The Daily PakistanPolitics July 16-31, 2018

• Jul31-2018--The PMLn-PPPP-MMAP who together have 128 national assembly coalition seats to the PTI's 114 are now willing to attend the assembly and challenge the PTI whose coalition has 138 seats...The PTI and its allies could get around 174 seats which is slightly more than required in the national assembly...The PTI says it will have 168 seats which is less than the majority...The house will aproximately consist of 333 members given the multiple seats won by several members...Therefore Imran Khan will need 167 votes to show a majority
  
  
  
• Jul31-2018--The CJP who seems apparently personally biased against IHC senior judge Justice Siddiqui has refused to provide details of spendings on the houses of other judges so that a comparision can be made...a CDA official has moved the SJC against Judge Siddiqui for too much maintenance spendings on his allotted house...The CJP reprimanded Judge Siddiqui when he protested at the attitude of the SJC...The SJC also refused to provide details of any enquiries against the complaining CDA official...since the record of expenditure/work is maintained by the CDA the Judge is not responsible said Judge Siddiqui...!The judge had recently become controversial when he said that the military/ISI interfered with judiciary...he had also recently ordered the ISI to clear the blockage on the road in front of its office in Islamabad
  
  
• Jul31-2018--The PTI says it has the support of 168 MNa's in the center...The parliament consists of 342 seats minus ten ie 332...so the PTI will need 167 after the women and minorites are elected...In punjab they say they have 180 votes where the assembly consists of 371 with women and minorities...In the punjab they seem below majority level of 186...with a few postponments they will still need around 183
  
  
• Jul31-2018--The army chief offers a job to an underage looking girl for an internet message...The PTI should order the army to arrange 20000 - 30000 new jobs inits resources like factories and formations...
  
  
• Jul31-2018--many are suggesting that either the PMLn and MMAP are so uneducated that they donot know the meaning of elections and mandate as well as winning and losing... Khawaja Saad rafiq, maryam aurangazeb and maulana fazlur rehman should look up the meanings of the words 'mandate', "elections", 'winning' and 'losing'...winning the mandate of the people is not a matter of any embarassment...! and than there are the Gilanis who say that their polling agents were so blind that they let their votes be counted for the PTI and did not see voters thumb imprinting the counterfoil......The ECP says that they are saddened by the attitude of the PMLn, PPP and MMAP...!
  
  
• Jul31-2018--the Election scenario has changed slightly...pakistan tehreek insaniat an unknown has won one NA seat and MMA and independents are at 13 each...That brings the PTI to 114...MQMP is now moving closer to the PTI...In the punjab a strange scenario is coming up...with the PTI reaching majority strength they are now suggesting that aleem khan will be CM for three months while Pervez elahi will than take over...!it is being suggested that Imran Khan is more closer to or has more confidence in Pervez Elahi with his few seats...lets see what emerges...PTI will be seeking relection on 5-7 NA seats depending on what happens to Pervez Khattak/Pervez Elahi who apparently is fighting to stay on as chief minister KP...numerous names are afloat as to the chief minister KP...In balochistan the BNPA is joining the government coalition...BAP has 25 seats now and will want the PTI to join up who want the chief ministership...almost all parties want the Balochistan CM post including BAP, PTI and BNPM...BNPm says they have adjustment agreements with the MMAP and ANP and HDP who are BAP coalition partners...an unknown PTI wala Naqvi is coming up as a sindh opposition leader...reports suggest that Imran Khan has an alliance with shiites in karachi !..there were also rumours about Pervez elahi becoming the punjab assembly speaker...!The ANP with just half a million votes says they are being pushed out of politics...!
  
  
• Jul31-2018--Pakistan is already working on a $12 billion IMF package while the US is expressing concern at it being used to payoff chinese loans...!pakistan also looking at some chinese and saudi assistance...
  
