Pakistan's floods have left a country that's too difficult to rule The government in Islamabad is floundering and ripe for a coup if anyone wanted to launch one, says Con Coughlin. Con Coughlin By Con Coughlin Published: 6:33AM BST 25 Aug 2010 179 Comments Flood survivors at Muzaffargarh, in central Pakistan, on August 19 Photo: Khalid Tanveer If ever a country were ripe for a coup, it is Pakistan. The besieged government of President Asif Ali Zardari is assailed on all fronts by man-made conflict and natural disaster and there is a palpable sense in Islamabad that the return of the generals to the presidential palace would come as something of a relief. As if fighting a war against a determined enemy like the Taliban wasn't a difficult enough challenge, Mr Zardari now finds himself struggling to restore his credibility after a less-than-convincing response to the catastrophe of the flooding. To grasp the scale of the task facing the President, you need look no further than the American drone strikes that are being launched against suspected Taliban militants, at the same time as relief workers are struggling to save millions of homeless and hungry Pakistanis. Related Articles * Indian election: India is now a world power, and it must remember to behave like one * Barack Obama's charm offensive needs to be followed up with military action * Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf offers to return to power in Pakistan * If we win the war in Afghanistan, we could lose a battle in Pakistan * Hillary Clinton lures Pakistan with $500m new aid package * Taliban gunmen shooting couple dead for adultery caught on camera Before the monsoon waters broke, Mr Zardari was under intense pressure from his allies to do more to counter the militant Islamist groups that pose as great a threat to Pakistan's government as they do to the security of the West. A measure of the challenge involved in restoring security in this cricket-mad country is that the national team is obliged to play its international fixtures overseas following last year's brutal attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, which killed eight people, including six policemen. David Cameron's blunt declaration that Pakistan was looking both ways in the fight against Islamist terrorism may not have won him many friends in the Zardari government. But it certainly articulated the deeply held view of many Western policy-makers that it could do more to tackle extremism. Now, following the widespread devastation unleashed by the floods, the President finds himself the subject of bitter criticism at home as well. It began with his ill-considered decision to continue with his tour of France and Britain earlier this month as the crisis deepened, when he visited his elegant chateau and made arrangements to launch the political career of his 21-year-old son, Bilawal Zardari Bhutto. Now his opponents are directing their ire at the government's inept response to the wider crisis caused by the floods. In a country where most of the agricultural wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few feudal landlords, the misery being experienced by millions of dispossessed and impoverished citizens is inevitably going to stoke the fires of dissent. Atlaf Hussain, the exiled leader of the Muttahuda Quami Movement, articulated the suspicions of many Pakistanis when he accused some landlords of deliberately diverting the waters to neighbouring villages in order to protect their own crops and livestock. He is now demanding a French Revolution-style redistribution of land among the masses, and has issued a call to "patriotic generals" to fulfil their duty by establishing martial law. However, what is different about this crisis is that, for once, the generals don't appear at all interested in taking responsibility for a country that is teetering on the verge of collapse. Pakistan has a history of military coups, many initiated to tackle the corruption and ineptitude of civilian administrations. The country's most recent military dictatorship, under General Pervez Musharraf. was instigated in 1999, in part due to allegations of corruption against the government of Nawaz Sharif, the current leader of the opposition. He, in turn, had replaced Benazir Bhutto, Mr Zardari's murdered wife, who had been dismissed over allegations of corruption. Since winning independence in 1947, Pakistan has endured more years of military dictatorship than civilian rule. Yet on this occasion, the military appears disinclined to enter the political fray. This is partly because it is still recovering from the bruising experience of Gen Musharraf's nine-year rule. It is just two years since he departed his homeland to live in exile in London. But even though he worked stoically to hold the country together, particularly during the tumult that followed the September 11 attacks, his tenure ended in opprobrium, as he was accused of excessive pro-Americanism and trying to destroy the independence of the judiciary. Many of those now running Pakistan's military, such as General Ashfaq Kayani, the army chief, and Lt Gen Ahmed Pasha, the head of the ISI intelligence service, are Gen Musharraf's protgs, and have little desire to suffer the humiliation heaped on the former dictator by the current civilian administration, which has threatened to prosecute him for alleged abuse of power. They also have their hands full fighting a bitter counter-insurgency campaign against the Taliban and its allies, as well as supporting Nato's effort to bring stability to Afghanistan. Of course, if they felt the country's very survival were in jeopardy because of the political fallout from the flooding crisis, even the most