Sweet Pakistan

ECP issues nomination papers, 400 monitoring teams constituted

2013-03-24T23:41:00.003+05:00

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) began the issuance of nomination papers for the upcoming elections to the respective candidates on Sunday, DawnNews reported.

Moreover, 400 monitoring teams were also formed to ensure implementation of the newly formed code of conduct for the upcoming elections in the country.

Each team would comprise of two security personnel and two cameras to record the proceedings on polling day.

Details of polling stations located in sensitive areas have been sent to the military authorities who have assured the ECP of full cooperation.

ECP further ordered for the removal of State Bank’s Deputy Governor, Ashraf Mahmood who was accused of non-transparent scrutiny of the candidates, within two day.

The distribution of 120,000 nomination forms had begun from Mar 15 till Mar 18.

According to the election schedule of 2013 issued by the ECP, The final date for the candidates to submit the nomination papers to the Returning Officers is March 29, 2013.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised from March 30 to April 5.

All appeals against these will be accommodated from April 6 to April 9.

The final decision on these appeals will be announced on April 16 whereas the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is April 17.

Musharraf vows to ‘save’ Pakistan on return from exile

2013-03-24T23:41:00.001+05:00

Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf returned home on Sunday after more than four years in exile, defying a Taliban death threat and vowing to “save” the country at the risk of his life.
“I have come back home today. Where are those who used to say I would never come back?” the former dictator, who plans to stand in a historic May 11 general election, told members of his political party at Karachi airport.
Hundreds of supporters had gathered at the airport, beating drums, dancing, waving green flags with pictures of Musharraf and Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and scattering rose petals.
“I don’t get scared by anyone except Allah the Almighty… I have come back by putting my life in danger,” Musharraf, who also faces a series of legal cases, told a gathering of his All Pakistan Muslim League.
“I have been ordered by my people to come back and save our Pakistan, even at the risk of my life. I want to tell all those who are making such threats that I have been blessed by Allah the Almighty.”
Musharraf was forced to scrap plans to hold a public rally at Jinnah’s mausoleum in Karachi after the Taliban threatened to send a squad of suicide bombers to assassinate him.
Party supporters said Musharraf was not now expected to make an address at around 5:00 pm and would leave the airport shortly for an undisclosed destination.
His official Facebook and Twitter accounts provided an upbeat commentary on his return, complete with photographs.
An AFP reporter said supporters on the flight from Dubai shouted “Long live Musharraf”, annoying some of the regular passengers.
Musharraf, who has been granted protective bail to lift the threat of immediate arrest on his return to Pakistan, told reporters before leaving Dubai that he was “not feeling nervous” but admitted some concern.

“I am feeling concerned about the unknown… there are a lot of unknown factors of terrorism and extremism, unknown factors of legal issue, unknown factors of how much I will be able to perform (in the elections),” he said.
One of the legal cases that has long ensnared him concerns the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, three months after she returned to Pakistan from her own self-imposed exile.
The then-ruler is accused of failing to provide her with adequate security.
Another case concerns the 2006 death of Akbar Bugti, a Baloch rebel leader in the southwest, and another relates to the 2007 sacking and arrest of judges.
Bhutto’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, has accused Musharraf of his mother’s murder.

In 2010 a UN report said Bhutto’s death could have been prevented and accused Musharraf’s government of failing to provide her with adequate protection.
Security was tight at the airport in Karachi. Police at the airport said 1,000 well-wishers had turned out although an AFP reporter said the number appeared about half that.
Supporters chanted “Long Live Musharraf” and his catchphrase, “Pakistan First”. Young boys wore “Pakistan First” T-shirts emblazoned with his picture.
Wasim Ansari, a television actor and Musharraf look alike who stars in satirical shows mocking the ex-dictator, was among the crowd.
“Whatever popularity I have gained today is because of Musharraf. I regard him as my leader and would do anything for him,” Ansari joked to AFP.

Pakistani stock market crosses 17,500 mark for first time

2013-02-11T21:25:00.002+05:00

Pakistan’s stock market closed higher on Monday after crossing the 17,500 mark for the first time, partially fueled by gains made in the energy and textile sector as they benefited from a weaker rupee.

The Karachi Stock Exchange’s (KSE) benchmark 100-share index ended 0.40 percent, or 70.60 points, higher at 17,548.54.

The gain was mainly led by the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company, which gained four rupees per share.

Financial services company Jahangir Siddiqui Company saw renewed buying interest in anticipation of better earnings.

Although around 600 companies are listed on the exchange, less than ten percent of them see regular trading. Top companies include state-run oil and gas companies, banking companies and a few textile companies.

Both the oil and gas companies and the textile industry are benefiting from the rupee’s depreciation against the dollar. The energy companies post their profits in dollars, and textile exporters find the rupee’s slide makes their wares more competitively priced internationally.

A lower than expected result of D.G. Khan Cement caused its share price to decline marginally, said dealer Samar Iqbal at Topline Securities.

Maple Leaf Cement rose 4.8 percent to 18.13 rupees. Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation fell 1.15 percent to 19.77 rupees.

In the currency market, the rupee ended weaker at 97.96/98.01 against the dollar, compared to Friday’s close of 97.88/97.95.

Overnight rates in the money market fell to 9.75 percent compared to Thursday’s close of 8.75 percent.

Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable missile

2013-02-11T21:24:00.000+05:00

Pakistan successfully carried out a test fire of the nuclear-capable and short-range ballistic missile Hatf IX (Nasr) on Monday

A statement released by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the test fire was conducted with successive launches of two missiles from a state of the art multi tube launcher.
The statement further said that Nasr, with a range of 60 km, and inflight maneuver capability can carry nuclear warheads of appropriate yield, with high accuracy.
This quick response system, which can fire a four Missile Salvo ensures deterrence against threats in view of evolving scenarios. Additionally Nasr has been specially designed to defeat all known Anti Tactical Missile Defence Systems.

The missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads for delivery over short ranges is said to possess ‘shoot and scoot’ attributes, which refer to the military tactic of firing at a target with accuracy and immediately relocating to another position to avoid counter-fire from enemy positions.
The successful test has also been appreciated by the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan who have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding success.

India-Pakistan relations

2013-02-07T18:49:00.002+05:00

EVER since Pakistan came into being our mutual relations have seen many troughs and hardly any peaks.

I remember that in the 1950s, when I was a high-school student in Gujranwala, Indian forces were massed on our eastern borders. This compelled our country to get ready for the worst. Senior school students were trained for some kind of a military training just in case a war broke out. Our teachers told us then that India had not sincerely accepted the creation of Pakistan.

How true were my teachers: time and again they were proved right. The major events of 1965 and 1970 proved beyond an iota of doubt that Indian thinking is to harm us in any possible way they could.

The recent events are testimony to that thinking. The Indian rulers cannot stomach anything good coming out of our country but they broadcast the negatives as loud as they possibly can.

In spite of an international agreement they are stopping water flowing through our common rivers and trying to prevent us from getting long-term loans to build dams which we need for our survival.

