Pakistan: Neither unwilling nor unable in Tirah Valley

By Zoon Ahmad Khan
SPEARHEAD RESEARCH

Tirah is a belt of valleys providing a convenient passage into Afghanistan, with a population of 1.5 million. Fertile for what Afghanis do best: opium, poppy fields have flourished in the region and the government has been for years trying to curb the epidemic. But the Tirah Valley people are slippery under the quivering thumb of the establishment since colonial times. It was in 2003 that the Pakistan Army entered the valley, that too after 9/11 and escalating Talibanization of the northern region when it was believed that Osama bin Laden could be hiding in one of these self governing regions.

For a month now, since March 2013, Tirah Valley has been making headlines. As over 300 militants have been eliminated and more than 30 army personnel have achieved martyrdom in less than thirty days. Due to fierce resistance, the military operation has gained momentum. Like the Swat operation, where Taliban had allied themselves with the local government promising better law enforcement and good riddance from the sloppy civil courts, in Tirah the emergence of TTP has also been gradual. Owing to poor infrastructure and isolation of the region (a tribal area that avoids foreign interference), news of the hundreds killed while resisting TTPs advancement in to the region, never reached mainstream media sources.

Three militant outfits are operating in the region presently: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), and Ansar ul Islam (AI) . The AI and LI have been battling with each other in the region for more than seven years over sectarian differences. When the LI joined hands with the TTP, AI reached out to the Pakistan army to protect its position against its adversary. It is noteworthy that the AI, a militant organization, has previously been banned for protecting the area from foreign influence (i.e. the government). How this support for the AI is any different from that of the Taliban back in the 1980s is not clear. For Pakistan, at the moment, fighting the Taliban is more crucial. What demons this war gives birth to can be dealt with later perhaps.

The TTP has not taken over the valley overnight, nor without assistance. Since last June, one step at a time the Tirah tribes have been coming under their fold. Even today, as the army marches against the Taliban with bursting force, launching aerial assaults to drive the Taliban out, few know the gravity of the situation. Few realize the dire consequences of this belt coming under full control of anti-state outfits. Thousands of the valley’s inhabitants have migrated out of their homes towards Peshawar. What will become of them and their families knowing the situation of IDPs amidst a fragile economy is another burden we are temporarily ignoring for a false peace of mind.

With three vital entry points: into Peshawar, Orakzai and the Khyber Pass (the main passageway for NATO supplies) the valley is an important stronghold for the TTP. With no road access, the army was initially only relying on aerial assaults. So far with scanty news, all we get a few days later is a death count of militants versus soldiers. Nothing about civilian casualties. Turns out we have an alternative for the drone strikes that have caused much discord between us and the United States. But the problems with an operation where only Pakistani blood is being spilt are manifold.

These quandaries can take the shape of a thought process. Firstly, Tirah was not above the regular drone drill. Rather the area has been a frequent target. Yet the LI joined hands with the Taliban, killed hundreds of civilians while fighting the local AI, took over the entire region over the course of a year. All of this while drone strikes were happening with unhampered discretion. Should this not make us question the effectiveness of drone strikes? The AI , temporary partner of the Government of Pakistan in this operation, is not our friend either. It is these temporary alliances with local militant outfits, and keeping our enemies ‘closer’ that has strengthened them to begin with. Before the Taliban took over completely, Ansar-ul-Islam were adamant that they could handle the situation. But with stiff resistance from TTP backed LI. Eventually the Pakistan army was forced to step in and save the region. The main question that arises from such situations is: why should we trust the security of such volatile and strategically important regions with militias who are not completely supportive of the government?

