighting for the same cause then they should not carry out acts of terror in Punjab.” One clearly gets the sense that the Punjab chief minister is coming across as an apologist for the Taliban because ...

when you're bored at work you do stories like this -- but just as well because its been over three months since i last wrote in print By Omar R Quraishi Admissions to the nursery section and class III of arguably the city’s most prestigious school, Karachi Grammar, commenced from this week, according to a notification posted on the school’s admissions website and interviews conducted with parents of applicants. Last year, the nursery section admitted around 120 students from a pool of 1,500 applicants, most of whom had already spent around two years at the pre-school level in various institutions scattered across Karachi. A child is eligible only if he is between the age of four years two months and three years three months at the time of entry – which is August every year. The initial application process involves queuing outside the school on two separate days – for one hour each day – when slips for registration are given out to parents. The first day is for children who already...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) The extension given by the prime minister to the current chief of the ISI, Lt-Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, has been described by large sections of the media as something that was necessary for the continuation of the military’s successful strategy in fighting the militancy inside Pakistan’s borders. On the face of it this may seem to be a sound argument but it does raise the issue that surely there would be another candidate to step into his shoes. Also, that military doctrine, strategy and tactics should not rest on a single individual and given the way that the Pakistan Army works, it would indeed be fair to say that that is not the case. This means that while the military’s recent determination to go after terrorists and militants in various parts of Fata as well as in Swat is a welcome change – and perhaps added to this could be a change of heart, so to speak, vis-à-vis the Afghan Taliban – such a shift should not be linked wi...

Editorial -- Express Tribune --(Coming out soon in the market) India’s prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh was not far off the mark when he told members of the Lok Sabha on March 5 that talking with Pakistan was essential and the only way to avoid any potential “miscalculations” from either of the countries was to have a continued bilateral engagement and that an environment in which there was no contact between the two countries had the potential to cause great harm to both countries. Dr Singh’s government came in for much criticism during the course of the parliamentary debate following its decision to hold a secretary-level meeting with Pakistan – this at a time, according to the Indian opposition, when terrorism from within its borders was still being directed towards India. The prime minister’s response to this was simple but more importantly it was pragmatic and practical and indicates that he does not really share the view of the Indian military-bureaucratic establishment which ten...

Editorial -- Express Tribune -- (coming out soon in the market) Unconfirmed reports on Friday from Fata indicate that Maulvi Faqir Mohammad may have been killed in an airstrike in Mohmand Agency. Faqir, who is head of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Bajaur chapter is said to have been seen in Mohmand after his base in Damadola was captured by the army a few days ago. A newspaper report said that local residents had reported that their village had been surrounded by the Taliban and that this usually happens only when a key commander is killed. If Faqir is indeed dead, it would be a major victory for Pakistan’s anti-terror fight since he had, by his own admission, been a strong supporter of Al Qaeda’s number two Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri. Also, he had served as the TTP’s deputy head and was being tipped as a possible successor to Hakeemullah Mehsud. Faqir’s alleged death also brings to forefront certain reports published in a section of the international media alleging that he could hav...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out in the market soon) According to a report in this newspaper, profits of the banking sector rose sharply by 24 per cent during 2009 – this at a time when the economy is doing badly and experiencing very low growth. Normally in such an environment the financial sector would not be doing well – and in particular banks and other lending institutions. This is because business activity tends to slow down and according demand for loans for investment purposes – on which banks make their much of their income – goes down. Furthermore, since profitability and returns on investment opportunities in the economy in general also decline, those who partake of such opportunities also see their incomes hit. So if one were simply to go by commonsense banks should see their incomes dwindle when an economy is not doing too well – as is happening in Pakistan’s case. The question then arises that what is the reason for Pakistani banks seeing such a significant rise i...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) Judges are supposed to speak through their judgments or that is what seems to be the traditional view of at least the superior judiciary. To a certain extent, this view – prevalent in the subcontinent – is a legacy of British rule in that in the Anglo-Saxon view of things, judges should normally lead a secluded life away from the public realm and should not be seen to be mingling with politicians, bureaucrats or other government officials. This seclusion or detachment if you will is deemed necessary for preserving the judiciary’s impartiality and it is perhaps this concept of being physically away from the public eye that is seen as being a traditional view of how judges should behave and conduct themselves. Furthermore, this seclusion from the public sphere is deemed to lend authenticity and greater moral validity to their judgments. The question is that does this still happen in today’s Pakistan? Do the judges of today stil...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (paper coming out soon) The possibility of an army operation in North Waziristan seem to be gaining credence with reports indicating the arrival of several battle tanks in the main town Miramshah. The reports quoted an unnamed security official as saying that the military hardware had been sent after a day of clashes with local Taliban and security forces and that their arrival was meant as a “show of force”. On March 1, there was an attack on FC soldiers in the town’s main bazaar as a result of which two of the men lost their lives. Other than the deployment of the tanks, local people have also reported the distribution of pamphlets by the military calling the Taliban agents of Israel and India – thereby only adding to the speculation that an operation against the militants is imminent. If the operation were in fact to happen, it would suggest a turnaround in Pakistan’s policy on fighting the Taliban – in particular the distinction between those who are ‘...

