* Foreign minister says Pakistan will only seek involvement in Afghanistan in accordance with country’s wishes
WASHINGTON: Today Pakistan does not want the Taliban to take over Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday, adding, however, there was a time when there was a Taliban government in Afghanistan and Pakistan felt comfortable with that.
Talking to the National Public Radio, Qureshi rejected suggestions that Pakistan has quietly supported Taliban in Afghanistan. He pledged to work to bring stability to its neighbour.
He said Pakistan was striving to be a “moderate, democratic voice” since its return to civilian rule in 2008. “Friends can also change,” he said.
“What the American people need to understand is that people and democracy in Pakistan are getting their act together,” he said. Qureshi said Pakistan would only seek involvement in Afghanistan in accordance with the country’s wishes.
“We are going to do whatever we can do to achieve the objective of a peaceful, stable, friendly Afghanistan,” he added.
Partnership: Meanwhile, after a meeting with US Vice President Joseph Biden on Thursday, Qureshi said he expressed the US administration’s willingness to transform the US-Pakistan relationship into a mutually beneficial and sustained partnership, according to APP. Biden dropped in a White House meeting between National Security Adviser James Jones and top Pakistani officials including Qureshi, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar, army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Islamabad’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani.
“We exchanged views on the discussions we had at the strategic dialogue and his (Biden’s) expression of support reinforced my understanding that this administration is ready to turn bilateral relations into a partnership,” Qureshi told reporters after the meeting.
He said the top US officials paid tribute to the Pakistani people for their courage in simultaneously dealing with certain serious issues. “Pakistan has taken some tough decisions, some very difficult economic decisions, which burdened the ordinary people. The US officials acknowledge this and agree that delivery (of US aid) has been slow. And they are ready to review that,” the foreign minister added.
Speaking particularly about Biden’s views, he said, “He (Biden) clearly sees a huge change in the congressional approach towards Pakistan (following the country’s anti-terror strides).” agencies
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Pakistan-India water talks begin in Lahore
Boats parked at the banks of Indus River due to shortage of water. – APP (File Photo)
The nine-member delegation of Indian water commission is headed by G Aranga Nathan while Jamaat Ali Shah is heading the Pakistani water commission.
According to Shah, the Indian commission has come to hear Pakistan’s point of view on the water dispute. The agricultural and hydroelectric uses of water allowed under the treaty will also be discussed.
The main agenda of the first day was the decrease of water level in River Chenab and the construction of Nemobaaz Go and Chutak power plants at the River Sindh by India that will block 35,000 foot per acre water.
While speaking to the media after the end of the first day's session of talks with his Indian counterpart, Shah said that Pakistan
Shah said that the Indus Water treaty Commission wants to resolve all pending issues so that the trust of public could be built on the commission.
While the Indian Commissioner Nathan said that they will examine the Pakistan's point of view
The Indian delegation has handed over the construction plan and map of the Nemobaaz Go power plant and briefing has been given in this regard by the Indian technical officers.
Moreover, the commissions have agreed to keep the free board height of Neemobaaz Go dam at one metre.
Contingency plan ready to respond to threats: PAF
ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday a contingency plan was ready to counter any threat to the country’s security and made it clear that any misadventure by the adversary would invite a ‘massive reaction’.
Speaking at a briefing here at Air Headquarters, he said Pakistan did not harbour aggressive designs against any country, but was capable of beating back any aggressor.
He said Pakistan believed in peace with honour and observed that peace cannot be maintained from a position of weakness.
In reply to a question about the threats of surgical strikes inside Pakistan by India in case of another Mumbai-like terror attack, the PAF chief said “the neighbours know that in case of a sneak attack by them, reaction will be coming within hours”.
He said India would not be able to penetrate deep inside Pakistan’s territory, and the most they would do in such a case would be to choose an area near the border for a hit-and-run operation.
He said when the President House received a hoax call from ‘the Indian foreign minister’ after the Mumbai episode, the Pakistan Air Force identified certain targets across the border.
Air Marshal Qamar Suleman said permission from the government for replying to any aggression had been obtained and preparations made for a matching response.
