State of Pakistan

“Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.”

March 10th, 2010

Why don’t Pakistan’s generals and admirals declare their assets?

From DAWN 

By Kamran Shafi
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 

Why are the assets of senior army, navy and air force officers not made public like those of elected representatives? –Photo by APP

At least two readers, obviously the Commando’s supporters, have sent me abusive emails after reading my last article ‘The happening place’ (March 2) in Dawn. They have, among other compliments, called me a liar for suggesting that Bilal Musharraf, Gen Musharraf’s son and heir, visited Prince Alwalid bin Talal taking in tow the then Pakistani ambassador Adm Shahid Karimullah. ‘Where is the photograph?’ they have demanded of me.

Read more »

March 9th, 2010

Key political risks to watch in Indonesia

By Sara Webb

JAKARTA, March 2 (Reuters) - Strong growth and political stability made Indonesia Southeast Asia’s most attractive investment destination last year, but the outlook is threatened by a struggle between reformers and powerful vested interests. Read more »

March 9th, 2010

Decade Of The Drone: America’s Aerial Assassins

Tuesday, 09 March 2010 16:18

by Rick Rozoff

2010 is the last year of the new century and millennium and is the tenth consecutive year of the United States’ war in Afghanistan and in the 15-nation area of responsibility subsumed under Operation Enduring Freedom. In early March American military deaths in the Greater Afghan War theater -Afghanistan, Cuba (Guantanamo Bay), Djibouti, Eritrea, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Yemen - surpassed the 1,000 mark.

Read more »

March 8th, 2010

One thousand US architects and engineers demand a new investigation of 9/11: Washington Times

Inside the Beltway  
Originally published 05:00 a.m., February 22, 2010, updated 01:24 p.m., February 22, 2010

EXPLOSIVE NEWS

A lingering technical question about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks still haunts some, and it has political implications: How did 200,000 tons of steel disintegrate and drop in 11 seconds? A thousand architects and engineers want to know, and are calling on Congress to order a new investigation into the destruction of the Twin Towers and Building 7 at the World Trade Center.

“In order to bring down this kind of mass in such a short period of time, the material must have been artificially, exploded outwards,” says Richard Gage, a San Francisco architect and foun Read more »

March 6th, 2010

State within a state? Pakistan is an army with a country

By Ayesha Siddiqa
Friday, March 5, 2010  

It is amusing to note that there has not been a thorough discussion in the media on the army chief’s decision to give extension in service to a couple of lieutenant generals on his own — something which has major implications for the state.

The little that has appeared in the print media indicates that Gen Kayani indeed has the powers to promote senior officers without consulting the government. The development is far too important to be brushed aside as a minor procedural issue. Read more »

March 4th, 2010

Indian PM concludes historic Saudi visit

Muslim News UK

March 3, 2010

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is welcomed by Saudi Shura “consultative” council members during his visit to the Saudi Shura consultative council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Riyadh, (Manorama): Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday concluded a historic three-day visit to Saudi Arabia during which 10 bilateral agreements were signed and the Riyadh Declaration was issued to strengthen ties between India and the influential Arabic Gulf nation.

In a rare honour accorded to a foreign dignitary, Manmohan Singh Monday was invited to address the Majlis-ash-Shura, the Saudi parliament, where he not only sought investments from the Islamic kingdom but also pressed the need for Pakistan to “act decisively against terrorism”.

He said that India would grow at the rate of 9 to 10 percent for the next 25 years. “We seek Saudi investments in a range of sectors from infrastructure and manufacturing to the services and hospitality sector.”

“Equally, Indian industry is ready to take advantage of the many opportunities that are opening up in the IT, banking, telecommunications and pharmaceutical and hydrocarbon sectors in Saudi Arabia,” he said. The kingdom is the largest supplier of hydrocarbons to India.

He also said that India wishes to “live in peace and friendship with its neighbours”.

“If there is cooperation between India and Pakistan, vast opportunities will open up for trade, travel and development that will create prosperity in both countries and in South Asia,” he told the Majlis-ash-Shura.

But for this, he said, Pakistan needs to “act decisively against terrorism”. He added that India’s desire for cooperative relations with Pakistan was aimed at seeking permanent peace in South Asia.

