Musharraf and Manmohan’s Monologues

The findings of a private publication about Pakistan...

AUTOS: ON ROAD TO INDIGENIZATION
By Talha Bin Hisham
Pakistan & Gulf Economist, May 8 -- 14, 2006

Critics and other interest groups have long criticized the auto industry on various fronts, most of which have been external and controllable factors including unprecedented surge in demand through auto financing schemes from banks and achievement of deletion levels according to the programme implemented under the WTO pressure. The industry is alleged for charging premium and making late delivery of automobiles.

Buyers in Pakistan now have a choice of various domestically produced models of Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai and Fiat cars and vans, Mazda coasters and Hino-Pak buses. Between 30,000 and 33,000 tractors are also produced in the country annually, a major boost to the agriculture economy.

Continued efforts of the auto industry to meet the increasing demand are evident from the fact that the production capacity has significantly been increased. The industry showed an acceleration of 28.2 percent in the rise of production in the July-January current fiscal year. Car production stood at 128,000 last year is poised to touch the mark of 500,000 during the year 2010. This achievement has only been possible through initiation of a second shift with most manufacturers.

Certain factions question the quality of locally manufactured cars and make baseless allegations on various aspects merely to convince the government that cars should be imported. In this process, they ignore the fact that auto industry has come a long way to where it stands now, and throughout the last 20 decades of progress, this industry has tried to implement international standards of quality manufacturing. At all major auto manufacturing plants, the system works so that before the prototype of a locally manufactured part is used by domestic manufacturers, it is tested by the original manufacturers at their facilities and given a certification of quality. This quality control sets a benchmark and ensures that all parts subsequently manufactured are of the same quality. They are checked for any possible malfunction beforehand to avoid any hiccups in the final assembly of the vehicle, allowing smooth operation.

Before the establishment of the auto industry, Pakistan knew no more about the auto parts manufacturing than what was available at Shershah for repairing used cars. Today, the automobile industry has made a lasting impression on the domestic vendor base by equipping it with international quality standards that have led to making it more export oriented.

The fact is that though Pakistan entered into the field of auto parts exports less than six years ago, Vendors are exporting auto parts of vehicles that are not manufactured in Pakistan, such as Mercedes, Ford Van, Morris and even the famous London taxi. Only about 40 of the more than 500 registered auto parts vendors registered with manufacturers of international car brands have entered the exports arena. When the rest exploit the potential, as they are expected to do in the next couple of years, there may well be a major boom for the auto engineering industry. To a great extent the credit for the success of the auto parts industry goes to the vendor development programs organized by the domestic auto industry, whose mainstay is technology transfer.

In areas of human resource development, certain auto manufacturers are sponsoring technical education programs on national level to produce skilled and literate workforce for the auto sector. Not only does this voluntary initiative groom able individuals to serve the economy on macro-level, the auto sector also provides instant employment to these individuals.

The level of indigenization should be judged on the basis that within the last 10 years, Pakistan stands at par with any other developing country that enjoys a healthy automobile industry. It is time critics and other self-centered factions realize the significance of the auto industry by virtue of its contributions towards the prosperity of Pakistan, and at the same time, acknowledge its success in fulfilling its commitments to the consumers, in terms of quality, service, value and delivery.

{{From the website of the Pakistan Software Export Board, the first place a non-deluded paki would have looked if such a species did exist.. }}

BUWAAHAHA... This is Arjun_m versus Arjun_m. In the space of a few posts, he has gone from Not-Impressed-with-Pakistani-institutions (e.g. KSE, PTCL) to Full-Confidence-In-Findings-of-Pakistan-institutions (e.g. PSEB). Who can take someone with inconsistent standards seriously??

I see HisExcellency has done the disappearing act after being exposed again as yet another deluded paki..

re#87,

OK Balti Sahib,
It is understandable..... if you speak out the truths and express your true feelings on behalf of your people u won`t be on the good books of ISI/ Paki........understandable.....and u write for the NEWS.. ...........pls continue to be a good boy....


But you do have a good sense of humor here:
{{{the part ceded to China by agreement will return to Pakistan once kashmir issue is resolved}}}


NOW about India`s position.... the likes of Kulthief Nahinyaar , and Alunathy Roy, will join the Paki terrorists and continue to criticize India`s ``intransigence``.etc....

We have hatred against none....we want economic development and prosperity for all our people,,,but we wouldn`t yield to terror..... YOUR SERMONIZING DOESN`T CHANGE WHAT WE FACE AND WON`T CHANGE WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

WE HAVE TO PREVAIL ....and INDIA WILL PREVAIL.

Visit this link:


http://www.indiareacts.com/archivedebates/nat2.asp?recno=1401



Terror challenge
Without an aggressive policy, Pakistan won’t abandon jihad.

19 May 2006: General Parvez Musharraf and the Pakistan army want a Siachen pullout before the year-end so they can showcase it as a major Indian concession during the 2007 polls ............ Whatever the scenario, Musharraf and the military want to go to the polls looking good, so India is now being pressured to concede on Siachen.

.............Demilitarisation is not the word used here but redeployment, which is a stretchable concept, and two, India is firm about authenticating the held positions. Only after authentication will further steps be considered, so there is a whole process to go through. Any reading of the reply should tell you Siachen demilitarisation, the maximum position of Pakistan, has gone into cold storage.

...............The horror is some on our side are even considering this offer, unable to understand the very temporary nature of the truce.

.............. Pakistan has never felt the full backlash of its terror policies, its terrorist groups have concluded that their home bases are safe. Whatever they do, the Kargil War, the attack on Parliament, striking at Hindu religious places, hitting commercial and scientific assets, India will never retaliate, this is the Pakistani understanding, the terrorist realisation.

...............................
. .......................

.......................

