The Daily PakistanPolitics Dec16-31, 2017

• Dec22-2017--The US administration is to declare the Milli Muslim League a terrorist organisation according to the Dawn..while the reason is indian appeals to Donald Trump MML is not a real terrorist organisation and has barely a few thousand supporters in most constituencies...Attempts by the US to blowup imaginary opponents into something that they are not will not solve the kashmir issue for india...
  
• Dec22-2017--gas to Rawalpindi was almost completely stopped on Wednesday night...!SNGPL now says it was due to a CDA construction activity that damaged a gas pipeline...!one wonders what construction activity was going on at 9.30 PM...people surmised that one of the new power plants probably ate up the gas or an LNG shipment did not arrive on time...!Khaqan Abbasi fired teh top boss of a government LNG company recently...there are said tobe emerging gas supply problems in some rawalpindi localities pointing to an unequal distribution system...!
  
• Dec22-2017--Another "kyun nikala" has emerged from the complaining appealing PMLn...yesterday Nawaz Sharif summoned Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to his royal palace and informed him of his choice of the supposed next primeminister...Abbasi who has been trying to keep the PMLn eggs warm and was getting too comfortable according to some than complained "phir mujhe kyun banaya"...The appeals by the PMLn have been summarily rejected by someone who says that i am not responsible..!!!...for previous coup plotters...!It is the general consensus that Nawaz Sharif the blue eyed of a 1970's coup plotter was corrupt...!
  
• Dec20-2017--Government challenges decision of IHC when it had restricted allottment of plots to senior beaurocrats, judges and military officers who are now regarded as the richer segment or elite of soceity...theoretically the government should be developing plots for the poorer segments of soceity...!or at least everyone should be able to contest for DHA and CDA plots...
  
• Dec20-2017--Cases in the ECP will study the source of funds of the PPP-P, PPP, PMLn and PTI...according to a Dawn report Asif Zardari or the PPPP expenses of 2.56 million, 3.644 million and Rs 3.55 million for 2013-2015 were borne by the PPP of Bilawal Zardari...!
  
• Dec20-2017--ATI's Tahirul Qadri warns Shahbaz and Sana of a dharna if they donot resign by the 31st...while arranging a long duration dharna is problematic if one gets underway in Lahore or Islamabad it could a be a big problem for PMLn which is frightened of Dharna's and has not been able to deal with even a small gathering on the Faizabad overhead...!
  
• Dec20-2017--The guarantor of Ishaq Dar moves the IHC against confiscation of his property...!
  
• Dec20-2017--Nawaz Sharif continues to insist that he can annoy and taunt the judiciary for its present and past conduct...while Imran Khans and his case are extremely different he continues to insist that the judiciary is taking a dual standard approach...in what is being stated by the SC is that controversial trusts and substantial properties in england are definitely a reason for suspicion and corruption even alleged is definitely something tobe decided by the court in case of top leaders of the country...If Imrans sons had transferred a few hundred million rupees to him from england only than would his case have been similar...!There are also reports that Nawaz Sharif transferred six lakh dirhams from the UAE to england...!The judiciaries past attitude is not the present judiciaries responsibility just as the the present army chief is not responsible for zia ul haq and Musharaf...and one must not forget that Nawaz Sharif has been one of the most constant likeable preferred puppets of the military and intelligence agencies...!There is also the innuendo that Nawaz Sharif had suggested to Modi that while he could easily rule India but Modi would find it difficult to rule Pakistan...Modi had than suggested that the kashmir issue could only be solved if pakistan became a part of India...Others have suggested that when Modi landed in Lahore he had suggested that they travel together by the motorway to Islamabad...!Nawaz Sharif had than quickly told him 'udher tum idher hum"...!many had used to rumour that Nawaz Sharif had built the lahore-islamabad motorway to make it easy for the indian army...!!!The SC should also consider contempt of court since PMLn leaders with nothing todo with case are also ridiculing the court...only the person involved can defend himself and critisize the actual decision but not ridicule the court...!!That is one of the reasons why many suggest that the court is a bit frightened...!
  
