Pak Tea House » Entries tagged with "government"
Elections 2013: A guide for the perplexed
by Ghazala Akbar: General Election! Which Election? Depends on where you are. Contrary to popular belief there is not one but are several elections simultaneously taking place in Pakistan. First and foremost there is the contest in the populous province of Punjab often described as the heart of Pakistan. This is where the political heavyweights, the Establishment and the majority of the electorate reside. In electoral terms, the Punjab is the decisive battleground. Whosoever has the bulk of the seats here will be in a strong position to direct the shape and composition of the next government. That is the crux of the matter. Like it or lump it. Presently there is a right royal battle raging on the banks of the Ravi. PML (N) of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan’s PTI. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Elections
Short memories
By Saad Hafiz: Some Pakistanis appear tired of democracy after a short civilian stint of five years. A recent BBC poll suggests that more Pakistani youth would prefer Islamic law or military rule than democracy. More than half of 5,000 18-29 year-old Pakistanis polled said democracy had not been good for them or the country. Almost a third of registered voters in Pakistan are under 30 years old, and are expected to play a big part in the general election due in May. The poll respondents reached their ‘no to democracy’ conclusion based on the inability of the civilian government to deal with the economic and security issues facing the country. Approval ratings for the military were about 70 percent compared with just 13 percent for the elected government that just … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy
Zardari And Pakistan
Prof. Farah A.Khan: On January 13th 2013 Dr Tahirul Qadri coming from Canada called for anti government dharna in Islamabad. A massive crowd moved across Pakistan to Islamabad at his call. The determined mass of people women and children sat on the main boulevard of the city through rain and cold for four days. The government and opposition political parties were shaken. The government finally capitulated and held talks with Dr Qadri signing an agreement. Meanwhile Dr Qadri has formed his own party called Pakistan Awami Tehrik. The response of the PPP government was to discredit Dr Qadri. His dual nationality and personal life was criticised. The timing of his dharna near the end of PPP government’s tenure and elections was seen as a conspiracy to derail democracy or delay elections. Dr … Read entire article »
Filed under: Zardari
Greasing the wheels
By Saad Hafiz: The view that corruption is widespread in public places is generally held around the world, but it is not just in governments that corruption is found. It has permeated all levels of society. Corruption has been around for just about as long as institutions and opportunities of any sort. [The King] shall protect trade routes from harassment by courtiers, state officials, thieves and frontier guards…(and) frontier officers shall make good what is lost…Just as it is impossible not to taste honey or poison that one may find at the tip of one’s tongue, so it is impossible for one dealing with government funds not to taste, at least a little bit, of the King’s wealth. –From the treatise The Arthashastra by Kautilya (chief minister to the king in ancient … Read entire article »
Filed under: culture
Confronting the evil within
By Saad Hafiz: A decade after Pakistan became a frontline country in the global war on terror, domestic terrorist organizations, particularly the Tehrik-i-Taliban (Pakistan) look as strong as ever. There has been speculation that the murderous attack on Malala Yousufzai, the 14-year-old girls’ rights activist, by a Taliban hit squad which has led to an unusual outcry in Pakistan and abroad, may be the tipping point that will galvanize popular opinion to support vigorous action against terror groups. This would require that the country accept something that it has been unable to thus far, which is that all forms of terrorism are evil with no shades of grey. There has been longstanding reluctance within the government and society to stand up to Islamic groups that preach hatred and practice violence, which probably … Read entire article »
Filed under: Pakistan
What to do with Pakistan’s illiterate youth?
Prof Farakh A Khan (15.10.12) The UN has now presented alarming population figures about Pakistan. I have written about this many times. My claim that population figures are a sham a crutch to lean on by our scholars to explain our failure of economic development. It is not the number but what you do with it. UN now tells us that 65% of Pakistani population is under 25 years age. But what is more alarming is that 32% of our population between the age of 15 and 29 years are illiterate. Of these 6% have any technical skills and only 2.5% received any training. Majority of the illiterate youth are in our rural areas. These are depressing figures (Ticking bomb. Editorial. Dawn. October 14, 2012). The usual remedy put forward by … Read entire article »
Filed under: youth
ECONOMICS AND SECULARISM
By Ayusyha Khanna: I recently read an article in a Pakistani newspaper (The Express Tribune) that Moody had downgraded the Pakistani economy from B3 to Caa1 and that this came as a surprise to most analysts considering that the economy was doing marginally better than some time back. They did not downgrade the economy then, so why are they then doing it now? That seemed to be the question that was puzzling most economists and analysts of Pakistan. Several readers had suggested reasons for why the economy was downgraded. Most spoke about the War on Terror that has severely compromised the stability of the Pakistani society, which it undoubtedly has. Others spoke of an investment sentiment that was lacking and another spoke of the ills of democracy and prescribed a return to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Economy
Responding to Ishtiaq Ahmed’s latest myths about partition
By Yasser Latif Hamdani My Original Article in Daily Times Ishtiaq Ahmed’s Part I in response to my original article published today. First of all, I cannot be bothered to dedicate my weekly space in Daily Times to engage in an endless back and forth with Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed who – as he knows very well- I have a particular opinion of not just because he wages pseudo-history as revenge (in a country where everything from democracy to judiciary is waged as revenge) but because when confronted with a counter-point of view he resorts to the usual: “I am the foremost political science professor trained in democracy and the authors you quote– like Ayesha Jalal and H M Seervai – have no training in democratic thinking or constitutional theory”. Indeed I would not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Ugly Mullahs of Pakistan
(We received the following contribution from an angry reader of PTH and we are publishing it without malice or much editing. The views expressed by the writer are completely his own and do not reflect the policy of PTH. By: Farooq Ahmad Khan Mullahs of Pakistan are the worst of creatures. They are responsible for religious hatred, intolerance and spreading of extremism in our society. These mullahs freely issue kufar fatwas on their opponent sects and threaten those with a different belief. They say that religion should be part of politics in Pakistan nut in reality, mixing religion and politics has played a negative role against the prosperity and development of the country. Until 1968, the mullah’s role in state affairs was scarce. Government and mullahs were more or less restricted to their … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Today’s Murderer – Tomorrow’s Hero
By Aziz Bilal: Remembering Abdul Qudoos It’s been long since I did my Pakistan Studies course and learned that the Objective Resolution of Pakistan has as its leading contour; “Whereas sovereignty over the entire Universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust.” I still recall the extreme honoured sensation while bearing in mind my existence in a realm which accepts … Read entire article »
Filed under: Reviews
Ham Kis Gali Ja Rahay Hain-II
by Abdul Majeed Yesterday, Mr. Shahid Ali wrote an article on his views about Democracy and focused on the example of India. I just have one thing to say about his view, “Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”. I have tried to take a look at our own backyard before pointing fingers elsewhere. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
List of Journalists Given Plots
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been informed that some 1,000 journalists of Islamabad had applied for plots after the government launched new sectors in Islamabad and invited applications from the general public, government servants and others as part of a uniform policy to give plots to those who were permanently living in Islamabad and did not have any property. A two per cent quota was also fixed for Islamabad-based journalists. A high-powered committee comprising government officials and senior journalists was formed which after careful scrutiny of the applicants, had recommended names of 172 journalists who were given plots against payments. The PAC is in possession of a list of 172 journalists who were given plots in the federal capital in line with their two per cent quota in G-13 and G-14 sectors … Read entire article »
Filed under: journalism, Justice, Media, Uncategorized
Energy Crisis and Our Contribution to It
By Usma Iftikhar Come winter and we witness yet again a crisis of all sorts…. Power, fuel, price hike and finally, the everlasting…. political. The quality of life of the average Pakistani has been seriously disturbed by these outages. The hike in fuel prices has led to a massive price hike whereby it is difficult for an average Pakistani to make ends meet. As if electricity outages were insufficient, now we have to put up with load shedding of gas as well. Apart from the insufficiency of the government in anticipating this power crisis and taking adequate measures in order to deal with it, the way the Pakistani lifestyle has evolved has a lot to do with it. Yes, we are one of the fastest growing nations in the world (not in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Letter to a Pakistani Diplomat
By Eqbal Ahmed: After the publication of a letter in The New York Times (April 10, 1971) signed by me jointly with three other West Pakistani scholars and after subsequent statements of mine opposing the Pakistani military government’s intervention in East Bengal, several Pakistani officials protested my position. They all pointed out that: 1) The army, under General Yahya, is only protecting national integrity against a secessionist movement which would cause the 70 million people in East Pakistan to break away from the 56 million in West Pakistan; 2) The army intervened only after the Bengali nationalists had started killing West Pakistani residents in East Pakistan and the minority Bihari refugees from India; 3) Since the leaders of the Awami League of East Pakistan have pro-Western sympathies and connections, and the Chinese “support” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Opinion
Get Well Soon Mr. President
By D. Asghar As the details are still sketchy and unknown, but it appears that President Zardari was taken to Dubai. A tweet from a relatively reliable source mentioned, that he may be flying to London soon, for medical reasons. Of course the usual speculations and rumors are rife about the political scene and the innuendos will continue to trickle in. From what can be deduced, it seems to be something critical, and that’s one of the primary reason why the President had to depart immediately. However the on the twitter sphere, there was a rumor that President is getting a safe passage to leave Pakistan. The implication was, there may be “signs that his Presidency will come to an end soon.” Ever since the Zardari led government of PPP has taken control of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
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