A friend from Mumbai asked me how things were. I groped for a befitting analogy, and off the top of my head said "She meant a lot to people.... sort of like Gandhi."
Will they eulogize her to Gandhian proportions? Gandhis dhoti, Benazir's ajrak, her gracefully draped dupatta, her almost deliberately hideous but unmistakeably modern suits. Gandhi's non-violent tactics and the subsequent massacre of Partition, her violent outbursts against the military and simultaneous dealings with them. Will she be Time's person of the year?
"They're trying to sideline her. They always have. These bastard men... they resented her power, her popularity." My mother was never a fan.
She was ruthless, calculating.... delivered a baby in office, witnessed the murder of her father, her brothers. She took advantage of every situation, she played the media, and charmed a superpower.
There will be another Bhutto. But I don't know if there will ever be another Benazir.
Friday, December 28, 2007
times like these, it helps to listen to the voice of clarity.
Whoever did this wants two things: create unrest through violence; and get the elections postponed sine die. The postponement of elections will only increase the possibility of violence.
Honour Bhutto’s sacrifice — Ejaz Haider
‘Tum kitnay Bhutto marogay? Har ghar say Bhutto niklay ga!’
The headlines read "Garhi Khuda Bux awaits another Bhutto," and I think: they're wondering who'll carry the PPP torch. But Garhi Khuda Bux was awaiting the body of another Bhutto. Tum kitney Bhutto maro gey? Tum kitney Bhutto paida karo gey? How many heroes will you create, and how badly will that fuck with the im-personal process that democracy ought to be?
Like all idiots, I have yet to pull myself together. I seem to have forgotten that I once committed myself to a process- whatever the cost.
It is a tribute to the tenacity of Ms Bhutto, the politician par excellence, that she kept her father’s political legacy alive in a male-dominated society. He had championed the popular cause and had given a sense of dignity to the common man in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto had the mettle to do the same.
We'll never know if she would've delivered on her promises. We'll never know if she would have the humility to accept election results that didn't go in her favor. We'll never know if she would've been voted out of office as her own supporters realised that it is them, the people, the human spirit that is sacred, and not a leader, a personality, a politician. There will be another Bhutto.
We've lost sight of the process. To vote or not to vote?
II
"Democracy must be meaningful."
It is some comfort to know that even the country's sharpest analysts prefer silence at this point.
Even journalists, I suppose, were children once.
thank you for that lesson, AN.
Whoever did this wants two things: create unrest through violence; and get the elections postponed sine die. The postponement of elections will only increase the possibility of violence.
Honour Bhutto’s sacrifice — Ejaz Haider
‘Tum kitnay Bhutto marogay? Har ghar say Bhutto niklay ga!’
The headlines read "Garhi Khuda Bux awaits another Bhutto," and I think: they're wondering who'll carry the PPP torch. But Garhi Khuda Bux was awaiting the body of another Bhutto. Tum kitney Bhutto maro gey? Tum kitney Bhutto paida karo gey? How many heroes will you create, and how badly will that fuck with the im-personal process that democracy ought to be?
Like all idiots, I have yet to pull myself together. I seem to have forgotten that I once committed myself to a process- whatever the cost.
It is a tribute to the tenacity of Ms Bhutto, the politician par excellence, that she kept her father’s political legacy alive in a male-dominated society. He had championed the popular cause and had given a sense of dignity to the common man in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto had the mettle to do the same.
We'll never know if she would've delivered on her promises. We'll never know if she would have the humility to accept election results that didn't go in her favor. We'll never know if she would've been voted out of office as her own supporters realised that it is them, the people, the human spirit that is sacred, and not a leader, a personality, a politician. There will be another Bhutto.
We've lost sight of the process. To vote or not to vote?
II
"Democracy must be meaningful."
It is some comfort to know that even the country's sharpest analysts prefer silence at this point.
Even journalists, I suppose, were children once.
thank you for that lesson, AN.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
[ Generally Speaking ]
And when he said, "Extremists have gone very extreme," it suddenly
occurred to me why his speech pattern seemed so familiar. He was that
uncle that you get stranded with at a family gathering when everybody
else has gone to sleep but there is still some whisky left in the
bottle. And uncle thinks he is about to say something very profound --
if you would only pour him one last one.
by Mohammed Hanif
Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf deserves our sympathy
Not because he has been forced to carry out a coup against his own
regime, not because his troops are being kidnapped en masse by
Pakistani Taliban and then awarded Rs 500 for good behaviour, not
because he himself has become a prisoner in his Army House and can't
even nip out for coffee and Paan as he used to, but because he has
utterly lost his grip over grammar.
In my 15 years in journalism, I have covered three coups. And as I
walked towards my office last Saturday, I had the cynicism of someone
who has seen it all before. As I entered the BBC offices on a chilly
Saturday afternoon in London, a senior Pakistan hand, who like me had
interrupted his cosy weekend to cover the story, wondered aloud why
the general was taking so long before appearing on national television
and explaining his actions.
"His speech writer is too old for all this excitement. He is probably
taking his time," I said. Barrister Sharifuddin Peerzada has midwifed
every single coup in Pakistan and when General Musharraf took over in
1999, we had to wait until 3 am for him to address the nation. The
nation listened to his 10 minutes of neatly turned out verbosity and,
relieved, went to sleep. Peerzada may lack in democratic credentials,
but he cares about his syntax.
Last Saturday as I arrived at my desk, Musharraf had already started
his address. And it was immediately clear to me that he had fallen
into that aging dictator's familiar trap: He had written his own
speech.
I exaggerate because he only occasionally glanced at his notes and
for 40 minutes talked, well, gibberish; the kind of stuff that only
journalists and think-tank-wallahs would take seriously.
I was so unsettled -- not by what he was saying, but by the way he
was saying it -- that I listened to the entire speech again last
night.
