Advani in Karachi

Romair #185

“One would have to guess that it is an internal BJP matter. Maybe he wanted to threaten someone, within BJP. Maybe they wanted to bypass him, so he decided to create trouble. This visit certainly has shaken up the BJP. It is quite evident on this site, amongst the various BJP supporters. They cannot figure out whom to blame……….One of their own, in fact their hard line leader has turned their own philosophy on its head…………..”

An astute observation! Especially, if taken into consideration with his statement on reaching India. It seems that he is not backing down- at least not yet. I agree that the whole thing now is about internal struggle between the RSS and BJP. Just a few weeks ago Maha Parcharak(or whatever) publicly castigated both Advani and ABV. The RSS wants Advani and ABV to retire from BJP leadership and it appears from first ABV’ statement and now Advani’s assault on the RSS basic ideology that both want to fight it out.

Advani does not appear to be a particularly smart person but he is no idiot either. He is in politics for more than 60 years and may have won and lost many battles. This may just be another battle for him. Sindhi are not shallow thinkers like some from kerala, and Advani is true to his national heritage. There is no way he would say things that he said in Pakistan without thinking through them.
What he said in Pakistan was meant for Indians and especially his own constituency, the RSS and BJP.

urstruly #171 if you are able to get a copy of Mr. Ahmed`s write up and perhaps provide the translation of the part where he grades humans based on skin complexion (white being best, yellow second best, brown third best, black bringing up the tail end), I would be most obliged.

PS: I took away the Sir since that bothers you, and I took away the Syed since that bothers me in addition to the Sir, and so he is plain Mr. Ahmed. Who stands or falls based on what he did, not based on who he claimed descent from or what honors Ms. Victoria bestowed on him. I took away the Queen from Victoria as well, as you may notice for similar reasons. If all this sounds crazy, it is no crazier than some of the stuff I see on this board. :-)

I think Advani should join the ``Rolling Thunder Motorcycle club``, an indian bikers club whose members tour different parts of the country depending on which region they belong.Some even do cross country tours.The bikes of choice are the Enfield Machismo and Bajaj Eliminator.What a way for Advani to ride off into the sunset.A la Malcolm Forbes.


http://www.royalenfield.com/


http://www.bsmotoring.com/2002/02may01_1.htm

HP #193 I hope you are keeping in good health, my friend. Who cares who this clown Advani was singing to - all I care is that he sings the right tunes as he did in Karachi. After that he can go to hell.

How come , if one were to read pak`s writings, their economy is growing leaps and bounds, BUT, evidently, the rest of the world doesn`t give a hoot, nor do you find any mention of the pak economy in any international business publication.Meanwhile, everywhere one goes, one can find mention of India`s economy as the second fastest growing economy in the world.What am i missing about the pak economy, that the pak`s are crowing about?.If they are growing at 8.5%, they must be the fastest growing economy in the world, NO?.I am at a loss for words.

cayenne ...

for this year , Pakistan`s economy grew at 8.4% and India`s at 7%.

Last year Indian economy grew at 8.5% and Pakistan`s at 6.4%.

The drop by 1% in India`s gdp growth rate over the last year can be attributed to the fall of the pro-market BJP government.

Also , note that inflation in India is at 4% while in Pakistan , it is just over 10%.

It would be silly to reduce this to this an India vs Pakistan debate...forget Pakistan , its economy is just 1/11th of India`s. India`s focus should be catching up with China. This is possible if Indian economy registers 9-10% growth rates , which in turn is possible if India liberalises its economy completely.

Indian economy is expected to really take off in 5 years time as by then India`s GNP per capita income is expected to cross 1000$ ...Chinese economy really began to shoot ahead when they reached this particular benchmark back in the mid-90s.

re:#197 by cayenne
Paki rulers are good at cooking up statistics. They probably learnt this trick from their Chinese masters.
Look up the link i posted in my last post. Pak is actually stagnating.
Sridhar

re:#198 by avenger123
Do u Pakis even have a Census that records your nation`s population accurately? You guys are just pathetic. The numbers that u quote are pre-budget projections. Your own nation`s daily refutes those figures. Look up the link i posted. Open your eyes, be honest and learn.
Sridhar

I think Advani`s statements are all well planned and directed towards Indian audience.. and mainly targeted towards non-BJP voters and allies who are just looking to get ahead and not fight some historical revenge battles..

