Bhutto Negotiates Back Into Power

While Nawaz Sharif is left twisting in the wind after he was ceremoniously kicked out of Pakistan, his rival, Benazir Bhutto, is busy negotiating with President Musharraf on some odd power-sharing arrangement that would make her prime minister and Musharraf staying on as president.

The current set-up, with Musharraf as its architect, concentrates most of the power in the president’s hands, not the prime minister’s. This is not what Benazir Bhutto is use to (or wants), and I hope she’s not deluding herself on this score. Now, knowing this, is Benazir Bhutto willing to be Musharraf’s sock pocket? This is, after all, Shaukat Aziz’s current role: a pretty-faced figurehead, who is willing to act out the script given to him. I doubt Bhutto will stick to script once in power: she is much too power-hungry and ambitious, like her father before her.

Bangladesh: I Can Call From Anywhere!

Bangladesh has undoubtedly many shortcomings—politically, economically, socially—but to its credit it can boast about one thing at least: possessing one of the best cellular phone networks in the world; better than India, Canada, and even the United States.

Rezwan, in this great post, recounts the experiences of an expatriate Canadian: who was able to access the internet through his cell phone from a remote village. I have no doubt. Even when I was in Bangladesh a few years ago, I was surprised that people were able to talk on cellular phones in the middle of nowhere, while I can barely get a signal outside my house.

Another thing that amazes me about Bangladesh’s cellular phone market is the level of penetration it has achieved, not only among the rich and middle-class, but the lower classes and the poor too.

Nawaz Sharif Sent Packing

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was suppose to make a grand return to Pakistan, made possible by a favorable Supreme Court ruling, but was immediately sent packing upon his arrival. He’s back in Jeddah now, finishing up the remaining term of his exile (10 years). And just to make sure he stays there, Saudi Arabia has confiscated his passport.

Nevertheless, one must appreciate the irony of the situation. Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that Nawaz Sharif could return to Pakistan forthwith. This is the same Supreme Court Sharif, then Prime Minister, treated with such contempt when he allowed his minions to storm the court and ransack it in an attempt to intimidate the justices. That someone like Sharif would champion the Supreme Court’s ruling is too delicious an irony to ignore.

At the same time, sadly, it is another body blow for the rule of law in Pakistan. In the space of a few months, we have seen a Chief Justice removed and, just as quickly, restored. Now we see the government thumbing its noses at the court—yet again. It would be a comedy if it weren’t such a tragedy.

Lastly, there’s clear-cut collusion between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that is not being reported. Even with the Supreme Court ruling, Saudi Arabia insisted that Nawaz Sharif serve out his exile. Why the Saudis would do this is unclear unless there was some prodding by President Musharraf, whose position greatly weakened, wanted to short-circuit the Supreme Court’s ruling without appearing like, well, a dictator. Too late for that, I guess.

Apple Tries To Appease

In an attempt to make amends, Apple has decided to give a $100 credit, to be used only at Apple stores, to those early adopters who complained about the recent price drop, from $599 to $399, of the iPhone.

Anyone who has visited an Apple store knows first hand there is nothing there of value that can be purchased for a mere $100, including accessories, but, then again, this is the genius of Steve Jobs: to make people spend more while while making them believe they are not.

Apple Chops iPhone Price

Apple just slashed the price of its 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399. This, of course, has pissed off a lot of the early adopters who not only paid the higher-price but waited in line for hours, sometimes days, just to get one. Steve Jobs says tough shit:

"That's technology. If they bought it this morning, they should go back to where they bought it and talk to them. If they bought it a month ago, well, that's what happens in technology."

Yes, I would have to agree with Jobs on this one, the arrogant prick. The early adopters paid a premium to be the first people to purchase a new high-tech product, forgoing future price drops as a result of market satuation. We've seen this with video game systems, flat-screen televisions and DVD players. In fact, I paid $400 for my first DVD player back in the day, only to see the price drop to $25 today.

Just heed this maxim: it pays to wait-- usually, er, most of the time. Whatever. Nevertheless, even with the price drop I'm still not enamored with the iPhone. And the technology is so new, in fact, it still needs a lot of tweaking. But I do love the new Motorola RAZR phones, though.