apolitical military officers might feel obliged to involve themselves. That is certainly what happened the last time the country faced a disaster on this scale: in 1970, the Pakistani government's totally inadequate response to the cyclone that devastated the coast of what was then East Pakistan, killing between 300,000 and 500,000 people, ultimately caused the civil war that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. The death toll from this month's flood is for the moment, at least only a fraction of that figure. But the government's handling of the crisis has revived perceptions that the country's political elite is interested only in taking care of its own interests, rather than those of the people its members have been elected to serve. Nowhere is this sense of alienation more keenly felt than in the newly-created province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Pashtun-dominated region formerly known as the North West Frontier Provine. As the crisis has unfolded, the provincial government has consistently accused Islamabad of ignoring the plight of the Pashtuns, claiming that insufficient numbers of rescue helicopters were dispatched as the crisis developed and that vital foreign aid was diverted to the less needy province of Punjab, for political reasons. Pashtun anger at Islamabad's perceived indifference is unlikely to result in a Bangladesh-style campaign for secession. But it does illustrate the damage that the floods have inflicted on the government's reputation for competence, as well as on the country at large. Extreme measures will be required to rebuild large swathes of the country once the waters have receded but building the effective and inclusive government that Pakistan deserves will be an even greater challenge. * * * * * * * * * * * * * Email * Print * Share * | * * * * Email * | * Print Text Size click here to increase the text size click here to decrease the text size http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/...ft-a-country-thats-too-difficult-to-rule.html TelegraphNews Con Coughlin Get feed updates Pakistan Get feed updates Comment Get feed updates Personal View Get feed updates Advertisement Ads by Google * Alternative Energy * Clean Energy * Clean Energy Sources * Clean Energy Options * Energy Independence Advertisement Ads by Google * 58" Plasma TV for $13.21? New Kind of Auction Site Has High Priced Items Going for Just Pennies SwipeBids.com * Killer Blues Guitar Wanna See How I Play A Great Blues Solo With Only 4 Notes? 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MQM to endorse martial law against corrupt politicians - Altaf Hussain (Poll Added)
- Thread starter adnan78692
- Start date
JewayPakistan
MPA (400+ posts)
Altaf is creation of generals.Have many cases he has against him?while he is in london as these days he is part of Govt?Had he not been part of every Govt.?What blackmailing they have in mind again?Had he not spoke against creation of Pakistan in India?Just check youtube
Rana Tahir Mahmood
Senator (1k+ posts)
There was another rap incident with Dr. Shazia by an Military officer and Parvaiz Musharraf very crookedly protect that military officer and no action was taken while Dr. Shazia left Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif used state machinery to kill thousands of kids in Karachi. No wonder he has had a sopft corner for the terrorists. And then there was Rana Maqbool. The cases that were quashed by the NRO were pure attempts of political victimization by Nawaz Sharif using state macahinery.
He is one tracherous swine who licked Zia's pe__s up until his second regime. But now that the tide has turned, he won't waste a second in chastising military rule and dictatorship.
Afsos is zehniat par......he always talks abt both "wadera" and "jagirdar". Kahin se bi shuru karo, maqsad in ko khatam karna he. Allah hamari qaum ko aqal de. Ameen
KARACHIETS
Citizen
Martial Law is the best.
lord_sultan
Councller (250+ posts)
altaf ka bayan nizam ko khatra
Your daddy Nawaz Sharif is also fauj ki paida waar, CM Of Zia-ul-Haq, and then became PM thanx to Gen.Hamid Gul formed IJI . Hypocrites have selective memory heard before, got to see it now.
Ammad Hafeez
Minister (2k+ posts)
DAWN News : MQM wants Revolution Against Corrupt System : MQM MNA Wasem Akhtar
DAWN News : MQM wants Revolution Against Corrupt System : MQM MNA Wasem Akhtar talking about the current statement of Altaf Hussain Against corrupt leadership of Pakistan
DAWN News : MQM wants Revolution Against Corrupt System : MQM MNA Wasem Akhtar talking about the current statement of Altaf Hussain Against corrupt leadership of Pakistan
Ammad Hafeez
Minister (2k+ posts)
Ammad Hafeez
Minister (2k+ posts)
ایم کیوایم حکومت میں ہو یا حکومت سے باہر، ح
Altaf (Terrorist/ Bhatta Khoar) is agent of enemies of Pakistan. He is in Power with all the corrupt peoples since the creation of MQM.
He and other MQM leaders are most corrupt peoples. I know them peronally how they made money by corruption in KDA/ KMC and other department under them.
They were living in small homes / flats before MQM's come into powers and now they own billions in Pakistan and abroad. I know personally a lot of them as I am working there in City. In particular, Waseem akhtar, Baber Ghouri, Faroq Sattar, mustafa Kamal etc.
He and other MQM leaders are most corrupt peoples. I know them peronally how they made money by corruption in KDA/ KMC and other department under them.
They were living in small homes / flats before MQM's come into powers and now they own billions in Pakistan and abroad. I know personally a lot of them as I am working there in City. In particular, Waseem akhtar, Baber Ghouri, Faroq Sattar, mustafa Kamal etc.
