Let’ see—-if Imran Khan is neither stupid nor naïve—-then what is he—- a puppet whose strings are in some “hidden hands” ? Or is he a manipulator of his innocent supporters and exploiters of already exploited? Answers of either of these questions in affirmative take him beyond the limits of a struggle within democratic norms, it almost takes him in the realms of dictatorship.

The question of supreme importance is and we all ought to be asking ourselves : Do we wish to be ruled by some dictatorship here ? Or even worse do we want Imran Khan being shield for some hidden forces with their own agendas. The way things appear to be and prevail in Imran Khan’s party the “tehreek” is leaning toward dictatorship—it’s—-Imran Khan the superman, first, last and in the middle —–no one else counts. Obviously his supporters have opted not——to see—–or hear. They just speak—-speak— ill of all those who ask. Is that not usurpation of the very basic human rights—–to think and question and be informed? All of us who value their ‘vote’—–must question—–and demand information to make a good decision about what kind of Pakistan we wish for ourselves.

Please! this is not ‘mudslinging’—–it’s simply a refusal to give up our rights to think and question

In recent decades, in Pakistan, federal level politics always played by two main political parties namely PPP and PML-N. But the electoral success of winning party always hinged on the support of military establishment which controls the electoral process & millions of bogus voters on voter lists. Not to mention both the parties suffered immense humiliation & disastrous consequences for being associated with military establishment (in their pursuit of power).

Even though the election results pre-fixed in the past, world community were made to believe the process is fair & acceptable. World powers especially Americans accepted such election results in order not to jeopardize the delicate balance between the political system and military establishment so as to keep continuing their focus on ‘war on terror’. After the Abbottabad incidence and subsequent American findings of Pakistan/ISI hand in Afghan-Taliban affairs and ongoing fueling of anti-Americanism in Pakistan, the relationship took nosedive between Americans and Pakistani military establishment. It’s no more secret these days that military establishment unleashing all its covert assets to unseat the present democratic dispensation which they characterize as American supported.

Now PTI being projected as alternative & leading political force, it making in-roads into young educated urban voters and impact was visible in Jalsas of Lahore & Karachi. That’s not enough for PTI to come to power. With the bogus votes underground revolutionary organization, the ISI, stands firmly behind, PTI coming to power in next general elections is a possibility but this time around world powers accepting establishment’s such democratic façade is unlikely.

Sensing the possible awkward scenario, seems, Imran Khan is feeling the heat. Getting some kind of ‘superficial cleanup’ action thro’ Supreme Court on the issue of ‘bogus electoral lists’ is the latest game plan by Imran Khan to put a brave face to the outside world.

Due to bad policies of the Government the prices of essential commodities are going higher day by day. The common man on the street was already worried about price hike and inflation as well as hoarding and artificial shortages of food items. Hell some of the food items are now more expensive than the European countries. Wth the increase in the prices of diesel, inflation, particularly food inflation is expected to move northwards and would make common man think twice to buy food items. The increase in the price of diesel, the economy’s main transportation fuel, will push up the cost of food items, including fruits and vegetables, eggs, and many other perishables that are moved largely by trucks. A hike in transportation costs usually has a cascading effect on food prices. In the context of high inflation, especially food inflation, this is extremely bad news for consumers.

Rejecting the increase in prices of petroleum products, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) said that the industry is undergoing the ordeal of poor exports, high cost of doing business, militancy and political and economic instability. “In such a critical situation, the proposed increase in prices on petroleum products would prove to be a very unpopular decision,” according to a joint statement of prominent businessmen and industrialists released by the FPCCI.

Going through the economic conditions in the country much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, and the Pakistan Government’s inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. Pakistan’s living standards are among the lowest in the world. People are being crushed, their hopes are being dashed, some don`t even dream about a bright future because they know that its not going to happen. But still they labour on without having a nervous breakdown. A number of people who live hand-to-mouth say they have failed to increase their income to match the price spiral of essential commodities and so were forced to cut down on their food intake. The way the prices of essential commodities have gone up in the past four years, there is a possibility of food intake reduction by the very low-income group people. Starvation or semi-starvation has become part and parcel of their life. Even the middle class with their limited income can hardly make both ends meet. poor people had been suffering due to increase in staple food prices or reduced food availability.

Poor families are now forced to eat cheaper foods with lower nutritional value, consume less food in meals or even skip meals at times
The government is unable to control the prices of necessary goods. The decisions of the Government are causing great difficulties for the masses. The indifference of the Government towards the vast masses of rural poor dependent on agriculture to somehow eke out a living is criminal. In the recent past The federal government has decided to increase the support price of wheat from Rs950 to Rs1,150 per maund. It is in fact a decision providing huge relief to big landlords by reasonable increase in wheat support price on the cost of consumers. Small farmers produce wheat hardly to meet their own needs leaving nothing or very less amount to be sold out. Common man is not satisfied with the government decision of increasing support price of wheat which would result in imminent surge in price of atta (flour) which was not already affordable for them.