He said India would not be able to defeat Pakistan in a conventional war.
He said the High Mark 2010 was not aimed against any country, but aimed at evaluating capabilities in an environment where dimensions of threat were changing warranting new concepts. He said the exercise was different in nature from the previous ones because the other two services were also actively taking part in it.
He noted that a future war would be swift and intense and said that is why the high tempo operation with a component of time sensitive targeting was being undertaken.
He said the budget for the exercise had been managed by savings as a result of 20 per cent reduction in flying from June, without asking for additional funds for the mega event from the Government.
Responding to question, he indicated that there was no plan to set up an air base in Azad Kashmir saying that the base in Skardu was sufficient to meet operational requirements of the PAF.
The Air Chief said Pakistan would start receiving 18 F-16 planes paid for it years back from June and the process would be completed by December. He disclosed that the United States had agreed to provide another 14 block 52 F-16s to Pakistan shortly. He said the existing fleet of F-16s would be upgraded in Turkey from September. He said all the F-16s would be upgraded to block 52 by 2014.
He said he said he never wanted a deal with the US for purchase of drones since it would be very expensive, but said it would be welcomed if sensors were provided by the US. He said Pakistan develops its own surveillance drones and would invest in research and development to make its own armed drones if a need was felt.
Earlier Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans) Air Commodore Javed Ahmad briefing reporters on the concept of High Mark 2010 said the primary target was to put to test the high state of combat readiness while gearing up all supporting units and validate the lessons learnt to improve deployment tactics.
He said since international, and domestic situation impinges upon the security calculus, the near realistic exercise was in line with the transformation in PAF’s concept of operations. He said new acquisitions had been operationalised in minimum possible time to take part in the exercise that will continue till the mid of May.
Speaking at a briefing here at Air Headquarters, he said Pakistan did not harbour aggressive designs against any country, but was capable of beating back any aggressor.
He said Pakistan believed in peace with honour and observed that peace cannot be maintained from a position of weakness.
In reply to a question about the threats of surgical strikes inside Pakistan by India in case of another Mumbai-like terror attack, the PAF chief said “the neighbours know that in case of a sneak attack by them, reaction will be coming within hours”.
He said India would not be able to penetrate deep inside Pakistan’s territory, and the most they would do in such a case would be to choose an area near the border for a hit-and-run operation.
He said when the President House received a hoax call from ‘the Indian foreign minister’ after the Mumbai episode, the Pakistan Air Force identified certain targets across the border.
Air Marshal Qamar Suleman said permission from the government for replying to any aggression had been obtained and preparations made for a matching response.
He said India would not be able to defeat Pakistan in a conventional war.
He said the High Mark 2010 was not aimed against any country, but aimed at evaluating capabilities in an environment where dimensions of threat were changing warranting new concepts. He said the exercise was different in nature from the previous ones because the other two services were also actively taking part in it.
He noted that a future war would be swift and intense and said that is why the high tempo operation with a component of time sensitive targeting was being undertaken.
He said the budget for the exercise had been managed by savings as a result of 20 per cent reduction in flying from June, without asking for additional funds for the mega event from the Government.
Responding to question, he indicated that there was no plan to set up an air base in Azad Kashmir saying that the base in Skardu was sufficient to meet operational requirements of the PAF.
The Air Chief said Pakistan would start receiving 18 F-16 planes paid for it years back from June and the process would be completed by December. He disclosed that the United States had agreed to provide another 14 block 52 F-16s to Pakistan shortly. He said the existing fleet of F-16s would be upgraded in Turkey from September. He said all the F-16s would be upgraded to block 52 by 2014.
He said he said he never wanted a deal with the US for purchase of drones since it would be very expensive, but said it would be welcomed if sensors were provided by the US. He said Pakistan develops its own surveillance drones and would invest in research and development to make its own armed drones if a need was felt.
Earlier Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Plans) Air Commodore Javed Ahmad briefing reporters on the concept of High Mark 2010 said the primary target was to put to test the high state of combat readiness while gearing up all supporting units and validate the lessons learnt to improve deployment tactics.