I have been accused of punctuation abuse often enough to take these
things in my stride, but for the 40 minutes that General Musharraf
spoke in Urdu, he didn't use one proper sentence.
He replaced his verbs with hand gestures, nouns slipped off his
shrugged shoulders, adjectives quivered under his desk.
And when he said, "Extremists have gone very extreme," it suddenly
occurred to me why his speech pattern seemed so familiar. He was that
uncle that you get stranded with at a family gathering when everybody
else has gone to sleep but there is still some whisky left in the
bottle. And uncle thinks he is about to say something very profound --
if you would only pour him one last one.
Consider this; in the middle of his speech when everyone was silently
urging him to get to the point, losing the thread of his diatribe
about how judicial activism was responsible for the rise of jihadis in
Pakistan, he abruptly said, "I have imposed emergency," then looked
into the camera, waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and said, "You
must have seen it on TV."
He forgot to mention that he had pulled the plug on all television
channels except the State-run television. It might sound like
old-school dictator talk, but just imagine if somebody took away your
television and then told you, 'Oh, did you see that thing on TV?'
For those who haven't suffered General Musharraf's regime directly,
he can come across as a rakish figure, a daredevil who easily switches
between his camouflage commando uniform and designer suits and then
half sleeved shirts for attending fashion shows -- his favourite
cultural activity before he was forced to abandon it because of
security concerns.
His CV is impressive: Here is a man who can manage the frontline on
America's war and terror, get rid of three prime ministers and scores
of generals and still find time to write an autobiography and then get
George W Bush to endorse it in front of the world media.
I visited Delhi soon after Musharraf's failed Agra summit and he
seemed to have earned the grudging respect of the Delhi elite. My
Indian colleagues looked at stone-faced Vajpayee and wondered, why
can't the new shining India have a handsome leader like Musharraf. One
south Delhi resident claimed his wife had started watching Pakistani
channels obsessively just to get a glimpse of our commando President.
I reminded my Indian friend of Musharraf's Kargil adventure. "How
come you have forgotten your Kargil widows so soon?" I said. "Well
come off it, he is a bit of a matinee idol from the fifties," I was
told. I am not a big fan of period Bollywood, so I kept quiet.
As I watched the speech this Saturday, I wondered if my Indian
friend's wife saw the same Musharraf that I saw on my screen. He was
like that uncle that I mentioned earlier, who after a couple of drinks
not only wants to explain the meaning of life, but also why he is the
most misunderstood man in the world, how your aunt never valued him,
why the world is run by a cabal of Jewish gays and why Japanese
technology is a disgrace.
You want to take the bottle away and tell him to get some sleep. He
wants to tell you he loves you more than his own son and now can you
pour him another drink.
I am not even remotely suggesting that Musharraf was drunk when he
addressed the nation. No, it was something far more sinister. He
seemed to be having an out of body experience, there he sat in his
sherwani reading an order written by his uniformed alter ego, wagging
a finger at himself, accusing his own government of spreading
terrorism.
And let's not forget that when I say Pakistani government, I mean
General Pervez Musharraf.
Here are some random things he said. And trust me, these things were
said quite randomly:
Yes, he did say, "Extremism bahut extreme ho gaya hai (extremism has
become too extreme)."
"Hum se koi darta hi nahin (nobody is scared of us anymore)."
"Islamabad mein extremist bharay houay hain (Islamabad is full of extremists)."
"Hakumat ke andar hakumat bana rakhi hai (there is a government
within government)."
"Har waqt bas court ke chakkar lagatey rehtay hain (officials are
being asked to go to the courts every other day)."
"Officials ki beizzati kartay hain (officials are being insulted by
the judiciary)."
At one point he appeared wistful when reminiscing about his first
three years in power -- "mera total control thha (I had total
control)." You were almost tempted to ask: What happened then, uncle?
But obviously, uncle didn't need any prompting. He launched into his
routine about three stages of democracy. He claimed he was about to
launch the third and final phase of democracy (the way he said it, he
managed to make it sound like the Final Solution). And just when you
thought he was about to make his point, he took an abrupt turn and
plunged into a deep pool of self pity.
This involved a long-winded anecdote about how the Supreme Court
judges would rather attend a colleagues' daughter's wedding rather
than just get it over with and decide that he is a constitutional
President.
As I said, I have heard some dictator speeches in my life, but nobody
has gone so far as to mention someone's daughter's wedding for
imposing martial law in the country.
When for the last few minutes of his speech he addressed his audience
in the West in English, I suddenly felt a deep sense of humiliation.
This part of his speech was scripted. Sentences began and ended. I
felt humiliated that my President not only thinks that we are not
evolved enough for things like democracy and human rights, but because
we can't even handle concepts like proper syntax and grammar.
Abraham Lincoln was quoted. The slow and painful evolution of Western
democracy was evoked. Idealists were told to manage their expectations
and then there was the obligatory poetic flourish: "I would not let
this country commit suicide."
Sure, a colleague chipped in, I would rather strangle it with my own hands.
As he closed his speech with a rather poetic "forever Pakistan,
forever," and the national anthem started to play, it occurred to me
that our whole nation is probably feeling like a Kargil widow by now.
With no cable television to console her sorrows.
Mohammed Hanif is the head of BBC's Urdu Service. His novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes will be published by Random House India next year.
http://us.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/06guest.htm
And when he said, "Extremists have gone very extreme," it suddenly
occurred to me why his speech pattern seemed so familiar. He was that
uncle that you get stranded with at a family gathering when everybody
else has gone to sleep but there is still some whisky left in the
bottle. And uncle thinks he is about to say something very profound --
if you would only pour him one last one.
by Mohammed Hanif
Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf deserves our sympathy
Not because he has been forced to carry out a coup against his own
regime, not because his troops are being kidnapped en masse by
Pakistani Taliban and then awarded Rs 500 for good behaviour, not
because he himself has become a prisoner in his Army House and can't
even nip out for coffee and Paan as he used to, but because he has
utterly lost his grip over grammar.