  
• Jul30-2018--with loans at 70% of GDP, exports around a third of imports, almost stagnant foreign remmittances and $10 billion in loans last year the Imran khan government will have todo something to bring things to an even keel...one option is the IMF which has strange conditionalities like increasing electricity prices...what they would come up with now would be anybodies guess...anyway IMF's supposed handouts are not large enough to handle pakistans problems...pakistan needs almost around $10 billion just for interest repayments...therefore external financing demand could be around $30 billion...The only way out says Hafeez Pasha is to reduce imports by around $20 billion...upto now all development is loan driven so taking on even one huge project like a dam would be a problem...pakistans economy has been franchise driven for the last 10-15 years...food imports are very high...at $22 billion...Therefore managing finances so that a nosedive is not the only answer is imperative...remmittances are the countries only steady feature...the dollar has been forced up 20% by the State Bank...boosting exports is almost out of the question and a dollar driven price hike is almost certain...a balance will have tobe maintained between imports, prices, repayments, development and external resources so that there is always some money around...otherwise we will be in the dock for more and more chinese loans...electricity supply stability is nearing while price stability is not there...electricity prices for industries, agriculture should be raised as well as for the armed forces...The people cannot foot the bill for line losses...agriculture has only survived because of subsidies and must also start to pay for itself...subsidies if any should be done away with...
  
  
• Jul30-2018--The PMLn and PPP seem to want to rub the PTI nose in the dirt while the PTI is willing to handle everything openly...There have been no specific complaints of rigging and the PPP especially which had also complained in 2013 as well seems mixed up mentally at best...the only specific thing has been the large number of rejected ballots...they are approved by polling agents and a similar rule applies to all of them...the rejected ballott has been substantial in victories on all sides and most of the recounts have been specifically ordered to check or reallocate the rejected ballots...the ECP's RO's have undertaken almost 250 recounts and the situation as in 2013 has not occurred when ballot bags had disppeared and a commission had to decide on the opening of just four seats requested by the PTI...In 2013 thumb imprints caused more problems...That also occurred after a three month dharna had unnerved the PMLn supremo...There are also complaints against the PPP in Sindh and ANP in KP as well as the PTI winners...many think that this has been one of the cleanest better managed elections yet...The PPP and the PMLn are just playing spoiler and seem tobe losing in opinion polls...That the PPP and PMLn donot want to boycott the oath and parliament says a lot for the honesty of their complaining...Anyway the complaint tribunals have yet to start hearing complaints...There is as yet no intransigence as demonstrated by the PMLn in 2013...the decision is obviously the same as in 2013 that any complaints have tobe handled by the tribunals based on any specific complaints...and there is specifically no process to reject an entire election...Recounts have been rejected by RO's after multiple counts on all sides...The Yusuf Gilani's have complained about all three losses...The RO said thay they cannot see the back of the counterfoil...and cannot open the bags of other parties...the Gilani son was complaining that the counterfoil did not contain thumb impresssions but the RO said that they have to complain to a tribunal which can order thumb verifications after payments..he also complained that his votes were counted as PTI's...his polling agents must have been pretty stupid...!
  
  
• Jul29-2018--After losing the popular election and no hopes of being saved by public opinion Nawaz Sharif has fallen ill and is being shifted to a hospital...he is a cardiac patient and a diabetic and without activity he will face problems...the doctors says he has clot formations...causing pain in the arms and the heart...he should probably be shifted to a better anti coagulant and blood thinner such as 150mg loprin...and be given a shot of Heparin...His best bet is a plea bargain with NAB ...at his age saving money or property should not matter...his appeals in the high court could only reopen the case although he could be allowed to roam free until the final decision of the case
  
  
• Jul29-2018--The PTI has emerged as a hugely popular party as its votes rose to 16.85 million...PMLn lost two million votes to come in at 12.89 million...The PPP static at 6.90 million, independents get a massive 6.01 million, MMA 2.53 million and TLP 2.19 million...In sindh the TLP got more votes than the GDA...the mqmP votes fell from 2.35 million to .729 million although the party had split into three groups...there are several parties that have a half million votes such as the ANP and PMLq etc.
  
  
• Jul29-2018--Imran still striving to make the government in the center and punjab which will probably be decided on who wins the speakers election...with the PMLn roping in the weak PPP they too could mount a challenge with the wobbly MqmP... Yasmin rashid is emerging as the PTI leader in punjab followed by Mian Aslam Iqbal...The PMLn shamefacedly trying to rope in the PMLq too..The PTI has at least five possible relections which reduces its seats to 111 depending on the possible attempt by pervez elahi to remain the punjab...shah mahmood qureshi a possible punjab chief minister lost and jehangir tareen was disqualified earlier...Imran Khan's brother in law Alim Khan has also dropped out of the chief ministers contest...
  