quite a few tv/radio people george fulton fasi zaka wajahat s khan naveen naqvi ayesha tammy talat hussain (has agreed but we have to contact him) five rupees blog guy -- ahsan b adp diaries guy -- omar bilal akhtar tazeen the blogger sami shah -- formerly of blackfish shandana minhas the brilliant faiza s khan has agreed to do a column as well all this sounds exciting -- now only if we were going into print soon

Express Tribune -- (coming out soon in the market) We don’t have to jog our memory all that much to remember that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the man believed to be the operational planner of the 9/11 attacks, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents from the home of a man and a woman believed to be members of the Jamaat-e-Islami. While the English press raised this issue initially it died down, not least because many Pakistanis see Khalid Sheikh Mohammad as a hero rather than a terrorist. However, Tuesday’s revelation by the military commander leading the fight against the TTP in Bajaur that the house of former JI MNA Sahibzada Haroonur Rasheed was the operational headquarters of the Taliban in the agency comes across as conclusive proof that the JI is much closer to the TTP than it would like most Pakistanis, or indeed the rest of the world, to believe. This perhaps explains why the party has never criticized the TTP for all its heinous and dastardly actions inside the country in wh...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) What is one to make of PTCL’s new ‘one rupee one minute’ package which is being heavily advertised on television and newspapers these days? According to the new tariffs, calls can be made nationwide at the rate of a rupee a minute – and this is a good thing given that not too long ago calling Lahore from Karachi (and vice versa) would cost more than 10 times that. The deception – and PTCL seems to be an expert at that comes in the fine print and if one had read the advertisement closely they would have noticed that the one-rupee-per-minute rate applies to local calls as well. This basically means that PTCL has quietly more than doubled its local call charges – and local calls make up the bulk of its total calling traffic. Prior to this, a local call cost a little over two rupees for every five minutes and with the new ‘package’ a five minute call will cost five rupees, or more than double! In all this, one can only wonder wha...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Saudi Arabia could be seen as ground-breaking in many ways. For instance, he is the first Indian head of government to visit the kingdom in over two decades and perhaps a handful of foreign leaders who were invited to address its shura council (body akin to parliament). However, perhaps the most important facet of his visit – certainly as far as Pakistan is concerned – had to do with remarks made by India’s junior foreign minister which for a while created quite a storm among the Indian media. Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said in an interview to a journalist that Saudi Arabia could “perhaps be a valuable interlocutor” between India and Pakistan given Riyadh’s very close ties with Islamabad. The minister was talking in the narrow context of India attempting to use all avenues at its disposal to impress upon Pakistan that it needed to address the terror...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) Our august members of parliament have been saying some strange things of late on the issue of marriage. First it was a female MPA of the Punjab Assembly, from the PML-Q, who made the following gem of a remark on the floor of the house: she said basically that men should be allowed to marry more than once, without having to seek permission from the first wife. The reason for this rather outlandish and completely unnecessary remark (and rather ironic given that such a misogynistic statement should come from a woman) was that this would allow the "womenfolk" of the country to live with peace and with honour. This means that the said PML-Q MPA believes that (a) marriage is perhaps the only way for a woman to leave in peace and with honour; that (b) by implication women who are not yet married or choose not to marry are not at peace and do not live an honourable existence and (c) that a wife's permission is not neede...

Editorial -- Express Tribune (coming out soon in the market) There is a poison in our midst and it slowly but surely eating away at the inside of Pakistani society. And it has been sired by a monster that is very much of our own making and not the result of a sinister American/Zionist conspiracy and some would have us believe. The poison of sectarianism has become embedded within many of us and for this General Zia and his Islamization should be thanked in particular along with the civil-military establishment in general which over the years has nurtured and patronized some of its most potent (read vicious) actors. The result is all before us: people professing to be Sunnis killing Shias and calling them ‘kaafirs’, and Shias retaliating in kind. And now we have even different Sunni schools of thought going – quite literally -- after each other’s throat. What happened in Dera Ismail Khan and Faisalabad districts over the weekend during the Eid Milad celebrations is the outcome of years ...