Nov2008

Nov30-2008--The bombay terror attacks came to an end after almost three days as all teh terrorists had been killed with one survivor named Ajmal Amir Kasab...195 deaths included twenty policemen and 26 foreigners...indian reports still suggest that all about twelve terrorists came from pakistan...
Nov30-2008--tensions between india and pakistan rose with the indians literally becoming isolationist and refusing to communicate and apparently cancelling a cricket tour to pakistan
Nov30-2008--In apparent sympathy the main pakistani city of karachi broke into riots as gunmen took to the streets...eight killed in apparently ethnic violence...altaf husseins anti taleban tirades and teh sindh governments attempts to exclude outsiders from karachi could be at the bottom of the troubles...transport is usually run by pukhtuns while setting vehicles on fire usually teh work of the mohajirs
Nov30-2008--The EOBI suffered losses of Rs7 billion in stock trading while teh government declares gwadar a tax free zone and suggests that they will move mass government imports to the gwadar port such as wheat and fertilzer...The port has been idle with nobody using it......
Nov30-2008--missile attack on a house in north waziristan
Nov30-2008--Salman farooqi fired as deputy chairman planning commission and made asif zardari secretary in newly created presidential secretariat...sardar assef from kasur becomes new deputy chairman...
Nov30-2008--Kunwer idris suggests in dawn that when he was deputy commissioner in gujar khan the federal minister came on a tonga to tour the area...now even low ranking officers travel in pajeros...better travel facilities to officialdom should improve teh work process and not only be a waste of money...India one notices despite its flourishing economy still makes officialdom travel in cheaper local variants of the modern car...while the pakistani rich, military and beaurocrats have the most modern cars but are still unable to provide better service...
Nov30-2008--rockets fired on spin thana army base and a barber shop blownup in kohat while a militant was killed in the darra area
Nov30-2008--two militants died in a failed attempt to blow up a bridge on teh torkham road
Nov29-2008--after accepting that teh ISI chief would be on his way to new delhi the countries ruling junta had a change of heart and decided to move slowly after negative signals from New Delhi...they decided to send a low ranking ISI official as an ISI chief has never visited india...
Nov29-2008--As the death toll in the bombay shootings rose to over 190... india continued negative propaganda against pakistans involvement...reports of sattelite phone calls to karachi which ordered them to stop taking hostages...ID cards...and various unsubstantiated reports of the trawler which ferryed the militants from somewhere..the earliest report was of two ships being searched...than that a trawler with its captains throat slit was found and than teh latest that teh indian navy was following a trawler involved...the rubber raft theory also seemed quite concocted..reports of the militants forgetting teh RDX bag outside teh taj as to why they were not able to blow it up and another that a taxi headed to the bombay airport with rdx blew up...The indians blamed pakistan to paper over their own failures and not having any understanding between muslims and hindus feared riots...The pakistanis learned quickly how nice teh indians are especially the present government...teh pakistanis had long tolerated indian negative attitudes without even asking for clarifications..thus indians increasingly became even more stuckup refusing to even listen to pakistani complaints on kashmir, chenab and their negative behaviour towards various minorities...the minor movements of liberalising intra kashmir trade and bus services were touted as success stories but teh indians never became real friends expecting pakistan to become a subjugated area surrogate for indian hegemonism...pakistan could not even take up reports about indian involvements in pakistans internal insurgencies...while pakistan has never retaliated always backing out indian attitudes after teh bombay killings turned to threats of retaliation and pakistan reportedly ready has no option but to quickly use its missiles and airforce if teh indian threats materialise over teh next few days...pakistans readiness to go nuclear is the only thing that might calm things down...many cite teh various incidents of teh recent past when pakistan has not retaliated despite there being sufficient pointers to indian involvement...one analyst pointed to reports in teh indian press of threats to attack bombay by indian muslims groups...upto now there seemed a tacit agreement to keep things at a low ebb or below nuclear reactions but the indians might be ready to force pakistans hand with an untested leadership which grew up favoring indian politics...one just hopes the pakistani military has a plan of action and is not caught dithering...retaliations must be swift and fast if teh indians up teh ante in any way...indians usually become more isolated and stop talking when they become obssessed with pakistani incolvements as in something such as a bomb blast at the their kabul embassy...however teh indians have continued attempts to destablize pakistan since the mqm emerged in karachi with pakistan usually frightened to even bring up such matters and teh indians not changing their anti pakistan attitudes whether they are currently in a friendly mood or otherwise......with pakistan the softee usually always ready to fling their arms around the indians who hate even to shake hands...
Nov29-2008--six killed as a suicide car rammed into a parked police van in bannu
Nov29-2008--a dawn report suggests that the deccan mujahideen a previously unknown group might be a conglomeration of indian muslims, kashmiris and bangladeshis...and that teh operation was headed by a bangladeshi...some suggest having heard punjabi spoken militants as well...
Nov29-2008--Sakib Shirani the chief ecomomist at RBS says the IMF deal could result in a loss of 3 million jobs and push another 7-8 million pakistanis into poverty...he said teh causes were an import driven economy with no diversification...he said that the iMF prescription to countries like pakistan such as malawi, bolivia, el salvador, ethiopia, haiti, kenya, liberia, somalia, sudan, congo etc. was similar..injection of minor amounts of cash, increased taxation, reduction in government expenditure and a devalued currency...u can see the kind of countries that pakistan is grouped with...previous such deals have not resulted in a loss of jobs or reduction in government expenditure but have increased poverty, taxation, prices and made it difficult for people finding new jobs as teh economy is slowed to reduce inflation...
Nov29-2008--Kalia group chairman also arrested as government unable to explain what it is doing...in this matter
Nov29-2008--things started to deteriorate in karachi as teh mqm or the PPP started to extort more money than usual and gunmen started moving back onto teh streets...many say altaf trying to rob, loot and extort to get money for setting up his personal bank for teh karachi poor...however teh ppp, anp and mqm think ethnic tensions have other reasons than their parties politics...mohajirs, sindhis and pukhtuns all practice ethnic politics with some extremes...
Nov28-2008--pakistani government figures lineup to condemn attacks in bombay as indians again start accusing pakistan...reports from indian television suggest linkages to karachi though the gunmen seemed tobe handling guns as professionals...one pakistani arrested with another reported missing...! Pakistans primeminister visibly unnerved by indian attacks immediately ordered the end of teh musharaf national security council retaining the position of teh NSA...he however also controversially immediately ordered the teh ISI chief to go to delhi......
Nov28-2008--Yusuf Gilani who has a penchant for appointing family and seraiki types not to seek the NRO in his appeal against two NAB convictions...how he can forgo a law that is specifically applicable and waste teh time of teh judiciary is not understandable even though judges only give bail once they feel that a person has been in jail long enough...he could possibly loose teh case on teh basis of merit even though teh judges could release him as having served enough time in jail...
Nov28-2008--three militants were killed as the operation in the mohmand area continued..the army blewup teh taleban shariah court building and residences of the taleban leader in michni...lakaro tehsil also hit...
Nov28-2008--Fc rejects reporst about operations in dera bugti and kohlu areas and said that they are their to protect national installations while the BRA claimed that they killed over a dozen people...?
Nov28-2008--Sardar Raza Khan is poised tobe the next CJ after teh retirement of Justice Dogar as rumours about dogar having influenced a rechecking of his daughters exam papers within a few days make the rounds of the urdu news sheets...Justice Iftikhar would be well advised to take oath under teh constitution so that he can be elevated under the Judges case verdict...However the president can appoint a junior judge or someone from outside as well...
Nov28-2008--The house committee on education could not get answers from the FBISE head on teh Dogar daughters exam papers marks being increased to get admission after teh miniser of state refused to let his ministry and teh FBISE answer teh questions
Nov28-2008--punjab environment secretary locks up DHQ toba tek singh MS and DMS in dirty toilets for ten minutes...doctors in pakistan rarely take responsibility for anything...?
