The Daily PakistanPolitics May 29-25, 2010

• May 29-2010--many now consider that excessive indirect taxation is suffocating the people in punjab where teh government plans another 20-25% indirect taxes without any reasons or development...since most of teh indirect taxes are paid by the punjab which is also being subjected to unfair electricity, gas and water supply cuts many suggest that a new IRSA type of organization be created to decide/divide teh countries gas, coal, water,taxes and electricity resources otherwise like water and electricity sindh will run away with teh iranian gas and all teh taxes too which teh punjab has to pay for eventually...sindhi run PPP government has not started any development schemes in teh punjab in 2-1/2 years and many say they are diverting funds to karachi and sindh like teh army led government and to overseas accounts of a dubious nature...there is no sign of any development with a budget said tobe over 2.5 trillion and this year they want even more ie 2.7 trillion...for what many are starting to ask...Rawalpindi has seen the worst ever load shedding of upto twelve hours daily and this government still says they are trying to solve teh electricity problem..?
  
• May 29-2010--five die in fireworks explosion in lahore
  
• May 29-2010--8 militants killed in drone attack in south waziristan...as 23 militants killed in air attacks in orakzai
  
• May 29-2010--The frightened PPP regime has no defense for its illegal amendments to the 1973 constitution and teh judges could strike down several provisions which were not in the 1973 constitution or are anti democratic..the government wants a greater say in judges appointments and other amendments are seen as appeasement for anti pakistan regional allies...the government had no mandate for a wholesale revision of the constitution...
  
• May 29-2010--Nwfp prisons minister resigns after involvement in a womens abduction
  
• May 29-2010--4 policemen killed in quetta as gunmen fire on their vehicle
  
• May 29-2010--reports of 93 dead in two terrorist attacks in lahore on ahmedi centers in garhi shahu and model town.. both well known areas...a bomb blast in model town while firing, hand grenades and suicide bombs used in garhi shahu...a LHC retired judge involved in benazirs cases, his deputy, lahore head of the ahmedis,a retired lt. general and a wapda deputy director amongst those killed..Ahmedis claim their own prophet and are considered a breakaway unislamic faction and have been severely restricted since the anti ahmediyya movement of teh seventies..generally muslims consider prohethood too have ended with muhammed(pbuh)...ahmedis were declared non muslims to settle a religious uprising in teh seventies...considered wealthy with some sort of welfare system ahmedis are known to work as an organization and have held considerable influence in teh army and beaurocracy..usually get appointments when other sects and ethnic groups refuse to accept each other...coming on the heels of a bad assessment of teh government by Dr AQ Khan.. many now wonder whether there is any difference between teh suppressive murderous army rule, taleban terrorism and the economic suffocation of the people by teh PPP...
  
• May28-2020--Obama scraps Bush terrorism doctrine and suggests that the top 20 nations should form the new G8...the failure of the use of unilateral force and preemptive strikes have caused a rethink of teh bomb first and talk later strategies of the USA which probably still fears a Pearl harbour or a 9/11
  
• May28-2020--while the US has continuously aligned itself with anti islam or non islam groups it still insists that it is not at war with islamic nations
  
• May28-2020--Punjab PPP president resigns after losing provincial seat election as balochistan PPP also dissolved as the raisani brothers seem unable to move things forward
  
• May28-2020--39 militants killed in Orakzai
  
• May27-2020--Government suggests that VAT is simply a renaming of the sales tax..broadening of the tax base is just a euphemism for increasing taxes as all taxes are collected from teh consumer...teh government should consider that it is just working for creating more problems for the people as all its taxes are collected from one source only that is teh consumer as everyone just passes the buck...many suggest that the VAT on services will just make things even more expensive for the people...teh government should ensure that the industrialist and service provider donot pass teh tax on to the consumer otherwise there is just no end to the governments incremental taxation...many also suggest that with so much documentation government should be immediately asked to stop withholding taxes and advanced taxes...the government should also start to distribute indirect taxes on teh bases of population in matters of spending...as apart from karachi no other area is getting any federal spending
  
• May26-2010--Baber Awan appears in the SC and tells it that most of its instructions on the NRO judgement have been followed and that teh court seems to lack any knowledge of the swiss cases...the government has no knowledge of any specific amount..there is no court decision against Asif Zardari regards corruption or money laundering and the swiss courts have already rejected teh case..says an attorney general initiated teh investigation and another ended it...many suggest that teh court is knowingly supporting corrupt practices initiated by teh previous regime and NAB which has spent over Rs622 million on teh supposed case...court gives Awan another three weeks for a detailed response...
  
• May26-2020--13 militants killed in Orakzai
  
• May26-2020--SC upholds LHC decision to release hafiz saeed who has been held in prison to appease the indians
• May26-2020--while other countries are successfully appointing multiple cricket captains, utilizing multiple set of bowlers and wicketkeeprs the PCB appoints the retired shahid afridi as captain to all three formats...PCB also starts backing down on the inefficient senior players that it had banned and fined..pakistans seniors including afridi have failed repeatedly in recent times...afridi says he will not allow politics which has been a difficult thing to stop as players get out, drop catches, field terribly without anybody able to cast aspersions...the PCB has to ensure that players whether they be kamran akmal or Younis Khan donot play badly deliberately since nobody can question them or drop them from the team...kamran akmals case has been almost documented as he is visible...
  
• May25-2020--The court apparently mocked the parliamentarians(generally uneducated types) expertise when it sought the record of teh discussions in teh NA on the 18th amendment..suggesting that it wanted to study their wisdom...
• May25-2020--another educationist gunned down in Hub
• May25-2020--punjab gives Rs100 million to the hunza lake affectees while the primeminister dithers...
• May25-2020--LHC moved on blue eyed Ali Raza being appointed for a fourth consecutive three year term as NBP president and increasing his own salary to Rs600000...pakistan must seriously lack banking expertise if it cannot find a replacement
  
• May 25-2010--the controversy on army promotions...while the PPP regime is giving extensions left right and center it is essential that the top positions of the army are not considered tobe blocked for promotion purposes...if kayani and pasha are so important personally they can be moved into slots on the civilian side either created for them or form a sort of retired/advisory national security apparatus...or the PPP can induct them into the senate like the tarins and hafeez's...either one of them can be appointed ambassador to the USA or a coordinator for national security or a regional security coordinator for india and afghanistan...the PPP regime seems frightened to appoint another general/Lt General who might not be so cooperative both at teh ISI and COAS positions...others say that the general is interested in being promoted as field marshal since he has experience of handling politicos as well as the taleban, teh ISI, afghans and some say even teh indians and of course our numerous Lt generals and the americans...curiously it seems that Gilani and Zardari would prefer the easy going general to stay on while teh defence minister probably has been studying other up coming Lt Generals for teh position(since there is no known gilani or sindhi Lt.general)...in any case a new general as army chief could really bring some real change to the musharaf created status quo and who might possibly be more friendly to the people than kiani and pasha are...another option is to bring in Kiani as the primeminister since he is considerably less troublesome/controversial than the current army agent...