State of Pakistan: What Can Pakistanis Do

Very strange article.....

I am still not sure what the author is trying to say.....

You called it a rant, oh its definitely one!

Is there a thesis statement?

A main idea perhaps?

This article is seriously quite ADD...

#5 - Queen's adopting Mushy?

Re. the article, quite a simplistic take on a very complex problem. How can someone in his/her right mind justify emergency rule and curb on media? Hello? are you for real. What’s a “code of conduct for media” nonsense all about? Did anyone try to re-print Danish cartoons again? The Media (Pakistani, and Islamic media in general) has been spewing hatred of Jews and whatnot, and now some stupid dictator has found a reason to ask media to sign a “code of conduct”? Son of a real bitch.

Is Musharraf West's 'sonofabitch'?

Can Pakistanis call Musharraf "sonofabitch" -- if they want to migrate to 'England'?

WASHINGTON: The offending word is "sonofabitch."
Pakistan has expelled three British reporters after a UK daily twice referred the country's military dictator Pervez Musharraf as a "sonofabitch," sparking off a yet another fervent debate about language, stylebook and the limits of editorial expression.

The comment, deemed offensive by the Pakistani government, appeared in a November 9 editorial in the Daily Telegraph innocuously headlined "Bankrupt Relationship."

"In the old parlance, General Pervez Musharraf is "our sonofabitch," the paper wrote. "He has failed to stamp out extremist groups and close the madrassas that inspire them. He has allowed the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to fall into the hands of assorted jihadis."

It then went on to add: "An alternative... seems neither imminent nor especially enticing. But that should not blind Britain and America to the fact that their "sonofabitch" in Pakistan is a spent force."

The "old parlance" the paper referred to appears to be an oft quoted remark attributed to various American leaders about their preference for some dictators -- "He's a bastard, but he's our bastard."

That quote has also been used by some columnists and bloggers to refer to the US' kidglove treatment of Musharraf compared to its hardline stand on leaders of Venezuela and Iran.

The quote is variously attributed to Presidents FDR, Truman, Nixon, and even strategic guru Henry Kissinger, and is believed to have originated in the context of US support to Nicaragua's Somoza line of dictatorship.

Some media stylebooks and manuals allow words such as bastard, but "sonofabitch" falls in the grey zone, partly because it is composite of words and does not even make the cut in some dictionaries.

The online Urban Dictionary lists four definitions for "sonofabitch" including one that reads: George W Bush, President of the USA.

In recent months, the media has struggled with words such as "F**K" and "S..T." Some American newspapers broke new ground by using the F-word when vice-president Cheney was heard telling a lawmaker to "go f*** yourself."

Pakistan though was in no doubt that "sonofabitch" breached the military regime's stylebook. "The language used for the President of Pakistan in your leading article ("Bankrupt relationship," November 9) is offensive and flouts the norms of decent journalism," Imran Gardezi, Minister Press, Pakistan High Commission, wrote to the paper. "For a newspaper of The Daily Telegraph's reputation to resort to such derogatory language is highly regrettable. This deserves an apology."

None was forthcoming."(AP)

Nawaz Sharif says in his book -- Musharraf called him a
"bastard" saying: -- "I have to sort out that (NS) bastard".

Useless article and deviod of all intellect, I'm afraid (Chowk is seriously lowering its editorial stadandards).

let see..
You say : "I believe that most of our problems root from within us. "

None of us our saints , neither the westerner nor the pakistani, so there is no problem "rooted within us".

And if this were so, we would not have such a successful expat poulation. the problem is that we do not have a postivist environemnt of accountability in our country (especially after Musharraf's coup against the judiciary) . If we had insitution instilling accountability and consumer rights , we would be in a prosperous country and there would be no brain drain, as talent will match captial and all will be held accoutnable.

There are also many other flaws in your article but I do not know if I should dignify this piece by writing a detailed criticism.

Speaking of common man, there is no one more common than Hypo Chacha Al Butteesi.

{"Where the common man is day by day becoming more hypocritical and bitter."}

Mahmood Sahib,
Painful but true - good article.

What do you expect when there are racist and bigoted Pakis like Hypo Chacha Al Butteesi wrapping themselves up in the Sitara-e-Halal?

There is a website by Pakistani Students to register protest online. It is a new concept but has been working very successfully in Europe, US and some other countries for the last few years.

So this is also something we can do, Please register your protest at (www.BoltaPakistan.com) and spread the word. If they can get some healthy number, it would also be another step in our struggle.