Open Letter to Prime Minister Jamali

If anyone at Chowk has saved the Article ”Police Protecting The Army” by Che Guevara which was posted at the Chockw but pulled out later, please send me a copy. Thanks
Shaheen Sehbai
Editor@SATribune.com

I condemn censorship at chowk and I want to know whether Chowk Staff is being harassed by dictator and his masters?

Ref #18, 17, 15

The article ``Police Protecting The Army`` wll be reposted as soon as the writers correct name is verified. We removed the article because Che Guevarra is not acceptable as a name for a writer. The original Che is a very well known personality and has numerous web references. The original posting was in error. Chowk apologizes for the inconvenience.

Urstruly,

Thanks. Chowk condemns censorship just as strongly.

Unflinching Idealism is not an easy goal. Even we as rational facilitators of dialogue are tested with some hard decisions. Just because we can control the flow of information does not mean that we should take positions and sides - we dont. Sometimes we are in error but we do remain prepared to learn as and when needed. Chowk will not bend to any ideology or use of force - to the best of our ability.

Chowk-Staff

Chowk Administrators/Editors:

Thanks to the Internet and of course tremendous efforts being put by dedicated souls like you, at least computer literates with working knowledge of English are able to access [officially] non-kosher information, exchange dissenting ideas and have political gup-shup without any fear, if they want to.
Sites like Chowk and SAT are harbinger to an era where it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible to dupe [well-informed] Pakistanis. No doubt, you people are waging a true jihad.
Hats off to you people.

Therefore, it would be sheer tragedy if official channels succeed in hampering free flow of information even here.
The piece, cleared by chowk staff MUST NOT be pulled down because of non-literary reasons. It would be a huge insult to all of us chowkies if theGHQ could manage to censor this venue.
The article which was apparently cleared, and posted MUST be back if it has withdrawn because of external pressure.

It should be a simple matter to find it. Look it up in your cache(temp internet files in user account) or just do a search in your computer. If your browser is NOT set to ``Empty temp internet files... on exit``, you should still have it in your cache. Unfortunately I empty my cache everyday.

Sehbai sahib, If you really wanna search some thing way back here is the URL.
www.waybackmachine.org

Ref #21, 20

Please read #19 for a clarification. The article is very much there and wil be reposted after verifying the identity of the writer.

Hey, good to know y`all!!

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Ref #24

Changing a moniker is acceptable. Choosing Che Guevarra as the moniker is the issue. This is like publishing an article under the name Mao Tse Tung - as you will agree that will cause a problem because there are millions of web references to those names.

Please note that you can also change your Chowk moniker to Arjun Ahmed Mohammed Kumar Banerjee Stein Smith (AAMKBSS) - it is fine and well within the policies. We hope that this will close this issue.

We appreciate your prompt criticism and subsequent kudos.

Back to the subject.

I am not much of an army watcher, as I think they can never do any thing right.
Off late, there have been some developments that need second look.
Mushy needs to lower his profile and needs to have a PM who can take lead in internal Pakistani affairs. Jamali was worthless in that area. Jamali was also a slight problem because of his political connections. That would have become a problem after Mushy puts on civvies. Now Mushy will have a safe PM plus somebody who has some ability in working with the bureaucracy.
The interesting developments were at the nuke talks between India and Pakistan. It seems that both countries are looking to have some sort of joint stand in international forums on nuke issues. This kind of cooperation is a welcome change for the sub continent.
I also think that Kashmir is now probably clear of Pakistani infiltrators and Indians should clear out rest of the diehards in Kashmir and move towards negotiation.
Congress is certainly showing much needed maturity in dealing with Pakistan.

chowk staff. . .

that is your reasoning?

and even if he did use the name che guevarra. . we can split hairs here but he does differ from the original che, in that he spells his name with two r`s. . .the cuban revolutionary was che guevara.

and why was this not noticed before? i think you would spare the author the embarrassment and yourselves the ridicule (i`m being kind here) of posting the article with that moniker in the first place? but since you have apologized for the inconvenience, perhaps you might pay closer attention in future? it is so inconvenient to be so inconvenient afterall.

There are two aspects of Jamali losing his power.

The bad aspect is that he shouldn`t have been appointed in the first place. So the blame goes to the people who appointed such a dimwit to this position.

The good part is that it is about time that waderas and feudals and tribals stopped becoming Prime Ministers. They have nothing to do with democracy. The only reason they get elected is because they own their whole constituencies. They have no track record of any accomplishment, at any level, in their lives. The Amin Fahims and Jamalis etc. wouldn`t get elected dogcatcher in a decent democracy. Most people on Chowk are more professionaly qualified than these guys.....

I had suggested in my replies, when Jamali was being apointed PM, that Shaukut Aziz should be appointed PM, and not Jamali, nor any other landowner. Better late than never. Shaukut Aziz is the perfect person for the position. A middle to uppermiddle -class urbanite, who has made it to the top of the international levels, on his own merit. He has delivered at the finance ministry also. This should help with respect to the maulvi threat and hadood laws etc., also. Feudals and tribals live for hadood laws and karo-karis, and suppression of women.