This is just to mention a few roadblocks recently erected by them. So much so that they have now started showing unhappiness over the good performance of our cricket and hockey players vis-a-vis their own players. Come to think of it, these are only sports whose results could have gone either way.

Some of us are trying hard to bring the two people together for peace in the region and for living as good friendly neighbours. This is a good beginning on the part of the media of our two countries but looking at the ground realities, will it ever work?

Rehman Malik admits defeat in unblocking YouTube

2013-02-07T18:45:00.000+05:00

After months of effort, sending out innumerable tweets, setting up a special committee and raising the matter in the cabinet and even enjoying four hours of success in the campaign, Interior Minister Rehman Malik finally admitted defeat in having video sharing website YouTube unblocked in Pakistan.

On Thursday, Malik tweeted from his verified account:

“Dear All; I can only make recommendations to open the UTube and I did so. Accordingly the U tube was unblocked but was re-blocked by the Govt.”

It is the same account from which Malik had tweeted almost a month ago that people should expect a notification on YouTube being unblocked.

That joy was short lived as hours after the site was reopened, it was blocked again.

The orders for that block came from the office of the same person who had ordered it shut on September 18, 2012 – Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.

Background to the ban

Pakistan had banned YouTube over clips from a film hosted on the website that sought to ridicule Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

The amateurishly produced film, Innocence of Muslims, caused furore across the Muslim world precipitating into mass street protests in Egypt, Libya and in Pakistan among other Muslim countries. US embassies in Cairo and Benghazi were stormed. The US Ambassador in Libya was assassinated in a militant attack in the midst of the protests.

To quell public fury which threatened to spill over in Pakistan, the prime minister banned YouTube after the website and its parent company Google refused to pull the video from its server or to block access to the content in the country.

Blocking the website, Pakistan joined Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sudan to block YouTube after it failed to honour requests from the respective governments to restrict access to the content or to pull it off the site.

YouTube though unilaterally blocked access to the clips in Egypt and Libya while it blocked the content in India, Indonesia and Malaysia after requests from their respective governments. It took a threat from the government of Saudi Arabia and a court order in Brazil to get YouTube to block access to the video in those two countries.

The White House twice requested Google to take the film off its sites, but the Internet giant refused on both counts, maintaining that the film did not violate its rules or regulations.

Business Express: Auditors question contract changes, suspect revenue slippages

2013-02-07T18:42:00.002+05:00

Federal auditors have questioned the rationale behind the Economic Coordination Committee’s decision to amend a contract awarded to a private concern for operating the Business Express train service, believing it will cause a loss of Rs2 billion to the national exchequer over a period of five years.

In a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held here on Wednesday, Acting Auditor General of Pakistan Tanveer Ahmad commented that the basis on which the ECC – the economic decision-making body of the cabinet – reduced revenue share of Pakistan Railways (PR) in Business Express “does not seem reliable”.

The revenue share of PR in the train has been slashed from 88% occupancy to 65%. This will bring down the national carrier’s earnings by Rs1.1 million per day and the loss will reach Rs2 billion for the five-year contract period.

Four Brothers, the operator of the train which was required to pay Rs3.2 million per day to the PR, will now be paying Rs2.1 million, said Arif Azeem, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, while briefing PAC on the contours of the deal and recent changes made in it.

PR awarded the contract to Four Brothers for running the train between Karachi and Lahore on public-private partnership model with terms that they would pay an amount equivalent to 88% occupancy or Rs3.2 million per day besides investing Rs225.8 million in coaches and locomotives.

PAC members asked whether the ECC had the authority to review the agreement and whether the decision-makers would be questioned by the National Accountability Bureau. But nobody had answers to these questions.

The ECC took the decision in the wake of a report prepared by third party evaluator Deloitte, which suggested that Four Brothers was posting losses and government’s revenue share could be reduced to 65%. Deloitte’s findings were, however, based on revenue receipts and it overlooked actual occupancy.

Arif Azeem said Deloitte found that not even a single train was running on 88% occupancy, citing PR’s best train service – the Karakoram Express – which was running on 65% occupancy.

According to Deloitte, in first eight months of operations, average occupancy of Business Express was 63%, leading to losses of Rs267 million.

“The basis of working out losses and occupancy does not seem reliable as there are slippages on the revenue side,” said Tanveer Ahmad. According to observations of the auditors, revenue trends and train occupancy did not match, as there was revenue pilferage, he added.

He asked PAC to look deeper into all these issues, suggesting strong oversight and scrutiny to win people’s trust.

Four Brothers was charging passengers Rs5,500 per seat while the government received money on the basis of Rs3,500 per seat. After resisting for almost a year, the train operator recently shared the details of sales, said Arif Azeem.

He pointed out that the operator accused the PR of providing inaccurate data of Karachi-Lahore passenger traffic.

PAC members described the operator’s claim of losses as suspicious because of revenue pilferage and per seat fare of Rs5,500. However, they supported the public-private partnership model, believing it would ease the state-owned entity’s financial woes.

Azeem told the committee that Business Express was not well received by the business community and the operator started defaulting on guaranteed payments since day one. Until January 31, Four Brothers had to pay Rs345 million to the PR.

“Trains are over-booked but revenue is low due to pilferage,” claimed Riaz Fatyana of the PML-Q. The private operator struck a smart deal and was selling tickets for Rs5,500 per seat, but paid government’s share on the basis of Rs3,500 per seat, he said.

The auditors also highlighted the biggest flaw in the deal – exclusion of the bank guarantee clause.

Ex-supporter Jemima Khan says Assange has alienated allies

2013-02-07T18:40:00.002+05:00

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange risks turning from a popular hero into an L Ron Hubbard figure, tolerating only “blinkered, cultish devotion”, said one his former backers Jemima Khan.

Jemima is Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s former wife and daughter of the late financier James Goldsmith.

Claiming Assange had alienated his supporters, Jemima, associate editor of the New Statesman, wrote for the weekly British magazine that Assange’s anti-secrecy organisation was now “guilty of the same obfuscation and misinformation as those it sought to expose”.

She compared the Australian to US science-fiction author Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology.

Assange has been holed up inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London after losing his battle in the British courts against extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. Ecuador has granted him political asylum.

By jumping bail, the 41-year-old surrendered the $315,000 that supporters including Jemima had put up as a surety.

Jemima was an executive producer of “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”, Alex Gibney’s documentary about the whistle-blowing website.

“The problem with Camp Assange is that, in the words of [former US president] George W Bush, it sees the world as being ‘with us or against us’,” wrote Jemima.

“When I told Assange I was part of the ‘We Steal Secrets’ team, I suggested that he view it not in terms of being pro- or anti-him, but rather as a film that would be fair and would represent the truth.

“He replied: ‘If it’s a fair film, it will be pro-Julian Assange.’ Beware the celebrity who refers to himself in the third person.”

“In many ways, the film’s narrative arc mirrors my own journey with Assange, from admiration to demoralisation.”