Any deal with Pakistan on its terms is appeasement, Pakistan must be defeated at its terror policy, not less. Bang for bang, some of our readers have written us, well, India cannot be a terror state like Pakistan, targeting innocent civilians and non-combatants, but, yeah, some things are possible. Terror assets must come in the crosshairs of any Indian anti-terror policy, and following that, Pakistani military assets. If there is terrorism here, the terrorists must face reprisal at home, in places where they have grown used to not fearing fear. Fear is the key, as we have said before, anything less is nothing.

The Pakistanis understand that India won’t give up on J and K, they also figure jihad is not producing results, but it has not begun to hurt them as it should. In Siachen, when border firings were common, to counter Pakistani shelling, we opened up, once in a while, with Bofors 155mm howitzers, and artillery officers acknowledge it got the Pakistanis to sue for ceasefire pronto.

[[[[[[[[There is no other language a military-terror state understands. So, there should be no Siachen pullout, no troops redeployment in J and K, and we have to carry the battle to the other side, well understanding the nuclear threshold, for Pakistan to be brought to its senses.]]]]]

The true face of Pakistan is the ISI, which ordered the Taliban to kill the Border Roads Organisation driver, Maniyappan Raman Kutty, and the Indian engineer, K.Suryanarayana.

GOOD LUCK TO PAKIS IN THEIR ELECTIONS, BUT THEY SHOULD EXPECT NOTHING FROM US.

Re: # 85
yes, let`s try keep it simple...

1. i am free soul, never been to IPRI etc
2. we too have election to the northern areas legislative council
3. Baltis are too docile, poor, peaceful and pragmatic people to seek such luxuries..!

Re: # 81
the part ceded to China by agreement will return to Pakistan once kashmir issue is resolved, but am not sure about the part of ladakh (J&K) territory lost by India to China as a consequence of war...

A few observations.....


*Whenever there is a serious discussion we can expect Hate Pots and His Indecency to

disappear from the scene..... if they reappear it will be again ...along the lines..of.........

``there is a billboard with Mushy in Srinagar hehehe``


*Friend here has some very tight questions... .... and ``Balti`` here comes up with..... evasive ....non-answers.. actually lies....


*We should be skeptical about the credentials of ``Balti`` here....there is enormous
resentment among Shia muslims of Baltistan against Pakistan.... yet it is amusing to see his spin on ``Azad`` Kashmir, Indian``held`` Kashmir, etc. He is loyal to ........and perhaps is on the pay roll of ``Islamabad Policy Research Institute``



* Unlike the PAKI OCCUPIED KASHMIR , in the AZAD INDIAN JAMMU KASHMIR there have been democratic elections, paki terrorists and their boot lickers were hell bent on preventing people from voting!


*``Balti`` here whines about lack of progress in the Indo-Pak ``dialogue process``....... how about Baltis under Paki brutality having a dialogue with ISI and Paki army about ``freedumb`` for Baltis FIRST.....IS THERE SUCH A DIALOGUE GOING ON?

Now which paki-chowkie was expecting booms?

Gas pipeline blown up, supply to Punjab cut



By Our Staff Correspondent


QUETTA, May 19: Two main pipelines supplying gas to Punjab and the Sui gas plant were blown up in the Goh area, 10km from Sui town, on Friday.

“Gas supply from Sui to Punjab has been suspended,” official sources said adding that the other affected pipeline supplied gas to the Sui gas plant from Loti gas field.

According to sources, unknown tribesmen planted high explosive under a 24-inch diameter pipeline supplying gas to Punjab and blew it up.

Balti# 80

As for Bhudhist population, there were not many Bhudhists living in Gilgit and Baltistan prior to the partition, the few Kashmiri Pandits and Bhudhist there in buseiness or employed in the Dogra government migrated to Leh in 1947-8.

I always wonder at this ``fact`` presented by Pakistanis. There were very few Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus in the lands that is now Pakistan. And people who were there, they all decided to migrate in 1947. Sometimes we even hear that these people migrated of their own free will. I have travelled extensively in Ladakh, and monasteries are abundant right upto border. It is highly surprising that buddhists knew in advance where LOC will come up!!

``Btw, today`s generation cannot be held responsible for things happened five decades ago.. ``
Yes, I heard white farmers of Rhodesia and South Africa saying same thing. White Americans also say same thing about American Indians and blacks. Why they should pay for what their ancestors did? Money and land gets inherited, blame does not!!

It is time the boot lickers should take inspiration from Nepal which has over turned a dictator and transformed into a SECULAR state than gloat over their dictator`s photos near some chowk urinal in Kashmir...............cannot see the sarcasm??

#80 by balti on May 19, 2006 10:42pm PT

What about the part of Kashmir that Pakistan GIFTED away to China?

Re: # 78
1. i consider both parts of Kashmir as Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir. Techincally, J&K is a constitutional part of India, and Azad Kashmir has a constitutional government of its own. It is only Gilgit Baltistan which is practically the disputed territory, accepted by both the countires as such. We do not have a constitutional status - but then thankfully we are not dubbed as POK either.

2. As for Bhudhist population, there were not many Bhudhists living in Gilgit and Baltistan prior to the partition, the few Kashmiri Pandits and Bhudhist there in buseiness or employed in the Dogra government migrated to Leh in 1947-8. Similarly many muslim Baltis living in Leh moved down to muslim Kargil and Baltistan, which was understandable givin the situation arising out of partition. Btw, today`s generation cannot be held responsible for things happened five decades ago..

re#78
{{{{Is it just a concidence that Buddhism disappeared only from the area held by Pakistan? If such dialogue doesn`t happen within Pakistan than all such ter jerkers will be seen as just a ploy to get more land, and than kick non-believers out. What is your opinion on this? }}}}}

My dear FRIEND,
Welcome to the reality of ``Islamic Republic`` of Punjabi SUNNISTAN...........................

I am afraid you are not going to get an answer from ``Balti`` since he is not actually a ``Balti`` .......


