Banana Republics

``Musharraf, you are killing innocent children and women, but don`t forget that a bullet can also kill you,`` warned one Islamic cleric at a rally of about 4,000 men in Rawalpindi, a major city 15 miles from the capital.

The protest was peaceful, but demonstrators burned and kicked effigies of Musharraf, also the chief of Pakistan`s army, and carried posters calling him a dog and a traitor. Musharraf, who survived two assassination attempts in December, has since moved more aggressively against Islamic radicals.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28017-2004Mar26.html

See, once mighty, honorable and dreaded post of the chief of army staff has ceased to invoke respect, reverence or fear. Regardless how fractured and sham democracy we have had during 90’s no one can deny the fact that it did help slaughtering a lot many black sheep, holy cows and stray dogs. Of course, if allowed to function democracy can do miracles. Please, observe:

Four opposition members have submitted an adjournment motion seeking a debate on a report that Pakistan`s defence expenditure, which amounted to 54.5 per cent of the total annual allocation, has outpaced development expenditure which stood at 35.5 per cent during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
The motion has been signed by Raza Rabbani, Dr Safdar Abbassi, Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan and Sanaullah Baloch. The sources said the opposition members believed that this was a matter of general public importance as the latest statistics, submitted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the ministry of finance, suggested that the defence expenditure in the six months amounted to Rs87.319 billion against development expenditure of Rs56.8 billion despite the fact that both defence and development had been allocated Rs160 billion each for the full fiscal year.

Opposition submits nine adjournment motions in Senate
http://www.dawn.com/2004/03/30/top2.htm

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This year armed forces parade on 23rd March has been cancelled. Reason given out by the government is to avoid public inconvenience and save expenses. This annual parade has been held religiously for the last 56 years. Why is it that up till now nobody realised that it was causing public inconvenience? Is this really the cause of cancellation of the parade or is it the ‘suicidal fundos’ are adamant not to let General Musharraf ride the ceremonial buggy in peace.
If public inconvenience is really the matter bothering our rulers, they should also consider so many other avenues where the public is being inconvenienced but where the inflated personal convenience of the VIPs is not at stake.

Nighat, a very timely piece. Hats off to you.

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This is nuts
go to www.witnessreport.com --it has a very good article on this.

This is nuts
go to www.witnessreport.com --it has a very good article on this.

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re:#91 by ballukhan
I personally have met many ex-faujis from IA when i was in India. Most are gainfully employed
depending on their caliber and experience in various capacities: providing security, as administrators etc. I personally met a very friendly ex-fauji who was heading the administrative wing of a bombay hospital where i worked for sometime before heading for greener pastures. This guy was a typical Punjabee: jovial, prone to drinking anything that smelled of alcohol (he personally liked beer a lot). When he heard i was also from Delhi, he invited me for lunch and we had some drinks together and the guy became a buddy.
Pak seems to have ex-faujis who are either millanaires (funds slashed away in a swiss bank during their stint at nation-buidling) or struggling to establish themselves. In either case, they have time to kill on the Chowk.
Sridhar

re: post #92
Thanks for the response.
Sridhar

#104 by gujjubania on February 22, 2004 12:02pm PT

I think chowk should create extra space for displaying these pictures permanently- whenever some fauzi wants a reality check he can be automatically directed to these pictures.

Besharmi bhi ki koi had hoti hai!!!

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Apropos use, misuse and abuse of Bedmen by senior Pakistani army officers, here comes the scathing truth.
Friends, you either have no first hand knowledge of batmen and their duties or pretend to being unaware of.

What no one is telling loudly include: The invisible benefits of their meagre salary package contain more than what is visible instantly from the miserable plight of NCOs. This babysitting and changing diapers are not as humiliating as it may appear on first sight, provided you have a bit of inside information.
Dear, what you are not aware of is that in many cases the orderlies are the real fathers of the babies concerned.
These orderlies are actually meant to perform two unofficial functions:
1. to ensure that begum sahiba doesn’t elope in the absence of afsar saab
2. to keep her satisfied and raazi in the absence (and sometimes in his presence too) of saab.
You know a lot of saluting, digging-in heels and long marches adversely affect their potency.
Better take it positive, there are a plenty of muffat mazas in being a Bedman. Correct, orderlies have been court-martialed for not obeying orders, but guess yourself, primarily for which type of orders.
You might have observed analysis, values, arguments, behaviour, manners of 2nd generation saab bachas leave no doubt their fatherhood.
Now back to the subject matter. Please, don’t curse the poor generals. Rather feel pity about them. As they are unable to satisfy their respective “families” in bed, they have no option but to impress them through some extra-curricular feats and bravados.

---

Ex-Orderly (Bedman)
Confirmed father of over a dozen saab bachas
Theoretically dad of several dozen more.
PS. For pre-emptively deflecting the counterattacks I readily accept the correctness of my claims both as object and subject.

malabaris,

One can read any book on karate and find that it is adapted from the malabari martial art of Kalari Payattu that came to japan through chinese traders.

By the way do any one know that some of the scheduled castes in India are infact slaves brought to india by the arab traders, traded for spice. The Pulayar caste of kerala are in fact descendants of slaves from mali in africa.

It is quite possible that the untouchables are in fact a gift from the islam through arabs.

#100 by stuka on February 21, 2004 11:53pm PT

Could you request your dad (or some Indian ex-army) to post some comments on this board which is currently buzzing with the Paki ex-fauzis who have been going berserk over their latest conquest over the civilian authority inside Pakistan.
Can you get them to recount their impressions of these brave heroes of 1971 and Kargil who have boasted of their magnificient competency, leadership and professionalsim in trouble shooting all the problems of Pakistan which have been created by the politicians!!!.

The IAF and IN never had Batmen nor did they ever recieve an allowance. The Army does get them, Brigadiers and above usually have more then one.

When my dad was doing NDC, I was the Airforce kid standing in line with the rest of the Army sewadars to get milk. :(

fuzair and romair

Thanks guys for educating me but you did not address the second part. I don`t think it is gonna take much to change our syllabus for dogs - I recon.