Comment: A general point

Musharraf exemplifies a further quality Indian politicians would do well to emulate. He’s prepared to face up to his critics, take their hostile questions and spend hours defending his position whilst attempting to change theirs.

I have to admit, I’ve never come across someone like Pervez Musharraf. This is not necessarily a compliment. It’s simply a statement of fact.

But think about it — he’s a former dictator who revels in free speech much like a dedicated democrat; he’s a general who is, amazingly enough, also a gripping orator; he’s a stern disciplinarian but he has a winning sense ofhumour; he projects a tough commando exterior but hisclothes reveal a sharp sense of sartorial elegance.

Indeed, he’s a man of so many apparent paradoxes, he’simpossible to define. Last Saturday, as he held the India Today Conclave spellbound for over two and a half hours, my mind jumped toour own politicians and I couldn’t help compare Musharrafto them. Would Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi or LK Advani and Prakash Karat willingly submit themselves to such hostile questioning from an Indian audience and emerge both unscathed and with their amour propre intact?

The question answers itself. Yet Musharraf has done just that but with one critical difference. The audience — the lions’ den — he faced was not his compatriots but Indians, who could be more accurately described as his enemies.

In contrast, it’s not just impossible to picture Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi addressing 500 Pakistanis in the banquet hall of the Marriott in Islamabad; the fact of the matter is they are not even prepared to visit the country.

And I would hate to think what could happen if they were questioned the way Musharraf was. Perish the thought! However, the truth is Musharraf illustrates a deeper difference between India and Pakistan

The writer is one of India’s leading television commentators and interviewers.


Economic ties between India and Pakistan will remain hostage to the disputes between the two countries. This was the terse message conveyed by former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf at a business gathering here on Sunday.

Musharraf, who had a tough time fending off queries at a meet the previous day, said South Asia was being deprived of economic progress because of the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan. "Our region, South Asia and Central Asia, is out of this loop because of the conflict between India and Pakistan. We can have permanent peace through the resolution of disputes. Peace and harmony are preconditions to improving business ties," Musharraf said at a gathering organised by Assocham.

The former Pakistan President also offered prayers at the historic Jama Masjid here on Sunday evening as hundreds of worshippers gathered there to get a glimpse of him, resulting in a stampede-like situation. ( Watch ) Musharraf drove to the 17th century architectural marvel around 6:40pm(local time) to offer the 'Magrib' namaz amidst heavy security. Around 5,000 people were in the mosque when Musharraf came there. He waved at the people who went berserk and almost created a stampede-like situation. His security staff escorted him out of the complex as people scrambled each other to have a close look at him. This was his second visit to the Jama Masjid. He last came here on an official visit in April 2005. Musharraf was born in Neharwali Haveli, a kilometre away from the Masjid, in Chandni Chowk on August 1943. After partition, his family had migrated to Pakistan.

‘moon-faced girls’

Mansur Aye’s artistic career of more than 40 years was marked by prolific productions. His first solo exhibition was held in 1964 in Arts Council Karachi and the last in 2007 at Indus Gallery, Karachi.
Over decades, his aesthetic creativity faithfully painted moon-faced girls in different guises and different sizes, and the spontaneous movements of his brush strokes continued to create and reflect their moods.
These were enhanced by the application techniques of the color and simple compositions, often dominated with linear gestural movements. The works were an amalgam of abstraction and expressionism and reflected artist’s love for the female gestures.
The focus on his canvas mainly remained on facial features and hair, with addition of a few ornaments, bird or moon.

Mansur Aye passed away last April.

Pakistan needs our help;
but no blank cheque: Obama
Unveiling his new Afghan-Pak strategy, President Barack Obama today vowed to work more resolutely to "disrupt, defeat and dismantle" extremists and their safe havens in the two counties, which he described as a threat to the US, India and other parts of the world.

Obama bluntly told Pakistan to "demonstrate its commitment to root out al-Qaeda" operating from its soil while making it clear that no "blank cheques" would be given to it.Rejecting Pakistan's opposition to American drone attacks in its territory, Obama underlined that Islamabad needs the US help to root out the "cancer" of terrorism emanating from its soil.