Initially when the wave of conflict erupted last month, media and ISPR reported that two militant groups were at war with each other and the death toll from both sides was being reported as “militant death toll”. TTP extended full support to LI, and AI was almost driven out of the region and increased TTP influence in the region was becoming evident. It was at this point when civilian casualties escalated and mass migration from the Tirah Valley started that the army stepped in. With General Elections only days away, it would have been catastrophic if hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of the valley had become IDPs. Additionally with Peshawar well within the range of rocket launchers the threat of TTP advancement in to the developed regions of the country had become too real. The AI-Army alliance is strategic and passing. Whether the army death toll includes the AI, or they aren’t dying at all is not certain. It is possible that the militant death include the AI, TTP, and LI, which would quite literally be true.

The new tagline for justifying drone strikes is ‘Unwilling and Unable’. The US claims that Pakistan is both, unwilling and unable to get rid of terrorists, and hence drones, are a final resort to secure their own national interest is justified. How they come up with new justifications for overstepping the boundaries and disrespecting sovereignty is fascinating. But after delegating the responsibility of keeping the terrorists out to anti-state elements, who haven’t pledged any loyalties to the region, what can we say about Pakistan’s sovereignty? Some argue that more than delegating authority the military and political establishments’ apparent absence was more about respecting the existing status quo that has been for centuries.

The expanding terrorism in the Northern areas can be solved not by drone attacks or killing the terrorists alone, rather by better law enforcement and presence of state sponsored security. The operation that Pakistan army troops are sacrificing their lives for concerns the US’ national security as well. After the drone method has proven ineffective and immoral both countries should look into alternatives. The US needs to decide: in or out? If out then they should completely rely on what the Pakistan army executes. But if they believe we are unwilling and unable then they must join in any battle against the Taliban, even if some blood will be spilt. But this would mean allowing US troops into our territory, and that is another breach of our sovereignty. And hence the dearth of solutions. As the army continues to sacrifice lives, while we acknowledge the courage it takes to execute such an operation, we must realize these lives and those of the civilians can be saved if preventive measures are taken. The upcoming government must get all local and foreign stakeholders on board and strategize better governance in the northern areas of Pakistan. The gun is only a temporary solution.

Solar lanterns distributed in Ghalanai

The directorate of projects, Fata Secretariat, distributed 200 solar lanterns among the tribesmen here on Tuesday.

The initiative has been through the Rural Livelihood Community Infrastructure Project (RLCIP).

Talking to Dawn, monitoring and evaluation specialist RLCIP Aleem Bangash said the project would help the tribesmen in the conflict hit areas and would also enhance the socio-economic status of the tribesmen.He said the project would be financed by Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) through the World Bank.

Additional political agent Abdul Hameed Jan distributed the solar lanterns among the tribal elders.

Similarly, 200 solar lanterns were also distributed among the tribesmen in Bajaur, where 20 people would be trained to repair the lanterns in case of fault.

Art of terror & fear

A gold bullet on top of Islamic stenciling, open sores and festering wounds, life-size sculptures of silenced men whose faces are obscured.

Pakistan’s sectarian crisis has grown so acute that it is creeping into the country’s contemporary art scene, spurring young artists to question the causes and assumptions behind the violent Sunni-Shi’ite divide.

Hardline Sunni groups have killed hundreds of minority Shi’ites in suicide bomb attacks and shootings.

Shi’ites say they are living in a state of siege, and some call it genocide. Fear has driven some families abroad while others have taken up arms against groups backed by al-Qaida.

Some artists have taken to expressing their anger at the carnage through their work.

Outlet for Fear and Frustration

In the elegant city of Lahore, criss-crossed with colonial-era boulevards and home to a bevy of lively artists, Imran Mudassar balances one of his latest pieces, “Secret Love,” on his knees, a diptych of a golden bullet and human heart against interwoven Islamic motifs.

“I’ve started to incorporate the clashing of the Shi’ites and Sunnis into my work,” the 31-year-old artist, who is secular Sunni, told Reuters at Government College University, where he is also a lecturer.

In “Religious Landscape,” he decorated a seven-foot (2.1 m)-high white canvas with designs from the Koran, Islam’s holy book. Red gashes resembling flesh have been torn across it.