Nov28-2008--In what must be a show of irresponsibility shahbaz sharif transfers his own, finance minister and health ministers powers to a doctor to solve the problems at the new cardiology institute in multan...?
Nov28-2008--PMLn also opts out of the nwfp coalition...
Nov28-2008--Internally displaced peopel to get Rs1000 a month from The BISP in their tents
Nov28-2008--Three rockets fired on kohat and a bomb goes off near the railway tracks...
Nov28-2008--five militants die in roadside explosion as conflicts between baitullah mehsud and abdullah mehsud groups emerge...baitullah mehsud has shown exceptional cruelty in attacking mosques, killing tribal leaders, militant commanders and suicide bombings......
Nov28-2008--Salarzai lashkar to setup checposts on bajaur border with afghanistan...
Nov27-2008--The IMF says pakistan is in need of $20 billion over the next two years...pakistan is in danger of becoming a turkey or ultimately a zimbabwe with a worthless currency and huge debts...The country is following a path to economic doom and refusing to control the freedom to import that is one of the main problems...
Nov27-2008--In what can be said tobe do or die attacks by apparent muslims..several places in bombay were hit leaving more than 125 dead...the attackers attacked a railway terminal gunning down numerous people and took hostages in two prominent hotels and a couple of other places...they also blew up two vehicles...reports suggest that they could have possibly come ashore on rubber rafts and might have been brought on ships from pakistan or other indian areas...the killing of a prominent investigator suggested that teh indian army might have retaliated for being targeted for terrorism...photos suggested well off educated guys with bags of ammunition, ak47's and hand grenades...many suggest that either indian muslims are now willing to retaliate for decades of suppression and humiliation or they could be pakistanis or even alqaeda types...attackers did not seem tobe bearded types...pakistan suggested that teh indians investigate properly before accusing...The england team immediately called off their cricket tour...
Nov27-2008--most of the peace for india and pakistan is linked to kashmir is the opinion of the incoming US admin and france...others suggest that withdrawal from afghanistan would also be a big help...
Nov27-2008--The FIA still holds custody of khanani and kalia owners for illegal money transfers after twenty days...?
Nov27-2008--Barozai/oryazai lashkar restarts activities against taleban after getting over the loss of their chief...
Nov27-2008--rockets fired at nato truck terminal in peshawar
Nov27-2008--Baitullah mehsuds taleban restart campaign to target nato supplies and political leaders...
Nov27-2008--113 peasant women allocated 25 acres land each in sindh as policemen salaries raised to Rs10000
Nov26-2008--IMF policies of lending and policy changes seem designed to create further chaos for the people and raise inflation rather than restrict it to 6%...with more money chasing a limited amount of goods and services inflation can only rise...IMF suggests that pakistan needs $13 billion for stabilization with a huge gap specifically in trade...Rupee availaibility is still quite high and raising taxes and utility prices does not seem realistic...restricting lending and borrowing practices seem tobe the key to a stable economic platform for teh government, banks and stock markets...withdrawing subsidies that effect teh people and providing them to agriculture and industry seems a bad system if the benefit is not to trickle down...there is no real safety net in practice and zakat funds, the benazir support scheme and the controversial baitul maal are not very effective or countrywide transparent mechanisms...The country is expected to continue with a huge trade deficit in teh coming years that can only be financed by huge foreign loans...the government should be advised to keep the trade deficit at a minimum...that alone can stabilize things...
Nov26-2008--india and pakistan mocked each others blind attitudes as they pledged to cooperate in investigations...both sides are still apprehensive about each other as india wanted to know the whereabouts of dawood ibrahim while teh pakistanis mockingly asked about indian army officers involved in terrorism...with asif zardari agreeing to label kashmiri freedom fighters as terrorists life would be even tougher for kashmiris...while the FIA-CBI are not really involved in countering cross border terrorism or infiltration they want to cooperate in influx of fake currencies, illegal immigration and relax visa facilities...they agreed not to blame each other on terrorism without any basis...?
Nov26-2008--sectarian violence in hangu and kohat left eight people dead as the hangu-kohat road was closed...a WFP official kidnapped in Dir region...
Nov26-2008--six militants killed in mamond as troops move towards nawagai
Nov26-2008--The government and american generals are giving stramge reasonings for continuing drone raids..pakistan apparently frightened to take action while teh americans shift blame amongst themselves while one general said that drones only acted when pakistan failed to...with Bill Gates being retained as defence secretary the drone raids would only stop if the Obama regime decided to withdraw its forces on teh urging of karzai who wanted a timeframe for withdrawal...although another karzai statement was tougher than yusuf gilani suggesting he would shoot down afghan killing american planes if he could...?american withdrawal from teh region could solve a lot of problems...The pakistani defence minister a simpleton shoemaker takes the plea that they donot have ground to air missiles to shoot them down...earlier he said that the drones flew too high tobe shot at...?...while teh PAF suggests that teh government only needs to order them...
Nov26-2008--a low level insurgency continues in balochistan with mild incidents in various areas...
Nov26-2008--The punjab chief secretary seems tobe an old fashioned beurocrat running a professional campaign against local politicians...On a visit to the faisal abad region he realised that a commissioner would not be able to handle the over 30 tehsils...the regime in punjab seems mixed up inits views and it is neither allowing teh LG system to function nor holding new LG elections nor ending teh LG system...The chief secretary seems to thing that if a road is washed away , destroyed after a year of construction it should not be rebuilt for three years...roads are rarely rebuilt for eight to ten years in most punjab areas...The commissioners and deputy commissioners did not leave behind a praiseworthy legacy and rebuilding just a bad reputation is no longer the direction they should be working along...if the LG's and provincial government cant coordinate simple things like road repairs and dengue fogging than what else can they do...the ineffective pervaiz elahi at least had things under control with no nazim daring to challenge him...?
Nov26-2008--rupee edges upward against teh dollar...
Nov26-2008--PMLn-salman taseer wrangle continues...shabaz sharif has to realize that teh governors function is akin to that of teh commissioners that he is recreating and teh constitution has nothing todo with it...
Nov25-2008--Police claim that military supported operation in michni successful in wiping out militants
Nov25-2008--two minor blasts in peshawar one at an imambarah...
Nov25-2008--IMF approves pakistani standby credit as the main problem for pakistan high oil prices fell to teh $50 level...
Nov25-2008--seven militants killed in dera bugti clash
Nov25-2008--The government attempting to privatize custom collection...?
Nov25-2008--In swat a woman councillor , a ppp leader and fifteen militants killed in clashes...
Nov25-2008--five militants killed in mohmand clashes...
Nov25-2008--Yusuf Gillani suggests that injustices have to be eliminated to end terrorism...The governments economic policies especially seem designed to hurt ordinary people and enrich the few...there also seems tobe no countrywide policy on investments and most policies seem to favor one province...
Nov25-2008-- CII asked to explain its new divorce reccommendations as many aspects have never been heard off by the peopel and some suggest attempts at copying western or US systems...The system at present has divorcees being counselled by councillors and children being assigned to one parent or teh other...many say that a males wealth has usually nothing todo with anything as mehr is teh only financial aspect of an islamic marriage...
Nov25-2008--steel prices also fall although the rupee has not risen too much yet...many suggest that it could fall back to teh sixties while others suggest that it wont go down that much as speculators and money exchangers will try to control the fall...
Nov25-2008--four militants killed in bajaur...
Nov25-2008--Thall-parachinar road opens after eighteen months of trouble in kurram agency
Nov25-2008--convoy protecting Nato vehicles fires on a suspicious vehicle which escapes on the Jamrud -Torkham road..
Nov25-2008--empty police post blownup in bannu...
Nov25-2008--Sindh wants coal power while punjab goes for chinese investment after seemingly being spurned by teh center...