Turning the heat on Pakistan, President Barack Obama today bluntly told the Islamic nation that a "blank cheque" cannot be given if it did not show commitment to eliminate Al-Qaeda within its border and vowed to wipe out terrorists from the safe havens in that country.

Unveiling a sweeping new Afghan war strategy, Obama also identified India, Russia and China as among the countries having a stake in the security of the region and that none of them benefit from a base for Al Qaeda terrorists and a region that descends into chaos."And after years of mixed results we will and cannot provide a blank cheque. Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out Al Qaeda and violent extremists within its border," he said, describing Al-Qaeda as a "cancer" that could devour Pakistan, more than seven years after the September 11 attacks.

The President also said "the US must pursue constructive diplomacy with both India and Pakistan to lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations that often teeter on the edge of escalation and confrontation." Describing the volatile Pak-Afghan border region as "most dangerous place in the world" and the situation in Afghanistan "increasingly perilous", Obama said multiple intelligence estimates have warned that Al-Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan." In this context, the President warned that if Pakistan would not act on intelligence on the whereabouts of terrorists, the United States would.

Bollywood tribute to poet Faiz strikes a chord with Pakistanis

Bollywood can take Faiz to youth, daughter Salima Hashmi

A Bollywood song based on a poem by renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz has struck all the right notes on this side of the border including with the late writer's family."Gulon Main," the song written by journalist-lyricist Neelesh Misra for the yet-to-be released film "Sikandar" is based on one of Faiz's best known works. Faiz's daughter, Salima Hashmi, who has just returned from a trip to India, picked up CDs of the song for family and friends.

"I have had a chance to listen to the song and am very pleased with it. The ghazal was made famous by the great Mehdi Hassan's rendering of it. In fact, my father was often called upon to sing the 'Mehdi Hassan wali ghazal'!" Hashmi said.

Legendary Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz has been an integral part of Indian cultural psyche and his daughter Salima Hashmi believes that Bollywood can take Faiz's poetry to the youth."Gulon Mein Rang Bharay", a popular poem written by Faiz while he was in jail in Pakistan, has been used in the upcoming film "Sikandar" by director Piyush Jha. The film revolves around the life of a young boy growing up in violence torn Kashmir.

Coming Back Home

Selected Articles, Editorials, and Interviews

This is a collection of editorials and articles written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz, one of Pakistan's and South Asia's foremost poets and writers. The editorials were published in The Pakistan Times, of which daily national newspaper Faiz was editor from 1947 to 1951. The editorials reflect his deep insight into the political and social malaise that has gripped Pakistan from the time of Independence, and his views and analyses remain pertinent more than forty years on. The collection also includes interviews with Faiz by leading commentators and columnists such as Khalid Hasan, Mukhtar Zaman, I.A. Rahman etc.

Rise of Pakistani Raises Questions

U.S. Weighs Sharif as Partner in Pakistan

The opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, sealed his place as the most popular politician in Pakistan this month when he defied his house detention and led a triumphant protest that forced the government to restore the country’s chief justice.

Now, as the Obama administration completes its review of strategy toward the region this week, his sudden ascent has raised an urgent question: Can Mr. Sharif, 59, a populist politician close to Islamic parties, be a reliable partner? Or will he use his popular support to blunt the military’s already fitful campaign against the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda?
A former two-time prime minister, Mr. Sharif once pressed for Islamic law for Pakistan, tested a nuclear bomb and was accused by his opponents of undemocratic behavior during his tenure in the late 1990s.

That political past has inspired distrust here and in Washington and left some concerned that Mr. Sharif is too close to the conservative Islamists sympathetic to the Taliban to lead a fight against the insurgents.His supporters and other analysts say that Mr. Sharif is now a more mature politician, wiser after eight years of exile in Saudi Arabia and London, and that he is eager to prove he can work with Washington and to put his imprint on a workable approach toward stabilizing Pakistan. In any case, opponents and supporters alike note, Mr. Sharif has made himself a political leader Washington can no longer ignore.

Just weeks ago, Mr. Sharif appeared to be sidelined, when a Supreme Court ruling barred him from office, citing an earlier criminal conviction.

The new breadth of Mr. Sharif’s support will make him either a drag or a spur to greater Pakistani cooperation, and it positions Mr. Sharif as a potential prime minister, if the already shaky public support for the Zardari government completely erodes.

