Oct 31

Attended Senate Human rights cttee for Baloch women being buried alive. made one singular point which Chairman accepted..that by extending deadlines for reports to cttee the perception that govt covereing up increases. This issue needs to be decided finally since everyday many new Solangi type cases get born withour resolution.

 

Attended Samer Miniallah’s documentary launch on Bajaur displaced – my point was govt needs to give rehab plan for them asap..

 

Oct 30

Attended Finance Cttee Meeting on stock markets pitch for de-mutualization.

Sorting Balochistan quake relief effort -

 

Oct 28

Quake hits Balochistan. In the process of sorting out PML response on this major national crisis.

Meeting with OGDCL team who insisted I champion the cause of blocking the sale of strategic assets Kunar and Qadirpur. Work in progress on this …

IT National Assembly Standing Committee – first meeting – I insisted on prioritization so that Committee could be held accountable for its performance. IT parks as suggested by me (strategy/targets/plans of IT ministry) is the first priority. We will be getting briefing on that.

Media: IT on ARY, WOT on Khyber, Strategic asset protection on APNA and KTN

 

Oct 28

Preparing for first IT committee meeting tomorrow.

RITS- noting resolution violations and coming up with a strat plan.

Women violations on increase. Had meeting with fellow legislator on how to to help on this front.

 

Oct 27

Kashmir Black Day – Oct 27 2008

President Musharraf’s contributions to Kashmir’s centrality are undoubtedly important for the Kashmir cause. Considering the fact that it was Oct 27, I couldn’t help but reflect on his views on the subject as discussed with him today.

Even though we must respect his wishes not to enter politics we can benefit from his past experience and knowledge… his future lecture series and book will undoubtedly be an important endeavor in this direction.

Like all of us he felt concerned about the human rights violations going on in IHK especially against unarmed civilians. He considered the beginning of trade across the LOC an important and welcome initiative of the government. He emphasized that human interaction and trade across the LOC had to be ‘genuinely’ facilitated at government levels, beyond the initial photo opportunities. He hoped that Indian government would allow peaceful processions and civil liberties where Kashmiris could openly voice their opinions. He stated that the answer to the region’s stability lay in the ultimate resolution of the Kashmir issue. For this he believed that giving maximum self governance to the people of the area was the best way forward.

 

Oct 26

Golf scrabble and sequence!

 

Oct 25

The Resolution Implementation Tracking System needs to be a daily tracker of where you feel govt is going against the spirit of the Resolution. Based on their issues you need to build the solutions as Shadow Cabinet… Some of the issues which are linked to the 14 clauses are as follows. Hope to see you add to this list with solution for implementation methodology.

1. Independent Foreign Policy

• US diplomats say Pakistan needs to attack insurgents.( 24^th Oct DT)
• Boucher says there should be no talks with militants. (21^st Oct NW)
• 25% of govt’s assets pledged for IMF loans will be IMF assets as securities.( 24^th Oct)
• No aid if no military attacks. US singed agreement with Pakistan to provide $339.10m assistance. ( military attacks continue/ received money)  (25^th Oct)
• 30% cut in defense budget for four years under IMF.(24^th Oct)
• IMF decision on Pakistan’s package next month. (25^th Oct)
• India rejects Pak demand for water compensation. Accuses Pak of politicizing  a technical issue, playing gymnastics.( 25^th Oct)
•  

2. Dialogue with all Genuine Stakeholders

• 35 killed in Bajaur, clearly not genuine. (24^th Oct)
• Religious parties should state clearly so no sympathy for them.
• 12 Taliban Killed in Bajaur. (23^rd Oct)
• IG FC: 6 to 12 more months to end operation, after operation paramilitary to replace FC after operation. (violation of point 11 too: military will be replaced as soon as possible)  (25^th Oct)

 

3. Sovereignty

• Minransha US air strike. (23^rd Oct)
• Senate condemns US strikes, condemnations only no action. (25^th Oct)

 

