Ali Malik's blog

My piece on misplaced comparison of Indian and Chinese economies. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/24-Apr-2014/a-misplaced-comparison

Why Daronomics will fail. My piece on Ishaq Dar's economic policies.

With clock ticking to a NATO withdrawal end next year, the talk of talks with Taliban in Pakistan is diverting attention from a much needed military operation against militants. Confused by their surreal expectations, political opportunism, and lack of understanding of regional security paradigm, PTI and PML-N are pushing Pakistan to a security black hole. For one, those advocating the dialogue have got the diagnosis wrong. For successful dialogue, first thing worth knowing is the demand of the other party. And the advocates of talks seem to have no clue of Taliban or their intentions.  First things first, Taliban are not tribal Pashtuns. True, many Taliban are Pashtun tribesmen but then there are equal number of Punjabis in their ranks and then sizable number from South Balochistan (Jind Ullah recruits) and Kashmir. And then, of course, is the foreign element of Middle East and Central Asia. So bracketing their struggle with Pashtun grievance is a gross mistake, and with it ...

Pardon me for my language but I cannot help it. Chairman of PTI, the wizard of Wisdom said that killing of Maj. General Sanaullah is a conspiracy to sabotage the peace talks with Taliban. Conspiracy?, when the responsibility has been claimed by the Taliban officials.  Who conspired then? You offered Taliban peace talks. If they kill your men, that means they are not interested in peace and are bent on settling old scores. It is commonsense which probably is not taught at Aitchison and Oxford or may be someone was bunking the classes there.  Idiocy and idiosyncrasy cannot go farther than this. And when PTI is busy in this idiocy, Ch. Nisar was talking to Wazir-Mushir of Taliban, maulana Ansar Chief Justice Abbasi, that certain influential forces in the country (read Pakistan Army) are bent on creating misunderstanding between Govt. and Taliban. And the next day, Taliban oblige him by killing three Army men including a Maj. General? So may be another explanation to this ...

Today ends the presidential tenure of President Zardari. He leaves the presidency with a mixed bag of achievements, and with the strongest democratic credentials of any head of state yet. But it is the party in shambles he is returning to that makes the event more intriguing for the future polity. In my last post, I talked about the uphill task that is ahead of PPP if the party wants to revive her fortunes. Yet a very important question for that revival is whether the party should do it with President Zardari or without him? Put simply, is his innings over or not? So here are my two cents. For one, if PPP has to revive her fortunes, presently, no one can do it except President Zardari. He is the only central figure who has the capital (personal legacy and family link to Bhuttos) and the outreach and connection with party's base. More importantly, he seems most politically apt of the lot that PPP possesses. If this is not enough, he understand the policy agenda better than anyone...

The title says it all and highlights the flaw in the approach since Elections. In fact, it highlights the flaw in the approach for last few years, especially since 2009. And it is important to emphasize on this because after elections, PPP, and the progressive politics in Pakistan, has entered a zone where the dangers are eminent for it and for the broader social structure and political order. First things first, let me clarify one thing on the onset. In my view, the elections of 2013 were neither free nor fair, and in the event of free and fair elections and an opportunity to campaign freely, PPP had the support base to add 30-40 seats to its current tally. But having said that, what happened has happened and now we stand at a juncture where the future of this left-leaning, liberal, progressive party faces serious threats and challenges. And with this, of course, is in question the future of a progressive, federal narrative in Pakistan's politics. What the election results h...

Sometimes, I make predictions and they have, occasionally, been proven right. Some around me attribute it to the company of my friends. I do not deny having the privilege of being in an intelligent and influential company of friends but I think some correct calls are both the cause and the effect of such company. I think to help some understand why I say what I say, it will be good to share my views on what is happening in Pakistan. Because once one understands the context, it becomes a lot easier to see how things are and where they are headed. This piece is an exercise in explaining how I see. While analyzing issues, I have tried to rely on unbiased judgment. I think my beliefs emerge from such analysis and not the other way round. Another thing important to note is that things are constantly in a flux, and so no ism, no political theory, in its totality can be relevant for a longer period of time. Times change and with them the challenges and so should the solutions. Lastly, th...