Nov25-2008--Nawaz sharif seems tobe behind teh attacks on salman taseer as he says that salman threatens to rock punjab coalition...
Nov24-2008--The US planning an afghan surge not to contain violence inside afghanistan but to cut of any possible lanes from pakistan...
Nov24-2008--The government which has a huge armed force is unable to stop unarmed predators and reapers infiltrating into pakistan and supposedly looking for radio signals to hit...The government could get huge praise if it started shooting down the predators which is an issue seperate from the tribal insurgency and afghan infiltration...If the govenment could stop that and arms getting into the region especially explosives it would be on the verge of almost total success...
Nov24-2008--The JI threatens to block routes for nato supplies from karachi to Torkham...
Nov24-2008--rockets fired at checpost in Bolan
Nov24-2008--A feeling is growing that the CDWP is approving more projects for provinces other than punjab...teh PPP lacks a real organisation in punjab and while they have some sort of planning for other provinces there is definitely a lack of liking for development in punjab...?
Nov24-2008--Chaudhry Nisar many say is trying to appoint a man to head the national assemblies committee on women affairs...The PMLn is even more a bastion of male dominance than the decadent PMlq...!after opposition from PMLn women he gave up the committee chair
Nov24-2008--tribal lashkars bite teh dust in mamond, bajaur as the killer taleban eliminate tribal chiefs heading them...tribals leaving mamond say that taleban headquarters now probably in damadola or ghatkai...
Nov24-2008--the peshawar-bajaur road was opened after a curfew of twenty eight days...as a hostel built for women teachers was partially destroyed in lakaro...
Nov24-2008--In mingora six shops were gutted at the general bus stand...
Nov24-2008--military pounds militants outposts in darra mountains...
Nov23-2008--taleban deny the assertions of who was killed in the latest drone attack in north waziristan...tribals or rashid rauf...
Nov23-2008--cracker blasts at alhamra in lahore..
Nov23-2008--Zardari suggests that pakistan has a no first use of nuclear weapons as a strategy now...?...and that despite indian criminality in kashmir, balochistan and against indian muslims... he personally is not frightened of india...zardari obviously very misinformed about indian attitudes and obviously the freedom that this gives to teh indians to attack or threaten will only cause further problems...indian intransigence and hegemonistic attitudes have been teh basis of a non solution on kashmir...the recent chenab incident only disappointed pakistanis further...trade was started with india in zulfikar ali bhuttos time and it barely helps any negotiations or causes a change in attitude...at the time of agra the pro musharaf press had said that kashmir will be resolved within two years...it has not even moved an inche since than...people to peopel contacts with indians who issue a visa usually in months are of little importance..i think a treaty for no first use of nuclear weapons was signed or prepared in zia ul haq's times as was an agreement on siachen but nothing has moved the indians to change their behaviour or attitude to pakistan or indian muslims...the recent kashmir curfew during elections is just a case in point and the holding of elections in several parts also shows the gulf between indians or pro indians and kashmiris...while any indian adventurism can be taken care of without using nuclear weapons why take the chance of death and destruction when just the threat of use can subdue indians to stay inside their borders...indians could easily destroy the karachi port within seconds while zardari would be sitting around twiddling his thumbs...
Nov23-2008--The kings of asylum in the muslim world who have offered asylums to eidhi amin, nawaz sharif and musharaf have now offered it to Mulla Omar according to press reports denied by teh saudis...
Nov23-2008--According to the press the ISI has closed its political wing although many still claim that they have continued too kill anti musharaf generals...The ISI which literally staffs many government and military organisations is meant to keep the army honest...teh current governments policies still closely resemble ISI and military advice and one sees the reports in that context..u dont need a political wing when u have what can at best be described as political slaves who now dont even protest at continuing teh same suppressive ISI/IMF policies again and again...The government is known to rely on the iSI but they have been found wanting as organisation after organisation has been able to fund insurgencies literally everywhere...what the ISI has been doing is beyond any reasonable thought...
Nov23-2008--The days of no power outages are just a few they say...load shedding may begin in ernest again in december and maybe will continue...
Nov23-2008--nato truck hits roadside bomb...
Nov23-2008--nine militants and five others killed in bajaur operations
Nov23-2008--nwfp ministers brother shot dead in swat...
Nov23-2008--five policemen killed in bannu/hangu attacks...while three killed in a blast in a hangu mosque...
Nov23-2008--registration of pakistanis coming to karachi from anywhere suggests a form of seperation...movement within the country is a right and nobody registered mohajirs when they ran from karachi violence...
Nov23-2008--Punjab chief secretary forces all DCO's and EDO's to follow divisional commissioners instructions literally killing the LG system in which they are under their respective nazims...
Nov23-2008--Newspaper reports suggest that the government is strangling university funds...the government should immediately announce a replacement for the HEC chief and release funds to allow various university projects to function...scholarships, foreign teachers and useless programs can be stopped for the time being and the government must realize that the education sector is more important than any other...
Nov23-2008--Another drone attack supposedly kills rashid rauf and an egyptian and two others...
Nov22-2008--In what is being dubbed as sectarian violence nine were killed as a bomb blewup in a DI Khan funeral of a person killed by a motorcyclist on thursday night...before the funeral an imbargah operator was gunned down..shootings and violence than broke out..cars/motorcycles were set on fire and several shops,a bank, buildings and a bus terminal set on fire
Nov22-2008--Despite falling oil prices which determine gas prices the PPP/Ogra refused to back down and unnecessarily increased gas prices by 8%...differential in south north prices was maintained with the people being effectively taxed to teh tune of an additional Rs47billion
Nov22-2008--In bajaur the military claims killing 15 militants...as death toll in the badan mosque suicide bombings rose to 12... the TTP said they could not even think of attacking a mosque...mosques and prayer gatherings have been attacked by militants in many areas...
Nov22-2008--The pMLn and PMLq refused to accept verbal orders of asif zardari on constitutional matters and raised a ruckus on teh PPP/ANP/MQM unconstititionally referring to NWFP as pukhtunkhwa...they claimed that pukhtuns comprise only 40 % of nwfp residents and such a name ignores teh identity of non pukhtuns and some brand it an afghan sponsored seperatist idea...the PPP would have to give a lot to the PMLn-PMLq to get the pukhtunkhwa change in teh constitution...why the PPP wants to adopt unconstitutional attitudes is not clear...on the other hand other provincial names do not encompass the entire linguistic spectrum...
Nov22-2008--two killed in quetta sectarian attack including an imambargah prayer leader...in khuzdar a contractor was gunned down while a grenade was thrown at the house of a railway officer
Nov22-2008--As the indians continued to suppress the kashmiris in every way that they can think of reports suggest that Obama advisors might move to settle the kashmir issue to help india improve its faultering area power image...they suggest that the pakistan leadership has all but abandoned the kashmiris and any solution would be acceptable to the weak in the knees pakistanis who dont want to fight and dont want to give up barring the suspect top leaders who supposedly want trade so that they can eat kashmiri apples...!
Nov22-2008--attack on military convoy in north waziristan
Nov22-2008--in kohat a policeman killed by militants...
Nov22-2008--rockets fired on army base in chakdarra
Nov22-2008--security forces take control of militant hideouts in shabqadar near charsadda
Nov22-2008--taleban making gains in orakzai and darra and subduing local populace...
Nov21-2008--pakistan's currency has sunk so low that the new rupee coins are now made of aluminium...similar to the old 10 paisa which had replaced the five paisa...The basic utility of teh coins is to be doled out to beggars...although even beggars nowadays ask for a thousand rather than a rupee thinking of the Benazir charity program
Nov21-2008--The drones really get yusuf gilani riled up...he does not worry whether people get roti, electricity or gas but worries only about drones...when a primeminister has no popular program and only gets riled up over drones than one can clearly gauge the approach to governance...
