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[-
IKRAM SEHGAL -] |
 Let
the Games Begin?
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The heavens have not fallen with
Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Chaudhry back in the Supreme
Court (SC), what is now in store for Pakistan? Two
things are of positive consequence, the decision of
Mian Nawaz Sharif to call off the Long March once
the objective of restoration the CJ was achieved and
good faith of the Zardari Govt in not allowing the
likes of Salman Taseer to derail the reconciliation
process by legal complications. Taseer’s shenanigans
post-March 16 did give rise briefly to some speculation
about Zardari’s intentions......more
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It’s
The Economy, Einstein |
The man who actually started the
privatization process competently and successfully
is Hussain Lawai. Taking Muslim Commercial Bank on
behalf of one of the great symbols of private enterprise,
Mian Mansha, and a dozen private investors, he converted
MCB into a model for privatization by making it a
financial powerhouse during Mian Nawaz Sharif’s
first tenure in the early 1990s. Lawai Sahib preferred
to tap the great human resource within MCB and brought
in almost no one from outside the bank or from abroad.
If this experiment had gone wrong and had Lawai failed,
there would have been no privatization of the banks.
The great tragedy is that Mian Mansha and Husain Lawai
fell out for disparate reasons. ....more
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Now
What?
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Overcoming its reservations about getting involved
in the political process in any manner whatsoever,
the Army finally got its thought process in line with
it’s responsibility to the nation. With Kayani
counselling wisdom to Zardari quietly, the US kept
up a drumbeat of pressure, culminating in Hilary Clinton’s
late night calls to the main State and non-State actors
concerned. The lawyer protest turned ugly with the
police violence in Karachi, displaying far more venom
a la Taseer in Lahore a day later. As Mian Nawaz Sharif
boldly forced his way through the police barriers
outside his home the police melted, a “silent”
rebellion consequently swept through its rank and
file. The manifestation of political force in the
streets finally removed all roadblocks to Constitutional
sanity. The snowflakes of change became a snowball,
and then gathering momentum, turned into a landslide......more
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Avoiding
Meltdown
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A
comprehensive review of overall US policy by the Obama
Administration notwithstanding, many independent entities
have also undertaken such analysis. One such exercise
is “The Strategy for Stability Afghanistan-Pakistan”
by the Asia Society, appropriately labeled “Back
from the Brink?” A commendable effort even at
cursory glance, it needs more thorough study before
commenting. Thanks to an extraordinary American called
Dr Jeffrey Starr I could engage in interactive discussions
in both Wash DC and in New York, it was refreshing to
see both openness and candour unfortunately missing
during the Bush years. Contrary views than could quickly
make you an outcast, neither seen nor heard, nor heard
from, this despite the enduring American penchant for
“fairplay”. ...more |
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