Ishaq Dar doing good but…. !!!
Ishaq Dar is doing good! This is the strongest area of Nawaz Govt that gives confidence to the Prime Minister. Read Below – All comments welcome! especially if you are a finance person, your comments are most welcome on the performance so far –
Excerpt:
The country was facing a balance of payments crisis last year and had only enough cash for one month’s worth of imports before the International Monetary Fund approved a package of $6.7 billion in September.
Since then, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has helped boost the country’s cash reserves.
In February, Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a gift of $1.5 billion. In April, Islamabad raised $2 billion raised in a Eurobond offering and $1.1 billion from an auction of 3G and 4G telecommunications licenses.
But money remains tight. The IMF loan is largely being spent on repaying a previous one from the Fund.
Pakistan needs about $1 billion a month to pay for its imports, and energy demand will peak during the sweltering summer months to come.
The first tranche of World Bank money will be spent on refinancing short-term, high-interest loans that the government has taken.
Multan Tragedy…!
Multan Tragedy: – Earlier fainting of young boys who were being lifted to the container top as shown in the video clips. That scene definitely reflects very badly on PTI’s management ability. They had failed to create a buffer zone between crowds and the container. Due to the pressure of the crowds boys were pushed between people and the container and fainted. And there were no arrangements to meet this situation. On top of that when DJ Butt’s message for help to top leadership was being attempted Shah Mehmood Qureshi – in love with his own oratory – ignored that plea or did not understand what was being said. Shah Mehmood Qureshi must explain that, which he has not done so far.
However insensitive or inefficient that scene looked, it had no relation in time and space to what happened at the gate much later. Many elements in the media tried linking the two events as if they were happening at the same time or one lead to the other. In reality this “fainted boy being lifted to the stage” happened during and around Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s speech which was followed by Imran Khan’s speech and people started to move to leave only after Imran finished and left. The tragedy of 8 deaths and dozens and dozens injured happened only due to the closure of the gates and especially due to the closure of that gate on which most public depended -as I have explained in a note earlier and also in my program with the help of video. If a similar administrative failure – for which all blame lies on DCO Multan – would happen in a country as educated or disciplined as Germany or Sweden or Norway the result will be equally disastrous if not more.
History of stampedes shows that Pakistani crowds are far more disciplined than in most other countries. Few big stampedes have happened in Pakistan. In India massive accidents have happened at religious congregations as a norm or routine. But not in Pakistan. Pakistan has its fair share of problems but crowds acting in panic and causing stampedes is not one of them. This is a country where people rush to help injured after suicide bombings thus becoming victims of second follow on attack. Some of the things are unusual about Pakistani people; collective psychological strength, ability to bear pain and to keep standing in the face of tragedy and adversity is a Pakistani quality. The sheer audacity with which Pakistani people have stood up to hundreds of attacks of terrorism without a collective neurosis or break-down is a testament of that psychological strength.
What happened in Multan was mismanagement; fundamentally it was failure of DCO and his Administration who had ignored the needs of a huge crowd for exit at the end of jalsa. It was also PTI’s failure who should also have realized the potential problem with the stadium and its gates and should have agitated it more with DCO or his superiors. Blame anyone but please don’t blame the crowds. They were one of the best disciplined from any standard – and this is where lies the hope!
PM Nawaz Sharif fails to realize?
What PM Nawaz Sharif fails to realize? – Nawaz Sharif’s paradigm of Pakistani Politics is flawed and is still based on his understanding of Pakistan he witnessed or interacted between 1985 and 2007. He thought hard about his choices when he was in exile in Saudi Arabia and concluded that he has failed twice in controlling the outcome of Pakistani politics because as soon as he exerts control he is confronted by Pakistani Army that has a mind of its own on national issues. What he unfortunately did’not confess to himself was that his style of governance and his understanding of issues may also be lacking. So he concluded that he does or could do great job but is unable to complete it because military is very ambitious and gets in his way. He has sold this idea pretty well; many or most Pakistani liberals also sincerely believe this.
Anyway that is not my point. What is important is that based on this less than genuine understanding of Pakistani politics and challenges, Nawaz concluded that he can confront military and push them back by developing a compact with Benazir of PPP. This paradigm was his basis of COD of 2006 and All Parties Conference of 2007 etc. And this is why he supported Zardari after 2008 elections – to keep military in check and also allowing him to share spoils of politics with Zardari. This is what Imran refers to as Muk Mukka or deal between Nawaz and Zardari.