Pakistan must be led by progressive, educated, self-made urbanites. These are the kinds of people who will bring Pakistan in line with the internatinonal community. They will initiate the end of feudal-supporting honor kilings etc. They are not ashamed to let their wives walk shoulder to shoulder with them. Unlike the Jamalis and Amin Fahims, whose wives are locked up in warehouses.

Now PPP is the only party left that has an out and out feudal leadership. If it can get rid of its Makhdooms and Bhuttos, and let its Aitezaz Ahsans come to the top, it will win landslides. I have no doubt about that.

An urbanite President with an urbanite Prime Minister, neither living in the 15th century is a good combination. Those of us, who think Pakistan has been a dictatorship, whether elections are held or not held, will be happy with it. Now the only hitch is that Musharraf should take off his uniform. Which hopefully he will in six months.

Those who have no issues with political parties having lifetime feudal heads, nor with Shariah Bill appointed amir-ul-momineens, will cry for the loss of another feudal leader.

It will good for peace with India also. India has a finance minister as a PM. And so will Pakistan. Neither has a constituency in the country. Neither is bound to strong political careers as their profession. They both view economy as the main driving force for peace and prosperity.

Dair aaye darust aayyee. I feel sorry for Jamali, and the process of he has gone through. But he shouldn`t have taken the job, he was unqualified to begin with. Shaukut Aziz will make a very good PM.

The economy is finally getting center-stage in South Asia. Is this the first step towards the end of feudal Prime Ministers in Pakistan. I really hope so.............

Once you agree to play the role of a pawn, you are dispensible. Jamali`s exit and Shujaat entry did not excite me because they were as good as nothing. Musharraf and his coaterie in GHQ have been taking all the major decisions during celebrations after awarding themselves new plots of land for their services to the nation by drying up the national resources and capturing Islamabad without any sacrifice. They are getting everything they want and people have started giving them what they deserve. So they are advised to not wear uniform in the public and possibly dont get soldier haircut too. jamali? who?

Chowk Staff
Thanks a lot for the clarification.
Now back to the subject

Normally, I submit my reply after Romair, this time I am doing it pre-emptively - just for the sake of change.

WARNING
Soon Field Marshall Romair will be here with his very non-expert opinion that will include following comments:

1. Salaries of military officers are too low as compared to their civilian counterparts
2. Genius military officers have no option but to leave and head for the Silicon Valley
3. Money makes the mare go. People [like him] will renounce their citizenship, voting right for a better future. Better = more money in absolute terms.
4. He has now more money than all of his ex-colleagues
5. Chowk is a place for rich and intelligent. Because he is one of the frequent contributor on different threads.
And same ghisi-pitti babble will go on and on …

In likelihood the solution and remedy he will offer would look like
Home-take salary of the PM must be increased before he leaves everything and move back to his village for fishing

To his detractors he would say
According to the surveys he has read [and saved on his PC] Musharraf is liked by 50.9945% of Pakistanis. Anyone criticizing Musharraf must first come up with a survey that shows that people are fed up with the military.

Mera khial hai main abb bas karta hoon …
over to FM

Forgot one thing....

I hope the first step Shaukut Aziz takes is to get rid of Awais Leghari as the Minster of S&T. Another scion of another famous feudal clan in Pakistan.

Awais Leghari recently graduated from college, with a degree in political science (or in basketweaving or something very scientific like that). He ran some unknown IT compnay briefly. And is now the head of the whole Science and Tech. of Pakistan. He seriously couldn`t get a job as an intern in any IT company in North America (or in Pakistan for that matter). I wouldn`t hire anyone with his qualifications. Yet he heads the ministry, in a field which is driving the whole world. My friends in the Pakistani IT industry thought it was an April fool`s type joke, when they heard he had been appointed to head this ministry.

I am sure he is a decent person, like Jamali. And, of course, he is, ``democratically`` elected (kind of hard for someone else to get elected from an area, which is owned by his dad). But what the hell does he know about S&T. About as much as his predecessor S&T miniseter, Abida Hussain (another stud-farm owning feudal). did. She had a high school diploma in interior decorating(?) and was heading Pakistan`s S&T ministry. She just recently cleared her BA exams. But she was, ``democratically`` elected also. Perhaps because her dad owned half of Jhang. This time she was defeated by her nephew.

Then people ask, why Pakistan lags so far behind the rest of the world in IT and S&T.

Bring back Ata-ur-Rahman, or appoint Hoodbhoy or anyone else. At least someone, who has attended a few science courses. Any of the Chowk associates are more qualitifed than Leghari.

Put technocrats, with international credibility, in positions of power, and then see how quickly Pakistan progresses..............

HP:

``Congress is certainly showing much needed maturity in dealing with Pakistan. ``

Can I infer from your comment that Congress is showing MORE maturity then BJP in dealing with Pakistan? If so, why? Also, what is your opinion about the initial missteps by Natwar Singh?