Left Front's Audacity

I took much of August off for rest and relaxation. In the interim, I landed a new contract with a supermarket chain-- out of finance and into retail. It's a nice change of pace, I suppose. You may have noticed, I haven't blogged much lately either. No mood to write a single word. Nothing at all. Been doing lot of reading, though. Mostly fiction: the historical/mystery variety, anyway. The lazy summer days doesn't lend itself to heavy reading (or thinking, for that matter); I'll leave that to cold days of winter, when time moves at a glacial pace.

But I would like to make a brief comment about the Left Front's discomfort with the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement. I'm quite pleased how agitated the Left Front has become over the deal which, without understanding all the particulars, sounds like a win-win for India. They finally reveal their true colors. So why is the Left Front so hot and bothered by it? It's not just knee-jerk anti-Americanism, which is to be expected.

The reason the Left Front opposes the nuclear deal is, simply, because China opposes it. And the Left Front does China's bidding: after all, they are their eagerly willing agents. That Left Front loyalty is, first and foremost, to China (and the odious, outdated ideology they represent), and India is a far second. This is historically consistent. The Left Front had no qualms carrying water for the Soviet Union during the Cold War; and later, after the Soviet Union collapsed, quickly switched its allegiance to China, whose economic and political model (capitalism without democracy or rule of law) the Left Front desparately wants to emulate. Read their mouthpieces, and leftist rags like Frontline, where they often praise China while accusing India of needlessly antagonizing the Red Dragon with unwarranted provocations.

Honestly, their behavior is borderline treasonous. Will anybody call them on this?

Pakistan: Crazy Statements

I was hoping to avoid posting anything in August, deciding to take the month off and lie low for awhile, so to better enjoy the summer and do other things like read, watch movies and have an ice cream cone or two. Nevertheless, this item in Dawn grabbed my attention and I had to write something in response:

“Recognising Taliban and launching a jihad is the only way to take revenge,” said Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Maj (retd) Tanveer Hussain Syed while taking part in the debate on the foreign policy “with particular reference to recent statements of some US presidential candidates, US civil nuclear treaty with India, threat of military intervention in Pakistan, the country’s role in war against terror and the improper conditions in the US legislation for aid to Pakistan.”

He alleged that the US and India wanted to take control of Kashmir to keep a check on China. The parliamentary secretary also called for sending “jihadis” to Kashmir because, according to him, Pakistan would never be able to get Kashmir through negotiations.

He claimed that through jihad, Pakistan could get Kashmir within six months.

Major Tanveer also alleged that the CIA, RAW and Khad were behind the killings of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. “There is a need for revenge and there is only one way to do it, Jihad, Jihad and Jihad,” he concluded.

And they say Americans make irresponsible statements. Honestly, what Mr. Syed said paled in comparison to what Obama said: who, as president, would unilaterally bomb Pakistan if it didn't cooperate. What Obama is saying is, in reality, what many Americans are thinking but are not saying out loud, including the Bush Administration, who, regardless of their fawning public statements to the contrary, are equally frustrated with Pakistan's lack of follow through.

Here we have a parliamentary secretary, thus representing the current government, making statements about supporting the Taliban and jwaging jihad in Kashmir. It is pure wing-nuttery. It just confirms fears that lunatics are running amok in Pakistan.

Smart Rock Stars

Brian May, guitarist and songwriter for Queen, is getting a doctorate in astrophysics; and to be referred as Dr. Brian May. Sweet! I always considered Queen to be one of the brainier rock bands out there; you can tell by their experimental sound, which is both complex and sophisticated. In fact, the band was formed during the member's university days. On the other hand, there are plenty of musicians who are dumb as dirt and it's often reflected in their music.

[via marginal revolution]

Idiotic Comments On India's New President

The Pakistan Observer has derided India's election of its first woman president as an act of tokenism since the post is mostly cermonial. Yes, the election of a woman president is indeed symbolic, but it's a powerful one; and it resonates loudly to the world that India is a democracy, no matter how flawed it is.

