June 30

After 15 hours of travel- transitting thru bangkok and hongkong i am finally in seoul- for the apa environment conference-

seoul by night was allbridges beautifully lit up…

more later

 

June 29

GB meeting

Article on parliamentary practices

Geo captalk on provincial autonomy

Assembly- i made a point of order on CNG buses requiring gas/MW which Pak didnt have. Also passed on critical paper to PM for GB development fund 30% which was going to lapse in one day- he passed it to minister- if it lapses he will b responsible because this will be seen as direct sabotage of development in GB.

Airport- Off to South Korea for an Asian Parliament  Assembly – sub-committee on environment conference…more from Seoul…

 

June 28

Morning meeting with Shadow Cabinet Karachi- on provincial autonomy issues and administrative units … bit of a red bull moment for all for reasons they know best…

afternoon flight back to islamabad

 

June 27

party meeting

afternoon flight to kchi for family wedding

 

June 26

Assembly- submitted privilege notice as per process-

Went to see the PM in his parliamentary chamber to discuss priv motion against his minister- i told him i wld withdraw if he would announce that 1991 was sacroscant and wld be implemented and that 10MAF dowsntream Kotri wld as a result be implemented, through his chairing a meeting where i wld be invited – to me this was bigger than the regular process of having the motion go to a parliamentary cttee where it wld b killed- I won since  he agreed

We entered parliament- he made his point first and on the fact that he wanted to implement 1991 accord- this served the punjab sindh dispute created by az- and it served the point that i had not made yet- he looked back towards my seat and asked whether i had made my point – i shook my head- i had not been given the chance- its impossible to get a chance to speak – when he had left the floor , i had to fight for my right to speak- i say right because as per rules privilege motions are moved before any other busienss- but clearly that rule doesnt get implemented-

i finally got chance to talk after much pushing- i read my priv motion- i said since pm had committed what he had committed to me i was withdrawing my motion- and i sat down- the minute i did that the parliamentary minsiter (the same man who had destroyed my unanimous resolution on kashmir afpak including india and kashmir ) stood up to do something which is against rules- he read a rule out and then twisted the facts- he said since i had withdrawn motion speaker shld expunge my speech! there is no such rule! i was livid but helpless- poor speaker (it was a sitting chairman not actual speaker) had to listen since minister pulled rank! and there our efforts went- now teh history books wont refelct this in the assembly debate-

i have decided to get this issue fixed- i want this parliamentary abuse of power fixed and i want democracy not civil dictatorship- i want to fix the rules in such a way that they are not abused – infact i am thinking of moving priv motion against this minister… i also want to fix the rules of business to fix such issues…

after parliament i went home for lunch- my hot shot barrister/solicitor cousins who i am very proud of were visiting from kchi- after lunch i took them shopping and then dropped them to the airport- great to catch up with them. 

Next was a UN intl day for victims of torture, function by SACH- v intersting discussion !

Home doing ’spin the samosa’ with the kids- its an old game where kids get to spin the globe and then with eyes closed land on a country- and thats the country’s food i get to cook for them- its an old game to teach them about different countries, cultures and food!  

i am going to sit and work on the rules of business even though its late- i have seen so much abuse of power in teh assembly that i am compelled to fix the system- honestly its v frustrating- i am sure the same happened during our time.

we won on the lecturers finally- its one struggle thats coming to closure- but through the year i have had wins- every other day- we win on something or the other – some wins like this one are big – others are quite small- its important to get inspired by your wins- but the downs are equally important- the frustration i had today due to the parliamentary minister who is legally in the wrong, drives me towards fixing the system more- to me thats equally a forward movement in the process of fixing it- i dont get discouraged depressed- i am productive as long as i am producing forward movement – results are critical – but they dont come easy- lecturers took me monthsssss. there are many otehr causes- its ok if they are piling up- i am doing my best on each of them with my current resources.