The government, if really interested to give relief to small farmers, it should provide relief to them by offering targeted subsidy in electricity for tube wells, fertilizers, seeds and pesticides. People at large are worried, as according to them, this price hike will provide spur to the price of almost everything. It is also deplorable that a small group of businessmen earn a lot of money by unfair means of hoarding essential goods. Owing to this tendency a vast majority of people have to suffer untold hardships. Unfortunately the Government, instead of controlling these illegal activities, is siding the hoarders. If the problem is not tackled in a proper way, it may take a serious turn.

The government is accused of widespread corruption, waste, and mismanagement of the economy, making Pakistan a “beggar nation.” It lacks a vision for achieving the future it should and can have.  Without that vision it is not possible for our country to provide a prosperous, well managed and opportunity rich future. The imposition of direct taxes is all the more necessary as presently the burden of taxation has not been on the rich but mainly on low income groups through indirect taxation. Many of the direct taxes such as gift tax, Estate duty, inheritance tax, Capital Gains tax and wealth tax have gradually been abolished, eroding the system of progressive taxation to protect the interests of the rich. There were concession in wealth tax from time to time. Instead the poor masses have been burdened with indirect taxes such as sales tax, excise duty, and taxation on petroleum and gas products. To ensure taxes are applied equally and fairly to everyone, direct taxes should be introduced based on people’s ‘ability to pay’. Indirect taxes like on petroleum products are always inflationary should be curtailed.

Hearty congratulations to Pakistan. I think this Pakistan’s greatest achievement since the 1992 World Cup win — Well done boys Pakistan whitewash England with third Test win A real turn-around after last year fiasco. Misbah & Mohsin Khan has been proving to be good and great leader and they have jelled the talented individuals into a cohesive unit. Well done. The points table is very interesting: England: 118, SA:117, India & Australia: 111 & Pakistan 108. Congratulations Pakistan Cricket Team. Victory well deserved. Perhaps Srilankan & Indian Team can learn from Pakistan. Pakistan has produced world class bowlers time and again, who can bowl in any conditions and pitches, unlike Indian bowlers who are good only on Indian pitches. May be we should get a bowling coach from Pakistan. Any way Brits/Austrailian & SA can-not stand the spin or fast of Pakistan. At present Pakistan is having best of the variety of Bowlers line up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/16910486

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/16910439

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/16910486

Congratulations once again. England Still Wondering — “Where Is TEESRA” — Here It is “3-0″ — Green-Wash done to Whites — It is a fact that the Bowling department of Pakistan is far better than English Grudge. For example, Ajmal is a different class compared to any English spinner. Same with fast bowling, Umar Gull is much better than the Broad or even aging Australian Fast Bowlers on other hand Indians are getting thrashed around the work primarily because of their sub-standard bowling.

For Indians who do have inner & secretive WISH — Pakistan Cricket may get FINISH due to their IPL or LoL — but what history is being CREATED — Pakistani Players – got EXCELLENT offers from BPL (Bangladesh) & in-fact Afridi was offered highest money Seven Million US $ but he refused to play & preferred to play with national team — this is the difference above all — Pakistan defeated England, NZ , Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, WI — in their soils last year — that’s the difference. In the last own keen & minute OBSERVATION — Pakistan must be thanking BCCI for not picking them for IPL — Great achievement.

Now - You all are bound to BEAR mine – English Poetry.

Shahid - Afridi -Refuses –to- Receive- the- Champagne-

This -is –NOT – an – ACT- of –any– Hippocratic – Chain-

Inner/Outer – is – SAME - The -Reason – I –am– his – FAN-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0K9ISnHyt0&feature=related

He started distributing expensive life-saving medicine in different hospitals of the Punjab freely all across without any discrimination. To his bad luck and owing to the system failure fueled by the greed and mal-intentions of some people, that good deed turned into a life-threatening melee.

When such crisis develop in the Islamabad or in Sindh, KP, Kashmir, or in Balochistan, we see no activism on the part of rulers there. We observe that nobody really cares. No remedial measures and no answering and no accountability and no follow through. But in Punjab we see that even the high pitch hue and cry, the chief minister himself puts himself into the grid and start remedial measures. Same happened when floods and Dengue struck last year, and on numerous other occassions.

Shahbaz Sharif surely needs lots of improvement, especially developing some proactive strategy, but we have to admit that his reactions are swift, timely, and spot on. For example, his reaction in this case of contaminated medicine is at best, and doctors are disclosing that anti-dote (Folic acid) treatment has shown excellent results, and its now available freely everywhere in Punjab.

