1 comment THE REAL COST OF NOT PAYING TAXES by Sayem Ali published in the NEWS on Sunday
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey FY12, the total population was 180.7 million and crude birth rate was 2.72. Calculating for infant mortality rate of 69 per 1,000 births shows us that in Pakistan today, 932 children die every 24 hours due to malnutrition and a lack of basic health services
Comments Off on From WIKI-Leaks to WIGGI-Leaks 
WIKI-Leaks or WIGGI-Leaks you decide? PML-N’s DRIVE-THRU DHARNEE was hilarious
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Did you get to enjoy PML’s Rain infested Dharnee ? – AJ Shafquat spins out a WIGGILEAKS Graphic
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credit Sabir Nazar – via Facebook
2 comments Yesterday we wrote about a serious conflict of interest issue in the results of the survey conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI) which had outsourced the project to IPOR. In the declaration of the results IRI choose not to disclose that IPOR, the agency hired to conduct the survey in Pakistan had a financial conflict of Interest as it provided research / survey services to political parties like PML-N, PML-Q & MQM.
Since the story broke out yesterday and our blog post, IPOR has literally gone out on a limb to further dig itself into a deeper hole – instead of a carefully measured statement trying to clear up their name and show evidence that the survey was conducted in a truly “unbiased and non-politically inclined manner” the IPOR owners in panic simply choose to sneak in website modification of their client list to include PTI and chose to delete MQM, it now states
“IPOR have the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as its primary clients. Within the short span, IPOR has developed a diverse clients-base of political parties and politicians from PTI, PML-N, PML-Q, MQM“
The issue here, which I guess they too did not realize – is that no matter which party is listed as their clients, for them to conduct a political popularity survey on behalf of IRI while maintaining a financial relationship with the very same political parties is a definite conflict of interest which should have been disclosed as part of the IRI survey, anything not disclosed and hidden should be considered as a serious defect of the survey.
This accidental revelation damages the credibility of IRI – and now studies emerging from this organization will be viewed with microscopic care especially as a neutral unbiased polling agency in Pakistan. IPOR will probably feel the pinch and it is possible IRI might sever relationships as well. An argument could easily be made that IPOR has a business to run and needs these clients to make money but strategic calculations should have been made to weigh in the conflicting interests, which im sure any such agency would be well aware of.
The IRI results are interesting but quite suddenly their credibility has been seriously tarnished and IRI stands to be blamed for not declaring this conflict of interest by their hired agency
2 comments Opinion polls are valid methods of gauging the sentiments of a community but a survey is then critically weighed as to its balance & authenticity when there is a Conflict of Interest specially of financial nature (def: Conflict of Interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in another)
International Republican Institute (IRI) has been conducting political surveys in Pakistan for many years and have generally been accepted as an unbiased outlook into the political pulse beat of Pakistani. Conducting survey is a very carefully excersise, mere framing of a question can sway the responses but what hurts any study is when the surveyors do not declare their conflict of interest – IRI on its website does mention that it has outsourced the excersice to Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR) based in Islamabad.
IRI having outsourced the survey work to a company in Islamabad failed to acknowledge anywhere in its disclaimer or methodology that IPOR has a conflict of interest since it caters to PML-N, PML-Q & MQM as business clients
IPOR have the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as its primary clients. Within the short span, IPOR has developed a diverse clients-base of major political parties like PML-N, PML-Q, MQM
This revelation to any survey is a serious conflict of interest and should have been declared by IRI openly when presenting its research findings and should have not been subjected to “accidental revelation” which hence forth immediately puts this entire organization and their survey methodologies in serious doubts
Comments Off on Nawaz Sharif Copying PTI Nawaz Sharif is copying the Tehreek-i-Insaf’s ideas about building a progressive Pakistan as a welfare state, just like he is copying President Asif Ali Zardari’s corruption methods. Turning to other PTI opponents, he said that if Altaf Hussain really believed that the people of Pakistan were with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), he would have no objection to the fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies. Hussain’s objections showed “there is definitely some problem”, he said. He also said Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Fazlur Rehman had been running an “Islam shop” but it was time to close the shop.