 

June 25

Assembly- cricket team came to the assembly- got standing ovation and lots of speeches

told PM again about lecturers issue and got good commitment. just got told by lecturers that CM has backed off and they will gettheir jobs- we win it seems.

supplementary grant procedure was not followed and budget was passed- discussion not even done.

worked on the downstream kotri issue- drafted priv motion on this critical issue

got papers on diamir dam for compensation

tea with a media guru

tv ary with kasana on downstream kotri issue

dinner at women caucus offices inauguration

 

privilege motion on kotri escapage

 To the National Assembly Secretary

 

 

Privilege Motion Under Rules of Business 2007 Rule # 98

 

I beg to move a privilege motion against The Ministry of Water and Power officials due to the statements in the House and its sub- committees during 2009 on escapages downstream Kotri.

 

1. The Minister of Water and Power in his statement to the house on Wednesday June 24 2009 regarding escapages downstream Kotri claimed that the average escapage is 32.70 MAF and that WAPDA, IRSA and all provinces agree to this. Since the period of the average calculation of escapages is not mentioned this figure becomes misleading for policy decisions. As per Kotri barrage data the escapage in 2008-9 was approximately 5.8 MAF and the lowest since 2000 has even been 0.29 MAF.
2. The IRSA Chairman in a meeting with the sub-committee on Environment in March 2009 claimed that the average escapage necessary was 8.6 MAF. Whilst in actual fact from the data given in IRSA’s own report reference the International Panel of Experts the escapage was to be 10.8 MAF in a dry year and 9.86 MAF in an average year. Despite this correction made to IRSA Chairman in the  meeting of sub-committee of environment the same wrong assertions were made in response to a question asked by me in written response given by Assembly/ Ministry on April 24 2009.

 

Coastal delta area requires 10 MAF minimum as per 1991 Accord and Ministry for Water and Power officials have broken privilege of this house by claiming otherwise or by stating an average without giving average period.

 

Releases of minimum 10MAF must be ensured every year and the recommendations of the sub-committee of environment (as attached) on the subject need to be followed in letter and spirit.

 

 ————-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommendations of Sub-committee on Delta (March 27 2009)

 

10 MAF release downstream Kotri methodology

1. 10 MAF is sacrosanct since its part of 1991 Accord and needs to be implemented as per directives of main standing committee of environment.
2. The destruction of 1.3mm acres and 126 dehs as per Board of Revenue figures needs re-survey and just compensation.
3. There should be no difference between Kotri barrage, WAPDA and IRSA escapage figures and Kotri should be taken as prime source.
4. Telemetry system needs fixing by WAPDA and committee needs to be given plan of how it will be fixed.
5. In the last 9 years 6 years have been below 10MAF. The deficiency needs to be made up for in future years.
6. International Panel of Experts report has not been presented for approval to provincial governments and thus 1991 accord allocation is final.
7. IPOE report in anycase did not suggest 8.6MAF downstream Kotri which is what IRSA and WAPDA had claimed to committee. When report of IPOE is read it amounts to 10.8 and 9.8MAF in dry and average years. IRSA and WAPDA were directed not to misquote numbers as they had done in earlier committee submissions as well as in this – since this reduced trust between provinces on key water issue.
8. 1991 accord to be followed in letter and spirit and as first priority existing canal requirements was to be fulfilled. Next 10MAF requirement and then if there was any balance supplies left allocations could be made for Rainee Katchi GTC and new dams and new projects.
9. When new dams would be built, the first priority would be to supply 10MAF downstream Kotri and to fulfill the same requirement for each year where 10MAF could not be met through dam.
10. A monitoring and benchmarking committee to be formed which would evaluate delta ecology for 1960, 1991 and 2009. Subsequently for every 5 years. IUCN, WWF and Environment dept could initiate this study.
11. holistic approach to water was required and a vision 2050 was required where water conversation and re=usage plan was sought.
12. Concept of restoration of River was to be studied by committee in detail.
13. the Technical committee report and the Parliamentary committee report were to be presented to parliament and their findings made public.
14. Climate change impact on 10MAF was to be evaluated and submitted to committee.
15. UN Convention on non irrigation usage was to be studied.

 

June 24

Assembly session – 6 ministries cut motions- cut motion by the way is a way of saying to the govt we want a cut in this ministry’s budget for the following reasons..then u state the incompetencies of that ministry.

I started the morning in such a way that it got v tumultuous in the assembly… foreign affairs was first ministry- and i flashed zardari’s headline saying “india not a threat” i gave a comprehensive critique of his faulty threat perceptions. and then mentioned the issues with the Afghan Transit trade agreement- before my aggressive speech was over i could hear massive screaming from few ppp mnas- some of them lost it totally and they started hurling abuses against me and President Musharraf. but since they didnt get the microphone i was amused- At that moment I didnt hear the third rate insinuations and i was stunned how they turned it so ugly- clearly when all else fails lets get personal. i was hitting zardari’s policy statement not his person. anyway. i heard later that many mnas from all parties went up to that person and told him off significantly as to how he should think of his own sisters and mother before hurling abuses at a fellow woman colleague. it brings us back to the same point- our politicians cant get beyond personality- i hit policy not personality. it will take some seriosu fixing of people who are full of venom. also it makes me think..when u defend whats not the majority opinion (prez musharraf in this case) you do get attacked- infact i didnt even raise prez musharraf today- its just that they cldnt come up with a better defence!

as i munched on breakfast- brain masala and tuk a tuk in the lounge, i thought about this pshycotic behaviour…

second was industries…i had spoken to some industrial leaders before the speech so i talked about presumptive tax on industry, sales tax and discretionary pwoers, minimum wages ..how industry wanted higher min wage and 8% interest rates- i spoke of how finance advisor was quoted in print on benazir incoem program having transpparency issues. same as what i had been saying for thw whole week which minister of state had criticized in her speech reference my comment-

that forced the advisor later to come out and first time in session make a defence of his statement - he had hired me in 1993 at citibank and this week in teh speech i had compelmented him for being great ceo citibank, before attacking him on his budget – i met him later at pm house for dinner today and i told him how bad I felt that i have had to attack him- its tough when you know someone personally but u have to do the right thing and attack on policy issues. its not been a pleasant week. with me on the attack of a former boss.policy no personality i justified to myself..but it was still tough 

i also spoke of corporate tax which had to be reduced to be competitive internationally and how agri tax should be imposed instead to balance.I spoke of OGDCL engineers jobs and how gas/electricity was not being given to industry on pref basis.

Next was a meeting with the PM on the monsoon issue- as we sat in his chambers in parliament, he called his minsiter water and power as well- we decided that the minister would examine my critical area list and provide bunds where necessary- he had his explanations of how he had fixed everything before monsoon which i rejected infront of pm. i am on it- and i hope that even though next 48hrs are critical (cyclone hitting coast) i will be able to get some bunds made through this govt this  season. where were the mnas from the area? 

anyway…next was the interior minister who did some loose talk on how composite dialogue was settled. nothing to do with him-i couldnt believe what i heard so as soon as i got the microphone for petroleum ministry and as soon as i had finished attack on Rs 54b pocketed due to lowering of intl oil prcies – no passing benefit to masses- i attacked inetrior minister for his loose talk.

it was afternoon…went home to see my son who had arrived in the morning- he had a great trip – he loved china- when i got home and told him about the PM invite for cricket team dinner at pm house…and how oppo mnas didnt go to pm house – he got very upset- he wanted autographs and i wld have to go and get them- i was not ok with this plan at all! obviously not i told him!- when i got back to parliament for the last ministry- water power (i missed ports shipping) i figred a way out of this situation…i asked the pm’s staff for an invite for my son- he coudl take his own autographs! he was trhilled when i told him to be ready by 7.30pm !

