unflinching idealism ... since 1997 archivessitemapabouthelpfeedback
ideas, identities and interactions
  • Home
  • InFocus
  • Themes
  • Columns
  • Articles
  • Fiction
  • iLogs
  • Gallery
  • Unplugged
  • Writers
  • Interactors
  • Tags
Sign in | Join Chowk
web chowk
  • Article
  • Interact
  • read writer comments
  • add to favorites
  • get rss feeds
  • print
  • email this link

Why Democracy?

Ghazia Aslam October 18, 2005

Latest comments   flat   threaded   latest   oldest   all
listing 1-16   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

#126 Posted by khamkhwa. on October 27, 2005 9:37:42 am
=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#125 Posted by khamkhwa. on October 27, 2005 9:25:21 am
dilliwala admits to being srao...but he will never be banned coz he is a sikh...the only sikh on chowk...and chowk wants to be good to it`s minorities....

here is the admission of his guilt:
#97 by delhiwala on October 27, 2005 9:01am PT
Listen Up you twisted, sicko, whoever you are....
You have no buisness accusing others of what you do best.

Dont` come near my posts if you dont like what I write.

Sau Choohay Kha Ke Billy Haj Ko chalee!!

FROM NOW ONWARDS DO NOT ADDRESS ME IN ANY WAY ON CHOWK AND I PROMISE I WILL DO THE SAME

DO NOT USE MY NAME IN ANY THREAD OR POST
AND I WILL DO THE SAME

I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT NEITHER DELHIWALA OR SRAO WILL REFER TO YOU EVER.

PS: QUAIDON AND ROBINHOOD WERE ALREADY BANNED TWO MONTHS AGO, JG/MANNYD CAN CONFIRM THAT. I DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER NIC.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#124 Posted by mirmir on October 26, 2005 7:37:54 am
Re: # 123

bbabu...
I commend your desire to participate in discussions, however your contributions would be of more benefit to you and to others if you would first seek help in reading, writing and comprehension of the English language. mirmir
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#123 Posted by bbabu on October 25, 2005 11:34:14 am

mirmir #82

`` Yes, mohar, Southern and Mid-Western U.S. are hardly centers of enlightenment - exactly the opposite. You apparently speak from personal experience. Do you think that it serves the U.S.`s ruling class interest to keep people poor and ignorant? Isn`t that what most totalitarian governments do? ``

I would never call the folks in Upper Midwest backward. I do not think you can think blindly
stereotype the whole South. There are considerable areas that are extremely well developed in all aspects.

`` I don`t believe that there`s even a ``Democratic Republic of India.`` ``

The official name is ``Republic of India``. There is some reference to Secular Socialist Democratic republic in the constitution.

mirmir
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#122 Posted by bbabu on October 25, 2005 11:30:29 am
fuzair #114

`` As I`ve pointed out before, Pakistan`s GDP growth rate during the 1960s is essentially irrelevant because the good FM did not (i) spend money on primary education, (ii) on building infrastructure, and (iii) insist on export-led growth and increasing the value-added component of Pakistan`s exports. It is as pointless to talk about Pakistan`s spectacular GDP growth performance in the 1960s as it is to talk about the former USSR`s high growth rates. Why? Because neither of them was sustainable in the long run.``

I am curious when people talk about Pakistan`s economic performance in the 1960s what are they talking about ?

economic performance of West Pakistan + East Pakistan
economic performance of West Pakistan only
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#121 Posted by Kulharee on October 24, 2005 8:36:21 am
Re: # 120

Mirmir sahib, do you have any stats on the crime rates for the republic of Palao? I am particularly interested in the sexual assaults on chickens by the natives that go un-reported. You really try too hard, but look at the bright side that no one is listening.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#120 Posted by mirmir on October 24, 2005 7:53:18 am
Re: # 118
``America does have some deep problems at both the societal and governmental level. Deeper problems than most western countries. May not be as bad as some places in the third world, but pretty bad nonetheless. Its not all peaches and cream.``

This from ABC news:

Who has more child offenders serving life without parole sentences?