Manmohan Singh said the challenge of terrorism was immense in Afghanistan, where a Taliban suicide attack Friday in Kabul left 17 people dead, including nine Indians.

The prime minister visited the King Saud University where an honorary doctorate was conferred on Manmohan Singh, an economist turned politician.

The prime minister left the Saudi capital for home after attending a function at the Indian embassy where he met representatives of the 1.8 million Indian expatriate community.

Indian officials said the Saudi visit, the first by an Indian prime minister after Indira Gandhi’s in 1982, was aimed at forging a strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. Read more »

March 4th, 2010

New twist in Benazir’s assassination probe

DAWN 

Wednesday, 03 Mar, 2010  

Investigators are searching for four military personnel who had disappeared just before the assassination of the former prime minister. — File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Investigations into murder of Benazir Bhutto take a new turn as Pakistani officials said they are searching for four military personnel who had disappeared just before the assassination of the former prime minister.

Interior ministry officials told DawnNews that the missing soldiers were retired army personnel who were among the eight army soldiers related to the main accused and a proclaimed offender in the case, Ibad Ur Rehman.

The interior ministry officials disclosed that investigators are facing difficulties in determining the exact status of these soldiers and so far no record had been provided. The four other soldiers are still serving the army.

These four army personnel had never been mentioned in the legal proceedings before an anti-terrorist court in Rawalpindi.

This is the first time that the investigators are probing into the possibility of army soldiers’ involvement into the assassination of the former prime minister.

A UN commission constituted to probe into the assassination of Ms. Bhutto is expected to submit its report by the end of this month.

When DawnNews tried to ascertain the view of military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas on this revelation, he could not be reached on his telephone despite repeated attempts.

March 3rd, 2010

Will Zardari appoint another crony as finance minister?

By Yousuf Nazar 

If President Zardari gets his way and Nasim Beg of Arif Habib Bank is appointed the finance minister, I would advise everyone to buy dollars by converting the rupees. It seems Asif Zardari can’t get enough of his mediocre friends, their friends, and their friends of friends and has not learned much from  the recent crises and climb-downs. He still wants to see some one in the job who would be a yes man and be ready to oblige. But there is a bigger issue. He seems to believe that it was his government that averted the financial disaster that Pakistan faced in October 2008. To put the record straight, it was his government that brought Pakistan so close to a default due to its ineptitude and inaction but the IMF saved it at the timely intervention of the US state department and the Pentagon. With all due respect to Mr. Shaukat Tarin, it was the bailout by the IMF and collapse in the international oil price that gave the country some breathing space and relief.

Pakistan needs a high calibre economic manager with international vision and solid market experience. Unfortunately, the list of names that has appeared in the newspapers contains none. Though Hafiz Pasha and Ishrat Husain are qualified economists, they both lack either international or private sector operating experience. Unlike the academics in the developed countries, our academics almost never work in the private sector. Many of them have either civil service or World Bank experience but in this day and age, it is woefully inadequate. However, if the agenda is that the job of the finance minister is to get more and more loans and leave the economy to the robber barons and parasites, then it does not matter who is appointed as the finance minister.

However, my choice would be Moen Qureshi, a former three months PM. He is probably the best qualified and most experienced economist Pakistan has. It will be a pity if we can’t use him! 

March 2nd, 2010

Water Demand-Supply Gap Rising At Alarming Rate, Report Shows

By Andrea Hart
Circle of Blue

Water Demand-Supply Gap Rising At Alarming Rate, Report Shows

Photo ©2009 J. Carl Ganter

Raw sewage flows beneath an elevated pipeline toward the Yangtze River in Chongqing, China. According to the McKinsey report, 21 percent of China’s surface water resources are unfit for agriculture.

Global water demand will grow at an accelerated rate — from 4,500 billion meters cubed to 6,900 billion cubed — by 2030 increasing the water gap.

If water consumption continues without reform or regulation over the next 20 years, 40 percent of global demand will not be met, according to a McKinsey & Co. report released last week. More than one billion people already don’t have access to clean water. Read more »

March 1st, 2010

Covert action against Iran is no conspiracy theory

By Yousuf Nazar 

For some Pakistanis who consider  themselves liberal, it has become a norm to confuse the rejection of religious orthodoxy and fundamentalism with the acceptance of essentially an Anglo Saxon political view of the world. [ I confess I lean more towards Chinese and French views] .