“Both faiths adhere to the Koran, but they fight over the Koran, too,” Mudassar said of the piece, which sold for 135,000 rupees ($1,400) after being exhibited last month.

The nightmare scenario for Pakistan, a nuclear-armed U.S. ally, would be sectarian war. While Pakistan is not close to one, fear and instability are growing.

“If the violence continues, if the situation doesn’t settle down, then more and more will start producing this kind of art,” said Mudassar, whose self-portraits of a bullet-riddled torso a year ago earned him an established spot on the art scene.

Strife Makes Artists Look Inward

Pakistani art has been on an upwards trajectory since the 1980s, buoyed by media attention and domestic sales. Galleries have sprung up in cities and the two major art schools – the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore and in the city of Rawalpindi – produce a slew of talented artists every year.

The scene was given a boost when another young artist, Imran Qureshi, was named Deutshce Bank’s “Artist of the Year” for 2013, celebrating his work addressing religion, terrorism and the mutating relationship between Muslim countries and the West.

Qureshi has talked of the bloodshed in his homeland being the inspiration for an installation of white interlocking bricks, which are splashed with red paint in the shapes of flowers and splotches of blood.

While Pakistani artists have traditionally focused on tumultuous political and social changes, with their work even thriving on them, they are now also engaged in self-examination, say art professors and gallery workers.

“Recent turmoil has sparked a new trend, and artists are now looking inward,” said Zahra Khan, curator at the year-old Satrang Gallery, tucked inside the opulent Serena hotel in the capital, Islamabad.

In the leafy capital, art is complemented by black graffiti that has appeared in recent weeks, scrawled on brick buildings and in courtyards, saying “Stop Shia Genocide” in capital letters in English.

“No Fear”

In March, the Satrang Gallery featured a sculpture, “Strained and Sustained,” by 28-year-old up-and-coming artist Saud Baloch, of a person curled up in a heap on the floor, encased in a latex russet-colored sack designed to feel like human skin.

The piece is one of several haunting life-size sculptures by Baloch which feature people made blind and voiceless, which he says reflect brutality in his native Baluchistan, one of Pakistan’s most volatile provinces.

Baloch is from Nushki, a town not far from the provincial capital, Quetta, which has borne the brunt of violence against Shi’ite communities.

In addition, ethnic Baluch separatists are fighting a low-level insurgency. Rights groups accuse security forces of waging a campaign of abduction and murder to try to subdue them, charges authorities say are exaggerated.

“My inspiration comes from where I belong. Shi’ites are being killed, as are the ethnic Baluch. Religious hatred and racism is affecting the whole country, pitting people against each other,” Baloch told Reuters at Lahore’s NCA, from where he recently graduated.

In its dappled garden is “No Fear,” a statue Baloch says is a self-portrait. Made of fibreglass and fabric, a jeans-clad man with a satchel by his feet stands hooded and bowed, his hands tied behind his back.

“It’s about feeling unsafe,” he said.

Identity, or the lack of it, is the overriding theme for the January graduates of the NCA in Rawalpindi, a garrison city adjoining Islamabad.

Works at their final-year exhibit at Islamabad’s National Art Gallery include glaringly empty white boxes, a Pakistani twist on The Frog Prince fairy tale and faces in masks.

The “white noise” of increasing sectarian violence and “the cluttering of our minds with religious news” led graduate Schezre Syed to create “The Blind Print,” which contains 17 lightboxes framing white watercolor sheets, all blank except for a date stamp of the years 2018 and 2019.

“Both sides in the Sunni-Shi’ite issue think they are right, and I took this as a perception of reality. When people look at this piece, they question what is real and what is not,” said 23-year-old Syed.

Her classmate, Benazir Hayat, produced a series of three-color self-portraits with her face obscured by masks: one is conical and Venetian, another white and translucent.

“We are not really safe in our own land and we all need a mask to hide our faces,” she said.