once back on my seat…i attacked on water/power- i spoke of monsoon issue and pm commitment to provide for bunds where necessary from my list- i spoke of guiness book of world record contest in my KT Bunder on mangrove plantation and asked for more funds for environment ministry including this gala event planned for mid july- i spoke of 10MAF downstream kotri and the lies given to my ctte by wapda and irsa- i gave the maths calculations – i spoke of how technical and parliamentary reports needed to be tabled to solve dam issues- i spoke of diamir dam compensation… minsiter for water power in his speech accepted that my tarbella comment the day before had led them to divert water to sindh- but he got majorly muddled on the maths calculations – stunning performance where he has breached privilege of hosue and said some mistruths- tomorw he is in trouble… sindhi media who understands numbers on this issue went ballistic- they called me up and were laughing at the pathetic performance of minister- i also cld not figure out why such mistakes had been made by minister which were going to cost him.. as we left the assembly ppp mnas came to me to compelment me for the numbers and i cld see the minister getting nervous.. water was beyond party affiliations- unfortunately it was not beyond ethnicities- i certainly felt it was about being pakistani and fair to all…

long day work wise- went home to pick my son for the dinner- like i said i dont really like going to pm house as an oppo mna (3rd time in one and half year) but cricket team for my son was main driver- i dont get excited about such things  as u have noticed- he was thrilled to be at the dinner with the team- he got his autographs – and he was proud to have met them.

interesting conversation with a colleague (like minded ) from pmln- as we sat through the cricket team dinner – she said what i have been saying…on how we would serve differenly when we came to positions of influence- of how we would run it like a corporation professionally-

it made me think also of a few quotes on leadership passed to me recently…

“When enthusiasm is inspired by reason; controlled by caution; sound in theory; practical in application; reflects confidence; spreads good cheer; raises morale; inspires associates, arouses loyalty; and laughs at adversity, it is beyond price. “

as i sit writing to u i only have one thought in my mind… one of the mnas from govt said it to me on the table- “u leave isb as soon as session is over and u tour the country looking for causes to solve”.. i said yes thats exactly it… right now the thought in my head is…cyclone is hitting the coast- i might be pushing off to the coast soon… i need to…

 

email from a dinner host in usa…

Marvi,

Our dinner conversation of a month ago now made quite an impression on me. You possess quite a passion for Pakistan and generating a better future for following generations of Pakistanis. I believe you will play a significant role in making that happen and I wish you great success in that endeavor.

As you may remember, I was just about to leave for three weeks of climbing in the French Alps. I love climbing and I am very intrigued by your offer to come visit the Karakoram. However, I couldn’t justify coming solely in the role of tourist. I could only consider such a trip if I could make a contribution to the area, a contribution of some lasting value. So, as I traveled through Switzerland, France and Italy, I took the opportunity to observe the infrastructure, culture and businesses that make up the region and contemplated how that mix creates economic viability. From this basis, I asked the question how may the Karakoram copy and innovate on this economic model with the strategic objectives of:

•       Having the Karakoram develop positive economic growth that contributes to the overall wealth of Pakistan
•       Creating a Karakoram global brand that is noted for eco and adventure tourism
•       Positioning the Karakoram as a secure and efficient throughway for trade between India and China as well as western China and the rest of the world
•       Positioning the Karakoram as a globally unique manufacturing site for devices whose manufacturing processes benefit from low atmospheric pressure and humidity
•       Positioning the Karakoram as a global leader in research relating to glaciers, climate change, low atmospheric pressure physiology, tunnel engineering and construction, and plate tectonics

Aggressive goals all, but I believe on a 50 year time scale many, if not all of these goals might be attained if vision, commitment and tenacity are applied in a sustained manner.

I realize these are my goals, developed by an American traveling in Europe who has never been to Southeast Asia never mind the Karakoram, but one of my motto’s is “de l’au•dace, en•core de l’au•dace, et tou•jours de l’au•dace” (Danton). Hopefully, I am being audacious without straying to arrogance.