Reagards,

VISIT THIS LINK

http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2006/4/23-2_1.html


A majority of the people of Baltistan (around 93%) have Ladakhi / Tibetan ancestry. About 65% of the total population is Shia, 30% is Sufi Nurbakshi (a Sufi order found only in Ladakh and Baltistan) and the rest 5% are Sunnis and followers of the Ahl-i-Hadith........


........People of Baltistan are denied the right to represent the region in an
official capacity whenever conferences are convened to discuss J&K issue.

Q: How, in your view, has Pakistan treated Baltistan? How would you compare
this with how the Baltis and Buddhists in Ladakh/Kargil have been treated by
the Indian state?

I have heard that people in Leh and Kargil, both Buddhists and Muslims, have
religious and economic freedom. A careful analysis will show that
BALTIS in KARGIL HAVE FAR MORE CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL FREEDOM COMPARED TO BALTIS in PAKISTANI CONTROL. They receive government support to
promote their cultural identity which is very inspiring.


Indian Balti Muslims I have talked to express pride in being Indian, which reflects on
how they are treated there. Further, they have economic autonomy through a
local autonomous development council. Their language and script is promoted
by Indian government, something that the people of Baltistan can only dream
of.

Q: How has the massive presence of Pakistani troops in Baltistan impacted on
the way in which Baltist feel about Pakistan?

The permanent presence of Pakistani army, intelligence agency personnel and
paramilitary in Baltistan increases social instability and anxiety for
locals.



Religious sermons of Shia and Sufi-Nurbakhshi Imams are taped and reported
to ISI headquarters on a regular basis.

Secret service agents employed in offices instigate ethnic and religious
conflicts between Shinas, Baltis, Shias, Sunnis and Nurbakhshis. The
Pakistani army uses Shia-Wahhabi riots as an excuse to transfer key posts in
the departments of health, education and infrastructure development to army
brigadiers, further expanding military authority..................

balti saheb#63
You are bieng very selective with what you want to answer
I had two points
1. Your terming ``Indian part of Kashmir`` as India held Kashmir, and terming Pakistani part of Kashmir as ``Pakistani administered Kashmir``. Once you make such distinctions, your sermons loose all their values. Don`t you agree?

2. I made no suggestion about re-unifications of J&K state. My comment was that before you want a dialogue between India and Pakistan, you should have dialogue within Pakistan about reuniting Pakistani Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan. This diaglogue should address needs of not only Muslims but also of other faiths that lived in this region for centuries. On other board I made a request for information on Buddhist population in Gilgit and Baltistan and got no reply. Budhhism is still alive in areas administered by China and India. Is it just a concidence that Buddhism disappeared only from the area held by Pakistan? If such dialogue doesn`t happen within Pakistan than all such ter jerkers will be seen as just a ploy to get more land, and than kick non-believers out. What is your opinion on this?

From the website of the Pakistan Software Export Board, the first place a non-deluded paki would have looked if such a species did exist..

http://www.pseb.org.pk/page.php?page_id=77

IT and IT Enabled Services Exports during 2004-2005 : US$ 48.50 million (transacted through the State Bank of Pakistan)

Export target for the current fiscal year 2005-2006: US$ 72 million (State Bank transactions)

And to send HisExcellency`s credibility into the negative..

This is what pakis were dreaming of in 2001 and 1999..a perfect example of paki see, paki (want to) do.., paki no can do..paki delude himself...

Software will fetch billions for Pakistan -- Musharraf

Software will fetch billions for Pakistan: Musharraf


Karachi, Aug 17 (IANS) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said his
government will bank on software exports in a big way to help Pakistan
achieve socio-economic development.

The government is giving a big impetus to the IT (information technology)
sector for this purpose, Musharraf said while inaugurating the Software
Technology Park Expo-2001 in Lahore.

If wishes were horses, Pakis would be jockeys...

EPB plans to boost software exports to $1 bil

Tue, 3 Aug 1999 20:49:43 +0500

Export Promotion Bureau plans to boost software exports to $1
billion: chairman distributes certificates

MUZAFFAR QURESHI

KARACHI (August 2) : The Export Promotion Bureau has drawn up a plan
to boost export of software to one billion dollars in next three
years and for this purpose it would promote computer education in
collaboration with technical institutes in the country.

#74 by HisExcellency on May 19, 2006 11:58am PT


A couple of years ago I posted plenty of links (see CIO magazine, Enpointe Technologies) in support of that claim. Not even the cynical Dr. Hoodbhoy believes the $50 million `ghost number`.


You did no such thing..

Even your own software export board says otherwise..

re: #68 arjun_m

{{Articles by pakis saying the FP mag rankings are unjustified because the pakis say so}}

Honestly, you are wasting your comic talent on Chowk.

{{A couple ofyears ago you claimed Pakiland`s IT exports were 400-600 million $. You still haven`t produced an iota of proof for that..there`s a ton of articles, even in the paki press, saying Pakiland`s IT exports are ~ 50million $.}}

A couple of years ago I posted plenty of links (see CIO magazine, Enpointe Technologies) in support of that claim. Not even the cynical Dr. Hoodbhoy believes the $50 million `ghost number`.

{{your credibility = number invented by Indians...}}

My credibility would be at stake if I was posting my own articles. The ones I am posting are written by other people.

You are getting too angry dear. I am sharing information on this public forum, not trying to change any of your precious beliefs.

Re: # 71 by HE

OK OK Your Excellency sahib we get it...Pakistan`s economy is going thru the roof...its booming big time. Now don`t give us sleepless nights by all these red-green painted stuff. The scene is already too scary for us.

Re: # 71 by HE

OK OK Your Excellency sahib we get it...Pakistan`s economy is going thru the roof...its booming big time. Now don`t give us sleepless nights by all these red-green painted stuff. The scene is already too scary for us.