He said since international, and domestic situation impinges upon the security calculus, the near realistic exercise was in line with the transformation in PAF’s concept of operations. He said new acquisitions had been operationalised in minimum possible time to take part in the exercise that will continue till the mid of May.
There is no infiltration into India: Pakistan Rangers
, March 28 (IANS) Sticking to their earlier stand, Pakistan Rangers Director General (Punjab) Muhammad Yaqub Khan Sunday reiterated that no smuggling and infiltration was taking place from the Pakistani side into Indian territory.
'The international border with India is effectively protected and well guarded. Presence of heavy security and fencing on Indian side makes infiltration and smuggling difficult,' Khan Sunday told reporters here, around 25 km from Amritsar.
Khan, accompanied by a 15-member delegation from Pakistan, had reached India Sunday, through the Attari-Wagah check-post. He will participate in the four-day biannual meeting (March 28-31) with the top brass of Border Security Force (BSF) in Amritsar, around 250 km from the state capital Chandigarh.
'We are here for a high-level dialogue with the BSF in connection with border-related issues. We carry out meetings in a congenial atmosphere to discuss sensitive issues like infiltration, smuggling from both the sides and the firing instances,' stated Khan.
While talking about the recent instances of firing of rocket shells into Indian territory from Pakistan, Khan said: 'We looked into these allegations by the BSF but nothing concrete was traced. No such thing was found in the massive search operation conducted in Pakistan. Even India has no proof that the rockets were fired from our side.'
'However, we had lodged strong protest with the BSF when they fired at the pickets of Pakistan Rangers,' he pointed out.
According to the BSF, nearly 15 rocket shells were fired from Pakistan towards the Amritsar area in June and September last year and in January this year.
Besides, cases of illegal infiltration and smuggling across the border are also on the rise.
In the last 10 days, in two separate incidents on the border, BSF officials have gunned down three Pakistani intruders and recovered 26 kg heroin and fake Indian currency with a face value of Rs.83 lakh.
India-Pakistan Article Index
We Have Created A Monster
March 28, 2010: The U.S. has convinced a growing number of Pakistani military and political leaders that cracking down on Islamic militants (especially the Taliban and al Qaeda) is a matter of life or death for the nation. But many individual Islamic terrorists are simply moving to the anti-India terrorist groups (dedicated to chasing India out of Kashmir, and killing Hindus in general). The Kashmir issue is very popular in Pakistan, and the politicians and media are afraid to touch it. Most Islamic terrorists, for tribal and religious reasons, will stay in the tribal territories. But the fighting there is helping build up the anti-Indian groups. This just gets worse for Pakistan. For example, the U.S. has arrested a Pakistani American Islamic terrorist, David Headley, who admitted that he had worked with Pakistani army officers while helping plan the November, 2008, terror attack in Mumbai, India. Pakistani eventually admitted that Pakistani Islamic terrorists were responsible for this attack, but have resisted admitting that Pakistani military and intelligence officials helped out. The U.S. and India insist there's lots of evidence to back this up. The Pakistani government does not want the political and media blowback from going after Islamic radicals in the military and intelligence services, so they insist these connections do not exist.The Pakistani Air Force has made it official; its doctrine no longer concentrates on fighting India. For the last year, the air force has been getting lots of valuable combat experience using smart bombs in the tribal territories. Pilots have also been using targeting pods in action, and generally learning how to deal with rebellious tribesmen. So the air force has made this experience part of the official playbook.
Despite the success in the tribal territories, many senior Pakistani generals are still fixated on war with India. Pakistan has fought several, and lost them all. Even after several years of peace talks, with India Pakistani officials still complain that they can't do more in the tribal territories, because more troops must be sent to the Indian border. This perplexes India, which accepts, but can't really comprehend, this Pakistani obsession with defending against an Indian attack which the Indians say they have no intention of launching. Especially in light of the fact that both countries have nuclear weapons.