“The list of alienated and disaffected allies is long: some say they fell out over redactions, some over broken deals, some over money, some over ownership and control.”

Jemima said she felt passionately that democracy needs strong, free media and remained convinced that were Assange prosecuted for espionage then investigative journalism would be in jeopardy.

She said it remains to be seen if the allegations against Assange can be substantiated in the Swedish courts but the former computer hacker is “undermining both himself and his own transparency agenda” by turning his refusal to go to Sweden “into a human rights issue”.

“We all want a hero,” she wrote.

“It would be a tragedy if a man who has done so much good were to end up tolerating only disciples and unwavering devotion, more like an Australian L Ron Hubbard.”

Absence of the state

2013-02-05T11:24:00.002+05:00

IT is an interesting fact that Karachi has the highest literacy rate in Pakistan, but also the highest rate of political violence. Being the economic hub of Pakistan, Karachi accounts for more than 25 per cent of the country’s GDP, 54 per cent of central government tax revenues, 70 per cent of national income tax revenue and 30 per cent of industrial output.

Contrast this with the fact that in the last three years (2010-2012), about 5,000 people have died in Karachi as a result of targeted killings, according to the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee. The question is: why is Pakistan’s most literate as well as most developed city also its most violent? What explains the descent of Karachi into a cycle of violence and chaos?

This question can be answered by examining the role of ethno-political parties in Karachi as well as the role of the state and its policing powers.

Putting the spate of ethnic violence in Karachi in a conceptual context, one notes that inter-ethnic tensions in the city have to do with the fact that ethnic groups in the metropolis are placed not in a hierarchical/ranked position vis-à-vis each other, but are rather unranked.

This implies that though the Mohajirs are well-educated, middle-class and employed, this does not in any way put the Balochi-, Pushto- or Sindhi-speaking people in a particular subordinated position compared to the Urdu-speakers for the other ethnic groups are materially advantaged and going about their business in Karachi.

This relative independence for each ethnic group is reinforced through geography, in which groups located in distinct areas exercise relative autonomy to do whatever they deem fit, for example the Baloch in Lyari, Mohajirs in District Central and the Pakhtuns and Sindhis in the goths and peripheral areas of Karachi.

This unranked nature of competing ethnic groups (in which ethnicity in itself is not a marker of violence) becomes a cause of brutal ethnic conflict as the fight over land, extortion money and resources manifests itself in an overtly ‘ethnic’ idiom.

On the other hand, where ethnic groups are ranked with one dominating and the other(s) subordinate, the intensity and level of ethnic conflict remains low or static over a period of time because land, money and resources are the exclusive domain of a single ethnic group. However, where this is not the case, each ethnic group presumes itself to be powerful or capable enough to outdo the other.

In Karachi, what is perplexing is that in the realm of politics, the Mohajirs and Pakhtuns (and the Baloch and Sindhis for that matter) are tied together in a political partnership at the federal and provincial levels; the major parties representing them also share a commitment against religious militants such as the local Taliban. So why does this alliance not translate into a lessening of the state of ethnic conflict in Karachi?

The answer has as much to do with the role of the state as it has to do with the attitudes and policies of competing ethnic and other actors. More often than not the turmoil in Karachi is viewed through the following categories: Mohajirs vs Pakhtuns, Shias vs Sunnis, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement vs Haqiqi, etc. But the most pertinent question should be: where is the state?

Thomas Hobbes put it clearly in his Leviathan that anarchy results due to the absence of a “common power” — that is the state — and that anarchy is the perfect breeding ground for “force and fraud”. What causes people, according to Hobbes, to put faith in a common power is the fear of death.

One feels that, with killings having become so routine, this fear of death has crossed its rational threshold in Karachi. With the absence of the state, there is no fear of it for anyone involved in criminal networks of extortion, kidnappings for ransom and the killing of innocent citizens on the basis of their sectarian or political allegiances.

The state should bring itself back in for peace to prevail in Karachi and the rest of the country. This entails that its policing powers should have the ability to punish the perpetrators of violence and bloodshed. However, the police and security personnel in the city are themselves compromised mainly due to political allegiances, which prevent them from punishing criminals and the corrupt.

Around 120 policemen were killed in Karachi in 2012, a phenomenon which is attributable to the wholesale politicisation of the police. By definition, institutions of the state, in order to have legitimacy and authenticity, should be above the considerations of social forces.

When state and social forces become one and the same, it is difficult to implement the writ of the state and a condition of anarchy becomes the order of the day.

Very recently, I happened to be waiting in a long queue for CNG when the owner of the station shut it down abruptly. I asked what was happening, to which the station owner replied that the police wanted him to close down the station because members of an ethno-political party were shutting the city down.

It was at that moment that I wondered that if the police had stopped the party workers from forcibly shutting down the city and stood behind the citizens of the metropolis, Karachi would not be what it is today.

Afghan peace talks Pakistan’s urgent priority

2013-02-05T11:21:00.002+05:00

Pakistan treats the Afghan peace process as an “urgent priority”, Ambassador Sherry Rehman said on Monday as the US media reported that mistrust among key players had floundered talks with the Taliban.

“Pakistan looks clearly to an Afghan-led roadmap for reconciliation, understands that this is an urgent priority,” said Pakistan’s envoy to the US, rejecting insinuations that Islamabad was trying to delay the talks.

“Pakistan also has shown support at the highest level for any track of dialogue that the Afghans deem important,” she added.

The US media reported on Monday that Mulla Omar has recently made a surprise offer to share power in a post-war Afghanistan. But “mistrust and confusion” among key players had floundered the peace effort, the report added.

The United States hopes to reach some peaceful arrangement for transfer of power in Afghanistan before withdrawing its forces from the country by 2014.

“Although the Taliban appear more ready to talk than ever before, peace talks remain elusive because of infighting among a rising number of interlocutors,” reported the Associated Press, quoting official sources in Kabul.

The report said that Taliban leaders had contacted representatives from 30 to 40 different countries, but the relationship among the key players — the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan — was “marked by distrust that keeps tugging momentum away from the peace process”.

The report claimed that “finding a path to the negotiating table” was also a main topic in a series of meetings among Afghan, Pakistani and British leaders in London on Monday.

President Karzai recently complained that the West was using the peace talks as a lever against his government. The US media also reported that both Kabul and Washington were also frustrated with Pakistan for not monitoring the activities of Taliban prisoners it released in recent months.

Pakistan counters this allegation by pointing out that it freed the prisoners at the request of the Afghan government and doesn’t have the resources to keep tabs on them.

The US media also reported that Kabul had asked for the release of the Taliban’s former second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, but Washington urged Islamabad not to release him.

But Ambassador Rehman said categorically: “Pakistan has been supporting all discussions that may lead to an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process.” The Pakistani effort, she added, aimed at strengthening joint efforts to address extremism and advance regional peace and stability.

“President Zardari has made his government’s full commitment to the project of peace in Afghanistan by assuring strenuous and sustained efforts to maintain the momentum of the process,” said the Pakistani envoy.