The success of PTCL-Etisalat deal opens up more opportunities for the govt to

PRIVATIZATION THROUGH STOCK EXCHANGE WINNING FOREIGN INVESTORS` CONFIDENCE

Privatization can also be used as a tool to provide some form of monetary incentives to lower income groups

By HARIS ZAMIR
Pakistan & Gulf Economist, Mar 13 - 19, 2006

The effects of the privatization process have been widespread on the bourses in particular and the overall economy in general. With foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing in, the investment scenario is becoming healthier and projecting a refined outlook to further onlookers seeking to invest in emerging economies like that of Pakistan.

It provides a feeling of trust and entices other major foreign investors inactive in this part of the world to turn their heads and follow suit. Money coming in can be better utilized in all walks of human life in the form of government spending utilized for poverty alleviation, infrastructure development, deficit servicing, loans repayments and even further investments — all activities that eventually lead to a positive impact on the GDP which is an indicator of the growth in the economy. It also improves the efficiencies of the privatized entities since they get better managements looking forward to optimize process and escape the wastefulness brought about by the ever present political clout in the government-owned organizations.

Privatization can also be used as a tool to provide some form of monetary incentive to lower income groups by allowing only people belonging to such income cohorts to participate in the IPOs a very good example of which is a recent IPO in the UAE, that allows only teachers to participate.

The effect on the bourses can be seen in the form of increasing activities since privatization is deemed as a very healthy activity by equity investors. Entities in good shape are generally privatized at share prices higher than those that are being traded in the exchanges and when this happens, the prices in the stock market try to stretch to that level. This in turn makes the scrip relatively more attractive and hence the demand increases, further peddling the prices upward.

According to Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, Federal Minister for Privatization, the Commission has fetched nearly Rs 290 billion in three years period, while between 1990 to 2003, the government earned Rs 95 billion.

Azhar Javid, research analyst at WE Financial Services, said that the increase in activity, volumes and prices make a show of strength in the overall market and sentiments become elevated, finally leading to appreciation in other related and even non-related sectors. This is besides the increase in market capitalization brought about by an increase in the number of floating shares, which enter the market through the public offering of privatized institutions. Such movements in the market have been witnessed time and again and very well might continue to do so in the future.

PTCL`s privatization will bring in Rs 155 billion of foreign investment in Pakistan over a period of a few years. The recent successful transactions have been that of KESC, fetching Rs 20.24 billion in November 2005 by selling stakes to a Consortium of Hassan Associates, Al-Jomaih Holding Co. & Premier Mercantile Services. The privatization of other listed entities like PSO, SSGC and SNGPL - all blue chips, is currently underway and is expected to come to its finalization within the first half of the current year.

This however is not a new exercise, as it has been done in the past in the shape of floatation of PTCL vouchers in mid nineties and than offloading of stakes from OGDCL, SSGC, NBP & PPL in early 2000 to create fiscal space for debt retirement. This has contributed massively to the market capitalization and overall free float position of the market. Moreover, the government is encouraging private enterprises and fair market competition by deregulating public utilities in order to bring more efficiency into the system. Giving management rights for smooth functioning of processes on modern lines and contribution in shape of taxes and dividends is the core idea behind the deregulation exercise of PTCL, KESC, HBL, ABL and UBL. On the supply side economics, deregulation of public utilities would go a long way in overhauling the system, balance-sheet restructuring and further capital injection. This would result in improving public services and long-term profitability as being envisaged in the case of PTCL and KESC.

``We have already seen turnaround of state-owned banks such as ABL and UBL in shape of reducing accumulated losses and stock of NPL,`` Shaji said. The case in point is that of UBL, where NPLs have been relegated to mere 2% of the total gross loans as against a massive 54% in 1999. Another case study is that of ABL, which had a negative equity base before SBP, auctioning in mid 2004. Today, with private capital is in place, the overall performance of the bank has made a turnaround wherein the accumulated losses have been reduced to a great extent.

Moreover, as the country is facing an energy shortfall, government is striving to deregulate E&P companies such as PPL and OGDCL as well as T&D companies of SSGC & SNGPL to institute modern technology into the sector in tapping energy resources.

Khalid Iqbal Siddiqui, head of research at Investcapital Securities said that the privatization through stock market has enabled the government to offload shares of various companies at attractive prices, thus earning good profits along the way and also broadening the shareholder base at the stock exchange. For example, the government`s confidence get a boost from the IPO of NBP in 2001, and then offloading shares of Pak Oilfields, when it was unable to sell a 26% stake in a block deal.

The selling creates a benchmark for that particular company and market forces helped government to sell shares on higher prices making huge capital gains out of it. Privatization Commission couple of years back sold shares of OGDC at 32 rupees, raising as much as 6.848 billion rupees. Currently there is market talk that government might sell another 5 percent shares to oil and gas giant at 90 rupees a share, which means they would raise as much as 19 billion rupees, an analyst said.

Muzzamil Aslam, economist at KASB Equities said that the economic deregulation is the broad policy initiative through which the government has decided to abandon the ``business of doing business``. In this process, the divestment/ privatization initiatives of the government received the boost from the deregulation exercise, whereas the government has been able to privatize quite a few large tickets companies like PTCL, NRL, HBL, UBL, ABL, KESC and Pak American Fertilizer. Resultantly, the policy of privatization has set up the advantages for the economy at initial stages; it has eased the government`s burden of managing too much with its limited resources. In the later stages, this should make the de-regulated business more efficient.

Red font color don`t change the fact that the west associates Pakiland and Pakis with islamic terrorism, jihadi and all that..

India : IT
Pakistan: Islamic Terrorism

The human bombs: made in Pakistan

Amir Mir

As the deadly phenomenon of suicide bombings hit Pakistan in the backdrop of the 9/11 terror attacks, as many as 25 human bombs have blown themselves up across Pakistan since March 2002, killing over 300 people and wounding as many as 600 others. With the avowed aim of purging the land of the pure of the forces of the infidels, the new breed of lethal bombers seeks to strike not only the American and Western interests, but also the Shia minority in Pakistan.

