Murgha of the Day

The League of Extra-Ordinary "CHOORS"

2007-08-20T00:13:00.000-04:00

The League of Extra-Ordinary "CHOORS"

Featuring:

Two jobs, two faces, one-in-all and all-in-one:

PERVEZ MUSHY

The new but never-improved, imported from Dubai:

BENAZIR BHUTO

The Pir from London:

ALTAF HUSSAIN

AND

The ever-corrupt and never-silent:
THE CHAUDARY BROTHERS

COMING SOON

(based on peitions in Supreme Court)

Available NATIONWIDE and having their hands in everyone's pockets

Disclaimer: Not rated as yet by Censor Board of Pakistan. This feature presentation may contain disturbing images of corruption, arrogance, neglect and gross human-right violation. This presentation is not suitable for light-hearted people as it may contain images of rape of an entire nation of 160 million.

The return of MURGHA

2007-07-25T12:25:00.000-04:00

After a long break......... I am back on the blogosphere!! Many things kept me away from blogging, primarily my work (First Life) has become intensly busy as I have gained more responsibility and moved a bit in my company....... and as they say, quoting spiderman "With great power, comes great responsbility". LOL.... However, i had been keeping a close eye on all my favourite blogs and routinely checking other blogs from my blogroll.

This time around, i will be making few posts, however they will be more relavant and as always the satire and humor will always be there. I think this is the first personal or non-murgha post I have made on this blog......... lets see how i succeed this tim

India's Best-Kept Secret !!

2006-10-07T04:18:00.000-04:00

Watch....... the video explains everything!! LOL

Pervez Musharaf coming to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2006-09-16T03:29:00.000-04:00

As most of you guys would know that Mushy is coming to States for a UN Session and giving Bush some updates, but he is also going to be launching his autobiography, called "In the Line of Fire". As per Adil Najam, he is also scheduled for an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Tuesday, September 26,2006. This is goning to be a very interesting interview for Mushraf. I hope he knows what he is getting into, cos this is not going to be a regular CNN, NBC, CBS interview. Jon is quite sharp and witty and would not refrain on making any sorts of comments to Musharaf. He has already passed smart comments during his interviews with many leading US politicians and guests. So Musharaf better do his homework before facing Jon Stewart.

Good thing for Musharaf is the Jon Stewart's show has become one of the highest watched political shows and besides winning 2 Emmys this year, its also commands a strong politicaly educated viewership. Almost every political and current affairs writer tries to get on The Daily Show right after launching their books. So atleast Musharaf is doing the right thing and addressing to the right audience for the purpose of spreading the word about his book.

So make sure you guys mark September 26 and watch Jon Stewart's Daily Show at 11:00 PM EST on Comedy Central.

P.S: Musharaf will also be interviewed by CBS, NBC, CNN, etc. For those dates check Adil's blog.

Meeting Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan and Karan Johar @ Toronto International Film Festival

2006-09-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

With the onset of Toronto International Film Festival, I got the rare opportunity to sit in the audience of a panel discussion about Bollywood. Its one thing to see these stars perform at a Live Show and another to see them engaged in casual conversation about Bollywood and its impact to the South Asian communities and the whole film feternity. The discussion was titled as "The Making of a Bollywood Blockbuster" and was conducted around the festival premier of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

To be honest, I was quite surprised to see Shahrukh Khan who looked very small and 'regular' without makeup and flashy costumes. Amitabh Bachan was dressed in his 'Sexy Sam' character with a fur coat, ripped jeans and shiny sneakers. Something tells me that he is going through some sort of post-mid-life crisis. However, among all the participants he actually had few deep and thoughtful things to say. The discussion was moderated by Suketu Mehta, Pulitzer Prize nominated author of "Maximum City." Suketu conducted the proceedings in quite a professional manner while Karan Johar seemed to be the most talkative person. He really loves to talk and really tells his stories in complete details.

Oh yeah, I even got to ask Amitabh Bahcan and Shahrukh an interesting question which to my surprise they answered very honestly. I simply inquired if they had any upcoming Hollywood projects and both of them simply said that they haven't received any offers. Shahrukh also added that "we are happy where we are and if Johnny Depp wants to come to Bollywood, he should get in touch with us:." I was actually quite surprised with their honest responses, since you see every 2-movie hit proclaiming that Hollywood directors are after them.

Here are some of the pictures I took while sitting right across from them:

Post 9-11 Blues

2006-08-26T00:51:00.000-04:00

Check out this funny song!! Its quite funny and actually has a nice tune. And its banned from MTV, since its too "controversial". If you like it, please forward it to your friends. I think this sort of alternate view should be promoted.

Turn up your speakers and enjoy:

Thanks to suspectpaki for the link!!

Happy Birthday, my Pakistan

2006-08-12T17:00:00.000-04:00

Since childhood 14th August has been a day of excitement where we all use to joyfully celebrate the Independence Day with all its fervor and pride. I especially, remember taking part in the street festivities on the night of 13th August, right after a party, mella or a concert. The national spirit could be easily seen on the streets. Oh the memories.................... esp. since I haven't had a chance to take part in these celebrations for many a years, being away from the motherland and never being there for its birthday. Oh well, maybe I can satisfy my guilt by celebrating the following videos which would make any Pakistani proud and show the others the strong nation we have. The first is the new video is a detailed showcase of Pakistan's society and economy, while the second is the new video of the National Anthem of Pakistan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAKISTAN!! I MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!

