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Topsy Turvy World
DOWN THE DRAIN
SECTARIAN VIOLENCE
ORDINARY SITUATIONS
MQM SAGA
HEROIN SMUGGLING
During the past few months the state of the pakistani economy has gone thru many upheavals. It was going great guns when the PPP govt put the brakes on.It took a further battering when the PPP govt was toppled and both the president and the caretakers opined that the economy was faring very badly. However just two or three weeks into the caretaker regime the economy suddenly became very healthy. However by the end of the caretaker regime the state of the economy was again on the verge of collapse. Now however the new financial whiz Sartaj Aziz has opined that the economy will again be healthy in six months time. Such a topsy turvy world is economics. One wonders was the economy all that bad if it will improve in only six months???One also wonders what other crisis are in store for us in the few months ahead.
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The PML(N) had made a big score on unwary voters by promising that appointments would be made on merit.While the govt is threatening on the one hand to fire thousands of workers from state institutions on the other hand the PML(N)and its allies employment policy is now is based on nepotism. Rewiew the following reports appearing in the pakistani press:
1. Balochistan govt appoints Bugti relative and apparently poorly educated to head the Baloch
Public Service Commission replacing a relatively experienced and honest person.
2. Nawaz Sharif appoints Unemployed son in law to the post of assistant commisioner.
3. Sindh chief minister promotes brother to a grade 18 post by superceding more than a hundered
others.
4. Apart from that nawaz sharif has appointed his brother to the post of chief minister, punjab.
Also he has made a relative of Gohar ayub(foreign minister) governor of balochistan and
reportedly the deputy speaker of the national assembly and the speaker of the punjab assembly
are reatives of the interior minister chaudry shujaat. One wonders what other relatives and cronies
are in store for us in the future. Long live nepotism and sifarish!!!!
5.Nawaz Sharif in another press report has appointed his helicopter pilot to a lucrative
post in PIA. Helicopter pilots are very in with politicians these days. Remember Benazir
appointed a helicopter pilot to run the karachi municipal corporation.
6. Sharif's latest appointment is a politician to run PIA. One wonders why he could not find an
experienced person for the job and had to rely on a politician(who are generally regarded as i
ncompetent and obviously inexperienced). The nature of all politicians is the same. They think
that they are the only ones who can do things.One would think that politicians should learn
to rely on experienced people to run organizations. The function of politicians is policy framework
and overall management. They should learn to control and to push and pull people running
organizations in the right directions in accordance with the wishes of the people. It is generally
regarded that politicians cannot be appointed to beaurocratic or managerial positions. And anyway
PIA is generally a well run organization which has been profitable thru thick and thin.One wonders
what portion of it they want to improve?? Probably the one that will make the PIA highups and cabin
crews bow and scrape before the pml leaders and its businessmen allies.
7. The son of the National Assembly speaker has been appointed to run the the countries second largest
bank. Another soomru( the clan of the NA speaker) heads another major govt bank. No wonder when sons and
relatives are appointed to head important positions in banks that the countries banks are so badly thought
of.
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Apart from the multitude of other murders during the nawaz era many murders have occurred in the
sectarian sphere of politics. After the prime ministers incompetent and feeble attempts to cool
things via a speech on the sectarian sphere things took a turn for the worse.After the salvo at
least four people were eliminated by apparently sectarian elements.There is a political tinge to the
sectarian violence as shiites who in the past were generally associated with the PPP have been targeted
alongwith supposedly sectarian targets. One of the reasons for the increased violence is the purported
soft spot that nawaz has for one of the sectarian groups whom he regards as having been very influential
in his election victory.It is however rumoured that one sectarian group is eliminating its opponents
apparently in retaliation for the murder of its top leader.
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Whetever situation or crisis that have recently been faced by the nawaz sharif govt have been mishandled in
one way or the other. The Navy chief who apparently resigned over corruption allegations has been replaced
after several weeks of dithering in which the govt refused to confirm as to whether the navy chief had been
fired or had resigned. Anyway the new apointment has caused further problems as a superceded vice admiral
resigned over the appointment. The govt is apparently not very keen to inform the people as to the reasons
for its actions. One wonders however whether the new naval chief is related to asif zardari whose mother also
has the surname of bukhari.
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Things seem to have taken a turn for the worse in karachi where the MQM(A) is continuing to murder its
opponents belonging to the MQM(h). In the most recent developments according to the press the MQM(A) took
the Sindh Rangers and picked up over 400 MQM(h) workers. What is most surprising is that the workers were
picked up at random on the advice of MQM(a) workers. This is one of the worst incidents of political
victimisation carried out on the orders of altaf hussein. One would have been happy if the real culprits
in the MQM(H) were arrested but the present actions show that altaf hussein is bent upon defeating/eliminating
even minor opponents by using the same law enforcing agencies that he and his henchmen have always opposed.One
must see this as another weakness in nawaz sharifs armour. He probably had to go along as the MQM(A)
threatened to quit his coalition. One must remind nawaz sharif that law enforcement can only be carried out
under a process of honesty and not by bowing to the demands of terrorists.
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There is a new twist to the PAF heroin smuggling scandal in which an airforce officer was caught red handed
trying to sell heroin while on a trip to the USA . According to items in the pakistani press the pakistani
law enforcing agencies have apparently kidnapped a US embassy DEA staffer in a blatant blackmailing attempt
to force the US authorities to release the airforce heroin smuggler.The other explanation is the authorities
want to find out who was the informant in the whole process. This can only mean that the law enforcing agencies
are themselves deeply involved in the smuggling rackets. The term law enforcing agencies in pakistan covers a
whole range of organizations which include all the intelligence agencies, the police and elements of the armed
forces. It must also be remembered that the business of heroin smuggling was at its peak during the afghan war
when it had the open cooperation of the american CIA as well as the US STATE DEPTT.There have also been muted
attempts to make the airforce chief to resign as he is generally regarded as a PPP appointee and thus suspect
in the eyes of the PML(N) and its allies. One must also keep in mind that almost all of pakistans top leaders
have been accused of smuggling heroin at one time or the other.
Added on 15-10-1997
The military has sentenced Ayaz Baloch, a US DEA official whom they had arrested in the aftermath of the arrest of an airforce officer in the USA for heroin smuggling. The charge is that he supposedly used airforce officers as couriers for his own purposes. The country is working under a semi martial law as civilians are being tried in military courts. This is the second case of this nature. Previously a journalist was arrested for spying for india and sentenced. However the COAS cancelled the sentence on appeal.
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