“US officials also appreciate that Pakistan continues to demonstrate a willingness to cooperate by taking concrete steps that the Afghan High Peace Council asks fo

Urdu and Japan: a relationship of red blooms and green fragrance

2013-02-04T22:59:00.002+05:00

Among foreign nationals who have written about, and in Urdu, the Japanese stand head and shoulders above the rest. For more than 100 years, people in Japan have been learning and teaching Urdu as a foreign language.

In the promotion of Urdu, the role of university teachers has been instrumental. Prof Gamou Reiichi, who is known as Japan’s Baba-i-Urdu, was the one to plant Urdu’s exotic sapling in Japanese soil. The sapling was tended lovingly by Prof Suzuki Takashi, a pupil of Prof Reiichi’s, and other scholars such as Prof Hiroji Kataoka, Prof Asada Yutaka, and Prof Hiroshi Hagita made sure that this alien plant kept blooming and bearing fruit. Teachers from the latter generation who worked for the promotion include Prof So Yamane, Prof T. Matsumura, Prof Hiroshi Kankagaya and Prof Kensaku Mamiya.

This plant is now producing cherry-red flowers. The fragrance of these flowers, strange as it seems, has a colour, too — it is green, the colour of our national flag. What has prompted me to write these lines is the title of a book, ‘Surkh phoolon ki sabz khushboo’, meaning the green fragrance of red flowers, which appeared in December 2012.

When I met the author of this book, Khurram Suhail, a young journalist-turned-writer from Karachi, I remarked that fragrance was not a material thing and hence could not have a colour. Suhail’s prompt reply was: “It’s the fragrance of love, which is not material. It is the fragrance of a green plant rooted in Japanese soil, bearing red Japanese flowers and giving green Pakistani fragrance”. I realised then that the sapling planted by Prof Reiichi must now be laden with flowers.

This is how Khurram Suhail thinks and writes — creatively and imaginatively. As is evident from the names of his two previous books, he has a knack for turning abstract ideas into vivid, vibrant images. His first book, a collection of interviews with celebrities, was named ‘Baton ki piyali mein thandi chaae’, meaning cold tea in a cup of chitchat. His second, a fine work on music, is titled ‘Sur maya’, and what he exactly wanted to say here was ‘Sur ka sarmaya’, meaning the heritage of music.

His third book ‘Surkh phoolon ki sabz khushboo’, published by Sang-i-Meel Publications, Lahore, is a compilation of articles, essays, travelogues and columns written by some 60 writers. The writers include well-known authors, journalists and scholars from both Pakistan and Japan and the book is divided into sections discussing various aspects of Japanese culture, language, literature and arts.

However, the predominant theme of the book is Japan’s relationship with Urdu. It was not a coincidence that the year in which the book appeared marked the 60 years of friendly relations between Pakistan and Japan, because it was intended to be so. In the introduction, Khurram Suhail says that this book is an expression of appreciation for Japanese scholars who worked relentlessly for the promotion of Urdu in their country and kept showing their love for Pakistan.

Another book published to mak the 60th anniversary of Pakistan-Japan friendship is ‘Japan: tehzeeb ka safar’, meaning Japan: the journey of civilisation. Written by three writers, Iqbal Burma, Abdullah Miyazawa and Fatima Miyazawa, the book was produced with an artistic touch usually associated with the Japanese culture. It carries a large number of photographs, both old and new, some of which are quite exquisite. But what makes this book truly interesting is the succinct but flowing account of Japan’s history, culture and arts. The book is not a drab account of historical facts but in fact serves as the historical background for explaining Japanese culture and the efforts of Japanese intellectuals and philosophers to change their society over the centuries.

Originally from Pakistan, Abdullah Miyazawa has been living in Japan for more than two decades. Co-author Fatima Miyazawa is Abdullah’s Japanese wife.

The third co-author, Iqbal Burma, is a management and marketing executive from and living in Pakistan. He knows Japanese well and has also lived there for some time. Before this publication, Iqbal Burma penned another work on Japan.

This trio has put together a work in Urdu, based on other authentic works, and Karachi-based publisher Adab Dehleez has produced it beautifully.

iPillow

2013-02-04T22:55:00.000+05:00

China poised to control strategic Pakistani port

2013-02-02T11:04:00.000+05:00

China is poised to take over operational control of a strategic deep-water Pakistani seaport that could serve as a vital economic hub for Beijing and perhaps a key military outpost, according to officials.

The construction of the port, in the former fishing village of Gwadar in troubled Balochistan province, was largely funded by China at a cost of about $200 million. It has been a commercial failure since it opened in 2007, because Pakistan never completed the road network to link the port to the rest of the country.

Chinese control of the port would give it a foothold in one of the world’s most strategic areas and could unsettle officials in Washington, who have been concerned about Beijing’s expanding regional influence.

The port on the Arabian Sea occupies a strategic location between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It lies near the Strait of Hormuz, gateway for about 20 per cent of the world’s oil.

China’s interest is driven by concerns about energy security as it seeks to fuel its booming economy. It wants a place to anchor pipelines to secure oil and gas supplies from the Gulf. Beijing also believes that helping develop Pakistan will boost economic activity in its far western province of Xinjiang and dampen a simmering, low-intensity rebellion there.

Some experts view Gwadar as the westernmost link in the ”string of pearls,” a line of ports from China to the Gulf that could facilitate expansion of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean. That has sparked concern in both the US and India.

Pakistan’s Cabinet agreed Wednesday to a proposal for a company owned by the Chinese government, China Overseas Port Holdings Limited, to purchase control of the port from Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd., which won a bid in 2007 to operate the port for 40 years. The transaction has not yet occurred, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Mohammed Raza, said Friday.

Pakistan views China as one of its most important allies and a counterweight to the United States, which has given Islamabad billions of dollars in aid but is often viewed as a fickle taskmaster.

China is expected to pay $35 million for control of the port to PSA and two other groups that own an interest, said Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, one of the other shareholders. The third shareholder is the National Logistics Cell, which is controlled by the Pakistani army. The Chinese are waiting for a Pakistani court case challenging PSA’s control of the port to be dismissed to complete the transaction, Dhedhi said.

A senior Pakistani official said Beijing has agreed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to finish a 900-kilometer (550-mile) road that would link the port with Pakistan’s north-south Indus Highway, facilitating overland transport from Gwadar to China. The Pakistani government was supposed to complete the road in 2012, but it is only 60 per cent finished, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

It will still be a tough drive, passing along the Karakorum Highway that winds through the rugged mountains of northern Pakistan and then into Xinjiang province via a border crossing point at an elevation of 4,693 meters (15,397 feet). The path is often blocked by snow in winter.

Even so, the route will cut the overland distance from China’s western provinces to the sea in half, from about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) to China’s east coast, to just 2,000 (1,250 miles) south to Gwadar.

Longer-term plans also call for road and rail links from Gwadar that would pass through strife-torn Afghanistan to energy-rich Central Asian states. Asked about the port on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said ”as long as projects are conducive to China-Pakistan relations, the Chinese side will positively support them.”