• Dec20-2017--In one of the biggest somersaults everseen in pakistani military history the COAS came down almost on his knees to support the puppet regime of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi...The COAS apparently denied everything and and said he was ready for even normalisation of relations with india...The indian regime is one of the most hostile in history refusing even facile talks on any issue...This situation came about in the COAS briefing to the senate...The army even was ready to keep itself out of meddling in national security and foreign affairs policy if the parliament was willing to take a lead...He said that army was not destablizing the government...Either the army chief is unaware of the situation or he does not even control the utterances of the ISPR chief...!The ISPR chief has a number of times annoyed the government and is known to taunt the civil leadership...democracy does not mean that the army can say whatever it wants in public as the army is not an elected or representative institution...!The COAS has recently suggested to knowing smiles from the iranians that they resolve issues with the saudis and pakistanis thru talks...The iranians who are known to utilize their military muscle said they would even handle kashmir for the pakistanis if they were ready for their interventions....The pakistanis have recently been toppled from the position of islamic leadership...The indians annoyed Nawaz Sharif by suggesting that they could easily takeover in islamabad...The pakistani leaders have been known to complain that they cant handle the army and intelligence agencies...! This position of the army chief is the most mild and soft in history...it could be a result of recent inter army talks in which the military was unable to agree that a military solution was in anyway possible as india is being armed by ruthlessly by Russia, USA, France and Israel...!The USA , pakistani senate and india worry only about Hafiz Saeed who the army probably agrees is expendable...everyone else regards him as literally of no importance ...The army was seen tobe in favor of Hafiz Saeed participating in politics...!In other related issues the army was seen as meddling in Fata which it controls to a large extent...The government was uneasy in handing it over to the KP...The army chief was said to have authorized demos which were called off at the last moment..handing it over to the KP would bring in a provincial element including the SC and police...!while the army chief can be at best said tobe mild he is used to meddling and assisting the government...as he did in the faizabad sitin...The military in general is said tobe openly mocking of civilians and the government which rebellion oriented groups try to use to their benefit in attempting a coup etc...In one of the clearest views on military interventions he said that he could not be held responsible for Ziaulhaq and Pervez Musharaf era's or coups...?? He however did not assure anyone that he would not coup...!many regard him as not having the militaries full backing on the issue..One can only suggest that it is beneficial for a primeminister to have a former ISI chief as a father in law...!i would only suggest that while soldiers standing around in jhelum and rawalpindi wear bullet proof vests... soldiers in Fata dont...! It is also advisable not to send new inexperienced second lietenants to the Fata border...experience is definitely a positive thing even on the pakistani border with afghanistan...!
  
• Dec19-2017--The security chiefs say that improving NAP will improve security...one feels that more paperwork can only be a red herring where terrorism is concerned...more monitoring is needed on the ground...on the borders...more infiltration of terrorist organizations...and probably the police, intelligence agencies and army need to work together...!A new national Security Policy will just be paper...it can hardly have any effect in practically eliminating terrorism...
  
• Dec19-2017--A US drone pounds any empty compound in Kurram...!there have been more drone attacks in recent days...!
  
• Dec19-2017--There are only 200 riot police in islamabad...police now plan to hire another 2000... while Sindh increases women police quota to 5% from 2%...!
  
• Dec19-2017--Pemra chief forced out by the LHC...!
  
• Dec19-2017--Pakistan to trade with china in yuan...! Dollars are inherently unstable viz the pak rupee while china avoids to devalue its currency...!
  
• Dec19-2017--The military has over 50 commercial enterprises including a bank, FF, a potato chips factory, a cereal factory which even makes jelly, coal power plant,fertilizers, travel agency, cement plant, drinking water etc...The senate would like the military to privatize and depend on the private sector...some questioned the allocations without bids to NLC and FWO of contracts...eg the toll collections on the motorway...They also lamented any information being made available on loans and writeoffs to the military...!
  
• Dec18-2017--With the SC toppling of Jehangir Tareen... Imran Khan is left as the sole leader in the PTI...bereft of Tareens financial support he could face organisational problems as he taunts Nawaz Sharif for making sarcastic attacks on the judiciary...The judiciary has upto now backed out from dealing with the sharifs contempt of court attacks...but the the judges could retaliate and have shown their irritation at Nawaz Sharifs mistaken innuendo's...
  
• Dec18-2017--DGMO to brief the senate on the Saudi alliance which has anti saudi senators worried...The saudi alliance has already stated that it will work on intelligence cooperation and improving military preparedness in target countries...many have seen the army chiefs support of US strategies and supporting both iran and saudi arabia as pakistani weakness...pakistan has recently participated in both the saudi alliance and the indo-iranian charbahar inauguration...pakistan and saudia have both been toppled as islamic leaders with Erdogan taking over and the iranians muscling in on weak shiite regimes in arab areas...!The army chief had advised the iranians to tackle issues thru talks...! which had many mocking the pakistan army chief at his weakness with the iranians routinely firing across the pakistani border...!The iranians had in response opposed the saudi intervention in Yemen while they openly have intervened in lebanon, yemen, syria and iraq...!
  
• Dec18-2017--suicide attack on methodist church in quetta kills nine including two attackers
  
• Dec18-2017--US administration seemingly intent on unilateral military attacks on pakistan and restriction of supplies and financial aid to pakistan...unilateral attacks will push pakistan further against the US...The US has avoided attacking militant positions in afghanistan giving them control in wider areas with complete impunity...!Their stands that pakistani safe havens are the problems seems bereft of any concrete evidence...Pakistan is moving to fence the border with afghanistan which should also help pakistan reduce its vulnerability to terrorist attacks...The only US hope is to go for an all out attack on militant positions in afghanistan and participate in real negotiations...given the situation the US could face immense casualties as meaningless threats without initiating inter afghan talks will result in the same situation getting worse...red herrings such as safe havens and labeling groups as Isis or Haqqani etc. will get the US nowhere near any resolution...The US cannot carry out carpet bombings in this area as there are no single area problems like Mosul or ISIS areas in syria which were opposed by almost all groups in that region...The support of the army chief to the US strategy seems strange...!
  