4. Development

• Donors stopped $560m funds/ 12 social project stopped. (24^th Oct K2)
• NWFP in poverty trap. 13% increase. (5^th Oct)
• Power and phone cut in NWA/any chance to fix. (24^th Oct)
• Food prices force 32% Pakisanis to eat less (WFP). (25^th Oct)
• Sasti Roti scheme in jeopardy, no adequate quota of flour no roti.(25^th Oct)
• NWFP govt asks Punjab to lift ban on interprovincial transportation of wheat to end “artificial crisis”
• Chief of the Jamhori Watanpary Talal bugti said that he and his party extended support to Zardari but in return the govt backed out of the promises it made. (25^th Oct)
• 40% electricity reduction an eyewash as 70 to 80 % increase in bills in Sep. (25^th Oct)

 

5. State Rule of Law Avoid Causalities in conflict Zones

• Five children killed playing with bombs in Azawarsak.
• Entry of women band in Menora Bazar.
• Demo against power outages in Multan. (25^th Oct)
• Swat Taliban publicly whip three colleagues for not offering prayers on time.(25^th Oct)
•  

 

6. Strategic Assets Protection

• Qadirpur Gas field and its privatization.
• No results with China, S.Arabia and Friends of Pakistan since no menu given.(24^th Oct Tareen statement)
• Chenab 0.2 MAF lost. Chenab water dialogue inclusive.
• China done due diligence and not happening. (19^th Oct, NYT)
• Kashmir HR-yesterday. (24^th Oct)

 

7. Rehabilitation

·         Bajaur -bread –returned. (24^th Oct)

·         DI Khan.

·         IDPs at Peshawar Katfha Garhi carving for relief goods. (25^th Oct)

 

8. Special Committee

• Timeframe not given.

 

Oct 25

Seminar by UNDP and NDMA on GLOF. Glacier issues. Putting together agenda docuement for first standing cttee meeting.

Same for IT cttee meeting.

Hands full. Finally these two committees will be meeting and we must contribute through them

More work on RITS in progress

Golf!! ThankGod!

 

Oct 24

I spent time with my team working on the Resolution Implementation Tracking System. (RITS) Nobody seems to care about how this will be implemented! We do as a party. And we will try and contribute since this is a huge task to keep govt in check on this.

Print media interview on the same.

ATV interview on the same

Expresss Javed Chaudhry interview on the same

 

Oct 23

Peshawer today… Straight after the joint resolution the first stop logically was Peshawer. Intikhab our PML head honcho had organized the trip with a visit to Peshawer university institute of computer science management. What a great place with the director full of energy. I was to address them on challenges facing Pak and I shared wth them the resolution impressing upon them that it needed joint responsibility from them. It was a great session. They are part of the IT shadow cabinet from now on. Lets see their recommendations.

Next stop Peshawer press club where other PML leaders were gathered to speak on Khan Abdul Qayuum Khan. I had done my research and what struke me was his dedication to federation to education to water resource management to unification of pml and to law enforcement. All so topical and critical. We shared the same university. LSE! I felt honored to have shared this moment with my fellow Leaguers and Pushtuns.
I also bumped into my grandfather’s friends which was moving moment for me.

Next stop KhyberTV. I had promised I would visit their offices. They are an important force because they shape minds in and outside Pak throughout the Pukhtun belt. We went to bajaur displaced persons camp. Same place where Afghans had been housed earlier. Except these were our own nationals. And here was my real test. Resolution implementation. Them getting back home. they wanted bread not rice. They longed for home. They had been bombed. They held militants liable. They wanted those elements out of their territory. They were angry that these Talibs as the kids called them had not suffered and they had. I saw an Eidi ambulance there and that’s it. They say I was first parliamentarian to have visited them.

After this I decided it was important to eat namak ghost. Local specialities in middle of serious political issues is a good break too. Went to a bank to eat with some friends of PML colleague. Bank business was at standstill. This was same Pak which one year back was becoming part of N-11. Amazing downslide!

Tea at the village of chamkani with my colleague’s family. Saw the Northern bypass. All those projects which we used to rattle off as signs of Prez Musharraf’s development we get to see if we travel.

On motorway now. On way home. Long but hands on day.

Desi eggs are good for flu said one of the well wishers!