  
• Jul29-2018--The BAP is almost sure to form the balochistan government with 18 seats...they also have the support of 3 from the ANP and two from the HDP...The PTI could also support the BAP with 5 or attempt to form the government with other parties...The MMA could go to any group with 8 while the BNP has seven...the BAP has asked all parties to join their coalition...probably the BNPM, MMA , PKMAP, PMLN and PTI might stay in the opposition...being in government in balochistan is quite dangerous as the the previous government participants have been all but eliminated from this election...even the BAP seniors have lost in the elections
  
  
  
• Jul29-2018--The formation of governments especially in Punjab and balochistan is still anybodies guess...while the PTI has gotten the support of four independents in punjab the PMln is also working on the PPP which is at best its ally...the PMLn has apparently offered the chief ministership to the PPP who has declined and offered it to shahbaz sharif...shahbaz sharif lacks Nawaz Sharifs ability to wheel and deal...and should first accept the elections before he can make a real effort for the punjab government...however the independents support is still up in the air...Pti mostly working on forming a government in the center and trying to woo independents in punjab...The PMln attempt to discredit the elections has failed...recounts of various constituencies is continuing with not much change ...however Zulfikar Khosa lost on a Punjab seat in a recount...There are requests for recounts on 30 seats...RO's have to decide on that...The PMLn speaker is attempting to make phone calls and than putting the phone down...Khawaja Saad Rafique has apparently lost his mental capacity or gone mad alongwith maryum aurangzeb after losing a partial vote count in which Imrans Khan winning margin increased to 602...the mandate goes to the winning party in the center...maybe the PMLn does not known that...PTI also mulling Pervez Elahi as chief minister but he seems to lack the capacity to attract independents and make an effort...anyway the punjab government will remain unstable and can in theory be toppled in any crisis
  
  
• Jul28-2018--analysis shows that the PMLn losses are more due to their own independents who siphoned off quite a number of votes other than the PTI...The TLP has also shown a substantial support base thruout punjab generally taking most of the religious votes...they have gotten 35000 in one constituency and 8-15000 in numerous constituencies...both problems are the creation of Shahbaz Sharif who did not control the TLP demonstration and than chummied upto them...he also lost control over party members desirous of getting tickets...TLP has gotten two seats in sindh if it is the same party...There are also reports that JI and other religious groups did not vote for the MMAP
  
  
  
• Jul28-2018--The MQMp has not been totally wiped out of karachi...they still have 16 provincial seats and 6 national assembly seats...However PTI has won a majority of the karachi national assembly seats and a substantial number of sindh assembly seats...winning the lyari seat from bilawal bhutto is a major feather in their cap...The PTI is not known for numerous mega projects...however they would look into seeing that the city is cleaner and water issues are rectified to an extent...karachi is generally a pretty developed city...however it needs more development on the coastal roads where house have erupted all over the beaches...
  
  
• Jul28-2018--reports suggest that Imran intends to retain his lahore seat NA131 which he has won by just 600 votes...if he later loses this seat in appeal by khawaja rafiq he would have to step down as primeminister until another seat can be won...therefore he should retain a safe seat that he has won by a larger margin...NA53 his banigala constituency is probably a better and safer seat to keep which can be pacified by just smaller projects
  
  
  
• Jul28-2018--The APC got off to a bad start as the MQMP and the PPP refused to attend...the religious groups seem more enthusiastic in rejecting the election and calling for a movement for new elections...Shahbaz Sharif refused not to take oath...Fafen which is headed by a former IJT UET union leader said that there were 35 constituencies in which the rejected votes were greater than vote count...however they have also said that the conduct of the elections was better than 2013...The ECP has rejected the complaints made by the PPP and PMLn...Observers have only complained about attitude problems and the environment that most consider the PMLn forced upon itself...
  
  
• Jul27-2018--the results of nine elections is awaited in the national assembly while three elections were postponed
  