Mumbai gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab laughs at terror charges

The sole gunman to be captured after the Mumbai massacre laughed yesterday when he was asked in court if he understood the charges against him.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, was one of ten militants accused of launching a series of commando-style raids across Mumbai in November, claiming 166 lives. He and an accomplice are accused of killing 58 people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the city’s main railway station. He is charged with waging war on India and carrying out dozens of murders.

“Kasab was smiling throughout the hearing,” Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor, told The Times. “He laughed when the judge asked him if he understood the charge sheet.”
The Pakistani national, who was dubbed the baby-faced killer after being caught on camera brandishing an AK47 rifle and carrying a haversack stuffed with ammunition and grenades, could face death by hanging if convicted. He has yet to enter a plea. The nine other gunmen were killed during the attacks.

The charge sheet, which runs to more than 11,000 pages, is written in English and Marathi, the local language in Mumbai. Kasab, whose first language is thought to be Urdu, has claimed he cannot understand it.

Much of the document focuses on Pakistan’s apparent involvement in the terror strike. It names 37 suspects, 35 of whom are Pakistani. They include at least one serving member of the Pakistani Army, a Colonel Saadat Ullah, who is alleged to have helped to set up the internet telephone system through which the gunmen spoke to their handlers during the attacks.
Kasab, who was bearded and wore a grey T-shirt for his court appearance, is accused of being a footsoldier for the Islamist Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist faction, the Pakistan-based group believed to have been behind the Mumbai attack.

Yesterday’s formal hearing was the latest in what has been described in India as the trial of the century. The next formal hearing is scheduled for March 30. The trial will follow and will be held inside a 50ft-tall steel and concrete cage being built around a special courtroom inside Mumbai’s high security Arthur Road Jail, where Kasab is being held.
The structure is being built to thwart a rocket attack because it is feared that Pakistan-based militants will attempt to target the proceedings.

A new bomb-proof corridor, by which Kasab will travel from his cell to the court, has also been built. Residents who live nearby may be issued with identity cards amid fears that militants will attempt to infiltrate the slums surrounding the prison.

Jayant Patil, the home minister of Maharashtra, said that the measures were put into place after intelligence indicated that a plot had been hatched “from abroad” to kill Kasab.
A senior police officer also said that a plan to silence the captured gunman had been unearthed and that it originated from across the border — a reference to Pakistan.
Police have admitted that Kasab knows a limited amount. “We have a limb, not the brain of the organisation behind the attack,” a spokesman said.

He does, however, represent a unique catch as he is the first LeT operative to be caught during a terrorist outrage who is Pakistani.

The nation will celebrate Pakistan Day on Monday with great zeal and enthusiasm in remembrance of “The Pakistan Resolution” passed on March 23 in 1940. The day will dawn with special prayers for solidarity and integrity of Pakistan. Various programmes will be arranged to commemorate the most outstanding achievement of the Muslims of South Asia who passed the historic Pakistan Resolution at Lahore.

"Muslims are a nation according to any definition of nation. We wish our people to develop to the fullest spiritual, cultural, economic, social and political life in a way that we think best and in consonance with our own ideals and according to the genius of our people".

On the basis of the above mentioned ideas of Quaid-e-Azam, A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq moved the historical resolution which has since come to be known as Lahore Resolution. It was backed up by Maulana Zafar Ali, Sardar Aurangzeb, Sir Abdullah Haroon from Sindh, and Qazi Esa along with many others.

We have forgotten how to be Pakistanis. We tend to forget about all those people who sacrificed their lives to give us this beautiful country, rich in all resources. It is time to recognise our duty to Pakistan as Pakistanis. This 23rd March, let’s all make a solemn promise that we will start showing respect for what we have and start to rebuild the image of Pakistan. Let’s start to work towards making this country into a peaceful nation where all religions, cast and creed can live in harmony.

What should the future hold, particularly on a day as this, when we celebrate the anniversary of the resolution to seek an independent, democratic and progressive homeland? Continuity of the democratic dispensation, enabling the system to stand on its feet; permitting it the necessary assurance and confidence to mature into a system of governance with inclusive democratic participation; and providing time to all other political entities to establish themselves into parties with as large a national base as their appeal would permit. Politics of regionalism is anathema to the concept of Pakistan, which with a few federating units only is at risk of non-inclusion when majority is attained through one province. It was touch and go, but finally the situation held out against all signs of rapid deterioration.