Night_Hawk
Siasat.pk - Blogger
well said. there is nothing you can add to it.
Night_Hawk
Siasat.pk - Blogger
wow that is strong
Sharif Controlled Sugar Mill Responsible For Sugar Crisis
Dawn reports that the Sharif familys Brother Sugar Mill appears to be responsible for the sugar crisis and hoarding.
Additional reporting shows that the Sharif familys Chaudhry sugar mill has also been implicated in hoarding.
The Not So Sharif Brothers
The Great Gama Pahalwan is a legend both in India and Pakistan. Born at Amritsar in a Kashmiri family of wrestler he is regarded as the greatest wrestler of all times. Majority of his sons, grand sons and great grandsons were also related to the professions. Gama Phelwan belonged to an extended tribe of Butts, living in a close family circle. The pehalwans were the real money earners while the rest lived off the side-businesses of wrestling, such as catering, bakery, match organization and so forth. Right after Independence the Pahalwan Tribe was one of the first to arrive in Lahore, thus they had ample time to grab prime locations in Lahore. They choose Mohni Road and settled there turning the then posh area into a protected area where any and everything had to be licensed by the extended family members of the Gama Pehlwan even though the aging wrestler and his immediate family only concentrated on wrestling the extended family members started their ragtag badmashi in their names.
Life continued until the eventful year of 1976. Defeat of Akram Bholu by Antonio Inoki in 1976 and the controversial draw between Zubair Jhara and Antonio Inoki in 1979 was an eye opener for the entire extended clan. Wrestling was dead as a profession and the entire extended family which was living on the sub-professions of wrestling such as catering, keeping the badmash out of their areas suddenly found that they couldnt live off the scraps any more. They quickly started looking in other directions for immediate alternatives.
This was the time when the world as a whole and Pakistan especially was going through radical political and economic changes. The political government had just been thrown out of office by a military dictator and a flood gates of heroin money had been opened.
Many of the Pahalwans extended clan members were already involved in local gambling dens, being the owners and monitors (for being the relatives of great Pahalwan family). Of course they had the infamy of being related to the great Gama Pehalwan and his sons who could squeeze life out of a grown man as if a mosquito. In these famous gambling dens two cousins were on the top, Zia Sohail Butt and Akram Butt. They had established a small monopoly on the Mohni Road and the adjoining localities. Although very remotely related to Gama Pahalwan, they had been quite enterprising in using his name and his children. Also, they were supported by their own extended families including one uncle named Mian Muhammad Sharif. After Bhuttos nationalizing of his only source of income the Ittefaq Foundry, Mian Muhammad Sharif and his brothers had to go back to their original business of selling junk and junk steel. In that they required time and again help of their nephews, to thwart competitor bidders. The small family gang had established a good badmash reputation of being the real not-Pahalwans of Mohni Road. (We will be using the term not-pahalwans to differentiate the family of Mian Muhammad Sharif with the family of Gama Pahalwan.)
In 1979 the not-pahalwan family was suddenly thrust into a completely new venture. They saw small amounts of a new substance heroin making into their gambling dens. Mian Muhammad Sharif, the most enterprising of all, was quick to assess the potential and his nephews Sohail Zia Butt and Akram Butt were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Within a year the not-Pahalwan Family had created a monopoly on heroin in Mohni Road and each member of not-pahawan family was earning a profit in millions. Within a period of two years the entire family of not-pehlawans was back on its feet and their factories were operating again. Being real entrepreneurs, they were investing all their earnings in industry.
Character of a corrupt leader -Abhi tu main Jawan hoon
In the early eighties, after that Nawaz Sharif had completed his education his father Mian Muhammad Sharif started him in the business. However, this proved a disaster. As a second option Mian Muhammad Sharif set him up with Pakistani actor Saeed Khan Rangeela to get him into acting (something which Nawaz Sharif wanted). A few days later Saeed Khan Rangeela sent his regrets to Mian Muhammad Sharif saying that his son was too dumb for acting and movie industry. Mian Muhammad Sharif then a cricket coaches to train his son for cricket, but his physical fitness was too low for the sport. It is rumored that by mid-day on his first day at training Nawaz Sharif threw the bat down and left the stadium saying, This is too tough for me. As a last resort he paid General Ghulam Jilani Khan a considerable sum of monies to introduce Nawaz Sharif to General Zia-ul-Haq recommending him for a political post, who in turn made Nawaz Sharif the Finance Minister of Punjab. This was the day when the street thugs of Mohni Road had stepped on to becoming the national thugs of Pakistan.