The Indian offensive against communist Maoists is having some success. Dozens of villages and settlements have been returned to government control. But most of the Maoist gunmen have fled the police and troops. The crunch will come the Maoists attempt to continue their criminal activities. The big one is extorting money from businesses. This is believed to bring in over $300 million a year. Most of the thousand or so Maoists attacks last year were in support of their extortion operations. If the new offensive can put a dent in Maoist extortion income, the communist group will have suffered a major setback. But the Maoists have been fighting back, increasing their attacks on railroads, and ordering urban allies to stage anti-government riots.
March 27, 2010: In Pakistan's North Waziristan, an American UAV fired two missiles at a building where "foreigners" were staying. At least four people were killed. The U.S. UAV attacks concentrate on "foreigners" (usually Arabs) because it's easier to get informants in the tribal territories to provide information about al Qaeda "foreigners." These Arabs have been around since late 2001, and there's been a lot of friction. Sometimes there's been violence, so the locals find it convenient to get paid to tell the Americans where they can kill the foreigners without involving any local tribesmen. Elsewhere, near the Khyber pass (Orakzai), Pakistani troops clashed with a force of al Qaeda gunmen, killing 21 while losing five soldiers.
On the Kashmir border, for the second time in four days, Islamic terrorists were caught trying to sneak into India. These two attempts have left at least 13 terrorists dead. There have been sixty such attempts so far this year. The existence of these terrorists in Pakistani Kashmir, where terrorists training camps and bases operate openly, is a major issue between Pakistan and India. But in both countries, ownership of Kashmir has been turned into a major issue by decades of media and political exploitation. It gets worse because the Pakistani Islamic terrorists have, over the last decade, expanded their "free Kashmir" (from Indian rule) campaign to include major terror attacks throughout India. Pakistan cannot halt this without risking attacks on the "free Kashmir" militants. Meanwhile, Indian media and politicians increasingly call for "stronger measures" against this Pakistani lack of cooperation against terrorists. Since both countries have nuclear weapons, "stronger measures" could escalate into the use of nukes. Despite that, the Pakistan based Islamic terrorists have increased their efforts this year, to commit violent acts in Kashmir. Their main goal is to drive out all non-Moslems, and two that end, homes, and other property, of non-Moslems are attacked. Non-Moslem religious places are also prime targets, and nearly 200 non-Moslem religious facilities in Kashmir have been attacked. For both nations, Kashmir has become a monstrous problem, one that defies resolution, and that could destroy everyone if it ever escalated to nukes.
March 25, 2010: Over the last two days, near the Pakistan's Khyber pass, troops raided Qaeda safe houses and camps, killing 36 terrorists.
The changing politics of Nawaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s slip of the tongue about requesting the Taliban to spare the Punjab may have triggered graver concerns as to the inner thinking of the party supposedly in waiting to hold power in Islamabad. The changing style of Nawaz Sharif’s cult politics, the pointed-top organisational pyramid and his party’s ambivalent position on crucial issues like the growing religious militancy and terrorism, the security paradigm, economic revival, and stance towards the US, India and Afghanistan necessitates more explanations than are available from the second biggest party of Pakistan.
The PML-N offers a vague one-size-fits-all policy on most issues. The idea is to keep the mainstream swing voters in a flux and show the real teeth once the levers of power are in control. The same strategy is in practice within the party where nobody knows who is going to do what in a future power set-up. A deliberate chaos has been created where all PML-N leaders are saying all things to all people. The real position, if there is one, is only known to Nawaz Sharif.
The party is likely to perform better than its earlier governments, if their hopes of returning to power in Islamabad materialize, or definitely better than the PPP government. But the PML-N is far short of the nirvana its sympathisers are hoping it to deliver.
The PML-N, to be fair, has fought a historic fight and bounced back from a near oblivion to stake its claim for a third round of power in Islamabad. It seems to have learnt a few lessons this time around. There has not been a major corruption scandal against the party. The PML-N seems to have developed respect for public opinion as shown in the case of supporting the judiciary movement and also by sacking elected members when found on a wrong foot. It has supported a democratic continuity and has refrained from becoming a tool in the hands of the establishment to dislodge the PPP government in the Centre — even after the provocative dissolution of their government in the Punjab. The party took a firm stance against the Army’s involvement in politics and did not fall in line to please the Americans overly.
