Why are they obsessed with what women wear?

If there's one thing most Pakistani men believe firmly, it's that women are responsible for all their problems. If a man loses his job, it's because his wife doesn't wear a burqa, or watches too much TV. The corpulent Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was until recently Imran khan's arch enemy and is now in bed with him, actually thinks earthquakes and floods are caused by girls wearing jeans. 

Once, in Shehbaz Sharif's second Punjab government, it was decided that all girl students should wear burqas. There was a hue and cry, and the proposal was dropped. 

Imran Khan, of course, is on record as saying that women are responsible for being raped. Nowadays his sayings are viral on the net, as he has applied to be the next chancellor of Oxford University, where he was apparently taught that Germany and Japan are neighbors. Recently a law-maker in his party objected to a Karachi woman's dress after she proved that he's a duffer who knows nothing about electricity production and distribution.

So I wasn't at all surprised at another attempt by those running  Punjab University attempting to force girl students to dress "simply", meaning that they should come to class completely enveloped in a black robe with slits for their eyes to see. I suppose someone told the vice-chancellor that this is the only way the university can be saved from bankruptcy.

Shehbaz Sharif and friends allegedly made billions yesterday

It was done in a perfectly legal manner. Yesterday Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a ten percent super tax on many industries. Of course this was ostensibly done to increase government revenue and please the IMF. But it was the way he did it that makes one suspect that he had a personal interest in the matter. He made the announcement much before the stock exchange closing time (the announcement should have been done by his finance minister Miftah Ismail in the evening, after the market's closure). The stock market immediately crashed and for a time trading was stopped before re-starting again. In the meantime, Shehbaz Sharif and his friends had reportedly made billions in forward selling and buying.

This was how it was done. They sold millions of shares at high rates and bought them at very low prices. This is the most convenient way to earn money in this market. I used to do it myself fifteen years back. And there is nothing illegal about it. If Imran Khan's finance minister Shaukat Tarin or Asad Umar claim in future that Shehbaz Sharif deliberately did so to enrich himself and his friends, how will they prove it? Shehbaz is not such a fool as to buy and sell shares in his own name. Those who deal in shares suspect that he and his finance minister Miftah Ismail (who is a very distant relative of mine) must have told their close relatives and friends to buy and sell in the futures market a day in advance. Probably big shots like AKD and others also knew that this was going to happen. 

So, if anyone wants to become overnight millionaires dabbling in shares, it's best to make friends with the finance minister or the prime minister.

 

Ruckus and chaos in the National Assembly

A day before opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif was to speak on the budget, federal ministers said their dear leader Imran Khan had told them to give a tough time to him, meaning that his speech should be disrupted and he should be forced to stop speaking. So his men went overboard and threw copies of the budget in the direction of the opposition benches. Of course there was retaliation, with members from both sides abusing each other in choice Punjabi. The whole world must have watched in amusement. 

Of course, we shouldn't be surprised that matters have come to such a pass. Imran Khan has openly expressed his distaste and scorn for parliament, once cursing it loudly, saying that he sends "laanat" (curse) on it. So it's only natural for him to advise his cronies to behave in this manner. The responsibility was on members of the government to cool their colleagues, instead they encouraged them to behave like hooligans. One reason may have been the fraudulent budget they have presented. After openly proclaiming that it's a tax-free and people-friendly budget, the very next day they raised prices of petroleum products. Also, they announced that wheat would be imported, soon after announcing that there has been a bumper wheat crop this year. How can one believe whatever Imran Khan or his ministers say?

I'm surprised at the silence of our religious leaders on the issue. The budget copies had the names of Allah and His Prophet printed on them and throwing the copies is akin to blasphemy. But since it's the lawmakers themselves who did it, no one dare say anything. If it had been someone from the minorities, he would have been lynched immediately.

PPP's surprising victory in Karachi's Baldia (NA-249)

A major upset occurred yesterday when the PPP candidate Qadir Mandokhel narrowly defeated PMLN's Miftah Ismail (whom I personally like and favored, because he is from my community). However, the winning candidate is also likable, being a professor and a social worker in the locality. This, by the way, is the same constituency where a fraudster (Faisal Vawda) won by a narrow margin against Shahbaz Sharif in the massively rigged 2018 elections. At sthat time, the Election Commission flouted all the rules and refused a recount, and if it does so this time as well, people will very likely believe that the establishment has rigged this time as well. And there is plenty of evidence that in fifteen polling booths, there has been rigging. 

Which makes me think, it isn't so difficult to rig elections. In 2018, it was the soldiers and police which "persuaded" people to cast their votes for Imran Khan. Yesterday it was the Sindhi cops and presiding officers who indulged in rigging. 

