Ali Malik's blog

A section in Pakistan media has raised a storm in a tea cup about Kerry Lugar bill and has called it a sellout. Looking at it rationally it seems the best deal Pakistan got get and has got in its history. In the 1980s the US congress passed the Pakistan Aid Bill for US $ 3.2 Billion over a period of 5 years and the Bill, which required 10-12 Presidential Certifications (at different times) every year including on restoration of democracy, human rights protection, nuclear non proliferation and drugs control. In the 2003 Congress again passed Pakistan Aid Bill for US 3 billion over a period of 5 years and that too included Presidential waivers certifying Pakistan is moving toward restoration of democracy, nuclear non proliferation, countering terrorism etc. Kerry- Lugar Bill is the first Pakistan Aid Bill that does not carry Presidential certification every year. However the Secretary Of State has to certify that Pakistan is moving on path to democracy, nuclear non proliferation and...

Our media pundits always portray Nawaz Sharif as the sole leader of Punjab and PML-N as the dominant political force in Punjab. A closer look at the facts and figures and one can find out that this too is an eye-wash created by the media. For its limited nationwide penetration, PML-N needs steroids of the media to rally its limited base. For this a lot of myths have been created about it, the biggest being its dominance in Punjab. If results of 2008 elections are anything to go by, N is no where close to the dominant status that we are made to believe. We have taken NA results as a benchmark because the larger constituency size makes them more representative of a district. Here are the facts: Of 36 districts in Punjab, N one at least 1 seat in 26 districts, PPP won at least 1 seat in 24 districts. N has more than 50% of seats in 11 out of 36 districts, PPP has more than 50% seats in 9 of 36 districts. N swept 4 districts, PPP 2. Of 5 big cities of Punjab, N is far behind PPP in term...

The establishment which had our country in her grip for decades is exposed as a result of their infighting. But most surprisingly, the "independent media" is desperate to cover their beloved elements of the establishment (read Nawaz Sharif). Anchors, columnists, spin doctors of PML-N and media in their attempts to cover this mess are creating stories at par with Alif Laila and Kissa Sote Jagte Ka . This Kissa Sote Jagte Ka has signs of their desperation and changing times. It all started with Supreme Court's hearing of petition against Nov. 3 actions of General Musharraf. Supreme Court, partly riding on vendetta and partly on the quest for limelight, in one of its observations on July 29th proclaimed that if Cromwell's skeleton can be hanged after his death, it is time to punish the violators of the constitution in Pakistan. (Below is an image of Express News' next day coverage of Daily Express). Next day, Supreme Court had a complete change of heart ruling they...

Gossip circles of the power centers of Pakistan are ripe with the buzz of a "minus-one" formula aimed at removing President Asif Ali Zardari from country's political map. This might be a wishful desire on part of the regressive circles that have dominated this nation for decades and are responsible for most of its miseries in economic and geo-political realm. From where I see, there is no reason to remove Mr. Zardari. More so, despite the wishes of many to get rid of the widower of Benazir Bhutto, there is no way he could be removed from the presidency or political scene. And if at all, the vultures succeed in removing him, the repercussions for the nation and our social order will be nothing short of a fiasco. So let us look at the reasons first. Some junk polls, published by some US think tanks are continuously trying to build an impression that Zardari is an unpopular figure. Now to the best of my knowledge, US agencies do not conduct these surveys themselve...

The News Link Daily Dawn Link Daily Naya Akhbar Link It has been revealed that the sugar mills belonging to Humayun Akhtar Khan and Sharif Brothers are behind the current sugar shortage. They are refusing to release 84.5 million KG of Sugar which has been bought by Trading Corporation of Pakistan to ensure ample supply of Sugar into the market. The Sugar sold at PKR 25 to Govt of Pakistan is now being sold by the Sugar mills at PKR 50-55 in open market, by creating an artificial shortage, while the mills are not letting TCP lift the stock it has purchased. This amounts to an extortion of PKR 2.28 billion and has also caused great suffering to ordinary citizen both through scarcity of sugar as well as hiked prices. Ironically, Urdu media which is completely in pocket of fundamentalists and Sharifs has completely blacked out the story. In Urdu press, only a news item was published in evening newspaper Naya Akhbar of August 15th but even the sister newspaper Khabrain blacked-out the news ...

We have made it into 63rd year of our existence. Our journey has been far from perfect but one thing we have proved along the way is our ability to bounce back and do the unthinkables when we decide to do them. (Image: Celebrations of Independence Day in Mingora, Swat) We have managed to root-out an internal insurgency bigger than many in the world in less than 3 months. We succeeded in bringing back home our brethren who had to flee from their homes because of militants in only a matter of weeks. We succeeded in producing statesmen par excellence who have charmed the world with their eloquence, smartness and vision. We are at the fore-front of a renaissance in the near-East. Despite all odds, all propaganda, we have succeeded in establishing that we want to be a democracy and a republic, we have made 4 dictators run and get buried in the sands of time. We succeeded in being the 7th nuclear power in the world. A countryman named Abdus Salam managed to be a Nobel laureate in his cuttin...

