The Daily PakistanPolitics Aug1-16, 2014

• Aug15-2014--The JI which has acted sensibly upto now is now ready to jump on the dhandli bandwagon...!
  
• Aug15-2014--Two assailants killed in rocket attack on sumungli airport near quetta
  
• Aug15-2014--While Raheel Sharif is generally regarded tobe in accord with Nawaz Sharif the PMLn has been making attempts to paper over their differences with regard to musharaf's treason case...Raheel Sharif apparently had musharaf lodged in CMH and karachi before the treason trial was allowed to begin...with only one possible sentence the court would have to say musharaf is not guilty which is a difficult judgement especially with relation to literally toppling the entire supreme court and sending them to jail and illegally initiating an emergency...many regard the interior minister as a musharaf loyalist and frightened of the military reaction to a musharaf hanging...the situation however is tailor made for whatever Raheel Shareef wants from the PMLn...!
  
• Aug15-2014--Nawaz Sharif approved the marches and the LHC declared them illegal...In what can be considered a landmark decision the LHC has adjudged the azadi and inqilabi marches as unconstitutional given the countries situation,the sanctity of the day and the capital......the court said that it cannot allow any act that can lead to unconstitutional events although everyone can go to islamabad in a constitutional way...!the long march history was initiated by chinese mao zte tung's communist takeover...while a couple of indian hindus also indulged in them before the pakistani politicians of recent times have attempted mostly failed long marches...imran khan's long march could be termed relatively popular in the north coupled with failed inqilabi tahir ul qadri's who agreed to submit to the constitution...islamabads D-chowk which was becoming famous for protest demos could now be replaced by zero point...generally marches are not regarded as a democratic instrument as they create a huge law and order problem and have tobe boxed in to avoid them going haywire...however the smaller parties with no expectation of huge support to win elections regard the arab spring and especially the resultant changes in governments tobe an incentive...however there not being a longtime dictator in power is a disincentive...what small changes that they can get out of the PMLn they hope would get them a more level playing field...however the people donot vote for election commissions/Nepra's and IMF's and playing fields but how they expect a ruler tobe in power...while Nawaz Sharif has handled some things appropriately he has not made much of a difference otherwise and he is almost immune to the problems of the countries economically disenfranchised...
  
• Aug14-2014--reports on the media suggest that differences have emerged in the PTI on martial law or a technocrats government to replace the Nawaz Sharif regime...Javed Hashmi has withdrawn his march participation while other reports suggest that Nawaz Sharif has asked the administration to allow the march as the PTI also facing some sort of an internal backlash agreed to apply for administration permission and sort out how and where the march would be held...This as a decision from the courts on the matters was being delayed to allow politicians to sort out the matter...many suggest that Nawaz Sharif has agreed to some of the major points of the Imran Khan demands and has also suggested that the electoral reforms committee will start working immediately and the commission might be formed by this evening...If the reforms are agreed by September and the commission suggests that rigging has taken place than Nawaz Sharif would have no choice but to immediately announce a new Election commission, an interim government and fresh polls in ninety days...That would take the country to an early 2015 elections scenario...most believe that the new election commission could be headed by a technocrat(beaurocrat or retired general or in the extreme a foreigner)and some new formula would have tobe devised to select election supervisors...and how a voter is verified...!
  
• Aug13-2014--In a televised speech Nawaz Sharif attempts to back off by announcing a 3-judge SC enquiry into the Imran Khan rigging elections...Imran Khan immediately rejected the enquiry and wanted him to resign as well...The PMLn men and Officials continued to reject the allegations and attempts at stopping the islamabad march continued with threats to declare PAT a terrorist organisation...containers were also moving into place in model town and islamabad while a case was being heard on a punjab government appeal against placing containers
  
• Aug12-2014--two militants and three others killed in karachi police encounters
  
• Aug12-2014--In another announcement an election tribunal in karachi has declared the election of a federal minister null and void under artice 62 and 63 of the constitution...the same tribunal judge has also declared three other sindh elected lawmakers as not elected...In this case he declared the losing PPP candidate as elected...
  
• Aug12-2014--Nawaz Sharif backed out from arresting the march leaders as well as refusing to challenge Imran Khan at his lahore residence thru his supporters...efforts continued however to reduce the number of participants who would get to islamabad...no information however on whether the march would be blocked or not......however to keep things in perspective he decided to do a "mere aziz humwatno" speech himself...a general impression has prevailed that he has allowed anti-people dictators like pro rich ishaq dar to dilute his attraction to the people and the PMLn has a negative perspective as far as pro people policies are concerned...The marchers however are perceived as attempting to embarass the government and army...The government going for a flag hoisting and some sort of parade in the presence of four thousand civil and army participants possibly at the parade ground...while the marchers could make it their independence day with a huge gathering...
  
• Aug12-2014--Imran Khan finally accused ex CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry, Najam Sethi, ex judge Khalilurrehman Ramday and three serving officials of the ECP for rigging the election...all have rejected the allegations...with Sethi saying that he had removed numerous pro sharif officials and not appointed several due to objections from Imran Khan...mostly allegations are thought tobe against the member punjab of the ECP ex judge riaz kayani supposedly a protege of ex-General kayani...the dawn also suggests that imran khan is advised by ex spymaster pasha while some suggest his policies are dictated by agha murtaza pooya...most of his attitudes seem a mix of PPP and PMLn with some latest violence outbursts probably induced by tahir ul qadri...Sethi suggested that he is controlled by the third force...Imran Khan accused the punjab election commissioner of stuffing numerous constituencies ballot boxes with extra ballot papers and that most officials were pro sharif and several had been given key appointments afterwards like Sethi, and several ramday relatives
  
• Aug11-2014--Tahir ul Qadri finally succumbed and decided to join the imran khan azadi march since he would definitely be blocked on his own by the behind the scenes shahbaz sharif...he is considered pretty crazy with a pro violence approach to any restrictions...he created problems in several punjab areas with violent confrontations and kidnapping of policemen...he is hunkered down in his lahore office for the next three days...he finally got his gathering on August 10 which was denied to him when he arrived...the PMLn was correct tobe scared of his tactics..however he tweaked shahbaz sharifs nose and literally stood up to the PMLn's high handed tactics...the tactics failed because the PMLn could not stand behind its word and allowed him to issue threats and refuse to accept the law...
  
• Aug11-2014--The PTI worried about the PMln tactics to block the march with widespread use of containers , digging ditches and closing down petrol pumps...many feel that the PMLn does not have the guts to stop the march but they will not stop the verbals and other restrictive methods...The PTI says that they are concerned at their rank and files being disheartened and have tried to make sure that everyone is aware that the march will not be cancelled...what tactics the PTI employs to rival the PMLn's methods to stifle the entry are yet to be seen...it could be an interesting tussle between bat and ball or the PTI could just roll into Islamabad and the PMLn would be left to sneer and carry on...
  
• Aug10-2014--Imran Khan slammed shut any further meetings with mediators as Nawaz Sharif offered a middle ground of recounts on ten national assembly seats at a security conference supposedly to hear about the Fata operation...The army chief looked on passively as the ISI chief hunkered under his growing presence...there is no administration-PTI agreement on the imran khan march as yet and the PMLn said it would wait until August 14 after which pressures should decline as Imran khan goes ahead with his march and achieves his aim of being in the spotlight and keeping his support base...Imran Khan also issued another "kill the sharifs" order if something happened to him...!!!
  
• Aug10-2014--the Qadri orchestrated violence took a toll as a protestor and policemen died of wounds...the policeman beaten to death with clubs...another two policemen reportedly killed in sorgodha and bhera where violent PAT/mwm supporters attacked a police convoy and set fire to several buses...around twenty policemen kidnapped by PAT supporters while fifteen said to have been rescued......otherwise the situation eased up somewhat...many suggest that orchestrated violent attitude is meant to frighten the public,police,army and government was mostly at the behest of the terrorist natured MWM which has earlier tried to block entrance/exits to cities as well as main roads and been involved in exterminating sunni's..a few roads were said tobe blocked by the PAT supporters while the government continued to block some lahore entrances...many feel that the PTI and PAT/MWM are trying to fill the gap created by the extermination of the taleban who had considerable sympathisers in the punjab...the attitudes of both groups border on a terror orientation with threats to the government and law enforcing agencies...the sharifs are regarded as pathetically cowardice inclined as they have failed to generate enough sympathies for their rich only policies...thus their supporters just look on as they try to generate enthusiasm for flag waving, beating up teh taleban and normal August14 celebrations...
  
• Aug9-2014--the discussions and protests by parliamentarians on the callup of the army in islamabad barely raised some dust as it has little or no impact on the prevailing situation...
  
• Aug9-2014--four killed in karachi in police encounters
  
• Aug9-2014--PAT workers have started attacking the police in lahore's model town area forcibly removing containers and occupying roads...police seemed to be fighting back and had gained some control...punjab government has ordered the arrest of tahir ul qadri if he comes out of his house...reports of a police station being occupied in khushab and clashes with armed and danda holding PAT workers...PAT workers kidnapped five policemen in model town, lahore and at least two in sorgodha...police seemed to be poorly trained with PAT workers generally adopting a violent approach...Tahir ul qadri continued to make outlandish claims of victimisation while most reports suggest that PAT workers were mostly responsible for the violence...Rangers have been called up in Lahore as police failed to make an impact...reports of workers arrest from all over the place
  
• Aug9-2014--Imran Khan despite claims of mediation and talks was only marginally behind tahir ul qadri in making outlandish claims and threats and was prepared for his azadi march despite container blockades around islamabad...petrol stations were facing shortages all over punjab while in some areas they were closed down by the government...established parties kept flailing around to show their worthiness but failed to make an impact...
  
• Aug8-2014--Two FC men and two militants killed in Turbat...In karachi two PTI workers killed amongst five including a policeman
  
• Aug8-2014--Police block areas around the PAT offices with containers...Qadri is also known as the container mullah...!
  
• Aug8-2014--According to the constitution no one can call an election into question barring thru a petition to an election tribunal...Imran khan is thus unconstitutionally calling the elections rigged...! The four seats that the PTI wanted a recount in are important seats...On one losing seat the PTI contender is also accused of rigging...while the PMLn was initially willing to support checking of thumb imprints as well as election reform...after Nadra showed its widespread inability to match the imprints the PMLn seemed to back out until the PTI started to up the ante..
  
• Aug8-2014--after some positive's from siraj ul haq's attempts to mediate the government finally suggested that imran stop his march and that most of his demands were related to election tribunals...while initial reports suggested that nawaz sharif was not opposed to recounts on four seats if there were no further demands with some even suggesting that he was even willing to call an election if the recounts were of a shady nature...negotiations floundered as it required some direct talks as the qadri mixup also complicated things...imran khan not averse to talks but thinks he can further softenup the PMLn with a huge August 14 gathering ie. if things dont deteriorate into violence...if things go peacefully than there will be a lesser need for the PMLn to negotiate...things like replacing the Election commission and forcing a tribunal to give a particular verdict cannot be directly ordered...!
  
• Aug7-2014--drone attack kills six in alwara mandi near datatkhel, north waziristan
  
• Aug7-2014--with the system that has emerged in pakistan with smaller parties taking over with contempt for the police or law enforcement to show their bravura...many feel it could lead to the police too firing at protestors in self defence..leaders running around in bullet proof vehicles with police and barriers protecting even small level leaders homes...this system has risen to encores from the usually system dominated punjabi politicians...however both imran khan and tahirul qadri advocating a status quo/ system destruction have been feeling free to threaten the police and government employees...Imran Khan sees the system as tailor made for him after the sharifs self destruct in which he will emerge as the defacto leader of a cleaned up status quo while tahir ul qadri sees a complete destruction of the system for some revolutionary who will probably be from the military in the pakistani system...this has finally resulted in a case against against qadri for attempting to wage war against the state...Qadri had successfully subdued the punjab PMLn by his propaganda following the violent incidents at his model town office...The police have finally started setting up container blockades to control things around the PAT offices in the following days...while containers can at best block traffic the best blockade of a public gathering was done by pervaiz elahi when he literally shutdown lahore on nawaz sharifs attempt to return to lahore...the method used was not containers but the blocking of people attempting to move out of each police station area...pervaiz elahi is now calling such methods undemocratic...
  
• Aug7-2014--with everyone failing to dislodge the do or die attitude the JI chief jumps into the divide and attempts a reconciliation holding meetings with imran khan and nawaz sharif...one does not know where the azadi march will end as the D-chowk seems tobe dug up for underpass contruction and might be unusable...both Imran Khan and Tahir ul Qadri continue to make dire predictions which generally seem unbelieveable...Imran Khan seems to want a status quo reemergence with him as the countries leader ineffect a self destruction by the PMLn and the sharifs...while tahir ul qadri seems to think that a total destruction of the status quo will occur with some unknown grabbing power without any system...that inevitably points to a destabilized military system emerging as temporary power entrants usually get eliminated by the powerful usually from the military...Imran Khan seems to be asking for personal justice in the same manner as nawaz sharif which generally makes the electorate a laughing stock for the dictatorial system that emerges...
  
• Aug5-2014--retired Lt. Gen Alam Khattak a former FC commander in balochistan who retired just before the elevation of the army chief is appointed defence secretary...many suggest that replacing the ineffective ISI chief might cool things down too...!
  
• Aug7-2014--With the politicians refusing to recognize the requirements for a systemic government..with Tahir ul qadri and Imran khan both making dire statements against the police and warning the government not to take any action... which results in the present situation with the government unable to handle any situation...politicians all hiding behind road barriers and in bullet proof cars and literally freely threatening all government employees...the lahore police however showed some courage and initiated a case against tahir ul qadri for inciting people to violence...PAT women started to gather around their office as the police stationed containers to block various routes and started picking up motorcycles and PAT office bearers..
  
• Aug5-2014--a former PTI leader Faqir Jamshed of the Pakistan Seraiki Party dies in a bomb blast in kulachi
  
• Aug5-2014--The military runs into trouble in Dattakhel as two soldiers are killed and seven militants...the areas remaining are between the areas cleared and afghan border which have been sort of Taleban residential areas spreading down to the shawal valley
  
• Aug5-2014--The azadi march looks ominous and looks like creating problems for the government as imran khan mimes altaf hussein and asks Nawaz Sharif to resign...one of his latest demands...The interior minister looks pathetic in suggesting that army positioning is quite routine and article 245 will not result in a confrontation with the army ...although many suggest that in history such situations have eventually resulted in military coups...at the moment the military is uninvolved however if the situation deteriorates and the protestors attempt to storm the presidency or primeministers house or PTV as happens in supposed violent revolutions than the result would inevitably be a military takeover or at the least a martial law in islamabad...!!!Imran Khan seems to want the freedom to say whatever he wants with whatever consequences...his supposed cohorts are not ones who have good reputations such as the notorious military touts and troublemakers the MQM, the longest known supporter of military coups the PMLq and with one calling for the killing of policemen and PMLn politicians ie the PAT's tahir ul qadri...so a serious situation could develop requiring the need for military force to control the situation...!!The PMLn seems unable to understand what imran khan wants and says it can ask him to send his own amendment for constitutional electoral reform as it can hardly deal with issues which are the responsibility of the ECP, tribunals or the courts...many suggest that the only way to remove Nawaz Sharif from the primeministership is a SC verdict under article 90 for electoral rigging...one would not expect his party to vote him out or for him to resign unless ordered by saudi intelligence or the unknown could happen or the army could finally ask him to get out if he cant handle the situations...!!...that would also result in another PMLn primeminister...!The political barbs of the PMLn rebound of Imran Khan's thick skull without effect which is a general political trait required in pakistan as nobody in opposition or government has been known to runoff and resign citing taunting behaviour of opponents...!!!
  
• Aug5-2014--The Rangers say they raided a street near the house of Farook Sattar and picked up three men involved in numerous murders in karachi...Farook Sattar on the other hand says that they raided his house and picked up his men...and removed a security camp and barrier that blocked access to his street...!Rangers imply that Farook Sattar was running a killer group which dealt with extortion refuseniks...!
  
• Aug4-2014--Things are hotting up on the verbal front in the "inteshar march" a PMLn term while Imran Khan threatens government employees supporting the sharifs and tahir ul qadri who seems to lack a basis knowledge of Qisas threatens to kill fifteen people(probably policemen or PMLn wala's) while Imran Khan threatens to make life difficult in punjab for policemen who beatup his partymen...tahir ul qadri apparently thinks that politicians can replace the judiciary too...while it is a family member who can negotiate qisas with the actual killer...tahir ul qadri probably forgets the the meaningless resistance that his people put up to a minor task of removing barriers and that the state cannot in islam be challenged...many feel that Imran Khan and the violence prone tahir ul qadri are copying the mqm in threatening the police and state...also i doubt any judge in pakistan will ask somebodies nose tobe chopped for qisas as desired by the pathetically ignorant mean, nasty and cruel tahirul qadri...both tahir ul qadri and imran khan are basically challenging the writ of the state and suggesting that they can come into power thru street methods which will probably result in something else aka egypt...!i doubt that imran khan is challenging the army by calling them government employees...!...like the mqm who in combination with the taleban have been involved in killing policemen in karachi... inteshar or non judicial killings by anyone can result in further destabilization...
  
• Aug3-2014--The PTI is in discussions to formulate their demands and are trying to move the marchers towards the idea that they might actually be sitting in islamabad for more than a day ...The canadian mullah during the PPP era had made similar attempts and left islamabad with suggestions that electoral reforms would be carried out...The PMLn has already pre-empted that with a national assembly committee on electoral reforms...that leaves the PTI with asking for the recomposition of the Election Commission and getting the judiciary out of the electoral process...In other speeches imran khan has attempted to suggest that he wants the country to get rid of the sharifs and zardari's...In other reports the interior ministry has rejected reports of chaudhry Nisar Ali khan's meetings with Imran Khan...others suggest that Chaudhry Nisar may have broached the idea of his joining the PTI but it was probably not acceptable to Imran Khan...many critisize the PTI for attempting to join scurrilous politicians like mullah qadri and the chaudhris of gujerat who are at best one seat military touts...suggestions in the Dawn that new suggestions being sent to imran khan...
  
• Aug2-2014--The Imran Khan march into islamabad continues to make headlines with reports of a meeting with Chaudhry Nisar ali khan...reports of talks failure with the PTI suggesting mid term polls as the only solution...The PMLn while continuing to ridicule imran khan wants him and the canadian mullah to talk...while effectively the march should be effective evening of March 14 it would not interfere with government events...The PTI is perturbed about the deployment of five companies of the army which seem tobe a VIP protection force plus deployment at entrances from punjab and in the margalla hills...The faujis could also act as a rapid intervention force if things broke down into disorder. Khawaja Saad rafik seems tobe taking over the information ministry while the involvement of punjab includes a rana mashud threat to topple the KP PTI government...attempts by shabaz sharif have also failed...many feel that attempts at taking the issue to parliament maybe avoided as the PTI says it will takeup the issues of attempted army involvement while the PMLn will counter with the IDP issue...!!
  
• Aug2-2014--The indian army seems tobe suggesting that it is retaliating against supposed pakistani related events on the border by terrorist incidents inside pakistan...many have suggested that it could be a reference to the recent attack on the karachi airport
  
• Aug2-2014--a soldier killed on the bajaur border by a rocket fired from afghanistan
  
• Aug2-2014--eight killed in charsadda in various incidents including three security personnel...
  
• Aug1-2014--Mullah Qadri and the chaudhris mull joining the imran khan march on the 15th with a jalsa in lahore on the 13th...
  
• Aug1-2014--around forty people have died and 38 bodies recovered from the karachi beaches...many theorists suggest that it could be a new mqm-army way to dispose of bodies killed in the karachi operation...it seems strange that so many are killed in relatively mild sea disturbances
  
• Aug1-2014--reports of clogging of the highways to hill station murree and other places in the north of the country