Nov21-2008--As oil dipped below $50 and european stocks fell to a five year low and american stocks to a six year low the failure of capitilism became apparent...Europe and the US have lost major industrial production to china due to high wages and have little to support the high wages inflated economy...The west has driven up paper and has no backup...Only high taxes are saving their bankrupt financial and industrial complex...with high monetary reserves only found in asia teh US wants, china, india and teh oil arab states to fund their collapsed financial empires...they should also seek funds from their own oil companies which have benefited from oil speculation...
Nov21-2008--Quetta/balochistan marked the first annivesary of teh death of ballach Marri wiith a complete shutter down strike while the gvernment released Mir Bungalzai who had been in detention since 2000 in the Justice Nawaz Marri case...
Nov21-2008--pakistans traditional exports which now include some innovation rose 44% in teh first four months...rice, tents, molases, petroleum products, engineering goods, sugar, meat, wheat,fish products, footwear, cement, jewellry, raw cotton, towels, art silk exports improved substantially..
Nov21-2008--a lashkar chief and eight others die in a suicide attack in a bajaur mosque...several lashkar chiefs have been eliminated in various fata areas...while 24 militants killed in military attacks in mamond..
Nov21-2008--US general says that pakistan intelligence gets drone data from a direct feed to a tripartite intelligence office in torkham...?some drones are run by teh cia and some by teh US military
Nov21-2008--two ST workers gunned down in karachi
Nov21-2008--The SC decided to proceed exparte against the sharif brothers in their candidature cases as the sharifs refused to attend personally...
Nov21-2008--In swat 24 killed including militants and women as militants blew up six barber shops...
Nov21-2008--rail track blown up near mastung
Nov21-2008--Oil import bill fell by over 50% in october..
Nov21-2008--The PMln backed out of its campaign against salman taseer...and their rana sanaullah now has declared a kinship with teh governor...
Nov21-2008--rockets fired at kohat and bannu cantonements...reports suggest that darra tribesmen who have moved into and taken control of the orakzai agency are training suicide bombers in chappar and were increasing their attacks on kohat and peshawar...?
Nov20-2008--The US upped the ante provoking pakistan further by targeting a Bannu home killing four one of whom is said tobe an alqaeda coordinator who had nothing todo with afghanistan...Bannu borders the volatile tribal region but is a settled area and pakistanis could have been asked to pick up the arab...The pakistanis did nothing as teh drone penetrated 70 kms into pakistan and have merely protested to teh american ambassador...
Nov20-2008--General Kiani in a brussels Nato meeting made a comprehensive briefing giving teh new pakistani perspective which includes some aspects of teh afghan/american views that pakistan is the problem/part of the problem/part of the solution....He also suggested a comprehensive approach which would include the affected peopels understanding/viewpoint...culture, history and geography he said are the three determinants...he also explained pakistans india centric defence planning in teh same context...as only india in the region could really be any real threat to pakistan...with the other countries either being muslims or good friends...
Nov20-2008--In what is being seen as teh first individual murder linked to the tribal war a retired major general who was a SSG commander was shot dead near one of the numerous military housing estates bahria town on the outskirts of islamabad/rawalpindi...It could also be a sectarian incident or retaliation from inside the military/intelligence complex...however most people point to tribal insurgents as the main culprits...
Nov20-2008--The PPP regime seems to think that their friends of pakistan will fork over $60 billion for various projects and investments...Of these huge amounts only $825 million are earmarked directly for the punjab according to a dawn report...!
Nov20-2008--militant attacks continued in balochistan with rocket attacks on the police training college, a bridge was blownup between karachi and quetta and a security officials house was attacked with a hand grenade in hub...
Nov20-2008--four militants killed in swat as military continued operations..militants bombed a girls school...
Nov20-2008--The pakistani government plans to escalate prices further over the next two years despite falling oil prices...even in 2011 the planned inflation is 10 % which is also considered very high...
Nov19-2008--The pakistan goverment denies a tacit understanding on drone raids and in fact suggests that being literally a minion of US policies it cannot react for fear of US retaliating in the financial domain..pakistan protests drone raids but does nothing about them...teh ISAF forces however retaliate whenever any attack from pakistan takes place even an ordinary rocket attack...the military however suggests that the insurgents were attacked inside afghanistan however teh ISAF said that they had coordinated with the pakistan army in retaliating against rocket attacks in teh angoor adda area..
Nov19-2008--In karachi the cruelty perpretrated by teh PPP-mqm regime was demonstrated as poor women abandoned eight children at teh Edhi home as they were unable to handle the responsibilities due to the governments continuous escalation price policies...teh mqm carries on its hate politics against one group or another as poor disenfranchised karachiites face problems of high prices and inability to care for their children... the mqm wants cadet colleges and kalashnikovs....but will do nothing for the poor children of karachi...numerous children schools are dilapidated and uncared for in supposedly well run karachi...?
Nov19-2008--tribal chief escapes from captivity of taleban in damadola..
Nov19-2008--The government seems tobe after something else inits shutting down of Khanani and Kalia...whose lawyers suggest that FIA officials have been torturing them...The courts should take cognizance of teh difference between white collar and other crimes and not allow body remands...teh FIA seems to have nothing against Khanani and Kalia and want them to provide them with evidence against themselves...teh government is probably looking for information against political opponents or seeking bribes...
Nov19-2008--seven militants and one soldier killed in swat operations as a brigadier distributes 46.5 million amongst twenty affected people...
Nov19-2008--In the mian kalley area of charsadda five militants and a women killed as they ambushed a military convoy...
Nov19-2008--Faryal Talpur moves SHC to get trusteeship to execute teh Benazir will leaving 50% to her son and 25% to each daughter upon their becoming 25 years old before which funds can be spent on their education while Faryal and her husband take care of investing the childrens inheritance...
Nov19-2008--The overaggressive PMLn suggests that governor Salman Taseer(who looks like an alcoholic) is throwing alcohol parties(rang raliyan) in teh governor house while teh PPP says the PMLn's dirty politics is based on a computer generated photo...PMLn's Sanaullah who also looks alcoholic suggests that alcohol should be available everywhere on rehris in lahore if it is not so already...alcohol kiosks tobe introduced in lahore where the common man can enjoy a cuppa for Rs2...?...?
Nov18-2008--The government has still not learnt that taxes are meant to be spent and not invested...government concerns like CDA were sitting on tons of money a couple of years ago and started investing huge amounts in teh stock exchange going to teh extent of even hiring financial experts...however the countries weak security situation caused many to pull out their funds thus reducing investments by organizations like teh CDA substantially...according to a newspaper report CDA has lost over Rs2 billion in teh stock exchanges and teh government has not taken anyone to task for that...another press report cited other government organisations sitting on piles of cash to the tune of over Rs600 billion just for earning interest from bank deposits....The government should ask its organisations like the zakat ministry to handover extra cash that they cannot spend rather than invest it...earnings from state corporations including teh State Bank should also be handed over to the state...
Nov18-2008--Three rawalpindi towns are at teh top of teh corruption list says another press report..a girls school lay incomplete for over eight years despite an allocation of Rs21 lakks...such projects from which sheikh rashid and others made millions...
Nov18-2008--just having to travel from one bus stop to another in teh busless city of rawalpindi causes a person tobe deprived of Rs10...local governments should subsidize bus travel to stop teh proliferation of vehicles on congested roads...
Nov18-2008--friends of pakistan refuse direct aid to teh finacially reckless pakistani government...teh yusuf raza regime is becoming an almost anti people entity amid attempts to run it like the coup plotter...people who create livelihood problems and are unelected should not be part of teh government...like teh military regime yusuf Gilani seems to be in teh habit of picking peopel up from teh street and giving them the status of ministers...what is the point of elections and political parties and mandates and manifesto's...