An inclusive political dispensation is the only way to hold Pakistan together. And in that there should never be any procrastination. It shall, however, need fast maturation of political personalities, processes and entities. The days of frivolous, gamely politics are long over; the nation will now demand leadership on issues and policies in line with contemporary requirements.

And yes, Happy Pakistan Day. God knows we need the good wishes contained therein.

Pakistan media battling all odds

What we are seeing in Pakistan right now is a very silent slow revolution taking place in which the people are taking power from the state

The reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhury was a victory for not just those who opposed former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, but also for Pakistan's fourth estate.Facing violence and near shut down, the media in Pakistan that fought at every step to ensure their voices did not go unheard.

It was political drama at its best - a Chief Justice defied a military dictator, triggered a movement for justice and democracy, and finally won.Capturing every moment, the Pakistan media braved bullets, tear gas, baton charge and gagging orders by the Musharraf regime. Pakistan's leading news channel, Geo TV was smashed for showing police brutality.Ironically, Musharraf who had allowed independent news channels to open up shut them down during the emergency he imposed in November 2007.

It was middle class power at its best, inspired by Iftikhar Chaudhry's defiance to step down on Musharraf's order. This paved the way for democratic forces to challenge a military dictatorship.

It was for the first time in Pakistan's history that a judge openly challenged a military dictator and refused to resign on his orders. He was ready to face all the allegations leveled against him.

The struggle for a free media is not new to journalists in Pak. Since the sixties, journalists have been in the mainstream for the struggle for democracy. And now with coming of age of an electronic media the impact of journalism is much stronger.

What we are seeing in Pakistan right now is a very silent slow revolution taking place in which the people are taking power from the state. One of the channels through which it is happening is the news media. So, it is happening a gradual transformation of Pakistan society with the media being the engine of change right now. That is happening in front of our eyes and we are going to start seeing the impact of this gradual silent revolution in the next few years to come.

Pakistan's nascent but bold media has proved that it can take on any government, military or democratic. However, it still has to live up to people's expectations by demonstrating its objectivity and maturity in covering a volatile country like Pakistan.

Long wait coming to an end: CDGK to start CNG bus service by end of April

The City District Government Karachi’s (CDGK) preparations for the launch of a CNG bus service in the city are nearing completion and City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has issued stern directives to the project in charge to ensure commencement of the service by the end of April.

The project was initially announced by the federal government in the 2006-07 financial year, at a cost of Rs 2.5 billion, with the deadline for their introduction being set at February 2008. Under the federal government’s plan, the project would be a public-private partnership enterprise and would lead to the introduction of 8,000 CNG buses throughout the country and 800 buses for Karachi. However, finally it seems that the CDGK has managed to overcome the financial crunch and 50 CNG buses will ply on the roads of the city by end of April. The locally manufactured buses, which comply with international standards, will be introduced at a cost of Rs 250 million.

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India is 'fast becoming like Pakistan'

Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram's meeting with CIA chief Leon Panetta showed that India was "fast becoming like Pakistan" and signalled a "new status" of the American intelligence agency in the country, the CPI(M) alleged today.

Yesterday's meeting "marks a new stage in Indo-US collaboration. This is the first time that an American CIA chief has been accorded a meeting with the Union Home Minister in India. Apart from meeting his intelligence counterparts in India, the CIA Chief has been received at the political level, signalling the new status of the CIA in India," the party Politburo claimed in a statement here.Noting that the CIA was "notorious for its interventions in the political affairs of various countries including destabilising governments considered inimical to US interests", the party said it was "a pointer of how things have changed under the Manmohan Singh government".
"India is fast becoming like Pakistan where the CIA and FBI chiefs meet with the interior minister and Prime Minister," the CPI(M) said.

The role being played by American security and military agencies in India and "the manner in which the Congress-led government is promoting such ties should be a matter of serious concern for all those who wish to protect national sovereignty and the integrity of our democratic system", the major Left party said.