These statements are not aimed at attracting Indian Muslims either.. No way the Muslims are going to vote for BJP.. By praising Jinnah as ``secular``, he can claim he is not a fanatic as he has been portrayed at the same time maintaining that he was just acknowledging a fact about a Pakistani (NOT Indian) Muslim to retain his core constituency..

This image would help in recruiting allies who are very crucial in winning any elections.. Inspite of the big media hype about the ``victory`` of ``secularism`` over ``hindutva`` in the 2004 elections, it`s the wrong alliance in TN and the rout of Chandrababu Naidu in AP that tilted the scales..

Other than that I think Advani gives a rat`s a** to Pakistani opinion.

sridhar sahib,

you should be careful who you go shooting off your mouth to. . . avenger is one of you indians. we don`t want him, thank you. :)

Bongdongs #172: Please check http://www.infomanage.com/international/98hdi.htm for 1998 statistics. And then for 1999...........You should get your answer.

You can also check at http://facweb.bcc.ctc.edu/llum/ba240/exceldata.htm........... In the 1998 published figures, Pakistan is at 138 and India is at 139. In 1999, India moves ahead.........

The published figures do trail the real dates by the three years. So you could say 1996 in real dates, which were published in 1999.

I am not sure where you received your figures. Could you provide a link.........

Re: # 200

Hey idiot rsridhar,

You are probably mad because you guys are ugly and can`t do jack about it. You guys even don`t have national identity cards. I was surprised when I was told by one of the indian guys I met last year. I am sure this is a grand surprise for the Pakistani chowkies.

regards,

haideri

Re: # 200

Hey idiot rsridhar,

You are probably mad because you guys are ugly and can`t do jack about it. You guys even don`t have national identity cards. I was surprised when I was told by one of the indian guys I met last year. I am sure this is a grand surprise for the Pakistani chowkies.

regards,

haideri

remember the reaction of indians when stuka wrote the article? the reaction here is more of the same. and as for pak economy, here is what appeared on bloomberg today. for the uninitiated, bloomberg is the main news source for financial markets. also please note the last name of the author:

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&cid=mukherjee&sid=aiSFuvMKI2Gw

Andy Mukherjee is a columnist for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.

China`s New Growth Challenger Is Pakistan: Mukherjee .

Commentary. Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)

By Andy Mukherjee

June 7 (Bloomberg) -- India is no longer the front runner to challenge China for the fastest economic growth among the world`s most populous nations. Pakistan is.

According to figures released over the weekend by Pakistan`s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the $110 billion economy is estimated to have grown 8.4 percent in the year ending on June 30. Among the world`s 10 most-populous nations, that rate is exceeded only by China, where gross domestic product expanded 9.5 percent last year. India recorded 6.9 percent GDP growth in the 12 months ended March 31.

Now that Pakistan is within striking distance of China`s growth, it aims to catch up. The growth target for the next fiscal year, as set out in the nation`s annual budget yesterday, is as much as 8 percent, the same as Beijing`s goal for the year.

That may be a trifle over optimistic. Pakistan isn`t yet ready to sustain 8 percent growth year after year -- not until it can push up its savings rate, which is languishing at 14 percent of gross domestic product.

Inflation is at an eight-year high of 11 percent, a clear indication of an economy overheating from too much consumption. (China`s problem is too much investment.)

Still, another year of strong growth is eminently achievable in Pakistan, provided the central bank can maneuver deftly to suppress inflationary expectations, even as the government goes ahead and steps up investments in public works.

Even a slightly less rapid expansion than this year would go a long way in boosting personal incomes, which have risen a very impressive 27 percent in U.S. dollar terms in the past two years.


....In 2005, what`s helping sustain growth isn`t U.S. largesse, but a revival of investor interest, which is evident from the list of bidders short-listed by the government for a proposed sale of 26 percent in state-owned Pakistan Telecommunication Co.