In my 15 years in journalism, I have covered three coups. And as I
walked towards my office last Saturday, I had the cynicism of someone
who has seen it all before. As I entered the BBC offices on a chilly
Saturday afternoon in London, a senior Pakistan hand, who like me had
interrupted his cosy weekend to cover the story, wondered aloud why
the general was taking so long before appearing on national television
and explaining his actions.
"His speech writer is too old for all this excitement. He is probably
taking his time," I said. Barrister Sharifuddin Peerzada has midwifed
every single coup in Pakistan and when General Musharraf took over in
1999, we had to wait until 3 am for him to address the nation. The
nation listened to his 10 minutes of neatly turned out verbosity and,
relieved, went to sleep. Peerzada may lack in democratic credentials,
but he cares about his syntax.
Last Saturday as I arrived at my desk, Musharraf had already started
his address. And it was immediately clear to me that he had fallen
into that aging dictator's familiar trap: He had written his own
speech.
I exaggerate because he only occasionally glanced at his notes and
for 40 minutes talked, well, gibberish; the kind of stuff that only
journalists and think-tank-wallahs would take seriously.
I was so unsettled -- not by what he was saying, but by the way he
was saying it -- that I listened to the entire speech again last
night.
I have been accused of punctuation abuse often enough to take these
things in my stride, but for the 40 minutes that General Musharraf
spoke in Urdu, he didn't use one proper sentence.
He replaced his verbs with hand gestures, nouns slipped off his
shrugged shoulders, adjectives quivered under his desk.
And when he said, "Extremists have gone very extreme," it suddenly
occurred to me why his speech pattern seemed so familiar. He was that
uncle that you get stranded with at a family gathering when everybody
else has gone to sleep but there is still some whisky left in the
bottle. And uncle thinks he is about to say something very profound --
if you would only pour him one last one.
Consider this; in the middle of his speech when everyone was silently
urging him to get to the point, losing the thread of his diatribe
about how judicial activism was responsible for the rise of jihadis in
Pakistan, he abruptly said, "I have imposed emergency," then looked
into the camera, waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and said, "You
must have seen it on TV."
He forgot to mention that he had pulled the plug on all television
channels except the State-run television. It might sound like
old-school dictator talk, but just imagine if somebody took away your
television and then told you, 'Oh, did you see that thing on TV?'
For those who haven't suffered General Musharraf's regime directly,
he can come across as a rakish figure, a daredevil who easily switches
between his camouflage commando uniform and designer suits and then
half sleeved shirts for attending fashion shows -- his favourite
cultural activity before he was forced to abandon it because of
security concerns.
His CV is impressive: Here is a man who can manage the frontline on
America's war and terror, get rid of three prime ministers and scores
of generals and still find time to write an autobiography and then get
George W Bush to endorse it in front of the world media.
I visited Delhi soon after Musharraf's failed Agra summit and he
seemed to have earned the grudging respect of the Delhi elite. My
Indian colleagues looked at stone-faced Vajpayee and wondered, why
can't the new shining India have a handsome leader like Musharraf. One
south Delhi resident claimed his wife had started watching Pakistani
channels obsessively just to get a glimpse of our commando President.
I reminded my Indian friend of Musharraf's Kargil adventure. "How
come you have forgotten your Kargil widows so soon?" I said. "Well
come off it, he is a bit of a matinee idol from the fifties," I was
told. I am not a big fan of period Bollywood, so I kept quiet.
As I watched the speech this Saturday, I wondered if my Indian
friend's wife saw the same Musharraf that I saw on my screen. He was
like that uncle that I mentioned earlier, who after a couple of drinks
not only wants to explain the meaning of life, but also why he is the
most misunderstood man in the world, how your aunt never valued him,
why the world is run by a cabal of Jewish gays and why Japanese
technology is a disgrace.
You want to take the bottle away and tell him to get some sleep. He
wants to tell you he loves you more than his own son and now can you
pour him another drink.
I am not even remotely suggesting that Musharraf was drunk when he
addressed the nation. No, it was something far more sinister. He
seemed to be having an out of body experience, there he sat in his
sherwani reading an order written by his uniformed alter ego, wagging
a finger at himself, accusing his own government of spreading
terrorism.
And let's not forget that when I say Pakistani government, I mean
General Pervez Musharraf.
Here are some random things he said. And trust me, these things were
said quite randomly:
Yes, he did say, "Extremism bahut extreme ho gaya hai (extremism has
become too extreme)."
"Hum se koi darta hi nahin (nobody is scared of us anymore)."
"Islamabad mein extremist bharay houay hain (Islamabad is full of extremists)."
"Hakumat ke andar hakumat bana rakhi hai (there is a government
within government)."
"Har waqt bas court ke chakkar lagatey rehtay hain (officials are
being asked to go to the courts every other day)."
"Officials ki beizzati kartay hain (officials are being insulted by
the judiciary)."
At one point he appeared wistful when reminiscing about his first
three years in power -- "mera total control thha (I had total
control)." You were almost tempted to ask: What happened then, uncle?
But obviously, uncle didn't need any prompting. He launched into his
routine about three stages of democracy. He claimed he was about to
launch the third and final phase of democracy (the way he said it, he
managed to make it sound like the Final Solution). And just when you
thought he was about to make his point, he took an abrupt turn and
plunged into a deep pool of self pity.
This involved a long-winded anecdote about how the Supreme Court
judges would rather attend a colleagues' daughter's wedding rather
than just get it over with and decide that he is a constitutional
President.
As I said, I have heard some dictator speeches in my life, but nobody
has gone so far as to mention someone's daughter's wedding for
imposing martial law in the country.
