On Gilani's landmark visit to UK

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Despite hopes to the contrary of the hullabaloo of media doomsayers the official visit to the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has triumphed as mother of all visits during last 25 years by the previous Prime Ministers except martyred Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's in 1994. Difference in his visit and others was quite obvious. He was representing a democratic Pakistan while others were totalitarian rulers. And this was the fact recognised by host Prime Minister David Cameron when he praised Prime Minister Gilani for his unprecedented efforts in strengthening democracy. Prime Minister Cameron's further endorsement that "the enemies of Pakistan were enemies of Britain and friends of Pakistan were Britain's friends" must have thrown cold water on the critics of Pakistan's democratic government who had not only done their dirty best in undermining his visit in Pakistan but had also carried on a vicious....

It is the cause that makes a martyr

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Life in Pakistan much before and ever since the judicial murder of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (April 4, 1979) has been a tug of war - on one hand between democratic, liberal and progressive forces and on the other, perpetrators of status quo represented by a power troika backed by obscurantist elements. While genuine heirs to Mr Jinnah's legacy wanted Pakistan to blossom into a democracy opposed to them were those who had hijacked it and diverted it from its destined goal of a social welfare nation-state into a national security state over-viewed by religious extremists. When the vintage politicians who had been at the forefront of the Pakistan Movement were out-manoeuvred by the establishment troika through conspiracies and extra-constitutional interventions sanctified by the highest courts, it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who picked up the gauntlet to unshackle the country and its people from the stranglehold of dictatorship. ....

In Pakistan, democracy is on the move

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Saturday March 17, 2012 was one of the finest moments in Pakistan's history. On this day for the first time an elected President addressed the joint session of Parliament a fifth time. That was a moment of joy for the entire nation that has suffered long to see democracy on the move despite decades of long catalogue of intrigues, machinations and extra-constitutional interventions. That landmark event could only happen because of the untold sacrifices in blood, toil and tears of the masses who remained steadfast in their commitment to pursue the destiny chosen for them by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and those great leaders who braved worst possible persecution to keep alighted the torch of democracy. The final goal for Pakistan was decided on March 23rd 1940 in Lahore under the leadership of Mr Jinnah. And it was his unflinching faith in the democratic destiny of the nation....

I was not privy to the US OBL operation

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Ever since the Memo scandal broke, our media mongers, whose previous almost daily predictions over the past four years about the demise of the democratic government had fallen flat, seem to have got yet another dose of oxygen in their life-support system. They are now hallucinating and misusing some of my first reactions following OBL operation on May 2, 2011, to launch a charge sheet against me. A section of the media has even ignored all professional ethics by twisting my clarifications to the media. They have been resorting to cherry picking from my comments to various channels subsequent to Osama's killing. The media has ignored the mysterious circumstances in which Osama was killed. I would like to remind them that initially everything was overly shrouded in ambiguity following the OBL operation. Pakistan's security institutions were subjected to most humiliating comments by some of the leading....

A progressive and liberal Pakistan will be the best tribute to Begum Nusrat Bhutto

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As I sit down to write a sort of obituary of Begum Nusrat Bhutto, I find my eyes dried of tears. Before me rolls a life of sacrifices that cannot be measured in words. Neither can we compare it with that of any one. Not many suffered as she - as a wife, mother, mother-in-law, grand mother and godmother to an entire nation especially those under-privileged who found in her a voice for themselves. It was not just that - on March 23,1929, to Isphanis of Karachi was born a daughter, Nusrat Khanum, and that destiny chose her to be the great woman behind two of the greatest leaders of our time - Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and martyred Benazir Bhutto. Begum Sahiba's life was a tragedy worst compounded. She continued many years to suffer in silence - unaware of the brutal assassination of her dearest....

President Zardari's transformation

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President Zardari has been frequently targeted by the media whether being the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party or as president. His politics has become the subject of innumerable commentaries touching at times the boundaries of impoliteness. While offering their views on political issues being tackled by the democratic government a few commentators even suggest unconstitutional remedies which have historically been responsible for political instability, disintegration and miscarriage of socio-economic justice in the country. The most recent commentaries are a kind of a satire about the person of President Zardari, who, in their wisdom, has outmatched Mian Nawaz Sharif, and also outplayed the extra-constitutional forces. The crux of this argument hinges on their frustration at the equilibrium attained by the country's polity in allowing room to all stakeholders to play their constitutional role - be they in the opposition or the armed forces. One....

Pakistan: Floods again

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Pakistan's socio-economic life was topsy-turveyed by devastating floods last year described four times deadlier than Asian tsunami. While it was yet struggling to get back one-fifth of the country's population and land inundated by water on its feet, it has again been hit by torrential rains and flooding of enormous magnitude. This time its second largest province - Sindh - has had the worst of rain and floods have wreaked havoc. Approximately five million lives have been uprooted besides causing huge devastation to livestock and standing crops. Hundreds of people have lost their lives; over four million acres of land is under water; 2.5 million acres of crops have been destroyed; and over a million houses have been damaged or washed away. The situation is worsening with forecast of more widespread rains in the area. Initial estimates paint a grim picture with economic losses caused by....

Karachi: Need of the hour

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My eyes have dried of tears over Karachi killings and my heart is full of vow. It is my city where I grew up and lived best of my life. Now the city is bleeding, not because of ideological or party differences, but being a hostage to thugs, mafias and, of course, terrorists who want to establish their control over it. Its horrendous plight being a legacy of the dictators, political parties regretfully are being blamed for the rot. The immediate remedy prescribed by quake zealots is to bring peace by inducting army in Karachi. There is no doubt that rampant killings are on. The victims are voiceless common people. They do not make big headlines; they are merely numbers for the newspapers and TV channels. There is no doubt that law and order is a provincial subject. Sind government needs to do more to improve its law....

Revisiting Bhutto's "reconciliation"

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For me she is still around. Though conspirators against democracy, empowerment of the less privileged, perpetrators of obscurantism, extremism, bigotry, interfaith conflicts and doomsayers of the clash of civilisations had thought that by physically eliminating Benazir Bhutto in December 2007 they had changed the course of history in their own favour. Now when I look back and join millions in remembering her on her birthday anniversary (born June 21, 1953) I feel how wrong her opponents were. Earth-shaking events following her assassination have turned the tide in giving birth to a new world order. Take Pakistan's case as an example. By sacrificing her life her pristine blood has been responsible for the rebirth and blossoming of democracy. Never before in Pakistan's roller-coaster journey through various phases that included long periods of dictatorship, did we ever succeeded in practising politics of consensus, national reconciliation and totality in support to....

OBL: Victory out of the jaws of defeat

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Dead Osama bin Laden's (OBL) ghost has struck again claiming over 80 lives in Charsaddah. As a consequence of May 2 Abbottabad episode such incidents are not unexpected. Pakistani nation, its leadership and military shall have to brace themselves more for such tragedies. In normal circumstances elimination of OBL, should have been a cause for relief since he symbolised global terrorism. The UN Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373 provided the necessary legal framework for taking OBL to account. This objective was achieved on 2nd May 2011. However, within hours of the operation the media onslaught against Pakistan left bitter taste in the mouth. Was it a deliberate attempt to malign Islamabad to pressurise it to "do more" or was it aimed at diverting the attention from the main debate. After OBL's killing, Pakistan is in debate as to how he could live in a garrison town without....