Musharraf's Resignation and Beyond

arif,
Three factors are to be blamed.
First, The flawed policy of taxing all types of imports which is about 40% (including speed money)on the basic cost and freight cost of materials.
Two, Most instruements etc were made in Sialkot-Gujranwala zone. However due to heavey taxation including GST, most small scale manufacturing plants have closed down and shifted to imports from China. Even if they continue, they are no more competetive with the same items from China.
Thirdly, the ratio of speed money is increasing by the day.

To meet the challenges, th only option is to play around with quality.

Now, the plummeting dollar and high fuel cost adds to the production cost.

Dr.Sahib... Your interesting comment.
Gennerally women are more calculating than men and intelligent in these matters. Generally men are fools in this matter. Women can work outside or be homemaker is great advantage and flexibility they can afford and expect. Most women marry for rational things. Men marry for irrational things like love, failing love, etc. They have tendency just being visual and so they can be excited very easily. Women marry for different reasons than men is my observations. They are like female cats , cautious and calculating. In women thinking appearence and style is not that important . Women always think if this person can help her to bring children up, protect her, incase she dies will take care of children and in evening of life will protct her and comfort her. I have talked to many women who worked under me specially new young married. At that time they are so happy with themselves and are girls.Many times in Marriage markets girls have demand as they are adorable but same person does not get marrieds they begin to look women then only Expak is to save situation as expak is frustrated and bit old and ready to take leftovers, but its mutual. It is quite hard on any body when one enters marriage market as people as market conditions are harsh some times. One always thinks father that their share is undervalued but that is market value. It always was amazement why women marry ugly men. When you talk to them you realiaze how much women think. Women generally have more practical and pragmatic views about marriage and life. Men brain looses fast in company of women and when they smile. Many men poets write love or erotic poetry as that irrational romanticsm really strikes the heart. Most women poets can not write good poetry.
Any way generally over educating women is not good. Now any rational man or woman is not going to water neighbour tree as fruits are not theirs. Same way too much spending money on woman education is like watering other gardens. Women leaves parents for new pastures. Also too much education is problem as earings can not be heavier than than ears. Men get afraid of women who are more educated than men. Most of time all problems in family can be solved as man is more educated and tell wife to shut up as can say you do not understand these things.
So I am little old style in such matters
Good day.
Also Mr. Partha from india writes has some validity.

Dr.Sahib... Your interesting comment.
Gennerally women are more calculating than men and intelligent in these matters. Generally men are fools in this matter. Women can work outside or be homemaker is great advantage and flexibility they can afford and expect. Most women marry for rational things. Men marry for irrational things like love, failing love, etc. They have tendency just being visual and so they can be excited very easily. Women marry for different reasons than men is my observations. They are like female cats , cautious and calculating. In women thinking appearence and style is not that important . Women always think if this person can help her to bring children up, protect her, incase she dies will take care of children and in evening of life will protct her and comfort her. I have talked to many women who worked under me specially new young married. At that time they are so happy with themselves and are girls.Many times in Marriage markets girls have demand as they are adorable but same person does not get marrieds they begin to look women then only Expak is to save situation as expak is frustrated and bit old and ready to take leftovers, but its mutual. It is quite hard on any body when one enters marriage market as people as market conditions are harsh some times. One always thinks father that their share is undervalued but that is market value. It always was amazement why women marry ugly men. When you talk to them you realiaze how much women think. Women generally have more practical and pragmatic views about marriage and life. Men brain looses fast in company of women and when they smile. Many men poets write love or erotic poetry as that irrational romanticsm really strikes the heart. Most women poets can not write good poetry.
Any way generally over educating women is not good. Now any rational man or woman is not going to water neighbour tree as fruits are not theirs. Same way too much spending money on woman education is like watering other gardens. Women leaves parents for new pastures. Also too much education is problem as earings can not be heavier than than ears. Men get afraid of women who are more educated than men. Most of time all problems in family can be solved as man is more educated and tell wife to shut up as can say you do not understand these things.
So I am little old style in such matters
Good day.
Also Mr. Partha from india writes has some validity.

