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Posts tagged crisis
Parachinar weeps again
Jun 28th
As the Pakistan military strengthens its position in Swat and Waziristan, the Kurram agency is in the spotlight once again. Fighting has erupted and reportedly, the Taliban fleeing from Waziristan and Swat are wrecking havoc in Parachinar. They are fuelling sectarian tensions and finding refuge as locals from different sectarian groups, particularly the Shi’ites, are targeted.
Amidst fierce clashes that left 33 dead and over 65 injured in a single day, the residents of Parachinar have renewed their call for a military operation. A call they have been issuing for almost 28 months now. The government, the previous and the present, seem to pay no heed to this despearate appeal. More >
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Loading ...Pakistan Democracy fails us.. Yet Again!
Feb 28th
By Laila Sohail
Saturday, 28th February – 2009
How many times does it take to fool someone? Once? Twice? Over and over again? No, Mr Sharif is not the one I am referring to, no need to keep count for natural fools. I am referring to the people of this country. Fooled once, fooled too many times.
The ugliest face of Pakistani politics unmasks itself once again. Burning buildings, blocked roads and angry jiyalas: welcome to Pakistani democracy. First we had an incompetent government, and now we have an opposition to match. The current government is a failed one with only individual self actualization on its agenda, and the future one is sure to bring times that are as dark.
There is no plan for the economic crises. There may be an inflated cabinet in place and countless committees formed, but there is no policy for any issue we are facing on ground. With the newly begun wrestling match, things will only go from bad to worse.
During the current global economic recession, private companies are announcing budget cuts and cost cutting measures, and while the government budget deficit is alarmingly high, the extravagance is no less. Dinner parties, huge entourages and foreign trips, our elites know how to maintain their life styles, while the common man struggles to earn a decent meal with the rising inflation. PEPCO may run all the advertisements it wants on television, but how can you ask a man to minimize the use of the one light bulb he can afford in his house, while he sees those in the Capital residing comfortably in dazzling buildings.
The Tourism Minister Maulana Attaur Rehman has been sent for a visit to the beaches in South France and Switzerland, so that the romantic peaceful environment may help him think of more innovative ideas to attract tourists. Maulana Sahib here is an idea: start by cleaning the beaches, more tourists may be attracted if they are assured there is no danger of getting throat and eye infections at the Clifton beach. AND I did not have to go to France to think of it.
Corruption, favoritism and nepotism characterize power struggle. There is overstaffing in the government and semi government departments, even the PPP workers who had lost their jobs ten years ago are being reinstated. Cars with number plates that say NAZIM (translation: do not mess with me, I am king) rule the roads, as for the jeeps with dark windows; it is impossible to see what their number plates say as they go zipping past. Accountability is a word only found in the dictionary. The PIA building in Rawalpindi looks like an inartistically designed PPP poster. Coins and stamps with political leaders’ faces on them, Bhutto family pictures replacing the pictures of Quaid-e-Azam and a Prime Minister who says that he is a member of a party, and will follow the party decision, even if he disagrees with it…this is Bhutto land. So all that is important is that we keep remembering the great legacy of our rulers, the rest of the trivialities we are already used to.
A hand written undisclosed will determines the future of the biggest political party in Pakistan. A piece of paper called the NRO turned a man facing charges (including criminal ones) into the President of the country. The lust for power brought the two arch rival parties together, until they realized there was only one prize, and the same lust tore them apart. Mr Nawaz Sharif placed his bet on one Mr Iftikhar Chaudhery and the great lawyers’ movement, while Mr Zardari relied on the charm of his wide grin, and the PCO judges. Mr Nawaz Sharif will play his lawyers’ movement card now, and he wants the people to join him. In this battle of the courts, the final decision is yet to be made.
The lawyers’ movement has managed to get quite a bit of attention by the educated class and the media, because of its high claims of standing by principles and reinstating an independent judiciary. All that Mr Iftikhar Chaudhery will do for Nawaz Sharif is what Justice Doghar is doing for Zardari. The precedence set by the NRO will continue to be followed. The 3rd Nov actions may be unconstitutional, but even if the right principles are used for wrong reasons, they still remain wrong reasons. Replacing one pawn with another is not going to achieve the end of an independent judiciary.