Answer: The United States.

The U.S. has 2,225. The rest of the world combined has only twelve !!!

Below are some stats on the world`s prison population, perhaps a little dated. (I`ve heard that almost 2 and 1/2 million people are now imprisoned in the U.S., and that the rate of incarceration is 25 percent higher than anywhere else in the world). To read the entire report go to:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r188.pdf

Key points
More than 8.75 million people are held in penal institutions throughout the world, mostly as pre-trial detainees (remand prisoners) or having been convicted and sentenced. About half of these are in the United States (1.96m), Russia (0.92m) or China (1.43m plus pre-trial detainees and prisoners in eadministrative detentionf).
The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, some 686 per 100,000 of the national population, followed by the Cayman Islands (664), Russia (638), Belarus (554), Kazakhstan (522), Turkmenistan (489), Belize (459), Bahamas (447), Suriname (437) and Dominica (420).
However, more than three-fifths of countries (62.5%) have rates below 150 per 100,000. (The United Kingdomfs rate of 139 per 100,000 of the national population places it above the midpoint in the World List; it is now the highest among countries of the European Union.)
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#119 Posted by Kulharee on October 23, 2005 7:12:02 pm
Re: # 118

SR Ji, dont get me wrong, I am very impressed with the British generousity. Having watched the FRR (Rapid Response teams) of the UK being the first one on the scene in Muzaffarabad followed by massive aid, makes me want to do nothing but salute them. This makes it even sweater because only a few months ago, the entire Paki community was sidelined because of few of their sons thought that blowing up innocent people in London tube system was a kids game. So Pakis should be thankful to the British for their generousity. I am in as good a position as any (perhaps a bit better) who spent 6 years in England, 4 in London and 1 in Kidlington, spent time in Yorkshire and did a detail at UMIST. I know England more than your Mama the Queen (Queen Mum). So please save me your tabliod headlines. There is no need to be so defensive. You can make England look better without comparing its murder rate with that of the US, or to Balli bombings.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#118 Posted by SR on October 23, 2005 6:40:45 pm
Re: # 116

Thank you for your kind wishes... and yes, I`ve heard, that rape riot is major news here. Even I have heard, despite the fact that we neither get a paper delivered at home nor own a TV set. Its interesting that you should bring it up as a snide against UK. Dwellers of glass houses should be careful casting stones at others.

Whenever there is a major crime, the whole country`s (UK) media go on turbo-drive. Every murder, for instance, is national news. That`s because there are relatively a few of them. If it were like the US or like Pakistan each and every homicide would not make front page.

The population of the USA is somewhere near 300 million while UK`s is sixty million or roughly 20% of US. But the number of homicides in the UK are less than the annual number of New York City alone. Western Europe`s population is roughly equal to that of USA, yet the number of homicides is almost 10 times greater in the US.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami there was total chaos in Sri Lanka (along with other victimised places) yet NOT ONE western tourist got mugged. There were eight thousand western tourists there each of whom must have had more money in travellers cheques on their person than the poor devastated costal villagers would see in a life time. Yet there was no crime wave. The aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans revealed a somewhat less charitable side of that society than most yankee wannabees of desi origin would like to talk about. There is something going on here. America does have some deep problems at both the societal and governmental level. Deeper problems than most western countries. May not be as bad as some places in the third world, but pretty bad nonetheless. Its not all peaches and cream. However, I pray that you may stay safe from all of that.

...SR
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#117 Posted by Netizen on October 23, 2005 6:37:39 pm
Re: # 116

Kulharee:

i heard it on NPR last night. Police said some south asian guy, may be a paki. no wonder british indians and sikhs want to distance themselves from pakis and bangladeshis.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#116 Posted by Kulharee on October 23, 2005 4:32:39 pm
Re: # 109