But whether rigging happened or not, one thing is clear: the PTI can't survive long. In the past ten bye-elections, it has been able to win only one, and yesterday it trailed behind the PPP, the PMLN and even the banned TLP. It also proves that it won the 2018 elections with the massive support o f the military and the establishment, so it really is a "selected" government.

I do think it's good that the constituency has finally got someone in the PPP  to represent them in the national assembly. Let's hope the ruling PPP in Sindh finally spends some of Karachi's huge taxes to improve conditions in Baldia, assuming of course that Imran Khan releases Sindh's share of taxes to the province (which doesn't seem likely).

A new virus threatens to kill half of humanity

As if we didn't have enough troubles, a new bird flu virus has emerged. It is so lethal that the current Corona crisis is a picnic when compared to it. Half of humanity (roughly 4 billion people) could die if we don't take preventive measures.

It looks like we'll have to stop eating chicken (the staple food in many countries). 

Meanwhile, in an ironic twist, PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman has tested positive for Covid-19. Remember, this is the same man who said that the Corona is a Category 3 virus, prompting his critics to say that he is a Category 3 politician. I hope he isolates himself and regrets claiming that the Sindh government is inflating the reported number of deaths due to the virus. Perhaps his ordeal will also make him sensible and will prevent him from making wild statements in future.

More bad news: some more PMLN people have tested positive, including its president Shahbaz Sharif. We should be forgiven for thinking that this guy has paid to get a false report, considering that he doesn't want to present himself before the accountability court and NAB (which are being used by Imran Khan precisely to harass opposition leaders). But if Shahbaz has really got infected, his situation is grim. He is a cancer survivor and on heavy medications already. If it's Imran Khan's aim to get more and more PMLN leaders get infected, he seems to be succeeding. Ahsan Iqbal and Marium Aurnagzeb have also tested positive. 

Is the Daily Mail reliable?

Belonging to a family of lawyers, I'd always held the British judiciary in high esteem. I once heard someone say, "You can't bribe an English judge". When I repeated this to my late father, he sneered. "In England, yes, you can't bribe an English judge, but in those countries once ruled by Britain, there's no such thing as an honest British judge". I've come to believe him, as we have seen Altaf Hussain get away with murder in England. But it's in defamation cases that I believe the British legal system is sadly inefficient.

I know for a fact that the owner of Geo successfully sued the owner of ARY and was awarded thousands of pounds, but the latter contemptuously ignored the judgement. It seems all the property that ARY had in the UK was rented, so he will remain exempted from paying damages or compensation. In Pakistan itself, Imran Khan has been sued by a number of people, yet the courts have never settled such cases.

In the latest turn of events, a British tabloid, Daily Mail, has printed scurrilous and defamatory news about Shahbaz Sharif embezzling millions from British taxpayers' money meant for relief to those affected by the 2005 earthquake. Shahbaz has rightly decided to sue the newspaper, which is notorious for printing news that is not true.

In fact, Wikipedia does not rely on it because of this. But I remember other newspapers (and maybe Daily Mail itself) also reporting that Imran Khan is the father of an illegitimate girl, yet Imran has never taken legal action against such publications. I hope some other newspaper highlights this issue when the corrupt ex-cricketer goes to the U.S. next week. I'd like to see Imran's reaction when that happens.

Inevitable curbs on women and press freedom by an illegitimate regime

When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto assumed power in 971, one of our maids told my mother, "Now we'll live in your bungalow, you and others like you will have to live in our huts". It seems PPP workers had told simpletons like her that this would happen if they voted for the PPP. Much like today, when the ruling party's politicians promised the moon to the masses in pre-election campaigns.

Bhutto was arrogant and despotic, just like Imran Khan. He too went after the press, putting many journalists in jail and forcing others to leave the country. It seems whenever a government finds itself on the defensive, it either imposes draconian press laws to stifle dissent, or put restrictions on women. 

Unsurprisingly, Zia thought all his problems would disappear if both the press and women were curbed. Flogging of writers became common and women were compelled to wear headscarves. Many women came out in protest, burning their headscarves in public. 

Later, the Punjab government under Shahbaz Sharif also ordered college girls to cover themselves, as if doing so would prevent rapes in the province. Again, women protested, and the order was withdrawn.

So I wasn't surprised when a male guard prevented girls in Lahore from entering a public building because their heads were not covered, saying that seeing women with uncovered heads disturbed the males in the building. Of course he couldn't have done it without approval from the top, and it was thought that Yasmin Rashid (a PTI minister) had given the order. She denied it, of course, even though I strongly suspect she was the one who was behind it all. 

