A different approach (dealing with India)

Published in Dawn on October 12, 2025

WITH the Bihar elections in India due soon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his henchmen are likely to do their best to blame Pakistan for all their failures. They want their people to believe that Pakistan is responsible for all their problems, including the fact that 40 per cent Indians are living below the poverty line, and many children have died after consuming contaminated cough syrups.

I suggest that instead of responding to any threats hurled by Indians, we should stay calm and not respond in kind. The best thing to do, of course, is to pretend that India does not exist, but since that is not possible, we should find an alternative way.

We could, for instance, point out that India could solve most of its problems by reducing its defence budget by half, and spend the money saved to feed its hungry masses. We could suggest that India would be better off buying fighter jets and missiles manufactured in Pakistan instead of France. Of course, the Indian government would not respond, but at least our offer would go some way towards convincing ordinary Indians not to fall for Pakistan-bashing.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://www.dawn.com/news/1948353/a-different-approach

Disqualified or not

Published in DAWN on April 27, 2013

THE Election Commission of Pakistan has reportedly not disqualified some people who have submitted fake degrees.

One is tempted to ask about the use of Articles 62 and 63 if wrongdoers are not restrained from contesting elections. Knowing the mindset of the majority of our voters (who mostly vote on a caste basis), immoral and corrupt people will be elected again, giving them ample time to loot the country.

The next government should do it immediately.

Shakir Lakhani,

Karachi

Nationalisation of education

Published in Dawn on April 27, 2013

I SEE returning officers behaving like Taliban, when I see lawyers garlanding a man who killed the Punjab governor in full view of the public, when I read of a judge who acquitted three rapists (despite DNA tests proving their guilt) because the rape victim could not produce the mandatory four witnesses to the crime. 

When I see all this, I know that this almost total collapse of society is due to the nationalisation of education by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first and the only civilian martial law administrator of the country.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

UK minister resigns after cheating on property tax

Strange people

Published in DAWN on September 29, 2024 

 

BRITISH deputy prime minister Angela Rayner had to resign recently when it was discovered that she had cheated the government by not paying the full amount of property tax on her apartment. While accepting responsibility is a common practice in certain parts of the world, Pakistani politicians must have been shocked beyond belief. Has anybody heard of ministers in Pakistan paying property tax at all? And why should someone have to resign for something that is the norm in Pakistan? I will not be surprised if some of them believe that this is one of those `London plans` that are concocted every few years to destabilise the government. Pakistan should make it clear to the British government that such resignations are not in Pakistan`s interest, and that nothing of the sort should be allowed the next time one of their ministers is found to have been dishonest.

It is a matter of national interest, after all.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImagae=29_09_2025_007_006

56th Independence Day

Published in The News on August 29, 2002 

With reference to the letter "Could be 56th!" by Hafiz Sultan Ahmed (25th August), the writer doesn't understand how Pakistan celebrated its 56th independence day this year on August 14. He's not the only Pakistani who is confused about it. The massive nationalisation of schools and colleges by ZAB has ensured that Pakistan will always remain a backward country, where graduates are unable to determine their own ages, nor able to compose a simple letter of application for a job, and sometimes one comes across college principals who cannot sign their own names!

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

No law for sugar mill owners!

NO LAW FOR MILL-OWNERS: If there is one thing we have learnt from all the past and present sugar crises, it is that no action will ever be taken against those responsible for the soaring prices. Mill-owners want to increase their wealth, buy properties and go on vacations. After all, most of them have spent a lot in getting elected to parliament. We should let them enjoy their illegally obtained wealth and not waste our time and energy in pointing out the rampant corruption around us. It is purely our fault for living in a country where there is one law for them and another for us.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Dawn, September 13, 2025

https://www.dawn.com/news/1941625/no-law-for-mill-owners

 

 

Looting by Mobilink Jazz

Exploitative company

Published in DAWN on September 6, 2025

 

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Damning audit report’ (Aug 23), which, among other things, pointed out that a telecommunication company over-charged its customers to the tune of Rs 6.58 billion in a single financial year.