Musee des Beaux Arts

2006-08-09T22:35:00.000-04:00

With all the disasters around us, its a fact that most of us do get on with our lives. A fact W. H. Auden expressed in his poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" when he saw the 16th century painting "Fall of Icarus" by Breughel (picture above) on his visit to a Brussels museum in 1938.
Here it is:

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters; how well, they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

An interview with Hasan Nasrallah of Hezbollah (1998)

2006-08-07T15:40:00.000-04:00

Dr. Eqbal Ahmed, Pakistani intellect, scholar, journalist and Professor on Middle East Studies, carried out this indepth interview with Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah in July, 1998. This may provide some insight into the man whose on the hitlist of Israeli Forces and USA. Much of this information is missing from mainstream media, hence we have to look back into history and thank great Dr. Eqbal Ahmed for this. Dr. Eqbal Ahmed died a year later in 1999.

Encounter with an Islamist
By Eqbal Ahmad

INSIDE the Imam al-Mehdi school in Ouzai, a Lebanese village near the Israel-Lebanon border, seven coffins lay in a row. Outside, men were preparing for their burial when a small convoy of cars arrived bearing, among others, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, the largest among the armed parties which have for fifteen years resisted Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon.

The coffins held the Hezbollah fighters who had fallen in past battles. They were among the 40 Lebanese ‘prisoners’, dead and alive, who came home on that day, June 26, 1998, in exchange for the remains of an Israeli soldier.

Sayyad Hasan Nasrallah entered the hall in solemn dignity accompanied by Jawad, his teenage son. He stopped before each coffin and offered Fateha until he reached the one marked number 13. He beckoned an aide and spoke to him whispering.

The aide summoned two workers of the Islamic Health Association, a Hezbollah outfit. They opened the coffin, exposing a body wrapped in a white shroud.

Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah closed his eyes, his lips trembled as he offered Fateha. Slowly he bent over and tenderly stroked the head of Hadi Nasrallah, his eldest son who was 18 years old when he died in battle on the 13th day of last September.

Jawad, the younger son, stood still and pale next to his father. A deep silence fell in the room while his right hand rested on his son’s chest. It was broken by the clicking of the reporters’ camera, but was promptly restored when Sheikh Hasan looked up in cold surprise.

I witnessed the event on television and also read a sensitive account of the awesome scene in the Daily Star, Beirut’s English daily. So when Eric Rouleau, Le Monde’s eminent Middle East reporter until he became France’s ambassador to Tunisia then Turkey, suggested that we meet Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah I readily agreed.

Colleagues from the daily Al-Safir arranged the meeting and took us into the well-guarded Shia neighbourhood in Beirut which serves as the Hezbollah’s headquarters.

Our first surprise: women modestly dressed but without hijab moved about their business even inside the Hezbollah compound. Another notable observation: unlike the erstwhile PLO compounds and offices in Beirut, there were but few uniformed and armed men visibly around. The stronghold of this most effective armed organisation in the Middle East had a completely civilian look, a fact that normally implies intelligent and efficient security arrangement.

Sheikh Nasrallah met us in an adequately furnished apartment which apparently serves as the leadership’s meeting place. At the entrance, we were met by a large, framed photograph of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A rough large rug of Qum design covered the sitting area of the meeting room. A clock and two framed Quranic verses hung on the wall. The fresh flowers on the side table were tastefully arranged next to a framed photograph of his son Hadi, in parachuter’s uniform, his sparse beard sprouting green.

The Sheikh is 38 years old, of medium height, round white face framed in black beard, clear brown eyes behind glasses suggest a shrewd and good humoured man. He wore the black turban and tunic of the Shia cleric.

A bit of forelock defiantly protruded out the turban, hinting that the Sheikh does not quite conform to the commonly held notion of the proper Islamic hair-cut. An aide, austere looking man of about 35, also sat in the room and occasionally joined in the discussion.

“I understand you studied in Qum?” I asked at one point. “Not quite”, he said, “I was there only two months. I went to school right here in Beirut where my family lived. My father was a vegetable vendor, poor migrants from southern Lebanon, large family. No one from my family had been a cleric before; I am one of those few who have no family claim to this profession. After the madressah in Beirut, I was selected to study in Najaf Sharif where I spent two years, then returned to finish my studies in Baalbek.”

When did you become involved in politics? “I joined Amal (Shia party led by Nabih Barri) at age 14 and was elected head of the party in my town at age 18. When I left Amal I was a member of the party’s Central Committee. I left Amal, rather I was expelled from it, in 1982 after the Israeli invasion because I was among those who wanted armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.”

This was a fair profile of the average Hezbollah leaders and cadres. Most come from poor Shia families from the south of Lebanon, most have served their political probation in Amal or the Palestinian Fatah. For most of them Islamic and Shia politics has been a vehicle of communal as well as individual mobility.

Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah rose to become the Hezbollah Chief of Military Operations, then its General Secretary, and remains a prize quarry of Israel’s military and intelligence services.

We began by asking how his party reconciles the demands of contemporary life with religious laws and traditions which date back to the Middle Ages? How does Hezbollah propose to negotiate the often large gaps between tradition and modernity? Notably absent from his reply were the stock assertions of the eternal and universal nature of Shariat.

“We should begin by noting a significant difference in the doctrinal development of Sunni and Shia schools of thought,” he said. Among the Sunnis, the doors of ijtihad were closed some centuries ago, and despite the advocacy of several Sunni scholars they have not been reopened.

“In the Shia tradition the doors of ijtihad were never closed, and the mujtahid has remained a figure of great importance and influence.”

The Sheikh proceeded to explain that the ‘consequences of this openness are far-reaching. It can affect in profound ways the relationship between state and religion, law and society, the community and its traditions. Ijtihad makes permissible adaptations to the requirements of time and place, permits one to respond to new demands, be they specific or general, upon the individual and community, state and society. It allows a Muslim society to dispense with traditional forms and practices when they are not any more appropriate to its needs, and encourages the evolution of new forms. There is a need to expand the scope of ijtihad in all schools of Islamic thought’.

