The Daily PakistanPolitics Feb 16--29, 2012

• Feb29-2012--In contempt case Aitezaz Ahsan to plead that Gilani is almost an idiot and can hardly be expected to disobey a secretary of teh law minister but refuses to obey secretary defence...Governments blue eyed Nargis Sethi to testify on Gilani's behalf...recently appointed administrator Islamabad club and defence secretary...?
  
• Feb29-2012--MI and ISI tell SC that we cannot turn our eyes away from our responsibilities to contain terrorism and rebellious acts...ISI chief possibly on his way to bahawalpur after being replaced as he could not stop government from being ridiculed day in and day out..DG MI probably moving to ISI top spot...as Rafik Butt named to takeover PAF after Rao Qamar retires who turned bombardments under the cover of drone attacks into a speciality...?Apparently present airforce chief also wants a five year extension as does pasha...both threatening to tell all on Gilani's approval of drone attacks...!!...and teh Ossama attack...!!
  
• Feb29-2012--sixteen killed in kohistan attack on a bus...possibly sectarian...or might be military killing terrorists returning home..?
  
• Feb28-2012--Gas pipeline blows up at Pirkoh as another missing baloch returns...raisani says secession not viable as in tribal areas there is no interference and sardars apparently kill opponents in their areas...meaning that balochistan would quickly breakup or descend into civil war chaos which is something near abouts teh present situation...one aspect is that teh sardars and nawabs get together and reach a solution to their powers inside a tribal area and when teh government should intervene...!
  
• Feb28-2012--Blast at ANP meeting kills five in nowshera
  
• Feb27-2012--five killed in Tirah air strikes
  
• Feb27-2012--four security man killed in south waziristan in roadside bomb blast
  
• Feb26-2012--PPP survives bye election as PMLn picks up two PPP seats in north-central punjab while PPP defends itself in south punjab and sindh...ANP survives in Mardan as JUI shows it has gained some strength..many suggest that teh imran surge has caused PMLn to support teh PPP again...it would have been interesting if the PTI had contested on three or four seats although it was indirectly involved in some...In Badin teh PPP leadership ate humble pie and contested thru teh son of zulfikar mirza...The PPP is becoming extremely feudal as it only brings on a son, wife,daughter or sister...they are usually unable to find a new candidate...
  
• Feb26-2012--PPP regime destroys ben laden compound in the dead of teh night which had become a star attraction of abbottabad...The area residents were told to stay away
  
• Feb26-2012--drone crashes in north waziristan
  
• Feb26-2012--four missing persons return in balochistan
  
• Feb26-2012--fourteen blasts rock sindh railway lines as a sindhudesh liberation army emerges
  
• Feb26-2012--Gilani who is becoming almost a US stooge said he never closed teh air corridor to afghanistan
  
• Feb26-2012--two gas pipelines in sui and pirkoh blownup
  
• Feb26-2012--four killed by a mortar shell in Bara
  
• Feb26-2012--PTI jolds huge rally in Umerkot
  
• Feb25-2012--two ANP men shot dead in karachi
  
• Feb25-2012--three suicide bombers blowup in peshawar police station killing four
  
• Feb25-2012--the Baloch have to realize that is teh extent to which teh PPP can go even though they hav'nt even started arranging jobs for teh baloch...many suggest that the baloch have to realize that negotiations can only be on economic issues and how to handle things...baloch nationalists reject teh PPP attempt although there is no word from the gringos...The law and order situation whatever it is..largely depends on teh baloch government...without any real police governments have nobody but teh army...The baloch must themselves suggest solutions on how to handle killings and subversive activities...and how to handle economic and governance issues that pacify the tribes and teh rebels
  
• Feb25-2012--The americans and afghans probably dont know that gilani, zardari and probably kayani or pasha never ever met a real taleban leader...so pathetic is their communication that pasha made gilani issue a press release to the taleban to join teh peace process... probably no one else wants to end up in the deep sea...!!given teh koran protests there are probably more taleban in afghanistan than anywhere else barring guatanomo
  
• Feb24-2012--Nahid Khan rejects Bakhtawar Zardari's critiscism and says she was never incharge of security matters...many agree that Rehman Malik was in charge while it usually is teh local PPP taht should be theoretically be managing the jalsa...however political leaders and police should realize that they should keep the getaway routes cleared...however many others suggest that jalsa's dont carry much weight with political leaders caring little for the people and only being interested in taxes and price hikes...!!
  