The port is operating at only about 15 per cent capacity now, and machinery originally installed by China is rusting for lack of use, said a Pakistani port worker, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters.

On a purely economic basis, the level of trade through the port should be zero because of its drawbacks, but the government is spending millions of dollars in subsidies to ship fertiliser through the facility. It would be cheaper to send the shipments through the coastal city of Karachi, 700 kilometers (430 miles) to the east, the worker said.

Some government officials have claimed that violence in Balochistan has prevented them from completing the road network. Baloch nationalists have waged a decades-long insurgency against the government, demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of the province’s natural resources.

Empowering spy agencies: Amidst walkouts, Fair Trial Bill sails through Senate

2013-02-02T10:58:00.003+05:00

The Senate unanimously passed the Fair Trial Bill 2012 on Friday in a session marred by back-to-back walkouts by both opposition as well as government allies.

The bill – which has already been cleared by the National Assembly – was tabled in the upper house of Parliament by Law Minister Farooq H Naek. Neither side of the aisle opposed the proposed law. Deputy Chairman Kazim Baloch presided over the proceedings.

The Fair Trial Bill 2012 empowers spy agencies to intercept private communications in order to catch terrorists. The bill triggered a controversy after certain quarters felt that the wire-tapping powers would threaten privacy and civil liberties.

Walkouts

Lawmakers from the Awami National Party (ANP) staged a walkout in protest against the fresh wave of target killings in Karachi and statements by Interior Minister Rehman Malik predicting more terrorist attacks in the country’s economic capital.

At the same time, senators from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) also walked out of the house to express displeasure with the imposition of governor’s rule in Balochistan.

“Rehman Malik continues to threaten people by predicting further deterioration in the law and order situation, while he himself is on a leisure trip in London,” said ANP Senator Zahid Khan.

“How can he be the interior minister when he flees the country whenever the law and order situation worsens, leaving people at the mercy of terrorists … Karachi is burning while he enjoys his foreign trips,” he added.

“We walk out because of the irresponsible attitude of the interior minister,” said Senator Khan before he and his fellow party lawmakers left the house.

JUI-F Senator Haji Ghulam Ali drew the house’s attention towards CCTV footage of the shooting of two clerics from Jamia Binoria in Karachi aired by several TV channels on Thursday.

“Despite the fact that the CCTV footage clearly shows the killers, law enforcement agencies remain clueless,” said Senator Ali. “We don’t need such inefficient and ineffective government and police force.”

Another JUI-F Senator, Talha Mehmood lodged a protest against governor’s rule in Balochistan.

“If the government doesn’t lift governor’s rule, we will stage a sit-in outside the office of the Senate chairman,” he warned.

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Jafar Iqbal condemned the killing of religious scholars in Karachi. He claimed that the Sindh government had lost its writ in Karachi, adding that it would be better to replace the provincial government with a neutral set-up.

“Our government ousted the provincial government in 1999 and imposed governor’s rule when renowned scholar Hakim Saeed was assassinated,” he recalled.

Responding to Iqbal’s statement, Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Saeed Ghani recalled that the PML-N had imposed governor’s rule in 1999 not in the interest of people, but after losing the support of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement. He maintained the move had been intended to block PPP’s way.

Chronicles of carnage: US ‘war’ in Pakistan regains intensity, states report

2013-02-02T10:56:00.002+05:00

CIA drones pounded Pakistani soil with renewed intensity during the first month of 2013, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s monthly report based on the ‘Covert Drone War’ project.

In a jarring display that fuelled the recent, heightened spate of violence in Pakistan, January saw six drone strikes in merely nine days – a number exceeded only by August 2012. Compared to the January of last year, the number of strikes doubled this year.

The report also covered Yemen and Somalia. Yemen saw eight drone strikes during the month, with none of them confirmed as US attacks. No operations were reported in Somalia.

In Pakistan, there have been a total of 362 US drone attacks since 2004 – most of them during the tenure of incumbent President Barack Obama: 310 or 85.6%.

Although it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of casualties, the Bureau believes 2,629 to 3,461 people were killed and 1,267 to 1,431 wounded. Of the total fatalities, 475 to 891 were civilians, including 176 children.

High-value hits

The January drone strikes killed 27 to 54 people, of which 0 to 2 were reportedly civilians. Three senior, high-value militants were also successfully hit.

The very first strike of the month killed prized target Mullah Nazir. Nazir had been on the CIA hit-list for a long time, and had been involved with multiple attacks on Nato and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.

Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) commander Wali Muhammad Mehsud was also killed during the month, as was senior al Qaeda commander Sheikh Yaseen al Kuwaiti, reportedly hit by eight missiles while at home with daughter and wife.

The Taliban characterised

The report also indicated a supposed classification of the Taliban into two categories – ‘good’ and ‘bad’ – by the Pakistani military and intelligence community. Maulvi Nazir was apparently labelled as one of the ‘good’ Taliban because his group did not carry out terrorist attacks within the country. Following the same line of reasoning, the TTP emerged as the ‘bad’ Taliban, responsible for numerous bloody attacks in Pakistani cities.

Brigadier Asad Munir, a retired commander of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has predicted that Nazir’s death may cause problems for the capital. Pakistan’s army cannot engage in combat with both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban at the same time, making peace dialogue with the ‘good’ Taliban essential.

Public response

Another distinguishing factor for the month of January was the muted public response against the drone strikes. In 2012, angry protests and loud displays of widespread public condemnation followed almost every strike. The year 2013 did not start off with the same response.

According to the Bureau, the improvement in US-Pakistan relations – complemented by the Mehsud’s killing, something that appeased Islamabad – may have influenced countrywide reactions.

Furthermore, the CIA also announced adding Maulana Fazlullah, commander of Swat Taliban, a group that claimed responsibility for shooting Malala Yousufzai, on the hit-list. Islamabad has long been calling on Nato and Afghan forces to take action against the particular outfit.

Reservations over Pak-Iran pipeline: US

2013-01-28T22:26:00.000+05:00

US Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson has said that the United States continues to have reservations over the Pak-Iran gas pipeline but is willing to support any other measure to tackle the energy crisis in Pakistan.

While addressing the participants of the US Business Forum in Lahore, the American Ambassador said that the United States is a big sponsor of the Bhasha Dam.

He further said that corruption can be eliminated from Pakistan through democracy and transparent elections, adding that the people of Pakistan will have to bring forward honest leadership if they want good governance.

The US Ambassador also welcomed the completion of five years of democratic process in Pakistan.

While speaking about Pak-India ties, Olson said Pakistan and India must resolve conflict through dialogue.

