Sugar mafia Umer Farook

The sugar mafia has done it yet again. As expected, the government caved in to their demands and has ‘fixed’ the price of sugar at Rs50 per kilo. This means that the sugar barons, many of whom are members of parliament or connected to the high and mighty, are going to yet again get away with fleecing the poor people of Pakistan of billions of rupees. The most unfortunate thing about all this is that we Pakistanis do nothing about this and take it all lying down.—Islamabad
 

Why demand Bhutto’s retrial?

G Omar

There is a diabolical dichotomy in the retrial demand of Z.A.Bhuuto [judicial murder] BY PPP-AZ its prime minister and president. They infact want to put judiciary on retrial after twenty three years.But they would not agree to the trial of a dictator [irrespective of the fact that belonged to one wing of defense services. He violated constitution twice and himself confessed of the second. It is not about Musharraf that he is trial able; even if a civil dictator violates constitution, he should be immediately tried and never condoned,Nroed by any political party in coalition or ortherwise.

If such party or parties protect such a violator ,such party/parties must also be tried for violating constitution by SCP who should be respectfully reminded that that biggest villain of violations has been big coalition partners in government, opportunists, money grubbers and their zombies sittings in rubber stamp assemblies.

Why NRO hundreds of trillions of dollars stashed in foreign banks illegally earned looted and plundered from your country/Which is such a law anywhere in this world? National reconciliation model of South Africa was had altogether different background whivh never fitted in our history but for Musharraf and PPP-AZ.Why NRO the hundreds of billions Dollars plundered in last eighteen months through various n Means which have been highlighted recently in media and there is no NRO law which condones it..This money must be recovered and criminals punished in example.

In fact when Musharraf (before he resigned) was about to present to nation charge sheet-white paper of PPP-AZ corruptions and mismanagement then PPP-AZ,Zardari decided to oust him against their NRO agreement reached alonqwith USA,UK and S.Arabia [if].Now they are committed to abide by it to stay in power and finding every pretext, lie of deceiving people,opposition,MLN but all in vain .People know their intentions to perpetuate power through the illegal vehicle of NRO,17th amendment,58-2B alongwith their most unprincipled coalition partners beneficiaries MQM,MMA,ANP and lickspittles around. Would you ever keep a murder, a dacoit, a thug, a Taliban as your house-keeper, security guard even though exonerated by courts [as it often happens in case of rich and influential] but you would for your country.!!! What a pitiable nation? May Allah save Pakistan from its enemies within and outside.Amin!—Peshawar
 

Unkindest judicial cut

M Mohammad

The recent judgment of SCP to leave many judicial issues to National Assembly was the unkindest cut to nation who sacrificed from bottom of their heart for the restoration of deposed CJP, Judges and Long March finally made it possible. The poor people had hoped that not only Musharraf would be brought to justice for violating article 6 twice, corruption galore in his era but also alleviate injustice done to them in past and being continued in PPP-AZ government. Nation has experienced worst ever corruption from top to bottom taking every oxygen from their lives.

The past practice of selling vital institutions for peanuts ,the worst misgoverance,installing IPPS,rental units for vested interest remains prime motive of economic policies which unlike in past years did not get SCP immediate suo-moto attention leaving poor to lurch mired in the most inefficient policies of present coalition government of mean opportunists . The country was also divided by shoddiest political polarization as weapon of success. The partisan president (holding party chairmanship and controlling his day to day party affairs and national politics) etc acts ultra vires of constitution every hour of day by controlling day to day party affairs rules despotically interfering in national, foreign, domestic, economic policies without columnists, analysts, constitutionalists, lawyers, messers Aitzaz and Kurd company,PPP-AZ,taking due cognizance .The most pliant, subservient parliament, prime minister who seem to doing the necessary spade work to perpetuate Zardari despotic rule unto his dynasty and making Bilawal as could be king is deliberately oblivious and doping MLN,opposition to undo.58-2b,17th amendment ; never to be but lies as usual.

Already PP-AZ,its coalition partners attitude towards trial under article 6 of Musharraf has been shamefully shot down for lacking consensus when only executive order can make it possible. Will this mean coalition in majority ever undo NRO which benefits them by hundreds of billions dollars and criminal acts?