• Feb24-2012--TI says The defence minister and PIA chief seemingly corrupt as they are buying $200 million planes for $300 million...they should have tendered for the 777's...might be some airline wants to sell some second hand ones...
  
• Feb24-2012--PPP's punjab information secretary joins PMLn
  
• Feb24-2012--airforce attacks kill 17 in bombing taleban hideouts in upper orakzai...
  
• Feb24-2012--bomb blast at peshawar bus stand kills 15
  
• Feb24-2012--Dawn says many of those disappeared from karachi and apparently involved in terrorist activities belonged to the JI or IJT...The IJT was initially quite militant but its JI runners preferred siding with teh military and civilian governments...in punjab mostly serious religious types disappeared ...many say they could all have ended up in waziristan and swat/malakand conflicts while some could have made it to afghanistan and kashmir...however many say that they might be in ISI safe houses or have been relocated by teh intelligence agencies ...while others suggest that pukhtuns fooled and led them astray and later eliminated them...
  
• Feb24-2012--Rehman Malik issues another NRO this time for two baloch leaders of terrorist oriented parties...cases against Hrbiyar Marri and Brahmdagh Bugti are tobe withdrawn who are living in england and switzerland according to a supposed agreement with asif zardari... and are teh heads of BLA and BRP which are engaged in bomb blasts and ethnic eliminations in balochistan...he also said that brilliant students in balochistan had suddenly increased to 500 from 150...The aghaz i hakook program has still not taken off as teh 15000 interns and 2400 federal employees have not yet been hired...while The BSP beneficiaries in balochistan are tobe increased to 750000 while 3000 are to be hired in teh Federal Levies..The FC will for the third time only take orders from the chief minister while they can act in coastal limit of 10 km on their own...Shahzain Bugti who seems more reasonable willing to hold talks after military involvements are ended, no cantonments are built and killers of his family arrested...and the supposedly state sector killings and missing persons issues are resolved...many suggest that teh killers of punjabis in balochistan too should be arrested
  
• Feb23-2012--a case filed in the SC to urge holding of general elections before senate elections...?
  
• Feb23-2012--The western press suggests that teh FBI is running stings on pakistanis making them plan terrorist activities and than arresting them...one FBI agent apparently told a potential sting victim on Ossama's death that he had lost his boss...
  
• Feb23-2012--The PPP's biggest failure as usual is teh glaring situation in balochistan where the tiny bugti party BRP chief esconced in switzerland wants complete independence and bounces punjabis and tamely suggests that teh pukhtuns can have their own balochistan too...while others say bodies continue to arrive in teh punjab from balochistan...however teh balochistan PPP has demoed against american/mqm attempts at breaking pakistan...altaf hussein as usual was no help at all threatening teh very government that he sits in...Brahmdagh also suggests that he and zardari are making punjab feel unsafe thus teh current interest in balochistan...others suggest that PPP's provincialization is an utter failure...Brahmdagh also seeks the support of teh milder balochi nawabs that rule balochistan...while teh non starting APC a mirror of PPP's failed rule has Nawaz Sharif suggesting teh arrest of Akber Bugti's killers and recovery of missing persons...while the JUI-f urges confidence building measures before teh APC and ending military operations...and the realization that the americans are no longer pakistans friends...
  
• Feb23-2012--Mansoor Ejaz testifies by video link suggesting that Asif Zardari wanted american help in a return to the Musharaf era national security council system and wanted the over bearing Kayani removed as army chief...he also says that they have agreed to help teh americans find zwahiri and mullah omer...?
  