However what Nawaz did not understand was that parliamentary system as conceived by British works or survives on the basis of a genuine opposition that shares a belief in the fundamentals of the state but has genuine differences as how to achieve those goals. But Nawaz and Zardari compact used opposition as a notional reference point as a cosmetic affair for a willing and uncritical west that wants stooge governments in Islamabad for their own reasons. Their combined real opposition was military.
All three poles of the Pakistani politics (Zardari, Nawaz and Army) needed United States for their ends and the US wanted to keep military in check and under pressure (because military is fiercely nationalistic unlike the Egyptian military) by supporting first Zardari and later Nawaz when they found out that Zardari has lost total utility. But Nawaz – though he shared power with Zardari as his partner against the military – also kept on selling PMLN as an opposition and an alternative through News/Jang and GEO and Ex-CJP Iftikhar Chaudry’s strong alliance with Nawaz also kept PPP under severe pressure and in continuous negative publicity as well. This arrangement coupled with Zardari’s total lack of interest in governance of any kind totally destroyed PPP as a political force.
2013 exercise of Elections (sham like all Pakistani Elections have been) was to continue the Faustian bargain agreed in 2007/2008 but the problem is that this political structure was constructed on the premise that PPP will serve as the opposition. Unfortunately as a result of the operationalization of the compact which Nawaz & Zardari had PPP has ceased to exist in a physical sense. For all practical purposes PPP has been replaced by PTI. However PTI has not been allowed its due role in the system created by the elections of 2013. Nawaz still thinks that by playing around administratively he can continue till 2018 with this huge hole or deficit of political representation where his genuine opposition – ie PTI – is not represented inside the system. But his actual paradigm of PMLN Vs PPP has collapsed and he is not grasping that unless he accommodates with PTI now, the way he had with PPP in 2006-8 onwards and brings them into the political system as dejure opposition (through Judicial Commission or Mid term Elections) challenging him then he won’t be able to govern. The sooner he realizes that the better it will be for him and for all of us.
Just spoke with IGP Punjab …!
Just spoke with IGP Punjab. Punjab Police Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) is parading out its first batch of Counter-Terror Force (CTF) with 421 officers trained for 9 months. This will be a purely civilian lead force trained with the help of Turkish Counter-Terror Police Force Officers. 43 Turkish CTF officers worked in Pakistan as Instructors over the past one year. More batches will roll out in future bringing the total operational strength to 1500.
I naturally asked that Punjab Police already had Commando Units; I have been told that it is Elite Force and this new CTF is a stand alone Anti-Terror Unit with its own Administrative Secretariat and Intelligence collection and Investigation capacities.
I have been told that Counter Terrorism Dept. (CTD) will have three wings: Intelligence, Operations and Investigations. I assume that CTF will coordinate with ISI, IB and FIA for the purposes of Intelligence and Investigations.
Inaugration ceremony is tomorrow near Lahore to be attended by PM Nawaz and Military Chief. Gen. Raheel Shareef.
We hope that CTD and CTF will be groomed as an internationally standard professional police force and well thought out institutional firewalls will be created to keep them safe from rampant politicization that mars the reputation and workings of Punjab Police. Amen!
Imran Khan in an Exclusive discussion with Dr. Moeed PIrzada
Imran Khan in an exclusive discussion with Dr. Moeed Pirzada in year 2010 and discussed future of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf in Pakistan’s Politics. Interview recorded on 12th December, 2010. It was the time when Imran Khan suggested to the Government that on willingness of government Imran Khan can talk to the tribals and Taliban for the dialogues between them and Government to find political solution of the conflict but he suggested that government must guarantee that these dialogues and the solution should be kept free from pressures of US. And Imran Khan revealed that Taliban’s few fractions have contacted himself and showed confidence to play this role but government has not replied on this offer.
In the show it was discussed that how realistic and wise is this offer of Imran Khan as a politician? Imran Khan strongly presented his argument that military solution should not be last option as India also wants Pakistani army to get involved in military operation against militants but India has never been well wisher of Pakistan. Imran Khan said that even Interior minister Rehman malik mentioned that India is involved in terrorism activities in the country. He gave an example that after fighting and conducting military operations against Taliban for more than eight years in Afghanistan, now US agreed to get involved in dialogues and negotiations. He said Hamid Karzai always opposed Mulla Umar but now he realized that military actions are not long lasting solutions so he is welcoming even Ameer of Taliban Mulla Umar for dialogues . Imran Khan argued that if Afghanistan can do it than why shouldn’t Pakistan do it and go for dialogues instead of military operations against Taliban. He also said that after every military operation extremism increase.