• Dec17-2017--The SC has clarified that SC has used its powers of quo warranto in exceptional circumstances and would prefer that such matters are settled at the filing of nomination papers and that the power of the state is expected to be in the hands of elected representatives...!however many feel that there is not enough time at the time of nominations for a thorough vetting...The current decisions are based many think on attempts to lie to the court...!
  
• Dec17-2017--The CJ in a clear reference to political innuendo being spread by the PMLn said that the judiciary was not part of any plan and the judiciary and even individual judges enjoyed complete independence..people however see clear differences in opinion amongst various judges and the type of judgements they deliver...many have regarded the Hudaibya judgement as part of some sort behind the scenes pressure on the judiciary...others indicate some softening of the judiciaries attitude towards senior politicians...he also said we are the baba's of the system and no one has been born yet who could pressurize the judiciary...
  
• Dec20-2017--In what many see as a different reaction to Nawaz Sharif...jehangir tareen has resigned as secretary general of the PTI and left for england...Imran Khan has suggested that the party will file a review which generally fails to change the judiciaries opinion...PMLn also to file review many suggest...!
  
• Dec16-2017--many are not far from renaming the PMLn as PMLn(shahid) or PMLn(abbasi)...Abbasi announced the election date as July 15...!he also announced that he would inaugurate a new project everyweek and that electricity is enough to cover the summer extra demand...if the PMLn fails to prove that they would probably fail in the elections...Both the PMLn and PPP are now being referred to as orphans...!with the PPP constituency in punjab down to around 10000 per constituency they can only hope to latch on to the PTI, PMLn or the generals coalition...!There is no point in fighting elections in the punjab for the PPP for a couple of seats...some are suggesting that the PMLn might go in for a PMLn(seraiki) with Javed Hashmi as the leader in the seraiki areas...!Elections are thus just seven months away and that is not a long time for coalitions tobe formed and candidates tobe decided...!Usually in Pakistan coalitions keep deciding things until the last minute...!With the PTI having lost its financial czar the PMLn and PPP which have deeper roots and finances might have an easy time...Imran Khan too will have to look for financially strong candidates like the PPP or biradri groups like the PMLn...The PMLn is only losing votes for its pathetic attacks on the judiciary which many regard as tame and lame given their history of supporting Bhuttos hanging and eliminating Achakzai's father in the Zia era...!!!many also regard Nawaz Sharif as a tame and bitterly erratic revolutionary...his strengths lie in other areas such as military backing and biradri/or support of well known area politicos...The ethnic sindhi line of PPP's support lay in a revolutionary socialistic era which has disappeared in other areas given their economic mistakes and mistaken support for capitalism or market economies...!The money minting of the politicos has no particular mass support...!
  
• Dec16-2017--In various decisions the SC backed out of disqualifying Imran Khan but disqualified his deputy and financier for life...The ECP immediately removed him from the National Assembly...Since Imran Khan has not yet served in government he theoretically was absolved of the charge of corruption...The Jehangir Tareen defence that 18 landlords had put their lands in a trust for him to use and that he paid them by cheque was found wanting...!The SC continued to show their dislike for trusts...!The SC also decided against declaring the PTI a foreign agent and left that issue for the ECP to decide...while a major issue the ECP could disqualify the PTI as a whole...but that would leave the field open for a new start for a newly named PTI(new)...!Tareen was seen as a key deputy and financier for Imran Khan who was also being seen as replacement if Imran Khan had been disqualified...he however can continue as a party secretary general...Shah mahmood qureshi must have heaved a sigh of relief...as many thought that Tareen would be the Imran choice for primeminister...In still another SC case smaller province judges refused to open the Hudaibya money laundering case...letting Nawaz Sharif off the hook...?The PMLn acolytes were left dumbfounded...!however the PMLn supporting judges probably regard it as a victory...The Maryam Sharif group said they would continue to taunt the SC as it has had the desired effect...others suggest that Nawaz Sharif has again bought the SC...
  
• Dec15-2017--PMLN opposes its NA speakers apprehensions that the assemblies will end prematurely...many suggest that it is a PMLn ploy against the judiciary as the PM says that an interim regime will be formed in June with elections in mid July...!
  
• Dec16-2017--Nab orders Ishaq dars arrest thru Interpol...one does not know what Ishaq dar is ailing from..NAB initiates action to confiscate Dar's property and seize his guarantors security
  
• Dec16-2017--Ghulam Bibi Bharwana from Jhang a PMLn mna has submitted her resignation from the NA over the khutm e nabuwat issue...she has stated that she is resigning over the blasphemous attitude of a PMLn provincial minister!
  
• Dec16-2017--NAB orders a probe of the multan metro and plane sale issue...!
  
• Dec16-2017--two militants killed in Awaran...