Moral dilemas of Pakistani politics: Prime Minister Gilani of Pakistan prefers corruption over nepotism

Speaking at an election rally in Muzaffargarh district Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani proudly stated that he has chosen Mr Jamshed Dasti, a known felon, over his own brother to stand as his party's candidate in the forthcoming elections.

His statement comes "while setting honesty and fair play as criteria for public officeholders, the Supreme Court on Wednesday declared that all those candidates who had earlier resigned [from the parliament] under the charges of having fake degrees would be ineligible to contest by-elections." Mr. Jamshed Dasti is one of those fraudsters identified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Mr. Jamshed Dasti, a close friend of President Asif Ali Zardari, recently resigned from the parliament, under the apex court's pressure, for having used fake certificates of educational qualification from a religious institution - a common ploy used by uneducated but rich and influential politicians to circumvent a legal requirement to hold at least a Bachelors Degree from a recognised educational institution (which unfortunately includes religious madrassahs many of whom would sell you one for a charitable donation, along with a free pass for entry for two into heaven). Though the law has itself now been changed (thus denying some religious schools at least one means of funding) but not before cases and Mr Dasti and other fraudsters appeared before the courts.

Dishonesty and being involved in fraudulent activities is now worn as a badge of honour by the ruling party in Pakistan. President Zardari had responded to the outcry against Mr Jamshed Dasti by awarding him party ticket, again, to contest the by-election. Well! You would expect from President Zardari this cavalier attitude towards building your parliamentary team from among politicians of questionable morals. But it was the Prime Minister who shocked the law abiding citizens of Pakistan when he appointed disgraced Jamshed Dasti his adviser on livestock, a fortnight after the latter opted to resign from his seat to avoid a jail sentence. Now the Prime Minister has declared Mr Jamshed Ahmad Dasti to be a true representative of the poor labourers and the impoverished, and the people should support him in by-elections.

Mr Gilani hails from a long line of honourable and religious leaders from Multan and boast a religious following perhaps more than his political credentials. He is in the process of destroying his heritage by not demonstrating a strong spine as a leader and standing up for morals that his elders upheld. His legacy is in danger of becoming that of a spineless front man of a globally recognised corrupt master, and whose job is to clear up litter thrown around by corrupt stooges of Mr. Zardari.

Pakistan People's Party - collective leadership failure

by Dr Nazir Ahmed

President Zardari alone is not responsible for perils faced by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) today. Being the president of a country his personal problems are now hampering the progress of Pakistan. The problems are growing with the time and it appears to be consuming most of his waking time in meetings with so called friends and allies or political partners - time that he should rather spend on betterment of people of Pakistan who are stuck in a country where the quality of rulers seems to be dwindling with each successive government as Father of the Nation Mohammad Ali Jinnah predicted before his death in 1948.

But could Zardari alone be held responsible for the current plight of PPP or does the entire PPP leadership carry the blame? There is no doubt that luck played a big part in Zardari’s ascent to power. It clearly was a very difficult period in PPP’s history after the party was left devastated by the loss of its all powerful leader, Benazir Bhutto . Also there is this traditional style of ascent to political leadership in the subcontinent where a single person becomes the face of the party without whom nothing seems to matter.

For this reason the senior party leadership thought that they needed a figurehead in the form of Zardari, being father of Benazir's children, to carry on that legacy. This was understandable logic at the time but the leadership had a much bigger and wider role to play.

The party leadership should have been able to see outside the box and should have able to imagine the ramifications of Zardari’s candidacy which they approved on his flimsy evidence. Evidence that Mr Zardari refused to share with the public to whom they owe everything, who have made them the “leaders” they are.

The traditional style of thinking and jumping on the band wagon without proper assessment would have normally worked in Pakistan only if the candidate in question was a normal first husband. The man in question was, however, no other but Mr Zardari and the party leadership failed to recognise the extent of the baggage he carried and his capacity to be ever able to emerge from those shadows.

The PPP Central Executive Committee was witness to the fall of its government on two occasions and on either occasion Zardari’s corruption was blamed for it. It is only fair to expect from members of CEC that they would have been capable of such risk assessment and its management. They failed dismally on both counts.

Before making a decision on a new party leader the senior leadership should have carried out wider discussions over many days involving all stake holders instead of a two hours meeting just two days after the death of a cult like personality Benazir Bhutto.

The question in consideration should have been that in Pakistan where a party chairman is a supposed to be a visionary personality who leads his/her party to success and glory wcould Zardari be that person or would he become a liability for the party because of his past and that whether that damage would be sustainable.

Secondly once they had agreed to his ascent to power there should have been a comprehensive strategy development exercise aimed at enhancing his stature to such a point that effortlessly appeared convincing to the masses. This should have been possible by putting together a governing team without a blemish on their character that executed political programme that uplifted the lives of masses.

Quite to the contrary the party made mistakes after mistakes refusing to accept the consequences. The party somehow convinced itself that as they had accepted Zardari so will the masses and all other stake holders. They failed again to recognise that whereas they had a personal interests in selecting him but other stakeholders did not. And to be fair to other stakeholders including Pakistani public, PPP political allied parties, opposition parties, judiciary, agitating lawyers, establishment and media time and again gave Zardari and the PPP benefit of the doubt. But time and again Mr Zardari faled all of them by breaking political promises and agreements.

The CEC, that “expressed full confidence in Mr Zardari” after each political disaster, should have foreseen the consequences that such behaviour invited and should have stood up to his style of governance. As Mr Zardari’s political behaviour became more and more erratic and unpredictable the CEC only concerned itself to repeatedly reposing its trust in him leaving people shocked and hopeless.

Mr Zardari somehow believed once ratified by CEC all his wrongs will become right. No dissenting voice was heard in public apart from rare few who didn’t matter anyway as Zardari had isolated them. Although the CEC looked after Mr Zardari’s interests they showed a blatant disregard for the interests of PPP workers, its supporters and its electorate. CEC failed in its primary function to ensure that the collective decisions were in the interests of the party, its supporters and most of all Pakistan. One wonders how do a group of such individuals, who repeatedly and deliberately fail in their sacred responsibility of looking after the interests of millions, live with their conscience on daily basis. How do they fail

repeatedly not to recognise right from wrong? How do they not feel guilty by always giving in to such demands and not thinking of the impact of such decisions on scores of people? How dare they insult the intelligence of Pakistani public by endlessly arguing in favour of their repeated betrayals of Pakistan and its public on electronic media rather than hiding behind walls. For it is Pakistan that made them who they are today and without it although they might have palaces in different countries around the world but will have no identity.