SR Shaib. Have you heard the latest news from Birmingham England where some sick basterds gang raped a 14-year-old African girl. Reminds you of case of MukhtaraN Mai. May Allah show these mfukers the right path. One inoocent Paki was burnt to death in riots. More to come. Good luck in your England, a land of enlighted (or lighted) people according to Mirmir Sahib. Good luck. Stay safe.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#115 Posted by Romair on October 23, 2005 4:08:15 pm
Fuzair $114: ``It is as pointless to talk about Pakistan`s spectacular GDP growth performance in the 1960s as it is to talk about the former USSR`s high growth rates. Why? Because neither of them was sustainable in the long run.``

I am not the one talking about it. Quite a few prominent economists are........There was a great deal of infrastructure that was constructed in Pakistan, during this time. There wasn`t much available in 47. But in the proceeding 30 years, quite a bit got built. Dams, highways, roads, complete cities. Out of the three main cities in Pakistan - Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Pindi, other than Lahore, the reamaining were literally built after 47. All of this didn`t appear from thin air. Did it?

More could have been spent on education. But Pakistan is far more educated today, than it was in 47. The export-led growth I will have to check up on. But on all other issues, had this growth rate not occured, Pakistan could have been Afghanistan. It could have crumbled back into India.......

As for being sustainable in the long run: 40 years is a pretty long time, don`t you think. It was quite sustainable, had the wealth distribution been handled correctly. And most importantly, had Bhutto not nationalized everything. That is something I have always highlighted. Wealth creation has always been there. Wealth distribution has been the problem...........And a sustained long term policy has been missing from the 70s onwards.....

USSR is ranked around 50 in the human development index, regularly. Orders of magnitude ahead of Pakistan and India, which are 135 and 127, respectively. So they seem to be doing ok, in comparison to us.......I wouldn`t mind Pakistan switching places with them, with or without their sustained growth rates......
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#114 Posted by fuzair on October 23, 2005 6:11:14 am
Romair,

As I`ve pointed out before, Pakistan`s GDP growth rate during the 1960s is essentially irrelevant because the good FM did not (i) spend money on primary education, (ii) on building infrastructure, and (iii) insist on export-led growth and increasing the value-added component of Pakistan`s exports. It is as pointless to talk about Pakistan`s spectacular GDP growth performance in the 1960s as it is to talk about the former USSR`s high growth rates. Why? Because neither of them was sustainable in the long run.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#113 Posted by Kulharee on October 22, 2005 7:28:29 pm
Re: # 112

SR Sahib, There is a family that migrated from India to Pakistan, because (they thought) that they couldnt live in India. They didnt like Pakistan either and migrated to England in the early 60s, lived there owned a Chippy but didnt care much about England either and moved to the USA in the 70s. Didnt care much about the US either, but didnt have balls to go back to Pakistan, because hated it there. Now they own a Video store in New York and their kids are as unadjusted in this society as their elders were in many places before settling in New York. The point is that some people are not happy anywhere. Being unhappy is in their DNA.
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#112 Posted by SR on October 22, 2005 5:47:12 pm
Re: # 110 {``...Thanks from the bottom of our hearts, and good luck in your new and not so dark home. ...``}

Wait. Don`t thank me yet. I am heading for my ancestral land in Bharat this December.

...SR
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
#111 Posted by arjun_m on October 22, 2005 9:17:07 am
yes..please...all pakis not happy with the US can join their paki brothers in the UK..where they`ll get a chance to vote for a candidate primarily on the palestenian issue(and not on fixing the little problem of pakis being at the bottom of the ladder by almost any measure).
reply to this interact write a new interact add to favorites flag objectionable content
listing 1-16   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Interact Index

