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Showing posts from July, 2008

ISI: A misstep turning into a master stroke

I do not really know what instigated the hasty move to put IB and ISI under Interior Ministry's control. Putting IB under Interior Ministry makes sense. But it makes no apparent sense to put ISI under Interior Ministry. ISI, as we know, is a defense intelligence agency and has no direct business with Interior Ministry. So rather than going by the usual surface analysis going on in the media and intellegencia circles, let us try to analyze what happened and why? (again I never claim know-all). Before we go any further let us understand ISI and parameters of current intercourse taking place on this so-called "ISI fiasco" briefly. ISI is Pakistan's premium intelligence service. It has been alleged with meddling in domestic political affairs and has been responsible for creating and aiding King's parties from PML-Junejo to IJI to PML-N to PML-Q. It has drawn a lot of criticism domestically for its involvement in political affairs. Its political mandate, made o

March of an idea and what should Asif Zardari do?

All the uncertainty and turmoil surrounding Pakistan occupied my mind for good part of last two months. Our federation is in a very fragile state, thanks to our establishment’s policies of 60 year. Worst still, this fragility came at a time when the world economies are subject to high inflation and slow down. To make matters worse, eight years of maestro economic policies of Mush-Aziz have destroyed the base of Pakistani economy. Pakistani economy having its base in agriculture and manufacturing has been turned into a leased consumer economy. All this and a lot more is really worrisome, and so worried I was. If this was not all, the government led by PPP is under attack from both sides. On one hand, the president and his cronies are trying to undermine it and on the other the friends indeed like N's are wasting no opportunity to fail it. It seems as if PPP has singlehandedly decided to take blame for all that is controversial, to save the system. Any unpopular decision, even with t