Notes in Anguish

My dear Tahir. I would just like to give you a very short brief of my understanding of the events in Swat etc to be conveyed to the Chief. Sincerely yours. →

For years now we have known that the slogan “more democracy” is a euphemism for no democracy, no governance, maladministration, more plunder, and no accountability; and the general criminality of those sitting in our parliaments, their indentured civil and police servants, and their appointed front men. It is a system designed to gouge out every… →

The Generals need to be very clear that they will never get the needed cooperation from the politicians in the matter of targeting the terrorists. And they need to know the reasons for this reluctance, and the sooner they know this, the better it will be for them and the country. Most of those whom… →

The short answer is: Yes. How certain am I of this: Absolutely. On what is my certainty based: On material uncovered before and after Operation Clean-up, Karachi, 1992. And how do I know this: I had a ring-side seat at this operation. Before going further, I need to introduce Lt Col Obaidullah [ late], who… →

Some questions lending themselves to avid debate on various TV channels are: is the government firmly committed to the Karachi operation; are the government and the army firmly on the same page in this; what is the logical conclusion of the Karachi operation; and how how long will the war on militancy last, etc. etc.… →

Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry had this most disarming squint. When he was looking at you, you’d think, he was looking at the other fellow. Before he was exposed, it was believed that this was the only thing crooked about him, and but for the outing of his son by Malik Riaz Hussain, he would have… →

The current operation in FATA will Inshallah bring Pakistan a victory. But at best it will be a tactical victory. This is the easiest part of the operation. Much tougher will be the operation to clear out militant sleeper cells from urban Pakistan. If this is done successfully, it shall be another tactical success. If… →

This is not easily done. To even begin serious work on this project you first have to be a Prime Minister with a solid mandate. Then you need to have the covert support of a world power that is vested in this design. And lastly you have to be a very dedicated, hardworking individual, not… →

When Imran Khan started asking for a recount of votes in four constituencies, the view of many was that he was certain he will be able to prove rigging in these, but because the number of constituencies was so small, his aim was basically symbolic–a self-redemption of sorts, which will loom so much larger if… →

As a devastated Iraqi told a Pakistani friend, the difference between Iraq and Pakistan was that Pakistan still had an army! Imagine what it would be like without our army! What would really be the difference between Iraq and us? I think that the army should stop playing shy, cast away its diffidence, and do… →

The current debate engulfing Pakistan is between those who say they are for democracy, and those who are convinced that the dispensation currently holding sway in the land is anything but democracy, and that it is sinful to call it so. This is the top layer of the debate that has long raged in Pakistan… →

Adolph Hitler rode to power via the ballot. He then stabilized himself and the Nazi party by first extending its reach and power through parliament. Once he had subverted parliament sufficiently, he and his party machine went on to exercise total power. He would have wanted to extend this total power over the rest of… →