Ogra and petroleum ministry unable to convince SC

The Supreme Court hearing of the alleged grant of illegal CNG station licenses by successive PPP prime ministers and then petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain, took a new turn on Wendesday.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) told the SC on Wednesday that it issued 1,471 operational licenses from 2008 to 2012 but none of these were fresh licenses, and all of them had secured NOCs before 2008.

Not convinced with Ogra’s reply, a three-judge bench comprising of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, said efforts were afoot to cover up misdoings.

The SC has taken notice of the issue after its registrar office submitted a note to the chief justice claiming that 450 illegal CNG licenses were issued during Gilani’s tenure and 200 in Ashraf’s tenure – several of these were issued to their relatives. Ogra has also been pressurised by the former premiers to issue illegal licenses, the note added.

Ogra’s counsel, advocate Salman Akram Raja, argued that the news report on the basis of which the apex court had initiated the proceedings was not true.

Secretary Petroleum Abid Saeed took the same stance and stated that the ministry had not issued even a single license as this was not its domain.

Ogra’s executive director Moazzam Hussain explained that an extension of 15 years in the form of operational licenses were given to CNG station owners who already had provisional licenses.

A total of 656 such operational licenses were issued from 2008-09, 301 during 2009-10, 160 in 2010-11 and 64 in 2011-12.

On a summary by the petroleum ministry, the prime minister’s secretariat issued a clarification lifting the April 18, 2011 moratorium on new industrial and commercial gas connections across the country for six months. This allowed the grant of operational licenses to those CNG stations which had completed the license requirements but had not installed the machinery, and revoked the licenses of those which failed to fulfill the requirements.

However, the chief justice observed that since unauthorised licenses were issued, agencies like the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would deal with them.

The court even asked Ogra officials to submit complete files of all 64 cases on which licenses were issued in 2011-12.

Ogra provided the details on at least 23 such cases, out of which five or six were even perused by the court, but nothing significant was obtained from these.

During the proceedings, Ogra vice chairman Sabir Hussain explained that the summaries on which relaxation was sought from the prime minister’s secretariat were issued by the petroleum ministry.

The court ordered both Ogra and the petroleum ministry to place on record copies of all the applications for the CNG stations. The case will be taken up again on April 12.

Who will catch the big fish?

By Zara Zulfiqar
ZoneAsia-Pk

In Pakistan we believe, not in addressing causes, but getting overwhelmed by effects. Our law makers know they can’t execute well thought out policies effectively, so they just trim the weeds to make them look like grass. Not realizing unless the weed is uprooted it will grow back, and create room for more of its kind. We have seen it in the routine network jams that major cities experience every Eid, any holiday, even some Jummas. Another example is banning of ‘double sawari’, Basant, one wheeling. Most of us have come to terms with this bizarre system of ‘damage control’.

I have frequently heard people gab on ‘so what if it saves lives?’ Ethically speaking I’d rather be deprived of the luxury to text for a day than have a few dozen dying in a bomb blast. But the issue is not the inconvenience, rather the lazy psyche behind it. It takes almost no effort, and leaves the big fish swimming free, finding loopholes in these second grade solutions our law makers come up with. Such solutions are like allopathic medication, antibiotics, and antidepressants. They should be the last resort because your body becomes immune to the dose, and heavier doses are required to have the same effect. Not to mention they have severe side effects. Essentially they are making your body more and more dependent and continue to take a toll on normal bodily functions.

Read more…

ELECTION WATCHES

By Adam Raj
Newsvine

The Caretakers are in and have started caretaking. The Election Commission under the wise Chief Election Commissioner has swung into action and is working round the clock to clear up all the preparatory work before Election Day. The military and the judiciary are supporting the process staying strictly within their own domains. The media is in frenzy as it keeps pace with all the developments, analyzes events and presents viewers with debates and predictions of the likely outcome. Except for pessimists who  always see a half empty glass everyone thinks the elections will be on schedule and that they will be free and fair with the military completely neutral. The stage is set for the dynamics of the elections to play out and the ball is in the courts of the political parties and the Election Commission and of course the Caretakers.