http://econowise.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/european-crisis-or-end-of-colonization-legacy/  

Thank you Sir for leading Pakistan on the way to constitutional reform which has seen it get rid of legacy of decades of autocracy. Thank you for presiding over an economic restructuring that leads to more even distribution of resources between urban and rural and between north and south. Thank you for steering Pakistan though its worst economic years and worst energy shortages with minimum of damage. And Thank you for standing up against the terrorists while risking your own life. Thank you for your initiatives on women's rights. Thank you for your voice for minorities and thank you for being there for all liberal and freedom causes. Thank you for the vision and stamina to stick to the politics of reconciliation and thank you for demonstrating that a successful democracy is about inclusion and cooperation above anything else. Thank you for defending Pakistan against the terrorists and thank you for protecting its interest on international forums. Thank you for your efforts to re...

After an eventful day, Prediction Time. No inside info. Based on my analysis. Yousaf Raza Gillani will have the longest term of any Prime Minister in the history of Pakistan yet. #SC will not be able to harm President or the system on account of #MemoGate or #NRO. Army will feel compelled to protect the President in #MemoGate. In next 6 months, civil-military imbalance will have significant changes. In near future, there will be a party hostile to Chinese' trade surplus and influence in Pakistan. In near future, if it ever comes to showdown between US and anyone, in final tally Pakistan will be in US Column. Next Election is the last election in which #PMLN will contest with perception of a significant player. #PTI wave will be the strongest in Central Punjab and Army Belt (Attock, Khoshab, Jhelum, Chakwal). PPP-Sherpao will be the most significant player (significant may not be the largest) in #KP Imran Khan (PTI) might not be the largest Right-wing party by no of se...

As the elections approach, the talk of establishment's meddling in political system is resonating again. Only today, two statements by two of the leading political leaders of the country hint at establishment's (read security establishment's) role in country's politics. Both Nawaz Sharif and Ch. Shujat Hussain today hinted at hidden hands' intervention in political space. This follows a series of acquisitions that security establishment or elements in it have been at the center of Imran Khan's rise and PTI's successive political activities. This all is not only unpleasant and unfortunate but also seems a waste of energy on part of those trying to engineer politics. What Pakistan needs is to move beyond the existing notion of establishment to create a more broad based, all inclusive establishment. The new establishment will comprise a civil-military compromise on key national security issues where Army will have a decisive say in military, combat-security, an...

1951: A young man from a prominent, knighted Sindhi feudal family marries an Iranian merchant's daughter. Young man fears backlash from his father and to ensure secrecy relies on two of his closest friends then (One for sure was Ilahi Bukhsh Sumro, other I think was cricket commentator and business executive Omar Kureshi). Begins the story of Bhuttos. Young man was Z. A. Bhutto, the woman became Nusrat Bhutto. Mid-60s: Nusrat, compelled by traditions of the family, forces the daughter, Benazir, to wear veil on trip to family estate of Larkana. ZAB gets furious and categorically declares that his daughters will not wear veil. Coming from a family where his sisters were married to Quran, ZAB's most revolutionary act was to send his daughters to Harvard and Oxford. Sept 1967: ZAB is arrested by Ayub regime and it seems that the movement gaining momentum will die leaderless. Appears a tonga on Mall Road carrying 3-4 women. One of them was Nusrat Bhutto. People recognize her and f...

Good friend Aparna Pande's book hit the bookstalls in May this year. While I had been privileged to go through excerpts of it, it was an absolute pleasure reading this book. Explaining Pakistan's Foreign Policy - Escaping India, published by Routledge is among the most insightful of books on complexities of South Asian foreign policy. Book discusses how Pakistan's foreign policy has evolved over time because of fear of a large neighbor India with whom Pakistan has shared the blood-feud of partition. It discusses in detail how the desire to counter India has been at the fore of Pakistan's desire for an Islamist identity, its quest for strategic depth, its efforts for Pan-Islamism and having a mid-eastern identity, and its opening up to China. The strongest, and at least for me the most insightful, portion of book is the one that deals with analysis of how events before and soon after partition led to an increased insecurity vis-a-vis India. Dr. Pande has not let her Ind...

http://econowise.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/creating-jobs-in-a-structural-meltdown-reviving-us-economy/