Fair enough, but how do you reconcile the existence of an Islamic party in Lebanon, a multi-religious, multi-denominational country in which no one party can impose its ideological agenda on all others? In other words, why an Islamic party in a country which cannot accommodate an Islamic statehood?

Sheikh Nasrallah’s reply: “Your question assumes the uniformity of mission and political agenda among Islamic parties. Between Hezbollah and the Taliban there is a large gap of objective and outlook (smile and the cast of an ironic eye at his Pakistani guest!); yet both are Islamic. Our primary objective has been resistance to Israeli occupation. The year 1993 was a watershed of sorts as Israel’s invasion then and our resistance to it brought us national legitimacy so that even Christians accept Hezbollah as an authentic national force. As for our ideological mission, to be Islamic in Lebanon entails the Islamisation of the Muslim individual and community, its values and way of life.”

Given the centrality of resistance against Israel to Hezbollah’s programme and party structure, we raised a question about the scope and future of armed resistance. What will happen to it when Israel withdraws from Lebanon which, in view of its recent demarche, may in fact occur? “We shall not accept a withdrawal based on conditions on which Israel insists. Liberation can not be conditional. Israel committed aggression, it occupies our land, it is our sacred right to resist, and this resistance shall continue until it withdraws.”

Does this principle apply to Palestine also, and to the Golan Heights? “The strategies of Syria and Lebanon are linked. As for the Palestinians, if their leaders compromise, there is little we can do. We cannot substitute for their leadership. If they decide to resist we shall be on their side.”

What then is his vision of Palestine? “We wish the liberation of Palestinian people among whom we count Jews, Muslims and Christians.

By then I am impressed by how closely Sheikh Nasrallah’s views parallel those of Iran’s President Mohammed Khatami and his associates. To confirm this suspicion we raise an issue which defines the divide between reformists and conservatives in contemporary Iran - the powers and role of the Faqih.

Sheikh Nasrallah’s carefully worded answer was quite nuanced. “Vilayet-i-Faqih is an elective office. He is elected by the Assembly of Experts (Majlis-i-Khabargan). So the source of his power are the people. Then there is the president who is directly elected by the people, as is the parliament (Majlis). Together, the three institutions constitute Iran’s democracy. They need to work in a framework of exchange and collaboration. Of course, the case of Imam Khomeini was special: he was the revered choice of all the people.”

Link: http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/29/int12.htm

Piyare Manmohan - 4 Man Show

2006-07-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

As usual the recent bomb attacks in Mumbai were blamed on Pakistan and the Indian government had to look across their border to find a scapegoat for the mishaps in their security and intelligence system. Anyhow, without getting into the details of the blame-game and related political insecurities of both the government, the following clips give a glimpse of how Indian Prime Minister is being in Pakistan.

The following clips are from a hilarious television show, 4 Man Show on AAJTV and poke fun at the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. I must say, the host "Khalid Butt" and his team have done a very smart job with their version of politcal humor. You can see more clips from this show on youtube.com. There are really funny mock interviews of Hamid Karzai, Sheikh Rashid, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussain, Moulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, Amitabh Bachan, etc. Search for "4ManShow" on youtube.com for more clips.

Here are the clips from Manmohan Interview:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMcXJBfL9Hk
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3PR5wfMzBw
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3xZuFaLa_0

Enjoy in spirit of humor!!

Jon Stewart on the Crisis In Middle East?

2006-07-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

With the events in Middle East turning into another nightmare, Jon Stewart correctly smartly pokes fun at CNN's reporting of the events:

Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie with a Pakistani Family

2006-06-16T01:37:00.000-04:00

Following is a video clip from Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie's show "The Simple Life". Somehow, they end up into a Pakistani family's house and really funny events follow. Hopefully, the mullahs don't see this clip, else another fatwa is coming towards Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Enjoy, at your own risk!!!

Branding Pakistan

2006-06-10T16:25:00.000-04:00

Recently I came across a group of Pakistanis who have personally taken the mission of improving Pakistan's image in Western Media. The group is called Association of Pakistani Professionals (AOPP) and considers itself as "an independent group working to ensure the dissemination of accurate information regarding U.S.-Pakistan relations." The group has a simple one-point agenda of depicting a broader and clearner image of Pakistan and porject the true picture, usually ignored by mainstream media. They intend to accomplish this taks by "helping Americans develop a deeper understanding of Pakistan and the South Asian region in general." With more than 550 Pakistani professionals under their umberall, the group is poised to achieve its goals.

Usually its quite common to see a number of people who come together once in a while for a cup of coffee or simple networking, however AOPP seems a par above such organizations. They recently held a very successful event, Branding Pakistan, in order to address the serious problem of negative publicity that Pakistan has been receiving in the Western Print and TV media. Pakistan indeed needs an image makeover. Its not something that the government can carry about on its own but it also requires a personal effort on our part. Especially for the Pakistanis living abroad in Canada, USA, Europe, Middle East, etc we all need to do our part and project the positivity we have to offer. Its true that there are many negative elements working against Pakistan, however, we need to bring the few positive ones and project ourselves.

The event received a good amount of attention from the Print Media. You can access the articles written about this event at this link for more details on the discussions that were carried out during the event.

And for the readers who intend to contribute towards the AOPP's goals, please do contact them. Their website, www.aopp.org has all the details. The group is also an excellent networking opportunity for journalists, writers and columnists who can meet other professionals in that capacity. However, you can also contact me incase you need more details on accessing AOPP.

Tagged : Pakistan , Branding , Media , Associations

My article just got published !!! :-)

2006-05-13T01:42:00.000-04:00

Dear murgha-fans and well-wishers,

I wanted to officially announce that my first article just got published in a proper Magazine called, The Saturday Post.