That there is much outside interest is evident from the flurry of diplomatic activity now in progress as preparations are made to monitor the election process and gain as much insight as possible into possible scenarios. The British made waves by releasing a survey that has almost 95% percent of the Pakistanis surveyed saying that they thought their country was headed in the wrong direction. Around 70% view the Army, the Judiciary, the Media and the Religious segments favorably and an equal percentage seems to have negative views of the Federal and Provincial governments and the National and Provincial assemblies. Nearly 38% favor Sharia Law over democracy according to the survey. Obviously the desire is for change that leads to good governance after the elections.

The US Embassy under the new Ambassador is  reaching out to the various Baloch groups, the ANP, the ‘establishment’, media and civil society as well as NGO’s. Almost 15 NGO’s may be engaged to monitor the conduct and transparency of the Elections. The first step will probably be an assessment of the political parties—their current standings and prospects—so that these can be updated as the process moves forward. USAID under its Chief Mr Raju Shah is already in contact with the ECP (Election Commission of Pakistan) to help with funds and technical assistance in the training of polling staff, as well as ECP staff and journalists and HRCP( Human Rights Commission of Pakistan) representatives in places like Multan, Sheikhupura, Quetta and Khairpur—one such program was organized in Sunfort Hotel Lahore.

The British High Commission has a cell in its political division dedicated to the Election monitoring process. An organization called the Church World Services (CWS) will be closely monitoring the political situation and the actual elections. It will probably finance workshops to train journalists, staff and segments of civil society and link up with NGO’s for monitoring and compilation of results. A senior journalist from Punjab may be used to coordinate on their behalf to avoid allegations of interference. There seems to be much interest and interaction with the MQM probably because the MQM leader is in exile in London and is a British citizen. The MQM local leadership has indicated to British diplomats in contact with them that they think the British government is backing the PPP as well as pressurizing the MQM leader in London—and they cited the raid on an MQM facility in London as an example. MQM has reportedly asked the British to help with the situation in Karachi and Sind as various intelligence agencies and the PPP were tarnishing their image. An invitation to the British High Commissioner to visit MQM Headquarters was regretted as it could send the wrong signals but apparently an MQM sponsored Karachi based NGO—Ehsaas Foundation and Raassta Development Consultants—may be funded and used by DFID. MQM leaders have probably indicated a preference for British economic activity in Karachi if they form a government. There are indications that the MQM decision to part ways from the PPP government was not well received by the British though the MQM justified it on grounds of a biased government in Karachi. Most recently an MQM leader Ms Nasreen Jalil met the British High Commissioner to express their reservations over the ‘delimitation of constituencies’ that, according to her, could lead to increased ‘Talibanization’ in Karachi that could further lead to disruption of NATO logistics through the port city. She sought UK support in the UN on this issue. The British will probably draw their own conclusions on the MQM stance.

Not to leave the PML(N) out the British High Commission representatives met with Mr Nawaz Sharif who discussed his concerns about possible US plans to delay elections and extend the interim governance arrangements and the need to ensure timely free and fair elections. The handing over of Gwadar port to China and the Iran-Pakistan pipeline and US concerns over these were also discussed according to reports. Mr. Nawaz Sharif seems to have indicated his fears of foreign and Pakistani intelligence agencies conniving to disturb the law and order situation. Similar allegations about British intelligence colluding with Pakistan Army in the killing of Akbar Bugti seem to have been voiced by the President Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) Mr Talal Bugti in interaction with British diplomats. According to JWP sources they have been promised funding if British interests were looked after though allegation of British involvement in any past event were firmly denied. Similar contacts were made with Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees whose leader Allama Zaheer recently visited the UK on a sponsored visit for which he was thankful and in turn was promised funds through DFID. EU Ambassadors have been in contact with the ANP to get a feel of the situation.

