After Bangladeshi students toppled the government, many in Pakistan have said that such an event should happen in Pakistan as well. The recent student demonstrations (after the fake rape allegations on social media) incited by Imran Khan and his party were an attempt to do just that. However, the rioters were quickly arrested and it appeared that the masses did not support them. The recent local body elections in Peshawer proved that the PTI is no longer popular in the only province it has governed continuously for eleven years. The people of that province are sick of Imran Khan's cronies indulging in massive corruption.

Why have Pakistanis not revolted so far, despite inflation and other problems? In the past, there were successful revolutions against Ayub Khan and Bhutto. In those days, both governments were highly unpopular, one being a military dictatorship and the other an illegitimate government resulting from massive election rigging. All the opposition parties had ganged up to remove the two unpopular leaders. Today, almost the entire opposition (except Imran Khan's PTI) are in favor of the government. The good news is that Imran Khan has made a deal that will result in his release, the condition being that he and his party will not try to destabilize the country. His wife has already been released, and in the next two or three weeks, his sisters will also go home. After that, it will be Imran Khan's turn to be free, provided his party members behave.

 

Check and balance

Sunday, Oct 27, 2024

Since politicians now have the power to appoint judges, it is only fair that the judges should be given the power to select future presidents, governors, prime ministers and chief ministers. This will allow the judiciary to be a check on executive and legislative overreach.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://e.thenews.com.pk/detail?id=353802

When I was around 18, I'd gone with my father to a client's house. He must've been around 60 or so. My father asked him to bring a particular file from an adjacent room. He went but came back without the file. He had forgotten which file he had to get. This happened 3 times. Finally, his wife brought it. The man was a heavy diabetic. That day I resolved to do my best to avoid diabetes as well as dementia. I have succeeded, but not 100 percent. Sometimes I forget who had told me something a couple of days back. Only the other day a man greeted me briefly and went on his way because he was in a hurry. It was ten minutes before I recalled his name. He's a prominent banker whom I've met many times and have even had lunch with him. As for diabetes, if I don't walk for a couple of days, my blood glucose level rises above the permissible limit. 

I've done everything to stave off dementia. I read a lot, watch movies, play word games and do mental sums when I'm alone. The only thing I haven't done is socializing, because my educated friends have either died or gone abroad. At the age of 50, I even memorized some ayats from the Holy Koran.

But what really got me worried was hearing that my former tax advisor suddenly developed dementia. This person has been very sociable, has many friends and has done a lot of charity. He helped in setting up a charity hospital which now has branches all over the country. He's the last type of person who should have dementia. But you never know, maybe it's in his genes.

When the stock exchange had begun its upward spiral and the index had already soared to record levels, a PTI voter called me and asked, "Why are Memons so much against Imran Khan?" He said that even though inflation was rampant and nothing had happened to indicate that the country was progressing phenomenally, he couldn't understand why the share market was so optimistic, unless the Memons were manipulating it. I told him that Memons are not the only ones who trade in shares, but the reason (in my opinion) was political stability as there was every indication that Imran Khan would not be released. Every trader feared that in case he was let out of prison, he would do his best to create further chaos.

After the passage of the 26th Amendment, the market has gone crazy. The index, which was hovering between 84,000 and 85,000 has soared to 89,000 today due to the certainty that the government will not be sent home by the apex court's judges (who appear to love Imran Khan).

But the release of Bushra Begum (Imran's wife) and the letter to Biden by 60 US congressmen asking him to get Imran released could stop the bullish trend (unless Imran Khan publicly agrees not to destabilize the country). Let's wait and see.

 

 

Same fingerprints

October 23, 2024

This letter refers to the article ‘The reality of an illusion’ (October 20, 2024) by Ghazi Salahuddin. The reality is that the recent riots by students across Punjab would never have occurred if all those who orchestrated the May 9 riots had been tried and convicted. In my opinion, the same party was largely behind the student protests this time, the aim being to disrupt the SCO conference and to force the government to release their leader from jail.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1242867-same-fingerprints