Benazir Bhutto in Sacramento

Ras #131,

I agree. Who`s asking Salman to run for office anyway? He`s a musician, not a politician.

It`s nice to see talented young Pakistanis getting the international limelight they deserve.

Ras Siddiqui #114, ``Did you get a chance to see Salman Ahmad of Junoon on Politically Incorrect?``

No, unfortunately, I was traveling at that time. But I did get to read the transcripts of the show.

Contrary to what MFarooqi thinks, I think Salman did a great job at expressing his opinions about various ideas harped upon by Maher. Junoon has come a long way. Good for them.

If anyone`s interested, the transcript can be found at:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/politicallyincorrect/episodes/2001-02/1.html

eklavya #118, ``Anybody who has beautiful eyelashes and pretty feet already has a headstart in my book.``

sexist pee-eye-gee

Reply anNy, Semipreciousme # 120

[“when i met benazir, she was dressed uuugly..real uugly and her shoes were even uglier...”

“….i swear….i’ve never seen a woman with such baaaad taste….i mean polka dots and puffed sleeves???…blech….”]

While I myself would, of course, never dare to have an opinion on such things I recall a (true) incident which confirms your very severe judgements.

Aunty One: “Are dekho, yeh Nusrat ki ladki ki thasveer aaee akhbaar men…”

Aunty Two: “Haiiiiiii! saatin ki soot pehen ke phirthi hai…”

Aunty One: “Bechari…”

Reply Sarwari # 129

“Lets face it, Chowk started off as a Pakistani site, and it was gradually and subtly taken over by Indian agendas.”

Banias 2, Taliban zero.

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#: 122

Eklavya

Guys, quit fighting over whether this is a Pakistani site or not. Yes, it is. No, it is not. What difference does it make



EK,STUKA,BANJARA

On the same note,just like CHOWK,dont fight whether im Pakistani ,or Indian.Only i can say what i am NOT .and that is ,you all know Hindian.

I have birth certificate from Bhawalpur ,& a expired Pakistan Passport to prove im Pakistani.I also have a POI card which allows me to travel freely any where in India life long.

And ,im permanent resident of U.S.A.

Ras,

You are right. In my self righteousness coupled with my dislike for the Bibi and everything that she stands for, I have called you several names. This was indeed uncalled for; and I withdraw those comments, most regretfully. However, the gist of my interactions stands.

I understood your comment about ``roughneck``, and instead decided to take the higher ground using your comment to take a jab at your inability to see through the facade of Ms Bhutto. Rest assured I have no personal squabbles with you. I have the utmost respect for you as a journalist and a decent fellow. Its just this issue of your blind support for Ms BB that i can perhaps never agree with you about. In your enthusiasm , I feel you sometimes elevate the most mortal of people such as BB to unprecendented levels of godliness. But i guess we all have our weaknesses.

You write,.``As a person who has been away from Pakistan for over a quarter century now, I cannot accurately comment on her periods of rule``. Therein lies the problem. Let us agree to disagree about the role of Ms Bhutto in the future of Pakistan.

Regards

Asim

you sound so star struck, its sad.

how one for objectivity mr reporter?

rizvi.

RE: Reply #: 124

Asim Hayat wrote:

``Re : Ras Saddiqui and naivete

Ras, You accuse me of this ``roughneck mentality``, as if it were a bad thing. Au contraire! I am rather proud of this inherent ability to fearlessly call a spade a spade. I like to think of it as most character building. You know you ought to try it sometime. However, unlike yourself, at the very least I am not a psychophantic dupatta-carrier of an aging, dareisay ``hag``; not to mention the fact that I have adequate conscience and integrity to not live in a fool`s utopia, willing to gloss over history in a futile bid to aid and abet a known criminal fugitive form Pakistani justice(is that any oxymoron?)``

Asim, it was supposed to be a private joke between people who have been in the Oil business
and who know and can appreciate the wisdom of roughnecks. I spent 5 years with these guys in the Midwest on drilling rigs, and appreciated some of their views , which happen to be fixated on the drill bit and the pipe/casing that they are
running at the time.
But off the handle you went calling me a variety
of things because you do not agree with me.

