The ‘shoey’ Side of Politics

""AaO bhookoa,tumheiN dikhaa-eN jhaankni Hindostaan kee
McDonald aur Pizza Hut ney jis ko itnee shaan dee

I.T sey hUM kamaa kamaa kay khaatay huM sub burger haiN
Gora jub sey chala gaya hai,pait meiN upnay gurbur hain
English apni maa kee bhasha; aur Maata laitee ander haiN
Pim Pita hai, Chudtee maan hai..gahak goray bUnder haiN"

Echoboom, circa April 2008.

(http://www.chowk.com/unplugged/t/52039)

#465 Posted by ferozk,

However, I agree with you that Pakistan will not be better off or worse off because of this aid package.

Good. That's the only point I was trying to make.

Re any (mine?) sense of optimism about the aid, I would just say the same as Margaret Mitchell had Mr. Butler to say "Frankly, I don't care a damn".

I shall refrain from making blanket statements as you ask, but in return you should be a bit more careful about facts, before you make fictitious claims like Pakistan will be FX starved without any frigging US money - which the ignorant hamidm2s are more wont to make.

Re: # 418
I might want to do an article in this 'ZABAAN' thing to add to your funniness!

A timely reminder Feroz.
This carrot and sticks game will continue and gloating over some expected aid or loan from the US is really not adult behavior.

The crisis in Pakistan is much deeper and the establishment might strike earlier than expected. Sardar Ataullah Mengal correctly pointed out that Agencies brought them in power and they can't really go against them.

The issue is bigger than just the CJ or Musharaf. They can come and go but the power sharing structure has lots of hurdles to overcome. I think the ruling alliance needs breathing room to workout a deal with the establishment.

There are two ways to get this breathing room. One is to get the lawyers off the govt's back by bringing the CJ back. The second is to leave the CJ issue and apprise the lawyers of the real situation and get their help in putting pressure on the establishment.The Lawyers leadership and NS both know what the problems are but they are going for an easy victory...which would not be easy in the end.

Let us just hope people have patience to help the leaders get through this critical phase.

re: zeemax # 464

I can understand your sense of optimism about the aid. Zeemaz, a major policy shift like this one will not happen over night. Zeemax, please keep in mind that once Congress starts to debate this policy change, it might not be "free aid" as a lot people in Pakistan think. There will be aditional provisos added to it and we need to wait see what the final package will look like.

However, I agree with you that Pakistan will not be better off or worse of because of this aid package. If on the other hand, the money reaches the people where it is needed the most, then I hope things improve.

Please do not make blanket judgemental statements about people and their views, when their views disgree with your views. :)

Ciao

#463 Posted by ferozk,

I heard the first token tranche of $ 200 million has been deposited yesterday. Is it true?

Re taking years, it will be presented to the congress within a couple of months. In the meantime a ceasefire on both sides continues.

Re Aid, I have written many times before, now established as a fact after change of Government, that US never gave Pakistan a penny for economic aid during musharraf rule - it was given to the Pakistan Army as military aid against Taliban which was used for import of hardware. All foreign exchange requirements of Pakistan economy on the other hand were met through Workers Remittances, FDI from GCC countries, GDRs and Bond issues plus privatizations.

Nothing has changed now and if the new package doesn't materialize, Pakistan will be no better or no worse than before.

Your views are at best quite uninformed, and at worst typical of the Daily Times reading clueless elite.

Prove it if you think otherwise with balance of payments figures since 2002, i.e from where the FX inflows actually arrived in the Ministry of Finance books and where these were spent.

Ciao

Please note the US "offer" of 7 billion dollar non-military aid to Pakistan is an idea. It has, yet, to be formalized into a policy, which means that it must go through the process of committee hearings and then a full debate on the floor of the House of Representatives. Also note, that before it comes to a final vote, it may have "riders" attached to it; strings, which will/may alter the nature of the offer itself significantly. Given the nature of the American legislative system, compromises will have to be made to seek a possible ratification of this bill and hence, this bill might/will change radically from its utopian intentions, as said by Senator Joe Biden - its sponser.

"Offers" like these take years to materialize before the first dollar is deposited into a bank account. Remember the old saying; he who has the gold makes the rules. US will gain more political coverage and leverage over Pakistan this way than it presently has and as said before, given Pakistan's financial problems, Pakistan will need a constant injection of foreign aid to keep its economy aloft and therefore, might not be in a position to reject the final shape of the bill even it turns out against Pakistan's strategic interests.

Therefore, while the nation might be rejoicing on the democratic dividend, it should take into the account the "investment" and the long-term price it will have to pay for this American investment in Pakistan.

Ciao

So Tahmed continues to make an ass out of himself, and Zeemax keeps line in with his usual delusional chootishness. *Yawns*

treetop,

Be a sport. I am only rattling tahmed’s cage a bit; it’s a lot of fun, you know ...

I know we desi’s have our problems … but beautiful, 20 year olds can be had without necessarily going to an escort agency. Although not having to cuddle afterwards is always a plus.

+++

tahmed Sahib, no hard feelings, I hope. Like I said … I am only rattling your cage a bit. Have a quiet, peaceful evening with latest edition of Washington Post :-)

ANGRY over fifty commrades,
once or twice a month get a 20 year old beautiful white chick( escort services),take viagra if neccesary and bang her (no love-making) for couple of hours that shall take your anger and frustrations away.

tahmed,

"Gibberish" is your opinion, which is alright by me.

But fact remains that you got conned into starting a brutal, pointless war. And no smart comment can now make up for it. Re-read #457 and think ...

#457 now you are reduced to talking gibberish...re-read #456, then lets see you come back with more gibberish..

tahmed,

Your silence is a perfectly valid response; no need to try to justify it.

Fools like you got conned into supporting a useless war. This is a crying shame for the society at large. Sorry, but your smart comments are not helpful here ...

There's no need for you to try to prove your lack of interest; it is largely irrelevent. Your posts and mine are for others to see and to think over ... and that ought to be good enough for you.

#455 the truth is that you have dying to exchange posts with me, refusing to take a polite "thanks but no thanks" for an answer. and i have been telling to to buzz off. and now you are trying to save face.. :-)

tahmed,

Your interest is irrelevent; other chowkies may ponder over the point I have made here.

Botton line is this: As you extol virtues of media and information, you forget that, like a blithering fool, you yourself got conned into supporting a brutal war. This is the power of propaganda that war-mongering idiots like you fail to see.

... and this is the simple point I have made here at your expense - that's all ...

#451 zeemax: these lashkars etc., like jamia hafsa, were musharraf's unwitting tools. now of course musharraf's game - i.e. that if goes the terrorists will replace him - has been exposed and the world understands that it was not mush vs terrorists but mush vs pakistani mainstream politicians and civil society all along. So, now they are no ue to him.

Which then leads to the following question: What is the future of the taliban, lashkars etc? Now that they no longer have musharraf around to provide them refuge, and given their poor military and political situation (as per the questions i had in #430), the game seems to be up for them as far as i can tell.