Surviving Musharraf's Exit?

bring out the violins

LAHORE: Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has offered the position of Balochistan governor to Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the sacked chief justice of Pakistan, Aaj television channel reported on Thursday. The channel said Zardari made the offer through Iftikhar’s counsels Aitzaz Ahsan, Athar Minallah, and Munir A Malik. daily times monitor

Re: # 493

bj,

... the moon god's crazy warriors cannot do this job - it has to be done by the regular army ... that's why i am anxious for them to return to the barracks ....... these jihadis are mere gun fodder and probably do more harm than good ..... isi should be focusing on supporting indigeneous kashmiri freedom fighters instead of recruiting homiciders and suiciders in gowalmandi, lahore ..... if the kashmiris don't want to fight this war themselves, pakistan should let them eat vegetables and dal ..... we have a moral obligation to support them but if they won't stand up and show some spine, they are not my mamon's sons ! ... to hell with them .......

.......... in any case we have much bigger fish to fry at this time than kashmir ...... we will get to it when sheikh rashid is appointed as the head of the kashmir committee .......

#495 er...that actually was my annual post to you. on chowk we have so many geniuses, and so little time. Wish you a happy 2009 in advance. :-)

#488 Eklavya

[ajay, I don't know how one can do justice to, or even engage in any constructive dialogue with, others begining with the view that everyone else is a bonehead, or evil, or wrong, just because they don't see the world your way...]

See, it's no point sermonizing to me in generalities that are not based on facts. I could say the same thing back to you, and it would not amount to much either.

I understand your predicament. I have a solution for you. Try not to "do justice to, or even engage in any constructive dialogue with, others begining with the view that everyone else is a bonehead, or evil, or wrong, just because they don't see the world your way". Avoid such people. Don't respond to their posts.

I know I avoid such people like the plague.

Try doing that. But if people are stating FACTS, or are ATTEMPTING to produce some kind of flawed(no doubt) logic, then point out their logical errors from your vantage point of unerring logic.

I have noticed that you conveniently avoid direct questions when you are caught in obvious untruths(I'm being polite here). Like when you were making up stories about "low-caste" people "preparing themselves" and being denied being "appointed" a "Shankaracharya".

I have always disliked people who pretend to be something they are not.

#482 tahmed32

[#481 ajeya: "Why are Paki Muslims boneheaded? Because they believe in "democracy" in an Islamic country."

Oh no. I must be smart and realize that we are doomed to have a dictatorship in Pakistan. Hindus like you are so clever!! ]

Being Paki, you completely missed the point. You can have any form of government, but you cannot call it "democratic" as long as it is Islamic.

You are discriminating against people of other religions who DO NOT WANT their country to be called "Islamic".

Let's see if you understand THIS time.

#491 Posted by bjkumar on April 3, 2008 3:23:14 pm

what's happening is that contrary to prophetboy's delusions, this is just a new leash on an old dog...

Hamidm2 miaN,

I think your number one wish in that list of one hundred wishes just received a setback!

'Top' Kashmir militant arrested
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say they have arrested a top leader of a leading militant group.

Junaid-ul-Islam is the third in the hierarchy of the Hizbul Mujahideen and was its spokesman for 15 years, the police say.

They say the arrest is a major setback to the militant group.

In a separate development, a local court has issued arrest warrants for five army officers accused of killing a civilian after his arrest in Srinagar.

Still fighting

The Hizbul Mujahideen group is one of the main groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir which is claimed by both India and Pakistan.

Police said Junaid-ul-Islam is a post-graduate in Arabic literature who joined the ranks of militants 19 years ago.

He spent two-and-a-half years in Afghanistan, they said.

A number of militant commanders have been killed in the last three months and authorities say militancy is on the decline in Kashmir amid India-Pakistan peace moves.

Militants are still fighting to end India's rule in the portion of Kashmir it controls.

Meanwhile, Judge Hasnain Masoodi has issued non-bailable warrants against five army men, including three officers and two soldiers, who are accused of killing a civilian in a "staged" gun-battle.

Police say the body of the civilian was found buried in a northern district.

Human rights activists recently said they had identified 1,000 unmarked graves in more remote areas which may contain the bodies of civilians who have disappeared after being detained by the security forces.

The authorities, however, say all reported disappearances have been properly investigated and that there is no need to examine the burial sites.

Four police officers, including a senior superintendent, have already been charged in connection with the case and have been in jail for a year.

'Staged' gun battle

In a similar but separate case, India's main investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, has begun prosecuting a brigadier and another four officers of the Indian army for allegedly killing five civilians in a "staged" gun-battle in Pathribal village of south Kashmir.

The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Srinagar says that these victims were also dubbed as foreign militants.

Our correspondent says that the army has opposed the trial of the officers, because they say police have not obtained prior permission from the Indian government.

The police say such a permission is not required because the accused officers did not kill the civilians in the course of their duty.

Re: # 487 Arjun

It is clear what is happening.

The Zardari wants desperately to make a deal with the khaki serpents who - under the current pressure, only wish to bide their time till perhaps the GWB leaves. Then the Amrikkans will lose interest and the khakis can reoccupy their old seats in this permanent game of musical chairs.

If I were the judge, I would refuse the "upstairs" position and insist on returning and reoccupying the old office - and force a showdown with the khakis. Otherwise, everything else from last year would be in vain!

Re: # 487 Arjun

It is clear what is happening.

The Zardari wants desperately to make a deal with the khaki serpents who - under the current pressure, only wish to bide their time till perhaps the GWB leaves. Then the Amrikkans will lose interest and the khakis can reoccupy their old seats in this permanent game of musical chairs.

If I were the judge, I would refuse the "upstairs" position and insist on returning and reoccupying the old office - and force a showdown with the khakis. Otherwise, everything else from last year would be in vain!

Re: # 489

Eklavya, this may have been forgotten by others. However a long time ago, hamidm2 miaN admitted that he sports a beard too!

It is not known whether that act is voluntary or in response to domestic ultimatum(s).

cheema ji

Are you too suggesting the malicious canard I have repeated a few times earlier - that there is a more than fair chance at least some of hamidm's grand children or great grandchildren will take to growing proper beards and "living in the caves" he so passionately derides? :) :)

I agree, and the best part is, there is nothing hamdim can do about it.

ajay, I don't know how one can do justice to, or even engage in any constructive dialogue with, others begining with the view that everyone else is a bonehead, or evil, or wrong, just because they don't see the world your way...

droopy eyed judge is being kicked upstairs...

Zardari offers governorship to Iftikhar Chaudhry

LAHORE: Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has offered the position of Balochistan governor to Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the sacked chief justice of Pakistan, Aaj television channel reported on Thursday. The channel said Zardari made the offer through Iftikhar’s counsels Aitzaz Ahsan, Athar Minallah, and Munir A Malik. daily times monitor

Poverty increases by 40pc in 8 years

SHAHBAZ RANA
ISLAMABAD- Number of the poor in the country has increased to 73.6 per cent of the total population from 33.6 per cent during the last eight years on the basis of two dollars per day purchasing power.
Federal Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, said Thursday that eight years ago there were only 33.6 per cent poor in the county on basis of two dollars purchasing power that have alarming increased to 73.6 per cent.
He negated the last regime’s claim of ten percentage decline in the poverty on basis of dollar a day purchasing power, saying that in the present time the dollar a day formula has become obsolete due to price-hike spiral.” With a dollar, poor cannot fetch all essential commodities”.
The Finance Minister was speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Joint Management Committee of Pakistan and Italy. The Italian Ambassador to Pakistan was also present on the occasion.

ise kehte hai gaand me dum nahi, hum kisi se kum nahi..

Forex reserves erode by $3.1b in 5 months

JAVED MAHMOOD
KARACHI - The foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan have seen a record erosion of 3.10 billion dollars in just five months of the current financial year, reflecting the gravity of deterioration in the key fundamentals of the national economy of the country.
State Bank of Pakistan has reported 13.27 billion dollars worth total foreign exchange reserves by March 29, 2008, which indicate a huge plunge of 3.10 billion dollars when matched with the record high 16.37 billion dollars reserves on November 2, 2007, The Nation learnt on Thursday.
At present the foreign exchange reserves with the central bank stood at 11.099 billion dollars (by March 29, 2008) from 14.166 billion dollars on November 2, 2008, indicating a decline of 3.067 billion dollars during the period under review.
Meanwhile, the reserves with the domestic banks slightly dropped to 2.175 billion dollars by March 29, 2008, from 2.206 billion dollars on November 2, 2007.
Financial sector analysts said that the current account deficit, triggered by the trade deficit, has accelerated the outflow of the foreign exchange greater than the inflow of the foreign currency in the shape of remittances, foreign investment and external economic assistance/loans, etc.

I do not want to be the voice of the "tooti" in this "Nigar-khana", but want to address a point raised by mohar11 re. communal and secular.

The question is whether the concept of secularism relates only to the state or whether it can be related to individuals as well? If the concept does apply to an individual, what does it mean? Does it meant that a person is secular if he thinks that the state should be religion-neutral or does it mean that a person should not discriminate people based on their religion? It was in the latter sense that I said that most Indians are not secular.
[Sorry hamidm, I am trying to clarify and not obfuscate].

BTW, in practice, even the Indian state is not secular. Instead of being free of any religious bias, its secularism means, in practice, to appease every kind of religious lobby. When Muslims raised hue and cry re. the Shah Bano case, Rajiv Gandhi changed the law to appease them; subsequently, when Hindus got angry, he took Ram as his mascot (literally, by taking the actor who played Ram in the Ramayana serial with him on speaking tours) and performed the shilanyas (foundation) ceremony for the Ram temple at the Babri Masjid site.