American atrocities against Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq are supposed to be the main motivation for most of the bombers. None of the 25 suicide bombers belonged to the country`s elite class: 16 of them belonged to the lower middle class while the remaining nine came from middle class families. Apart from their jihadi mindset, their anti-American sentiments and their poor family background, another thing they had in common was illiteracy.

A careful study of the life history of the suicide bombers shows that most of the attackers belonged to the splinter groups of jihadi or sectarian organisations launched in the wake of the crackdown on militants after the 9/11 terror attacks. The study shows that nearly every suicide bomber was poor, illiterate, and unemployed. Of the 25 attackers, 15 were aged 15-25, seven 25-30, and the remaining three above 30. And not even one of them was a matriculate. Most of the human bombers were affiliated with several sectarian and militant organizations like Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Alami and Harkat-al Jihad-al Islami.

For years, the Pakistani intelligence agencies used to indoctrinate, motivate and train the jihadi cadres for export in the neighbourhood - to Jammu & Kashmir and Afghanistan. Indian-held Kashmir had witnessed the first suicide attacks in 1999 and since then there had been a steady stream of deadly suicide operations. These human bombs had, however, excluded their home ground in Pakistan from the scope of their holy war. But as things stand, there has been a sharp decline in deadly suicide attacks in Jammu Kashmir, with Pakistan apparently emerging as a favoured target of these attacks. Therefore, the human bombs originally designed and nurtured by the Pakistani military and intelligence establishment to rip apart the enemies of Islam and Pakistan are exploding themselves inside their own country and killing their fellow Muslims. Pakistan`s chickens have come home to roost.

The writer is the former editor of Weekly Independent, currently affiliated with Reuters and the Gulf News

This is weird.. The failed state ranking has set pakis chaddis on fire...you`d think a foreign government openly and repeatedly bombing and killing paki civilians on paki soil would have a bigger effect, but no..

#62 by HisExcellency on May 19, 2006 9:34am PT

That`s the best you can do? Articles by pakis saying the FP mag rankings are unjustified because the pakis say so...and articles by pakis saying pakiland is an attractive investment destination...There`s always a ton of articles in the paki press with the headlines ``Pakistan most attractive destination for IT``..click through and you`ll see that`s actually a statement by El-Presidente or shortcut..

A couple ofyears ago you claimed Pakiland`s IT exports were 400-600 million $...You still haven`t produced an iota of proof for that..there`s a ton of articles, even in the paki press, saying Pakiland`s IT exports are ~ 50million $..

your credibility = number invented by Indians...

re: #64

Americans are themselves biggest investors in Pakistan. And their investments are growing. Think about it.

FOREIGN AND LOCAL INVESTMENT
The demand for industrial plots in SITE industrial area Karachi has gone up in last two years

By AZAM ALI
Pakistan and Gulf Economist, Aug 09 - 15, 2004

Except a few irritants and small impediments, the local and foreign investment jumped to a record level during last two years which expected to gain new heights in view of the strongly developing macro and micro economic indicators especially in Sindh-Balochistan region.

The demand for expansion in all industrial zones and development of new industrial zone in Sindh and Balochistan region was on top of the agenda in the third meeting of Investment Facilitation Board recently held at the Governor House in Karachi. Director General Board of Investment (BoI) Sindh-Balochistan region, this was disclosed by Akhlaq Ahmed Malik to PAGE in an exclusive interview.

This indicates the strong appetite for investment in this region despite the fact the infrastructure was not in a ideal state of affairs in this region.

He further said that due to increased foreign investments, we are receiving various nature of inquiries from all over the world everyday.

In the face of record investment by the local investors, we had to constitute a high powered Investment Facilitation Board (IFB) which had its third meeting in Governor House Sindh on August 5, 2004 under the chairman of Brig. Zamin. The meeting was attended by top ranking officers of all utilities and local government. The Board decided to earmark more land in Nooriabad Industrial Estate. About 90 Km from Karachi, by 5000 acres, and extension SITE areas of Hyderabad and Kotri by maximum possible scale.

``The demand for industrial plots in SITE industrial area Karachi has gone up during last two years and now it is on top of the demand`` said an industrialist of the SITE industrial area. The industrial plots in SITE Karachi are now like a gold mine due to prevailing trend of investment pouring in that particular area.

The Board in its latest meeting discussed the following points And issued orders for implementation:

1)- Rationalization of electricity tariff by KESC to match electricity rates of WAPDA.

2)- Rationalization of exorbitant meter shifting rates by the KESC,

3)- Discourage the trend of average billing by KESC.

4)- Ensure adequate water supply to Industrial Zones of Karachi as per sanctioned quota.

5)-Relaxation of gas connection policy to industrial undertaking,

6)- Improve Law and Order situation.

7)- regularization of disputed plots and transfer of possession of industrial plots in North Karachi.

8)- Development work alongside Super Highway should be expedited.

9)- Setting up of more telephone exchanges in all industrial zones of Sindh Balochistan region.

10)- Revamping of sewerage system in Korangi Industrial area,

11)- Installation of street lights.

12)- improvement of water supply in Korangi Industrial Area, immediate suspension of Civil Defense inspections in all Industrial Areas.

13)- Constitution of an IFB subcommittee to meet fortnightly to review infrastructure facilities, and procedures with regard to ensure speedy new connections of power, phone, gas, and to sort out cases of excess billing, resolve complaints of frequent power shutdowns, and delays in energization.

14)- Provision of electricity and telephone connections in North Western Industrial Zone at PQA Site-B1.

15)- Rationalization and abolition of exorbitant municipal charges by the KPT on behalf of KW&SB.

16)- Policy framework for gas connections to small and medium enterprises.

17)- Removal of un-justified collection of market fee.

18)- Issuance of Octroi cess exemption notification etc.

More than 20 other pending issues of the same nature were also discussed and instructions were issued accordingly.

The frequent arrivals of trade and investment delegations to Pakistan also indicate that Pakistan remained focal point for foreign investment in this region.

According to break up about visits by foreign trade delegation, an eight-member delegation from China, headed by Vice Minister of China Mr. Wang TingKai, had a five -day visit on March, 2004 to Explore trade and and joint ventures in the textile sector.

The president of Vietnam accompanied by a 42-member trade delegation visited in March 2004 to promote bilateral trade and investment between Pakistan and Vietnam. As a result of this visit, Pak-Vietnam Business Counsel was formed. Another 13-member delegation from Korea also visited Karachi during the same month to promote trade cooperation.

A 12-member delegation from Canada visited during February 2004 to explore and promote business opportunities in Pakistan. From France a four-member delegation arrived in January this year on a fact finding mission under the leadership of ICC chairman Mr. Jean Rene Fourtou.

In all, over 60 trade and investment delegations from different countries including USA, UK, Malaysia, South Africa, UAE, Germany, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Iran, Mauritius, Bahrain, Turkey arrived in Pakistan.

The USA was the country from where more than 20 high powered delegations visited Pakistan for promoting trade ties and explore investment opportunities in our country. By the end of July 2004, there was $7593.1 million foreign investment from 30 different countries of the world. USA $2891.5 million, United Kingdom $1563.4 million, Japan $384.2 million, UAE $461.8 million, Germany $241.3 million, Korea, $197.2 million, Saudi Arabia $180.5 million, France $83.3 million, Netherlands $95.7 million, Hong Kong $84.7 million, Italy $15.6 million, Canada $15.6 million and other countries invested $1378.3 million.

The investment areas which were the focus for investment were Oil exploration, mining and quarrying, power, textile, finance and business, IT and transport, chemical pharmaceutical and fertilizer, food and beverages and tobacco which were on top on the list of the foreign investment.

Once you present that multi-colored article to Foreign Policy Group - I am sure they will re-consider pakiland` failed state position.... you may get a chance to be placed above afganistan... they can do atleast that much. I mean, come on - nobody can be more failed than afganistan - right?... :)

Re: # 62

Plead your case to the american organization who has branded your a$$ as a failed state..... pleading to hindians won`t help....:))

Re: # 58

well actually i have got no problem with your thoughts about reunifcation of J&K state, I have no problem with making the division permenent either... once India and Pakistan agree on something China will have to renegotiate - that is part of the Pak- China deal unless they too decides to take a u-turn, which i have hope they won`t becouse they are more business minded these days then hindu banias and musli mullahs...

Now this is bound to rankle some Hindians...

Not a failed state

By Nasim Zehra
Research Fellow, Harvard University
Professor, John Hopkins University

May 10 2006
LAST December, speaking at a seminar at the Harvard University on US foreign policy, the former US Under-Secretary of Defence turned professor Joseph Nye made a keen observation. “In an information age,” Nye said “traditional age, whose forces win they win, in the information age the winner will be the one whose story wins.” He was discussing the extent to which the US war would suffer a moral blow from the stories of US military offences in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

Coming from Pakistan, it was easy to relate to Nye’s point about the storyline.The changing ground realities of Pakistan are not necessarily reflected in the general discourse. Interestingly, even an ‘objective’ study by the Carnegie Endowment’s Foreign Policy magazine to produce a Failed State Index showed both bias and incompetence in analysing Pakistan. Significantly, in a global ranking of the weak and failing states, the FfP declared Pakistan to be the 9th most vulnerable state on the Failing State Index of the 148 that were surveyed.

It would take a major stretch of imagination, sheer ignorance or prejudice to declare a state in the process of reforming itself, however problematically, to declare it a failing State. The Pakistani state is one that is extending its writ over new areas, re-claiming public space for civil society, that it had decades ago itself ceded to armed groups, reviving the original Pakistan vision of the Founding Father, of better managing the economy, attracting foreign investment, and billions of dollars remittances from overseas Pakistanis.

There are other pluses Pakistan can boast of. In relative terms, the judiciary and the police are functioning better than yesterday. The independent Press is a great national asset. Hence, a country of 165 million people sitting at a pivotal point connecting three key regions South, South West, and Central Asia and China is moving towards becoming a functioning state, one better able to handle the affairs of the state. Pakistan is the largest contributor of troops to the UN Peace Keeping Force, it is a key partner in the global non-proliferation efforts, it enjoys the most clout, it has the maximum number of women in the parliament, and in the local government system. Given all these facts, to have Pakistan qualify — by the FfP — as the world’s 9th most vulnerable state teetering on collapse is most unconvincing. There are obvious analytical flaws in assessing Pakistan.

For example, to not discount negative scores caused by natural disasters in the overall conclusion on Pakistan shows either flawed methodology or sheer inertia. Clearly, Pakistan should not have been slotted at all, citing the natural disaster that it was hit by, or else it should have been reported as a ‘special case’ in the Index. In fact, ironically, the way Pakistan handled the October tragedy, its rating as a state should have gone up. Despite all the criticism regarding the state’s inefficiency, there is a basic acknowledgement by national and international agencies that the people and the state together handled the aftermath in an admirable fashion. Hence, the handling of the earthquake should have qualified as a ‘pocket of efficiency’, contrasting with the ‘pocket of problem’ category created to underscore the Bush administration’s gross mishandling of Hurricane Katrina.

Also, in assessing Pakistan, FfP does not hold good on its own assertion that improved functioning of the police and judiciary is the key to an efficiently-run state. While the police and the judiciary have a long way to go before becoming efficient and genuinely de-linked from power centres, there are indications of some improvement. For example, the suo moto actions taken by the Chief Justice in many environment and public interest cases indicates some marginal improvement. Similarly, in its commentary on Pakistan, the FfP takes the position that the Pakistan army and the religious groups have the same approach. That in reality the army-religious party nexus over Taleban and in the Waziristan area is intact. That it would be activated during the elections. This was based on opinion and not on facts which would incontestably establish the nature of government operations in Waziristan. The facts should have covered the number of military operations conducted in Waziristan, the number of foreign militants nabbed in the areas, the number of army and civilian casualties, the elaborate Pakistan-US infrastructure set up for collaborating these operations, and the regular intelligence sharing between Pakistan and the US army. Instead, the FfP study appears to have banked on perhaps the Press commentaries on these operations.

Often, the linear thought on Pakistan, the dominant thought is not linked to the broader integrated current reality of Pakistan. Facts, ground reality and the appreciation of the complexity of the task are missing. As is the ability to view the context, within which these challenges arise, in totality. The external dimensions which create new or complicate existing challenges for the Pakistani state are completely ignored. Its formidable problems do not make Pakistan a failing state. The methodology as applied to Pakistan was obviously flawed. The FfP should withdraw its conclusions on Pakistan and re-do its ranking of the country.

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Let us look at the picture and I think the reason behind the musharaf’s picture is even clearer to me.



It seems that the billboard was placed there by the Kashmir(Indian Side)state government itself.
Apparently, the government wanted to place Manmohan on the billboard but in Kashmir it is impossible to put Indian PM’s picture on any billboard. So they are using Musharaf’s popularity in Kashmir to promote Manmohan.

I say way to go Kashmir State government.

#55 by harish_hyd

“God knows how many Pakis are parting with their hard-earned $$$, India`s forex reserves rise. The cunning bania is at it again.”

You are generally a sensible person but I think in this instance you have not been thinking rationally.

If I were to believe that bania is so cunning, then how abt this: I will give some money to Bania to put Musharaf’s picture on a billboard in Hyderabad.

How much would buy Bania’s national pride?

Caution:
The content of this news item may be offensive to readers of Indian origin with Hindu blood in their veins.

ARAB NEWS
Etisalat Deal May Open Door for More FDI in Pakistan

The capital market and the government gave Gulf investors a big applause as United Arab Emirates’ telecom giant Etisalat bought Pakistan’s most profitable telecom monopoly, while new opportunities opened up for investment in big dividend companies.

UAE dominated the economic scene last week, reflecting Gulf’s growing investment and business relations with Pakistan. The euphoria was created by Etisalat’s $2.59 billion purchase of 26 percent shares of the state-owned Pakistan Telecommunications Corporation Ltd. (PTCL) with management control. It is reflected in statements by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Dr. Ishrat Hussain, governor, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and top business leaders, for its impact on FDI inflows.

Special applause was focused on UAE President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan, and UAE government. Dr. Mohamed ibn Khalfan ibn Kharbash, chairman, Etisalat, and the company’s Chief Executive Officer Obaid Saeed ibn Mes’har, were specially praised for investing in Pakistan.

Obaid Saeed expects $2.59 billion “investment to pay off within five years, hopefully, sooner.” Regarding Etisalat’s $1.96 a share bid, he says, “we feel this is the right value.” His optimism is based on vast market opportunities and the fact that Etisalat will have PTCL’s management control. Etisalat will fund the deal with 25 percent equity and 75 percent bank borrowing, with Dubai Islamic Bank’s making 10 percent equity and 10 percent of debt portion.

The Etisalat entry in the market will open the doors for other UAE potential investors to bolster economic and trade ties between our two countries. It’s a major and very significant transaction, which is also very important from strategic point of view... There are natural synergies between UAE and Pakistan and the private sectors of the two countries.”

On the back of PTCL deal, Aziz has decided to speed up the ongoing process of privatization, sale and investment in several mega, state-owned, high yield companies.

These include: the 70 percent oil market distributor and leader Pakistan State Oil (PSO), oil explorer and producer Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. (PPL), important financial market player National Investment Trust (NIT) and the giant Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), among others.

Etisalat acquisition and management control of PTCL, comes just 27 days after Sheikh Nahyan ibn Mabarak Al-Nahyan’s Abu Dhabi Group (ADG) started Alwarid in Pakistan — its $400 million, state of the art, highly innovative and aggressively competitive cellular services in Pakistan. ADG has invested in banking, real estate and telecom, including long distance and international (LDI), and wireless local loop (WLL). The group has invested $170 million in modern Bank Alfalah Ltd., $104 million in United Bank Ltd., and $100 million in Wateen Telecom (Pvt) Ltd.

Pakistan hopes to attract more FDI from Gulf and other investors, on the back of Etisalat deal.

balti #54


``Unfortunately, terms like ‘occupied’, ‘held’, ‘administered’ etc have become editorial discretion due to long standing hawkish policies and environment in South Asia…``

Are you saying that editor of this site has used word ``administered`` for Pakistani Kashmir and ``held`` for Indian Kashmir?

If you wrote it than you should own it as author`s discretion... (and bias)

Balti saheb
Proof is in the pudding. Before you start asking for dialogue between India and Pakistan, you must make sure that Pakistani held Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan are re-united, and part of Kashmir gifted to China is also taken back. Otherwise all these tear jerkers would be seen as ploys to get more land from which push non-believers can be pushed out.

#56 by balti

Mushy`s discomfort is clearly visible on his face. It looks as if he`s having trouble relieving himself.

BTW, ``famous`` where? In Pakistan? Because here, no one knew until you brought it to our notice.

Re: # 46

for the famous picture, you can log on to;
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-weekly/nos-28-08-2005/pol1.htm#3

#46 by HP

I asked the guy to take a picture for me. He said he will ask the photographer. I promised him $$$ for his efforts.
Oh boy! That would be some picture…

HP sends $$$ for a pic of Mushy in Srinagar, God knows how many Pakis are parting with their hard-earned $$$, India`s forex reserves rise. The cunning bania is at it again.