But the most dangerous move of the present government is to make a new law punishing those who defame the present ruling party. Apparently the fat and corpulent Fawad Choudhry (the information minister) doesn't know the meaning of defamation. He doesn't want the truth about his party's failures to be told. Just like Bhutto, who thought anyone criticizing him was a traitor. In fact, also like the present chief justice, who made opposing the construction of dams a treasonable offence. Future generations of Pakistanis will wonder what exactly made the chief justice do what is not in his domain. But then, this is Pakistan.

Did we catch the right man in Zainab’s murder?

After weeks of hoping, praying and demanding justice, we have finally been presented with a man being deemed the main culprit in the Zainab rape case. However, in light of all the information that was revealed to us earlier, along with the hurried nature of this capture, I remain unconvinced that Imran Ali Arshad is the man who not only raped and killed Zainab, but also seven other little girls since 2015.

What is certain is that if the Supreme Court (SC) had not ordered the police to find the killer within 72 hours, the police would never have acted so. Knowing the way our police functions, even if they had caught the real culprit, his release would probably have been secured in exchange for money. Naturally, given the way events have unfolded, I am not alone in being doubtful of the results.

Aaliya Shah@AaliyaShah1

Zainab murderer arrested i am still doubtful is he real culprit or fake criminal by punjab police like fake encounters to defuse this case and to stop media coverage #ZainabMurderCase

3:31 PM - Jan 23, 2018

Benazir Shah

✔@Benazir_Shah

"Imran is said to be a relative of the deceased." Why didn't the family recognise him through CCTV footage? Also, the suspects DNA matched that found on ten other girls who were raped and killed. #Zainab

1:38 PM - Jan 23, 2018

23 Jan

omar r quraishi

✔@omar_quraishi

The Supreme Court gave the Punjab police 3 days to arrest Zainab's killer - with the deadline running out soon they said today that they have arrested a 23 year old man who lives in her neighbourhood and that he confessed - his name is Imran Arshad pic.twitter.com/p3lvodpkaN

Soumyadipta

✔@Soumyadipta

He looks nowhere even close to the killer captured on CCTV camera. I think they have tortured him into confessing.

2:14 PM - Jan 23, 2018

Some people feel that the man who can be seen in the CCTV footage appears to be different from the profile of the suspect arrested. Others wonder if he was a neighbour, why wasn’t he investigated earlier? There are conflicting reports in this regard, with some suggesting that Zainab’s family had told the police that Imran was someone they trusted, who also frequently visited their home and also participated in the protests held against Zainab’s murder, which is why he was let go by the officials in the first place.

omar r quraishi

✔@omar_quraishi>

Zainab's suspected killer and rapist Imran Arshad was not only a neighbour but was known to her & her family -- would visit her house and several times she would go accompanied by him: police

6:03 PM - Jan 23, 2018

According to the neighbours, the police did ask Imran to go with them for questioning, but he started frothing at the mouth and had a fainting episode, while his mother screamed that a pious, God-fearing person like him could never be a rapist or a killer. The neighbours also intervened, claiming that Imran was a deeply religious man who recited naats and offered prayers regularly. Thus, at the time, the police had “no option” but to free him. In fact, in pictures taken during Zainab’s funeral, Imran can be seen a few feet away from Dr Tahirul Qadri.

Omar r quraishi

✔@omar_quraishi>

It appears that Zainab's suspected killer Imran Arshad was also present at her funeral

8:38 PM - Jan 23, 2018

Sarah Jawad@SarahJawadKhan

Intelligence agencies confirm that Zainab's serial rapist and killer Imran Ali Naqshbani was involved in attacking parliament building during 2014 dherna, was bodyguard of Dr Qadri, led PAT & PTI workers to attack police, hes a trained militant

9:12 PM - Jan 23, 2018

To rub salt on our wounds, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shehbaz Sharif, addressed a press conference in which he took all credit for solving the case. He also couldn’t resist reminding the nation about the case of Asma, a little girl from Mardan who met a fate similar to that of Zainab and whose case remains unsolved. He seemed to be insinuating that just because the Punjab police “succeeded” in solving Zainab’s case, while the police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) remain in the dark, somehow the Punjab government is better than the one in K-P. At this point, one can only remind him that Punjab has been in his control for the past 10 years, yet neither its police nor its government did anything when the first rape and murder of a little girl was reported two years ago, nor when the Kasur scandal broke out in 2015.

In fact, in my opinion, Shehbaz is equally responsible for the ensuing deaths of seven innocent little girls, because his policemen did not do what they are paid to do, but were instead used mainly for the protection of the chief minister and his cronies.