    #126 khamkhwa.
    #125 khamkhwa.
    #124 mirmir
    #123 bbabu
    #122 bbabu
    #121 Kulharee
    #120 mirmir
    #119 Kulharee
    #118 SR
    #117 Netizen
    #116 Kulharee
    #115 Romair
    #114 fuzair
    #113 Kulharee
    #112 SR
    #111 arjun_m
    #110 Kulharee
    #109 SR
    #108 bbabu
    #107 ijaz_gul
    #106 Kulharee
    #105 mirmir
    #104 Romair
    #103 walkman
    #102 Kulharee
    #101 arjun_m
    #100 ijaz_gul
    #99 mirmir
    #98 MantoLives
    #97 MantoLives
    #96 aquaris
    #95 mohar11
    #94 Romair
    #93 Kulharee
    #92 aquaris
    #91 walkman
    #90 walkman
    #89 MantoLives
    #88 Kulharee
    #87 walkman
    #86 MantoLives
    #85 aquaris
    #84 kaurasach
    #83 MantoLives
    #82 mirmir
    #81 temporal
    #80 mirmir
    #79 arjun_m
    #78 walkman
    #77 Sahara
    #76 bolta_aaina
    #75 dullabhatti
    #74 HP
    #73 dullabhatti
    #72 bbabu
    #71 einsteinwallah
    #70 ijaz_gul
    #69 HP
    #68 Behram1
    #67 Ghazia
    #66 arjun_m
    #65 kidbeegorilla
    #64 nb
    #63 arjun_m
    #62 chaltahai
    #61 mohar11
    #60 bbabu
    #59 Urstruly
    #58 Urstruly
    #57 Urstruly
    #56 mirmir
    #55 temporal
    #54 mirmir
    #53 kaurasach
    #52 Ranger
    #51 Kulharee
    #50 Romair
    #49 arjun_m
    #48 Zakkk
    #47 Kulharee
    #46 Ranger
    #45 delhiwala
    #44 arjun_m
    #43 bbabu
    #42 mirmir
    #41 ijaz_gul
    #40 Kulharee
    #39 Romair
    #38 Kulharee
    #37 mirmir
    #36 mirmir
    #35 MantoLives
    #34 kidbeegorilla
    #33 rahul_capri
    #32 nandan
    #31 nandan
    #30 Dash_Dot
    #29 burpinder
    #28 anil
    #27 MantoLives
    #26 nandan
    #25 burpinder
    #24 burpinder
    #23 Ghazia
    #22 KaalChakra
    #21 MantoLives
    #20 MantoLives
    #19 MantoLives
    #18 KaalChakra
    #17 Ghazia
    #16 Ghazia
    #15 Ghazia
    #14 Ghazia
    #13 HP
    #12 KaalChakra
    #11 burpinder
    #10 KaalChakra
    #9 rahul_capri
    #8 KaalChakra
    #7 rahul_capri
    #6 KaalChakra
    #5 Ghazia
    #4 hamzaad
    #3 rahul_capri
    #2 soysauce
    #1 Kulharee

Latest Interacts

  • BJ2: (From The Washington Post... India-Pakistan: Empathy, grief in
  • Kulharee: Masadi, what's the latest... Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • Shah2: Is there relation between... Karachi Riots! Who is
  • masadi: Goldfinger writes "when it... Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • masadi: Anil writes "Get real... Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • masadi: nkg writes "Nazibullah's (the... Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • Eklavya: well salimbro, I don't... Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • MaheshG: If those are Indian... An Indian Muslim

THEMES

  • Pakistan's Struggle for Democracy
  • The Indian Story
  • Indo-Pak Relations
  • Personal Narratives
  • Religion Today
  • War on Terror
  • Role of Media
  • Call for Social Change
  • Hold Them Accountable
  • Environment and Us
  • Way of Life
more »

Top 5 Articles This Week

  • Popular
  • Mumbai Attacks: Shocking
  • An Indian Muslim
  • Sexless and Loveless Marriages
  • Terror in Mumbai.....and also in 'Bannu or somewhere'
  • A Big, Decadent Pakistani Wedding
  • Featured
  • There are a Lot of Monkeys
  • White Charade
  • Words of a Woman
  • FOX News and the Smelly Shoes
  • Dilemmas of Creative Children
  • 10 Years Ago
  • Eqbal Ahmed Lecture by Kofi Annan
  • Urdu: The Language of the New Criminal
  • Is Science a Religion?
  • Silent together
  • All About Nothing

Write on Chowk Interact Guidelines Privacy policy Terms Contact

Copyright © 1997 - 2008 chowk.com. All Rights Reserved
Reproduction of material on any www.chowk.com pages without prior written permissions is strictly prohibited