18th March – Revolution In the political history of Pakistan

The main theory & ideology behind creation of Pakistan was to make a separate homeland for the Muslims of indo-pak subcontinent, because Hindus in India wanted to get hold of whole India after the end of British rule over India. Although in Punjab, Sindh, north west frontier province, Baluchistan , Kashmir and  Bangladesh Muslims were in majority but Indian government wanted to subjugate Muslim majority areas also & their injustice , tyranny & violence towards Muslims during their government rule after 1930 elections that congress party won increased. So in order to get rid of this unpleasant situation , the Muslims of subcontinent demanded separate homeland  which came into being on August 14^th 1947. Soon after the death of Quaid-e-Azam the feudal wanted to take over the new born country but the only roadblock for feudal to power were the patriots who had led the Pakistan movement.

Pakistani history tells us that the country has been ruled throughout by feudals, waderas and bureaucrats belonging to the two percent privileged population of the country. This class dominates the country’s political life, the administrative services, the military establishments, the economy and the general decision making process, while the 98 percent under-privileged population is denied its rightful share in the exercise of political and economic power in running the affairs of the state. Being politically disadvantaged and economically handicapped this sector of the society is unable to find a place in the assemblies and the corridors of power in the country. As a consequence, it remains perpetually deprived and alienated. It just plays second fiddle to the ruling class. It is obliged to vote for them, make up the crowd in their political gatherings and processions, raise slogans and resort to appreciative clapping to their soulless and hackneyed speeches, containing promises which are never meant to be fulfilled.

The beacon of hope for this class came in form of a student’s organization in  Karachi University  know as  APMSO, which was founded in 1978 by Mr.Altaf Hussain who then was a student of Pharmacy at the University of Karachi. The creation of APMSO was as a result of the deprivation of the fundamental  education rights  of the Mohajir students in initially .The  “Quota System”  made it difficult for the local Mohajirs of proper education and deprived  them of admissions in the universities and professional colleges also  they were not given proper rooms and accomodations in hostels despite having better and required grades in comparison to the students of other provinces of Pakistan or rural areas of Sindh as well as employment in government jobs.

On March 18, 1984, the APMSO evolved into a proper political organization Muhajir Quami Movement, When Mr.Altaf Hussain observed that the injustice and discrimination was not only practized with the children of the creators of Pakistan but was a general attitude of the 2% ruling elite towards the 90% population of Pakistan he on July 26, 1997, officially changed Mohajir Qaumi Movement to Muttahida Qaumi Movement signifying it as a party and voice for all the deprived factions and people in Pakistan.

Altaf Hussain's MQM can be credited as the first political party in Pakistan that introduced a new trend in the political culture by giving it a non-feudal based political philosophy. It claims to be a political party of working towards the betterment of the poor and middle class population of Pakistan and boasts of sending poor and middle class people to the Parliament for the first time in history of the country and thus 18^th March 1984 can clearly be stated as a date which revolutionalised the political history of Pakistan.

(Dr Asif)

50 reasons Pakistan needs Musharraf

The General is poised to return X Prime Minister Gilani said at the National Assembly session to leave former president Pervez Musharraf to himself and let him exercise his right to a political career in Pakistan. President Zardari said that if Musharraf wants to return, he will have to cross the same bumpy road as him to get to the presidency or premiership. Nawaz Sharif, Chaudhry Shujaat and the remaining politicians, including religious parties, want him tried for treason, Dr Aafia’s case and introducing extremism in the country.

Since the launch of his party on October 1, Musharraf has been on a political offensive. He has talked about the deal with Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. He has also reportedly accepted that the military trained jihadis to force India to the discussion table to resolve the Kashmir issue – a statement which he has now back tracked from.

His opinions and speeches have led most of his opponents to start wondering what he’s been smoking!

However, these are just some of the achievements of the man when he was in and out of uniform.

1.       Nine world class engineering universities were developed and 18 public universities further developed.

2.       Pakistan was ranked third in world banking profitability.

3.       The IT industry was valued at around $2 billion, including $1 billion in exports and employed around 90,000 professionals.

4.       The CNG sector attracted over $70 billion in investment in the past five years and created 45,000 jobs.

5.       The telecommunications sector attracted around $10 billion in investments and created over 1.3 million jobs.

6.       Industrial parks were set up throughout the country for the first time.

7.       Mega projects such as the Saindak, Rekodiq, marble production, coal production, mining and quarrying were pursued.

8.       Foreign reserves increased from $700 million to $17 billion.

9.       The Karachi stock market went from 700 points to 15,000 points.

10.   The literacy rate improved by 11 per cent.

11.   Poverty decreased by 10 per cent.

12.   Four dams were built: Mirani, Subakzai, Gomalzam, Khurram, and Tangi,

13.   Seven motorways were completed or were under construction,

14.   Gwadar, an advanced sea port, was developed,

15.   650 kilometres of coastal highways were constructed.

16.   A historic 100% increase in tax collection (amounting to Rs1 trillion) was observed.

17.   Large scale manufacturing was at a 30-year high, and construction at a 17-year high.

18.   Copper and gold deposits were found in Chagai, worth about $600 million annually if sold.

19.   A new oil refinery with the UAE that could process 300,000 oil barrels a day was established.

20.   The industrial sector registered 26 per cent growth.

21.   The economy was the third fastest growing economy after China and India .

22.   The Institute of Space Technology was established.

23.   Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta was established.