On a broader regional note there are reports of a ‘business consultancy’ in Doha Qatar fronting for a focused media watch in the Gulf, Middle East and South Asia. The funding may be from a foreign intelligence agency as over 300 journalists have been employed with about 20 from Pakistan. Besides Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Syria—Pakistan will be of particular interest, especially its active media, to determine and possibly influence trends.

PAKISTAN SHAMED!!

By Ghalib Sultan
Area 14/8

The picture on top says it all. A mob in the background and an exultant youth in the foreground with smoke, fire and burning homes all around. This was the scene in the heart of Lahore when Christian homes were set on fire because of alleged blasphemy by a Christian who had already been booked under the Blasphemy Law by the police on the complaint of a Muslim. The mob that went on the rampage looting and burning homes was apparently venting their rage. No one died and no injuries were reported but Pakistan’s image was destroyed beyond repair-collateral damage from the point of view of the bigoted and the intolerant but a mortal blow to Pakistan for those whose heads hung in shame.

Now that the smoke has blown away, compensatory payments made to those who lost everything, the rebuilding process begun and some arrests made a clearer picture is slowly emerging. The Police advised the people to run for their lives hours before the mob arrived and they ran-the men, the women, the aged and the children all ran for their lives in all directions away from their homes leaving everything behind. Why did the police do this-to facilitate looting and burning, to save lives or because they did not want or could not face down the mob to protect lives and property? If the Police had advance information did this information flow upwards and if it did was it ignored? And if it did not then why not?

There are credible reports that the mob came prepared for their grisly task—with sticks, stones, gasoline cans etc. If so then this was no spontaneous venting of rage. This was a well planned event for which a large number of people had been mustered and prepared. If this was planned then who was behind it?- those who wanted the land on which the colony was built?- or those who had political motives and wanted to undermine the political administration in Punjab or was it a combination of both?. The land mafia would have known the consequences of such an atrocity and it is unlikely that they actually believed that the land would fall in their lap after the pillage. The political motive is more plausible and is also borne out by the fact that after the attack on the Christians some apparently counter attacks were organized on the pride and joy of the Punjab government-the new Metrobus system.

The Punjab government moved quickly to limit the damage and to begin rehabilitation work. An inquiry has also been ordered and arrests made. No doubt that there has been political fall-out but on the positive side people have rallied in support of the Christian community and against the forces of bigotry and intolerance that exist in society. There have been many previous incidents of this kind but never has exemplary punishment been awarded to deter such behavior. In the final analysis the blame must also go to people who are ready to undertake such criminal and reprehensible behavior.

New US drone strike on Pakistan after two months

Two people suspected of being militants were killed Sunday morning in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region by what Pakistani and Taliban officials said was a drone strike.

If confirmed, the attack could be the first American strike in Waziristan in two months – one of the longest operational pauses since the drone campaign started in earnest in mid-2008. American and Pakistani officials are at odds over whether two previous attacks this year were American drone strikes or some other kind of violence.

Two Pakistani officials, one in Peshawar and another in the tribal belt, said that missiles fired from a drone operated by the C.I.A. hit the two people in the village of Degan, about 20 miles from Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan.

“Details are sketchy,” the senior official in Peshawar said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We don’t know the identity of those killed, and our local contacts say the bodies were unrecognizable and beyond recognition. We don’t know if they were locals or foreign militants.” That official said the two people who were killed had been traveling on a motorcycle when the missile struck, but the official in the tribal belt said they were on horseback. There were some reports that three people were killed in the attack.

A Taliban spokesman in Miram Shah confirmed that two militants on a motorcycle had been killed in a drone strike. “I cannot confirm their nationality and group affiliation at the moment,” the spokesman said by telephone.

The timing and nature of the previous two reported strikes in Waziristan have become a matter of controversy between Pakistan and the United States.

Last week, American officials denied any involvement in two strikes that Pakistani officials and the news media had reported as C.I.A. drone strikes, on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8. Afterward, an American official quoted in The New York Times said that at least one of the attacks could have been a conventional airstrike by the Pakistani military. That claim was rejected by Pakistani officials.