Nov18-2008--Pakistani military starts aiding the US in attacks on pakistan as ISAF says pakistani soldiers watched as they took out a suspected targeted who was firing rockets into afghanistan..
Nov18-2008--The governments haphazard economics has pushed people to the wall and the industrial sector fell 6.2% on a lack of demand...
Nov18-2008--Government of Sindh giving undue favors to teh mqm by refusing to audit the accounts of the two largest citiy LG's in sindh...!
Nov18-2008--Yusuf Raza still has to deal with two convictions in corruption cases...while the cases were a mockery of justice people now increasingly think he should be jailed so that a people friendly primeminister might possibly emerge from teh unfriendly PPP
Nov18-2008--The government resumes NATO supplies thru Torkham
Nov18-2008--In the terrorism prone area of charsadda militants attacked a military camp and 14 militants were killed as 26 were arrested from shabqadar
Nov18-2008--In bajaur 11 militants die in military actions...as a lashkar is surrounded by militants and a lashkar chief is buried
Nov18-2008-- In swat four security men die as a suicide bomber explodes at a checpost...
Nov18-2008--governmennt approving power projects at very high rates which will only become a problem later...
Nov18-2008--Now another industrial zone the automotive sector wants government handouts...
Nov18-2008--Lahore commissioner has already started to take charge of LG responsibilities...or provincial responsibilities..he does not like how the badshahi mosque is cleaned and wants vacuum cleaners instead of palm tree leaves...?
Nov17-2008--The IMF standby credit is just a continuing joke with this country and has similar parameters as the earlier IMF handouts which were considered extremely harsh...after two or three streches of WB/IMF reforms teh counry is still doing the same thing without thoughts for consequences...reform is just a catch phrase for kick the people in teh butt again...the IMF obviously has no idea what a well funded social safety net is...handouts that can merely give teh people a mere roti a day cannot be considered a safety net...tax this community and that just means make things more expensive for teh ordinary people as all the taxes just ripple down to the peoples pockets who are the only sufferers in this country while the industrialist, politicians, bussinessmen, beaurocrats, military and agricultural landowners enjoy things without much trouble as they squeeze every ounce of work and money from the poverty stricken lower economic classes
Nov17-2008--even the mqm now wants its own bank...The bank of karachi will supposedly be a micro lending of altaf husseins extorted wealth...?
Nov17-2008--The government beefing up security on the road to torkham with FC escorts for the 300-400 trucks that carry supplies everyday to nato and american forces in afghanistan
Nov17-2008--Asif Zardari seeks predators from USA so that he too can terrorize teh tribal villages by bombing their villages and homes...
Nov17-2008--six vehicles set ablaze in karachi as truck runs over motorcyclist
Nov17-2008--after agreeing to every harsh condition that the IMF put forth the finance secretary claims that there will be no agriculture tax or an increase in teh toll taxes and that the IMF is different today than in th past...who needs IMF cruelty with a PPP government taking care of all the cruelty that it can muster... ..taxes have already been increased by teh government by 25% upping the sales tax, a new sales tax on electricity..higher prices of wheat and electricity and ending subsidies on petroleum products.....he claims we have already crushed the people with a 24% increase in sales tax returns...they could not explain to the IMF that they have no rupee problems only dollar poblems...one fails to understand what teh iMf thinks pakistan can gain by a free float of the xchange rate...
Nov17-2008--In bajaur ten militants and two tribal elders were killed and six militants and two civilians killed in mamond areas...
Nov16-2008--government in a delayed move reduces prices of petroleum products...petrol to retail at Rs.66.66, deisel at Rs.61.14..government should also start working on ending subsidies and guaranteed exorbitant profits to various industrial concerns...the present government can be said tobe the worst in history as far as peoples concerns...petroleum products are still higher priced than before the hike....governments attempts to uselessly increase gas and electricity prices might face resistance again as people are not very favorable to the governments unpopular unmandated policies...now that all teh input prices have been reduced will they reduce wheat prices many ask...?
Nov16-2008--The government which has been apparently taking dictation on economic policy from the IMF designed to seek a useless standby loan...The IMF apparently approved a $7.6 billion loan as a standy 23 month credit...while it might allow others to open their coffers to teh country many suggest that the IMF credit might be the sum total of what teh supposed friends of teh government are willing to offer...the reasons for the loan and teh conditionalities are of concern mainly to teh public which is suffering at teh governments unfriendly attitudes...teh country has had a huge trade deficit for two years running and the loan will not be able to solve anything as teh countries economic situation is not expected to change much over a year...what will they do next year and the year after that...the IMF credit is usually a one off measure and cannot be expected to change teh countries overall finances... barring off course that teh country can reduce its imports substantially by the year 2009-10 which does not seem to be possible...
Nov16-2008--pakistan in teh second such act again closed teh road to the the torkham border in anticipation of attacks on US goods passing thru...
Nov16-2008--Asif Zardari teh tribal wadera type from sindh sets up a committee to review CII atempts to make it easier for divorces to take place on the womens iniatiative...
Nov16-2008--The military continued operations in areas bordering mohmand in the peshawar and charsadda areas... the michni area seemed at teh center after the looting of afghanistan bound trucks...people from affected areas poured into peshawar and charsadda...five people were killed including two security men and two suicide bombers...a checkpost attacked
Nov16-2008--The karachi port seems tobe a deep hole into which teh government continues to sink money..Yusuf Gilani wants india and china to utilize teh port for areas bordering pakistan...he obviously forgets the problems caused by its use by just afghanistan...the port which handles 25 million tonnes of dry cargo and 12 million tonnes of liquid cargo which has been constantly upgraded seems tobe still incomplete...a deep sea terminal port, deep sea container terminal is planned..a cargo village and deepening existing berths to 16 meters is also in the works...
Nov16-2008--In swat nine militants killed as militants blew up a bridge, set on fire snooker and CD shops
Nov16-2008--railway track blownup near quetta suspending rail traffic to quetta
Nov16-2008--The karachi stock exchange has remained closed for almost eighty days...government refusing to let stocks fall further
Nov15-2008--done attack kills 13 in sagai, north waziristan
Nov15-2008--operation to check militancy in mohmand focuses in areas bordering it in peshawar, charsadda..military attacking areas in which populations have been subdued by militants turning then into nogo areas
Nov15-2008--two foreign journakists attacked in area bordering peshawar
Nov16-2008--In lateefabad anti privatisation protestors surround house of naveed qamar..privatisation has destroyed a huge job opportunity base for locally educated people and has caused untold problems by price rises and caused poverty to rise..
Nov16-2008--fourteen units said to have stopped work in teh countries automotive industry while others have laid off workers...rickshaw maker also troubled as government stops previous regimes scheme...
Nov14-2008--government trying to confuse teh issue on electricity and other tariffs...if subsidies are needed to keep prices in check than they should be allocated...government had abruptly increased prices and sales tax on electricity causing protests at its attitude of we cant do anything about load shedding and tariffs...finally teh government had to back down and offered to reduce prices by 40%..However with teh tremendous reduction in oil prices teh government according to dawn still wants to raise prices...the cost of electricity has escalated to the level that even those who could'nt care less types are starting to worry both about electricity prices and the governments inconsistent attitudes to peoples problems...they dont even assess the impact before making decisions...others question whether Benazir ever asked for electricity tariff increases..the government should also cancel/withdraw sales taxes which even the previously inept government had not applied...and there is obviously no need to raise tariffs...the government has considerable leeway in reducing various taxes to keep prices in check...
Nov14-2008--In parliament the PPP reponse to chaudhry Nisar should have been that they broke the coalition and still insist on what they were working on before...why should the PPP still follow the PMLn agenda...they still however suggested that they had implemented some agreed points of teh COD...parliament should form a committee to study teh 17th amendment as suggested by asif Zardari...obviously zardari himelf would have no interest in ending the 17th amendment as all his powers stem from that amendment...