24.   The University of Science and Technology, Bannu, was established.

25.   The University of Hazara was founded.

26.   The Malakand University in Chakdara was established.

27.   The University of Gujrat was established

28.   The Virtual University of Pakistan was established

29.   Sarhad University of IT in Peshawar was established

30.   The National Law University in Islamabad was established

31.   The Media University in Islamabad was established

32.   University of Education  in Lahore was established

33.   Lasbela University of Marine Sciences, Baluchistan, was established

34.   Baluchistan University of IT & Management, Quetta (2002)

35.   The Pakistan economy was worth $ 160 billion in 2007

36.   GDP Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) was $ 475.5 billion in 2007

37.   The GDP per Capita in 2007 was $ 1000

38.   Revenue collection in 2007/08 was Rs1.002 billion

39.   Exports in 2007were worth $18.5 billion

40.   Textile exports in 2007 were worth  $11.2 billion

41.   Foreign direct investment in 2007 was $8.5 billion

42.   Debt servicing in 2007 was 26 per cent of the GDP

43.   The poverty level in 2007 was 24 per cent

44.   The literacy rate in 2007 was 53 per cent

45.    Pakistan development programs in 2007 were valued at Rs520 billion

46.   The Karachi stock exchange in 2007 was $70 billion at 15,000 points

47.    Exports in 2007: $18.5 billion

48.   Pakistan now has a total of 245,682 educational institutions in all categories, including 164,579 in the public sector and 81,103 in the private sector, according to the National Education Census (NEC-2005).

49.   There are now more than 5,000 Pakistanis doing PhDs in foreign countries on scholarship. 300 Pakistanis receive PhD degrees every year, in 1999, the number was just 20.

50.   In total, 99,319 educational institutions increased in Musharraf’s era!

This was some of the good Musharraf delivered to Pakistan during his martially-democratic rule from 1999 to 2008. Strange how quickly we forget his foreign policy efforts, which helped elevate the image of Pakistan globally added acceptance value to our green passports. Even the Indians next door were ready to discuss Kashmir for a solution and praised the man for his sincerity, honesty and amicable handling of the issues.

Of course, he has the right to tell his opponents, “tameez say baat karo, warna munh toor jawab millayga” and it is true that most of them are keeping quiet since he said this in a recent  interview with Express TV.

I feel he knows more than what he has already said so far, and may explode if not “handled with caution”. This goes for all the politicians cum armed forces of Pakistan. Hence, be careful everyone, the General is coming back as a civilian!

   

Doubting loyalties of dual nationals

Doubting loyalties of dual nationals

The writer is a member of the information wing of the MQM and a provincial minister, Sindh

Strange are the ways of our society which has become deeply steeped in focusing on the negative side of what is otherwise a positive development. The Supreme Court’s decision on dual nationality-holders in the past, in which it had rightly barred dual nationals from holding public office, is a case in point. It was, no doubt, a correct decision by the SC and all parties, including the MQM, strictly adhered to it and acted upon it.

But nowadays, a strange debate is taking place in the national press where some individual politicians and anchorpersons are deliberately questioning the loyalties of the foreign-based Pakistanis, a majority of whom have dual nationality. Actually, what these individuals fail to understand is that they are on the wrong side of the debate. There is no denying that ourConstitution bars dual nationals from holding public offices, but it does not classify them as disloyal or traitors.

Here, one may refer to the Pakistan Citizen Act, which very clearly and precisely allows Pakistani nationals to hold the nationality of as many as 16 countries, including the UK and Canada, for reasons laid out in the Constitution. It is also a fact that Pakistan receives remittances of up to around $14 billion annually from overseas Pakistanis, including dual nationals. That’s why it was trumpeted that they should have the right to vote. Taking the oath of citizenship of another country does not mean that a person has renounced loyalty to his country of birth.

It may also be recalled here that, in the past, we have had a prime minister (Shaukat Aziz) who was a dual nationality holder. Anyway, why the then Election Commission did not disqualify him, or others with dual nationality at the time, is another debate altogether. What is ironic is that while a few spokesmen of the PML-N are talking against dual nationality holders for fear of Dr Tahirul Qadri, they fail to grasp the behind-the-scenes agreement under which their leader Nawaz Sharif, went to Saudi Arabia and remained there for over a decade. One would also call the statements made, at the time, by Mr Nawaz Sharif, who was not only critical of the government, but also showed mistrust of the judiciary. Interestingly, Mr Nawaz Sharif is the only leader who has a lifetime facility to stay in a country which does not have the policy of offering a nationality or multiple visas.

Moreover, leaders are being misquoted to misguide the nation and malign leaders of international repute. For example, the other day, when quoting Quaid-e-Azam as a British national, MQM leader Altaf Hussain was just making a reference to stop those biased interpreters who are terming dual nationals as ‘unfaithful’. It was aimed at making them realise that the dual nationality holders are as honest as the Father of the Nation was. To say that Mr Altaf Hussain “maligned” the Quaid-e-Azam is a distortion of the statement. Every one of us knows that before 1947, united India was governed by Britain and the British government had the authority to issue a passport. So it was geographical facts and the then-existing political situation to which Mr Altaf Hussain had referred.

At the end, it is my humble request to the media to play their due role on these sensitive issues in a very responsible and sensible way. Generally speaking, it has become our psyche as a nation to focus on the negative side of things and our media needs to put aside all such feelings and focus on the ‘glass half full’ rather than the ‘glass half empty’.

مسلم لیگ(ن)نام نہاد قوم پرستوں کیساتھ ملکرسازش کررہی ہے،الطاف حسین – ایکسپریسس اردو

مسلم لیگ(ن)نام نہاد قوم پرستوں کیساتھ ملکرسازش کررہی ہے،الطاف حسین – ایکسپریسس اردو

PML-N trying to break Pak, alleges Altaf

PML-N trying to break Pak, alleges Altaf

News 4

News 4

Sectarian killings might break Pakistan: Altaf Hussain

Sectarian killings might break Pakistan: Altaf Hussain