The day Nawaz Sharif had become Finance Minister, the entire familys earnings were few million rupees and had only one refinery. From there they went on to: Ittefaq Sugar Mills was set up in 1982, Brothers steel in 1983, Brothers Textile Mills in 1986, Brothers Sugar Mills Ltd in 1986, Ittefaq Textile units in 2-3 in 1987, Khalid Siraj Textile Mills in 1988, Ramzan Buksh Textiles in 1987, Farooq Barkat (pvt) Ltd in 1985. By the time of Zia ul Haqs fateful plane crash, Mian Muhammad Sharifs family was earning a net profit of US$ 3 million, up from a few million rupees. By the end of the decade their net assets were worth more than 6 billion rupees, according to their own admission, nearly US$ 350 million at the time. But this turned out to be small-change when Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister.
When Nawaz Sharif became prime minister, the group took a decision to secure project loans from the foreign banks and only working capital was taken from the nationalized commercial banks. The project financing from foreign banks was ostensibly secured against the foreign currency deposits, a number of which were held in benamee accounts, as repeatedly claimed by Interior Minister Naseer Ullah Babar at his press conferences. In 1992 Salman Taseer released an account of Nawaz Sharifs corruption stating that the family had taken loans of up to 12 billion rupees, which were never paid back. On March 2, 1994, Khalid Siraj, a cousin of Nawaz Sharif claimed that the assets of the seven brothers were valued at Rs 21 billion.
These were the accounts of profits and companies which were openly known to public. However, the family kept their side business going all the while the gambling dens and heroin control in Lahore and along with their industry the side business also mushroomed.
During the Afghan-Soviet War Nawaz Sharifs cousin Sohail Zia Butt started working under the drug baron Mirza Iqbal Beg, then Pakistans second biggest drug lord after Ayub Afridi. Mian Muhammad Sharif and his sons had a permanent share in his gambling and heroin business. In 1990 Suhail Butt won a seat on the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad ticket in the Punjab Assembly. It was through Sohail Butts association that Nawaz Sharif became a close associate of Mirza Iqbal Beg. It was through him that Nawaz Sharif became benami owner of many of the privatized government entities, such as Muslim Commercial Bank. Sohail Zia Butt other than getting involved in the drug business made billions in the co-operative societies collapse, mainly through the National Industrial Credit and Finance Corporation. It was Nawaz Sharifs share in his cousins drug business which he used to buy off the generals thereby delaying the inevitable dismissal of his government.
In 1995 when Mirza Iqbal Beg was imprisoned, Sohail Zia Butt took over his drug empire. It is at this time that he became one of the biggest drug and crime bosses in Pakistan and was nicknamed the King of Hera Mandi and at one time all six underworld gangs of Lahore were working under him.
By 1995 familys declared annual profits from industrial units had increased 1500% from US$ 30 million to staggering US$ 400 million.
This is the short version of how in mere 15 years small street thugs running gambling dens became leaders of a country running narcotics, underworld and smuggling empires, untouched by everyone.
Nawaz Sharif Accused In Religious Attacks
Attacks on Christian minorities in Gojra shocked the world over the weekend. As the dust has started to clear, though, accusations are pointing to PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his apparent lack of action to stop the attacks.
According to todays Asia Times,
Dawn reports that the Sharif familys Brother Sugar Mill appears to be responsible for the sugar crisis and hoarding.
The government disclosed on Friday the names of three big sugar mills and said they were responsible for the current crisis and hoarding of the commodity.The mills are Tandliawala Sugar Mills, Brother Sugar Mills and Kashmir Sugar Mills. According to the statement, the mills have held back 240,000 tons of the government-purchased sugar, creating an artificial shortage in the market.
The News reports that Nawaz Sharifs sugar mill has stock of over 10,000 tons while sugar prices have reached all-time high of Rs 55-60 per kg.
Additional reporting shows that the Sharif familys Chaudhry sugar mill has also been implicated in hoarding.
According to our Toba Tek Singh correspondent, the district administration on Friday took control of the stocks of Kamalia and Chaudhry sugar mills.
Kamalia Sugar Mills is owned by former senator Farooq Ahmad Khan and Chaudhry Sugar Mills by Nawaz Sharif family.
An official said Kamalia Sugar Mills stock of 625,000 bags (50kg each) would be sufficient to meet the needs of the district for four months.
He said citizens would get the commodity at reduced price of Rs40 per kilo from selected stores and utility stores.
He said the stock of Chaudhry Sugar Mills would be supplied to Okara district.
Kamalia Sugar Mills is owned by former senator Farooq Ahmad Khan and Chaudhry Sugar Mills by Nawaz Sharif family.
An official said Kamalia Sugar Mills stock of 625,000 bags (50kg each) would be sufficient to meet the needs of the district for four months.
He said citizens would get the commodity at reduced price of Rs40 per kilo from selected stores and utility stores.
He said the stock of Chaudhry Sugar Mills would be supplied to Okara district.
The Not So Sharif Brothers
The Great Gama Pahalwan is a legend both in India and Pakistan. Born at Amritsar in a Kashmiri family of wrestler he is regarded as the greatest wrestler of all times. Majority of his sons, grand sons and great grandsons were also related to the professions. Gama Phelwan belonged to an extended tribe of Butts, living in a close family circle. The pehalwans were the real money earners while the rest lived off the side-businesses of wrestling, such as catering, bakery, match organization and so forth. Right after Independence the Pahalwan Tribe was one of the first to arrive in Lahore, thus they had ample time to grab prime locations in Lahore. They choose Mohni Road and settled there turning the then posh area into a protected area where any and everything had to be licensed by the extended family members of the Gama Pehlwan even though the aging wrestler and his immediate family only concentrated on wrestling the extended family members started their ragtag badmashi in their names.
Life continued until the eventful year of 1976. Defeat of Akram Bholu by Antonio Inoki in 1976 and the controversial draw between Zubair Jhara and Antonio Inoki in 1979 was an eye opener for the entire extended clan. Wrestling was dead as a profession and the entire extended family which was living on the sub-professions of wrestling such as catering, keeping the badmash out of their areas suddenly found that they couldnt live off the scraps any more. They quickly started looking in other directions for immediate alternatives.
This was the time when the world as a whole and Pakistan especially was going through radical political and economic changes. The political government had just been thrown out of office by a military dictator and a flood gates of heroin money had been opened.
Many of the Pahalwans extended clan members were already involved in local gambling dens, being the owners and monitors (for being the relatives of great Pahalwan family). Of course they had the infamy of being related to the great Gama Pehalwan and his sons who could squeeze life out of a grown man as if a mosquito. In these famous gambling dens two cousins were on the top, Zia Sohail Butt and Akram Butt. They had established a small monopoly on the Mohni Road and the adjoining localities. Although very remotely related to Gama Pahalwan, they had been quite enterprising in using his name and his children. Also, they were supported by their own extended families including one uncle named Mian Muhammad Sharif. After Bhuttos nationalizing of his only source of income the Ittefaq Foundry, Mian Muhammad Sharif and his brothers had to go back to their original business of selling junk and junk steel. In that they required time and again help of their nephews, to thwart competitor bidders. The small family gang had established a good badmash reputation of being the real not-Pahalwans of Mohni Road. (We will be using the term not-pahalwans to differentiate the family of Mian Muhammad Sharif with the family of Gama Pahalwan.)
In 1979 the not-pahalwan family was suddenly thrust into a completely new venture. They saw small amounts of a new substance heroin making into their gambling dens. Mian Muhammad Sharif, the most enterprising of all, was quick to assess the potential and his nephews Sohail Zia Butt and Akram Butt were quick to jump on the bandwagon. Within a year the not-Pahalwan Family had created a monopoly on heroin in Mohni Road and each member of not-pahawan family was earning a profit in millions. Within a period of two years the entire family of not-pehlawans was back on its feet and their factories were operating again. Being real entrepreneurs, they were investing all their earnings in industry.
Character of a corrupt leader -Abhi tu main Jawan hoon
The day Nawaz Sharif had become Finance Minister, the entire familys earnings were few million rupees and had only one refinery. From there they went on to: Ittefaq Sugar Mills was set up in 1982, Brothers steel in 1983, Brothers Textile Mills in 1986, Brothers Sugar Mills Ltd in 1986, Ittefaq Textile units in 2-3 in 1987, Khalid Siraj Textile Mills in 1988, Ramzan Buksh Textiles in 1987, Farooq Barkat (pvt) Ltd in 1985. By the time of Zia ul Haqs fateful plane crash, Mian Muhammad Sharifs family was earning a net profit of US$ 3 million, up from a few million rupees. By the end of the decade their net assets were worth more than 6 billion rupees, according to their own admission, nearly US$ 350 million at the time. But this turned out to be small-change when Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister.
When Nawaz Sharif became prime minister, the group took a decision to secure project loans from the foreign banks and only working capital was taken from the nationalized commercial banks. The project financing from foreign banks was ostensibly secured against the foreign currency deposits, a number of which were held in benamee accounts, as repeatedly claimed by Interior Minister Naseer Ullah Babar at his press conferences. In 1992 Salman Taseer released an account of Nawaz Sharifs corruption stating that the family had taken loans of up to 12 billion rupees, which were never paid back. On March 2, 1994, Khalid Siraj, a cousin of Nawaz Sharif claimed that the assets of the seven brothers were valued at Rs 21 billion.
These were the accounts of profits and companies which were openly known to public. However, the family kept their side business going all the while the gambling dens and heroin control in Lahore and along with their industry the side business also mushroomed.