PArty leadership's decision about Zardari leadership has seriously wounded the party and it is now time for the CEC to make its mark. The senior leadership needs to come out of Zardari’s shadows and play an active role in steering the country out of this situation. Without further delay they need to strongly support and implement some long awaited and popular demands like the restoration of constitution, rationalising the cabinet and take strong measures against corruption.

If Zardari is stubborn enough to continue to disregard the senior leadership and treat them like hired managers of a private business then they need to reflect that rather than humiliating themselves on daily basis by making vain attempts to justify his selfish blunders is it worthwhile to resign from CEC and live like decent men with their heads high rather than govern with a bleeding conscience.

Scaremongering about Pakistani nukes

Writing for New Yorker Seymour Hersh has tried to launch another scaremongering campaign against the security of Pakistani nukes. But this time the boogyman is not the usual piniata - a fierce looking beareded Taliban from the North West. For a change he is raising doubts on the integrity of Pakistani armed forces

The principal fear is mutiny — that extremists inside the Pakistani military might stage a coup, take control of some nuclear assets, or even divert a warhead.

Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Army General Tariq Majid objected:

We have operationalised a very effective nuclear security regime which incorporates very stringent custodial and access controls...as overall custodian of the development of our strategic programme, I reiterate in very unambiguous terms that there is absolutely no question of sharing or allowing any foreign individual, entity or a state, any access to sensitive information about our nuclear assets.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agrees

“We have confidence in the Pakistani government and the military’s control over nuclear weapons.”

Hersh has reiterated age old American desire of some how taking Pakistani nukes into "protective custody" to save it from barbaric Pakistanis.

Washington...has been negotiating highly sensitive understandings with the Pakistani military. These would allow specially trained American units to provide added security for the Pakistani arsenal in case of a crisis.

And to make matters worse he attempts to malign General Kiyani by branding him as another American stooge -

understandings on nuclear coöperation benefitted from the increasingly close relationship between Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Kayani, his counterpart, although the C.I.A. and the Departments of Defense, State, and Energy have also been involved.

American scaremongerers like Seymour Hersh need to come out of the wonderland they are living in. Before talking about mutiny in the Pakistan army and trying to help secure our nukes you better pay attention to securing Fort Hood.

Clinton puzzled by Pakistan

Hillary Clinton is apparently puzzled that Pakistanis do not know the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leadership. According to Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's said on Thursday it was "hard to believe" that no one in Pakistan's government knew where al Qaeda leaders were hiding, striking a new tone on a trip where Washington's credibility has come under attack.

I am puzzled that US almighty who can spot drops of water on planet Mars can not pick out the most famous bearded face on earth from a bunch of Pathans from North West Pakistan - if he is really there alive and kicking. With the technological advances that help a lowly operator sitting in a remote CIA building in US wreck havoc on a far off village in Pakistan using unmanned drones, with the Blackwater operatives and other mercenaries active on the ground and with 24/7 monitoring of Pakistan through satellites, the US has been unable to seek and destroy those for whom Mrs Clinton is admonishing Pakistan in failing to apprehend.

I am not for a moment denying that Pakistan have a massive problem to deal with on the Afghan borders but US attempts to bully Pakistan into focussing only on the western borders is as foolish as was the US departure from the region after having internationalised the Afghan Jihad. Problem in Pakistan is no more restricted to Taliban (a very loose term by all accounts) in the West any more. Tentacles of religion based terrorism are now spread into moderate Punjab and are at at risk of becoming unmanageable.

While the number of ordinary Pakistanis killed during the last month crossing the 300 mark Secretary of State could not find a formal link between Indian role in flaming insurgency in Baluchistan and RAW's hand in arming terrorism in NWFP but she also couldn't use her pressure to keep the buffoons like the Indian Defence Minister from adopting threatening postures.

I agree that current Pakistani establishment needs political pressure to keep up with the battle with Taliban. But US needs to realise that Taliban are only once piece of the Jigsaw if a long term and decisive victory against terrorism is to be achieved.

NRO - the new swear word in Pakistani politics

Steal (on a grand scale) and you will be protected by the law. That is the message Pakistani Parliament is about to send to crooks in waiting. A Parliamentary committee has approved to submit the NRO to the Parliament for its approval.

NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance promulgated by General Musharraf before he committed political suicide) is now an established swear word in Pakistani politics. To secure his own political future the General granted a presidential amnesty from prosecution to all who had looted Pakistani exchequer on an incomparable scale - prime beneficiary of this ordinance was our sitting President Zardari.

President and majority of his allies who were direct beneficiaries of this amnesty have always claimed innocence and that all charges against them (including those that stood in the Swiss and other overseas courts) were politically motivated and that he could not expect justice when his political foes were in power and the judiciary under their control. That is not the case any more!!! He hold the most powerful political office in the country and the judiciary for all intent and purpose is independent. What stops him from getting his name cleared through the legal process - or is it that the Judiciary is independent and he can't take the risk.

To help all wannabe crooks in the world who can in any way influence their governments I am copying below the full text of the National Reconciliation Ordinance from Pakistan for them to use as a template to get state protection for plundering and looting and getting away with it. Please remember to add General Musharraf to your Christmas cards list to thank him for this handy piece of work. You don't need to do that for President Zardari and his political allies because they would have stolen the Christmas cake baked by your granny and eaten it by the time you know it and wouldn't be able to do anything because they are protected by the NRO.

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION ORDINANCE
October 5, 2007

"AN ORDINANCE to promote national reconciliation

WHEREAS it is expedient to promote national reconciliation, foster mutual trust and confidence amongst holders of public office and remove the vestiges of political vendetta and victimisation, to make the election process more transparent and to amend certain laws for that purpose and for matters connected therewith and ancillary thereto:

AND WHEREAS the National Assembly is not in session and the president is satisfied that circumstances exist, which render it necessary to take immediate action;

NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article (89) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president is pleased to make and promulgate the following Ordinance:

1. Short title and commencement.

(1) This ordinance may be called the National Reconciliation Ordinance, 2007

(2) It shall come into force at once.

2. Amendment of section 494, Act V of 1898.

In the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (Act V of 1898), section 494 shall be renumbered as sub-section (1) thereof and after sub-section (1) renumbered as aforesaid, the following sub-section (2) and (3) shall be added, namely:

"(2) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in sub-section(1), the federal government or a provincial government may, before the judgment is pronounced by a trial court, withdraw from the prosecution of any person including an absconding accused who is found to be falsely involved for political reasons or through political victimization in any case initiated between 1st day of January, 1986 to 12th day of October, 1999 and upon such withdrawal clause (a) and clause (b) of sub-section (1) shall apply.

(3) For the purposes of exercise of powers under sub-section (2) the federal government and the provincial government may each constitute a review board to review the entire record of the case and furnish recommendations as to their withdrawal or otherwise.

(4) The review board in case of Federal Government shall be headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court with Attorney-General and Federal Law Secretary as its members and in case of Provincial Government it shall be headed by a retired judge of the high court with Advocate-General and/or Prosecutor-General and Provincial Law Secretary as its members.

(5) A review board undertaking review of a case may direct the public prosecutor or any other authority concerned to furnish to it the record of the case."

3. Amendment of section 39, Act LXXXV of 1976.- (1) In the Representation of the People Act, 1976 (LXXXV of 1976), in section 39, after sub-section (6), the following new sub-section (7) shall be added, namely:

"(7) After consolidation of results the Returning Officer shall give to such contesting candidates and their election agents as are present during the consolidation proceedings, a copy of the result of the count notified to the commission immediately against proper receipt and shall also post a copy thereof to the other candidates and election agents".

4. Amendment of section 18, Ordinance XVIII of 1999.

In the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (XVIII of 1999), hereinafter referred to as the said Ordinance, in section 18, in clause (e), for the full stop at the end a colon shall be substituted and thereafter the following proviso shall be added, namely:

"Provided that no sitting member of Parliament or a Provincial Assembly shall be arrested without taking into consideration the recommendations of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics referred to in clause (aa) or Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics referred to in clause (aaa) of section 24, respectively."

5. Amendment of section 24, Ordinance XVIII of 1999.

In the said ordinance, in section 24, (i) in clause (a) for the full stop at the end a colon shall be substituted and thereafter the following proviso shall be inserted, namely.

"Provided that no sitting member of Parliament or a Provincial Assembly shall be arrested without taking into consideration the recommendations of Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics or Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics referred to in clause (aa) and (aaa), respectively, before which the entire material and evidence shall be placed by the chairman, NAB."; and (ii) after clause (a), amended as aforesaid, the following new clauses (aa) and (aaa) shall be inserted, namely;

(aa) The Special Parliamentary Committee on Ethics referred to in the proviso to clause (a) above shall consist of a chairman who shall be a member of either House of Parliament and eight members each from the National Assembly and Senate to be selected by the Speaker, National Assembly and Chairman Senate, respectively, on the recommendations of Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition of their respective houses, with equal representation from both sides.

(aaa) The Special Committee of the Provincial Assembly on Ethics shall consist of a chairman and eight members to be selected by the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly on the recommendation of Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition, with equal representation from both sides."

6. Amendment of section 31A, Ordinance XVIII of 1999.

In the said Ordinance, in section 31A, in clause (a), for the full stop at the end a colon shall be substituted and thereafter the following new clause (aa) shall be inserted, namely:

"(aa) An order or judgement passed by the Court in absentia against an accused is void ab initio and shall not be acted upon."

7. Insertion of new section, Ordinance, XVIII of 1999.

In the said Ordinance, after section 33, the following new section shall be inserted, namely:

"33A. Withdrawal and termination of prolonged pending proceedings initiated prior to 12th October, 1999.

(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Ordinance or any other law for the time being in force, proceedings under investigation or pending in any court including a high court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan initiated by or on a reference by the National Accountability Bureau inside or outside Pakistan, including proceedings continued under section 33, requests for mutual assistance and civil party to proceedings initiated by the Federal Government before the 12th day of October, 1999 against holders of public office stand withdrawn and terminated with immediate effect and such holders of public office shall also not be liable to any action in future as well under this Ordinance for acts having been done in good faith before the said date;

Provided that those proceedings shall not be withdrawn and terminated which relate to cases registered in connection with the cooperative societies and other financial and investment companies or in which no appeal, revision or constitutional petition has been filed against final judgement and order of the Court or in which an appellate or revisional order or an order in constitutional petition has become final or in which voluntary return or plea bargain has been accepted by the Chairman, National Accountability Bureau under section 25 or recommendations of the Conciliation Committee have been accepted by the Governor, State bank of Pakistan under section 25A.

(2) No action or claim by way of suit, prosecution, complaint or other civil or criminal proceeding shall lie against the Federal, Provincial or Local Government, the National Accountability Bureau or any of their officers and functionaries for any act or thing done or intended to be done in good faith pursuant to the withdrawal and termination of cases under sub-section (1) unless they have deliberately misused authority in violation of law."

Kerry Lugar Bill - II: Failure of Pakistan's foreign policy

It is not a bill any more - it has now been signed into a law by president Obama thus opening doors to tripling of non-military aid to Pakistan to about $7.5 billion over the next five years. In my last blog post I provided the full text of the bill with a view that any commentary on the bill (now a law) should be based on facts not assumptions.

Though the US government would like Pakistanis to believe that by approving this new law “President Obama wanted to engage Pakistan on the basis of a strategic partnership ‘grounded in support for Pakistan’s democratic institutions and the Pakistani people’ “ much of mainstream Pakistani media and most of the political opposition has been having fits of anger over the alleged transgression into Pakistani sovereignty by the American congress. Pakistan Army broke protocol by going public in its opposition to the bill. While the Pakistani government is at pains to describe it as an unprecedented political achievement, ordinary people are as clueless about what's going on as George Bush was during his entire presidency. They are all wrong in one way or the other and here is why.

Let us have look at what the bill is all about. Kerry Lugar Bill or Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 is now a law under which the Congress has authorised the American president to provide non-military aid to Pakistan to support:

• strengthening of civilian democratic institutions
• expansion of rule of law through capacity building and bringing in transparency
• sustainable economic development and freedom
• investment in people especially women and children
• combating militancy through public diplomacy

Security aid to Pakistan is to be provided to:

• fight and win counterinsurgency within Pakistani borders
• stop Pakistani territory from being used as a base or conduit for terrorist attacks
• promote control of military institutions by a democratically elected civilian government

Pakistan can have this aid if the US president certifies that:

• Pakistan continues to cooperate with the US in efforts to curb unauthorised sale/distribution of nuclear weapons/information (including providing direct access to Pakistani nationals associated/involved in proliferation networks)
• The Government of Pakistan remains committed to the fight against terrorism
• The government, including the military and intelligence agencies, are ceasing support to terrorists/militants operating in Afghanistan or ‘against the territory or people of neighbouring countries’
• The Government of Pakistan is preventing terrorist groups from carrying out cross-border attacks, is dismantling terrorists’ bases in the country, and strengthening counter-terrorism and anti-money-laundering laws
• The security forces of Pakistan are not materially and substantially subverting the political or judicial process in the country

On face value this is a US law that has no direct bearing on the state of Pakistan. Pakistan government can choose to decline any aid from the US that requires it to meet the stringent demands that the law imposes. But lets be pragmatic - beggars can’t be choosers – if Pakistan government wants US aid it will have to comply with the conditions that the US congress in return for the aid provided.

No sane person in Pakistan or abroad will disagree with any of the objectives set out in the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act. All the conditions attached are on the wish list of every patriot Pakistani and we would like these to be implemented in Pakistan as a part of change that is essentially needed. So what is the source of discontent, then!

Pakistan army is unhappy that the law requires the aid to be used to “promote control of military institutions by a democratically elected civilian government”. It asks the US Secretary of State to certify that “the security forces of Pakistan are not materially and substantially subverting the political or judicial processes of Pakistan”. Material and substantial subversion of political set up by military might be considered as their birth right by some generals in the Pakistan army but they wouldn’t like the Americans to be putting this on record and so bluntly.

What’s even more humiliating, for Pakistan's security apparatus is that the law also requires the US Secretary of State to confirm that the Government of Pakistan has taken action to “ceasing support, including by any elements within the Pakistan military or its intelligence agency, to extremist and terrorist groups, particularly to any group that has conducted attacks against United States or coalition forces in Afghanistan, or against the territory or people of neighbouring countries” – thus directly implicating Pakistan army and intelligence agencies in acts of terrorism especially in India. This is where army has the support of the masses as well.

Right wing political opposition is unhappy at the bill because it has clearly been drafted with explicit input of the Indian lobby in US without any acknowledgement to Pakistan’s geo political interests. References to Muridke and Punjab as terrorist hubs, and formally asking the security agencies to "cease support" of terrorism highlights Indian influence on drafting of this bill and has served no other purpose than to irk a vast majority of ordinary Pakistanis.

Our erstwhile president and his minions are at pains to describe this as a democracy friendly law and a massive political achievement for the current government in Pakistan. If their pleasure is driven out of the clauses that appear to be supportive of the political establishment and against the military adventurism they better wake up. With every clause and condition, including those that stand out in support of civilian and political infrastructure, there is room provided to US president and Secretary of State to seek waiver from most of the clauses in the law if "the Secretary of State determines that is important to the national security interests of the United States to do so" – effectively meaning that the aid could continue to pour in even if there is another military takeover in Pakistan, for as long as it is in US interest.

I welcome the rigour, control, checks and balances that the law requires to ensure that the aid provided is spent on the areas that it is supposed to be used for. I believe that most of the content including civil military relationship is in line with the broader wishes of a common man in Pakistan. It would have benefited from slightly different drafting by an intelligent diplomat - which I do no think is the case currently. Language of certain clauses in the bill reminded me of an Urdu phrase "Bakri nay doodh diya woh bhi maingni bhara" literally meaning that the goat gave milk but dropped in it her faeces in the process.

The law is a significant coup for the Indian foreign office as they managed to make a US law serve the Indian agenda so blatantly. It is, however, a disgrace for Pakistan foreign office and failure of its foreign policy for letting the Indian foreign policy dictate its relations with US.

Pakistan has Laws, but not the Rule of Law

Closing line of the press release from Transparency International Pakistan announcing the publishing of results from 2009 National Corruption Perceptions Survey reads that "Pakistan has Laws, but not the Rule of Law". How apt!

On a positive note survey reveals today Judiciary appears to be the institution that has been able to repair its reputation compared to last year and has moved from the coveted position of 3rd most corrupt institution down to number seven. I believe that this is more to do with the high regard and esteem that general public gives to Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the continued trust that people have in his intentions and ability to change the judicial infrastructure for the better.

Judiciary are followed by the Media in enjoying public confidence in their ability to influence change. Movement by the civil society that lead to undignified departure of dictator General Musharraf, and subsequent reinstatement of judges sacked by him for defiance against tyranny would not have been successful if independent Media was not standing besides the civil society facing all sorts of oppression from the military and later civilian rulers.

Biggest loser and rightly so is the Health sector i.e. the medical profession in Pakistan who are now perceived to be the 3rd most corrupt sector behind only the Police and Power (the electricity people!!!).

Unsurprisingly “lack of Accountability, “Lack of transparency ” and abundance of “Discretionary Power” in all walks of life are considered be to the root causes of spread of corruption.

There are some interesting results as well. Looking at the global corruption barometer produced by Transparency International [map below] I found it interesting that our regional neighbours India rate the Political parties as the most corrupt institution but not according to us Pakistanis. We give this dubious honour to our civil servants and public officials - although if asked the question who is the most corrupt person in Pakistan the honour will still be bestowed upon one Mr. Asif Ali Zardari our erstwhile president.

That brings me to the UK MPs who have become household names because of their household claims. The expenses scandal has resulted in some interesting media coverage and ways of exposing "within the rules" corruption. One interesting representation of this scandal is the heat map of MP expenses produced by MSN. One glance at the map gives you an idea of the scale of gravy train that the MPs had in place for God knows how many years. Click on your constituency and you can look at the details of what your local MP has been claiming from you during 2007/08. Made me wonder if we were to produce a similar map for Pakistan our green traditionally green coloured map would turn red hot all over.

US is after Pakistani Shalwar

Two media headlines reminded me of the picture that I saw in the aftermath of Taliban terrorist attack on the Police Training Academy in Lahore. This was the image of an alleged terrorist arrested by security forces during the operation. Immediately after overpowering the suspect the security agents removed his Shalwar [traditional trousers worn in South Asia] so that the accused is then more worried about saving his dignity and trying to cover up rather then attempt an escape or continue to resist or fight.

The two headlines that reminded me of this picture were:

• US bill links military aid for Pakistan to provision of direct access to US investigators to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
• Pakistan agrees to sell part of its Kabul estate to UK
  

Looking into the details of these news stories both stand out as examples of diplomatic bullying at its worse and can only be successful when you have a nation in headlock with its Shalwar pulled down.

US has been trying to push for access to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of Pakistan's nuclear programme for quite sometime on the pretext that they would like to find out more about the network that was responsible for nuclear proliferation in the 1990s. Dr.Khan has been under house arrest for the last few years under American pressure. Had the rulers in Pakistan not been aware of the level of high esteem ordinary Pakistani people hold for Dr. Khan they might have relented a long time ago - even the all powerful dictator General Musharraf couldn't contemplate this. Now the American administration is attempting again, this time by linking the release of military and economic aid, which is primarily to fund the war against Taliban and Al Qaeda, to a financially weak political government.

On a smaller scale, for sometime now the UK foreign office has been bullying Pakistan foreign office into agreeing to selling to UK a prime Kabul property [which used to be Pakistan Embassy before an Afghan government orchestrated attack rendered it insecure] owned by Pakistan. When facing resistance from Pakistan the British High Commission had the cheek to react by saying that London would be ‘highly disappointed’. Apparently the British have now succeeded into getting their hands on this property.

Almost a century ago the national poet of Pakistan Allama Sir Muhammad Iqbal said in one of his poems "hay jurm e zaeefi ki saza marg e mafajat" literally meaning the penalty for the offence of weakness is unexpected undignified death. The message that sounds so pertinent now for Pakistan as a nation. Being a nuclear power and having one of the most well trained professional armies in the world it is not weak militarily perhaps, but definitely weak morally. with foreign and national policies with no roots among its people or democratic institutions, corruption at levels in the government and society and lack of good governance has brought the country to such a level of moral bankruptcy that international bullies are now able to corner us into agreeing to demands that no self respecting nation would ever agree to. I don't blame US, UK or for that matter India for trying to get what they consider to be best in their national political and diplomatic interest. I hold Pakistani leadership of last sixty years for bringing us to these cross roads. We have ourselves allowed US, UK and India to pull our Shalwar down.

Return of integrity in Pakistani politics: a ray of hope

History is being made in Pakistan this week by resignation of a member of National Assembly who was allegedly involved in cheating to get himself a Higher Secondary School Certificate qualification. According to latest media reports Haji Pervez, a Member of National Assembly (MNA) who had registered himself to take exams for HSSC qualification sent his young nephew to sit in the exams in his place. Fortunately the exams centre was raided by an inspection team who caught the proxy red handed. Apparently a group of political workers who were gathered outside the exams centre tried to coerce the inspection team into letting the culprit go but didn't succeed. Usual tactics of threatening the head of inspection team afterwards followed and did not succeed due to immediate media interest.

For the last week all eyes have been on leadership of Pakistan Muslim League PML(N), second largest political party in Pakistan which is also governing the province of Punjab, to take action against this MNA to prove the party's credentials as one that believes in fairness and justice. The party leadership has taken tough stance against the MNA and a committee of his peers in the National Assembly found him guilty of misconduct. Party leader Mian Nawaz Sharif asked the MNA to resign from his seat in the assembly.

The cheating episode had become a test case for political party's repute and it was under pressure to show no leniency even if the evidence was not strong enough to be upheld in a court of law. It is worth remembering that PML(N) has earlier taken a similar tough stance in case of the ex Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hamee Dogar demanding his resignation when it was found that his daughter was given undue favour in her HSSC exams. Though there was no concrete evidence of Chief Justice's direct involvement in the influencing of examination board he was unsuccessfully pressurised to resign on moral grounds. PML(N) took a similar stance demanding resignation from Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Bilal Khan on the basis of statements by a Mafia Don implicating the judge in Mafia activities - this case is still under review by the Judicial Review Commission.

Reaction of leadership of various political parties in response to similar scandals in recent past of fake degrees acquired by Babar Awan, a federal minister in People's Party government, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain, a federal minister under Musharraf government, and a few others has left the people of Pakistan thinking whether the political leadership at any level will ever show any itegrity when dealing with corruption from within. This weeks action by one political party against one of its own is sign perhaps that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Concerns about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal: case of international diplomatic bullying

So the Americans want to know the details and locations of Pakistan's nuclear installations and assets. why! Because they are concerned about the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal and infrastructure and worried that Taliban might steal one of the nukes.

Though they do not appear to accept the assurances from Pakistan government that the weapons are secure, apparently they trust the Pakistan Army and its capability to keep the nukes safe. President Obama said last week that he remained confident that keeping the country’s nuclear infrastructure secure was the top priority of Pakistan’s armed forces. Pakistan defence capabilities are managed by a National Security Council chaired by the President himself but the nuclear installations and the arsenal is under the control of the military under direct command of the Chief of Army Staff, General Kayani.

While Mr. Obama says “I’m confident that we can make sure that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is secure,”...“primarily, initially, because the Pakistani Army, I think, recognizes the hazards of those weapons falling into the wrong hands”, other members of his administration have been increasing the pressure on Pakistan's political leadership to divulge details of nuclear sites and where the weapons are secured. Pakistanis, rightly so, are not amenable to American requests for more details about the location and security of the country’s nuclear sites. There are concerns that the United States or its ally Israel encouraged by India might be tempted to seize or destroy Pakistan’s arsenal - they have reached very close to doing so at least three times over the last three decades. Only the threat of a full scale retaliation from Pakistan had kept them at bay.

According to US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton Pakistan's weapons “are widely dispersed in the country.” “There’s not a central location, as you know,” ... “They’ve adopted a policy of dispersing their nuclear weapons and facilities.” Taliban insurgency is focussed on North West of the country along borders with Afghanistan - so what's the problem.

I have heard enough crap around responsible governance and a commonly held western perception that only western democracies could be considered as responsible nations to hold the key to a nuclear Arsenal.

Over the last sixty years it is not Pakistan who has lost over 92 nukes across the world without a clue as to where they are. It is not Pakistan who has the dubious honour of using a nuke in a war and destroying living cities in the process.

My questions:

• Have the Americans offered similar details about American arsenal across the world to Pakistan in exchange!
• Why is Pakistan an exception - did the Americans or anyone else in the world ever asked Britain similar questions at the height of Irish insurgency or Israel at the height of Palestinian movement.

Obvious answer is that this is a case of international diplomatic bullying aimed at the political leadership in Pakistan. America knows that democratic government in Pakistan might be politically week and the army might be dealing with the US created Taliban phenomenon but there is no issue of lack of responsibility that comes with being a nuclear armed nation.

Can a leopard change its spots!

Nawabzada Talal Bugti's recent allegations about corruption at the highest level in Pakistan's government brings back painful memories of last two People's Party lead governments in Pakistan.

Speed of Asif Ali Zardari's ascent to the highest office in Pakistan surprised a vast majority Pakistanis and, perhaps, him as well. His presidency is one of the biggest improbabilities in Pakistani politics - all credit to democracy. A man who was incarcerated for a number of years without due judicial process in Pakistan, convicted on corruption charges in Switzerland, and whose only claims to fame outside his home town were being married to Benazir Bhutto and for being known as the most corrupt political person in the short and chequered history of Pakistani politics. He was held responsible for the premature fall of Benazir Bhutto's government twice and had the dubious honour of getting himself promoted from the notoriety of being known as Mr. Ten Percent (kick backs to the tune of 10% on every contract awarded by the government) in her first term of office to Mr. Cent Percent in her second term in office. Right up to Benazir Bhutto's assassination he was considered to be a political liability for the Pakistan People's Party.

It turned out that years of political persecution had taught him a thing or two about Pakistani politics. His masterful handling of the political situation after Benazir's death presenting himself as a unifying interim national leader, seeking political alliances with sworn enemies, bringing down Musharraf's dictatorship and finally manoeuvring his way in the presidency was the pinnacle of his political career. I myself am among those people who have believed that to let the fledgling democracy in Pakistan the process should be allowed to run even if it means some of Zaradri's reputation to become the head of the state.

He has, however, not been able to (nor has he tried to) clear his name from the charges of being a dangerously corrupt person. National Reconciliation Ordinance promulgated by Musharraf regime that gave a blanket amnesty to Zardari and his cronies against any judicial process is still in place. There is a general belief in Pakistan that one reason donors and friendly governments have hesitated from providing any economic aid to Pakistan is primarily due to doubts about the moral integrity of president Zardari himself.

Background to Talal Bugti's allegations is as follows: Bugti family in the province of Baluchistan owns the land where some of Pakistan's gas fields are situated. Under an agreement with the government of Pakistan, Nawab Akbar Bugti’s family are supposed to get Rs 360 million every year royalties against 4,500 acres of land given to the Oil and Gas Development Corporation of Pakistan. According to Mr. Bugti the government of Pakistan owes his family 2.16 billion rupees. Bugti Family has not been paid these royalties for the last six years as a pressure ploy by the federal government because it blames them for aiding and abetting the ongoing insurgency in the Baluchistan province.

Nawabzada Talal Bugti alleges that he was approached by an assistant of the Minister of Interior, Rehman Malik (a Zardari henchman from his Mr. Ten Percent years) contacted him with a message from his "bosses" that “They are willing to pay me the outstanding dues (of about one billion rupees) but only after getting half of it either in advance or shortly following the release of the pending payment to my family. There is a chain from the president down to the governor and Rehman Malik who want to distribute the amount among themselves. Certainly, they will eat up Rs. 500 million.”

Mr. Bugti made these allegations in front of the national media a few days ago and there has been no denial from President Zardari himself and no intention of a public enquiry from the Prime Minister's office. General view among the public is that a leopard cannot change it spots and it was only a matter of time before the stories of current rampant corruption among the ministers of People's Party lead federal and provincial governments were going to lead right to the office of the President.

Since the restoration of independent judges lead by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry the judiciary has once again begun to take suo moto notice of violations of human rights and conduct of the government officials. Due to obvious reasons CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry would like to stay away from any course of action against President Zardari that can be construed as revenge or politically motivated. I wait to see that whether Prime Minister Gilani will show courage and take action to investigate Mr. Bugti's allegation and address the issue of corruption at the very heart of the government.

Pakistani poets in struggle for democracy

I have been planning to write about the importance of literature in general and poetry in specific in highlighting a nation's state of mind at a particular stage in its history. A friend at the British Council (Anwar Ahmad) beat me to this by sharing the following message which unfortunately my readers who cannot read Urdu will not be able to appreciate fully - apologies for that. Anwar wrote:

"piece of good news coming from Pakistan - which is likely to go unnoticed largely - is that finally the government has decided to award posthumously the highest civil award to a man of letters, no less than Habib Jaalib. Jaalib, who belonged to a, [economically] lower class family, fought all his life for civil liberties, democracy and the people of his country. He would have been a great romantic poet had he not devoted himself to writing 'revolutionary poems'. When he started writing poetry, his famous ghazal was much appreciated by the critics and readers alike. The first bait [verse] was:

Is shehr-e-kharabi mein gham-e-ishq ke mare

Zinda hain yehi baat bari baat hai pyare

But as a true revolutionary, he suffered a lot. His family often did not have any resources to lean back upon while he was in jail. When he wrote his famous poem, Dastoor, on the 1962 constitution, Ayub administration did not tolerate it. And only someone like Jaalib could be so indiscrete:

When we think about the [recent] restoration of judiciary, we should not forget many people who fought for this cause in the most hostile conditions in the absence of any media on their back. And how can one forget his great poem when [military dictator General] Zia's Martial Law administration was trying to silence every voice which did not endorse his philosophy. Jaalib was beaten up on the Lahore's Regal Chowk. A police officer kicked him [repeatedly], on writing against Zia. And what a beauty the poem was. Who says that propaganda can not be artistic:
His widow refused the government grant when it was offered after his death. PPP applauded him when it was in opposition but in government it was hardly any different to him. He and his family lived a difficult life. I end the message with his ghazal which describes his ideology in his own words:

Pakistan's sports in exile

There is some political calm in Pakistan after the unecessary chaos and civil strife created by president Zardari's political adventurism in Punjab and his desire not to abide by the desires of the civil society in Pakistan to re-establish the judicial superiority over dictatorial power setup. With the return of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the political activists back in their drawing rooms one can now focus on the future, or lack of it, of sports in Pakistan.

Recent attacks on Sri Lankan cricket team have highlighted the fragility of security situation in Pakistan in specific and the Indian subcontinent in general. Face of terrorism has changed since the cowardly attacks in Islamabad, Mumbai and Lahore. New methods adapted by well trained terrorists have made it easier for them to strike any where with deadly effect. Though the immediate impact of attacks in Lahore is on future of all kinds of sports in Pakistan but in reality the face of sports across the world will change. The day attacks happened in Lahore reverbrations of Munich Olympics were felt again. Football world cup in South Africa and London Olympics, though years away, will not be the same now. Terrorism is striking at the heart of sports, what has been and could be the best tool for international cultural relations. At a time when the world should be standing united to tackle this international menace, there are those who are trying to make Pakistan an international sporting pariah - another example of collective punishment being inflicted on a nation for the crimes of a few stateless and mindless criminals. Reminders of Gaza - anyone! but on a different scale.

Matters have been made worse for any kind of international sports in Pakistan. Most of the immediate impact has been felt by cricket fans of Pakistan. Visit by Sri Lankan team was expected to revive the confidence in security situation in Pakistan but ended up destroying it completely. Australia, New Zealand, and Indian cricket teams have refused to travel to Pakistan over the last two years. Any hopes for an international team visiting the country for at least next five years are completely gone.

It is not only cricket, though, that has suffered due to security concerns. Hockey, the second most popular sport has also faced the same situation. Champions Trophy in 2007 was moved away from Pakistan due to similar concerns. Foreign sports people of all backgrounds are refusing to travel to Pakistan. Pakistan Football Association couldn't recruit a Hungarian as a national coach because he refused to work in Pakistan in worsening security situation.

With cricket, at least, there is some hope that Pakistan can choose to play in UAE and England as home grounds. Large cricket loving expatriat populations in these places provide an ideal alternative to home crowds and grounds. This is provided that out of any mis-founded partriotism the decision makers in Pakistan's cricket establishment do not carry on trying to make a case for foreign teams to visit Pakistan - a highly improbable scenario. Note that Bangaladesh cancelled a visit by Pakistan cricket team to Bangladesh out of security concerns. Pakistan's priority should be to make sure that Pakistani sports people do not fall behind in opportunities to compete at international level even if it means more international travel and no international competition at home. While doing this it is vital to focus on revisit and develop local sports infrastructure - perhaps its time for government to bury the hatchet and ask for Imran Khan's help.

Welcome back! People's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry

I wrote this post sitting on a Train heading towards London. Sun is shining and sky is bright bringing hope for a beautiful day – the way it has been for Pakistan since yesterday since the government finally decided to cave in to pressure from the civil society and bring back one person who for over two years have come to symbolise hope in Pakistan – Iftikhar Chaudhry, deposed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan – now People’s Chief Justice.

CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry carries a heavy burden on his shoulders – burden of hopes of a nation that is: scarred by rape of its democratic and human rights by military dictators; pillaged by religious fanatics born out of US sponsored holy war against Russia in Afghanistan who were then raised and nurtured by another military dictator in Pakistan seeking moral and political legitimacy; and let down by the heirs to a democratic legacy - the current government of Pakistan.

His return should be credited to the long struggle undertaken by civil society, the lawyers movement and the Media who took the brunt of civilian dictatorship in the making. But it should also not be forgotten that the political ineptness of the current government, that resulted in the political chaos in Punjab and in return pushing the second biggest political party in Pakistan to throw its political might and street muscle behind the Lawyers, is to be credited for this success.

For a change I would like to give credit to the current army leadership as well who despite a golden opportunity handed over to them by the circumstances created by the politicians not only abstained from political adventurism but used its muscle to bring the political stalemate to an end. Last two weeks proved that, unlike popular perception, simply instructions from our lords and masters in Washington DC are not enough to bring the political elite in Pakistan to their senses. Helpful cajoling from the military brass did the trick – not a day of pride for political institutions.

CJ Chaudhry is no Messiah who will return on 21st March 2009 and will solve all the nation’s problems overnight. But he surely can begin the long process of healing the sore of “might is right” that has festered in our society for the last sixty years of our existence. Through the strength of his character, he has shown that one man can take a principled stand against the might of a military (or civilian) dictatorship.

He will need to draw deeper on the power of his beliefs to fulfil the task that lies ahead of him – that is to bring respect and dignity back to a judiciary dealing with an identity crisis by beginning a clean up of the rot that it has brought upon itself by being the creator of “doctrine of necessity” to support “might is right”. He has been elevated to be a symbol of integrity and “what could be” of our judicial system. His immediate task is to work towards making sure that only honest and competent wear the robe that delivers justice, and those with vice and incompetence are never able to enter the august ranks of judiciary. There are those in superior judiciary whose name is tainted by allegations of high level links with criminals and mafia – those should be investigated and kicked out or their names cleared.

And there is the matter of National Reconciliation Ordinance and blanket indemnity enjoyed by past and current rulers. If they were innocent there name should be cleared through a swift and thorough judicial process or they be tried and punished through due process.

Finally, he will have to be cautious as there are pitfalls waiting and those who would like see him fall and fail.

Pakistan - Is Zardari attempting political suicide!

Confession time! 25th March last year I was a wee bit emotional watching Bilawal Zardari shedding tears sitting in the guests gallery of the National Assembly of Pakistan watching the first post Musharraf democratically elected government take oath. I nodded in agreement when he repeated his mother's statement that "democracy is the best revenge".

Like many of my friends I rejoiced when Yousuf Raza Gilani anounced, as his first act as Prime Minister, releasing the deposed judiciary from house arrests. I was happier when, biggest improbability happened and a coalition government of two arch political enemies Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League (N) took oath of office in my home province Punjab.

