Category: History
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Ghaus e Buner (Swat), Syed Ali Tirmidhi’s Descendant Syed Akbar Shah of Sathana
By Muhammad Shafi Sabir Tazkara Sarfaroshan e Sarhad: Syed Akbar Shah of Sathana One of the most vocal and active resistance leader against the Sikh Regime’s injustices was Syed Akbar Shah of Sathana. He belonged to the family of Ghaus e Buner, Hazrat Syed Ali Tirmidhi also known as Pir Baba Rahmatullah Alaihe. In tribute…
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Market Value vs Cost Declaration of Properties in Tax Returns
Why variations in property value declarations in nomination papers?Do u know property is declared for tax purposes at its purchase value, also known as book value? 500yds DHA plot bought in 1990 for (say) 3 lacs is declared at 3 lacs, not its current market value which can be 3crores!Rationale: Will you pay tax every year…
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Neocolonialism and Indian Agenda for Pakistan
Neocolonialism and Indian agenda for Pakistan consists of the following points that they use their stooges in Pakistan to promote: FATF restrictions on foreign trade. Further throttle whatever exports remain. Check! Convert CPEC from “game changer” to “game over” (in progress) Convert Positive sentiments into negative sentiments for outlook on Pakistan’s Economic Progress. Check! Change…
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Is Pakistan under a Judicial Martial Law? CJMLA parallel with CMLA
What is common between Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) and a Chief Judicial Martial Law Administrator (CJMLA) or a Chief Executive Martial Law Administrator (CEMLA)? “A creeping coup has taken place against the authority of the civilian government. The coup has taken place very quietly before the election,” Mr Farhatullah Babar said in a seminar…
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Lesson from Decade of Development of Dictator Gen Ayub Khan: Development without People Representation
Do we want to build yet another big dam without building consensus among all the affected provinces? Do we again want to forget the disastrous consequences in our history when development projects were steamrolled without people’s consent? We see in our media yet another drive to hammer the benefits of Kalabagh Dam (KBD) while relying…
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Kalabagh Dam Use for Inciting Smaller Provinces against Federation-Technical Feasibility vs Trust-Deficit Issue
The opposition for big dams like Kala Bagh Dam (KBD) originates in smaller provinces from the same concerns and mistrust that we have for India building big dams up stream on Indus because it hurts Pakistan’s lower riparian rights when the water is diverted away from us without our consent and approval. It is primarily…
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Metro Transport Infrastructure of Hong Kong and Detractors of Metro for Pakistan
I just returned from Hong Kong. I was astounded to see the metro bus-train infrastructure and roads infrastructure with elevated expressways and flyovers constructed not only in city areas but also on sea and between islands. There are over 15000 buses plying on over 500 routes. Crisscrossing the islands were 11 train lines with such…
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Metro Buses and Trains vs Health and Education-Tryanny of OR
Why can’t we come out from the tyranny of “or”? It should not be either metro “or” health/education. It should be metro train/bus “and” health/education. As admirably explained in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Built to Last”, issues should not be cast as “either-or”. Great leaders learn the power of “and” ! It is not either quality…
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A Tale of Two Operations- 1999 Kargil Operation and 1965 Operation Gibraltar
1999 Kargil Op & 1965 Op Gibraltar: Two pompous dictators, two huge fiascos, two strategic miscalculations by dictator generals who live their early life saying only “yes-sir”, and then live the remaining life only hearing and expecting nothing except “yes-sir”. Interestingly enough both of these clandestine operations had several common characteristics : Both were secret…
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Dictator Gen Musharraf as Bounty Hunter: Costs of Joining War on Terror
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] References: Musharraf handed over 4,000 Pakistanis to foreign countries https://tribune.com.pk/story/1687073/1-musharraf-handed-4000-pakistanis-foreign-countries/ Pakistan suffers $123.1 bn losses in terror war Pakistan’s losses in war on terror fail to impact US discourse War on terror fought with Pakistan’s own…
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How Corruption is being Eliminated in Pakistan since 1950s: Corruption as a Ruse to Maintain Status Quo
Sustained Elimination of Corruption since 1950s. All thanks to CJPs and our patriotic forces: The corruption was first eliminated in 1951 when Liaquat Ali Khan was terminated and then corruption was eliminated by removing Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1953. Corruption was again eliminated in 1954 when the Molvi Tameezuddin assembly was dismissed. The patriotic elimination of…
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Is Illiteracy Responsible for Problems of Pakistan? Narrative to Justify Neocolonialism and dictatorial rule
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] Are Illiterates Responsible for Woes of Pakistan? Or Is this a Narrative to Support Exploitation? Is this narrative designed to support exploitation by the un-elected “educated elites” in the service of neo-colonialism? There is a dominant…
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Pakistan Helped US Become Superpower- In the Service of Neocolonialism
[To understand the context of this post please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] How Pakistan helped US become a superpower is a classic case study of how developing countries are maneuvered to help neo-colonial powers achieve their global agenda. This was admitted on record by DG ISPR in Pakistan, …
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DoN godfathers Political Engineering of the SC Bench to Obtain Doctrine of Necessity Judgement
How SC Bench was engineered in 1955 to get the judgement of choice notorious as Doctrine of Necessity (DoN). Sindh High Court had decided against the decision of Governor General in 1954 to dissolve the Constituent Assembly, and had restored Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan to his office of the President of the Constituent Assembly. The following…
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Difference between a Political Leader and an Employee
What is the difference between a leader and an employee? To become an employee you need to appear in an interview. However, unlike employees, a leader has no need to appear in a job interview or have his application processed by an HR manager. People elect the leader not some HR manager or unelected elites…
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Are All Politicians Corrupt in Pakistan? Mythical Narratives Designed to Support Rule of Dictators
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] All politicians are corrupt? This sweeping generalization is a narrative used and popularized by supporters of neocolonialism to justify the rule of un-elected elites on one hand, and on the other hand to demoralize the people, …
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How Neocolonialism Keeps Developing Countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan Perpetually Destabilized
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] The analysis of the recent NewYork Times article about Afghanistan indicates that think tanks in USA have worked out all the options for Afghanistan. All these options perpetuate destabilization for the long term which is the…
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What Options Gen Musharraf had after 9-11 when US threatened to send Pakistan to stone age?