Medical colleges: the ever-increasing fee

2013-01-28T22:22:00.002+05:00

EVERY year a handful of government-run medical colleges offer a limited number of seats for pursuing studies in medicine. Thousands of students vie for a slot and remain disappointed.
The rich then approach private medical colleges, offering education on a self-finance basis.
The sufferers are those students who are left out with only a slim margin and mostly belong to the middle class and cannot afford the self-financing scheme.
Some, however, do venture but finally land into trouble as these colleges raises fee annually. The limit of increase, as I understand, is five per cent but never adhered to by colleges.
This year colleges have sent notices for a 10 per cent increase in fee structure, barring a few who are satisfied with five per cent increase. The increase runs in the thousands of rupees, which a middle class person can hardly meet, thus jeopardising the plans of students who some times have to discontinue their studies.
This is injustice to talented youths who, if given a chance, attain the highest standard of education.
My son could not get admission to government-run media college as he was short of two marks to qualify on merit.

However, he is studying in one such college on the basis of a self-finance scheme.
Now I have received a notice for a 10 per cent increase in the fee. This has taken away my sleep.
I request the Governor of Sindh and other authorities concerned to take cognizance of these facts to bring an end to such arbitrary increase in the fee structure each year and save the future of hundreds of students in these private medical colleges.
I hope that the people in power may find some time to address this burning issu

Passport & Pakistani consulate

2013-01-28T22:21:00.002+05:00

I APPLIED for a new passport at the Pakistani consulate in Toronto, Canada. I was informed an urgent passport is delivered within 20 days at an extra charge.
I paid for one and now after 22 days of waiting, I am shocked to learn that the consulate takes no responsibility for delivering the urgent passport within the 20 days that it commits to do.
These are just false commitments made by the Pakistani consulate. It has no control over the preparation of new passports. The extra charge for an urgent passport is outright malpractice, considering the commitment is not honoured.
My flight is booked for Feb 6 and I cannot apply for a visa for Dubai without my passport.
What am I supposed to do? What if I miss my flight because of the delay in receiving my passport? Is the consulate answerable to anyone?

A message of peace from another time

2013-01-28T22:19:00.001+05:00

It is said that those who migrate, live in a time warp. They see their past in their present and use it to define their future as well. This distortion allows them to continue to live with the people they left behind and to bring into their lives events from another period.
Although illusionary, living in a time warp can also be a blessing. This is how we felt on the evening we gathered at the tavern to celebrate Eid-e-Milad.
We decided we will do it the old-fashioned way, the way it was when we were young. So we spread a white sheet on the floor, placed cushions along the walls and requested people to wear traditional dresses for the occasion.
We even had agar-battis and gulab-pash, a little container used for sprinkling scented water on the audience.
Near the entrance, we placed little bottles of traditional perfumes, extracts of flowers we left behind, champa, chambeli, gulab. No, we did not call them jasmine or roses, not that evening.
In the middle, we placed a red, hand-woven carpet with more cushions and a rahal, which we used in the maktab while learning to recite the Holy Quran.
There were no supersize cakes, no motorised devices, no sticks, no swords and no shooting in the air.
After recitals from the holy book by a sister-brother duo, we invited some older kids to recite na’at. And here too, we stuck to the tradition. Instead of going for modern poems composed on popular tunes, we selected three, one each by poets Hali, Zafar Ali Khan and Allama Iqbal.
Then we asked one of our members, who is associated with a local Sufi circle and is widely respected in the community for his moderate views, to “read the milad.”
He started with a tale that we often heard at milads in our days, which now seem like another age.
“God, where are you? I want to become your servant. Mend your battered shoes. Comb your hair. Wash your clothes. Kill the lice and fleas. I would bring you fresh milk,” said the shepherd.
“I wish to kiss your hand. Rub your feet. I would sweep your bedroom clean and keep it neat. And prepare your bed when you are sleepy. I’d sacrifice my herd of goats for you. Give away my life for you and those of my sons.

“If you get sick, I will look after you, better than I look after myself.”
Prophet Moses, who was walking by, heard the shepherd’s supplication, and asked him: “What’s that I hear you say?”
“I am speaking to my Creator,” said the shepherd.
“You’ve truly lost your mind,” said Moses. “You’ve given up the faith and gone astray.”
Then Moses explained that God does not have feet, so he needs no shoes. He does not have hair, so needs no combing. He does not dress up like people, so there are no clothes to wash. He does not sleep, so has no bed.
“Stop your mad babbling and go seek His forgiveness,” said Moses.
“Your words have struck me dumb. Regret now burns my soul,” replied the shepherd, breathed a heavy sigh, ripped his cloak and wandered away into the desert, sobbing.
As the shepherd disappeared, God spoke to Moses: “You have just turned a slave away from me. I sent you to bring people to me, not to do otherwise.”
God said: “I’ve given each one a special way and a unique expression. This is how I intended the shepherd to pray. I don’t look at words and tongues. I look into hearts and moods. I know when a man’s heart has humility. I’m tired of fancy terms and metaphors. I seek a soul which burns with my love.”
When Moses received this message, he went to the desert, looking for the shepherd and found him, still sobbing.
Moses said to the shepherd: “I bring you God’s decree. Don’t bother with good manners and rites. What you say from the core of your heart is dearer to God. So, pray as you will.”
Since it was very cold and snowing outside, we deviated a little from the tradition. As the speaker paused, we served tea. And then we invited the four dervishes of our tavern (named after a 13th century book, “The Tale of the Four Dervishes”) to discuss the story.
“I came across this tale many years ago while learning to read Maulana Rumi’s masnavi in Farsi,” said the senior dervish.
“It brought tears to my eyes but other mundane stories pushed it away from my memory. Now, I always keep it with me, see,” he said, showing a copy of the masnavi with Urdu translation. “It reminds me that religion is about love and mercy, and not violence and hate as we see today.”
Then he also showed us the print of a recent newspaper story about Pakistan’s ambassador in the United States being tried for an alleged act of blasphemy that she says she never committed.
“But it is not just Ambassador Sherry Rehman that I am worried about. She is a powerful woman and has many sympathisers. I am more concerned about other helpless victims,” said the dervish.
“The man in Dadu, Sindh, who was burned alive by a mob, another in Gujranwala who also was killed by a mob and his body dragged through the streets, the poor Christian girl forced to leave the country, and countless others languishing in jails for a crime they did not commit,” said the dervish.
“Imagine, Rumi writing this story now,” said the second dervish. “A mob would raid his home and set him on fire along with his books even before the poem is published.”
“Don’t you remember what they did to Iqbal when he wrote his famous poem, Shikwah (Complaint)?” asked the third dervish. “They burned his books in the streets of Lahore and declared him a kafir.”
“And the violence we witness today is done in the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who is described in the Holy Quran as a “mercy to the worlds,” who forgave even those who did physical harm to him and his companions,” said the fourth dervish.
When we resumed, the speaker explained to us the concept of Rahmatul Lil Aalameen or “the mercy to the world.”
“This is how the Sufis elucidate the inner meanings of this title for the Holy Prophet (pbuh),” he said.
“One day, angel Jibraeel visited the holy Prophet and found him in a state of sadness. When the angel asked why, the Prophet said he was grieved at the violence and falsehood of infidels.
“Shall I show you how the God Almighty has subjected all things to you? Do you wish to know in what estimation the Most High holds you?
“Then Jibraeel and other angels explained to the Prophet how they can punish the infidels if he desired so and cause them to disappear from the face of the earth.
“The Messenger of Allah raised his blessed face towards heaven and said: ‘I am not sent to inflict judgment but enjoined to be the Mercy of the Universe.’ And he forgave all, even those who had caused him physical harm’”
The speaker told several other stories to elucidate his point.
“One of the Prophet’s enemies was a woman who lived above a street he used to pass daily. She would litter the streets with garbage as he walked past.
“One morning, the Prophet (pbuh) did not find the woman on the roof with her basket. This worried him. So he knocked at the door and asked if he could come in.
“When permitted, Muhammad (pbuh) entered the house and told the woman that not finding her on the roof had worried him. So he came to inquire about her health. On finding out how ill she was, he gently asked if she needed any help.
“This made her feel guilty and she apologised for her mean behaviour. He forgave her and came to her house every day to clean it, to feed her and to pray for her, till she was on her feet again.
“The prisoners captured at the battle of Badr included some of his bitterest enemies. Still, the Prophet made sure that they were given the best of treatment.
“Among them was Suhayl bin ‘Amr who was still denouncing the Prophet (pbuh). Hazrat Umar suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out to silence him. The Prophet (pbuh) replied: “Were I to do this, Allah would disfigure me on the Day of Judgement, despite the fact that I am His messenger.”
“The stories of the prophet praying for his enemies and responding to insults and provocations with love and grace, need to be repeated again and again,” said the speaker.
“Every generation should know them by heart so that they are not misled,” he added and ended his lecture.

