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Posts tagged with: MiniLinks

Politics of the youth bulge – Dr Maleeha Lodhi

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi’s op-ed in The News is worth reading Politics of the youth bulge. A few excerpts from the article are captrued here

Commenting on the changing electoral lists towards a more youth centric vote bank – Change in the next election therefore hinges crucially on voter turnout. This will likely benefit the PTI more than the two major parties. Indeed if the remarkably stable vote banks of the PPP and the Muslim League are to be eroded – or overwhelmed – it is higher turnout by young voters and other first time voters that can swing this.

Commenting on the Urbanization of Rural constituencies – This changing rural-urban landscape advantages the PML-N more than the PPP. But it also opens the opportunity for new urban voters and especially those from the growing middle class to consider the PTI as a serious alternative especially as it seeks to convince voters that the two major parties represent the past, not the future.

In conclusion she writes – The combined effect of these factors and voter disillusionment with the major parties, which are burdened by incumbency at a time of economic gloom, is to inject new, uncertain dynamics into the election scenario. This could produce greater surprises than generally presumed and offer a party that can convince voters it stands for change an unparalleled chance to make a mark. Read the entire article Politics of the youth bulge


Kleptocracy in focus – Babar Sattar

Babar Sattar pens a very balanced article on the recent CJP crisis known as Family Gate, which involves Dr. Arsalan Chaudhry, the son of Chief Justice Iftikhae Chaudhry, Babar Sattar writes – The chief justice did the courageous thing by taking suo motu notice of the clandestine affair between Malik Riaz and his son Arsalan Iftikhar that had spread like wildfire through a crafty whispering campaign. And after putting the judicial wheels in motion to hold to account his son and Malik Riaz, and throwing his weight behind affixing the liability of the two in a transparent and impartial manner in an open court, he did the right thing by recusing himself from the cas – Read more Kleptocracy in focus – Babar Sattar


Columnists vs burger babies: And the winner is…

AbuBakar Agha smacks around a few Express Tribune columnists like Mosharraf Zaidi, George Fulton, Fasi Zaka, Feisal Naqvi & Saroop Ijaz for being so naive about the PTI revolution – in his blog on Express Tribune

“What people fail to realise is that in their sweeping, over generalised judgments, they had closed their eyes. When the PTI woke the youth of the elite class up & politicised it, it wasn’t the party’s only step; it was the party’s last step.

Imran Khan, through his life, teaches us to be idealists and that is why he is who he is today; that is why so many years of supporting the PTI are bearing fruit. I got to spend 30 minutes at the, August 13, 2011 PTI rally in Islamabad, and during those few moments, I was convinced for good that change was inevitable. This rally was not aired prominently on television.

Maybe if it was, the columnists would not have been so shocked on October 30. The burger babies certainly were not.”


Imran stands out – Adiah Afraz

An article in The News “Imran stands out” by Adiah Afraz this particular section is worth appreciating

I’m afraid, from a junior Bhutto to a senior Sharif we wouldn’t be left with a lot of choices if this is how we chose our leaders.

And speaking of leaders, I support Imran Khan because the leaders that my votes have put in power don’t inspire me. My life is difficult as it is, and I don’t have patience for a detached world where corrupt billionaires play victims and democracy serves the purpose of revenge. I have had enough.

Imran Khan speaks of my realities. His aspirations for my country are similar to mine. So what should I do? Should I stubbornly tell myself that no, good things can never happen to me, and painstakingly find arguments that feed my scepticism? Or should I get up and say: Ok, it seems very difficult, I don’t know how this man is going to do it, but then look at his track record. He is not an angel from the heavens, but he is credible. Credible, but human nevertheless, who like all humans is bound to make mistakes.

So let’s not attack him before he has even starts. Let’s help him out. He probably needs it.


Dues ex machina Pakistan by Zain Umar

Zain Umar pens another masterpiece Deus ex machina of Pakistan, the entire article is worth a read – but these three paragraphs hold me captivated.

Dues ex Machina is Latin for “god out of the machine” whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object

If Jinnah was the leader of the nation of lion hearts, the Quaid e Azam, Imran Khan has earned the title of the leader of the nation of cornered gladiators.Quaid e Azam saw a dream and converted it into reality; Imran Khan endeavors to save the same dream from going sour.

The stage is the same, the place is the same, the challenge is the same, the circumstances are the same, the patriotic fervor and charisma of the leader are the same, what is left to be done is the same gushing of emotions, venting of passions and expression of will which set our forefathers on the road to freedom 65 years ago.

Time to relive the tale, recreate history and reinvent Pakistan. Time to herald a new era of peace, prosperity and beatitude. Time to show the world that we are a nation of 180 million lion hearts, a nation of cornered tigers, led so admirably and heroically by destiny’s child, the fabled savior of our times, Imran Khan!

Bravo Bravo





The winds blowing in Islamabad

Shaheen SehbaiA must read article by Shaheen Sehbai published in The News yesterday, sheds light on the present political chaos. “The over-riding sense of failure is that after a free and fair elections a genuinely popular and elected government should have created a tidal wave of trust and confidence, at the domestic and international levels, which would have translated into massive political, economic and moral support for Pakistan” – He goes on to share the gloomy reality “Whatever is being said, heard and thought about in Islamabad, is testimony to the fact that our politicians are failing to meet the challenge that the present window of opportunity has provided them. If they ultimately fail, God help them, and us all” God Help Pakistan


[MiniLinks] Sony recalls PS3 game Little Big Planet because of ‘Arabic’ words

Sony Entertainment has announced that it is recalling the Playstation 3 video game, LittleBigPlanet, from retailers after it learned that the soundtrack featured some Arabic-language lines which were also in the Quran and backed with music Sony said that “one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Koran.” the two phrases are (literally translated from the original Arabic): “Every soul shall have the taste of death” and “All that is on earth will perish.”.

I’m shocked and irritated, not at the Sony company, but more so at us Muslims who have brought this type of paranoia upon ourselves over the past years. It is a natural reaction for companies to steer away from these hyper sensitive issues staying clear of the extremist element in the religion of Islam simply for the fear of being caught in a blood bath of some awkward religious controversy. I must now worriedly ask can we coax our own people to be a little more understanding or has the time for reconciliation passed us by. [Post edited fractionally just to clarify the confusion that was seen within the comments section]


[MiniLinks] Humvees being built in Taxila

Saleem Shahzad of Asia Times Online reports that an order has been placed by the US Army for about 1000 military grade high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles Humvees at Heavy Industries Unit in Taxilla, Pakistan. The report does voice a concern to say that this new influx of military business is a worrisome understanding between America and Pakistan of a “a new and dangerous level“, but in all honesty I see it as a much needed influx of investment into our failing economy which might actually help bolster the foreign reserves and have an important side benefit of the much coveted ‘transfer of technology’. It must be noted that the report has not been fully confirmed by the ISPR spokesperson Major General Athar Abbass, but whatever be the situation it should be important to keep an eye on this development