Nawaz Sharif stands taller as a political leader with his closest rivals, after Benazir’s assassination, placed at a distant second position. He has the longest tenure in power than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and even dictators Ayub, Zia and Musharraf. In his 27-year political career, he has been in power for 13 years -- two years as Punjab minister, five years as Punjab chief minister and almost six years as twice prime minister.
Yet we still don’t know enough about him. What are his habits; his likes and dislikes? What does he read, if at all he does? There is more emphasis on his food habits than his mental and intellectual growth, particularly after his return from exile. What are his perceptions about the rapidly changing Pakistan and the world around him?
All we know is that Nawaz Sharif has been sucked into alarmingly dynastic politics of his family, his Kashmiri clan and few loyalists. The involvement of his family in politics and decision-making continues to grow.
First, it was just Nawaz Sharif. Then brother Shahbaz Sharif came along followed by Abbas Sharif, who did a stint as member of the National Assembly. There was always some issue about their late father Mian Sharif’s role as a guide from the back seat. Nawaz Sharif’s exile created a situation where his wife Kalsoom had to enter politics and exposed the next generation of the Sharifs to politics. Nawaz Sharif’s eldest Hussain was put in jail and younger Hassan had to travel all over the world for seeking help for the family.
The two brothers are out of active politics but son-in-law Safdar has entered the arena with an extra vigour. Shahbaz Sharif’s son Hamza learnt the ropes of politics through tough times in jail and has since joined active politics. His younger brother Salman is also politically ambitious and wants to join this charade of family grandees. Shahbaz Sharif’s third wife Tehmina Durrani, an author and an able person in her own right, is believed to be quite an influence on his political thinking. Ishaq Dar is also in the family after his son got married to Nawaz Sharif’s daughter.
If this jigsaw of family tree in politics was not enough, the involvement of the larger Kashmiri clan makes it more complicated. Kashmiris, they say, have a common grandmother. This web of distant relatives commands much more power than earlier, particularly in the central Punjab. MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq is handy as a helping hand to manage Lahore and so are his MPA wife Asma and MPA brother Salman. Another Kashmiri Khawaja Ehsan is prominent all around and so are Sohail Zia Butt and his MNA son Omer in Lahore. Ghulam Dastgir and his MNA son Khurram oversee Gujranwala; Sher Ali and his MNA son Abid control Faisalabad, while Khawaja Asif is the ultimate authority in the affairs related to Sialkot — and much beyond.
It is widely believed in Lahore that if your name has a suffix of Kashmiri castes like Butt, Mir, Lone, Khawaja, Dar or Banday, you have a better chance of your grievance being addressed. The joke around town is that, like the clannish Chaudharies of Gujrat who tried to envision ‘Jattistan,’ the new move is to create the Islamic Republic of Butt-istan.
In the earlier PML phase, most political heavyweights like Gohar Ayub, Ejazul Haq, Majid Malik, Sheikh Rashid, Chaudhary Shujaat had grown in politics together with Nawaz Sharif. They had the collective weight to exercise more participation in decision-making. The crucial decision-making in the new PML-N is confined to a small number of close family members. The only outsiders with some weight are Chaudhary Nisar, Ahsan Iqbal and Pervaiz Rashid. All three of them have learnt the ways to survive in the dominant Kashmiri culture where food is discussed more than foreign policy.
Others like Raja Zafarul Haq, Zulfiqar Khosa, Tehmina Daultana, Mehtab Abbasi, Ghous Ali Shah are given lots of respect but this is more ceremonial than concrete. Everybody knows that Javed Hashmi is out of favours yet nobody talks about it. It is only in muted whispers that people will tell you that he was almost sold out to hijack PML while Nawaz Sharif was abroad. Everybody will deny this on record but it is obvious that he is given a cosmetic respect.
The ultimate decision making power, everybody agrees, is Nawaz Sharif. He forms an opinion by discussing things with the members of the family, clan and a handful of loyalists. A facade of consultation is devised where party elders are asked for their opinions. In nine cases out of 10, they try to give the opinion, which they think the great leader has already arrived at.