  
• Jul27-2018--the election generally has been largely well accepted as the PMLn and MMAP will find at the APC that they attempt to hold today...most observers suggest that the ECP has created a better understanding and atmosphere although individuals can still disrupt anything given the vast scale of things...The public voting by the army chief and chief justice suggested that they approved and that the elections were largely properly controlled by the police and army...The PTI showed that they could control the vote in many constituencies...smiles had started to erupt on PPP faces even though the PTI can form a minority government even in sindh...PPP supporters could smile because of largely improved performance barring punjab and KP assemblies...while the PMLn is used to the frowns and straight angry faces of shahbaz sharif...marium aurangzeb was an anomaly thinking she could start up a movement...The PMLn had lost its mandate before the elections when its supremo was jailed...in fact the PMLn did quite well and can still form a government in the punjab...the PTi is however working on the almost thirty independents in the punjab...already the PTI has lost one punjab seat on a recount...The system exists tobe challenged and any anomalies can be rectified...PTI also working on a coalition in balochistan as well on its ministers in the center...late in the day an Imran Khan victory over Khwaja rafiq was announced in a lahore constituency...Imran Khan should avoid an IMF as the chinese are willing to provide any loans if required...IMF always has totally negative conditionalities which donot change anything...a further downslide in the rupee-dollar would also create further problems and price escalations...people generally disagree with Imran Khans avoidance of the primeminister house which he wants to turn into an educational institute...to study governance...! but it could save a few billion rupees...!The crybaby attitudes of the PMLn will not serve their interests and they should work within the system...They cannot talk about what imran khan does or does not do...they have lost the mandate...any way most people agree that the cowardly PPP and the PMLn will find it difficult to come out on the street...The JI might attempt it but will surely lose in a few days as there is general approval of removal of religious forces from the public face...
  
  
• Jul26-2018--One seemingly diehard PMLn commentator on a TV channel could not stop mocking Imran Khans achievements...in KP...starting out with his no new hospital building...Imran Khan personally did build one hospital in KP ie SKCH...a huge cancer hospital...apparently it only served a few cancer patients...i think there was some KP government participation in that ...!Than he mocked Imran Khans apparent "saadki" suggestion that he should not live in the Primeministers House which was built by Junejo i think...methinks he should live in the primeminister house and populate the Primeminister secretariat...however saadki is a good trait...might be he should not wear suits and sherwanis...he could have open house in the primeminister house and welcome the people who come to visit and chat with them and things like that...saadki does not cover limousine and pajero travel...and helicopters and resthouses in murree..!maybe he should rethink and enjoy the perks too as well as the government...he should announce free education to each and every child in the country if he can...!although implementing that might be quite difficult..." yesterday 500 kids were picked up from the korangi streets and enrolled in a imran khan school...demonstrations erupted as people said their children had been kidnapped..."
  
  
• Jul26-2018--On the election front the PMLn and JI seemingly want to go on the warfront immediately alongwith the PPP...They have called a conference for tommorrow...Nawaz Sharif has issued his instructions to give Imran Khan a very hard time and create so many problems that the country goes to a martial law...theoretically any complaints against the election process have to go to a high court tribunal which studies the complaints and orders remedial measures or rejects the charges...usually a recount is ordered...The PMLn would probably like a Dharna type blockage/protests to start with...followed up by usual negotiations and court decisions on complaints...That is what the army allows...until a government is formed things wont become interesting...The caretakers could ask Imran Khan to takeover and form a government as soon as possible...! while the assembly session is called for oaths and other selections
  
  
• Jul26-2018--Imran Khan seemingly agrees with the army-nawaz sharif view of foreign affairs..methinks that is pathetic...it is generally based on attempts to rope in india for meaningless negotiations and anyone else that falls into the gambit ie afghannistan, iran , saudi arabia, USA etc...pakistan should not attempt to intrude into the middle east imbroglio...where it will be faced with iranian intransigence and military engagements and saudi intransigence to interference onits borders...pakistanis dont speak arabic or farsi and will hardly be able to even find a negotiator who can handle the complex situations that exist in lebanon, syria, iraq and yemen...On Hum Tv there was a discussion about Imran Khans social welfare state...a commentator said that we are generally a security state and prone to just handouts for social welfare...methinks pakistan is an army welfare state...a situation in which the army is cared for in every way but not the people...the army thinks that its facilities are justified but it is not meant for the people to have such a system
  
  
• Jul26-2018--Punjab assembly results 122 - PTI, 127 - PMLn, 29 - Independent, 6 - PPP, PMLQ 7, BAP 1, PMLf 1, PAR 1
  
  
• Jul26-2018--Latest results in the national assembly indicate PTI 115, PMLn 62, MQm 6, MMA 10, PPPP 43, Ind 12...
  