Will SCP come to the relief of genuine democracy and people of Pakistan who gave their sacrifices for their restoration and above all supremacy of constitution ? Even the status quo much less indecision against unconstitutional policies foreshadows institutional crash down which is already evident in statecraft. Ipso facto,the constitutional status suits so well the present coalition of opportunists who would block every move in parliament by one or other pretext [ as bringing consensus resolution] not suiting their despotic rule } SCP has to rescue nation..Let ML-N and ML-Q resolve their differences and frustrate every act against national solidarity, independence and sovereignty. —Jhang

Shenanigans of sugar mafia

Gulzar Sidiki

As in the past, sugar, a highly essential component of our daily diet has once again disappeared from the markets; and not surprisingly this has happened at the advent of holy Ramzan. So much so that sugar is not available even at the rate of inflated price of Rs52 per KG (increased during the last 3 months) as against the fixed rate of Rs38 per KG. The administration is apparently intends to play role of a silent spectator in this game leaving the hoarders to amass billion at the cast general public.

Although government was warned much earlier through the Annual Sugar Report 2009-10 that there will be shortage of 0.7 million tones, as against the demand of 4.35 the production would be around 3.65 million tones. However no careful planning was made; rather the mill owners, mostly sitting either in the treasury benches of National Assembly or having right connection in the corridor of power, were allowed on the one had to hoard as much sugar as they can and on the other hand planners failed in its duty to fill the shortage by importing this essential food item through Trading Corporation of Pakistan. The mill owners reportedly have even failed to handover 0.240 million tones of sugar which was purchased by the government at the price of rupees 25 per kilogram.

The Federal Minster for Industries and Production has admitted in a press conference that hoarding is the major cause of sugar shortage. What surprising is that despite of blatant admission that mill owners have established cartel and amassed entire stock in their godowns to earn huge profits by resultant increase in the price, no action seems to have been taken against the unscrupulous hoarders. Even the Federal Board of Revenue has failed to wake up from slumber as during the last few months alone the sugar cartel has already minted billons by almost doubling the sale price of sugar whereas they are paying sales tax on fixed price of rupees 28. Thus 85 sugar mills operating in the country have pocketed billions of revenue on the count by not paying sales tax. If this unpaid sale tax is recovered the FBR can even surpass the target of its first quarter. I request the Prime Minster to order authorities to take over entire stock of sugar lying in the godowns of these factories forthwith and the hoarders who have created artificial crisis taken be task irrespective of their political affiliations. This illegal hoarded sugar stock should be brought in the open market and offered to sale at the government fixed rates so that miseries of people can be lessened.—Karachi

Musharraf’s accountability

Qazi Farooq Ismail

It is indeed unfortunate that Nawaz Sharif, despite being such a senior national level political figure, wasted the sanctity of the Independence Day in repeating his tirade against Musharraf rather than saying anything worthwhile for, in his usual words, “saving the country”. In fact he went a step ahead of his favourite theme of calling for Musharraf’s trial by ‘advising’ the army to abandon support for their ex-chief. I would like to advise the respected politician to first deserve and then desire.

Regrettably, his own credentials in the exercise of power when he had it are not so impressive. He has been a party to the loot and plunder of national resources and has stashed away his allegedly ill-gotten wealth outside the country. He made a mess of not one but two opportunities to make a mark for himself in the annals of our national history: he ousted not one but two army chiefs and the second time, tried to impose a handpicked loyalist at the helm of affairs which brought about the events of October 1999.

Then, rather than face the rigours of incarceration, he preferred the comforts of Jeddah and was repatriated only by the blunders of his successor in power. From his current position of ascendancy, he has involved himself into a personal feud with Musharraf despite the fact that it is no more such a serious issue as others that confront us as a nation today. Whereas the men in uniform cannot respond with their sentiments for obvious reasons let me explain that the army remains the singular pride of the nation. It is the most disciplined force which will follow the orders of its leader whether it implies a decision not to get directly involved (reference generals Aslam Beg and Waheed Kakar) or to do otherwise. Instead, it is for people like Nawaz Sharif to ensure that they do not create circumstances where the army has to come to the forefront of national affairs. No one in the army likes being dragged into controversies be they emanating from its own retired officers or thrust on them by ‘advice’ such as the one being rendered by Nawaz Sharif. Mr Sharif is advised to let the institution of the army take its own decisions. —Islamabad

Quetta

Muzaffarabad

Online Edition