Zulfikar Mirza's press conference has brought to fore the reality which everyone knew but no one wanted to spell. That MQM sits on top of a mafia and uses violence to further its political objective is a no-brainer. Also is no-brainer the fact that the other parties including ANP, PPP, Sunni Tehrik have resorted to organized armed wings in Karachi in retaliation to MQM's violent tactics. So, for all the obvious reasons, Mirza's press conference has been hailed by vast majority, Sindhis, Balochs, Pathans, Punjabis etc. Mirza is a hero of PPP voters in Sindh as well as PTI and PML-N voters and ANPers. And just when the Pandora has been opened, there are calls for Justice and cutting MQM to size. These demands for justice and fairplay, however, go beyond the realm of practicality for one simple reasons. They ignore the fact that MQM, apart from being a mafia is also a political reality having predominant support among Hindi-belt migrants and there will be strong political cons...

Imran Khan has been in Pakistani politics for good 16 years now. He, however, has never been scrutinized for his policies, his understanding of issues and his ideology. Probably the prime reason of this absence of scrutiny is the fact the he and his party never came with their position on key issues except for jargons and political rhetoric. Recently, however, for the first time, he was grilled on his views vis-à-vis War on Terror and Af-Pak situation in an interview in “Sirf Sach”. His views were also reproduced in an article on Afghan War by Jemima Goldsmith in Daily Independent. An in depth analysis of his understanding of the issue highlights serious flaws and contradictions in comprehension and reasoning. The key reasoning behind Imran’s regional view stems for an assertion that Afghans can never be ruled by a foreign power and the region somehow is a graveyard of empires. This narrative was promoted by Brits after their failure to conquer Afghanistan, probably to hide embarras...

I thought but never thought as much as I did for this piece. The patriot in me is asking me to stay silent but the human in me has forced me to write this.  Ever since the PNS Mehran attack almost everyone is convinced that the job was an inside job. The attack at the largest Naval Base of the country is no small affair. More so, the attack followed a similar attack at the heart of Pakistan's Security Structure on GHQ in April 2009. In between, the world's most wanted terrorist was killed in one of the largest cantonments in the country. These incidents raise serious considerations about Pakistan's capability to secure its strategic assets. What aggravates the matter is the fact that the threat comes from within. The world which already considered Pakistan a failed, rogue and volatile state seems even more convinced of dangers Pakistan poses. And what adds to world's fears is the fact that Pakistan possesses nuclear arsenal. Nuclear Arsenal in a fragile state, facing a ...

A few months ago, mostly accidentally, I happened to meet a few officers of Pakistan Army who have served in South Waziristan and other areas of FATA, the epicenter of war on terror. What I heard from them made me explore Army's view on War on Terror further. Coincidently, my inquiry into Army's view on War on Terror coincided with killing of Osama Bin Laden. An incident that has put spotlight on Army's role in War on Terror and its allegiances in the war like never before. On the onset, let me make a few things clear. My opposition to Pakistan Army's strategic doctrine and its repeated interventions in political system is well known. I think Army made a mess of itself and of the country when it assumed the role of national savior, policy-maker, a  and custodian of a pseudo doctrine of "Nazriya-e-Pakistan". Neither was it helpful for anyone but Army men, when the institute, which should have been a symbol of national pride, turned into a corporate machinery h...

Ever since Zahir Shah's dethroning led to a cycle of chaos in Afghanistan, no issue, not even 9/11, had the potential of impacting Pakistan more than what is happening in our West in the Middle East. A movement has spread from Iran to Morocco, shaking the very foundations of the order that has dominated the region for past century. The print and electronic media that blabbers day in day out on every non-issue has completely blacked out one of the most critical debates that should be taking place in Pakistan. The think tanks, pseudo intellectuals, and retired bureaucrats and generals are mum. And yet what is happening around has most far reaching consequences for Pakistan and calls for an open debate on a broad based policy formulation vis-a-vis the Mid-Eastern crisis. This piece is an attempt to discuss the guidelines of a comprehensive Middle East policy.  Whether what is happening in Middle East is a consequence of CIA conspiracy, as is alleged by Saudis, Iranians and others...