A map is a powerful tool. With it, the similarity between Switzerland, a mountainous country surrounded by much more powerful neighbors (France, Italy, Germany, Austria) and Pakistan (Karakoram), a mountainous country surrounded by India and China as well as Iran and Afghanistan becomes apparent. I must note however, that Pakistan with the port of Karachi and with a much larger population does have a strategic advantage (and disadvantage) over Switzerland. The disadvantage specifically is that Switzerland is not a strategic threat to any of its neighbors. Without direct access to a port, it has had to maintain good relations with its neighbors in order to ensure economic growth and viability over a period of centuries. This fundamental policy has helped them gain a strong economy and become a global diplomatic crossroad.

Is Switzerland a model that makes sense? If attaining a similar niche over the next decades/century would be of interest for Pakistan and the Karakoram in particular, what steps would have to be taken today to start down that path? What steps could also pay relatively short dividends to help a region that has significant economic and health challenges? Who are the partners, with enough vested interest to invest the capital necessary to achieve these objectives?

For example, China’s westernmost port is more than a thousand miles from Karachi as the crow flies, many thousands when one calculates a sailing route. China a has invested significantly to place a high speed rail line to Lhasa, what would be its interest in placing a high speed rail line through tunnels that could move goods from western China to the port of Karachi? Would that strategic access to the Middle East and European markets be of interest? Once in place, could that resource provide a discussion for routing trade between India and western China through the only hole in the Himalaya? Could such a discussion be the way to finally resolve the Kashmir? Would construction jobs be a short term payoff? If high speed rail is available to the Karakoram (not just through it) could a global resort operator be enticed to leverage that resource to develop resorts where you fly into Islamabad and then are routed directly in the airport to a high speed train to the resort?

See “Swiss open world’s longest land tunnel” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19248748/ a discussion of how this might be done.

This is how my mind works, I hope you find it interesting but much more importantly, I hope you find something of value that is actionable.
Marvi, would you like to continue a discussion along these lines? Does any of this make sense? I fully understand that the extent of my knowledge of the Karakoram is reading books where British climbers lose their feet and/or their lives there, so I am completely aware that ugly facts could destroy my beautiful flights of fancy. Just let me know.

Best Wishes,

 

June 23

Sorted fata article out in the morning for urdu print- important to transfer the mainstreaming plan to all.

Went to see a colleague in the morning before the assembly- she is an experienced parliamentarian.

assembly – 1030 am – when I entered the discussion on charged account had started- i decided to speak on that plus the senate recommendations combined.

- i spoke of how parliament was not supreme- how budget process had been fast forwarded against democratic practices- (govt media picked up the same line later as my quote)- how we were facing civilian dictatorship versus the wrong allegations of military dictatorship levelled against us- it was harsh but i said it without raising my voice which made it more effective- i asked for national assembly’s finance cttee recommendations which were non exsitence- quite pathetic really- i talked of how in order to encourage industrial productivity industrial leaders had to give govt NOC on policies- how on FBR tax coersion this was not the case- how tax facilitation had proved to be a win for us but this govt was moving in wrong direction and was failing- how the general recommendations on improving budget procedure had been on the cards for two years but govt had done everything au contarire even this year- and thus even if they committed they would fix budget debate procedures next year their credibility was zero. how min wage increase to rs 7000 a month was appreciable but since the govt had not implemented 6000 of previous year their commitment to increase was worth nothing. how benazir income support program was a vote buying pre-poll rigging tool which i had exposed and which pm was investigating along with intl agencies- how my people and i would block diamir dam if the people of gb were not given their rightful compensation- how the senate recommendation of making use of 35maf downstream kotri was a lie and thus a breach of privilege of the house considering my cttee on environment had proved that there was single digit releases downstream kotri- how balochistan was slipping away from govt and that they needed to wake up and take charge- i condemned targeted killings and those of hazara shia community – how development funds should not lapse and how adp of gb which was denied to them this year was inexcusable-

this is the speech in a nutshell- i was quite pleased to get random points in first thing in the morning