While the Pakistanis have much to blame themselves and their past or present leaders (military and civil) for a mess the country is, it is not historically correct to ignore the role of the foreign intelligence agencies in Pakistan particularly the CIA.  Z.A. Bhutto, even as foreign minister, was apprehensive of the Yanks. However, these self-styled liberals dismiss any discussion of the involvement of the CIA and Mossad in Pakistan as conspiracy theories, even when I tell them that I have personally met, wined, and dined with US marines - on Pakistani soil - who had been trained to speak Urdu.  And even when presented with reports of CBS and ABC News on the US covert actions in Pakistan. The intellectual bankruptcy on both sides of the political divide (conservative and liberal) in Pakistan is tragic and will probably prove to be fatal.

These people should make a note of two recent political assassinations that are widely believed to have been carried out by Mossad. One that of Hamas leader in Dubai and the other that of Iran’s nuclear pyhsicist.

One of the most respected magazines in the world, The Economist, has published the following stories on Mossad’s covert actions.

Read more »

February 26th, 2010

Clinton Says U.S. Deficit, Debt a National Security Concern

By Peter S. Green

 

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) — The record U.S. budget deficit and debt should be viewed as a growing national security concern, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers yesterday.

“We have to address this deficit and the debt of the U.S. as a matter of national security, not only as a matter of economics,” Clinton said in testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and related programs. The panel was reviewing the U.S. foreign affairs budget for fiscal year 2011. Read more »

February 26th, 2010

The tragic myth of Sovereignty, Al-Jihad Case, Judges and Dictators

By Yousuf Nazar

The government had to take a U-turn and not only had to withdraw the notification of the appointment of the judges but has also yielded to the blackmail. But that does not change basic facts. The position of the Supreme Court and the so-called constitutional experts is wrong and/or politically motivated.  The constitutions and practices in the UK and India do not support the view that has been sold to the naive Pakistani public.  The Indian President and the Lord Chancellor in the United Kingdom are supposed to consult with the Chief Justice but can reject the recommendation of the chief justice. But even from the standpoint of Pakistan’s law, the position taken by Iftikhar Chaudhry is just political power play and has nothing to do with the principles or 1973 Constitution.We feel that we must put the record straight. So please read the following carefully.

Forget about the fact that Mr. Zardari is , like it or not, the President and is bound by the advice of only the Prime Minister and no one else, although he should consult with the chief justice  regarding the appointment of the judges. But consultation’s meaning cannot be stretched to that of binding advice. And we don’t need anyone including Aitzaz Ahsan to interpret that for us.

Some say that the definition of consultation is provided by Article 260 (Chapter 5; Interpretation). That is incorrect. That definition was inserted by the Legal Framework Order of 2002 which was unconstitutional, leaving aside the fact that it violated the letter and spirit of 1973 constitution. The Supreme Court had, in effect, given Musharraf the power to amend the constitution. That was clear violation of Article 6.  The LFO was given protection through the seventeenth amendment which was unconstitutional, because it came as a result of an ultra vires Supreme Court decision. Now how can PML (N) support a clause that was sanctified by the infamous and ultra vires seventeenth amendment?

The same is true about Al-Jihad Trust Case [PLD 1996 SC, 324] because an over-zealous, agencies’ inspired, and politically motivated bench changed the meaning of the word ‘consultation’ in the original constitution to mean binding advice.  The Supreme Court can interpret Constitution but cannot - repeat cannot - change its basic character in violation of its letter and spirit. If ’binding advice’ had been the intention, there was no need to use the word ‘consultation’. According to the letter and spirit of the constitution, only the advice of the Prime Minister is binding. If there is a conflict between ‘consultation with the chief justice’ and advice of the prime minister, the advice of the prime minister will have to prevail otherwise the whole character of the constitution will be distorted and subverted because Prime Minister, being the elected leader, is the chief executive. Given that the definition of consultation [other than that provided in Al-Jihad case] was inserted in Article 260 through the Legal Framework Order of 2002, it is clear that the Military and the Judges have tampered with the Constitution as and when it suited them. Neither of them have the rights that exceed that of the elected representatives of the people. That is the spirit of the constitution because according to the Objectives Resolution, sovereignty belongs to Allah and is to be exercised by the people through their ‘chosen representatives’ and not by the Army or the Judiciary. The Parliament, and not the Constitution, Army, or the Judiciary should and can exercise sovereignty in view of the unambiguous definition of sovereignty provided in the objectives resolution, which is an integral part of the constitution.  The claim that Constitution is sovereign is not only meaningless but is in clear contradiction of the Objectives Resolution.