Its quite exciting for me since I started writing only recently through this Blog. So, getting an article published in a proper magazine is quite a feet for me. Hopefully, there will be more of these articles and I would not have make these personal announcements and distract you guys from REAL world issues that are affecting us and the murgha population across the globe.

The article is about Pakistan's economic turnaround and it was made available on this blog earlier. Incase you guys want to go directly to the article, click on the link below:
http://thesaturdaypost.com/pov_39_pakeconomy.htm

Sexy Mullah 2006 - Qazi Husain Ahmad

2006-05-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

The results are out and after much deliberation and a tight count of votes, Qazi Husain Ahmad stands tall as the winner of the first-ever Sexy Mullah competition. He has rightfully and legitimately earned the title : Sexy Mullah 2006.

Most voters were decisively lured with the look in his eyes, while others like Rev.Blogger took an instant liking to his "sexy Hitleresk mustache". Yet some voted for him on the basis of his "Santa Clause" beard. Representing all the sexiness one desires from a mullah, Qazi Husain Ahmad won an overwhelming show of support by our voters. Qazi Sahib has also put an old debate to shambles. Many in Pakistan have always wondered in fantasy about the results of pitching all the mullahs against each other in order to see who would take the lead. However, the results of Sexy Mullah 2006 competition clearly shows that Qazi Sahib will always have a clear lead from any regular run-of-the-mill mullah, simply on the basis of his six feet tall sexiness.

Many supporters of Maulana Fazl-ur Rahman and Professor Khurshid Ahmad may find these results disappointing. However, we bare no responsibility if these results have any impact on the upcoming reshuffle in MMA or if they ultimately force Maulana Fazl-ur Rahman to step down from the leadership of the Opposition bench in the National Assembly.

Also, please note that we maintained the same level of clean and fair voting process as the one witnessed in Pakistan's election of 2002. Ironically, quite like this small competition, those results also turned favorable for Qazi Husain on a much larger scale. Till next year's competition, please join us in congragulating Qazi Sahib in becoming Pakistan's first-ever Sexy Mullah for the year 2006.

(C) 2006-2007. Sexy Mullah is copyrighted under Murgha of the Day. Please feel free to use this term but give due credit to us.

WARNING: This is the only legitimate site that runs Sexy Mullah every year. Those who are found in running their own private pageants for the mullahs may suffer the similar wrath of mullahs as we recently faced. We are not responsible for any non-sexy results.

Sexy Mullah 2006

2006-04-30T03:32:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

In reference to the recently held "Miss Pakistan World 2006" contest held in Toronto, Canada, we feel that a large segment of Pakistan's population has been utterly ignored and left out. In order to give our beloved mullahs we are running the first ever Sexy Mullah 2006 contest.
Please review the following famed mullahs from all corners of Pakistani society and cast your vote in favor of them.

Note: Please let us know if your favorite mullah has not been included in the list.

Qazi Husain Ahmad
President
Jaamaat-Islami Pakistan

Mulana Fazl-ur Rahman
President
Jaamaat-Ulema Islami

Prof. Khursheed Ahmad
Vice Prsident
Jaamaat-Islami

Mulana Sami-ul-Haqq
Chairman,
Jamiaat-e-Ulema Islam (S)

The difference Between India and Pakistan

2006-04-21T05:44:00.000-04:00

The Daily Show's resident expert John Hodgman reveals what has long been suspected- India and Pakistan are, indeed, two different countries !!

Pakistan – An Economic Turnaround

2006-04-18T04:30:00.000-04:00

I recently wrote this article for an online magazine, so lets see if it gets published. I will keep you guys updated on results. Meanwhile, enjoy the Un-Edited version:

A recent conversation caught me quite off-guard while catching up with an old college friend who had returned to Lahore after finishing his education in Canada. As we were catching up on the latest developments in out personal lives, I inquired about his job in Lahore and a new name emerged from his response: Al-Warid Telecom, the latest player in Pakistan's bustling telecommunication sector. However, when I inquired about the well-being of couple of other common friends, his response more than shocked me. “Oh, Aurangzeb is working for Telenor in Islamabad and Maira has left Citibank and is also working for Telenor as well, but in the Lahore Head-Office."

The emergence of a vibrant Telecommunication and Information Technology sector in Pakistan is buoyant of the promise that the country's economy is exhibiting in the face of even stiffer global competition. The numbers speak for themselves. Pakistan registered an economic growth rate of 8.4% last year, second only to China and highest in over two decades of the country's history. With a steady increase in population of 1.9%, the per capita income also rose by 5.9% during last year. With the impact of high oil prices and 8th October Earthquake, the economy is still expected to keep its momentum and grow at a steady rate of 6.5% during the current year. These positive numbers are quite a contrast from the country's economic performance in the 90s. During that period in Pakistan's history, international opinions had declared Pakistan an economically failed state with a non-existent GDP growth and skyrocketing foreign debt of $ 38 billions. Such were the times that 64% of country's revenues were consumed by debt servicing of foreign and domestic debts - creating a legacy of public debt trap. With only one third of revenues available for defense, administration, social sector and development, it was humanly impossible to make any notable contributions towards infrastructure or industrial development.

Many critics attempt to draw a relationship between Pakistan's impressive economic turn-around with the U.S. aid Pakistan received for its role as "United States' most crucial non-NATO ally" in the aftermath of 9/11 Terrorist attacks on World Trade Center. However, this view is myopic in terms of its failure to recognize and identify the policies and economic measures the government undertook before and after 9/11. A substantive amount of aid flowed into Pakistan, $3 billion dollars to be precise but spread out over a period of 5 years and subjected to annual budget approvals of U.S. Congress. However, if there is a single reason that could be attributed to Pakistan's economic resurgence, it would undoubtedly be the presence of Shaukat Aziz, current Prime Minister of Pakistan and a former Executive Vice President of Citibank. We should keep in our minds that this is not the first time Shaukat Aziz has turned around a bleak financial situation. Previously, he was instrumental in attracting Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal's $600 million investment into Citibank at a time when Citibank was reeling under tens of billions of bad loans in Latin America and its stock price had dropped to under $10 a share.

