Media Watch: An Avoidable Death and Frontier Post Dumping on Sharif and more...

While the elected politicians are indulging in round the clock meetings and horse trading over issues such as judiciary, composition of the cabinet, who will be at the helm there are other pressing issues that need attention. For Sind Assembly one of the first thing they should legislate, and over which there would be unanimity, is to pass a directive ordering doctors and hospitals to attend to a patient FIRST. There should be an end to the bureaucratic requirement of a "police report" before they can start treating a critical patient. t A Single Bullet That Shattered Dreams - M Zeeshan Azmat “I continuously implored the doctor but to no avail. Then, I called my cousin, who is a senior police officer, and, only on his intervention, the doctor brought my brother in the hospital,” he continued, adding that, later, the doctors told him to shift the patient to the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment and hire an ambulance that has an oxygen cylinder because Shawaiz’s condition was critical. Adnan added that he went to the nearby ambulance centre, but those present were having dinner at the time and none of them was willing to perform his duty. However, one of them told Adnan to bring the patient to the ambulance, but hastened to add that there was no oxygen cylinder. *** In a hard hitting editorial "Politics of chicanery" the Frontier Post laid bare Nawaz Sharif and his former/ present pals. The italics are mine.

A news channel has it that PML (N) supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif has met former army chief Gen. (Retd.) Mirza Aslam Beg and discussed the current political situation with him. He may have; he may have not. But what is the harm in meeting a past benefactor? Just recall the Mehrangate. It was on the watch of that ex-army chief that the ISI pushed under the table over Rs.1 billion doled out by the Mehran Bank into several political hands, MNS being that largesse’s principal beneficiary. The bank has since gone bust; its CEO Younis Habib has departed this world. But MNS is still very much in business, both literally — in steelmaking — and figuratively — in politics. And yet he is an ingrate to this intelligence agency. The other day, he was waxing eloquent about the beans that a senior retired officer of the agency had spilled on the agency’s engineering feat in manipulating the 2002 national poll to the gratification of the then uniformed and now defrocked general. But this leading star, now shining grandiosely but funnily on the national political landscape, forgot to remember how good had been this agency to him in the yore. This fabulous dough was not the agency’s lone contribution to the making of his political career. It was quite indulgent to him in many other ways. It was the ISI that had cloned the Islami Jamhoori Itehad for him to ride on and stomp home to saddle for the first time on his dream chair of the prime minister in Islamabad . Had the democracy impulses ever tormented overwhelming his body and soul, MNS could have shut down, at least, this cell and put paid for good to its poking of its dirty nose in political matters, which functionally are no part of this agency’s laid-down charter of duties. Twice, he came to rule the roost in Islamabad ; yet he did not. What does it tell if not that the agency’s exploits were kosher to him when those served his interests and were not kosher to him when those hurt his interests? Verily, MNS’s politics stinks; his discourse smells foul; his acts strike so cunning and deceitful. Now that he is posing to be a reformed and a contrite democrat, one thought that the shameful days of Changa Manga are over; that no more will there be the spiriting away of legislators to hilly retreats’ fastnesses to ward off hostile poaching on them; that no Rs. 1.5 billion will now be trucking in from Osama bin Laden to him to buy up political loyalties and engineer his political foe’s downfall; that no chief minister will be roping in a drug baron for him from the tribal wildernesses and ferry him on the CM’s plane to Lahore to put up at a Pakhtun’s home and shell out enormous monies to line up political backup for the fructification of MNS’s power errands and power missions. Still, if he is now a changed man as he claims he is to be, he must come clean on his party ranker’s obscene broadsides against the Makhdoom, vow to work for immediate packing up of the ISI’s political cell, and apologise to the nation for his own abortive attempt to pollute the already-badly smitten nation’s constitution by having himself anointed an omnipotent Ameerul Momineen through a constitutional amendment. Moreover, he must declare publicly that once the felled judges are reinstated, he would himself move the court to rule on the petition pertaining to the Mehrangate, lying pending before the Supreme Court since long. If he doesn’t do all this, he will continue to come across to the common citizenry as a pretender, a phony, a chicaner, and an imposter, indeed much more compulsively than he does now. **** I was drawn to this news item because of the heading: Fahim rejects offer to become president by Amir Wasim. As I read the story it becomes evident this is the work of a incompetent or overzealous copy editor at the Dawn. “I am the president of the (PPP) Parliamentarians and this post is more important for me than that of the country’s president,” Mr Fahim said when a reporter asked him whether he had been offered the post of the country’s president or that of National Assembly speaker in return for his withdrawal from the race for premiership. “I will not