Has anybody in other provinces and Islamabad even bothered to verify that whether any of their hospital somehow were using that particular medicine?

And for God’s sake don’t deceive us by saying that The Grand Muslim Imams (AS): Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Ahmad Bin Hambal & Imam Malik were also diverse in opinion. They were Aalim (Scholars) and their difference of opinion was Aalimana; altruistic (academic). Whereas your difference of opinion is Jahilana; egocentric!!!

The person who was so intent on doing business was just asking or easy load of 500 or 1000 on a certain mobile number and was promising that person would be delivering the list to the email address given after the easy load. I returned the SMS and asked him what he was up to, and person was so gracious to even send me some of the sample mobile numbers of girls in Karachi with their names and then told me that an added bonus could be the pictures of girls from Karachi too.

I asked him what if I was from authorities, and that person even didn’t bother to reply. Next day I SMS to that number from another number and again got the same offer. That meant that the person wasn’t worried about any tracking or tracing and had everything covered. The way I see the demand of girls mobile numbers in Pakistan online, I am sure that the person would be getting lots of top ups.

Pak military which considers itself the saviour of this country, has always stood for the cause and have come in on public demand to rescue and prop up the failing country. History shows that after taking over the country and setting it back on the course; it has always handed over its reign back to the civilians. This is repeated some three times. The last hand over by General Pervez Musharraf is the hall mark of its kind, when country with its vibrant economy and society leading a moderate pace was handed over to the known top leadership in the country to come and run it on a turnkey bases.

But just for last four years down the line; once a vibrant progressive country handed over to the coalition government of PPP; is brought to the brink of its fatal collapse. Needless to mention because we all know it well that for the ‘loot khasoot’ of present government, the public civic amenities and other basic services like electricity, gas supply and fuel for transport etc are withdrawn off from the open markets. Industries are closing down and peoples are dying with hunger. Anarchy rules the streets and life for a common man on the street is but a misery.

Under the most distressing and precarious situation that masses are finding themselves fixed in it; it is strongly felt that probably military would butt in again through coup to take over and relieve the distressed peoples. Fearing this; it has been the cry of the ruling Politician and their intellectuals on the media are heard saying; ‘Army has no role in politics; they must not come and seize the powers to impose their dictatorship’.

At the same time; unlike previous practices when the opposition used to tend and ask the military to come in the best interest of nation to take over; the present government has adversely indulged in inviting the foreign forces to intervene and humiliate the military to impede any such action. US Seals raid on OBL compound in Abbotabad, the attack on Mehran Naval base in Karachi and NATO attack on Salala post were orchestrated to provoke and undermine the military and humiliate its command. To their surprise the Military although has taken a serious note of it but has totally ignored this provocation and has shown an exceptional high restraint.

After setting all the provocation aside;it seems military haas decided that come what may; they may not come for the rescue—at their own and repeat the past.

As all this was not enough; orchestration of Memogate is yet another scandal (presently under investigation in Courts) where US is allegedally asked by present government to send her forces to subdue the Pak military forces and physically take over the country and the nuclear assets. Fortunately execution of this has been thwarted by the military command in time.

But suffering of the peoples on the street is unbearable. Peoples are again looking up for the Military as their only saviours.

Whereas Military is all ready to come to serve the nation but would like that if need be, they must be called in Aid of Civil Power for their services in accordance with the dictates of the Constitution of Pakistan. Military looks up to the National Judiciary and the Supreme Court to ask them to come in and take charge to put this depleted country back on the track.

While the military awaits their orders from the Supreme Courts; they intend posing themselves aloof till such time they are called upon. But it would be absurd to malign military by a section of media for their feet dragging or pinning on them the stigma of their showing of some kind of cowardice in this case.

Let’s look up to the Supreme Court, which is the supreme authority in Pakistan. There seems to be new history in makings.

Youth is all about love. By love I don’t mean lust or anything similar. It’s basic human need and the adolescents need it more than anybody as its the requirement of their changing body and the changing minds and thoughts flowing in it. Sometime so-called religious scholars come in the way of love, sometimes moral-brigade start threatening and sometimes our confused taboos bar the youth from loving.

Again by love I don’t mean indecent behavior. deceiving the parents, lustful and illicit relations and so on. By love I mean surreal purity, subtle emotions, longing in the heart, care for each  other, lasting and unbreakable relationship, no impurity at all, and beyond this world.

Think about it. What our youth in Pakistan have to enjoy themselves? No playing grounds, no domestic sports infrastructure, no good movie theaters, no movie industry, no music, and no hope for the future. In contrary we have plentiful supply of doom philosophers with sticks in their hand ready to spank the youth on slight deviation, and oh we also have got some moral brigade in media, who chase the youth down from parks and force them to meet in seedy dark corners.