General Pervez Musharraf�s so-called �enlightened moderation� failed to try to erase religious bigotry, extremism and fanaticism even from paper, yes, even from paper, i.e., from the Constitution of Pakistan. In this regard, please remember the words of General Ziaul Haq on the Constitution of Pakistan; when he had said that it is a bit of paper to which he can throw in the dustbin at his Will. Yes, the poison of religious bigotry, extremism and fanaticism is rooted in the Article 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan, wherein it is written that �Islam shall be the State Religion of Pakistan.� The first step was to root out the constitutional roots of such poison by repealing Article 2 and then enacting that Religion shall have nothing to do with the business of State; and that the Parliament shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Be that as it may, now, General Pervez Musharraf has resigned; and the point of concern is that till writing of these lines no political party sitting in the Parliament of Pakistan has deemed it fit and proper to even point out such a poison. So the conduct of the political parties sitting in the parliament is cruel and doubtful. How does the State Religion of Pakistan help to root out such poison? Even no one from Bush Government has publicly pointed out the constitutional roots of such a poison; so the question of rooting it out does not arise at all. Thus Religious Terrorism will continue to live with full force. Now, it is the time to SAY NO TO THE STATE RELIGION OF PAKISTAN. Now, it is the time to amend the Article - 2 of the Constitution of Pakistan in the befitting manner saying that religion shall have nothing to do with business of the State. If the present Parliament of Pakistan, at first, succeeds to purge that poison out of the Constitution; only then, it can be said with sure, that such act would help us to further flush it out of our society. There is no other constitutional, non-violent and peaceful way to deal with such poison.

Posted by Ghulam Mustafa Lakho | August 21, 2008 2:43 PM


http://thecurrent.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/08/musharrafs-resignation. php#comments

Re: # 145;bubba

it was in response to what hamidm sahib wrote over several posts .... and I didn't say I FELT guilty but people try!

[[an "external locus of control" which might need some calibration. don't ask me what this is? i just learnt it myself recently.]]

tell us, do you feel better now that you have localised your "external locus of control"?

Re: # 144 Posted by akcheema on August 24, 2008 5:07:32 pm

akcheema sahib,

[Now I am made to feel guilty for not pushing the issue hard enough at the time!!]

array bhai kiyoun koi bachaey ho? or are you a punjabi? why are you feeling guilty? made to feel guilty!? for what? i am not a shrink, but you may need to get yourself checked out. it seems that you have an "external locus of control" which might need some calibration. don't ask me what this is? i just learnt it myself recently.

Re: # 138; hamidm sahib

I went through the same with several of my cousins etc .... when they were a little younger (uni going age) and even organised a uni admission for two at great expense one in the UK and the other in Australia .... it was all thrown back in my face! apparently getting engaged/married was more important for the girls. Now I am made to feel guilty for not pushing the issue hard enough at the time!!

one can only feel sad .... like you said, its not that easy

pay close attention pakis...things like this are leaked to the media to send pakiland a signal..it's the geeky guy from the verizon commercial saying "can you hear me now"...except that what will follow will be a hellfire instead of a phone call..

U.S. debates going after militants in Pakistan

Frustration with Pakistan's new leadership and belief that extremists are flourishing has reignited a debate on whether the U.S. should act on its own in tribal regions.



August 23, 2008

WASHINGTON — The ongoing disarray among Pakistan's new civilian leadership, including its refusal to accept a U.S. military training mission for the Pakistani army, has led to intense frustration within the Pentagon and reignited a debate over whether the U.S. should act on its own against extremists operating in Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions.

Any Pentagon support for more direct action in Pakistan would be a significant shift for military brass, who for months have resisted a push from other parts of the U.S. government, primarily counter-terrorism officials within the CIA, who have favored large-scale covert operations to go after the Al Qaeda leadership.

The internal debates have taken on new urgency amid U.S. intelligence warnings that Al Qaeda and other militant groups are flourishing in northwestern Pakistan. At the same time, there is a growing belief within the U.S. government that the new leadership in Islamabad has proved to be ineffectual and is preoccupied with internal squabbling in the wake of former President Pervez Musharraf's resignation.

From HT(which means it's as close to BS as can be)...

Musharraf in 'protective custody'

Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf is under protective custody and will be allowed to move freely only after a new head of the state is elected and the judges he sacked after declaring an emergency in November 2007 are restored, an official said.

"He is under protective custody but is free to meet friends and relatives," said the official, adding this is mainly because of security reasons.

"Once the new president is elected and judges are restored Musharraf will be allowed to leave the country," he said.

According to sources, Musharraf, who resigned on Monday, wanted to visit the US but was stopped by the authorities. "It has been conveyed to him that he will allowed (to travel) after three-four weeks after the election of the president," said the source.

The presidential election, which was scheduled for Sept 17, has been brought forward to Sept 6.

"Some officials are suggesting Saudi Arabia as Musharraf's destination because of security reasons. There are suggestions that he would be sent to the kingdom, where he will stay for at least six months before leaving for any other country," said another official.

The official said that Musharraf would not be allowed to shift into his five-acre farmhouse in Islamabad that is under construction for the last three years. Musharraf had bought the property, valued at $5 million, after he seized power in 1999.

The 11-bedroom house has a fish farm, a tennis court, a swimming pool and other modern facilities for "healthy living," a worker at farm house told IANS.

#120 Posted by zeemax on August 24, 2008 9:44:12 am


BUT I had also advised (free) my wealthy investor friends to switch to Dollars as soon as Ruppee hits 67 (it was 65 then), because after that it will go to 75. As it happened it went to 77. They made a bundle.