In shape of Pakistan, Shaukat Aziz had to carry out a similar task with an added responsibility of 140 million stakeholders’ future that was tied with the development of Pakistan as a viable and sustainable economy. On his part, General Pervaiz Musharraf did not meddle into any economic affairs and gave Shaukat Aziz a complete free hand in order to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of Pakistan's economic makeover. First as the Finance Minister and later as the Prime Minsiter, Shaukat Aziz induced an atmosphere of deregulation and wise economic policies that attracted local entrepreneurship and foreign investment. As a result, Pakistan's Foreign reserves increased from less than $1 billion in 1999 to $12.5 billion currently. With positive increases in foreign reserves and a stabilized balance-of-payments issue, the government improved its credit rating and managed to reorganize its debt so it could be brought down to $ 34.5 billion. Shaukat Aziz finally brought an end to the legacy of "borrowing for growing" and decisively aimed to take Pakistan out of the debt trap that had been the main cause of the economic crash witnessed by many Latin American and East Asian economies.

Government's more stringent macroeconomic policies and seasoned structural reforms thereby resulted in a stronger external position due to a lower public debt burden and renewed access to international capital markets. Targeting key services sectors, Pakistan witnessed a boom in telecommunications, media and information technology while industrial and manufacturing growth created new records. As the budget deficit dropped from 8% to 4% and tax revenues went up by 20%, the government institutionalized a bold privatization policy that has attracted foreign investors from all over the world. A 26% stake in country's telecom giant, PTCL, netted $2.6 billion for the government while two cellular-phone licenses grossed around $600 million last year. This year the government is aiming to attract $3 billion in foreign direct investment, highest ever for the 58 year old country.

A positive mood swings in the country where, until 2002, domestic businessmen and middle class had little or no access to cheaply-available consumer credit. Cheap Auto-Financing schemes and increase in consumer wealth has resulted in a 44% increase in auto sales since 2002. Personal Computer (PC) market has grown by 19% in 2005 and is expected to surpass Singapore's PC market in terms of its size. With high consumer confidence and effective competition in Pakistan's cellular phone market, Pakistan's 24 million cell-phone users have created Pakistan into the world's fastest growing wireless market after China. These gains in consumer goods directly translate towards high performance in the banking sector and stock exchange. Pakistan's banking sector, once struggling for its survival, has adopted modern banking practices and is continuously posting higher profits. Leading the domestic banks, Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) posted an increase of 267% in profits for 2005 with $148 million. Similarly, most of the other publicly listed banks also registered more than 100% gains in profits for the fiscal year of 2005.

With a modern telecommunications infrastructure and government's healthy policies in the IT sector, Pakistan has become home to over 123 call centers that cater to the international Business Processing Operations (BPO) market. Another 30 call centers are expected to open up this year, resulting in more inflow of investment and employment opportunities for the skilled labor. Another measure of Pakistan's turnaround is the performance of Karachi Stock Exchange, where its index has risen from a low of 1,276 in November 2000 to a record high of 12,000 in April 2006, a gain of close to 1,100%. The only other countries that have registered such outsized gains over the last five years are Russia and India.

With an economic turnaround to his credit, Shaukat Aziz, faces more challenges ahead of him. Pakistan can be quite content with its macroeconomic performance over the last 5 years but the area of poverty alleviation is still a growing concern among the majority of the population. Sharp growth has also brought a rise in inflation which reached 11% last year, further burdening the poor. Unemployment is still around the same levels and many feel that Pakistan's economic fortunes have not trickled down all the way to the poor, as yet. Continuity and consistency in the economic policies and further improvements in infrastructure can effectively cater to these issues which appear to be much bigger challenges in light of government’s performance so far. The government has positively increased spending in education, health care and social programs in order to meet its long-term objectives in the social sector development areas.

Pakistan has eagerly emerged in very less time in the eyes of foreign investors as a prime location for investment. Still, the nation's will and capacity to sustain the momentum in its growth and maintain its status in the eager eyes of foreign investors is yet to be tested. Perhaps, the country’s estimated growth till 2010 and its performance in next few more years will truly qualify this decade as the era of Pakistan's re-emergence in the new global economy.

Karachi in middle of Violence - again!

2006-04-12T03:37:00.000-04:00

And even in our sleep,

pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart.

Until, in our own despite,

against our will,

comes wisdom to us

by the awful grace of God.

Aeschylus - 3rd century Greek Poet

Lets hope that wisdom do come to us and this sad event is not turned into a sectarian issue that may result into more violence and bloodshed in our beloved country - Pakistan.

Osama's Favourite Soccer Team

2006-04-10T01:30:00.000-04:00

Ever wanted to know the personal side of Osama Bin Laden?
Well, here's a little interview which he gave to a British TV Show and explained how much he fancied Manchester United. This guy does have a soft side, unlike what Rumsfled himself wants to belive in.
Enjoy:

Tagged : Osama , Manchester United , Terrorism , Soccer

To General, With Love - Part II

2006-04-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

With the 2007 elections in sight, the current government officials are already running around in order to ensure they can continue to hold their current offices and titles in the post-election era. Sindh's Chief Minister, Arbab Rahim, has decisively taken the queue from his counterpart in Punjab and has started writing accolades and odes in praise of the Mighty General.