• Feb22-2012--Rehman Malik says that musharaf and police had nothing todo with benazir assassination...and that of those involved five have been arrested...six killed and three are at large...many suggest that Gilani as a possible interior minister was incharge of security at the karsaz blast but could not notice teh parked blast cars...others say rehman malik was security incharge at rawalpindi...musharaf suggests that those who benefited from Benazirs murder must be investigated...inter alia suggesting that al qaeda insider Sherry Rehman told benazir to standup and wave to her supporters...others question what asif zardari and his sindhi friends were doing in Dubai when teh blast took place...others say teh former sindh chief minister had said that the karsaz rally would end at midnight and later that only sacrificed goats saved her...still others question how small time unimportant politicians like Gilani and asif zardari as well as rehman malik, bhutto's lawyers khosa,naek and baber awan benefited from teh blast...and obviously we cant even mention teh longest serving army chief in civilian times and the extended ISI chief...others point to shaukat aziz and musharaf who both scampered off to foreign lands... Bhutto opponents the PMLq and mqm literally being feted buy teh PPP...and the PMLq meeting in Dubai where they were told to zip their lips...?..or else...while many others say it was a PPP attempt to gain sympathy that went awry...??...or Asif Zardari attempted to eliminate his immoral wife...while still others point to teh Zardari comment to benazir ..."i will come to power after your death"...while the sometimes extremely nasty bakhtawar wants to know how Nahid Khan made so many security mistakes...it was actually Sherry Rehman that made teh crucial error to make Benazir stand up in teh Pajero...others say that the PMLq which had almost been eliminated bounced back after her death as did teh PPP in sindh...while still others say that Altaf Hussein reported to teh alqaeda that benazir had supported teh Lal Masjid seige...?
  
• Feb21-2012--The PPP cant even find beaurocrats for prized appointments as Nargis Sethi becomes the most blue eyed with three important appointments...
  
• Feb21-2012--The BNP-M says over 30 of its members have been eliminated by teh PPP government in balochistan...while Hasil Bizenjo says ISI running Balochistan for last fifteen years with army officers running FC brigades at tehsil level...he questions teh army chiefs assertion that they are not involved in the disappearance of activists, murder and dumping of bodies...he said teh first of 360 dumped bodies appeared days after Gilani's assertion that disappeared youth would start returning home...he questioned teh armies interference in education and coal mining saying it is not their job...while Imtiaz Gul said that teh US congress committees on foreign affairs and intelligence controlled government attitudes in those spheres and were regularly advised by teh State Deptt and CIA suggesting that teh american assertion that the US government was not behind the balochistan resolution in congress as hogwash
  
• Feb21-2012--Mohsin Leghari of teh PMLn-forward block moves SC against the rejection of his candidacy for election as senator...suggesting there is no bar to independent candidates which could in effect make teh election of candidates unopposed as illegal...
  
• Feb21-2012--The nasty Baber Awan pleads that everyone has made fun of SC judgements so he should also be allowed to do so...SC continues suspension for another month
  
• Feb20-2012--nine volunteers of teh zakhakhel lashkar die as bomb blows up in an occupied bunker in tirah
  
• Feb20-2012--Pakistans Planning Commission which is at best an organisation with its head in teh sand plans to reduce some development outlays at teh provincial and federal levels...one unrealistic aspect is their calculations of deficit on teh basis of GDP...when actual deficits are 40% of teh revenues available they say it is 4.5% of GDP...unless there is wholesale reduction in all aspects of budgeting this economic system will not work and one can safely suggest that there will be no europe to come to teh aid of the greeks when we reach that stage in a few years time...
  
• Feb19-2012--khyber political agent says that bara has been cut off from Tirah as military attacks have caused teh dominant LI to suffer heavily as FC occupies strategic area heights
  
• Feb19-2012--two FC men die in Dera Bugti ambush
  
• Feb19-2012--The double dealing Gilani...says on teh one hand there is no need tobe troubled about american supply route opening or drones while an anti pakistan resolution is moved in US congress...Gilani who is unable to take a straight line on policies has been unable to put up against US animosity towards pakistan...while teh ISI physically supports drone attacks he verbally opposes but does nothing about them...for four years drones took off from balochistan but Gilani refused todo anything about it...
  
• Feb19-2012--parachinar bomb blast toll rises to 41
  
• Feb19-2012--Karzai suggests that americans time is up in afghanistan and they should not talk to the taleban on their behalf...while there seems tobe a stalemate in afghanistan there is no real fighting between teh taleban, americans and teh afghan government
  
• Feb18-2012--Parachinar suicide blast kills 23
  
• Feb18-2012--22 die in fighting for a strategic hill in kyber agency as teh military tries to control the bara militant factions such as teh LI...
  