become speaker. I am the PPP-Parliamentarians president,” he said, adding that he was still a “very strong candidate” for the office of prime minister. Notice how Amir Wasim framed the question to elicit information? And note how the veteran politician replied? *** This is the stuff that should be saved and put on placards if these platitudes do not come true or when they falter. PPP, PML-N working on plan to bring down prices by Ihtasham ul Haque ISLAMABAD, March 13: The Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N are working on a plan to bring down prices of essential commodities. “While political issues are being sorted out, a strategy is also being finalised to deal with issues like increase in prices of food items and petroleum products and the increasing fiscal and trade deficits,” former finance minister and PPP leader Syed Naveed Qamar told Dawn on Thursday. He said that leaders of the PPP and PML-N were eager to provide relief to people. “It is very unfortunate that the PML-Q kept doing politics over past six years and ignored important economic issues which are now causing a huge problem,” he added. The public will tire off blame the previous administration ploy very quickly. Let us see what miracles they can pull out of the sky. *** Ayesha Siddiqua, whom we know as a student of military inc. has dabbled in sind politics and writes of reimagining Sind. Much of her suggestion smack of 80s problem solving applying in the decade of the next century. It does not reflect today's ground reality. She side steps mentioning that Karachi's engine provides fa greater percentage of federal revenue and if Karachi's needs are neglected forget the province the whole nation would suffer. Re-Imagining the State - Ayesha Siddiqua The PPP, in particular, will have to deal with the problem of forming a government in Sindh without the MQM in whose absence one cannot conceive of any stability in the urban areas of the province. Unfortunately, the PPP’s gesture of extending a hand to the MQM was rejected and the latter opted to sit with the opposition instead. Despite this, the new leadership would benefit a lot if it looked carefully at its relationship with the ethnic party and find a long-term solution to the larger problem of ethnic politics in the country. At this juncture, what is needed is the re-imagination of the state based on carving out administrative divisions on a linguistic basis. The ethnic tension in urban Sindh can only be solved once the internal boundaries of the state are re-imagined. The conflict in Sindh, which has marred light and life in major urban centres like Karachi, needs deep political solutions. *** Is this yet another sign of times? We had not heard a pipsqueak from Haqiqi for years and now suddenly this? Agencies? The incoming administration? KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) kidnapped six activists of the MQM-Haqiqi from outside the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, alleged MQM-H Joint Rabita Committee In-charge Akhtar Hussain and MQM-H Women Department In-charge Rida Hakim on Thursday. The nominated deputy parliamentary leader of the MQM in the Sindh Assembly, Syed Faisal Sabzwari, told Daily Times that the party had nothing to do with the incident that took place outside the press club on Wednesday. *** Good summation by Ejaz Haider: the political objectives of the terrorists and the political objectives of the security forces need to be reconciled. Blame game would be counter-productive. Imran Khan has suddenly discovered the utility of "task forces." While that may also work some, time is of the essence. This also brings me to the third point. The madness we are witnessing is not without method. It is linked to political objectives which is why it is incorrect to think that these people are merely reacting and once Pakistan surrenders, Pakistanis will be spared such attacks. In fact, Pakistan will be caught between them and the rest of the world. It is a difficult battle but unavoidable both for internal and external reasons. The security forces are also learning on the job. What’s required are suggestions on how to counter the threat, not deny its existence or hold the government responsible for it. *** And PPPP has a solution to fix the menace of suicide bombings. New Government Has Blueprint to Tackle Suicide Bombings _Qudssia Akhlaque “We think we have a solution to the problem. We have a blueprint that can be acted upon and it is doable,” PPPP’s articulate spokesperson Farhatullah Babar told this correspondent when his attention was drawn to the spate of pre- and post-election suicide bombings and asked what specific steps his party would take in the immediate term to tackle this issue. At this point, Babar opted to stay clear of specifics of the blueprint, broad contours of which have been discussed with the main coalition partners. *** And now Ayaz Amir proffers his solution to reduce Ata's price. There are 112 districts in Pakistan. Out of a population of 160 million souls can't we find 112 good sessions' judges, 112 deputy commissioners, 112 police heads, and 112 district medical officers? Once these administrative changes are in place -- and these shouldn't take more than a week----with a firm hand and stern resolve 'atta' (flour) at reasonable prices should be made available throughout the length and breadth of the country. Our first task should be to feed our own people, not sustain the livelihood of any neighbouring country. If breadlines outside Utility Stores persist, of what use a restored judiciary, of what use democracy? *** If you can read Urdu here is a thought provoking column by Kishwar Nahid [more later]