  
• jul26-2018-- KP assembly results PTI-66, MMAP-10, ANP-6, PMLn-5, PPPP-4, IND 5
  
  
• jul26-2018--balochistan assembly results BAP-13, MMAP-9, BNP-5, PKMAP 1, ind 5, PTI 4, BNPA 3, HDP 2, ANP 2, JQM 1,PMLn1
  
  
• Jul26-2018-- Sindh assembly results PPP-74, PTI-22, MQM-16, GDA-11, TLP 02, MMP 1
  
  
• Jul26-2018--BAP the newly formed supposedly pro PPP/PTI Balochistan Awami Party is leading with 14 seats in the 51 seat balochistan assembly...There were many bloody incidents of terrorism in balochistan with two just on election day..the pukhtun dominated PKmap has seemingly lost out
  
  
• Jul26-2018--In the popular vote the PMLn has maintained its support base of around 30% while the PTI has surged ahead to around 50%...The PPP has done much better with just 12% of the vote which is around its actual popularity these days...In many places PPP votes shifted to the PMLn especially amongst women who are much better organized than the individualistic men...
  
  
• Jul26-2018--The PMLn has refused to accept the results which are generally a reaction to their poor show in the Supreme Court and not focussing on their grass roots...they also failed to show that that they had solved the electricity issue with load shedding in just Rawalpindi of over 500MW...there were complaints from the PPP initially of problems in getting forms 45 and having their immature chief polling agents thrown out...presiding officers were shown on TV opening bags and redoing the forms 45...however no change in results was demonstrated...The chief election commissioner said that their new RTS result communication system malfunctioned as it was based on the electricity system...however he rejected charges of massive rigging...only polling agents are allowed inside and there is no such thing as a chief polling officer...results have been slowed down tremendously and the ECP did not announce results late into the night...most of the day reports of a massive shift towards the PTI had been making the rounds with PMLn walas no shows almost...The PPP results were much better than the last election and they did not expect anything more...however newer forces like the PTI and GDA did much better in sindh...The PTI however was willing to allow checking of all results and reopening boxes and recounts and even new elections if there were massive irregularities...This is a however long drawn out process...however selective reelections can be ordered by the ECP at specific polling stations...!
  
  
• Jul26-2018--The results at the moment show an astounding shift to the PTI all over the country...the PTI coalition is leading with about 140 seats in the center...They have wiped out everybody in the KP assembly...In punjab the PTI has around 122 seats and can form a government with a huge batch of independents 31...however the the PMLn is leading in punjab with around 139 seats...there has been a major shift in sindh with the PTI supported GDA and the PTI able to form a good opposition...while the PPP has around 73 seats in the sindh assembly the PTI has 21, mqm 18 and the GDA 11...PTI has made inroads in the balochistan assembly as well... the PTI has almost 50% of the popular vote with the PMLn stuck at around 30% and PPP at 12%
  
  
• Jul26-2018--exit polls suggest that results may be quite different and Imran Khan is supposedly leading in vote tallies and is expected to get around 40% of the vote or even more...PMLn may now sweep lahore seats barring two or three and their major leaders are at the moment leading barring a few...Imran Khan has swept Na53 and Pervez Khattak has swept his nowshera constituency...farook sattar is winning his karachi constituency while PMLn's Sanaullah maybe losing in Faisalabad...if the predictions of 40% or more votes for the PTI are correct than Imran should have a majority of some sort...Bilawal facing problems on three seats and some say the PSP has been wiped out in karachi while Imran is winning a karachi seat...MMA leading on seats in balochistan and in charsadda...PMLn leading on a seat in abbottabad...PMLn losing to PTI in Faisalabad...Shahbaz sharif losing in dikhan/rajanpur
  
  
• Jul26-2018--This is turning out tobe the bloodiest election so far as a suicide motorcycle rammed into a police vehicle near a polling booth on the outskirts of Quetta...25 killed including five policemen...IS claims responsibility...five soldiers die in an encounter near the iranian border
  
  
• Jul25-2018--with Rs40 billion in revenues and Rs40 billion in losses teh Pakistan railways breaks even in 2016-17
  
  
• Jul25-2018--huge numbers of ID cards were found disposed off in a drain in Lahore...The ECP has become more efficient and anybody using a fake identity can be sent to jail...
  