Daily Times spotted the CM Arbab Rahim advising the media that "It is our desire that at first Musharraf take vote of confidence from the existing assemblies to stay as president and then announce the schedule for the general elections." Clearly, the CM remembers a thing or two from his Logical Analysis classes and has deciphered the following logic :

Praise the General Good chances in 2007 Elections

Good Results

Sindh CM Arbab Rahim in 2007

However, a point to remember is that a similar equation was drawn out in Punjabi Language by CM Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi few months ago and exposed in a previous article on this blog. Sindh's CM can be rightfully accused of plagiarism by his Punjabi counterpart, but perhaps Arbab Rahim is simply drawing an uncanny inspiration from the Chuadhry brothers. Whatever the case maybe, the fact remains that if any government official (federal or provincial) has any inspirations to stay in power beyond 2007, then they better grab a pen or pencil and start writing their own version of "To General, With Love." Else, no other power in this Holy Land of Pakistan can ensure their continuity and survival.

New on the Endangered Species List !!

2006-03-31T19:46:00.000-05:00

Courtesy: Time Magazine Catroon of the Week
- click on the image for the full-scale version.

International Defender of Murghas

2006-03-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

The presence of deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu sparked widespread fear and rumors among the local public about the emergence of Bird Flu outbreak in Pakistan. Murghas all over the country came under suspicion and scrutiny by the public. Every head turned around when an innocent murgha dared to step out on the streets of Pakistan. Many murghas complained about the biased attitude of Pakistani people towards the entire murgha population due to the acts of few misguided murghas. But the public, widely engrossed into the media's biased coverage of the Bird Flu epidemic, did not pay any attention to the murghas and their supporters. Betrayal and depression settled in the murgha community as they were rejected by their own people. The situation took a deadly turn when the government officials mass-slaughtered around 23,000 chickens whose only fault was their presence around the suspected murghas involved in Bird Flu case.

Dismayed by the local attitudes, the murghas sent their high-ranking poultry farmers and lobbyists all the way to the Federal Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. On his insistence, the government conducted a sample testing of all the murghas with the help of World Health Organization (WHO) and managed to refute the rumors of Bird Flu outbreak in Pakistani murgha population.

Moreover, in a public show of support for the murghas, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and other government officials got together and showed their solidarity with the Pakistani Murghas and declared that their consumption is perfectly safe. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, willfully called upon the public to "display understanding towards chicken and ignore the rumors circulating in the media", while ensuring he maintained his lead over other officials in the hotly contested chicken eating competition. For his exemplary support towards the murghas, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was later declared the "INTERNATIONAL DEFENDER OF MURGHAS" and received an All-you-can-eat coupon from the KFC employees union.

Tagged: Bird Flu , H51N , Pakistan

Bush and Mush

2006-03-24T14:36:00.000-05:00

This hilarious video clip clearly summarizes the close relationship between Bush and Mush.

The Iraq Number Game

2006-03-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

33710 : Iraqi civilians killed in Iraq

2318: US troops killed in Iraq

103: UK troops killed in Iraq

61: Journalists killed in Iraq

1: American President still refusing to acknowledge those numbers.

Question: How many more have to die before the President takes any responsibility?

Sources:
http://icasualties.org/oif/
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

Tagged: Iraq , Iraq War , Bush

Oops......... Bush Did it Again!!

2006-03-16T10:29:00.000-05:00

With every passing day, President Bush and his administration is getting ready to prepare itself for yet another 'pre-emptive strike' on a sovereign and independent state in Middle East - Iran. Iran, previously only known for its expensive Persian rugs is also responsible for the existence of Queen's famous lead singer, Freddie Mercury. However, recently Iran has been making headline news around the hour for a very different set of reasons - a desire to develope nuclear technology and a desire to build nuclear reactors for 'civilan' use. However, those in the White House do not see at par with Iran's desires and have been forced to make use of the good old cold-war era threats.

All the bickering and threatening from the government officials seems uncannily familiar to the recent "liberation" of Iraq on the pre-text of Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD). Almost as familiar and popular as Britney Spear's debut single, Oops... I did it Again. President Bush has seemingly learnt more Foreign Policy matters from Mrs. Spears than any other available resource. Absurd but provable argument, as evident from the Foreign Policy guidelines the President is advocating.

Following is the current administration's 10-week course guideline on foreign policy:

FOREIGN POLICY 101

Week 1: How to create a foreign catastrophe in order to divert citizens' attention from domestic political upheavals.
Week 2: Funding terrorist organizations in order to carry out the Global Agenda.
Week 3: If there is Oil, then they have the nukes.
Week 4: Destabilizing a Democratic but Unfriendly Country - an introduction.

Guest Lecture: Britney Spears on "Using 'Oops.. I did it Again' to your advantage."

Week 6: Using Media to sell the War.
Week 7: Ten Essentials of using Weapons of Mass Destruction for any invasion.
Week 8: Nuclear Proliferation - using it to your own advantage.
Week 9: Golden Rules of avoiding International Court of Justice in face of Prisoner Abuse Scandals.

Guest Lecture: Donald Rumsfeld on "Keeping it cool despite Demands for Resignation".

Week 11(optional): Creating a consensus at United Nations. *
Week 12(optional): Understanding the root causes of International Terrorism.*

* Note: None of the adminstration staff has yet attended these optional sessions.

Cross-posted at: Desicritics.org
Tagged : George Bush , Britney Spears , Bush

Murgha Spring Collection 2006

2006-03-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Recently I came across this interesting website, where you can create a BLOG cloud from your site and get it printed on a T-shirt for around $ 22.00. Interesting idea, very entrepreneurial from the creator o f the site. If anyone's interested for any self-promotion, they can log into SnapShirts.com. They also have interesting T-shirts which have word cloud from the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens. Might make an interesting gift for Literature or History Majors.