Nov14-2008--The ISAF commander in afghanistan suggested that the drone attacks were mischievous actions by washington and he had nothing to do with them...
Nov14-2008--The governments suspect and hidden agenda of privatisation is being brought to teh fore...selling electricity units have only proved counterproductive and teh government still wants to sell, jamshoro, kot addu, and FESC...The selloff of the Pakistan Printing Cooperation is also suspicious since it supposedly prints currency...? They have also started to talk again of selling Pakistan Steel and suggest that teh sale of the Qadirpur Gas fields is being delayed...?In Sindh the sale of a sugar mill for Rs90 million is being questioned by the wadera's of teh PMlq and suggest that somebody has asked teh Dewans to hand over three sugar mills..as if it is a monoply game..
Nov14-2008--The WFP has lost 900 tonnes of food items looted in the tribal areas...
Nov14-2008--COAS to attend NATO military chiefs meeting...pakistan is considered a partial Nato ally
Nov14-2008--Government restores jobs of Jamil Bugti and 59 other bugti area employees in PPL and OGDC
Nov14-2008--Dawn suggest that militants preparing for a showdown in mohmand...
Nov14-2008--In Peshawar gunmen kidnapped the iranian commercial attache killing his police guard..
Nov13-2008--SBP governor raises the benchmark interest rate to 15%...saying high demand and government borrowing forced decision..this is in sharp contrast to earlier decisions which increased liquidity for speculation...others say that it was an IMF requirement...government seems tobe implementing IMF decisions without even getting approval for IMF lending...pakistan is stuck in a situation that is almost similar to its economy in the sixties although at that time basic industrialization and agricultural outputs were poor..the economy now has no direction since the industrialists have no new avenues and are stuck in consumer products and textiles...and agriculture output and pricing still is a concern for teh government and the people......teh government started out by inflating prices..opposing further privatization than went to the other end and again wants to privatize...with no overall government policy teh economy will just be a plaything for the rulers...the governments recent statements are in sharp contrast to what it has been saying...workers and people are the last in the government chain of thought and the countries rich continue to influence governments daily swing in policies...as usual teh governing peoples party would best be renamed as the rich peoples party...
Nov13-2008--USAID Fata development official and driver shot dead in peshawar...
Nov13-2008--The government should calculate gas prices on no profit basis rather than 18% profit...?
Nov13-2008--In another suicide blast in the tobacco belt four security men and a rickshaw driver were killed as the bomber rammed a vehicle into a school in charsadda that was being used as a military camp...
Nov13-2008-- The opposition leader in the national assembly described as andher nagri the misrule of asif zardari..The PMln which lacks political will and patience still wants the PPP to implement its coalition progran when it has already killed teh coalition at teh center...The PMLn had walked out of teh coalition when a meeting between teh two parties was scheduled to prepare a constitutional bill...the PPP alone cannot make constitutional changes and the PMln has not submitted any constitutional change bill nor was willing to study the PPP suggestions on constitutional change...many think that the pMLn really did not want the former CJ reinstated who earlier had given the military coup full protection and cooperation...The PPP on the other hand is comfortable with the CJ Dogar who is also from sindh and teh former cj too does not seem too perturbed at not being reinstated.....The pakistani supreme court has never really been an institution for change and has always rubber stamped government decisions..the country had already reached a stage for a change of government and teh supreme court brouhaha really did not make much of a difference with teh pPP and PMln in coalition...
Nov13-2008--Asif Zardari skips UN chief dinner who had recently avoided visiting pakistan when he visited teh region...!
Nov13-2008--a policeman and mqm supporter killed in karachi
Nov13-2008--Punjab appoints nine divisional commissioners which beaurocrats regard as a success against local government politicians...
Nov12-2008--The interprovincial games came to a sad end in peshawar when a suicide bomber detonated outside teh stadium killing three...government should seriously consider not organizing such events until peace is restored..
Nov12-2008--Government to increase SBP interest rates to reduce inflationary pressure of almost free loans enjoyed by teh government and industry...with almost no major development projects the country is just wasting money on useless government functions,meaningless industrialization and neddless commercialisation...the money could easily be utilized to buy foreign exchange to build reserves...
Nov12-2008--The governments convoluted economic wisdom is that the poor can pay taxes but not the rich industrialists...teh suggestions of increasing taxation to 15% GDP neither feasible nor viable...
Nov12-2008--The Bhasha dam gets the go ahead...tobe completed in 2016 teh government wants even that to be sold to foreign constructers..teh hydel energy that it will generate will be probably be a bit more reliable than other major hydel projects that are idle for most of teh year...
Nov12-2008--The government seems unable to accept that the rich are not going to ask it for approval when they want to shift money around...if they interrupt their hawala's, hundis or even teh money changers they will find other ways...teh actual hawala's and hundis donot even have offices...
Nov12-2008--The governments achievement in teh economic domain are as follows...inflation 25-35%...fiscal deficit ..probably around 7-8%...currency depreciation..30%...stock market deline..40%...foreign exchange reserves drop...more than 60% since October2007...
Nov12-2008--military launches delayed operation to find looted NATO goods in michni and other areas...eight killed
Nov12-2008--Altaf Husseins goons kill another ST worker while two bandits were beaten to death in baldia in teh growing vigilantism propagated by the mqm..
Nov12-2008--Javed Hashmi says that PPP support in national asembly down to 170 while 172 are in teh opposition...that includes the mqm and divided PMLq..
Nov12-2008--US commander in afghanistan to brief select members of the national assembly...many suggest that if US drone raids donot stop than pakistan should also start bombing targets in afghanistan...most arms and explosives flow into pakistans tribal areas from afghanistan...The concept of bombing targets in other countries that are considered dangerous to one side can be made into a mutually accepted policy...
Nov12-2008--four militants and a girl killed in swat while seven militants killed in bajaur as the taleban offer talks opposing tribal lashkars...given teh talebans refusal to stop bombings and warfare against tribals and government... talks can barely achieve anything...
Nov12-2008--remmittances fall by 20% in october...however custom revenue rose 34% in first four months showing excessive imports...
Nov11-2008--In what can be said tobe a slap in the face for government policy militants raided/hijacked 13 Nato supply trucks on the jamrud highway as the military either refused to respond or acted late...pictures of a Humvee one of two looted with militants appeared in the press...the militants donot seem tobe heavily armed and obviously there was some sort of reluctance on the part of the pakistani administration to act...The absence of the military chief who has also started making regular overseas tours on almost as regular a basis as the asif zardari/yusuf gilani duo might be a cause...the PMLn has also suggested that protection to NATO suplies be stopped to pressurize teh US to stop drone attacks......many suggest that PMLn might also be behind militant activities...?
Nov11-2008--The SBP seemed out of the loop when action was taken by the FIA against one Forex firm...The FIA seemed tobe acting on supposed faults and is still apparently looking for information...The money changers have been sending funds to dubai on a daily basis for the last 15 years...as opposed to banks money changers have been helpful to the ordinary public in purchase and sale of foreign exchange at better rates...earlier banks had created an elite circle who were allowed to get dollars while the ordinary public had to suffer...the liberalisation of foreign exchange increased flows both ways...obviously the governments reserves are not going to improve by this action alone...however teh kerb rate is below the interbank rate for teh first time as teh company dealing with almost 40% of the moneyexchange bussiness has been suspended or closed down...restrictions will effect inflows more than outflows..
Nov11-2008--atta being sold at Rs23.5 in punjab while it is much higher in smaller provinces as minfal hoards wheat rather than distribute it to the provinces...punjab protecting its population from unnecessary atta inflation for the first time as profiteers in other provinces resort to smuggling and price inflation..