It's not suprising that The Pakistan Observer is saying this. It is one of the mostly stridently nationalistic and jingoistic newspapers in Pakistan. And spares no chance to malign India. It has carried water for every regime, democratic or non-democratic. And like many papers of its ilk, it mistastes facts and makes sweeping generalizations.

The office of the President is, therefore, rotated amongst deprived segments of the society in an effort to remove their sense of alienation. That is why India has both Sikh and Muslim presidents. But their election could not bring about any change in pitiable conditions of Muslims and Sikhs, who are considered as second rate citizens. The outgoing President Abdul Kalam is also a Muslim, elected to the top slot also in recognition of his contribution to the Indian nuclear and missile programme, but his bid to get second term was rebuffed by the ruling Congress party that wanted one of its loyalist as president.

Sikhs are doing well, economically and politically. In fact, the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, is a Sikh. I'm sure this fact didn't escape The Pakistan Observer's notics. As for Abdul Kalam, he is leaving on his own volition. And given the fact that he is extremely popular and a Muslim (and thus "a second rate citizen,"), it is only natural that Congress would've liked him to stay on; if anything, to pamper its communal credentials.

There is one question I would like to pose to The Pakistan Observer, though: can a non-Muslim ever be a president in Pakistan? According to its constitution-- no!

Musharraf Rebuked By Supreme Court

It's nice to know that democracy is not a lost cause in Pakistan.

Pakistan's Supreme Court reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on Friday, dealing a political blow to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Cheering crowds took to the streets in support of the judge to celebrate the court's ruling that found Musharraf's suspension of Chaudhry illegal.

Officials said the decision is a historic moment for the country and another victory for Pakistan's independent judiciary.

Munir Malik of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association hailed the "landmark judgment" saying the decision slammed Musharraf's grip on power that has long put him at odds with pro-democracy advocates.

Slamming Musharraf's grip on power that has long put him at odds with pro-democracy advocates, Malik referred to the president and military leader's "autocratic rule."

The government has sheepishly accepted the decision. How could it not? This is just another sign that Musharraf's grip on power, which he's been holding for seven long years, is slowly slipping: the Lal Masjid affair was more a defeat than a victory; uprisings in the tribal areas, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are gaining strength; they're more suicide bombings in Pakistan than in Iraq; and the military, the main bulwark of support for Musharraf, is grumbling. All in all, it looks like a recipe for Musharraf's downfall. The question is: will he go quietly, or kicking and screaming?

The Lost Archives

Wow! I didn't know that older versions of my blog are archived for perpetuity on the internet. Check them out here, here, here, and here.

I thought I lost them forever when I whimsically deleted them-- kicking myself for not saving the posts, but now I have easy access to them once again.

Musharraf's 'Operation Blue Star'

The Hindu has the final say on the whole Lal Masjid affair, which ended rather bloodily:

It would be twisting the truth if Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf were to claim that he acted decisively to end the half-year-long confrontation with religious extremists and armed desperadoes holed up in Islamabad’s Lal Masjid and its two madrassas. While the denizens of the mosque-seminary complex offered plenty of provocation over that period, General Musharraf’s regime vacillated as no government setting store by the rule of law should. Even the final showdown happened only because of the force of circumstances.

While Pakistani papers heap praise on Musharraf for his brinkmanship, no one has asked him why this sordid event was allowed to reach such a critical stage in the first place. After all, innocent people were plucked from the streets and taken hostage, neighborhoods were terrorized, all while the government looked on.

The government was content to do nothing until Chinese nationals were kidnapped. By this time the whole affair was topping the news worldwide, giving Pakistan's already battered image another body blow. Only then Musharraf acted. Now he his celebrating, gloating over his defeated enemies like a vain prizefighter. He should not celebrate too loudly because it is a Pyrrhic victory.

Immortality: Is It Worth It?

I'm approaching the end of The Historian and have discovered that Dracula is not only alive and well (and undead), but is an avid book collector, a scholar and a historian; in addition to his duties as a bloodsucker and being the prince of darkness.