Really? How do you make a bundle on this transaction unless you convert the, now higher valued $$, into paki rupees?

Speaking of the paki rupee, hamidm and manto were telling us pakiland was booming because abdul paki had a cell phone..then capt clueless weighed in and made up some numbers about pakiland being the number 2 market for nokia or something..and that, somehow was a sign that there was a telecom revolution in pakiland(with pakiland in the lead)...

From a paki blog..


Easy access to low-cost consumer finance led to a sharp rise in the sale of consumer goods such as cars, motor cycles, cell phones and home appliances. The sale of cell phones, in particular, registered a spectacular rise, with the total number of cell phones in the country soaring from less than 1 million a few years ago to 80 million today.

On the one hand, this rise in the number of cell phones vastly increased communications connectivity in Pakistan, allowing huge numbers of people across the country to talk to each other and conduct business transactions by phone. On the other hand, however, the absence of cell phone manufacturing plants in the country meant that all the phones had to be imported, adding to the country’s import bill and further widening the already growing trade gap.

The Musharraf-Aziz government, for its part, seemed to be oblivious to this negative aspect of the communications revolution, and often cited the huge increase in the number of cell phones as an example of the success of its economic policies.

Moreover, since the ever-increasing revenues earned by the cell phone companies (most of which were foreign-owned) were automatically included in the annual GDP figures (total value of goods and services) compiled by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, it allowed the government to claim that its economic policies had boosted the GDP growth rate to over six per cent – in marked contrast to the average growth rate of below four per cent that had been seen through most of the 1990s under the Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto governments.

What the Musharraf-Aziz government tended to gloss over, however, was that the bulk of the billions of rupees in revenue earned by the foreign-owned cell phone companies were being remitted abroad because the government had imposed no limit on such transfers. If one were to factor these transfers into the GDP equation, the economy’s growth rate, in real terms, would not have been as high as the government portrayed it to be.

Other types of statistical legerdemain were used by the government to support its argument that the country’s per capita income had risen dramatically in recent years, from about $ 450 in 1999 to about $ 1,000 in 2007. In making this case, the government chose to ignore the fact that a falling dollar required that the per capita income figure be proportionately scaled down to give a more realistic picture of the actual figure.

Democracy at work? Admittedly too early to tell given zardari's track record so far. Nevertheless, refreshing to see the leader of a democratic government, however flawed, saying something a deceiptful dictator never did in 7 years as he played both sides of the fence,allowing taliban to flourish and painting this as a "US war" and "not Pakistan's problem".

Zardari calls for ban on Taliban
The Taliban have the upper hand and should be put on the list of banned organisations in Pakistan, said Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Co-Chairman and the leading presidential candidate, in a interview with BBC on Sunday. He says the world and Pakistan are losing the war on terror. “It is an insurgency and an ideological war, he said, adding, “It is our country and we will defend it. The world is losing the war. I think at the moment they (Taliban) definitely have the upper hand.� “The issue, which is not just a bad case scenario as far as Pakistan is concerned or as Afghanistan is concerned but it is going to be spreading further. The whole world is going to be affected by it.�

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/ Politics/25-Aug-2008/Zardari-calls-for-ban-on-Taliban

#117 Posted by zeemax on August 24, 2008 8:08:53 am


This has merely been a passing of the baton from mussharraf to zardari by USA in the relay race of WOT.


So the people who said this was just a new leash on the same old dog were right...

chalo..as a bonus..the departure of musharraf was really hard on certain ex-editors..

Re: # 127

bubba,

... actually this is really sad .... for the last three decades i have been trying to convince my siblings to come over and vote for the republicans, but they have always found one excuse or the other for sticking around in pakiland .... now that they are getting old and have trouble finding their car keys they realize that it was a bad decision for their kids ..... as my sister said,"agar hamey pata hota kay is mulk ka ye haal ho ga to ham brooklyn mein laundrymat khol letay" ...... now they want their kids to get the hell out of there .... unfortunately, it is not that easy

Re: # 136 Posted by rf786 on August 24, 2008 11:50:33 am

rf sahib,

[Any suggestions on what the Pak Govt can do to reduce this 40% cost disadvantage?] My answer is fire 40% of government employees (management types, please)

government employees are the scourge of that wretched society.

Re: # 135

Ijaz Sahib

Any suggestions on what the Pak Govt can do to reduce this 40% cost disadvantage? Thanking you

Arif

rf,
The overheads are so high and the atmosphere very soffocating for those who want to work honestly. Back in 1998, we had shifted our manufacturing from USA to Pakistan, beacuse the family felt, it was time to pay back. Pay we did through massive losses and corruption. Serve, we could not because there is no space for honesty.

Why we shifted to China. Simply because the cost was about 40% of what it is in Pakistan, besides no taxes. Pakistan is the only country in the world that heavily taxes import of water treatment equipment. World over it is tax free commodity.

The journey was not by choice but under duress.