We badly need refreshing, perfumed, soft, happy, and love blogs in Pakistan.

Bringing even ordinary criminals to justice is an uphill task in our country; systems and structures are inclined to support the criminal. Under these circumstances, convicting and sentencing an indicted terrorist is an almost impossible task. Contributory reasons are many; some of these are lack of appropriately equipped forensic laboratories, unsatisfactory protection for prosecution witnesses and judges and the prevalent corrupt culture in our investigating agencies. Prosecution often fails to make a worthwhile case against the accused.

Even under these circumstances, extra-judicial killing is not an option nor would any sane person support that. Supreme Court has done a commendable job by taking notice of the four deaths. Hence, for the time being, it is not logical to presume that the four criminals did not die of natural causes. Hopefully, a judicial probe would ascertain the facts.  Probably, the four dead bodies would be exhumed for forensic focused autopsies. Therefore, frenzy of extra judicial killing is premature and uncalled for.

Though charges of extrajudicial killings levelled by the heirs of dead terrorists while they were undergoing a trial appear grave on the face of it, a deeper scrutiny indicates that those who want to make the process of trial controversial to save the remaining terrorists from punishment have fabricated the story.

Investigating agencies have already informed the Supreme Court that four out of 11 prisoners who disappeared from Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, and later apprehended from tribal area had died in custody, but of natural causes. Keeping in view the history of these prisoners, it would be a grave security risk to produce them before the court in line with any specified schedule. Moreover, four other prisoners are in a critical health condition and are under treatment in the LRH; travelling may aggravate their illness. As an alternative, the court may consider appointing its representative to visit the places of internment to ascertain the personal safety of the prisoners.

Supreme Court is hearing a petition by Rohaifa, the mother of three out of the eleven accused. She has pleaded that her sons, Abdus Saboor, Syed Abdul Basit and Syed Abdul Majid and the eight other people had been kept in illegal confinement by intelligence agencies. Her son Saboor, aged 29, was one of the four who died in custody. She has requested the court to determine whether the deceased and surviving detainees, including her sons, who are civilian, were subject to the Army Act. Though the question of applicability of the Army Act in this specific case would be adjudged by the court, Army & Air Force Acts and the Naval Ordinance do have provisions whereby civilians can by tired by a court martial, if they commit an offence against these forces.

Mothers narrative is bound to be emotional, her stance is: “If they are subject to the Army Act then the court should declare that their arrest and detention and the proceedings of trial have not been done in a lawful manner and, therefore, they should be set free in the interest of justice.” She has petitioned the court for provision of ‘due process of law’ to her three sons Syed Abdus Saboor, Syed Abdul Basit and Syed Abdul Majid. However, keeping in view the gravity of the offenses, undue swaying towards a typical mother’s narrative, whose one son has died and other two are on the edge, would not be in the interest of public safety. Sanity demands that let the process of law take its due course.

If the four prisoners were murdered, then this is a grave issue. The matter is of public importance. This raises apprehension about the remaining detainees as well. It must be found out how the four youngsters died. However, until then speculative narratives should not mislead the public.

Speculation also has it that the custodians of the dead prisoners left their bodies on the roadside after the LRH refused to accept them one after the other. If true, this represents a sad state of affairs. However, the document issued by the LHR does not corroborate this stance.

Alternative narrative has it that during 2007-08, these terrorists had attacked GHQ, Hamza Camp and Mihas air Base. Eleven suspects were apprehended after establishing their involvement. During the process of apprehension, lethal weapons, mines and explosives were recovered from their possession.  They were acquitted by ATC Rawalpindi. Later, they were interned under section 16 of the MPO. However, Rawalpindi Bench of Lahore HC declared their detention illegal and ordered their release.

On the day of release from jail, the accomplices of these terrorist (under the guise of intelligence agencies) took them to the safe heavens in FATA. To cover up this, families of these people submitted a writ petition to the SC of Pakistan declaring them as missing persons. Under direction of the SC, intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies apprehended 20 suspects including these eleven. During their stay in FATA, these prisoners fell ill. They were treated in CMH and LRH Peshawar. Despite best medi-care, four of them died on different dates in the LRH Peshawar. Hospital officials handed over their bodies to the families with full respect according to Islamic rites. Each family’s permission was sought for autopsy, all four families declined.

While the case is subjudice at the highest level, and the true narrative would emerge in due course, media ethics demand that speculative trial of the Army and the ISI on this issue must be put on hold. The campaign against these national institutions, which have rendered tremendous services in eradicating the menace of terrorism, neither is in the national interests nor is supportive to the maintenance of high morale of those who put their life in line to protect the public safety.