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Nuggets from the Urdu press
Yunus Habib's gift of Rs 1.5 billion
Daily Mashriq reported that banker Yunus Habib told the Supreme Court that he had put together nearly Rs 1.5 billion on behalf of Army Chief Aslam Beg and distributed it to politicians and journalists to defeat the PPP in 1990 elections. After he said that he had no record of this distribution, the Court added that it had uncovered some details and would keep them sealed.
 
Mian Amir as new Punjab governor?
Reported in Mashriq after the debacle of the defeat of PPP leader Aslam Gill as Senate candidate because the PPP members of Punjab Assembly did not vote properly, the central PPP was enraged and wanted to change Governor Punjab Latif Khan Khosa. The new governor would be Lahore's ex-mayor Mian Amir Mehmood who is also the owner of University of Central Punjab and Dunya TV channel. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was also trying to make Mian Amir join the PMLN.
 
Imran Khan fails in his saint's city
Reported in Jinnah the mammoth meeting of Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the sharpest bulb on the national tree...
's tsunami party Tehrik Insaf failed in Gujjar Khan where his saint Dr Rafeeq Akhtar lived. Imran reached there two hours late, while two and half thousand chairs remained empty. This triggered speculation about the fizzling out of Tsunami Khan and that his party had probably lost steam.
 
Raja Zafrul Haq versus nationalities
PMLN leader Raja Zafrul Haq was quoted by Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that there was a conspiracy to divide Pakistain into nationalities instead of one nation on the pattern of the Soviet Union - which was a plan that his party would defeat.
 
Khaleda Zia took money from ISI
Incumbent prime minister of Bangladesh Hasina Wajed was quoted by Jang as saying that her opposition leader Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
had received bribes from Pakistain's ISI on the eve of 1901 elections to defeat the Awami League of Hasina Wajed and to incite trouble in the north-western states of India through Bangladesh. In all, Khaled Zia received Rs 50 crores. At that time Pakistain itself was reeling under the scandal called Mehrangate.
 
Taseer's family will stay in Pakistain
Quoted in Jang daughter of late governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, Sheherbano Taseer, said on the occasion of Women's Day in Lahore that despite the fact that her father was treated shabbily and her brother was being held by terrorists, her family would not leave Pakistain but stay to face the challenge.
 
Blasphemy law revives divine love
Famous TV preacher and scourge of minorities Amir Liaquat Hussain was quoted by Jang as saying that Blasphemy Law was a blessing that kept faith alive (imaan zinda rakhta hai). He said it was the love of Prophet Muhammad (PTUI!) which kept the faith intact.
 
Osama's wives killed him through infighting
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt reported that Osama's many wives could have been the cause of his death because they were fighting among themselves while living with him. Intimate wife Amal and her son Khalid were convinced that wife Khairya was thinking of betraying him to the Americans after she had asserted that she would 'do the last great thing for Osama'. Osama was himself was suspicious but was helpless in the face of his wives and left the matter to Allah.
This, my dears, is why it is safest to be monogamous. 
Arbab Raheem speaks up from Dubai
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt telephoned ex-chief minister Sindh Arbab Raheem in Dubai who immediately revealed that Zardari had made him the offer of office if he joined the PPP. Raheem said the country was tired of PPP's robbery (loot-maar) but the PML must unite once again against it.
 
Foreign affairs committee not too united
Quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt members of Senate standing committee on foreign affairs spoke differently on the subject. Salim Saifullah said good relations with neighbours were greatly needed. But others said that US alliance with India was a great hurdle. SM Zafar said that by boycotting the Bonn conference after the Salala attack by US greatly boosted the confidence of Pakistain.
 
Pasha was behind Imran Khan
Daily Jang reported that many people were happy that General Pasha of the ISI was not retained on another extension. One party was PMLN which thought that Pasha was behind the Imran Khan phenomenon directed against the PMLN to make it lose the coming election. The PMLN therefore was at the forefront of those who did not want any extension given to Pasha. Mashriq reported that Pasha's relations with the US had soured but that the new ISI chief was close to Army Chief Kayani
... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI...
and had served with him. Both are supposed to want that in relations with the US be normal.
 
Zardari is a fake Baloch
Politician with a funny bone JUI's Hafiz Hussain Ahmad stated in Nawa-e-Waqt that fake Baloch leaders like Zardari had damaged Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
. He said he was asking the army to quit Balochistan but the Baloch like Talal Bugti are inviting the Army in. He said warrants of Musharraf should be pasted on the gates of the GHQ in Rawalpindi.
 
Driver makes money off accidents
A driver called Sajid was reported by Jinnah to have earned Rs 77 lakh from the American embassy after he was maimed after his car was hit by an American. Later he got interested in doing more of the same for the Americans, which was hitting the car of the Iranian ambassador in Islamabad. He was being investigated.
 
Hindu girls being 'converted' and married
Daily Mashriq reported that the trend in Sindh to convert Hindu girls and marry them was on the increase thus damaging the family life of the Hindu minority there. The courts let this happen because the converted girls were made to tell the court that they had converted for real. Those involved in this were powerful local feudal lords.
And besides, they're cheap. No bride price, no expensive wedding...the son of a poor man could do worse.
Imran destined to win!
Writing in Jang Haroon Rasheed stated that Imran Khan was predestined by Allah to win and therefore it was not possible to understand his leadership according to reason. But people writing against him were motivated by personal animus, especially one popular English columnist (Ayaz Amir?) whose column was greatly admired who wanted to join Imran but was enraged by rejection by Tehrik Insaf. Most people were unable to understand Imran Khan.
 The utter blankness of the utterly blank slate is like unto nirvana itself. One can only partake of the blankness... Or not.
'Fixer' fast bowler Amir in love
Daily Mashriq reported that young Pak fast bowler who had spent time in British jail for fixing a match has left prison with love in his heart. Sajida Malik his lawyer is the latest development in his life but the family says that relations between him and Sajida Malik are strictly professional.
 
Message for new ISI chief
Famous columnist Irfan Siddiqi wrote in Jang that the new ISI chief Zaheerul Islam was welcome to his job but he must keep in mind the fact that being lenient to the US was not in the interest of Pakistain. The arrest of Raymond Davis showed united action between the army and political leadership but letting him go in the end was not good. General Pasha was looked at by Americans with hostility because he had tried to keep the Americans within limits. This was very important.
Good luck with that, guys. Really.

Posted by: trailing wife 2012-04-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=342828