Mahwash Ajaz

✔@mahwashajaz_

This is a really awful time to take "credit" for things @CMShehbaz. Little children were raped and murdered on your watch. You caught a murderer but instead of fanfaring abt how great you are, take steps on never letting this happen again. Zainab's death was a collective failure.

8:45 PM - Jan 23, 2018

Furthermore, whether or not Imran is the real killer, the police are also responsible for the rape and murders which this man is alleged to have committed. The court should order the punishment of all those police officers who failed to take action after the first rape was reported in 2015. The punishment should also fit the crime, and not involve mere suspension or being posted as officer on “special duty”, which is what is usually done whenever a policeman is found to be negligent; case in point: Rao Anwar.

We know that our ruling politicians appoint unqualified and unsuitable persons from their home towns to work as policemen, particularly in Karachi, where several extrajudicial incidents have taken place, including one in which the cops killed four young men in cold blood. They act as if they are above the law – perhaps because in this country, they are – and would never be held accountable for such fake “encounters”. Their leader, Anwar, was caught trying to escape to Dubai after killing an innocent man, Naqeebullah Mehsud. Anwar is reportedly a favourite of those who rule over the unfortunate province of Sindh, and has been suspended several times in the past, only to be re-instated again. Naturally, with such powerful people backing him, Anwar has supervised the killing of about 300 people, claiming that they were militants. In light of these new developments, the court should investigate all these murders and determine how many of the victims were actually innocent.

Just a few months ago, there emerged another case of a “fake encounter”, as video footage showed Faisalabad police pumping bullets into a man called Asif Sardar. Even though he had surrendered and posed no apparent threat, the police later claimed he had opened fire at them first. An investigation conducted last year of 20 police encounters determined that in six such encounters, the police had misused law and had exceeded their powers. Things have become so bad that the common man is now dreadfully afraid of the police. Most people who have been held up, a very common experience for those who live in Karachi, are too scared to go to a police station to report the crime. They fear that they will either be robbed by the cops in exchange for their freedom, or made to forcibly confess to having killed someone or robbed a bank.

As for Zainab’s alleged killer, he has already been presumed guilty, after being condemned by the chief minister of the province. Given the state of our police, and after such extensive media coverage, especially after Shehbaz’s press conference, the accused is unlikely to get a fair trial.

Thus, if Imran is shot dead in an “encounter” while allegedly trying to escape, or if he ends up committing suicide before his trial, we should not and cannot be blamed for suspecting that the real killer is someone who is still out there, while Imran is presented to us as a scapegoat. No matter what happens, however, Shehbaz should be made to realise that due to his inaction in the past, ultimately he, too, bears responsibility for the brutal murder of the eight little girls in Kasur.

Shakir Lakhani

https://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/63210/did-we-catch-the-right-man-in-zainabs-murder/

Give us Shahbaz Sharif for 6 months!

Shahbaz in Karachi

Published in The News, July 14, 2014

Embed from Getty Images

In Karachi, sweepers have not been paid salaries for months and garbage has been accumulating on the streets for days, endangering the lives and health of taxpayers.

The Sindh government (which should really be called a ‘non-government’) has a huge budget (Rs680 billion), but no one has been able to find out how and on what this money is spent. After six years of misgovernance by the present lot, Karachi has been turned into the world's dirtiest city, compared to Lahore, which in my opinion is now the world's cleanest city. I would request Nawaz Sharif that before spending billions on the Karachi Green Bus and Karachi-Lahore motorway, he should loan us the services of his talented brother Shahbaz Sharif for six months. I am sure the latter will change the face of Karachi beyond recognition.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Shahbaz Sharif's tirade against Karachi!

There is no favouritism

Published in Daily Times on April 29, 2013

Photo credit: Daily Times

 

Sir: It was shocking to hear Mr Shahbaz Sharif claiming that the people of Karachi were not being subjected to load shedding while the people of Punjab were paying the price of being Punjabis and had to suffer many hours without electricity every day. It seems that Shahbaz Sharif is out of touch with the real situation. Apparently, he does not know that many parts of Karachi are also subjected to severe power outages, particularly where electricity theft is rampant. In those localities of Karachi, where there is practically no electricity theft, there is little or no load shedding and, for this formula, the credit should go to the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC). If WAPDA wants, the same formula can be introduced in Lahore and other parts of Punjab, and load-shedding can be controlled. However, to insinuate that Karachi is being favoured over Punjab is simply not true, and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should ask Mr Shahbaz Sharif to refrain from making such comments.

SHAKIR LAKHANI

Karachi