Over the last couple of years, the same company has been regularly increasing the price of its basic post-paid package, with the result that I am now paying more than twice the amount than what was the case earlier. When asked, its representatives told me that I could now use 15GB of data compared to four in the past, along with 3,500 minutes talking time and 3,000 messages. But I do not want all that. I just want 4GB data and a talking time worth no more than 100 minutes.

Why is there no cheaper package for consumers like me? The official reply is that I can always use a pre-paid package or switch to another cellular company. This is what corporate fraud looks like.

 

Shakir Lakhani 

Karachi 

https://www.dawn.com/news/1940095/exploitative-company

Failure to get Imran Khan freed

A key difference

Published in DAWN on August 17, 2025

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Another attempt’ (Aug 6). The fact that there has been no popular movement to get the jailed opposition party leader freed despite two years of incarceration proves that the party and its leader are not as popular as they believe, or they want others to believe.

They fully expected that United States President Donald Trump would secure his release from prison. That did not happen. They spent millions on lobbying in order to persuade US Congressmen to do the bidding, but to no avail.

Recently, his two sons flew to the US for the same purpose, and returned without any result. They even spent a huge amount placing an advertisement in the New York Times, calling attention to the man’s ‘plight’ and appealing for his release. Where is all this money coming from?

Other Pakistani leaders, past and present, have been jailed for periods much longer than the former prime minister, but they did not go to any such length to secure their release.

And, this is despite the fact that the man has been jailed for corruption after an extended legal process on the basis of tangible evidence that was available against him. Perhaps the other political leaders who were jailed in the past did not have as much wealth as he surely has.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://www.dawn.com/news/1931427/a-key-difference

 

Building collapse

Published in DAWN on July 24, 2025

BUILDING COLLAPSE: This is with reference to the editorial ‘Building collapse’ (July 5). I do not understand why some people often blame the Sindh government for such tragedies. It has done a ‘good job’ by taking necessary steps to prevent such incidents in future.

For instance, it renamed the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) as the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). What else a government can do? Anyone can now violate building codes, and construct 15 floors above the permitted 10. This will allow at least some people to earn billions of rupees and send the money into foreign bank accounts. We should all stop blaming the seriously efficient Sindh government.

 

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

 

https://www.dawn.com/news/1926239/building-collapse

Let them remain on strike

Published in Jang on May 28, 2005

This may sound incredible, but the performance of the PTCL actually improved during the recent strike by its employees. Telephones which had been dead for several days suddenly started working, crosstalk which makes life intolerable for telephone users was non-existent, and one could get through to any number on the first attempt.

It would be a good idea for PTCL employees to go on strike for a whole year. Better still, why not sack all of them and save a substantial amount of money?

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Four witnesses

 Published in The News on April 7, 2007

I’m amused by the Council of Islamic Ideology’s declaration that four witnesses are required to prove adultery. For one thing, no one in his right mind would commit adultery in full view of four males. Secondly, adultery means different things to different people. In the wild north, a woman is liable to be stoned to death or shot if she’s caught talking to a man who is not her father, brother or uncle. So they should remove that caveat about confessing to adultery being sufficient for conviction.

If I were hauled to a police station or kidnapped by the heavily veiled female students of the Jamia Hafsa, I would confess to any crime, even the murder of the first prime minister of the country (although I was only seven years old at the time) to save myself from being tortured.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/49614-four-witnesses

 

Unholy deeds

Published in Khaleej Times on January 9, 2006

I NEVER thought I would see the day when Muslim fundamentalists and those on the other side would see eye-to-eye on any issue. Mr Sharon’s stroke and coma are seen as divine retribution by US Christian evangelist Pat Robertson for “trying to divide the land of Israel.” Jewish fundamentalists say the same thing, but according to President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran, Mr Sharon is being punished for killing thousands of Muslims. Needless to say, this is the opinion of most people in the Muslim world too. Should we not expect similar punishment for those who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in recent times? And to avoid more suffering of Israeli politicians for causing the division of the Holy Land, why not hand over the whole territory to the original inhabitants (the Palestinians)?