During the Afghan-Soviet War Nawaz Sharifs cousin Sohail Zia Butt started working under the drug baron Mirza Iqbal Beg, then Pakistans second biggest drug lord after Ayub Afridi. Mian Muhammad Sharif and his sons had a permanent share in his gambling and heroin business. In 1990 Suhail Butt won a seat on the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad ticket in the Punjab Assembly. It was through Sohail Butts association that Nawaz Sharif became a close associate of Mirza Iqbal Beg. It was through him that Nawaz Sharif became benami owner of many of the privatized government entities, such as Muslim Commercial Bank. Sohail Zia Butt other than getting involved in the drug business made billions in the co-operative societies collapse, mainly through the National Industrial Credit and Finance Corporation. It was Nawaz Sharifs share in his cousins drug business which he used to buy off the generals thereby delaying the inevitable dismissal of his government.
In 1995 when Mirza Iqbal Beg was imprisoned, Sohail Zia Butt took over his drug empire. It is at this time that he became one of the biggest drug and crime bosses in Pakistan and was nicknamed the King of Hera Mandi and at one time all six underworld gangs of Lahore were working under him.
By 1995 familys declared annual profits from industrial units had increased 1500% from US$ 30 million to staggering US$ 400 million.
This is the short version of how in mere 15 years small street thugs running gambling dens became leaders of a country running narcotics, underworld and smuggling empires, untouched by everyone.
Nawaz Sharif Accused In Religious Attacks
Attacks on Christian minorities in Gojra shocked the world over the weekend. As the dust has started to clear, though, accusations are pointing to PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his apparent lack of action to stop the attacks.
According to todays Asia Times,
A leading bishop, Almas Hameed Masih, however, takes a different view and he has registered a complaint case with the police against the districts entire administration, which was handpicked by the provinces ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), led by former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Investigations by Asia Times Online indicate that the attackers in Gojra comprised two main groups Muslim clerics of different schools of thought, and non-political actors including traders associations. The PML-N, the largest political force in the town, appears to have been the binding force, led by local party president Abdul Qadir Awan.
If indeed the PML-N is implicated in the attack on the Christians, one can only speculate on its motives. A few weeks back, Nawaz Sharif created a political storm when he suggested that presidential powers be curtailed.
The militarys General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and a Washington envoy have immediately intervened, warning Sharif against taking any action that could destabilize the government and its battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Investigations by Asia Times Online indicate that the attackers in Gojra comprised two main groups Muslim clerics of different schools of thought, and non-political actors including traders associations. The PML-N, the largest political force in the town, appears to have been the binding force, led by local party president Abdul Qadir Awan.
If indeed the PML-N is implicated in the attack on the Christians, one can only speculate on its motives. A few weeks back, Nawaz Sharif created a political storm when he suggested that presidential powers be curtailed.
The militarys General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and a Washington envoy have immediately intervened, warning Sharif against taking any action that could destabilize the government and its battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
Sharif's real face, a defaulter, sugar mafia don, and trying to turn his Butt clan into royal family of Pakistan
Sharifs are defaulters of nine Pakistani banks
PML-Q president says PML-N leaders threatened Hamesh Khan after he refused to sanction their loan
* Kamil Ali Agha says Monis Elahi has not fled country after Hameshs arrest, will return next week LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday alleged that the Sharif brothers had defaulted on nine Pakistani banks and had given death threats to Hamesh Khan after he refused to sanction a loan of Rs 500 million to them during his tenure as the president of the Bank of Punjab (BOP).
Addressing a press conference along with other party leaders, including PML-Q Secretary Information Kamil Ali Agha and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, he said no PML-Q leader owned any property or asset outside of the country, adding that the party did not have foreign bank accounts like the corrupt leadership of the ruling party in Punjab.
A fresh bank statement was also distributed in the press conference, in which it was claimed that the Sharif brothers Ittefaq Group was a defaulter of the BoP, National Bank, Habib Bank, United Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Punjab Mudarba Bank, Agriculture Development Bank, PICIC and ICP. The PML-Q leaders also read a statement by Hamesh Khan that was filed in the US Department of State, through his lawyers, which said that Punjab Chief Minsiter Shahbaz Sharif had pressurised him (Hamesh) to establish him as an approver against former chief minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi and his son Monis Elahi. They said that Hamesh, the main accused in the BoP and Haris Steel Mills case, had also declared Pervaiz Elahi and Monis Elahi as neat and clean personalities because they had not used any unfair means to make money and were not defaulters of any bank, adding that after Hameshs statement, the real faces of defaulters and looters of the national exchequer had been exposed.