When for the last few minutes of his speech he addressed his audience
in the West in English, I suddenly felt a deep sense of humiliation.
This part of his speech was scripted. Sentences began and ended. I
felt humiliated that my President not only thinks that we are not
evolved enough for things like democracy and human rights, but because
we can't even handle concepts like proper syntax and grammar.
Abraham Lincoln was quoted. The slow and painful evolution of Western
democracy was evoked. Idealists were told to manage their expectations
and then there was the obligatory poetic flourish: "I would not let
this country commit suicide."
Sure, a colleague chipped in, I would rather strangle it with my own hands.
As he closed his speech with a rather poetic "forever Pakistan,
forever," and the national anthem started to play, it occurred to me
that our whole nation is probably feeling like a Kargil widow by now.
With no cable television to console her sorrows.
Mohammed Hanif is the head of BBC's Urdu Service. His novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes will be published by Random House India next year.
http://us.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/06guest.htm
Friday, October 19, 2007
I drive home late these days. In a car full of people I don’t know. It beats taking the bus back. Or having to drive myself. The headlights pick out a dog’s arse trotting down the road, grey balls jiggling. A kid stands in front of Bhutto’s gaping face, his dirty clothes hidden next to the billboard’s bright colours. I feel bad, now. The glossy teeth, the lifted hand, the hansom face of her father with pigeon shit on it seem strangely out of place now, like poster advertising a carnival long after it’s over. All over
KH said, last night, just before I went to sleep “Saima I wish you could be here, this… words fail me. The atmosphere her is electric, it’s absolutely amazing.”
You’ve won, you were right, I hope you’re happy. I was happier last night.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Law of Difference: set up english language channel in predominantly Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto etc country and it's only a matter of time before it bites you in the ass. That's the price you pay for being different.
If there's one channel you should be watching this week, its Aaj TV. They've done a mind-blowingly funny spoof of Dawn TV... everything you've been bitching about for ages but never had the time to put on paper. The wardrobes! the accents! the graphics! the irritating music! aaanddd.... the anchors!
Or rather. the Anchor. the Superman of Dawn TV. his wit is faster than a ghadda gari, he can leap boring bulletin items in a single bound and lift eyebrows ten times his own body weight.
still trying to get a youtube link... i know that everyone here is going to be glued to the show.
If there's one channel you should be watching this week, its Aaj TV. They've done a mind-blowingly funny spoof of Dawn TV... everything you've been bitching about for ages but never had the time to put on paper. The wardrobes! the accents! the graphics! the irritating music! aaanddd.... the anchors!
Or rather. the Anchor. the Superman of Dawn TV. his wit is faster than a ghadda gari, he can leap boring bulletin items in a single bound and lift eyebrows ten times his own body weight.
still trying to get a youtube link... i know that everyone here is going to be glued to the show.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
[ today, ]
General Musharraf is going to be re-elected as the President of this country for the next five years. Here's how.
The Provincial Assemblies currently consist of 728 seats.
As far as the Presidential Electoral College goes, that amounts to 260 votes- that is, 65 votes for each province. This is done to give every province equal weight in voting.
There are 65 seats in the Balochistan Assembly…. With 38 percent going to the PML-Q.
The PML-Q also has an overwhelming majority in the Punjab, with nearly 60% of the 371 seats.
Sindh is the greatest power struggle: the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians have one-third of the seats. But the pro-government coalition of the PML-Q and the MQM combine to dominate the province with 49% of the assembly.
Finally, there are 124 seats in NWFP Assembly, where the Muttahaida Majlis e Amal coalition ruled with 56% of the seats.
Yesterday, 36 of their members resigned, bringing the party hold over the assembly down to 27%.
Next, the National Assembly. There are 342 seats in the National Assembly or the Lower House. Of these, nearly 40% belong to the PML Q, 16% belong to the PPPP, nearly 6% are held by the MMA and about 5% belong to PML N. The other significant groups in the National Assembly are the MQM, with nearly 6% of the seats, and the National Alliance, with 4% of the seats.
In the National Assembly, every member counts as one vote. That means 342 seats equal to 342 votes.
85 of these members will not be voting any more.
Members of the MMA and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf were amongst those members of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement who resigned from the National Assembly today, in a bid to block General Musharraf’s re-election. Some members of the PML-Q resigned as well.
Finally, the Senate. The Upper House of Pakistan’s government has 100 seats, of which 39 belong to the PML-Q.
So this is what it looked like last night: 260 votes from the provinces, 257 votes from the National Assembly, and 100 votes from the Senate. The Presidential candidates need a simple majority to win.
If you're still wondering why the APDM quit the government... it's because they're in a minority in either case. Thats the point of a RULING MAJORITY. and that's the entire point of DEMOCRATIC elections... the Assemblies complete their term, a new NA is formed (based on people's evaluation of the previous govt, whether they want to keep it in power or not) and then they choose their President. Musharraf has increased his powers AND his immunity to democratic change.
in the words of a white man: may Pakistan prosper, always.
**ELECTORAL UPDATE AFTER 3**
General Musharraf is going to be re-elected as the President of this country for the next five years. Here's how.
The Provincial Assemblies currently consist of 728 seats.
As far as the Presidential Electoral College goes, that amounts to 260 votes- that is, 65 votes for each province. This is done to give every province equal weight in voting.
There are 65 seats in the Balochistan Assembly…. With 38 percent going to the PML-Q.
The PML-Q also has an overwhelming majority in the Punjab, with nearly 60% of the 371 seats.
Sindh is the greatest power struggle: the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians have one-third of the seats. But the pro-government coalition of the PML-Q and the MQM combine to dominate the province with 49% of the assembly.
Finally, there are 124 seats in NWFP Assembly, where the Muttahaida Majlis e Amal coalition ruled with 56% of the seats.