Nov11-2008--Inflation still very high as government tries to suggest that prices are falling...pakistan reacts faster to price rises in the international market than falling prices...the international market economics have been giving the inept pakistani financial system something to shed crocodile tears/cry about when the actual situation is the lack of corrective measures by teh slow/refusing to act and probably unauthorised/lacking any authority(no powers) nature of the pakistani primeminister and legislature...The pakistani top leadership want the people tobe happy about their freedom to travel rather than take teh necessary measures to alleviate the peoples problems...foreign tours are no help to the people..
Nov11-2008--reports in the press suggest that barack obama is advised by extremist hindus and jews..?
Nov11-2008--apparent mqm killers shoot and kill two sunni tehreek workers..
Nov11-2008--while the PPP wants to change the local government system to a powerless provincially controlled system teh punjabs commissioner revival might be a signal to resume collections of bribes by the police and beaurocracy...many suggest that teh PMLn in punjab is directly behind teh revival of bribe taking at the local level...commissioners and deputy commissioners used to order the police to deliver such and such amount...that had been lessened in teh lG system as power shifted to nazims who obviously looted development funds instead
Nov11-2008--PIA managing director says he is unable to contain pIA losses...should'nt he be fired?
Nov11-2008--seven militants killed in bajaur as ten surrender...The military wants the tribals to step up and start policing the militant infested tribal areas...
Nov11-2008--Parliament forms a strong oversight committee to tak teh government to task on its tribal operations...
Nov11-2008--The useless PPP regime has been unable to control imports as the trade deficit zoomed to $7.5 billion in four months...up 22%
Nov11-2008--Apparently the IMF wants the government to pursue the useless avenues of tax raises and privatisation...The tarin formula suggests another Rs100billion raise in taxes on top of the Rs250 billion they raised in the budget...
Nov11-2008--in swat seven militants killed and two bridges destroyed..
Nov11-2008--In upper dir a girls school was blownup which is the fifth in the area tobe destroyed...in punjab in contrast a girl school in my area is being completed which was lying unconstructed for over ten years...The mullahs in the area had refused to allow its completion before...?
Nov09-2008--The countries top money changer khanani and kalia landed in trouble after federal authorities arrested teh owners for running a hundi bussiness and sending money overseas illegally...many suggest that the PPP might be upto their old tricks and trying to get their percentages.....they had 24 branches and nine franchises all over teh country ..owners and employees arested...general information suggests that money changers were regularly/legally sending their dollars overseas and making rupee payments to people is not something that is strange...The dollar immediately fell in the kerb market...rumour has it that the shaukat aziz regime raised upto four billion dollars from the money changers in their time...
Nov09-2008--The Raja or teh minister for power suggests that they are preparing a new tariff but refuses to reduce teh huge sales tax of 16% on electricity apparently as it troubles teh money minting sindh government...raja ashraf thinks that the middle income group uses 300 units while many thing that those using 300 units should be in teh poverty stricken group...the only way to reduce tariffs and make electricity affordable is to remove all taxes on gas, furnace oil and sales taxe/excise on electricity...and one price for all may be the best bet...
Nov09-2008--Nawaz Sharif despite criticism from his parties anti PPP supporters went to dinner at the presidency and reportedly agreed to continue his support...many suggest that teh zardari politics was pre planned between nawaz sharif and asif zardari..and his party forced an end to the coalition as they thought that zardari was running all over nawaz sharif...
Nov09-2008--In swat the militants were again pounded as they attacked a convoy and the resulting retaliation killed numerous civilians and militants
Nov09-2008--The PMLq agree to remove pervaiz elahi and chaudhry shujaat from the leadership
Nov09-2008--In mohmand militants attacked teh scouts headquarters...and fired rockets at many checkposts and destroyed a bridge...many militants killed in counter attack..
Nov09-2008--250 schools destroyed in ziarat quake
Nov09-2008--Punjabis generally pay the price for living in quetta as they get targeted by militant baloch...other ethnicities like teh mohajirs and sindhis usually get off scot free...while a dawn report suggests that even the odd pukhtun gets attacked occasionally...
Nov08-2008--The PPP regime against common wisdom approves teh sale of teh Qadirpur gas field...privatization just to get resources for spending that can be avoided has already proven tobe counter productive...government has made no effort to reduce needless imports...government should realize that it should not exceed spending its revenues and imports should be less than exports...many question the government assertion that a huge cabinet will not increase spending when teh government has no resources...the government has given nothing to the people while making resources available to all the rich segments of soceity...how that can be justified is beyond understanding...when prices fall the price of wheat should also fall...if teh profits of the private sector are tobe assured than the living costs of ordinary people should also be levelled off by reducing sales taxes and utility prices...if privatization is tobe only utilized for supporting government spending than why hold back...sell everything
Nov08-2008--many hope that teh smiles of the incoming new US administration will last in contrast to frowns of george bush and that they will not be limited to the american public alone...
Nov08-2008--another drone attack kills 8-13 people in north waziristan...
Nov08-2008--yhe bajaur opration continues...20 militantskilled
Nov08-2008--Thousands of acres of land allotted by the military to politicians in 2006 was handed back to the nwfp government by a civil judge who cancelled the lease...
Nov08-2008--people in punjab who faithfully pay their electricity bills should also start resorting to kundas as in karachi and many other areas when their bill payments donot benefit then in any way...the opposition leader has asked wapda to ensure uniform rates all over teh country irrespective of thefts and efficiency...teh government should start thinking of one rate for all so that costs to industrial consumers can be reduced...
Nov08-2008--two police checposts and a market blownup in peshawar
Nov08-2008--militants continue destroying governmen property in swat as a girls school, health center, bridge and two security checposts were destroyed in various parts
Nov08-2008--The Lawai group that seems tobe in possession of billions buys Mybank a bank with 76 branches and not doing all that well but still has 46 billion in assetts...it previously purchased 50% of arif habib securities ...
Nov6-2008--democrats overpowered george Bush's republicans and took control of the presidency, senate and house...the democrats shrewdly nominated Barack Obama and teh anti bush vote plus literally all the minority votes pushed them thru...The republican candidate was seen as old and bushlike in his views causing people to realize that he would not be able to change even perceptions in policy..economic and foreign..
Nov6-2008--Tarin suggests without enthusiasm that saudis will support pakistan financially but seems to want an IMF package too...
Nov6-2008--mohmand agency braces for another military assault...there has been a 10 day curfew and main road between mohmand and bajaur has been closed...militants shot dead a hostage...six militants killed in bajaur by bombing planes...
Nov5-2008--in swat three taleban killed by roadside bomb...
Nov6-2008--PMLn critisizes meaningless expansion in cabinet and Asif zardaris junket trip to saudi in which he took 200 people...both they say shows governments continuous attempts at sqaundering money..
Nov6-2008--PPP to reinstate around 6000 employees that they had employed who were fired after they left government
Nov5-2008--Most of the people in Yusuf Gilanis cabinet expansion are unknown barring a few...There is still no minister of interior, economic affairs and petroleum..three key ministries which might indicate why things have gone haywire...there are new ministries of textiles,zakat, privatisation,human rights, new iniatitives and postal services......They say since shiites dont get zakat deducted they cant hold the portfolio or get zakat from the government...Amin Fahim got commerce but was not made senior minister...portfolios kept for zardaris friends the mqm include petroleum, ports and shipping,women development, economic affairs, interior, IT, science and technology and tourism...?The ANP did not like social welfare and Khawaja hoti shifted to narcotics control...while ghulam bilour dropped local bodies and ran to railways.. sherry rehman who prefers politics of teh PMLn to the information ministry barely hung on after a poor early performnce...Raza Rabbani got provincial coordination and Baber Awan more prone to religious lectures got parliamentary affairs...Ijaz Jhakhrani got health and bijarani education..Mumtaz Gilani got human rights...however there are ministers of state for economics and interior...ie hina rabbani and tasneem qureshi..? and nabil gabol gets minister of state for ports and shipping...najmuddin khan bumped from sports to frontier regions...