The ugly reality is that the Army and Judiciary have time and again trampled on the letter and spirit of the constitution with impunity and without any accountability.The only way out of this tragic and troubled legacy is to repeal all the amendments introduced by the dictators or at their instance, as quickly as possible, and implement the the Charter of Democracy without any further delay as only the Parliament’s Act can have real sanctity and not those of judges whose history is tainted with open and secret collaboration with the military dictators. And there is a legal precedent of what consultation means.

For example, the Malaysian Constitution requires the executive when operating under the general authority of the Cabinet, to consult with the Conference of Rulers, before making the appointment of members of the Judiciary, the Auditor-General, members of the Election Commission, Public Services Commission and Education Commission.  This very issue was dealt with by the Malaysian Court of Appeal in relation to the elevation of a judge of the High Court of Malaya to the Court of Appeal in the Oral application by Dato’ Seri Anwar [2000}. The meaning of the procedure for judicial appointments contained in Article 122B (1) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution was examined by the Court of Appeal in the following manner:-

The intention of this Article is clear i.e. the Yang di Pertuan Agong must act on the advice of the Prime Minister. However, the Yang di Pertuan Agong is required to consult the Conference of Rulers before making the appointment. To consult means to refer a matter for advice, opinion or views.

The Malaysian Court of Appeal went further to differentiate “consult” from “consent” as it appears in certain provisions of the Federal Constitution:

 “To ‘consult’ does not mean to ‘consent’. The Constitution uses the words ‘consent’ and ‘consult’ separately. For example, the word ‘consent’ is used in Article 159(5) of the Constitution which states that the amendments to certain provisions of the Constitution cannot be passed by Parliament without the ‘consent’ of the Conference of Rulers.”

The long history of even a misruled country like Pakistan does not have a precedent where the advice of the chief justice is binding on head of the state in matters relating to the appointment of judges. The order of the Iftikhar Chaudhry was malafide and tantamount to subversion of the federation’s constitution. Iftikhar Chaudhry was Musharraf’s appointee. Musharraf illegally usurped power. All his actions were unconstitutional. Even Supreme Court cannot validate violation of Article 6 because Supreme Court’s jurisdiction is within the boundaries of constitution and it has no power to validate a coup.

Here is a quote from the Supreme Court judgment in Asma Jilani case (1972) in which the Court had held that “assumption of power by General Yahya Khan was an illegal usurpation.”

 “[Maybe], that on account of his holding the coercive apparatus of the State, the people and the Courts are silenced temporarily, but let it be laid down firmly that the order which the usurper imposes will remain illegal and Courts will not recognize its rule and act upon them as de jure. As soon as the first opportunity arises, when the coercive apparatus falls from the hands of the usurper, he should be tried for high treason and suitably punished. This alone will serve as a deterrent to would be adventurers.” 

 Therefore, Iftikhar Chaudhry’s appointment needs to be declared void ab initio by a simple resolution of the National Assembly. If an illegal act can be voided through a resolution of the Assembly, as Aitzaz maintained during the judges movement, then an illegal appointment can also be annulled through a resolution.This man who has always acted in concert with the security agencies must be exposed.   A first step would be to publish the list of all those journalists who have been on the take. The axis of establishment, crony judges, and paid media persons must first be exposed to fight against the clandestine operation that is underway to take Pakistan back to 1977.

It is indeed intriguing that no TV channel or newspaper makes it a point to demand the government to publish the names of journalists who have been the beneficiaries of secret funds and/or property allotments. No mention is made of the fact that Iftikhar Chaudhry frequently met with the government officials including the intelligence chiefs before March 2007?   On February 19, 2010, the Supreme Court of Pakistan said it will not examine evidence against intelligence agencies in the missing persons’ case. A written order released to the media stated that evidence and allegations of involvement of intelligence agencies in abducting people will be examined by an ‘appropriate forum at the relevant time.’  Now what are we supposed to make of this ruling?