Yesterday, 36 of their members resigned, bringing the party hold over the assembly down to 27%.
Next, the National Assembly. There are 342 seats in the National Assembly or the Lower House. Of these, nearly 40% belong to the PML Q, 16% belong to the PPPP, nearly 6% are held by the MMA and about 5% belong to PML N. The other significant groups in the National Assembly are the MQM, with nearly 6% of the seats, and the National Alliance, with 4% of the seats.
In the National Assembly, every member counts as one vote. That means 342 seats equal to 342 votes.
85 of these members will not be voting any more.
Members of the MMA and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf were amongst those members of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement who resigned from the National Assembly today, in a bid to block General Musharraf’s re-election. Some members of the PML-Q resigned as well.
Finally, the Senate. The Upper House of Pakistan’s government has 100 seats, of which 39 belong to the PML-Q.
So this is what it looked like last night: 260 votes from the provinces, 257 votes from the National Assembly, and 100 votes from the Senate. The Presidential candidates need a simple majority to win.
If you're still wondering why the APDM quit the government... it's because they're in a minority in either case. Thats the point of a RULING MAJORITY. and that's the entire point of DEMOCRATIC elections... the Assemblies complete their term, a new NA is formed (based on people's evaluation of the previous govt, whether they want to keep it in power or not) and then they choose their President. Musharraf has increased his powers AND his immunity to democratic change.
in the words of a white man: may Pakistan prosper, always.
**ELECTORAL UPDATE AFTER 3**
Friday, September 14, 2007
Hello and welcome to NewsPie
[ Tonight's top story: ]
In a dramatic announcement to international media today, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said that she is returning to the country Soon. Very Soon.
Ms. Bhutto has been involved in a series of talks with President General Pervez Musharraf. Over the course of several meetings Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Musharraf have agreed to disagree on nearly all of the points between their parties. They hoped that future talks would be equally successful.
Chaudry Shujaat spoke to the press last Friday and said that only 9% of the deal had been settled. On Saturday he updated news media on the PML(Q)’s statement: now, it seems that 10% of the deal had been finalized. At this rate, analysts estimate that PML (Q) and the PPP will come to a rapid power sharing deal some time late next year.
Meanwhile, another member of the General Musharraf’s party, Mushahid Hussain bitterly complained that Ms. Bhutto only spoke to generals. He said that by talking to the leader of his party, Ms. Bhutto has undermined the integrity of politicians. Analysts are still confused about this one.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that nothing would stand in between him and his supporters. He said no force on earth could prevent him from returning to Pakistan and fighting the elections. He was last seen boarding a plane to Jeddah, after the army barricaded the airport, escorted him to a waiting helicopter and put him on the next Boeing out of the country.
That’s all for tonight’s edition of NewsPie. Do stay with us. (Seriously- its Ramazan. There’s nothing else to do.)
[ Tonight's top story: ]
In a dramatic announcement to international media today, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said that she is returning to the country Soon. Very Soon.
Ms. Bhutto has been involved in a series of talks with President General Pervez Musharraf. Over the course of several meetings Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Musharraf have agreed to disagree on nearly all of the points between their parties. They hoped that future talks would be equally successful.
Chaudry Shujaat spoke to the press last Friday and said that only 9% of the deal had been settled. On Saturday he updated news media on the PML(Q)’s statement: now, it seems that 10% of the deal had been finalized. At this rate, analysts estimate that PML (Q) and the PPP will come to a rapid power sharing deal some time late next year.
Meanwhile, another member of the General Musharraf’s party, Mushahid Hussain bitterly complained that Ms. Bhutto only spoke to generals. He said that by talking to the leader of his party, Ms. Bhutto has undermined the integrity of politicians. Analysts are still confused about this one.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that nothing would stand in between him and his supporters. He said no force on earth could prevent him from returning to Pakistan and fighting the elections. He was last seen boarding a plane to Jeddah, after the army barricaded the airport, escorted him to a waiting helicopter and put him on the next Boeing out of the country.
That’s all for tonight’s edition of NewsPie. Do stay with us. (Seriously- its Ramazan. There’s nothing else to do.)
Monday, September 10, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
[ from Desk to Dawn ]
Hubbin' Birmingistan (kin to Hub Pk, who was with us until a few months ago) is a huge fan of Cristopher Hitchens, with good reason.
"In the 1980s, Pakistan got a blank check from the U.S. to combat the Russians, and spent much of the check in building up the Taliban. Now it is getting another check and a brand-new interest-free mortgage in order to pretend that the Taliban are its enemy. It just doesn't get any better than this."
Read article: >
Does our reputation as smarmy opportunist bastards precede us? Well, it should.
Stephen Levitt has always struck me as a man who pushes that 11th percent of brain matter, unlike most people in the world. Here's two excellent articles that are brilliant because they engage us in the simplest of questions, one which anyone with a grain of sense would have asked themselves already: if i were a terrorist, how would i attack?
also see Terrorism II
"The alternative interpretation is that the terror risk just isn’t that high and we are greatly overspending on fighting it, or at least appearing to fight it. For most government officials, there is much more pressure to look like you are trying to stop terrorism than there is to actually stop it."
Yes, I have a secret weakness for economists.
Hubbin' Birmingistan (kin to Hub Pk, who was with us until a few months ago) is a huge fan of Cristopher Hitchens, with good reason.
"In the 1980s, Pakistan got a blank check from the U.S. to combat the Russians, and spent much of the check in building up the Taliban. Now it is getting another check and a brand-new interest-free mortgage in order to pretend that the Taliban are its enemy. It just doesn't get any better than this."
Read article: >
Does our reputation as smarmy opportunist bastards precede us? Well, it should.
