Published in The News on February 8, 1999
I have yet to meet a person who likes watching PTV news. Every day they preach the activities of the government and party in power. Bad news is seldom mentioned.
Last week's LHC decision on the frozen foreign currency accounts was disposed of in a single sentence, the newscaster announcing this it as if the news was personally devastating for her.
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
How ironic it is that newspapers should publish the photograph of a woman minister talking to the Prime Minister while the Shariah Bill was being debated in Parliament, Although the bill is yet to be passed by the Senate, it must be ascertained before hand whether the newspapers will be allowed to publish any pictures at all, let alone those of women or beardless men.
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Published in Dawn on February 7, 1999
This refers to Mr. Haroon Leghari's letter under the caption "The Karachi problem" (Dawn, Feb 13).
I am personally in favour of dividing the country into at least twenty five provinces. However, I will revise my opinion if Mr. Leghari will provide me with answers to the following:
Why is it that policemen based in Karachi are always from other cities?
Similarly, why are all factory inspectors, custom appraisers, etc. brought from other cities to work here?
Although Karachi provides ninety per cent of revenue to the province, why are its roads in such a terrible condition?
Why do the feudal elements favour the quota system, which is a modern form of the caste system or apartheid to suppress the people of urban Sindh?
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
Published in DAWN on January 3, 1996
This is with reference to Mr. Zafar H. Sayed's letter under the above caption (Dawn, Dec 23).
After the adoption of Urdu as the official language by the other three provincial assemblies, ZAB should have anticipated the violent reaction of the Urdu-speaking people to the Sindhi Language Bill. He went ahead anyway and, for this reason, he was responsible for the riots that followed.
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Published in Dawn on April 8, 1994
This is with reference to Mr. Sultan Ahmed's article under the candid caption "On inflationary course again" (Dawn, March 31).
Before wealth tax on the feudals is imposed, they have been given a substantial relief in the form of a rise in the price of wheat. From all accounts, the feudals have never had it so good. They hardly pay anything substantial to the poor peasants. They have their bank loans written off every now and then, and it is they who get elected to the Parliament and decide what to do with the taxes paid by the groaning, honest urban masses.
What else can you expect but rampant inflation when a very poor country and it's debt ridden provinces decide to build new capital cities?
If this state of affairs continues, our annual inflation rate could exceed that of Argentina's. At least, we'll make it to the Guinness Book of Records,
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Published in The News on March 25, 1999
Will someone please explain what's happening? For years they used to tell us to conserve electricity, and now we're told to consume more if we want it cheaply. A week ago they wanted to raise electricity prices by 1.1 percent. Now they favour a reduction. The minister for power says that we have too much of it, while the finance wizard says we're headed for a crisis. We want India to buy energy from us at 7 cents a unit, but they won't pay more than two. As if all this wasn't enough, we now find that WAPDA supplies power to Karachi at rates, which are fifty percent higher than IPP's prices. Does anyone know what's going on?
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Reference to art Buchwald's piece (Feb 21). But how can a man be happy if such events occur.
The "worthless shares" he sold last week, turn out to lie a gold mine, for those who brought them.
His car is hit in the rear by a taxi but the traffic cop arrests him for negligent driving.
On his way to an important meeting, his car is caught in a traffic jam caused by the law-enforcing agencies to allow a VVIP's entourage to pass through in record time.
He receives a highly inflated telephone bill for overseas calls which he never made. The KESC disconnects power to his residence. although he paid his electricity bill well before the due data.
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Published in The News on June 1995
This is with reference to a letter by F. Ali under the above caption (May 28). The reason why there are no schools and hospitals in the rural area is that the agriculturists have never been taught to help their fellow human beings.All that the feudals are interested in is to get their loans written off to buy new Pajeros every year and be allowed complete domination over their peasants. On the other hand, industrialists have always taken keen interest in setting up madrassas, schools, mosques and hospitals in their areas.
It should be noted that despite enjoying facilities like exemption from all kinds of taxes, loans being written off, new loans being sanctioned and unlimited access to worldly pleasures, the price of agricultural products continue to rise at phenomenal rates. The agriculturists should be made to realise that they have looted the country for five decades and the people cannot tolerate it anymore. The situation is similar to the days of the French Revolution when the feudals dominated the assembly while the groaning tax-paying urban middle class was unrepresented in the government.
As the IMF and World Bank have noted time and again, the country will never progress until and unless the agriculturists are brought into the tax net
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
People are justifiably upset over the massive amount of money spent on building the Prime Minister's Secretariat in Islamabad. I have a suggestion in this regard; the 'edifice' should be made accessible to tourists and the PM should meet them and have his photographs taken with them. The will willingly pay a good amount of money for the privilege of talking to the Prime Minister and being photographed with him. The money that's earned can go the national exchequer and in this manner the cost of building can be covered
Shakir Lakhani.
Karachi
Published in The News on April 10,1999
I simply can't believe it: PTV chose to telecast the one-dayer between England and Pakistan during the time normally devoted to Khabarnama! And, wonder of wonders, the much maligned and hated Khabarnama was aired on the private channel STN!
What's going on? Has somebody made a horrible mistake? If so, he'll be sacked by tomorrow afternoon. Or have those at the top finally discovered that it's better to let Pakistani cricket lovers (most of whom have never seen a cricket ball) forget for half an hour that they are being taken for a ride, not only by the rulers but also by the bookies who have already decided the outcome of the match?
Shakir lakhani