—Shakir Lakhani,

Karachi, Pakistan

Boeing hired Indian software engineers at US$ 9.00 an hour!

Published in DAWN on July 01, 2025

THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Air India tragedy’ (June 15) which stated that Boeing had reached an agreement with the United States Justice Department to pay $1.1bn to avoid prosecution for the two widely reported 737-MAX crashes. Boeing has a history of trying to cut costs, and for this purpose it outsourced to Indian engineers the development of its 737-MAX planes, paying them only nine dollars an hour because their American engineers would have charged $35-40 an hour, as reported by IndustryWeek, which quoted Mark Rabin, a former software engineer.

Rabin, while talking about Indian engineers’ lack of competence, said: “The coders … were typically designing to specifications set by Boeing. Still, it was controversial because it was far less efficient than Boeing engineers just writing the code. Frequently, it took many rounds going back and forth because the code was not done correctly.”

Also, an Indian company, Hindustan Computers Ltd (HCL), played a major role in the development of the 787 Dreamliners, one of which crashed recently less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad.

The teams investigating the crash should seriously consider all the relevant background while looking into the incident.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://www.dawn.com/news/1921317/dangerous-option

Bad Tax

Published in the Friday Times

Sir,

According to the news, the government is considering to enhance the sales tax rate from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent in the forthcoming budget. This step will only serve to enrich the smugglers and those who indulge in the under-invoicing and mis-declaration of imported goods. What is needed is the imposition of VAT or sales tax at the retail stage. Billions can be collected by strictly enforcing this measure.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Corruptistan?

 Published in the Friday Times

Sir, 

As usual, the government has penalised industrialists who are desperately trying to run their factories. By increasing sales tax; withholding tax; and taxing electricity bills, salaries, and other measures, the authorities have dealt a death blow to the already sick industrial sector of the country. At the same time, nothing has been done to tax those who are looting the country. The smugglers and those who indulge in underinvoicing and misdeclaration of imported goods have not been touched. Neither have retailers been axed. Absolutely no steps have been taken to generate employment. Instead of revenue, this budget will generate more thieves, robbers and smugglers. But then, in the words of the prime minister, these are also "honourable men," like the hoarders and black-marketers. Why not re-name the country "Smuggleristan" or "Corruptistan"?

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

The Verdict

Published in the Friday Times on March 7, 2008

Embed from Getty Images

 Sir, 

Although the people rejected Musharraf and his allies in the elections, the Americans are not happy. They think Musharraf is indispensable for Pakistan. They have been pressuring both Zardari and Nawaz to let Musharraf remain in office. So what was the point in holding elections? Why did we waste those millions on asking the people what they wanted if we can't decide fr ourselves who our leaders should be? Why doesn't the US dictate to India who should be president or prime minister? There is only one way forward now: restoration of the sacked judges and accountability of those who looted the country during the past five years. The nation would love to know what happened to all that flour which we had in such abundant quantity, that our prime minister exported it and then we had to import it at a huge loss.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

BB's statements

 Published in Daily Times on October 5, 2007

Embed from Getty Images

Sir, 

One can now expect PPP chairperson Ms. Benazir Bhutto to say anything to please her foreign masters. First, she said that she would allow the IAEA to interrogate Dr. A Q Khan. Now comes the statement that she would allow the US to bomb targets in Pakistan. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised if her next proposal would be to ask the Indian government to send troops into our tribal areas to put down the militants. It seems that Ms. Bhutto puts a higher value on her political ambitions than the sovereignty and dignity of the country.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi