The Daily PakistanPolitics Dec 1-15, 2014

• Dec15-2014--Mqm involved in land grabbing says altaf hussain
  
• Dec15-2014--Gas pipeline from Dadu's zamzama field blownup...another pipeline from Sui also blownup
  
• Dec15-2014--Imran Khan continues to try to superimpose himself on the pathetic PMLn government which cannot control his street protests...otherwise Imran Khan has the support only of coup plotters and semi terrorist sectarian and ethnic types...With the lahore shutdown ongoing many children think that only Gullu Butt can straighten out such political shenanigans since the PMLn, police and army have been subdued by the threat oriented Imran Khan politics or attrition...many feel that both the PMln and PTI are problems for the people as the PMLn creates problems at the government level while the PTI creates law and order problems...many also feel that politicians want policepowers even in the opposition as do the army and judiciary...the PTI and PMLn now want to talk in secret as their anti constitutional attitudes become apparent...no solution is realistically possible without a constitutional amendment for which the miniscule but powerful assemblywise PPP and Mqm would have tobe included in the talks...Imran Khan many say has little knowledge of the constitution...
• Dec14-2014--seven bullet riddled bodies found in nowshera
• Dec13-2014--Indian defence minister again threatens terrorism against pakistan while pakistan foreign office spokesman retorts that we can retaliate too...many here feel that pakistan has been avoiding retaliating against indian terror attacks...
  
• Dec13-2014--Imran Khan's karachi protests go off smoothly while Lahore which has massive support for both sides could be problematic if the PTI tries to shutdown the cities exits and entrances..PMLn supporting bussinessmen already pretty riled up
  
• Dec13-2014--with oil prices having fallen by 40% Nawaz Sharif announces a minor Rs.2.32 reduction in electricity tariffs...petroleum prices theoretically should fall dramatically as historically oil price is usually the same in rupees...that means that petrol prices should be around Rs.70 per litre...
  
• Dec13-2014--the governments inability to develop a proper power infrastructure saw the whole electricity system shutdown at midday...by nightfall the system was struggling to stay online...many feel the system which has a countrywide 500KV transmission system fed by hydel power stations is inherently unstable...and bringing it back online seems to have been problematic...while others say that the pukhtun dominated tarbela power station was being deliberately targeted by employees...!
  
• Dec12-2014--Government and PTI leaders meet for initial talks...both sides have an axe to grind and many feel that the PTI is nearing the end of its resolve...however the PMLn now depending on the courts to limit any disruption to its government
  
• Dec12-2014--The government asks the IHC for a larger bench to hear pleas against the addition of abettors in the musharaf treason case...many believe that the SJC jurisdiction is limited..the addition of abettors does not reduce the responsibility of the military coup plotter in any way and court should continue to hear the case and decide...abettors can at best be advisors in a military government and if most reports were correct than the advisors were the CJ, MI chief and a silent ISI chief...
  
• Dec11-2014--altaf hussein fires his karachi coordination committee after three motorcyclists shot dead an mqm leader in sialkot...one can only assume but the modus operandi looks pretty like what the mqm does in karachi...
  
• Dec11-2014--PMLn and PTI reluctantly agree to restart talks...since what Imran Khan wants is unconstitutional a new amendment would be needed which the PPP refuses to allow...so the the two parties can only a agree to a verbal condemnation of the ECP for holding an election with dhandli overtones...
  
• Dec10-2014--The PMLn tries to sell ABL shares cheaply...!
  
• Dec10-2014--people seem to have lost interest in the PTI bickering with the PMLn...as in faisalabad the PTI accuses the PMLn of killing a PTI worker while they accuse imran of organizing an attack on rana sanaullah's residence...while an election tribunal orders a recount of all votes in NA-122 which was the main issue behind the PTI's dharna...The SC taking a non serious view of dishonesty absolves Nawaz Sharif of lying to parliament after a cursory examination of the evidence...
  
• Dec9-2014--clashes broke out on faisalabad between PTI and PMLn workers as the PTI tried to enforce a shutdown of the city...one PTI worker killed
  
• Dec9-2014--An election tribunal ordered the examination of election bags of NA122 and PP147 effectively ordering a recount...if the record is not available than a re-election can be ordered...the tribunal has been ineffetive bacause of a one year stay by the LHC
  
• Dec9-2014--two policemen on polio duty killed in Buner
  
• Dec8-2014--US hands over an aide to hakeemullah mehsud... latif mehsud who was incarcerated in afghanistan...a drone attack kills six in dattakhel...three troops killed alongwith five militants in an attack on a checkpost in Tirah valley
  
• Dec7-2014--In a surprising decision ghaus ali shah of the PMLn declared elected against a PPP candidate accused of rigging in NA 215 Khairpur...ghaus ali shah has off late been critisizing the PMLn
  
• Dec7-2014--ECP says that PMLn not teh only beneficiary of rigging or rejected votes
  
• Dec06-2014--four tons of hashish found hidden in mountain clefts in kalat
  
• Dec5-2014--21 militants killed in north waziristan during airstrikes and artillery shelling...two are killed in a quetta blast while five killed in khyber and bajaur blasts
  
• Dec5-2014--The army chief showing the difficulties they have faced in controlling ethnic and tribal militancy says our enemies look like us...and live within us...racially tribal militants have been white like him while ethnic and sectarian militants have been black and brown as well...most people however regard the countries enemies as living across our two or three main borders as well as overseas...The US has again showed its animosity against our indigenous efforts by linking CSF support funds to continuous action against north waziristan and haqqani factions...that means hard luck for people that resided in north waziristan and now are IDP's...The US is obviously unable to accept our reasonable objections to their hardnosed and negative attitudes towards our country and obviously our tribals...The army chief also pointed to the danger of the country imploding which probably is directed at the armies about turn on the PTI Dharna's...the army chief pointedly praised the countries low level weapon manufacturing with emphasis on sniper rifles and mobile long range artillery which can be used to defend against the indians cross border activities...
  
• Dec5-2014--A judge who seems to have opposed former CJ Iftikar Chaudhry in his judicial adventurism Justice sardar raza khan has been appointed the new CEC after delaying the election process for 16 months showing the fracrured nature of teh political mainstream...it seems that that the ethnic desperados usually the pukhtuns and mohajirs won out in the end despite the PMLn's punjabi majority..since he was the CJ of the FSC one does not know whether he is retired or not even though he was a retired judge when appointed the FSC head...no major decision made by the FSC under his tenure...the pukhtuns have not opposed this decision due to their general ethnic empathy while others suggest that he has been associated with a puktun students organization...however he seems to have made several controversial dissenting decisions in the SC and is not regarded by many as a cooperative judge...he supported musharaf for a second term as president but wanted him tried for corruption for initiating the NRO...the repeal of the NRO has not seen anyone really convicted for corruption as most of those accused of corruption have been let off...similarly he refused to take an oath under the PCO but refused to indict the PCO judges for contempt...it shows a person with mixed up values who supports and opposes the same thing at different times...generally regarded as a judge who does not oppose de facto governments whether military or not nor opposes controversial acts of government...has the support of recent governments and mullahs shown by his appointments as CJ of the PHC, IHC and the FSC...he has also acted as CEC twice in 2009...seems the last ditch choice for an embattled government with no praiseworthy individuals left for selection...apparently many of the recent decisions of the PMLn regime seem motivated towards musharaf associated individuals...many are pointing to the possibility of the judge being an ANP or PPP member...!many others think that he is in all probability a government stooge..!
  
• Dec3-2014--The PCB has applied to the ICC for a new assessment of Saeed Ajmal...given his excessive variations many feel he could be banned for a year...others suggest that the ICC might be relatively milder this time and allow him to play domestic cricket unless he has completely eliminated the troublesome illegal doosra...at shoulder level saeed ajmal had a completely bent arm thus causing a 43 degree straightening...in theory good bowlers should not straighten too much from shoulder level...
  
• Dec3-2014--new possibilities emerge for appointment as CEC...only Tariq Pervaiz survives the first six...mild orderlies such as Sardar Raza, Shakirullah jan and mian ajmal also being considered...three are KP judges...Tarik Pervaiz many feel is probably pro PTI while the rest probably closer to the PMLn and PPP...others say that the names of sardar raza, tarik pervaiz and tanvir ahmed have been sent to the speaker for selection
  
• Dec3-2014--41 militants killed in airstrikes in north waziristan, khyber and orakzai
  
• Dec3-2014--PTI-PMLn talks on again...the desperate PTI willing to forgo the much critisized blockade of one of three big cities...PMLn apparently facing a loss of interest in their meaningless anti people governance but willing to outlast the PTI as many feel that the talks can really go nowhere and there is no middle ground...others suggest that Kerry might have been hired by the army chief as the new mediator...
  
• Dec2-2014--John Kerry to meet Nawaz Sharif in London showing that both the chinese and US are wary of visiting islamabad
  
• Dec2-2014--PTI now to strike in lahore on December 15 and observe a countrywide shutdown on Dec 18...faisalabad and karachi tobe closed on Dec 8 and Dec 12
  
• Dec2-2014--Domestic consumers are to suffer thrice for Nawaz Sharifs shifting of gas to industry in punjab...they will have to suffer more gas loadshedding, more electricity loadshedding and pay an extra amount of Rs1.2 billion as well...!
  
• Dec1-2014--In a massive show of support in islamabad Imran Khan continues to demonstrate a negative mentality which many suggest is the hallmark of much smaller organisations like the MWM and MQM..like them he threatens to shutdown lahore, faisalabad and karachi the countries biggest cities which contain much of Nawaz Sharifs key industrial supporters whom he continues to facilitate as opposed to people friendly policies...playing spoiler does not look too popular as a tactic but he has rejuvenated his party after a debilitating election loss...Imran Khan continues to pound the much paved street of dhandli allegations which many donot regard as positive and it is usually the rallying cry of the losing PPP...Asif Zardari an awoved PMLn fan called Imran Khan a wolf camping in islamabad and a polluter of the environment...The PPP has not been able to regain its lost support and is largely regarded as irrelevant everywhere but in interior sindh...The PPP has also shown the irrelevance of democracy and the 18th amendment by not being able to get the appointment of a new CEC...Imran Khan continues to make a case of one man rule and a personal autocracy...many have pointed to the possible involvement of the PPP and perhaps imran khan as well in key murders in sindh alongwith the street wolfs of the mqm..A key opponent of the PTI the JUIf had a shutdown strike in sindh and minor demos in KP and punjab...The PMLn shutdown transport services from lahore...The PMLn many feel might now be benefiting from the inane demos and rallies of the PTI...Without any key opponent due to the taleban politics of the last few years and the almost demise of the PPP...PMLn is literally listless without any key people policies...the PTI has rejuvenated Nawaz Sharifs support in his own party as other leaders lack top level support...even the key shahbaz sharif is now seen as a liability in his role as the main handler of PMLn politics...