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] I often come across people who consider that Gen Musharraf’s U-Turn after 9-11 was the only alternative that the dictator had in the face of the threat from State Department official to bomb Pakistan back to…
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Is Justice Munir’s Doctrine of Necessity Dead or Alive?
Is Doctrine of Necessity dead and buried as proclaimed by Supreme Court in its decision of March 2012? Wherein it stated that “deciding cases on the basis of likely consequences will mean reverting to the malignant ‘doctrine of necessity’ that has been buried by the people with their valiant struggle” [1]. Or, is doctrine of…
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Last Emperor of China and Mughal Empire of India
I always recommend people to see “Last Emperor” movie about Pu Yi, who was the last emperor of China. His rule was only in name and restricted to only the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City). The movie won nine Academy Awards including that for best picture and best director in 1987. It depicts how Britishers manipulated…
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Why Dictator Generals are Weaker than Civilians Rulers in Withstanding External Pressure
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] There is a widespread “myth” that what Pakistan needs is a “strong leader” (a savior on horseback) who will come and conquer all our issues and problems in no time. There is a mythical belief that…
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Doctrine of Necessity from CJ Munir to Judge Khosa: Role of Judiciary in the Service of Neocolonialism
We need to compare the Doctrine of Necessity version 2.0 of SC Justice Khosa (2017) which states “To do a great right, do a little wrong” with the Doctrine of Necessity version 1.0 of SC CJ Munir (1954) which states “Necessity makes lawful that which is unlawful”. As per SC decision of March 2012 “deciding…
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What Legal Questions Perry Mason would have raised in SC Panama Case Disqualification of PM
Why read literature and history? It had been a great surprise for me that the lawyers representing the PM have failed to raise forcefully some basic and fundamental questions about due process of law and constitutional rights in the recent SC disqualification of the PM in the Panama Case Judgement. Interestingly, if they had read…
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Can Corruption be Eliminated by Hanging a few Thousands through Panama Case like Judgements
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] It is worrying to see the sentiments of educated people and the functional illiterates (those who know how to read but are not readers) on the social media clamoring for the head of the PM and…
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Why no PM of Pakistan has ever completed his/her tenure?
[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions] All elected PM’s in Pakistan starting from Liaquat Ali Khan were never allowed by establishment to rule during their tenure. Whereas there were three military dictators who comfortably ruled for around decades, not a single PM…
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Ulema Decree (Fatwa) against Suicide Bombings, Targeted Killings and Terrorism
There is a need to propagate the clear position of Islam that suicide is haram, murdering is among the gravest sin, and even taking the lives of foreign guests is haram [1,2,3,4]. Extremist positions of takfeeris and kharjis have always been condemned by the mainstream ulemas since the early days as far back as following…
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Role of Sharifuddin Pirzada in Promulgating Martial Laws for Every Dictator of Pakistan
Sharifuddin Pirzada is responsible for assisting the violation of constitution and abuse of law by military dictators through the design of legal machinations and tools to subdue the judiciary and replace it with compliant judges. He supervised the drafting of the “mairay humwatano….” speeches for the coup plotters and dictators from Gen Ayub Khan, to…
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Fool Rejoicing in Someone Else’s Marriage/Fight: Parai ki LaRai/Shadi mai Abdulla Deewana
This post details how Pakistan had been entangled in someone else’s war in anticipation of some crumbs falling to Pakistan as a largess in US Wars. In all these cases the results have been disastrous for Pakistan. This post is motivated by Pakistan’s another venture to join the new US’ Middle East War that portends…
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Why Dictatorships are Weaker in Accountability than Constitutional Governments
At What Cost? Costs of perceived strictness of military dictatorships vs the reality of constitutional governments in Pakistan. The comparison in this post indicates that the perception of better accountability in clean dictatorship is not valid because in the long term the constitutional governments of corrupt politicians deliver a far better accountability than the dictatorships which…
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Mukhtar Masud’s Awaz-e-Dost and Love for Literature and History
A literary social autobiography that is poetry in prose; beauty in words and imagery; each sentence contains a world of meaning, ideas, conflicts illustrated through metaphors, and references to deep historical events, people, places, contrasts, arts, architecture, insights, classics, writers, leaders, historical figures…. A book that gives a personal view of Pakistan history through hopes,…