Nawaz Sharif then makes announcements, which are final. Nobody dares question his word and never in public. Welcome to democracy -- the PML-N style.
The PML-N offers a vague one-size-fits-all policy on most issues. The idea is to keep the mainstream swing voters in a flux and show the real teeth once the levers of power are in control. The same strategy is in practice within the party where nobody knows who is going to do what in a future power set-up. A deliberate chaos has been created where all PML-N leaders are saying all things to all people. The real position, if there is one, is only known to Nawaz Sharif.
The party is likely to perform better than its earlier governments, if their hopes of returning to power in Islamabad materialize, or definitely better than the PPP government. But the PML-N is far short of the nirvana its sympathisers are hoping it to deliver.
The PML-N, to be fair, has fought a historic fight and bounced back from a near oblivion to stake its claim for a third round of power in Islamabad. It seems to have learnt a few lessons this time around. There has not been a major corruption scandal against the party. The PML-N seems to have developed respect for public opinion as shown in the case of supporting the judiciary movement and also by sacking elected members when found on a wrong foot. It has supported a democratic continuity and has refrained from becoming a tool in the hands of the establishment to dislodge the PPP government in the Centre — even after the provocative dissolution of their government in the Punjab. The party took a firm stance against the Army’s involvement in politics and did not fall in line to please the Americans overly.
Nawaz Sharif stands taller as a political leader with his closest rivals, after Benazir’s assassination, placed at a distant second position. He has the longest tenure in power than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and even dictators Ayub, Zia and Musharraf. In his 27-year political career, he has been in power for 13 years -- two years as Punjab minister, five years as Punjab chief minister and almost six years as twice prime minister.
Yet we still don’t know enough about him. What are his habits; his likes and dislikes? What does he read, if at all he does? There is more emphasis on his food habits than his mental and intellectual growth, particularly after his return from exile. What are his perceptions about the rapidly changing Pakistan and the world around him?
All we know is that Nawaz Sharif has been sucked into alarmingly dynastic politics of his family, his Kashmiri clan and few loyalists. The involvement of his family in politics and decision-making continues to grow.
First, it was just Nawaz Sharif. Then brother Shahbaz Sharif came along followed by Abbas Sharif, who did a stint as member of the National Assembly. There was always some issue about their late father Mian Sharif’s role as a guide from the back seat. Nawaz Sharif’s exile created a situation where his wife Kalsoom had to enter politics and exposed the next generation of the Sharifs to politics. Nawaz Sharif’s eldest Hussain was put in jail and younger Hassan had to travel all over the world for seeking help for the family.
The two brothers are out of active politics but son-in-law Safdar has entered the arena with an extra vigour. Shahbaz Sharif’s son Hamza learnt the ropes of politics through tough times in jail and has since joined active politics. His younger brother Salman is also politically ambitious and wants to join this charade of family grandees. Shahbaz Sharif’s third wife Tehmina Durrani, an author and an able person in her own right, is believed to be quite an influence on his political thinking. Ishaq Dar is also in the family after his son got married to Nawaz Sharif’s daughter.
If this jigsaw of family tree in politics was not enough, the involvement of the larger Kashmiri clan makes it more complicated. Kashmiris, they say, have a common grandmother. This web of distant relatives commands much more power than earlier, particularly in the central Punjab. MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq is handy as a helping hand to manage Lahore and so are his MPA wife Asma and MPA brother Salman. Another Kashmiri Khawaja Ehsan is prominent all around and so are Sohail Zia Butt and his MNA son Omer in Lahore. Ghulam Dastgir and his MNA son Khurram oversee Gujranwala; Sher Ali and his MNA son Abid control Faisalabad, while Khawaja Asif is the ultimate authority in the affairs related to Sialkot — and much beyond.
It is widely believed in Lahore that if your name has a suffix of Kashmiri castes like Butt, Mir, Lone, Khawaja, Dar or Banday, you have a better chance of your grievance being addressed. The joke around town is that, like the clannish Chaudharies of Gujrat who tried to envision ‘Jattistan,’ the new move is to create the Islamic Republic of Butt-istan.