The Sharif brothers want to establish connections between Hamesh and the Elahi family, but Hameshs statement has rendered any such plans a failure, Shujaat said. Kamil Ali Agha, addressing the press conference, said that the Punjab CM, along with his two sons, Hamza and Salman, had wanted to obtain a loan of $8 million from the BoP, but Hamesh did not sanction the loan. In response, they threatened and later started police raids at his home they even threatened his wife, he said. Return: To a question, Shujaat said that Monis Elahi had not run away from the country after Hamesh was arrested and that he was on a personal tour and would return to the country next week.
Current price of sugar in Lahore and Karachi is Rs.80 thanx to sugar mafia don, Nawaz Sharif:
Turning Pakistan into Butt-istan:
First, it was just Nawaz Sharif. Then brother Shahbaz Sharif came along followed by Abbas Sharif, who did a stint as member of the National Assembly. There was always some issue about their late father Mian Sharifs role as a guide from the back seat. Nawaz Sharifs exile created a situation where his wife Kalsoom had to enter politics and exposed the next generation of the Sharifs to politics. Nawaz Sharifs eldest Hussain was put in jail and younger Hassan had to travel all over the world for seeking help for the family. The two brothers are out of active politics but son-in-law Safdar has entered the arena with an extra vigour. Shahbaz Sharifs son Hamza learnt the ropes of politics through tough times in jail and has since joined active politics. His younger brother Salman is also politically ambitious and wants to join this charade of family grandees. Shahbaz Sharifs third wife Tehmina Durrani, an author and an able person in her own right, is believed to be quite an influence on his political thinking. Ishaq Dar is also in the family after his son got married to Nawaz Sharifs daughter.
If this jigsaw of family tree in politics was not enough, the involvement of the larger Kashmiri clan makes it more complicated. Kashmiris, they say, have a common grandmother. This web of distant relatives commands much more power than earlier, particularly in the central Punjab. MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq is handy as a helping hand to manage Lahore and so are his MPA wife Asma and MPA brother Salman. Another Kashmiri Khawaja Ehsan is prominent all around and so are Sohail Zia Butt and his MNA son Omer in Lahore. Ghulam Dastgir and his MNA son Khurram oversee Gujranwala; Sher Ali and his MNA son Abid control Faisalabad, while Khawaja Asif is the ultimate authority in the affairs related to Sialkot and much beyond.
It is widely believed in Lahore that if your name has a suffix of Kashmiri castes like Butt, Mir, Lone, Khawaja, Dar or Banday, you have a better chance of your grievance being addressed. The joke around town is that, like the clannish Chaudharies of Gujrat who tried to envision Jattistan, the new move is to create the Islamic Republic of Butt-istan.
In the earlier PML phase, most political heavyweights like Gohar Ayub, Ejazul Haq, Majid Malik, Sheikh Rashid, Chaudhary Shujaat had grown in politics together with Nawaz Sharif. They had the collective weight to exercise more participation in decision-making. The crucial decision-making in the new PML-N is confined to a small number of close family members. The only outsiders with some weight are Chaudhary Nisar, Ahsan Iqbal and Pervaiz Rashid. All three of them have learnt the ways to survive in the dominant Kashmiri culture where food is discussed more than foreign policy.
Others like Raja Zafarul Haq, Zulfiqar Khosa, Tehmina Daultana, Mehtab Abbasi, Ghous Ali Shah are given lots of respect but this is more ceremonial than concrete. Everybody knows that Javed Hashmi is out of favours yet nobody talks about it. It is only in muted whispers that people will tell you that he was almost sold out to hijack PML while Nawaz Sharif was abroad. Everybody will deny this on record but it is obvious that he is given a cosmetic respect.
The ultimate decision making power, everybody agrees, is Nawaz Sharif. He forms an opinion by discussing things with the members of the family, clan and a handful of loyalists. A facade of consultation is devised where party elders are asked for their opinions. In nine cases out of 10, they try to give the opinion, which they think the great leader has already arrived at.
Nawaz Sharif then makes announcements, which are final. Nobody dares question his word and never in public. Welcome to democracy the PML-N style.
Sharifs are defaulters of nine Pakistani banks
PML-Q president says PML-N leaders threatened Hamesh Khan after he refused to sanction their loan
* Kamil Ali Agha says Monis Elahi has not fled country after Hameshs arrest, will return next week LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday alleged that the Sharif brothers had defaulted on nine Pakistani banks and had given death threats to Hamesh Khan after he refused to sanction a loan of Rs 500 million to them during his tenure as the president of the Bank of Punjab (BOP).
Addressing a press conference along with other party leaders, including PML-Q Secretary Information Kamil Ali Agha and Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, he said no PML-Q leader owned any property or asset outside of the country, adding that the party did not have foreign bank accounts like the corrupt leadership of the ruling party in Punjab.