• Feb18-2012--missing persons get opposition support as Nawaz Sharif visits islamabad camp...most of teh missing seem tobe seriously religious personalities with anti army overtones in teh north while they seem to have some connection to liberation nationalist groups in balochistan...while others say missing persons might be living in other areas while some may have disappeared in afghanistan or kashmir
  
• Feb17-2012--US drones kill 21 in north waziristan
  
• Feb17-2012--two bomb blasts in quetta and sibi
  
• Feb17-2012--The senate elections in sindh and punjab have turned into a complete farce with teh major parties doing a muk muka...PMLn said tobe frightened that its mpa's might sell out as is teh PPP
  
• Feb17-2012--eight militants and a security man killed in south waziristan clash
  
• Feb17-2012--karzai seeks support of pakistani mullahs for links to taleban...teh afghans and teh US have had commercial links with teh taleban but pakistan has been torpedoing karzai efforts who wants to go it alone many say...theoretically karzai was a member of teh afghan mujahideen and should have more links than teh pakistanis
  
• Feb17-2012--Many suggest that the possible ISI stooge ijaz mansoor of the memo controversy was being considered by teh PPP for the position of caretaker primeminister
  
• Feb17-2012--The PPP which has been dragging its feet on power and gas pipeline projects with iran now says it will not back down in case of a US-israeli conflict with iran...many say iran wants cut throat prices for its gas and elctricity
  
• Feb17-2012--pindi funds being wasted on developing side streets which after a few days look like there has been nothing done...10 million to be spent on repairing service road for chaudhry nisar's in laws house...
  
• Feb17-2012--The Dawn suggests that (while many claim that sindh and mqm have been involved in many attacks in balochistan) the baloch situation has been galvanized by punjab support for missing persons, the US resolution seeking self determination in balochistan and teh routine killings by various factions in teh sectarian/tribal/secessionist and some say liberation/insurgent anti punjabi oriented movements in balochistan...while the conflict has a history in baloch tribal conflicts with teh center and the army..many point to military /ISI involvement alongwith some private sector efforts against teh violence prone factions...most of the the small factions have been agitating thru violence in dera bugti, quetta and other areas...while they donot have much political influence which is with teh generally established parties...no party has a dominant position in balochistan...The violent/terrorist attitudes with ethnic and sectarian overtones is not conducive to anybody supporting teh at best liberation struggle...while there are other areas of conflict in balochistan mostly the struggle has been tribal in dera bugti centered on teh sui and loti gas field plants and the bugti tribal conflicts internally and with teh government...while in the quetta area teh conflict has centered on ethnic and sectarian killings with baloch nationalist feelings in some other areas...The PPP regime is seen as almost trying to distance itself from either development or any attempt to resolve teh issues...many say teh federal government is only treating balochistan like a beggar and needs to spend more resources for real development that is visible as it is in lahore , karachi and islamabad...while sindh is seen as running its own gas fields teh baloch government is not too involved apparently in baloch gasfields which were generally considered a bugti fiefdom...The solutions can only work when there is a political party which has influence in all areas whether nationalist or established and the federal government needs to be involved as it does in punjab, sindh and karachi...many feel that turning teh balochistan assembly almost into a non workable jirga wont be able to resolve issues...
  
• Feb16-2012--strike in baloch areas on teh murder of BRP leader after teh killing of seven pukhtun labourers a day earlier...the three sides have to realize that murders will only cause retaliations in a tribal culture such as balochistan and the pakistani government is not going to allow secession. Ethnic and sectarian brutality wont solve teh issue in any context and the balochistan government has to take teh lead to resolve the issues...obviously isolating various groups wont solve any issue..starting with appointing a more effective governor might be teh way forward and replacing longtime military, intelligence and FC appointees
  
• Feb16-2012--Army ups teh ante against Brig Ali Khan earlier accused of being a member of hizb e tahrir..they now say he contacted three key brigadiers to mount a coup..eventually the brigadier heading teh coup brigade 111 was transferred...
  
• Feb16-2012--Gilani a key PPP person who made mistakes which he regards as being a basis for removal say teh appointments of uneducated peopel to key positions and corruption of his aide not his responsibility...upto now Gilani has adopted a teflon mentality that nothing is my responsibility...many say he should go back home if he is just sitting around in teh primeminister house...