  
• Jul25-2018--The Dawn suggests that none of the parties may win an outright majority...most however put the PTI and PMLN ahead...being a shiite newspaper Dawn is worried about religious groups like the TLP, AAT, and majlis amal and smaller groups like the sunni tehreek...!the majlis amal is second in the KP and could make some gains there...the TLP and AAT seems to have support of small groups in punjab constituencies but no major upset is expected from religious groups barring the Majlis Amal in the KP where it is dominated by the JUI(f)...around 600 candidates are in the run from religious groups...Bilawal Zardari has run a campaign minus his father and has gained some support...his attempts for another sympathy vote however failed...he was shown as a bit childish and tried to focus on special interest groups like agriculturists, BISP beneficiaries and supporters of benazir and ZAB...agriculturists have enjoyed free interest loans since the early 1960's and have benefited from governments since the early 1960's...jiyalas as he should know no longer exist...it is city dwellers who need interest free loans..!the mqm continues to want support only on ethnic grounds without having anything but militancy to show for their electoral successes...
  
  
• Jul25-2018--Nawaz Sharif may have fainted in jail and is now being looked after by three doctors...his echo seems tobe okay while there are said tobe changes in his ECG...he has been supplied with an airconditioner due to his old age...
  
  
• Jul25-2018--the only poll that i saw on Television puts the PTI ahead of the PMLn by 33 to 31 percent...PTI has more electables now and their candidates are more well known than say in 2013...the PMLn inability to deal with the courts honestly and always attacking Imran Khan has boomeranged...however the compere said that Nawaz Sharifs return had increased his ratings...many suggest that Nawaz is almost a crybaby and is now trying to get out of jail...some suggest that he maybe shifted to a hospital...he can theoretically make a deal with NAB and when he appeals NAB would lets say submit the deal to the court...however since a decision has been made he cannot make a plea bargain eg. for say a payment of $25 million he be let off...The court would have to allow the deal and Nawaz Sharif would lose a lot of public opinion support...Nawaz has sufficient rich supporters who can make the payment...the poll also suggests that Imran Khan could end up with 98 seats...and become the largest party of 141 in a house of 340...well short of a 170 majority...that could force him into an alliance with a mqm group and independents or smaller groups like BAP or even the majlis amal or any small group that he finds acceptable......however other pundits are suggesting a PTI sweep with the PMLn winning here and there...!!according to other pundits the situation is such that anything could happen...some are suggesting the unthinkable that the PPP might lose a substantial number of seats in Sindh...given the present situation the concept of an unpopular coalition are receding...
  
  
• Jul24-2018--The ISPR chief seems apparently an innocent unaware of ISI activities as well as those of the MI and GHQ...was he picked up from a street somewhere in Malakand......while such activities have been the norm for quite some time the protests by an IHC judge comes quite out of the blue...he had recently ordered the ISI to clear the road in front of their office...The CJ had suspended that order and asked the ISI to report to him......The CJ likes all officials reporting to him...!! lawyers are seemingly unaware that judicial actions against a high court judge can only take place in the SJC...however the IHC judge says that a commission must be instituted to study intelligence/security invasions of the judiciary...a brouhaha of epic proportions...!
  
  
• Jul24-2018--Nawaz Sharif is really an old man and cannot survive without an airconditioner say doctors...he is a diabetic and heart patient and seems tobe avoiding drinking water...the doctors should have immediately put him on a drip like our other compowder doctors...on the street...he however has refused tobe hospitalized...!that would suggest that he is too old tobe a politician any more...!
  
  
• Jul24-2018--some drama could be expected as the IHC has allowed the ECP to restrict Imran Khans political activities during the last government...since the governments are not in power and all lawmakers ordinary citizens the decision seems like coming at a wrong time when it is practically useless...!
  
  
• Jul23-2018--The CJ and army chief might be attempting to run their own economies as they broke ECP guidelines on politicking by officials in the runup to elections...The CJ inaugurated an upgraded/underconstruction sewage treatment facility in karachi and generally behaves like a mian mithu like the army chief......it is being upgraded to 180 mgd at present...he apparently has also noticed an improvement in sanitation in karachi during the last few months...!In karachi politicians really do no work at all...!The army chief went to visit a under construction tunnel on the Swat motorway near Chakdara and praised the FWO and gave estimates when it would be completed...!The mian mithu attitude of "mein mein..." is becoming quite common among army chiefs and chief justices...Th CJ pontificated that "he had never lied in his life"..it does not matter article 62 and 63 donot apply to him...he must behave as a CJ not a political leader...as a lawyer he must have lied some time to protect his clients...!
  