Perhaps the Indian govt/Army can`t take the picture down...

As long as there is enough of target practice in the form of Paki Jihadis, why will the Indian Army even bother pulling down a mere billboard, which is good PR and business considering the way Pakis are sending $$$?

Re: # 41

Unfortunately, terms like ‘occupied’, ‘held’, ‘administered’ etc have become editorial discretion due to long standing hawkish policies and environment in South Asia…

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a paki in touch with reality!! He must be sick or something..

COMMENT: Reviewing the peace process — Tanvir Ahmad Khan

A distinctive feature of the editorials in Daily Times is the presence in them of intimations of what in common parlance is known as “breaking news”. Only the other day, one of them hinted at some re-thinking about the dialogue with India undertaken by a group of rather disappointed retired generals.

One is still not in a position to claim access to this Olympian exercise but given this newspaper’s impeccable sources, one need not doubt the veracity of the report. What is truly troubling is the continuing absence of a comprehensive and reliable institutional framework in which issues pertaining to India, which by definition are of crucial importance, are decided.

Ever since Kargil, the gap between a carefully structured Indian policy and Pakistan’s manifest ad hoc-ism has widened. The high quality of deliberateness in New Delhi’s dealings with Pakistan reduces the need for too many declaratory statements. India is able to maintain its negotiating position with a noticeable economy of words. On the Pakistani side, declaratory statements have often been the mainstay of the India policy.

These statements are only occasionally addressed to New Delhi. More frequently, they are used as an instrument of modifying public opinion by a government that is reluctant to engage representative institutions like the parliament. By now, the Indians have developed an uncanny ability to recognise declarations that, primarily, prepare Pakistani public opinion for the next turn of the country’s famous “flexibility” on Kashmir. They tailor their response to a studied decision either to strengthen or weaken the hands of President Pervez Musharraf.

There has been a roller-coaster of exaggerated hope and equally deep frustration in Pakistan. Since the fateful day when President George W Bush told Pakistanis that the histories of the two countries were different enough to warrant different policies by him, the high tide has turned into low ebb in Pakistan. Had there been a fully functional parliament, a truly empowered Foreign Office free to present its honest analysis without the fear of reprisals and a cluster of think-tanks that were not hamstrung by ubiquitous intelligence services, the nature of the national discourse would have been different.

Time has moved on. Pakistan is important for India but securing India’s place in the global hierarchy of power is a much higher priority. Pakistan’s wishful thinking that this place depended primarily on the state of India-Pakistan relations has been systematically punctured by the United States in an operation popularly known as de-hyphenation. What is more to the point, and for which evidence mounts by the day, Washington is by now almost demanding that India not only assume a dominant role in South Asia but also a special, and probably, growing responsibility in Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Containing or balancing China — two different concepts altogether — would not give us the whole story. As a former ambassador to Russia, I wonder about the innermost thoughts in Putin’s Kremlin on Washington’s current effort to give India a strategic salience in Tajikistan and other parts of the Near Abroad. With their traditional wisdom the Chinese want India, Pakistan and Iran at the next summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the hope that power projection by the new actors on the stage could be brought under a new discipline — a new order. Russia too would want to settle the rules of the game.

It would be naïve to think that a growing recognition of India’s regional and global role will not affect its stance on contentious issues with Pakistan. Consider just three matters that stand out in the bilateral agenda.

Kashmir has not made much headway in the composite dialogue. Now there is a subtle shift in the Indian posture. It is progressively de-linking Kashmir from the India-Pakistan agenda. Pakistan’s declaratory statements have played an important role in Kashmiri leaders of various persuasions becoming more amenable to a compromise with India.

People who know the reality have made contingency plans..

US ‘has options’ if radicals get hold of Pakistani nukes

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: The United States has contingency plans in case any of Pakistan’s nuclear assets are taken over by Islamist radicals.

Prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban regime, former CIA director George Tenet and former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage were sent to Islamabad to discuss the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear programme.

According to an analysis published by Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in the Institute’s National Security Outlook, any US military action in Pakistan must have at least the tacit agreement of the Pakistan Army, if not the government in Islamabad. Any operation which requires fighting to gain access to Pakistan makes speculation so complicated as to make it an exercise in futility or, at minimum, an operation that takes so long to unfold that it would not be responsive to the situation.

Also, it must be assumed that the situation that results in loss of control is not a broad-based rebellion or insurgency against the Pakistan Army or against the Musharraf government. Fighting for access in the face of a popular uprising across Pakistan, or even across the Punjab, is too large an operation to contemplate.

Another correlated but necessary assumption is that the Pakistan Army allows US forces to deploy through some airfields. Attempting to gain a UN resolution could well slow any useful military action. It is hard to imagine the Chinese being very “forward leaning”- although if the Pakistanis make an appeal to the “international community” in the moment of such a crisis, it might be hard to keep the Chinese out, and even harder the longer the operation continued. Any Indian role is to ruled out as it would not be acceptable to Pakistan or Pakistanis.

The analysis maintains that the Pentagon is quite right to think about options for dealing with “loose nukes” other than the kind of recycled arms control.

Re: # 44
{{{{{to peter down these ground realities}}}}

We are working on that .... with lots of help from the
likes of His Excellency :-)

u only have to read Puki newspapers to know how

much has petered down and how much more

petering is on the way :-))))

there`s deluded...and then there`s paki-deluded..

Concessions for Etisalat

The uncertainty is finally over. Etisalat has agreed to stay in the process of acquiring a 26 per cent controlling stake in Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). An agreement between Etisalat and the Privatisation Commission the other day says the money involved will now be paid over five years instead of three months, the period originally set by the deal.

This staggered payment was one of the main d