Bidders for the phone service provider, whose market value is about $5.5 billion, include telecom companies from Singapore, China, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Yesterday, the benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange 100 Index plunged 1.5 percent after the government said it would delay the stake sale in the phone company because of pressure from labor unions. The government said it isn`t scrapping the sale, which it now expects to go through by end-June.

...While poverty still remains endemic, and only 18 percent of women aged 35 to 44 are part of the workforce (compared with 96 percent for males in the same age group), a new middle class has started to emerge in Pakistan.

Private consumption is up 17 percent from a year earlier in the 12 months ending June 30. Per capita income has surged to $736. Once Pakistan crosses the $1,000 threshold, like China did last year, it`ll become a middle-income country with a lucrative domestic market of 154 million consumers.

...From investor such as Temasek Holdings Pte, the Singapore government`s investment arm that bought 25 percent of a Pakistani bank in April, it helps that Pakistan`s relations with India are improving as businesses in the two fast-growing economies press for closer ties. The neighbors have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a half-century-old dispute that remains unsettled.

There`s help coming from another quarter. Raw cotton, yarn, cloth and garments account for three-fifths of Pakistan`s overseas shipments. Along with China and India, Pakistan is widely expected to gain from the new quota-free system of global textile trade.

Yesterday`s budget scrapped a 15 percent tax on materials imported by the country`s textile industry.

A textile windfall would be a big bonus for an economy brimming with optimism, and quite deservedly. After all, it has been two decades since it last grew as fast as this year. Mimicking China`s growth may be a tough act to follow, but Pakistan seems determined.



To contact the writer of this column:
Andy Mukherjee in Singapore amukherjee@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: June 6, 2005 22:15 EDT

Faisaluno #206: The article is interesting...........

I think Pakistan has a brilliant and honest economic team in place. Shaukut Aziz, Ishrat Hussain, Hafeez Sheikh, and the heads of various banks etc. that these guys have brought in have done wonders. I remember Hafeez Shiekh`s interview where he stated that Pakistan only needed around 15 people to fix the system. I think he is right..........

I met with one of the top ex-bankers of BCCI four years ago. He grew in banking, through Pakistan`s booming 60s. He told me four years ago, that it would take four years for Pakistan to reach a stage, where the system will be revamped. Uptil that point, everyone will keep their money with them. Then there will be a level playing field, and people will start investing. His predictions turned out correct........

He also said two other things have to happen. Musharraf should be there after four years, and the maulvis should be not be causing problems..........

I met him again, a few weeks ago. He said that he saw the situation he currently sees in Pakistan in two places where he worked. One was in Malaysia and the other was in Singapore, right when they were about to boom........On his advice, I am now looking for investors in Pakistan, to expand. He is ready to invest himself, a bit............

I only have one fear: PPP and/or PML are going to come back unchecked, and take everything down the drain again. Specifically PPP on the economic side. Economic growth always tanks, historically, when PPP is in power. BB and Zardari are convicted crooks. So they should not come in. Nawaz Sharif is a duffer. If someone from these two groups has to come in, I think Shahbaz Sharif would be a good choice. He is the smartest and is not a landowner, but a businessman..........And he has a proven track record in fixing Lahore.....

Here is my guess. After 2007, Musharraf will be President. A reconciled PML, with Shahbaz Sharif as the head will be running the show. With Shaukut Aziz still as the Finance Minister. The govt. will make a deal with BB and Zardari so that they don`t end up in the slammer in Switzerland, where they are just about to go. In return, PPP will go along with the govt., without asking for too much. And the maulvis will be out.........

Pakistan just needs seven to ten years of Shaukut Aziz and Co. After that, even PPP and PML will not be able to screw things over, economically............Then we can go onto other things like elections, etc.

Re # 206

Good for Pakistan. But all I care is Pakistan not indulding in ``moral support of certain freedom fighers``. If it stays away from such nefarious activities, I will be happy to applaud
Pakistani`s on all the success they achieve.