A fresh bank statement was also distributed in the press conference, in which it was claimed that the Sharif brothers Ittefaq Group was a defaulter of the BoP, National Bank, Habib Bank, United Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Punjab Mudarba Bank, Agriculture Development Bank, PICIC and ICP. The PML-Q leaders also read a statement by Hamesh Khan that was filed in the US Department of State, through his lawyers, which said that Punjab Chief Minsiter Shahbaz Sharif had pressurised him (Hamesh) to establish him as an approver against former chief minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi and his son Monis Elahi. They said that Hamesh, the main accused in the BoP and Haris Steel Mills case, had also declared Pervaiz Elahi and Monis Elahi as neat and clean personalities because they had not used any unfair means to make money and were not defaulters of any bank, adding that after Hameshs statement, the real faces of defaulters and looters of the national exchequer had been exposed.
The Sharif brothers want to establish connections between Hamesh and the Elahi family, but Hameshs statement has rendered any such plans a failure, Shujaat said. Kamil Ali Agha, addressing the press conference, said that the Punjab CM, along with his two sons, Hamza and Salman, had wanted to obtain a loan of $8 million from the BoP, but Hamesh did not sanction the loan. In response, they threatened and later started police raids at his home they even threatened his wife, he said. Return: To a question, Shujaat said that Monis Elahi had not run away from the country after Hamesh was arrested and that he was on a personal tour and would return to the country next week.
Current price of sugar in Lahore and Karachi is Rs.80 thanx to sugar mafia don, Nawaz Sharif:
Turning Pakistan into Butt-istan:
First, it was just Nawaz Sharif. Then brother Shahbaz Sharif came along followed by Abbas Sharif, who did a stint as member of the National Assembly. There was always some issue about their late father Mian Sharifs role as a guide from the back seat. Nawaz Sharifs exile created a situation where his wife Kalsoom had to enter politics and exposed the next generation of the Sharifs to politics. Nawaz Sharifs eldest Hussain was put in jail and younger Hassan had to travel all over the world for seeking help for the family. The two brothers are out of active politics but son-in-law Safdar has entered the arena with an extra vigour. Shahbaz Sharifs son Hamza learnt the ropes of politics through tough times in jail and has since joined active politics. His younger brother Salman is also politically ambitious and wants to join this charade of family grandees. Shahbaz Sharifs third wife Tehmina Durrani, an author and an able person in her own right, is believed to be quite an influence on his political thinking. Ishaq Dar is also in the family after his son got married to Nawaz Sharifs daughter.
If this jigsaw of family tree in politics was not enough, the involvement of the larger Kashmiri clan makes it more complicated. Kashmiris, they say, have a common grandmother. This web of distant relatives commands much more power than earlier, particularly in the central Punjab. MNA Khawaja Saad Rafiq is handy as a helping hand to manage Lahore and so are his MPA wife Asma and MPA brother Salman. Another Kashmiri Khawaja Ehsan is prominent all around and so are Sohail Zia Butt and his MNA son Omer in Lahore. Ghulam Dastgir and his MNA son Khurram oversee Gujranwala; Sher Ali and his MNA son Abid control Faisalabad, while Khawaja Asif is the ultimate authority in the affairs related to Sialkot and much beyond.
It is widely believed in Lahore that if your name has a suffix of Kashmiri castes like Butt, Mir, Lone, Khawaja, Dar or Banday, you have a better chance of your grievance being addressed. The joke around town is that, like the clannish Chaudharies of Gujrat who tried to envision Jattistan, the new move is to create the Islamic Republic of Butt-istan.
In the earlier PML phase, most political heavyweights like Gohar Ayub, Ejazul Haq, Majid Malik, Sheikh Rashid, Chaudhary Shujaat had grown in politics together with Nawaz Sharif. They had the collective weight to exercise more participation in decision-making. The crucial decision-making in the new PML-N is confined to a small number of close family members. The only outsiders with some weight are Chaudhary Nisar, Ahsan Iqbal and Pervaiz Rashid. All three of them have learnt the ways to survive in the dominant Kashmiri culture where food is discussed more than foreign policy.
Others like Raja Zafarul Haq, Zulfiqar Khosa, Tehmina Daultana, Mehtab Abbasi, Ghous Ali Shah are given lots of respect but this is more ceremonial than concrete. Everybody knows that Javed Hashmi is out of favours yet nobody talks about it. It is only in muted whispers that people will tell you that he was almost sold out to hijack PML while Nawaz Sharif was abroad. Everybody will deny this on record but it is obvious that he is given a cosmetic respect.
The ultimate decision making power, everybody agrees, is Nawaz Sharif. He forms an opinion by discussing things with the members of the family, clan and a handful of loyalists. A facade of consultation is devised where party elders are asked for their opinions. In nine cases out of 10, they try to give the opinion, which they think the great leader has already arrived at.
Nawaz Sharif then makes announcements, which are final. Nobody dares question his word and never in public. Welcome to democracy the PML-N style.