  
• Jul23-2018--Justice Siddiqui of the IHC has complained that security agencies often interfered in the courts processes...The ISPR chief who is at best childish was up in arms and asking the CJ to investigate the allegations...one does not know what the army thinks of themselves but many have started to think that they are poorly trained and can barely handle any situation barring normal security situations...after a spate of terror attacks the secretary foreign affairs has gone to kabul for a supposedly intra government coordination meeting...and see about a drone attack on the new TTP chief
  
  
• Jul23-2018--ECP cancels elections in NA-60 saying there was no covering candidate..Sheikh Rashid to appeal to the LHC...
  
  
• Jul23-2018-Ikramullah Gandapur a PTI candidate for PK99 killed in a suicide blast on his vehicle in kulachi, DIKhan while Akram Durrani vehicle fired upon...they maybe tit for tat attacks although gandapur attack claimed by the TTP...Imran Khan had taunted Mullah Fazlur Rehman and Akram Durrani yesterday for their lack of economic expertise in the same area...a mullah was seen pulling away a motorcycle from the gandapur attack scene...that makes two ex PPP politicians killed in recent attacks...!
  
  
• Jul23-2018-Bilawal Bhutto has no real fresh ideas...he wants to help agriculturists who are rarely poor...agriculturists have been given loans and tractors since 1964...there must be some change in BISP as they supposedly were distributing money amongst PPP leaders wives and even agricultural landowners wives...The real needy are the unemployed and old destitute people...they than started giving loans to women entrepreneurs and handouts to students...this is not real social security in which the lowest structures must be helped...or those facing real problems...all the BISP women beneficiaries do with the money is buy new clothes...
  
  
• Jul22-2018--Bilawal Bhutto could be disqualified as he is refusing to follow SC orders/directives to build the Bhasha Dam...Sindh which uses most of the dam waters and still claims water shortages but has been refusing to build a dam on quixotic grounds...! Maybe Bilawal Zardari should be told that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto built the Tarbela dam in the 1970's which has tremendously improved sindhs agricultural prospects...most of the sindhis policies are based on anti punjab animosity...a new dam would improve water supply to sindh areas...!
  
  
• Jul22-2018--An anti narcotics court sentenced Hanif Abbasi to life imprisonment for getting an excessive ephedrine quota, making ecstacy drugs and smuggling them to saudi arabia on the orders of a prince...!Hanif Abbasi arrested immediately and sent to jail...Hanif Abbasi was charged in 2012 on the complaint of a maverick lawyer Shahid Orakzai and the IHC ordered that the case be decided immediately...Hanif Abbasi was defeated in the last election by Imran Khan and was the PMLn candidate in NA60...barring any other candidates Sheikh Rashid may get a walkover although tehreek labaik, PPP and independent candidates are available to the PMLn...the PPP candidate is an extremist shiite...PTI leading 1-0...Hanif Abbasi owns two pharmaceutical companies and initially won the seat on the Jamaat islami ticket and than shifted to the PMLn...since it is my constituency he reportedly built two tube wells...one of which he funded himself...in my exact area there were quite a lot of small projects like a water tanky, tubewells, drainage system, roads,pavements, janazgah etc...sheikh rashid in his time replaced water pipes and completed a girls school partially...!Hanif Abbasi also claimed that gas that used to dry up in winter was repaired by putting in a new pipe and system to equalize supply in the area...!!!Hanif Abbasi was the chairman of the rawalpindi metro construction committee and was blamed for shoddy workmanship and loot maar...for two years rawalpindi had to bear a dug up murree road...it is part of the work process shahbaz sharif...you cannot built a metro in peshawar without digging up the city...
  
  
• Jul21-2018--hidayatullah Mufti supposedly the mastermind of the mastung attack killed in an operation in Kalat...he supposedly led the balochistan IS or an IS group
  
  
• Jul20-2018--After the ISPR chief muddied the election waters in a meaningless press conference...army chief also has started to stride into the mud...first he visited the tunnel to Swat which was some say deliberately delayed...being part of the Swat motorway and is being built by military contractors...he announced that it would be completed later this year...he now has visited the ECP and asks the military to follow the code of conduct...while the military is not directly responsible many blame it for its supposed support of particular individuals and political slants and at times confused views and blamemongering...the rigging is usually done at the polling levels and counting levels...however the ECP now has electronic voter count transfers...parties like the PMLn try to force reluctant voters to vote...and usually have a number to fulfill...some candidates buy votes in bulk from biradris and sects...and some say money is offered even outside polling stations...!
  