This link was the courtesy of opinionatedinjerzee's blog.

From the Desk of Sheikh Mo , CEO - DP World

2006-03-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

Dear Georgie,

I hope this letter finds you, your wife and Condi in the best of health. Allah-wa-Amin. I understand you just returned from your trip to Pakistan and India. I had been waiting for your holiday trip to get over. I did not want to disturb you while you were partying it hard with Mushy and Mani. Aren't they both adorable, esp. Mani. He is just so cute, just like a cuddly puppy. You should not have never frisked him at the airport, he is very harmless. Mushy called me the other day and didn't see too happy with the nuclear deal you just signed with India. Well, its between you and him but I think you should throw few F-16s at him just to keep him quite for now. International politics is not my cup of kehwah but it sure seems as interesting as a good Bollywood movie. That reminds me that they recently made a very good cartoon on an Indian God. I think you should check it out for since you adore cartoons. I am sure you will find it as entertaining as SpongeBob.

Now I must get to the point of sending this letter. Georgie, we all know how much you tried and worked for our American ports deal to get through but it seems the Congress is not in the mood for it. Hence, I am going to back off from this deal and transfer the interests to an American company. Of course, it will be an American company of our choice, perhaps Dick Cheney's Halliburton. Jazakallah, Congress still does not know how we control it through other Dubai-owned companies. Georgie, you don't have to worry about a single thing. I am not going to hold this against you at all. Mashallah, you have been a very good friend of ours and your always welcomed to stay at Burj-al-Arab's Buggs Bunny suite. We know how much you enjoyed it last time. Also, you don't have to worry about you dad's job at Carlyle Group. I have spoken to my cousin and have instructed him not to take any unnecessary steps.

Georgie, I just don't understand how your people could not see us as good people. Just like all American women are not as sexy as Jennifer Lopez, you should tell your people that all Arabs are not linked to terrorism. I have instructed my people to hire some American celebrities to carry out our PR job. Clinton and Madeline Albright have not done a good job at our PR. I think your people pay more attention to Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Hollywood Access than CNN and Fox News. Georgie, I think I am going to ask J-Lo to take care of this issue. She has been very nice and understanding so far, if you know what I mean ;)

However, Georgie, there is one thing that has been bothering me for the past few days and I was not sure how to bring it up with you. Georgie, as you had expressed your interests in working in Dubai after your presidency, I gave your resume to my HR Person. Unfortunately, according to HR, they have a very strict policy of hiring candidates with good educational credentials irrespective of their experience and political status. And your record is not that clear. Georgie, you are like a brother to me but I cannot do much in this area. You know we are trying to run our companies on WTO standards and practise complete accountability, the American way. Even my son is doing his MBA at University of California, San Diego so that he can work for DP World after me. You must understand my position. I hope you can enroll in a Masters program soon after your presidency and then there should not be a problem for you to get a job in Dubai, Inshallah.

Till then, may Allah bestow his blessings upon you and your family.

Fiamaan illaah

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (Sheikh Mo)
CEO, Dubai Ports World

Cross-posted at: Desicritics.org
Tagged : George Bush , DP World , Dubai , Sheikh Mo

Nuclear Proliferation among the Murghas

2006-03-08T15:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the interesting remarks and conclusions that Western Politcal Cartoonists have drived after President Bush's recent visit to India and Pakistan:

- Please click on the images below to view a full-size cartoon.

Drew Sheneman, New Jersey -- The Newark Star Ledger, E-mail Drew.

Monte Wolverton, The Wolvertoon --Monte's work appears regularly in Mad Magazine - his editorial cartoon, The Wolvertoon, updates weekly - Visit Monte -- E-Mail Monte

Chip Bok, The Akron (Ohio) Beacon-JournalE-Mail Chip

Tagged : George Bush , India , Nuclear Proliferation

President Bush at Cricket Comedy Festival 2006

2006-03-07T00:41:00.000-05:00

As Pakistan faced a severe shortage of comic acts on the cricket pitch, President Musharaf invoked the US Embassy in Islamabad to cater to this problem. As always, the Americans proved worthy of their mettle and called in for their best - President George W. Bush. The President entertained the small, yet selected, crowd with a comic performance that will surely replace Sidhu as the comedy King of cricket and put Bush right on top of it. A stellar performance, indeed. Enjoy the clip and pictures:

Do Indians Also Hate President Bush?

2006-03-02T12:30:00.000-05:00

ÃÂ© Khalil Bendib 2006. You can see more of Khalil Bendib's cartoons at www.bendib.com or order his book, It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet in Order to Save It, from Plan Nine Publishing at www.plan9.org.

President Bush's current visit to India made headlines in the news circles not for the fact that its his first visit to the country or due to its strategic importance, but due to the protests carried out by thousands of people all across India. Protests are one common thing that always greet President Bush on every trip without exception. Be it Europe, Latin America or neighboring Canada or Mexico, protests and protests are all that welcome the leader of the 'free world' on his travels across the globe. Some protestors who travel from country to country in order to participate in every protests have starting boosting their accomplishments by 'Frequent Protester Miles' as oppose to Frequent Flyer Miles.

The strength of protest in India, around half a million people seemed to compete with the upcoming protests in Pakistan as President Bush heads towards Pakistan on Friday. Pakistani protestors have been pushed into hot waters with the huge numbers that Indian protestors pulled before and during President Bush's visit. To some it seems, India has already defeated Pakistan in this avenue as well, much like the ODI series earlier this year. Others say, that protests should be judged in per capita terms. India with a population of 1 billion could only produce half a million protestors, and Pakistani protestors claim that their strength in per capita terms would be higher with the smaller population size of Pakistan. Influence of a Prime Minister with a Finance background already seems to be rubbing off on to some common folks.