Nov5-2008--five militants killed in bajaur and twelve children kidnapped in swat
Nov4-2008--Mohammed Yusuf joins indian IPL league after poor showing in 20-20's...dropped from team for west indies younis khan recalled from australia...khalid latif preferrred over more aggressive khurram manzoor and iftikhar rao over sohail khan...extra spinner selected uselessly in presence of afridi...
Nov4-2008--Shahid Masood the anti PPP incompetent PTV head resigns and is apointed a special assistant to Yusuf Gilani...what he needs a TV anchor for is beyond anyones imagination
Nov4-2008--Deposed Cj Iftikhar chaudhry defends allegations of corruption and bad decisions...literally running an SC that was a hand maiden or ally for military rule he says they ran into trouble after cancelling the Steel Mills privatization...he says the benazir electoral rolls case further undermined his status for the military regime and frightened that the court would declare musharaf an unconstitutional illegal person who was not allowed to partcipate in presidential polls and hold two offices teh COAS issued teh infamous November three COAS coup in which he removed almost teh entire supreme court...while he is guilty of not following teh constitution in many coup related cases the former CJ has still refused to cooperate with the new elected government whose supposed move to reinstall him was torpedoed by teh PMln by breaking teh coalition..The CJ seems to revel in the lawyers movement and many suggest that his reinstatement might now be a thing of the past...since he decided to stay away from decision making after the SJC case whether he is a CJ or judge hardly makes any difference...he can now only come into teh picture on teh retirement of Dogar and if he does'nt Justice Raza would be the next CJ...
Nov04-2008--In what seems tobe a remergence of the PMlq type of governance the PPP brought in 22 new ministers and eighteen ministers of state..some bigwigs of the past were brought back in with Amin Fahim as senior minister, Bijarani and Mirani making comebacks...ashiq Awan, baber awan and raza rabbani other notables while a couple of shoo ins lost out...the PPP's entrenched ministers were seen as literally whiling away the time without too much emphasis on a party or government program or objective...the main emphasis was on reconciliation, fighting teh Fata militants and the dwindling reserves of foreign exchange...after achieving teh dubious distinctions of being the fastest to deplete existing FE reserves and pushing the prices of food and dollar to the maximum teh multani pir government lost its power base and had to bring in more figures to create a more representative government or peopel from areas other than multan and gujerat...it still seems a government of teh countries smaller cities and rural areas as most big cities have almost no representation barring gabol and samina ghurki although they too are from teh outskirts of big cities...the PPP has had to focus on women ministers from areas they did not achieve much in...with pirs and makhdooms in abundance yusuf gilani will now have to watch his back with amin fahim literally lurking in the wings as his economics has been termed as literally nothing but disastrous...the PPP also seems to have solved some of its internal disputes with the huge cabinet and might be more issues will be tackled as ministers with three ministries could hardly focus on one...the mqm refused to paricipate as they wanted too much
Nov3-2008-- Obama battles a bit for pakistan as he suggests that US should help resolve teh kashmir issue which could also diffuse teh militancy...while pakistans militancy is almost home grown now with more links to afghanistan than kashmir...the resolution of afghanistan or a shift from US occupation to UN supervision could also be beneficial to pakistan...
Nov3-2008--In south waziristan a suicide bomber killed eight soldiers at a checpoint in azam warsak
Nov3-2008--cabinet expansion in the offing with almost twenty new ministers...
Nov3-2008--Decisions by teh chaudhry iftikhar led court were always according to teh wishes of the military rulers...however any independence of teh court was only in letting of some opposition senior leaders after teh government failed to prove anything and protecting the judges own positions...the only thing that irked the military was the focus on missing persons which showed them tobe a ruthless regime not even letting off opposing minions
Nov3-2008--two troops and eight militants die in swat...
Nov3-2008--in balochistan focus on rebuilding 4000 destroyed homes and making effectees able to handle teh winter...
Nov3-2008--PMlq fires women wing chief for cozying upto asif zardari...
Nov3-2008--In multan escaping ammonia from an ice factory creates panic as a women dies and many animals effected
Nov3-2008--Reports of maulana Fazlur rehman a crafty politician receiving military land for favors to the musharaf regime...
Nov3-2008--The nature of pakistans undependable health system was demonstrated as reports/rumours suggesting that a former liuetenant general jamshed gulzar kiani might have been killed after he died in a military hospital while complaining of stomach pains...jamshed had emerged as an opponent to musharafs harsh rule despite having been an ally earlier...
Nov3-2008--The controversial Khusro Pervez who was punjab home secretary when Benazir was killed appointed commissioner rawalpindi...?
Nov3-2008--three militants killed in bajaur...
Nov2-2008--Obama suggests that militants are pakistans real enemy and that he will go after Ben Laden...he said non military aid to pakistan will be increased...while militants are here today they will be gone tomorrow...pakistan's real defence will however have to deal with regional threats for the rest of eternity...India as everyone knows is not a mild threat and so are many other countries in the region...the regional threats will only increase whereas the militants will be crushed in due course...Obama should realize that india is not like mexico or canada...he should also realize that non military US aid has rarely been of any real use having been mostly spent on special interests which barely interest pakistanis...india is a country bristling with nuclear missiles and a basic anti muslim attitude...a negative attitude with literally all countries onits borders.. and it is only pakistans defensive posture that keeps its territorial ambitions at bay...Obama must also know that no indian drone would be allowed thru...?
Nov2-2008--July-October tax collection rises by 28% reflecting extremely higher taxation and price rises by teh present government and a shakeup in the machinery..government should learn to live on tax revenues and lower imports substantially..
Nov2-2008--As US presidential candidates rival each other on anti pakistan attitudes Yusuf Gilani banks on teh hope that pakistans importance in teh area will change the new president elects to a more moderate level..however Huma Baqai a pakistan television expert says teh americans have been hoping to hit an important target just by firing at whatever comes up...An october surprise she says would have been helpful to teh republicans just as the botched iranian hostage situation destroyed democratic hopes... and that after the elections more serious consultations and serious decision-making will reduce drone attacks...? others suggest that the pakistan ISI have also been channeling whatever information they get to the americans in hopes also of hitting an important target and getting teh reward money...?
Nov2-2008--mild to moderate after shocks continued in the balochistan quake zone...reports of inadequate cover for the quake ridden have been coming up despite a smaller quake zone ...
Nov2-2008--In swat a gathering of apparent non combatants was hit by an army mortar killing 11..denied by the armed forces press..
Nov2-2008--The SBP again reduces CRR by 1% to 5% to provide further liquidity to banks to play in teh stock markets..one feels that teh SBP is going down too liberal a route and must encourage banks and the stock markets to be financially prudent...teh stock market situation is normal and profit making and withdrawals will continue until pakisan is otherwise more stable...teh government should also reduce taxes to provide relief to teh people in a similar manner to banks, stock market, industry and agriculture...maybe yusuf raza needs advisors representing teh people rather than special interests...especially two or three important ministries are being run by non elected peopel...
Nov2-2008--eight die in mamond in helicopter attacks as operations continue in many areas in bajaur...
Nov2-2008--Asif Zardari is turning into a special interests man protecting everybody but the interests of teh common people..he now wants to protect ginners by raising another price...that of cotton..
Nov2-2008--In karachi an almost gangwar situation is emerging as a BNP city chief, two mqm workers, an SSP worker and two arshad pappu gangsters shot dead...
Nov2-2008--The Dawn suggests that teh government is running an economy which only hurts most people barring special interest groups who have immense influence on this government...petty farmers can earn a lot too...they suggest that pakistans per capita income is $1000 while their spending power is $2500...the government obviously is unaware that only the very poor can live on less than Rs15000 a month...it reflects the government borrowing more than the people whose borrowing is less and begging is more...skilled workers wages have gone up with prices in literally every field...