Click on the image or the link below: http://express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1100687332&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20090807

Click on the image or the link below: http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/06-08-2009/col8.htm

Writing of history or triumph of amnesia? Islamabad diary - The News Friday, August 07, 2009 Ayaz Amir “Historic”, we are being told — and told without end — is what the judgment of their Supreme Court lordships is. General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s Nov 3, 2007, action has been declared “unconstitutional” and “civil society” is ecstatic, some of our wilder drumbeaters assuring us that the doors on military interventionism have been closed forever. Ah, if wishes were horses. The Supreme Court judgment not so much revises history as cuts it up, wrapping it in neat packages. For it declares only one action of Musharraf’s unconstitutional — his Nov 3 Emergency, which came at the fag end of his rule. The inescapable conclusion we are left with is that everything else the man did fell within the ambit of the Constitution. Now what was Musharraf’s original sin from which flowed everything else? Why, his coup d’état of Oct 12, 1999, when his generals overthrew an elected government, disbanded the...

International media for last few weeks is ripe with the reports of dialogue with Taliban in Afghanistan. Indications suggest that the dialogue at least has the backing of US and UK if not their direct involvement. Saudi Arabia seems to be a direct broker in these talks because of its connections with Taliban and other radical Islamists. From what appears in media, it seems likely that Americans and NATO are ready to give Taliban serious concessions and are willing to include them in the power structure of Afghanistan. What remains to be seen is whether this attempt is aimed at ensuring peaceful holding of coming presidential elections or it is aimed at preparing the ground for ultimate withdrawal of NATO and US troops for the region. If it is former, this happened before last presidential elections as well and will only be limited to engaging some of the regional elements. If it is later, the question is how much are Americans willing to concede to Taliban. Any settlement without e...

Express Report on Justice Sharif's speech. Asia News Link Above are links to press reports on speech of Lahore High Court Chief Justice Kh. Muhammad Sharif. One could argue about the entire content of this speech. On any account, the speech is inappropriate for the conduct of a judge. However, I will refrain from delving into the entire content of the speech and will focus only on one area which certainly makes him liable for being politically biased. He has indulged in a blame game with a political party openly and has criticized the party and its government for its record indulging in comments which are heavily politically loaded. Being a citizen of Pakistan, he is entitled to his opinions but his conduct as a judge demands him to be impartial. In the wake of such open display of Justice Sharif's views about a political party, he is no longer fit to hold the high office of Chief Justice of a High Court which demands complete impartiality and no display of opinions and comment...

I wonder from Pervaiz Khan (Who had someone else to appear for exams rather than himself) to Chaudhary Ghafoor (Customs fame trying to clear his friend's smuggled goods) to Chauhdary Ghafoor (Abusing a woman MPA inside Punjab Assembly) to DIG Zulfikar Cheema (Accused of corruption by Express reporter and then persecuting the same reporter - and by the same DIG who was praised by NS for his call to duty during Long March by Nawaz Sharif) to this latest incidence why all the mismanagement and abuse of power is attributed to PML-N (A party still perceived by urban classes and media as a cleaner party)?

Supreme Court has suspended the imposition of Carbon tax on petroleum products. This move has been hailed by many sections of a society as a relief given to the ordinary man by country's apex court. To counter that the President has issued an ordinance reimposing tariff on petroleum products. I am someone who will be benefiting from this relief directly. However, I think this is a very dangerous precedence and has far reaching impacts not only for country's economy but its stability as well. In purely economic terms, the move is likely to increase the twin deficit of Pakistan. On one hand, it leaves a revenue gap of PKR 122 billion and thus increases the budget deficit by the same amount which will need to be filled through borrowing. Secondly, and even more so, oil imports are 25% of Pakistan's total imports. With lower prices, the demand is going to be higher, thus leading to more imports and thus greater trade imbalance which a country like Pakistan with weak export base...

The Pakistani media controlled by fundos has been spreading conspiracy theories and is trying to salvage the extremist ideology and regressive thoughts when this ideology’s very foundations are shaking. It has woven a world around a series of myths and is sticking to it, to embrace an ideology that is losing and is outdated. Worst still, in the emotions and euphoria and the pretention of know-all, the educated urban class buys these myths without introspecting. How the media moulds the thought process of educated classes across the world, and more so in Pakistan, is an ideal manifestation of the fact that three worst illusions are; a) I know for I read it in the newspaper, b) I know for I heard it on the TV, and c) I know for I read it in a book. With this extensive control of the news media by the fundos, it is imperative that their myths and claims be tested for their reasoning. So here is a counterpoint to six most popular myths, the fundo media lives by. 1. Mehsood and Taliban are ...

Speechless and in joy. Dancing and singing. Congrats to all Pakistanis. It's the beginning of our recovery from the dark days of extremism and tyranny. We are a nation which deserves a lot rather than being bogged down by hypocrisy, hate, and conspicuous mindset. We are a nation of champs and we can be part of the world and make our mark. CONGRATULATIONS PAKISTAN AND OUR CRICKET TEAM. I wouldn't say more and will let the pictures speak for themselves.