So what does it matter if the courts gave a decision against the Sharif brothers? It is just another move in the game we call Pakistani politics. Its now all up to the power of the streets, and a match between the PPP jiyalas and the PML N workers. Mr Sharif is openly calling for policemen and other civil servants to revolt. Students are missing school and taking their energy out by causing violence and destruction on the roads.
The two parties are at each others’ throats again. And it wont really make a difference to any one of them. No matter who wins this round, there is always another one to follow. The only sufferers in this cat fight are the people of Pakistan.
“No one party can fool all of the people all of the time, that’s why we have two parties” Bob Hope.
How literally true for us.
Zardari may be nearing his end, but what is there to rejoice for if Sharif is his replacement?
Whether it is Zardari or Sharif, both are incompetent, and both belong to parties that are non democratic. Both have been given chances, Sharif twice before and Zardari currently {not counting his wife’s tenures} and at the end they have taken more than they have given and the country was better off before them. Both are products of dynasty politics, and neither of them deserves any share in the running of anything…be it the party, or the country. The only thing they can do for the country is to leave it alone, but that is too much to ask.
Unfortunately there will be more to follow. In a disgusting display of defamation and dirty politics, the economy is already being hit, and the security conditions can only worsen. Instead of tightening the belt, its all you can eat…and everyone wants a piece of the cake. So those who think Mr Sharif is some ray of hope…think again. He offers nothing different. He is a part of the same dirty system that brought us here in the first place. The lawyers’ movement is just another power tactic, and the only way to hope for some real change, is to say no to both these leaders. Whether it is from the public, the polity or the military, a third force needs to come up and fight for the interests of the people of Pakistan.
Laila Sohail is a young Pakistani commentator and can be reached at: blabbersboo[at]gmail.com
© 2008. All rights reserved. Ammar360.com
Copying and distribution of this article is permitted provided this copyright notice remains intact.
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Previous Columns by Ms. Sohail at Ammar360.com:
Time to go solo: Stop Begging, Start Building!
No to the President, No to the media
Wake up, we are already at War
Where there is a will – There is a way! Zardari’s Success Story
Pervez Musharraf: Pakistan’s Only Real Democrat in 40 Years
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Report: Energize Pakistan
Feb 7th
The Energy Crisis in Pakistan is serious. A competition was organized at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute in which our team presented this report that I am sharing with my readers here.
Abstract
Pakistan today faces a severe energy crisis with a shortfall that varies from 2000 to 5000 megawatts. Developing countries and emerging powers plan well in advance to not only ensure sufficient energy for the present but also for their future needs.
While alternative energy or ‘greener’ solutions are the talk of the hour – we in Pakistan need to understand the potential of utilizing our natural resources like coal and water for increased power generation apart from exploiting other sources like nuclear and tidal energy.
We, in this report, have tried to suggest a viable solution for today and plan for tomorrow to come out of the energy crisis at hand using all available resources.
Introduction
Pakistan’s power generation has been marred by complex socio-political and economic issues over the past several years. We are a naturally blessed country, with immense potential if we choose to utilize water for power generation. We are already late. It is now time to move forward and explore other area’s through which this crisis may be overcome.
In this report, we propose a comprehensive strategy discussing the use of the following power generation methods for Pakistan:
a) Hydroelectric power
b) Nuclear power
c) Power generation based on Coal
d) Green solutions for Pakistan (including solar, wind and tidal energy)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Energy Crisis and Pakistan
Jan 23rd
I found this amazing article, written sometime back in 2006, at the CSSForum and thought of sharing it here. It discusses Pakistan’s energy problems in detail. The article did not mention a specific author, however, it was posted by ‘humayun – the king’. So here it is:
Energy Crisis and Pakistan
An energy crisis is any great shortfall (or price rise) in the supply of energy resources to an economy. It usually refers to the shortage of oil and additionally to electricity or other natural resources.