after that i went to the opposition lounge to relax- grab a bite- and i found mqm mnas busy in a meeting – they invited me in to listen- they had done a semi token walkout on 17% electricity subsity withdrawal- they looked at me and said “why havnt you created a fuss on this considering u r a vocal opposition mna?”- i thought about it- ofcourse they were right- the minister for water power walked in to pacify them (coalition govt partners!)- i heard the conversation for a bit and i figured this was big enough an issue to be bipartisan on- i went back to the house to consult with my party mnas- they agreed to protest on the same- i was thrilled- my chief whip went over to pmlN ch nisar and convinced him to make this a joint oppo walkout- i had truly started a joint walkout after long time of non partisan deadlock in the hosue on a real common man issue versus political ego fights! i went back to the lounge where the minister was still negotiating with his coalition partners- i looked at him and said- “pml is in. we will walk out too. u better waatch it”- i dont think he took my threat seriously- when the charged expenditure readings reached electricity subsidy -we made our speech and walked out- it was a big win – mqm couldnt believe what i had pulled off-

anyway bottomline electricity subsidy for now is still undecided- we made our point but thats it- we are a debating society for now- lets c what mqm pulls off before session is over-

next was the cut motions on communication- i had chosen to speak of GB and how ADP /development fund denial to their mnas this year was a pre poll rigging n discriminatory tool which was inexcusable- i gave the funding details- how much was blocked and for 6 months- if i had not spoken the country wouldnt have known – gb issues are not national news- i am only one to bring them in national arena- i spoke of geo strategic importance of area- how prez musharraf and pml had made NTC type projects successful- how he was still remembered in distant baloch villages kindly for his road network- all this despite all the abuses from politicians in isb. i gave list of important road projects which had been delayed- and finally that i wanted entire development fund transfered out of incompetent kana /comm division directly udner PM so he could re-allocate to a competent minister- as i sat down i cld see a commotion- the ppp mnas were livid against my speech mentioning prez musharraf- such intolerance i thought- they could abuse him but i couldnt praise him!?-anyway.. since cut motions were opposition’s prerogative they were denied the opportunity to attack prez mush and me by the deputy speaker!- i was so amused- i had finally found  away to talk about prez musharraf achievements without getting abused by civilian dictator parties! cut motions zindabad!

next was cut motion on agriculture- in between i spent some time in library- they had given us v little time to prepare on purpose this year- they had given us no warning on sequencing of ministries – but i wasnt going to let that be an issue- all my talking points were on gmail and so i downloaded fast-

i also finalized the monsoon bund proposal after consultations- the letter to pm –as i entered the house i took that to the PM- he committed he would do it july 1st new financial year- my fellow colelagues were v pleased with this win- for me its only a win when i have his sign on july 1st and when bunds get built- no celebrations before then.

cut motion agriculture- i spoke on the following- gawadar pasni … illegal smuggling of diesel wrecking fishery- pasni jetty requirements- national water course employees saga- paddy pricing and miscommitments and corruption of govt- organic urea- ice factories- green boats- cool chains for horticulture -

it was evening by now-i had made 3 loaded speeches in one day-

as i left parliament i gave sindhi interview on water releases- and two general interviews- a gb specific interview-

went to see party leadership – dinner with them and some senior parliamentarians- the conversation on the association of nawaz and pml with gen zia was the subject- everyone had their stories on how great gen zia was- as a child i had been brought up to believe he was an evil dictator- i thought of how as we grew older these perceptions were challenged by those around us who had different views- it didnt really matter since every ‘leader’ had a hate and fan club both- what was important is what he left behind- i was quite clear on what zia had left behind- i had never known zia so i had no associations- those who called prez musharraf a dictator had not known him too- i had known him- worked with him- a true democrat and progressive leader- i concluded that in life i was going to meet many with different ideas to mine- that even within my party i had people who thought highly of zia- whilst i just didnt- but that didnt matter so much- what mattered was whether we shared a future vision for Pak- whether we were like minded enough to share a common strategy for the fix it- the future mattered- what zia and bhutto sahib did was in the past- i was not responsible for how they both served or wrecked pak – i was responsible for the future- i was accountable for the fix it plan- so with that one thought in my head i concluded the evening- ofcourse i was fairly silent the whole evening-

.. i need more like minded people who share a common future strategy and who share some past too…