Stephen Levitt has always struck me as a man who pushes that 11th percent of brain matter, unlike most people in the world. Here's two excellent articles that are brilliant because they engage us in the simplest of questions, one which anyone with a grain of sense would have asked themselves already: if i were a terrorist, how would i attack?
also see Terrorism II
"The alternative interpretation is that the terror risk just isn’t that high and we are greatly overspending on fighting it, or at least appearing to fight it. For most government officials, there is much more pressure to look like you are trying to stop terrorism than there is to actually stop it."
Yes, I have a secret weakness for economists.
Monday, June 04, 2007
[ chilly wars, khaki inc and a bit of marquez ]
admittedly, the EU's internal conflicts are not top priority on the reading list these days. which is why its mildly disturbing when Putin begins to point his nuclear nose at European cities. it just makes you wonder how out of touch you are. because on some level, its impossible to stay in touch with everything. but the world really is a big puzzle. so if you're wondering why the post-Soviet politicians in Russia would start throwing about terms like "imperialist" viz the US, it probably has more to do with Iran's pipeline than the tiny Estonian state on the fringe of the continent. but that's my guess. and then its worth musing why anyone would care, really, if Roos and Maghrib are at it again. there's so much more exciting stuff going on at home to sink one's political dentures into. i don't think its possible to lose more than two feet. regrettably, every other person has damned the fauj to having (repeatedly) shot itself (god knows it has ammunition enough) in the foot. all six of them. if i were 16 right now I'd be dreaming of being a lawyer or a journalist, the way kids in the American 40s dreamt of being fighter pilots. if i were unemployed and in my 30s id consider joining a political party (i recommend the Tehreek; you're about as likely to get shot at as you are to get your feet muddy).
me, in my 20's... i wish i were American.
its good to be an American, these days. the Yankees are winning whatever it is that they play, Paris is in jail (i sense a reality show coming up), HP is having throwaway sales on its Core Duo range before they get thoroughly outdated and Lost is still one of the top ten shows. The next president might be a woman or a black man (not really, but it makes for excellent dinnertime conversation), Russia's nice and cranky and we're winning the war on terror because we're all terrified. its great. we are no longer callous and uninformed, ever since the upgrade which comes with built-in self-pity and guilt. its a nifty device that enables us to instantly share our intimate sorrows as ultimate superpowers in this bloody board game. it reminds me of a close friend who in A Levels loved to speak endlessly about the role of the USA as the world police officer. or torture chamber operator. sorry, interrogator.
That clash, said Darius Rejali, a political scientist who has studied torture and democracy, can torment interrogators: "Nothing is more toxic than guilt, which is typical with democratic interrogators. Nazis, on the other hand, don't have these problems."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19018410/
links to the Russian-EU issue
The Guardian's Spec Report on Russia: http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2094213,00.html
Today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2094839,00.html
ghareloo maamle
www.dawn.com
for M, and a. one day they'll paint train stations with your words.
click to follow link
admittedly, the EU's internal conflicts are not top priority on the reading list these days. which is why its mildly disturbing when Putin begins to point his nuclear nose at European cities. it just makes you wonder how out of touch you are. because on some level, its impossible to stay in touch with everything. but the world really is a big puzzle. so if you're wondering why the post-Soviet politicians in Russia would start throwing about terms like "imperialist" viz the US, it probably has more to do with Iran's pipeline than the tiny Estonian state on the fringe of the continent. but that's my guess. and then its worth musing why anyone would care, really, if Roos and Maghrib are at it again. there's so much more exciting stuff going on at home to sink one's political dentures into. i don't think its possible to lose more than two feet. regrettably, every other person has damned the fauj to having (repeatedly) shot itself (god knows it has ammunition enough) in the foot. all six of them. if i were 16 right now I'd be dreaming of being a lawyer or a journalist, the way kids in the American 40s dreamt of being fighter pilots. if i were unemployed and in my 30s id consider joining a political party (i recommend the Tehreek; you're about as likely to get shot at as you are to get your feet muddy).
me, in my 20's... i wish i were American.
its good to be an American, these days. the Yankees are winning whatever it is that they play, Paris is in jail (i sense a reality show coming up), HP is having throwaway sales on its Core Duo range before they get thoroughly outdated and Lost is still one of the top ten shows. The next president might be a woman or a black man (not really, but it makes for excellent dinnertime conversation), Russia's nice and cranky and we're winning the war on terror because we're all terrified. its great. we are no longer callous and uninformed, ever since the upgrade which comes with built-in self-pity and guilt. its a nifty device that enables us to instantly share our intimate sorrows as ultimate superpowers in this bloody board game. it reminds me of a close friend who in A Levels loved to speak endlessly about the role of the USA as the world police officer. or torture chamber operator. sorry, interrogator.
That clash, said Darius Rejali, a political scientist who has studied torture and democracy, can torment interrogators: "Nothing is more toxic than guilt, which is typical with democratic interrogators. Nazis, on the other hand, don't have these problems."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19018410/
i will then cease to wring my mind over trivialities in fundamentalist pro-liberal democratically fascist states where good investments, ethnic apartheid and the iron gag take scenic strolls down Parliament Avenue.
links to the Russian-EU issue
The Guardian's Spec Report on Russia: http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2094213,00.html
Today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2094839,00.html
ghareloo maamle
www.dawn.com
for M, and a. one day they'll paint train stations with your words.
click to follow link
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Hey joe,
i heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the groud, yeah
Yeah, yes, i did,
i shot her, you know
i caught her messin' round
messin' round town
- Hendrix, Hey Joe
Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore,
be sure of it - III(iii), Othello
...no need to talk it right here just park it right here keep it undercover
from me love how you fit inna you blouse and you fat inna you jeans and mi waan discover..