Big deal!

I`m glad that you can call a spade a spade but I go beyond that and can say that I am worried deeply about and am watching the whole ``Khait``/field these days.
I would suggest that Pakistanis of every hue stick together now. The Bull is in the China Shop and the immediate future is very uncertain/disturbing.
BB is certainly a controversial person I know and can easily gather from the other replies thus far. But do not ever count her out now and do not question my integrity in future.

Ras

(Alumni of Karachi Grammar School)

RE: Reply #: 121 MFarooqui

MFarooqui,
I do agree with you that Salman had a rough time.
But he did come across as the decent person that
he is. At this time we have to take what we can get. Under the circumstances, I do not believe that he did too badly.

Ras

Bhadave 123

Mind your own business. Your own daugthers dont listen to you that you are giving bhashan here?

Lets face it, Chowk started off as a Pakistani site, and it was gradually and subtly taken over by Indian agendas. There was a time Chowk hardly had anything that was even a little antagonistic to Indian causes. It didn`t sell. But that changed, Chowk became really balanced. I think it still is. Though I wish that silly and useless, ``unemotional discovery of India`` blah blah would be taken off.

That`s my opinion, take eno if necesseary.

Aisha F Sarwari

Sameerjb,

I agree with your sentiment. Ultimately we need institutions. However, let us not forget that it was the `democratic` leadership of Nawaz Sharif which undermined the institutions, starting with the Supreme Court, the Presidency, the Press, and finally he tried to mess with the Army.

Undoubtedly we have seen too many of Alexandars, and Napoleons, and we need strong institutions. But the fact remains, ultimately it has to be a strong personality which will have to make institutions sacred. Had Jinnah lived, he probably would have managed to create the sacred tradition of constitutionalism, but he died in the middle of trying hold Pakistan together in wake of problems created by partition. Liaqat Ali Khan could have succeeded had he been a stronger personality, but you will have to agree that the destruction of Pakistan`s democracy starts with Ghulam Muhammad, and it was Ayub Khan who put the final nail in coffin.

My assertion is that if Musharraf guides the nation out of the current mess, holds fresh elections, and then gets elected as President after retiring from the Army, and occupies that position for say two terms as constitutionally elected head of the state, he might just give the the tradition of Democracy that sacred spirit which has so far been lacking.

Let us see the example of other nations... Had Washington not presided over the Union with Alexandar Hamilton on his side, Democracy wouldnt have flourished in the US. Had there been no De Gaulle, there would be no Democratic France.

-YLH

Hasan Sharif,

Whatever the case, Benazir is better than your daddy Nawaz Sharif anyday.

Perhaps Leghari put it the best at the first meeting of the `Millat` party in 1998 at Mr Rao Amjad Ali`s front lawn:

`The difference between the PPP, and the PML(N) is that whereas PPP atleast has an agenda and a sense of direction, PML(N) is without it, devoid of it, Nawaz Sharif is a man without intelligence. `

-YLH

Eklavya,

re: post on BB

To some extent I agree with you. There seems to be a dynamic/syndrome in developing countries(Pakistan, the Phillipines, Indonesia, Guyana) in which a daughter or wife becomes a leader of the country that her husband or father was. There seems to be an aspect of retributive justice in the daughter/wife being elected to that leadership position. Of course, a platform based on that concept is not enough, especially in countries that are perpetually destabilized by the religious fanatics, military leaders(sorry guys), drug runners and extremely weak infrastructures. Add a blighted economy and you have pretty much the same disasters that take place under any leader. IMHO, the case with these women leaders is public perception. They are no better or worse than the guy before or after them. The fact that they were women elected on a tie to their male relative gives their regimes a particular aspect. Of course in BB`s case her husband was an esp. destabilizing presence, from what I have heard, in several disturbing ways.

regards