New provinces on administrative not ethnic grounds, says Nawaz

2013-01-28T22:17:00.001+05:00

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Monday said that creation of new provinces should only be based on administrative grounds and not on linguistic or ethnic,
Speaking while chairing the party’s consultative meeting in Model Town Lahore, he said the “Bahawalpur province” is deep-rooted aspiration of people of the area. However, he added that Punjab should only be divided according to resolution passed by the provincial assembly.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Chief Minister Punjab Shahabaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
Important national issues like voter lists, limitations of constituencies and overall political situation of the country were consulted upon in the meeting.
During his speech, Nawaz Sharif said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was raising the slogan of dividing Punjab on political grounds, adding that division of the province based on pure abhorrence would not accepted at any cost.
He reiterated that creation of new provinces should only be based on administrative grounds instead of linguistic or ethnic.

Later speaking to media representatives after the meeting, Shahbaz Sharif said the party will table a resolution for Bahawalpur and Southern Punjab province in the provincial assembly. He said Bahawalpur will be the capital of the new province.
Assailing President Asif Ali Zardari, the chief minister asked, “Where was President Zardari when Southern Punjab was inundated during floods?”

Obama’s PlayStation

2013-01-24T08:29:00.001+05:00

In a recent interview, Prince Harry has not only admitted to killing targets in Afghanistan but has likened his job as a helicopter co-pilot gunner to that of playing a video game. He says, “It’s a joy for me because I’m one of those people who loves playing PlayStation and Xbox, so with my thumbs I like to think I’m probably quite useful.” War is not a video game and is certainly not suited to those that trivialise the revulsion of killing. It is sad that the never-ending conflict in Afghanistan needs some celebrity glamour — becoming what it should never become —— the personal theatre for the rich and famous. War is an ugly solution for the world’s ill. It should be kept as such. The ardent pacifist, Albert Einstein, so rightly put it by saying, “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.”
‘I Am Rich’ was an iOS application that used to sell on Apple’s App Store. When purchased, the screen displayed a glowing red gem, that when pressed, displayed in large text the following refrain: “I am rich; I deserve it; I am good, healthy and successful.” The application’s only purpose was to show other people that they were able to afford it. The ‘I Am Rich’ application used to sell on the App Store for $1,000 — the highest price Apple allows for App Store content. Seven ‘I Am Rich’ Apps were sold before Apple removed the application from the App Store on August 6, 2008.

Veblen goods, like the ‘I Am Rich’ application, are valued fundamentally as symbols of social status. The term has its origins in an economic treatise from 1899, The Theory of the Leisure Class that is a social critique of conspicuous consumption. The treatise describes how the ‘lords of the manor’ employed themselves in the economically useless practices of consumption and leisure, whilst the middle and lower classes were employed in occupations that support and benefit the whole society. Wasteful activities are those that do not contribute to the economy or to the material productivity necessary for the effective functioning of society. British singer-songwriter Morrissey has been an outspoken critic of the British monarchy. He thinks of Prince Harry as an ‘absolute idiot’, while the monarchy itself lives off the British public who “continue to finance the excessive luxurious lifestyles of the now quite enormous, wasteful and useless royal family”.
All of this stood in sharp contrast to President Barack Obama being sworn in for his second presidential term this week — at least on face value. President Obama’s speech acknowledged the problems Americans faced. Here was a man from humble beginnings, who has assumed the most powerful role in the world. Here is a president who wants to raise the tax rates for the top two per cent of earners to better distribute resources and reduce inequality. But in many ways, President Obama is no different from Prince Harry. It may actually be Prince Harry who is the more honest of the two. Targeted killing, using drones, is now so regular that the Obama Administration has spent much of the past year streamlining practices to sustain it. President Obama’s legacy may well be known for institutionalising kill lists. Extrajudicial killings were once considered extreme acts warranting serious discussions. Now, the Obama Administration has legitimised killing people, barely suspected of anything, on a routine basis. It appears that killing has become a much sought after Veblen good.

Laugh out loud with Saad Haroon’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Pakistani’

2013-01-24T08:27:00.000+05:00

Establishing a loyal audience by performing stand-up comedy shows in English is not an easy task for a Pakistani comedian, which explains why it has taken Saad Haroon nearly a decade to become a recognised name when it comes to local comedians.
Following a spree of postponed shows due to unrest in the city, Haroon finally took the stage on Tuesday evening at the Pakistan American Cultural Centre (PACC) and left the crowd thoroughly entertained with his performance of Don’t Worry, Be Pakistani.
With his regular comical expressions, Haroon walked on stage to face an empty front row; the organisers didn’t expect that they would be filled, so the show opened. But members of the audience explained why. “Nahin, nahin! Hum aagey nahin bethain ge. Voh bula lega to phir mazak uraye ga [No, no! We don’t want to sit in the front row, or he’s going to call us out and pick on us],” said a woman in her 30s to her partner, who was more than willing to sit in the front row. The crowd laughed, but a group of three friends then jumped between the first and third row for fear of Haroon’s improvised jokes, and eventually sat down far from the stage.