  
• Jul20-2018--A single judge bench LHC court refers an appeal against the Avenfield judgement to the CJ for a full bench to consider whether the NAB ordinance is a dead law...The sharifs have however filed their appeals in the IHC which have been delayed till after the elections
  
  
• Jul20-2018--rains improve levels in smaller dams while a glacier melt creates a lake in remote Gilgit and fire destroys an islamabad H-9 sunday food market
  
  
• Jul20-2018--Mastung suicide bomber identified as coming from Thatta and originally belonging to abbottabad...!
  
  
• Jul20-2018--The ECP tells three politicians to mind their language...Imrans usage of donkey has political meanings while being considered derogatory in pakistan..here it is used as an alternate for the word idiot
  
  
• Jul19-2018--the cabinet approves an open trial of the chakry duo of Nawaz Sharif and maryam safdar...the judge of the accountability court had also complained of the lack of courtroom facilities at adiala jail...meanwhile other prisoners chanted Nawaz Sharif off his morning walk in the prison courtyard...
  
  
• Jul19-2018--The IHC postpones hearing of a plea to shift other Nawaz Sharif cases to different courts...The Accountability judge also postpones hearings till after the elections...Imran Khan says Shabaz Sharif had filed 32 cases against him while the NAB allows him to appear after the elections in the helicopter usage case...
  
  
• Jul19-2018--Nawaz Sharif given better facilities in adiala jail...he has a cook, seperate room, access to home food and even a TV and newspapers and cardiologists and can meet visitors on Thursday
  
  
• Jul18-2018--The power minister ali zafar seems pretty controversial...first he came out batting for Nawaz Sharif suggesting that there was enough power availaibility while load shedding has almost gone back to its worst levels...now he says they will issue guidlines to the next government...and that the orange line is not important while water is...orange line is more a provincial matter while the water that he is talking about is more a federal matter and both are important in their own right...
  
  
• Jul18-2018--The IHC postpones hearing of Sharifs appeals in Avenfield reference to after the elections...Nawaz Sharifs lawyer is contesting that prima facie Nawaz Sharif is guilty and tried to misle the SC and the accountability court...!
  
  
• Jul18-2018--Dawn suggests that the swinging south punjab could decide the punjab election...while Imran Khan thinks that Lahore has some influence it seems immaterial as most areas vote on their own concerns and the candidates have to fight individual elections in punjab...
  
  
• Jul17-2018--In what is being seen as the shamshad akhter interventions the rupee was again devalued by around 5%...Rs.128 to the dollar...the kerb market flew upto Rs.132...The reasoning future IMF condionalities many say...!over history devaluations really not worth it...causing skyrocketing price rises...the meaningless increase in exports hardly matter due to price devaluation...exports affected hardly valued at a few billion dollars
  
  
• Jul17-2018--The judge in the two remaining Nawaz Sharif references has asked tobe replaced...he perhaps wants to be elevated to the high courts after so much work...!others suggest that with the cases in their partial state a judge cannot be replaced...
  
  
• Jul17-2018--when Bajwa first visited Iran he advised them to negotiate on problems rather than intervene militarily...that is the key difference between iran and pakistan...with iran militarily controlling lebanon, iraq and syria while pakistan hankers after negotiations with the taleban and india...the caretaker government again seems tobe taking more power than it should in the matter too...iran seems to want greater cooperation even though it does not restrain itself on the pakistani border...pakistan has key differences with iran on saudi relations while it would prefer to have better relations with russia like iran...others suggest that iran is after nuclear enrichment technology and subjugation of saudi arabia...! and creation of a greater shiite controlled bloc
  
  
• Jul16-2018--death toll in mastung blast rises to 149...as Imran, Shahbaz and caretaker primeminister arrive to offer condolences at Sarawan house...Army chief himself attended the funeral..
  
  
• Jul16-2018--As PPP tries to get the PMLn to cooperate...Farhatullah Baber says that search for a Sanjrani primeminister is on...Bilawal in fright cancels politicking...
  
  
• Jul16-2018--while Nawaz Sharifs term in office can at best be characterized as "army chief ko izzat do" he now wants the voters to think of politicians elected as immune to investigations and jail sentences...!