TRIBUNE LINK: South Punjab tour: Nawaz Sharif copying PTI’s ideas, says Imran Khan
– shared on Facebook by Awab Alvi
1 comment Comments Off on Next Elections the Battle in Punjab is between PTI vs PML & not PPP PML has been chest thumping a logic that if you vote for PTI you actually help elect PPP into power – a major fallacy being played up in the desperate greed to be in power
The results of By-Election clearly conclude that PPP+PML-Q alliance will be nowhere in the next general elections and its now more of battle between PTI vs PML-N or PTI vs all status quo parties, since PML must also be included into the status quo cluster proudly claims credit for having Zardari Disaster rule Pakistan for FIVE years
NA-162 (Chica Watni):
PP-26 (Jehlum):
PP-92 (Gujranwala):
PP-122 (Sialkot):
PP-133 (Narowal):
The bottom-line is PPP is down in Punjab, and the election battle in the upcoming battle is PTI vs PML-N and then its peoples choice to decide if Pakistan needs to change from all these rulers who have destroyed Pakistan to such a horrid situation – shared on Facebook via Awab Alvi
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Comments Off on Silence over Holy-alliance of PPP with Qadri’s supporters PPP partners with Mumtaz Qadri’s Supporters
PML partners with ASWJ (Anti-Shia)
Both parties are delicately showing their true colors but the media chooses to look the other way
LINK: Silence over Holy-alliance of PPP with Qadri’s supporters | LUBP
– shared on Facebook by Awab Alvi
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On 27th July – an article appeared on the back page of the newspaper titled Web presence: Punjab govt footing bill for PML-N social media revamp after it remained online for the entire day around 10pm that evening the article was suddenly deleted, and no explanation given as to why, the web editors of the Express Tribune chose to delete this post
Almost a month back on June 6th, Express Tribune had published an article titled PML-N’s – ‘Like’ my Facebook page News Item, after a few hours the web editors deleted the online edition without any reason. It seems there is a definite attempt by Express to be influenced by PML and its team of hired media houses to ensure that no bad publicity appears on its papers.
The focus of the article is on the hiring of the social media team, but what has not been exposed is the upsurge of all the TV ads & all the Newspaper adverts that have started populating the airwaves ALL are being funded by YOUR TAX MONEY positioned as Govt ads only to promote Sharif [PML] & Zardari [PPP]. One does wonder BOTH have made enough money in ALL their tenures combined that they could easily “invest” in their future turn of power – but their old corrupt habits continue. They use your money to reposition themselves as saviors of Pakistan for re-election.
An exposé of their activities was revealed at the Pakistan Social Media Gate blog which has a video and itemized screen captures.
For the sake of online posterity I hearby again reproduce the contents of the deleted article, so that the digital footprint does not disappear into oblivion
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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
30 comments An Urdu proverb is often used نقل کےلیے عقل چاہے “Nakal Kay Liyae Akal Chahye” [you need brains to cheat] for the past month it seems, I have begun to haunt a talk show anchor on AAJ TV called Nusrat Javed. You can start to read the development on the issue starting from #TwitterGate which was followed by a few of his glorifying articles where in one he accused me of running Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Social Media Karkhana [factory] and desperatly pledged to expose us.
His investigative reporting is so skewed that he has no idea that PTI does not hire anyone for social media and there is no office that we go to, we the official PTI volunteers a numbered not more then two dozen and are scattered all around the world and our office is our own computers volunteering our time for the casue of a better and brighter Pakistan under the leadership of Imran Khan
A few days after Nusrat Javed attacked we were delighted to scoop exposing the PML-N Social Media Team where some members were hired by the Punjab Govt, appointed within the Punjab IT Department using PUBLIC TAX MONEY, but were specially deputed by Nawaz Sharif to organize a counter offensive for PML-N’s Social Media against the rising PTI force on the social media. I have no idea who made the video, took the screen captures or created the blog, but Pakistan must indeed applaud the whistleblower to have shown the courage to expose the inherently corrupt PML where they have yet again proven their habits of expoliting public money for their own gains and for their own party, as if the Sharifs had not made enough money in their 17 years of ruling that they could not hire a social media team to do their dirty work, had if this been coming from volunteers or employees hired by their own money then it was understandable but when it comes at the expense of govt funding, then the public and we have the right to question
If you are interested to watch the expose the video is here or read the expose here
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Its hilarious at how PML-N is running confused on so many fronts, politically confused as to which side of the government does it want to be, sometimes it screams of protests from the side of Opposition, but the very next day it flips over and goes soft, in the online arena the abundant social media employed to counter the PTI Tsunami online also behaves like a headless behemoth, full of daily propaganda with no soul.
Today (6th June, 2012) Express Tribune printed a story on Page 2 – ‘Like’ my Facebook page, Shahbaz tells officials [404-DEAD LINK] which narrated a story as to how the Chief Minister has been asking Punjab govt employees to like his page & “remove PTI-related material from their Facebook accounts and not ‘like’ any PTI page”
PTI supporters started making funny jabs at how the Chief Minister was trying to rally Patwaris in the Punjab Govt to build “likes” for Shahbaz Sharif’s “political” page. In a very surprising development a few hours later Express Tribune deleted the article from their website. No explanation given, just a simple delete, was it under political pressure? Was the story misreported? We can only wonder what happened?
There is absolutely no crime in promoting your facebook page, social media experts world over do it all the time, so why a sudden embarrassed push to delete the story, so whatever the reason something did definitely bother PML-N and its supporters to force Express Tribune to pull the entire article from the website
So for whatever it is worth, I think its important to retain the contents for digital posterity, occasionally to rub the embarrassed PML-N noses to a shine for this gaff or for preserve this to question Express Tribune’s political bias for succumbing to political pressure and
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