On 09 September last year I was trying to bury my earlier prejudices watching Asif Ali Zardari take oath of office as president. I belong to a generation of Pakistanis that grew up hearing stories (some proven true in overseas courts of law, and some possibly untrue) of corruption by Asif Ali Zardari and his elevation on corruption index from Mr. Ten Percent in PPP's first term in office to Mr. Cent Percent in its second term. I for one honestly tried to put all of my earlier feelings and prejudices about him aside in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's untimely death and saw him portraying himself as a mature political leader of national stature the day he shouted "Pakistan Khappay" (Sindhi word literally meaning "Pakistan needed") in response to anti Pakistan slogans at Benazir's funeral, and later entering into discussions for political reconciliation and working with long term political foes to form governments of national unity all across the country. His past "sins" were being forgotten and forgiven by most and his popularity at an all time high across the political scene.

I am a strong believer that the worst democracy is preferable over the best dictatorship. Given due time, democratic and civilian institutions can develop and mature, and most problems that are endemic in Pakistan's political infrastructure can disappear - if we just don't let another power hungry military dictator come forth again.

There has been a reasonably large number of Pakistani friends who kept reminding hopeless romantics like me that a leopard doesn't change its spots. Zaradari's innate nature will soon come out to haunt the nation fairly soon. If I am to draw any conclusions from news from Pakistan over the last few weeks it is strikingly obvious that those who doubted his intentions, his credentials as a democrat and his mental health to be a national leader were apparently right. Any positive illusions I and millions of common Pakistanis had about his leadership are fast dissipating.

Zadari lays claim to being the heir to Bhuttoism which was an ideology and a symbol of empowerment for the dispossessed. Since coming to power he has systematically disenfranchised those among party and political leadership who beleived in the Bhutto legacy. Personal loyalty has and is being rewarded over competence - see no further than the Federal Minister of Interior and the newly installed Chairman of Senate.

In less then a year creator of slogans like "Pakistan Khappay" is now known more for his statements like "agreements... are not holy like the holy Quran and the Hadith and can be modified if circumstances change". Hearing this many Baloch tribal elders would have turned in their grave - Zardari being from a Baloch tribe.

Compared to political and governance situation under Musharraf in 2007 we appear to have come full circle with only the face changing at the top of the government:

• One of the main reasons for civic society standing up against Musharraf was his unashamed contempt for independent judiciary and sacking of 60 judges inclusing the Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan. Zardari is following in his footsteps by refusing to bring back the independent judges (one of the election promises by Benazir Bhutto) sacked by Musharraf and recruiting to the judiciary equally unashamedly a cohort of his cronies.
• Law and order situation is as bad, if not worse than it was in 2007. Terrorists have proven that they can strike any where in Pakistan, with complete success and then walk away without taking a single hit.
  
• Curbs on an independent media are as stringent as they were in Musharraf's times. Once again Pakistani independent television network GEO is banned to transmit in Pakistan as a punishment for airing anti-government views.
• Crackdown on political opposition is as harsh as ever with the only difference that Nawaz Sharif has not been sent in exile to Saudi Arabia.
  

We have been here a number of times in the past. If the nation was not reeling from the pain of Musharraf's regime and Army has not been so severely discredited for failing to curb Taliban insurgency in the North and North West of the country, Jamat-e-Islami would have been writing letters to the Generals to come and rescue the country from inept political leadership.

A positive development yesterday was resignation of the Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman protesting the curbs on independent media. Dissent within the People's Party on inept governance is a good sign.

A vast majority of people of Pakistan (172 million of us) know with absolute clarity where the priorities of the government should be: (1) providing security to common people by combating politically and militarily, if the needed, the menace of terrorism emanating from Afghan borders; (2) working on bringing economic stability to an almost bankrupt economy, and; (3) political stability and strengthening of state institutions like judiciary.

People's party rode to electoral victory in the last elections on a wave of political sympathy emanating from death of Benazir Bhutto. It cannot afford another botched term in office because it does not have leadership of Benzair's stature whose sacrifice will bring it back to power again.

Return of "Lota" - Pakistan braces for resurgence of lotacracy

For my readers from outside Pakistan and those who are not aware of intricacies of Urdu language I would like to describe the term Lota which has a significance in Pakistani politics.

Defined by wikipedia Lota is an Urdu and Punjabi language word for a small, usually spherical water vessel of aluminium, brass, or copper used in parts of South Asia

It is commonly used to store or transfer small amounts of water. In the Indian sub-continent, where cleaning with water is the usual method for maintaining personal hygiene after defecation or urination, a lota with a spout is widely used as a container for this purpose. Due to the hygienic requirements of ritual ablution, or wudu and ghusl in Islam adhered to by many Muslims, the use of a Lota has become prevalent throughout the Muslim world, where it is considered to provide a more thorough cleaning than simply using toilet paper.

So what is the significance of a lota in Pakistani politics. The word "lota" and especially the phrase "Be-penday ka Lota" (literally a "lota without a base") is colloquially used in a derogatory manner to refer to a person who frequently switches loyalties. This is because a spherical lota without a base tends to roll over in unpredictable directions when kept on uneven ground.

The term "lotacracy" was coined in Pakistan to describe politicians who frequently switched parties.

Recent political turmoil in my home province Punjab as a result of removal of provincial government lead by Pakistan Muslim League (second largest political party in Pakistan) imposition of governor rule in the province, disqualification from holding political office and contesting election of Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif. All of this with an objective to impose a minority led government in the province with the help of political turncoats or the Lotas.

Pakistani politics has always been marred by horse trading after a ruling political set up is brought down using undemocratic means. Members of parliament sell their conscience in return for cash and material benefits and set up "Forward Blocs" that support the new set up. These forward blocs are always and without exception a group of Lotas who have named and got their price.

And the honour of being the first lota in the new post Musharraf democratic set up is bestowed upon a female member of provincial assembly Laila Muqaddas, whose father in law (a local politician) has sold her for allegedly 30 million rupees. He tried to run an auction between Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League with a starting bid of 20 million. Though shunned by Sharif brothers he was still able to get the bid from PPP increased to 30 million.

In Pakistani culture a lota is used for both ablution and wiping your rear end. A lota used for one purpose cannot be used for the other. But a political lota, whatever their claim, is never better than a used arse wipe. And we are about to see a resurgence of this dirty commodity over the coming days.