-Sean Paul, Temperature
hendrix was about music and not lyrics. the venue last night (at the Babar Khan tribute) was beautiful. excellent sound, nice stage with the dome of St.Lawrence's Cathedral in the back, lit up against the glowing Lahore sky. Lahore at this time of the year was meant for starry sleep-outs on the terrace, fanned by heady sultry breezes carrying the scent of dry bricks and dying flowers. the men on stage were in their element, the sound was beautifully rich and deep, played with all the coarse humour of a londa jam and the ease of veterans doing what they do best. maybe one day women will be that talented, to go up on stage in a baggy tshirt with filthy hair and belt out the riff to "money for nothing, chicks for free." and then laugh themselves silly on bootlegged beer and Peshawars best chars, stagger into a bar for a game of pool before crashing senseless onto the floor of thatonesbrothersroomatesuncles apartment, regaining conciousness at one am the next morning and heading over to the Rawind studio to finish up the project.
women just arent that talented. Led Zepplin was talent. its amazing how for years we've worshipped people who want to be our "backdoor man," call us whores and bitchez, want to give it to us way way down inside.
so we're not the only nation in the world that glorifies honor killings. its good to know that Jimi Hendrix would have really hit it off with the Jamiat. Othello reads like an Punjabi mainstream movie. it was tragic because Desdemona was, in fact, innocent. if she (god forbid) hadn't been, the entire play would've been a self-righteous orgy of the redemption of the male ego. it still is, but then thats just being picky.
but so much of feminism is. picky, picky. you're educated, rich, will probably have an income of your own. now what do you want? ok, so we control economy, culture, politics, religion, academia and art. ok, so even CEOs of company's are responsible for making sure their husbands have good food to eat at the end of the day. ok, so you cant be head of the household until death or divorce do you apart. nomenclature. why waste you life fighting it?
recently, a very dear friend of mine attempted to explain the logic behind the hidden woman in islam. a woman carries her beauty as a burden, and she is exceptionally well taken care of by islam is she chooses to sacrifice her life to it.
which is such shit, when you think of how women struggle to scrape a living every day. islam really failed to emancipate, protect, care for or empower women the way it claims to. i wonder why this god person couldnt come up with a better way to make people's lives easier. surely islam isnt linked to patriarchy.
you know whats wrong with feminists, e? they dont know how to negotiate. look, its like.. you want seats in Parliament, right? chalo, i'll give you seats in Parliament.
we dont want seats in Parliament.
ok, fine, I'll make you the President. i'll make a whole women affairs department, get you special benefits and all that.
jd, we dont want special benefits.
see, thats your problem. i'm giving you everything, what do you want?
we want you to get out.
what? but thats ridiculous.. thats revolution.
hi, i'm deaf and dumb and need to send my five children to school will you have sex with me i will give you a discount - painting at Cucoo's Den, Lahore.
i heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the groud, yeah
Yeah, yes, i did,
i shot her, you know
i caught her messin' round
messin' round town
- Hendrix, Hey Joe
Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore,
be sure of it - III(iii), Othello
...no need to talk it right here just park it right here keep it undercover
from me love how you fit inna you blouse and you fat inna you jeans and mi waan discover..
-Sean Paul, Temperature
hendrix was about music and not lyrics. the venue last night (at the Babar Khan tribute) was beautiful. excellent sound, nice stage with the dome of St.Lawrence's Cathedral in the back, lit up against the glowing Lahore sky. Lahore at this time of the year was meant for starry sleep-outs on the terrace, fanned by heady sultry breezes carrying the scent of dry bricks and dying flowers. the men on stage were in their element, the sound was beautifully rich and deep, played with all the coarse humour of a londa jam and the ease of veterans doing what they do best. maybe one day women will be that talented, to go up on stage in a baggy tshirt with filthy hair and belt out the riff to "money for nothing, chicks for free." and then laugh themselves silly on bootlegged beer and Peshawars best chars, stagger into a bar for a game of pool before crashing senseless onto the floor of thatonesbrothersroomatesuncles apartment, regaining conciousness at one am the next morning and heading over to the Rawind studio to finish up the project.
women just arent that talented. Led Zepplin was talent. its amazing how for years we've worshipped people who want to be our "backdoor man," call us whores and bitchez, want to give it to us way way down inside.
so we're not the only nation in the world that glorifies honor killings. its good to know that Jimi Hendrix would have really hit it off with the Jamiat. Othello reads like an Punjabi mainstream movie. it was tragic because Desdemona was, in fact, innocent. if she (god forbid) hadn't been, the entire play would've been a self-righteous orgy of the redemption of the male ego. it still is, but then thats just being picky.
but so much of feminism is. picky, picky. you're educated, rich, will probably have an income of your own. now what do you want? ok, so we control economy, culture, politics, religion, academia and art. ok, so even CEOs of company's are responsible for making sure their husbands have good food to eat at the end of the day. ok, so you cant be head of the household until death or divorce do you apart. nomenclature. why waste you life fighting it?
recently, a very dear friend of mine attempted to explain the logic behind the hidden woman in islam. a woman carries her beauty as a burden, and she is exceptionally well taken care of by islam is she chooses to sacrifice her life to it.
which is such shit, when you think of how women struggle to scrape a living every day. islam really failed to emancipate, protect, care for or empower women the way it claims to. i wonder why this god person couldnt come up with a better way to make people's lives easier. surely islam isnt linked to patriarchy.
you know whats wrong with feminists, e? they dont know how to negotiate. look, its like.. you want seats in Parliament, right? chalo, i'll give you seats in Parliament.
we dont want seats in Parliament.
ok, fine, I'll make you the President. i'll make a whole women affairs department, get you special benefits and all that.
jd, we dont want special benefits.
see, thats your problem. i'm giving you everything, what do you want?
we want you to get out.
what? but thats ridiculous.. thats revolution.
hi, i'm deaf and dumb and need to send my five children to school will you have sex with me i will give you a discount - painting at Cucoo's Den, Lahore.
Monday, March 12, 2007
[ ... ]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6441133.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6441133.stm"Asked why the CJ was confined to his residence and was not allowed to meet anyone at his own will, (Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani ) said that Justice Chaudhry was a judge and he was not expected to be a politician." http://dawn.com/2007/03/12/top2.htm
“There are no restrictions on him,” Minister of State for Information Senator Tariq Azim told Dawn. He said the opposition was trying to politicise the matter, which was regrettable. http://dawn.com/2007/03/12/top1.htm
what are the charges against CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry? this is not the first time someone has been made a scapegoat by a President. but there have always been some charges, some details beyond simply "abuse of power." this is exceptionally interesting (and infuriating) because it is within the Constituional rights of the Head of State:
Part VII, Chapter 4, Section 209
(5) If, on information [231A] [from any source, the Council or] the President is of the opinion that a Judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court,
(a) may be incapable of properly performing the duties of his office by reason of physical or mental incapacity; or
(b) may have been guilty of misconduct,
(a) may be incapable of properly performing the duties of his office by reason of physical or mental incapacity; or
(b) may have been guilty of misconduct,
the President shall direct the Council to [231B] [, or the Council may, on its own motion,] inquire into the matter.
(6) If, after inquiring into the matter, the Council reports to the President that it is of the opinion,
(a) that the Judge is incapable of performing the duties of his office or has been guilty of misconduct, and
(b) that he should be removed from office, the President may remove the Judge from office.
(6) If, after inquiring into the matter, the Council reports to the President that it is of the opinion,
(a) that the Judge is incapable of performing the duties of his office or has been guilty of misconduct, and
(b) that he should be removed from office, the President may remove the Judge from office.
I dont think this involves declaring him non functional and filing a case against him and locking him up in his house.
Unless, of course, we've all lost our minds and are blindly accusing Musharraf in spite of him acting within his rights. Unless we have collectively failed to investigate and make public the henious crimes of the CJ.
I wonder who will be chosen to prosecute and judge this man. And on what charges. Finally,
NEW YORK, March 11: Pakistan Muslim League leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has refused to comment on the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, saying that it is an internal matter between the army and the judiciary. http://dawn.com/2007/03/12/top3.htm
what the hell is that supposed to mean? either our top management really enjoys shooting itself in one foot and placing the other one in their mouth, or they really dont think public sentiment amounts to much, at the end of the day. one can understand why it is so hard to put faith in our political parties, given the utter greasiness and apathy of the people that run them.
so spaketh the Chory. I wonder what Bibi and Nawaz are upto. Khan Sahab has put in his two cents, bless his heart. it will be funny if Khan gets a sizeable amount of the independent vote this year: if elections go on as scheduled, that is. whoever it is that is attempting to blow up bridges under Musharraf's bum really needs to get their act together.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
[ The Ego Feeder ("ubiquitous") ]
Some time ago, I posted the love song of Prufrock. I think I was attracted to Prufrock because it made me better than you.
I understand what it must feel like to hide behind a good story, or a poem. Its like wearing a costume. Like Alfred, struggling into his dress. But in letters, we attempt to stay naked.
I want to talk about Prufrock. I think I miscalculated, somewhere, the warmth of yellow smoke rubbing against a window pane. I wish I could marvel at the way a cat turns a corner, or slips over a platform, and follow its long and liquid step.
then i will speak of Michelangelo.
I should write about more relevant. Have you been keeping up? Some day, I'll be deeply satirical.
Each letter is heavy, a link in chain-mail, like armour. The walls of the feeder, and a tiny perch, where the ego can sit and peck at the grains inside. If your eye is trained, you'll know where to find the chinks. And you'll know where this water-tight leaks.
If I were to come back here, I'd remove Alfred, because no one knows him or where he's from. Who cares about the Sabine women? Why was something so gruesome so damn funny?
Then, I'd take out the quote. No one cares. And the thing about the cat. Unnecessary.
I iron my clothes from top to down, front and then back.
Then, I'd take out Prufrock. But as I hit "Publish", I'll still know i'm better than you. Somehow, in my secret dark heart, I'll find a way to believe that much about myself. That I know more, see more, understand more. Can write more openly, sincerely, honestly. I am the best, and you can check my resume if you like.
"My Id knows what it wants. My ego knows better." and we laughed and we laughed.
I wanted to be centre of the universe, once. In retrospect- where else would I be?
Some time ago, I posted the love song of Prufrock. I think I was attracted to Prufrock because it made me better than you.
I understand what it must feel like to hide behind a good story, or a poem. Its like wearing a costume. Like Alfred, struggling into his dress. But in letters, we attempt to stay naked.
I want to talk about Prufrock. I think I miscalculated, somewhere, the warmth of yellow smoke rubbing against a window pane. I wish I could marvel at the way a cat turns a corner, or slips over a platform, and follow its long and liquid step.
then i will speak of Michelangelo.
I should write about more relevant. Have you been keeping up? Some day, I'll be deeply satirical.
Each letter is heavy, a link in chain-mail, like armour. The walls of the feeder, and a tiny perch, where the ego can sit and peck at the grains inside. If your eye is trained, you'll know where to find the chinks. And you'll know where this water-tight leaks.
If I were to come back here, I'd remove Alfred, because no one knows him or where he's from. Who cares about the Sabine women? Why was something so gruesome so damn funny?
Then, I'd take out the quote. No one cares. And the thing about the cat. Unnecessary.
I iron my clothes from top to down, front and then back.
Then, I'd take out Prufrock. But as I hit "Publish", I'll still know i'm better than you. Somehow, in my secret dark heart, I'll find a way to believe that much about myself. That I know more, see more, understand more. Can write more openly, sincerely, honestly. I am the best, and you can check my resume if you like.
"My Id knows what it wants. My ego knows better." and we laughed and we laughed.
I wanted to be centre of the universe, once. In retrospect- where else would I be?
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