In the earlier PML phase, most political heavyweights like Gohar Ayub, Ejazul Haq, Majid Malik, Sheikh Rashid, Chaudhary Shujaat had grown in politics together with Nawaz Sharif. They had the collective weight to exercise more participation in decision-making. The crucial decision-making in the new PML-N is confined to a small number of close family members. The only outsiders with some weight are Chaudhary Nisar, Ahsan Iqbal and Pervaiz Rashid. All three of them have learnt the ways to survive in the dominant Kashmiri culture where food is discussed more than foreign policy.
Others like Raja Zafarul Haq, Zulfiqar Khosa, Tehmina Daultana, Mehtab Abbasi, Ghous Ali Shah are given lots of respect but this is more ceremonial than concrete. Everybody knows that Javed Hashmi is out of favours yet nobody talks about it. It is only in muted whispers that people will tell you that he was almost sold out to hijack PML while Nawaz Sharif was abroad. Everybody will deny this on record but it is obvious that he is given a cosmetic respect.
The ultimate decision making power, everybody agrees, is Nawaz Sharif. He forms an opinion by discussing things with the members of the family, clan and a handful of loyalists. A facade of consultation is devised where party elders are asked for their opinions. In nine cases out of 10, they try to give the opinion, which they think the great leader has already arrived at.
Nawaz Sharif then makes announcements, which are final. Nobody dares question his word and never in public. Welcome to democracy -- the PML-N style.
U-Turn by Nawaz exposed PML-N politics: Elahi
LAHORE: Challenging Sharif Brothers to hold transparent elections under the supervision of judiciary in PP-111 (Gujrat), President Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) Punjab Chapter, Chaudhary Pervez Elahi has said that the u-turn taken by PML-N over reforms package showed their political ethics.
Talking to different leaders and delegations of his party, the former Punjab Chief Minister said that the rigging and attacks by workers of N-League on Assistant Women Presiding Officers and polling staff exposed the so-called high values of PML-N.
Chaudhary Pervez Elahi said that the U-Turn taken by PML-N over constitutional reforms after Gujrat Elections clearly exposed its hypocrisy and double standards.
He said that Sharif Brothers, before Gujrat by-elections tried to get support of PPP and soon after the issuance of the notification of results, deceived PPP.
Commenting on financial situation of the province, he said that the poor policies of Shahbaz Sharif plunged the province into further crisis and the overdraft of Rs. 27 billion obtained by Punjab from the State Bank of Pakistan reflected the bankruptcy of the province.
Talking to different leaders and delegations of his party, the former Punjab Chief Minister said that the rigging and attacks by workers of N-League on Assistant Women Presiding Officers and polling staff exposed the so-called high values of PML-N.
Chaudhary Pervez Elahi said that the U-Turn taken by PML-N over constitutional reforms after Gujrat Elections clearly exposed its hypocrisy and double standards.
He said that Sharif Brothers, before Gujrat by-elections tried to get support of PPP and soon after the issuance of the notification of results, deceived PPP.
Commenting on financial situation of the province, he said that the poor policies of Shahbaz Sharif plunged the province into further crisis and the overdraft of Rs. 27 billion obtained by Punjab from the State Bank of Pakistan reflected the bankruptcy of the province.
Politics of intransigence very dangerous: Farahnaz
ISLAMABAD: Politics of intransigence over reconciliation will prove disastrous for the federal democratic structure and a quick resolution of points of conflict over the constitutional package must be achieved quickly, parliamentarian and Media Adviser to PPP Co-chairman Farahnaz Ispahani said on Friday. Commenting on the latest political developments, she said President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had adhered to the politics of reconciliation, but some political forces have continued to play the politics of intransigence, which they proudly refer to as “part of the game”. The PML-N has taken a position completely opposed to the words and spirit of the Charter of Democracy. She said that people were better judges of the political situation in the country, and that the government was fully prepared to bring the 18th amendment bill to parliament to restore parliamentary supremacy in the country’s political structure and had the backing of all parties, including PML-N’s members of the constitutional reform committee. “It was highly surprising and perturbing for the man on the street that last minute objections were raised without any cogent reason,” she added.
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