Bangladesh Hangings: Is there a method to this madness?
Moeed Pirzada is lead Senior Anchor, Columnist & Editor Strategic Affairs with Dunya News.He is a known media & political commentator who has worked with GEO, EXPRESS, ARY, Ptv in different roles. Official Twitter Ac https://twitter.com/MoeedNj Official Facebook Account www.facebook.com/MoeedPirzada
Meeting with Clients of Credit Suisse on Political Landscape of Pakistan, 12th Nov, 2015 – Islamabad.
Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Editor Strategic Affairs, Dunya News, met clients of Credit Suisse from Schroders Investment Management (UK) and Amundi Asset (Hongkong) on their request to discuss Pakistan’s political landscape and nature and direction of political change on 12th November 2015. Pirzada, as a leading political commentator and Islamabad insider, shared his insights on Pakistan’s growing institutional stability and reducing risks for investments if political stability continued till 2018. Credit Suisse based in Singapore is playing a leading role in showcasing Pakistan as an attractive investment destination.
James Bond Movie
Moeed Pirzada | FB Blog |
Specter, Latest James Bond Movie & why it’s so amazing? Bond movies have always been a barometer of global political agenda, of evolving thought, of how London & Washington are looking at the developing issues and who are the friends and who are the foes.
So in seventies Japanese could be seen as dangerous but by and large till the collapse of Soviet Union and end of Cold War Russians were the villains, directly or indirectly. End of Cold War gave way to spectre of rogue Russian generals. And then briefly Muslim fundamentalists figure as enemies then bowing out to Chinese who too have figured as “enemies” But the larger than life “Bond” saving free world from a disaster faded away with the collapse of Russian threat.
“Spectre” gives you very interesting insights into this changing mind set. How fears of terrorism and other threats can give more and more power to Intelligence Agencies; it shows a point where this rogue head of Joint Intelligence in UK is putting a case for all friendly agencies to join together against common threats; remember the scene where a tape is played that shows how Joint Intelligence head is listening to what MI6 is doing. And how “M” keeps reminding “C” that this is a nightmare bigger than George Orwell could imagine.
(My favourite writer; ahead of his times like Jinnah) This movie didn’t have those traditional fireworks, those sustained scenes of continuing destruction of large structures and arrival of good guys in large numbers to defeat bad guys and I am sure some of the best juicy scenes of Craig’s fondness & warmth for ‘her’ were only watched repeatedly by Pakistani censor to make sure that they have completely absorbed them (so I will watch it again in Bangkok or Istanbul or on DVD) Intelligence Community’s growing immense power upon our lives, since 9/11 and its “sense of legitimacy” and how it is being exploited to secure the hold of power elite is now a big threat to what was once actually defined as democracy.
Look around us and see how even civilian elected governments are using Intelligence Agencies to strengthen themselves, to harass their critics, to threaten them into silence, how every private conversation, tweet, family discussion or affairs or troubles (of media persons and opposition politicians etc) are being recorded, at tax payers cost, to blackmail them as and when needed. All Middle East is like a large concentration camp with stranglehold of ruling elite and many amongst our leaders fancy that kind of power. Ask me how my emails, phones, text messages and this page is monitored and transcripts made as and when needed. This is called “Surveillance state”.
June issue of Foreign Policy was on “Golden Age of Surveillance” and all of you get to read a lot what Wikileaks and Snowden reveal. Remember how Julian Assange was turned from a public hero of western consciousness into a pariah forced to hide inside a building. To many of you this is remote, but not to me; I am a victim of it and I see it very clearly. This is upfront and close. So I have listened to every sentence in “Spectre” very carefully.
As I reached home and switched to CNN, I heard that U.S. Intelligence is now 99.99% sure that Russian plane over Sinai crashed due to a bomb blast onboard. Off course everyone suspects this is ISIS. Then I heard Ahmet Davotoglu, Turkish PM, telling Christian Amanpur that this is not against Russia; its against all of us. He is right but what is his solution? All intelligence agencies have to join hands.
So “Spectre” brings a reality that is upfront and close.