The crisis often has effects on the rest of the economy, with many recessions being caused by an energy crisis in some form. In particular, the production costs of electricity rise, which raises manufacturing costs.
For the consumer, the price of gasoline (petrol) and diesel for cars and other vehicles rises, leading to reduced consumer confidence and spending, higher transportation costs and general price rising.
Future and alternative sources of energy
Some experts argue that the world is heading towards a global energy crisis due to a decline in the availability of cheap oil and recommend a decreasing dependency on fossil fuel. This has led to increasing interest in alternate power/fuel research such as fuel cell technology, hydrogen fuel, biomethanol, biodiesel, Karrick process, solar energy, tidal energy and wind energy. To date, only hydroelectricity and nuclear power have been significant alternatives to fossil fuel (see Future energy development), with big ecological problems (residues and water spending). Hydrogen gas is currently produced at a net energy loss from natural gas, which is also experiencing declining production in North America and elsewhere. When not produced from natural gas, hydrogen still needs another source of energy to create it, also at a loss during the process. This has led to hydrogen being regarded as a ‘carrier’ of energy rather than a ‘source’.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Economic Crisis – Only if we hadn’t ignore Jinnah
Dec 25th
By Arsalan Tariq Mir
Friday, 26th December – 2008
While searching for the great Quaid’s speeches on the eve of his birthday I came across this last speech he delivered 2 months before his death. After reading this I understood the real cause of economic crisis we face today, which was well-known to the Quaid-e-Azam on the inauguration of the State Bank of Pakistan.
Quaid-i-Azam’s Speech on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of The State Bank of Pakistan on 1st July, 1948.
“Mr. Governor, Directors of State Bank, Ladies and Gentlemen.
The opening of the State Bank of Pakistan symbolises the sovereignty of our State in the financial sphere and I am very glad to be here today to perform the opening ceremony. It was not considered feasible to start a Bank of our own simultaneously with the coming into being of Pakistan in August last year. A good deal of preparatory work must precede the inauguration of an institution responsible for such technical and delicate work as note issue and banking. To allow for this preparation, it was provided, under the Pakistan Monetary System and Reserve Bank Order, 1947, that the Reserve Bank of India should continue to be the currency and banking authority of Pakistan till the 30th September, 1948. Later on it was felt that it would be in the best interests of our State if the Reserve Bank of India were relieved of its functions in Pakistan , as early as possible. The State of transfer of these functions to a Pakistan agency was consequently advanced by three months in agreement with the Government of India and the Reserve Bank. It was at the same time decided to establish a Central Bank of Pakistan in preference to any other agency for managing our currency and banking. This decision left very little time for the small band of trained personnel in this field in Pakistan to complete the preliminaries and they have by their untiring effort and hard work completed their task by the due date which is very creditable to them, and I wish to record a note of our appreciation of their labours.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Zardari on his way out!
Dec 10th
The following column was published in many leading newspapers of the world. Written by Laura King, it highlights the problems and challenges the President of Pakistan faces. What I make of it? That Mr. Zardari is on his way out! This government has pushed the people of Pakistan to the wall and a backlash is evident.
Long Live Pakistan!
Zardari’s crisis leadership questioned
By Laura King,
Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
Islamabad: A year ago, Asif Ali Zardari was a political footnote. He was best known as the corruption-tainted, polo-loving husband of Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic former Pakistani prime minister who appeared poised to make a dramatic return to power.
Now Zardari, who took over leadership of Bhutto’s party after she was assassinated in December 27 and became president three months ago, finds himself head of state at a time of extraordinary turmoil, even by Pakistani standards.
Stung by Indian accusations that Pakistani militants played a leading role in last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, the country has responded with an outpouring of nationalistic sentiment.
For the moment, that sense of affront and grievance is uniting Pakistanis of all political persuasions, but many analysts believe it could eventually backfire on Zardari.
A tough stance
To please a domestic audience, the 53-year-old president has taken a tough stance toward India, refusing to hand over suspects sought by New Delhi and expressing skepticism that the attacks emanated from Pakistani soil, despite mounting evidence from Indian investigators and Western intelligence.
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