This begs the question: if you had the chance, would you want to live forever? After giving it much thought, like 10 minutes, I would! Imagine having the luxury of time to read the books you wanted to read, to listen to the music you wanted to listen to, to watch the movies and television shows you wanted to watch, and travel to places you wanted to visit.

Of course, living forever means, at times, there is no escape from boredom. Small price to pay, I guess.

In Defense of Feudalism

Here is something you don't see often: a letter, published in Dawn, in defense of feudalism. The writer, from New Jersey no less, seems to be unhinged because he starts off spouting conspiratorial nonsense:

Traditionally Muslims of the subcontinent did not engage in business. They were either courtiers or landowners. The socialist Nehru abolished the land holdings in India not because of some lofty Marxist or Gandhian motives, but rather it was a Patel-led conspiracy to destroy the Muslims in India. Most of the land holdings were held by the Muslims.

By destroying the land holdings of the Muslims, the Islamic centres of excellence in Delhi, Lucknow, Agra and Hyderabad were brought down. With no opportunities in employment or education, the Muslims of India were pushed to the ghetto and slums of India.

There is no evidence what Nehru undertook was some kind of an anti-Muslim pogrom; and contrary to what the writer may say, Nehru, idealistic as he was, was motivated by "Marxist or Gandhian motives". The British gave large swathes of land (and money for its upkeep) to nawabs in order to buy their loyalty. These lands are a product of a colonial legacy. The land was not for the British to give away, so Nehru, rightly, eliminated these huge estates soon after independence. I believe India was better for it.

If feudalism is so bad, then one needs to learn from the Mozambique horrors which stemmed from the abolition of large land holdings. The result was a sharp decline in food production, mass starvation and general chaos. Pakistani feudals for all their faults have kept a steady flow of food to our growing population and made it more or less self-sufficient in rice and wheat with huge exports in cotton. This is the backbone of our economy.

The writer seems to be confused. The argument is not about efficiency or productivity of large estates, but whether these estates, which their owners paid little or nothing for, conform to democratic norms. Nehru believed they did not. Now, I'm no fan of Nehru or his socialist ideals, but I believe he was right on this score.

...The Indian industrialists simply implemented a failed policy of import substitution and did not participate in the world market for decades.

Penury in neighbouring India had a huge impact on our economy. The BJP government was thrown out because it failed to look into the problems of rural India. The Indian IT field only impacts about six million Indians. The other billion eek out a living on farms with low productivity.

So what the writer is essentially saying is that Pakisan's economy stinks because India is so poor? But India's economy is doing much better now, just behind China in terms of growth. So logically, Pakistan should be doing better economically, which, of course, it is. The writer should be grateful to India, at least. :-)

Finally, the writer offers the following solution to improve Pakistan's moribund economy:

Pakistan has to encourage its feudals into doubling and tripling its productivity in food and cotton. No magic formulae will make Pakistan prosperous. Huge dams should redirect wasted water of the Indus to Balochistan and it must increase its arable area by developing the vast deserts of Pakistan.

Interesting. I don't know what the thought process was here, but it wasn't too deep. Much as the writer like to brag about fuedal estates, Pakistan has, from time to time, imported food items like wheat and sugar, especially during periods of shortages. And why is the writer insisting on Pakistan grow more food when there is such a glut of it that governments pay their farmers not to grow it?

Left's Anti-Indian Credentials

While the Left Front is busy celebrating 30 years of continuous rule in West Bengal, there is a great article in Pragati reminding us, as it should, the duplicitous and treasonous nature of the various communist parties that make up the Left Front.

Whether paying paeans to Moscow, or to Peking, communists took money, arms and even orders from their ideological patrons. The communists were more than willing (and with plenty of enthusiasm) to undermine Indian sovereignty, which included raising underground organizations and infiltrating institutions, like the armed forces, all in the hope of creating a worker's paradise (with Chinese help), a hopeless task and a fool's errand.

Update: Offstumped offers more details in this great post. I concur with him that the government should investigates these allegations and bring the perpretrators (those that are still alive) to book. If nothing happens-- which is highly probable with this government-- we should do it for the sake of history.