We have short memories. It has been completely forgotten that the so-called deal and NRO were negotiated, among others, by the then ISI chief Pervez Kayani. It was Pervez Kayani who opposed the ’suspension’ of Iftikhar Chaudhry by Musharraf.  According to an eyewitness (believed to be Sharifuddin Pirzada) account, it was General Kayani who kept smoking and did not say much during Iftikhar Chaudhry’s meeting with Musharraf on March 9, 2007 when the former was being asked to resign by Musharraf. Iftikhar Chaudhry was appointed Chief Justice of Baluchistan High Court on April 22, 1999 and in less than a year, he was appointed as Justice of the Supreme Court on February 4, 2000.  What was behind his swift elevation to the Supreme Court? Exceptional merit? Even a child knows that such rapid promotions and key appointments in Pakistan do not happen without the support and help of the ‘real masters’ in the establishment.

Why is it that a particular section of the media (so fond of PPP- bashing) never highlighted the fact that on September 28, 2007, a Supreme Court bench constituted by Iftikhar Chaudhry, had held the petitions against Musharraf’s eligibility to contest Presidential election to be “not maintainable” under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution. It was Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry who had constituted the bench and did not entertain the pleas from Justice (r) Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim, who had written a letter to the CJ, asking him to form the full court and also invite the Chief Justices of High Courts to sit on the bench. This was the murkiest aspect of the whole saga. Justice Wajihuddin had publicly expressed reservations about the constitution of the bench. Why did Justice Chaudhry not form the full court?  Why most of the judges who had restored him earlier in July 2007 were excluded from this bench? Why did it take three weeks for the bench to come with this verdict, which practically facilitated the re-election of Musharraf as President? What was the game? Who was playing the tune? Time in its maturity might reveal the truth but anyone who knows Islamabad and P’indi can understand the reasons behind ‘undue delays’ such as in the above instance, and those behind the ‘indecent haste’ with which the recent order was issued on Sunday evening by Iftikhar Chaudhry’s court.

Pakistan does not need judges who have risen to the top through the crutches of intelligence agencies and by taking oath (in some cases more than once) on PCOs. These judges can’t ensure decent justice in the ordinary course let alone the attainment of the lofty ideals of independent judiciary and the rule of law. The political parties are far from perfect and their leadership full of weaknesses and faults. But only the people and the people alone should decide who should be the President or Prime Minister of Pakistan and not a judge through judgments written in dark hours of evening and based on some twisted interpretation of a distorted version of what was 1973 Constitution. Otherwise, we will be, forever, at the mercy of forces that are accountable to no one and always strike in the darkness of night.

February 26th, 2010

Hillary Clinton’s refreshingly candid advice to Pakistan’s elites

From DAWN

[Note: Pakistan’s Low Tax to GDP Ratio is as important an issue as any for the country]

 Hillary urges rich Pakistanis to pay more tax

By Anwar Iqbal
Friday, 26 Feb, 2010

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (C) arrives with Senator John Kerry (D-MA) as Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) gestures before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington February 24, 2010. – Photo by Reuters.

 WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged wealthy Pakistanis to pay a larger share of taxes to reduce their country’s dependence on foreign aid. Read more »

February 26th, 2010

India Budget Highlights

February 26, 2010 

The finance minister Mr. Mukherjee said the economy is in a much better position now than it was a year ago, and added that growth may exceed the advance estimate of 7.2% for this fiscal year through March.

He said also that the government’s total expenditure will be 11.09 trillion rupees ($239 billion) in the next fiscal year, and that the fiscal deficit is likely to narrow to 5.5%–or 3.8 trillion rupees–from this year’s estimated 6.9% of gross domestic product. India plans to allocate 1.47 trillion rupees ($31.71 billion) for the defense sector for the next fiscal year. The government had earmarked 1.42 trillion rupees spending on defense for the current fiscal through March 2010, up from 1.06 trillion rupees in the previous year. India is upgrading its armed forces and plans to buy new vehicles, arms and fighter jets as part of the modernization exercise. Read more »

February 24th, 2010

Constitutional reform should aim to uphold the rule of law and not the rule of judges

Comment by Yousuf Nazar 

The report of the News (25th Feb. 2010) is reproduced below: Read more »