But despite everyone’s attemps to avoid falling victim to Haroon’s unwavering and relentless wit, he succeeded. He picked on a girl who said she looked after her father’s business with him; made fun of a young man who owns a restaurant in San Francisco and joked about the originality of the idea of owning a Pakistani restaurant there — stating how ‘original’ the idea was with dripping sarcasm.
With his new act, Haroon has taken a different swing at humour. His jokes might not have been as hilarious as his previous scripts, but they are still funny — much more colloquial and applicable to Pakistanis. He addressed Pakistani stereotypes in a different manner and highlighted issues faced by minorities in a humourous, yet socially relevant way.
Haroon’s fans should expect something different and more interesting from this performance. His humour has evolved from what was simply a ‘burger’ cracking jokes to a more socially applicable and refined Pakistani entertaining the crowd with issues they could actually relate to. What really allows this act to reach its zenith is Haroon’s skill to improvise — it is the cherry on top of a perfect hour of comedy.
While old Haroon fans may feel that he lacks his prior touch and finesse, they will agree with first-timers who say that this is an entertaining comedy act. “We have not laughed this much in a while. Saad Haroon is the man,” a member of the audience told The Express Tribune.
Stand-up comedy seldom receives support from sponsors when compared to other performances such as plays and musicals, such as the big billboards and hoardings outside theatre halls for Avanti and Cinder Jutt. However, this time was an exception. Numerous stalls and panaflexes were set up by the sponsors from the parking lot to the stage. Clearly, stand-up comedy is an underexplored and untapped area in Pakistan.
Haroon’s gig post New York is a good sign for performing artists and potential comedians who have gone into hibernation after showing us glimpses of their talent without many full-length shows. Attention and support should be given to this craft as names such as Danish Ali and Ali Gul Pir are the by-products of such ventures.
Don’t Worry, Be Pakistani runs till February 5, with the exception of January 24, at PACC. Tickets are available for Rs900 at McDonalds outlets and Espresso.

Business graduates and local companies

2013-01-22T17:00:00.003+05:00

HIS is apropos of the letter by Salman Munir (Dec 30) who has very rightly raised the question as to why the students of IBA and LUMS do not join a local company.

The answer is simple: it doesn’t need any supernatural power to comprehend.

Recently Tata was asked as to why the fortune of the Ambanis have catapulted to such meteoric rise within the last three decades while the pace of progress of Tatas even after a lapse of more than a century cannot be compared to the Ambanis.

To this Tata replied that they were industrialists and they (the Ambanis) were businessmen.

True industrialists are real visionaries who do not go after short-or medium-term goals, with no mad rush towards making huge profits. They want to give something to their soil.

While the Pakistani businessmen think only of amassing huge cut-throat profits, none of them can ever be Birla or Tata.

In fact, they are just petty bourgeois who have debased and abused our industrial scene.

When most of the local companies pay their employees once every two months and ten days, do we expect the brilliant youngsters from IBA/ LUMS to join them and rust their intellect and skills?

Pakistan skiing contingent bags top honours in Korea

2013-01-22T17:00:00.000+05:00

Pakistan’s ski contingent comprising Noor Mohammad and Shah Hussain of Naltar Ski School clinched top two positions by winning gold and silver medals respectively in the ‘Dream Programme-2013’ held at Gangwon-do in South Korea.

An official press release of the Pakistan Air Force issued on Monday said Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan, who is also the President of the Ski Federation of Pakistan (SFP), congratulated the athletes who met him here on Monday.

Air Marshal lauded the achievements of the skiers for winning gold and silver medals in the event and hoped that their success would
significantly boost the SFP’s ventures in upcoming national and international ski events.

“It shows that we have made huge progress since our joining the Dream Training Programme just two years ago,” he said.

He also acknowledged the contributions and efforts of Embassy of Korea in Pakistan and thanked the South Korean Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Choong-joo Choi, for extending his full support and co-operation in materialising these ski training sessions in Korea.

Later on, the Pakistan skiers also visited the Embassy of Republic of Korea to meet His Excellency Mr Choong-joo Choi who appreciated the outstanding performance of the contingent in Dream Programme — 2013.

‘Dream Programme’ was launched by Gangwon-do which will also be the host of Pyeong Chang 2018 Winter Olympics.

The purpose of the programme is to expand the base of winter sports internationally. Since 2004, the province is inviting young people from countries where winter sports facilities are not fully developed.

This year about 150 participants from 40 different countries participated in the training programme after which the athletes were divided into groups and skiing competitions were held among them.

Steps to stop polio virus exportation urged

2013-01-22T16:57:00.001+05:00

The Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell, World Health Organisation, Unicef and partners in Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative have called for urgent pre-emptive measures against exportation of the polio virus after positive samples linked to the Sukkur district were discovered in Egypt, officials said on Monday.

“Two sewage samples collected from the Al Salam and Al Haggana areas of Cairo district and analysed in a laboratory bore resemblance to a strain discovered recently in sewage water tested in Sukkur,” said a joint statement of Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell, World Health Organisation and Unicef.

“As a preemptive measure and to reduce the possibility of spread of the polio virus beyond Pakistan’s borders, the government’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell is advising all provincial governments and federal administration to set up permanent vaccination counters inside international departure lounges of all airports so that all children under five years leaving the country are vaccinated against the poliovirus.

The Prime Minister’s Polio Monitoring and Coordination Cell has already asked the Sindh government to improve its polio immunisation efforts to stop transmission of the virus in the province on an emergency basis, it added.

“Importation of polio virus is a stark reminder of risks associated with active poliovirus transmission in the country, and the need to make efforts to stop the transmission on urgent basis in Pakistan,” the statement quoted Shahnaz Wazir Ali, the PM’s focal person on polio eradication, as saying.

Although, it said, the virus had not infected any child in Egypt and the country remained polio-free since 2004, the Egyptian ministry of health had ordered immediate vaccination of all children aged below five years in the localities near Cairo from where the Pakistan-origin virus was discovered.

“Dr Ahmed Omar, of the ministry of health and population in Egypt, has stated that the ministry will start a campaign to vaccinate children under-five against polio in Ezbet Hagana Peace and Kaliobeya in Cairo,” it said.

It said the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) recently had also recommended international travel restrictions for the three polio endemic countries under the International Health Regulations.

“The assessment of the IMB reflects the global concern over Pakistan and other polio endemic countries. However, regarding travel restrictions, it is understandable that every polio-free country would like to maintain its polio-free status and may consider taking steps to avoid importation of the virus,” the statement quoted the emergency coordinator for polio eradication at the WHO, Dr Elias Durry, as saying.

Pakistan took major strides last year with a 71 per cent reduction in the number of polio cases with all but 28 districts free of polio virus transmission. The recent security related incidents in different parts of the country have exposed children to risk of contracting polio, a disease that causes permanent paralysis in young children.

“Polio virus type 3 has not been found in Pakistan since April 2012, whereas environmental samples have been found mostly negative for the polio virus except for a few sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh,” said the statement.

“According to Unicef’s acting head of polio unit, Michael Coleman, it reinforces the urgent need for all caregivers across Pakistan to vaccinate children under five years of age against polio through the nearest health facility or through campaign vaccination teams. The country had reported 58 polio cases last year whereas this year, no polio case has been reported so far.”