The last drone attack that was recognized by both Pakistan and the United States, albeit unofficially, was on Jan. 10.

Separately, the police in Lahore said that they had arrested 150 men in connection with an attack on a Christian colony on Saturday in which about 170 homes and 2 churches were burned.

Fatima Group’s IED-proof fertilizer formula

By: Anwar Iqbal

A Pakistani firm has invented a new formula to make fertilisers that cannot be converted into bomb-making materials, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

The firm, Fatima Group, has succeeded in making non-lethal alternatives to ammonium nitrate, a key ingredient in the fertilisers it makes. Fertilisers with ammonium nitrate, however, can easily be converted into bomb-making ingredients.

“Such a long-term solution would be a true scientific breakthrough,” Lt-Gen Michael Barbero, the head of the Pentagon’s Joint Improved Explosive Device Defeat Organisation, said in a statement.

A US television network, CNN, reported on Thursday that the United States and Pakistan reached an agreement last week to make fertilisers with non-explosive materials.But diplomatic sources told Dawn that an agreement could only be reached after the new material is tested. The sources said that US experts would soon visit Pakistan for testing the new material with experts from the Fatima Group, Pakistan’s major fertiliser manufacturer.

Representatives of the group visited Washington last week and met senior officials from the Pentagon, the State Department and also some US lawmakers.

CNN reported that Gen Barbero met the group’s representatives while they were in Washington and urged them to take steps to control fertiliser inventories.

“The meeting itself was a step forward since the Pakistani government previously had stopped the US military from talking directly to the company,”

Bahria Town versus LDA

THE SPOKESMAN

This should not be held against me in a court of law as I solemnly declare that these are absolute lies, dirty whispers and wild speculation that I have heard while crawling in the dark power corridors of the creepy Capital. You will believe them at your own risk Shh…If you have venom to spill please don’t hesitate to share with us on our blog at www.thespokesman.pk

A war of advertisement is on between Bahria Town and Lahore Development Authority (LDA). Good for the media, particularly for those who are making money from both sides.

The story is interesting but somehow this will not be discussed in any newspaper or TV talk show. We all know why. You just need to read the two ads really carefully.

What are being presented as facts on the Bahria Town advertisement are anything but. The LDA has warned buyers not to purchase property in Bahria’s D, E and F sectors and Phase 2 locality. The Authority also gives its reasons, which are that these sectors have not been approved by it. It also dares to warn Bahria Town that it could not carry out development in these sectors without the LDA approval.

Bahria Town concedes all these allegations and yet chooses to praise itself for hundred other things. Even the headline “Agah Karrain, Gumrah Na Karrain” is ironically misleading. It is actually Bahria Town that is misleading.

It is so right about the various lapses of the LDA. It may also be right about its achievements but it has not clarified any objection raised by the LDA. It actually goes on to admit that it does not have government approval.

So what is going on here. We understand that the media in its blind greed for ads are publishing very stupid ads by Bahria Town.
However, Sheshnag is interested in the game behind this ad war. Does this mean it’s now a fight between Bahria’s Chief Malik Riaz and LDA’s ultimate Chief, Shahbaz Sharif?

Last time we heard they were best of pals. Shahbaz Sharif’s son Salman was Malik’s favourite as he acknowledged in his infamous TV interview. Malik also contributed in the Punjab government’s Ashiana scheme.

Sheshnag knows this was the cause of friction between Shahbaz and his long-time friend, Chaudhary Nisar from Chakri. Shahbaz seemed to have given ‘Chakar’ even to the Man from Chakri.

So how should we interpret it. Is it the big Rs 2 billion house that the tycoon has built for the Man on the Hill. Is it a pressure on the Malik to make another for them also. Is it a war or just an exchange of friendly fire. Looks serious. Sheshnag will keep you informed.