Why the protests in India? Americans, as confused as ever, are forced to wonder why would Indians protest. Don't they love us? It makes sense when Arab countries carry out radical protests, but why India? Is this not the country which is getting all the 'American' jobs and loves to imitate American accents and copy American names while innocent average Joes call them for lost baggage and technical support? In a true simplistic manner it would be understandable that the protests are being carried out by the Indian Muslims, as India is home to the second biggest Muslim population in the country. However, the protests are also being led by India's Dalit, Maoist and Communist leaders who see President Bush as the capitalist world's leader and a danger to their Indian identity and socialist system.

So why are they protesting with the Muslims? What happened to the India's communal riots where Muslims and Hindus were killing each other? Well, it seems that Hindus and Muslims might have some internal issues, however, they are very united against external forces that are bent on changing the things that they treasure most. As their love for Shahrukh Khan is universal all across India, so is their sentiments for President Bush. Some political pundits claim that the anti-globalization and communists groups in India are fueling these protests in the name of protecting Indian culture and identity. These groups are using the protests to highlight their concerns about the ill effects of outsourcing on the Indian culture, quite similar to the Right-Wing groups concerns with the jobs that are being exported out of America. However, others say that these groups only represent farmers and peasants and have nothing to do with urban centers, where the majority of Indian working population lives. Hence there are no double standards in India, where people would be protesting while sporting Calvin Klien and GAP T-shirts and hurling Nikes and Addidas at President Bush's effigies. A familiar picture from the protests in Middle East which loudly speaks about the double-standards that are at the very core of the problems being faced by the Muslim world.

In more interesting news, which may give few more Indians ample reason to protest President Bush's visits, it has been learnt that India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, was briefly frisked by American security staff before he could greet President Bush. The media was kept out of sight and hence could not see the incident, but BJP Vice President, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, later told the media that it was an insult and humiliation for the nation to allow foreigners to check the Indian prime minister in his own land. BJP has vowed to bring this incident into the full attention of the public.

Similarly, one of New Delhi's most exclusive 5-star hotel, Le Meridien Hotel, had its own reason to protest President Bush's visit. The US Embassy, reportedly, booked 70 rooms in the hotel, with regards to President Bush's visit and the heavy entourage of security personnel. However, the hotel management was surprised to find that the rooms had been reserved for security dogs. US security personnel accompanying the sniffer dogs were offended when the management told them that dogs were not allowed on the hotel premises. The External Affairs Ministry was forced to intervene into the matter and assured the visiting American security staff that their security dogs will receive the same princely treatment that hotel bestows upon its other more "human" guests.

And then some people in American wonder, why everyone hates them?

Cross-posted at: Desicritics.org
Tagged : India , Protests , Bush , Globalization

Mardi Gras' current murgha: FEMA

2006-03-01T01:19:00.000-05:00

From: Time Magazine Cartoon of the Week Feb 19 - 25
- click on the image for the full-scale version.

Nasty Girl !!

2006-02-26T03:38:00.000-05:00

Recently, a good friend of mine introduced me to the latest Hip-hop sensation, 'Nasty Girl' by Notorious B.I.G. For those who have been living on the moon for last 20 years, Notorious B.I.G. is considered the savior of the East Coast hip-hop scene and enjoys Elvis-like status in the hip-hop music industry. He has made an everlasting impact on the industry, but due to the 'notorious' nature of the business, signified truly by his name, he himslef fell victim to the gang violence that plagued inner-city America during the latter part of the 20th century. That's right, he has been dead since 1997 but Biggie is not to be left behind when it comes to following the latest trend of making records after death. If Lennon and Elvis can do it, then why must Biggie be left behind?

'Nasty Girl' is the first video to come out from the album, "Biggie Duets: Last Chance", featuring collaborations from all the shining stars of the 'bling-bling' industry. According to the album's master producer, Diddy (or P. Diddy, or Puff Daddy, one of those perhaps), the song is about loving women and expressing sentiments. Listening more into the lyrics it comes to the attention that its not just about loving women but all the creative ways one can employee to love them. Objectification and symbolism of women as recreational toys in the hands of rich and famous gets a new meaning in the song. And the video makes full effort in highlighting this fact so that the viewers fully understand how to treat a 'nasty girl'.

Biggie starts the song by clearly stating his point of view:

I go, on and on and on and

Don't take them to the crib unless they bon'in

Easy, call em on the phone

and platinum Chanel cologne and

I stay, dressed, to impress

Spark these bitches interest

Sex is all I expect

Not to be outdone, Diddy comes up with his own set of demands:

I need u to dance, I need u to strip
I need u to shake Ur little ass n hips
I need u to grind like Ur working for tips
N give me what I need while we listen to prince

The complete lyrics, which do make an interesting read, can be found by following this link.

The case of women's use as a marketing product is not something new, however, the growing phenomena should be a grave concern to the feminsts groups who seem very busy with pro-choice issues only. 'Nasty Girl' is simply following the industry practice of female exploitation and cruising along the freeway due to the absence of any sort of protest over such practice.

This exploitation is not simply limited to the hip-hop world. This month's issue of Vanity Fair proudly exhibits two Hollywood leading ladies deprived of all their clothing with a fully dressed male fashion icon. The ladies who chose to bare it all for Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue are Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson, while no one thought of asking Tom Ford, fashion designer, to disrobe. Some may call it art but it seems that talent is not the only thing that a female actress needs to make headlines in Hollywood. Both the females have been critically acclaimed for their various roles and have earned countless nominations and awards for their work. However, the prevalent social norms, four decades after the feminist movement, still demand them to remove their clothing in order to earn a higher place in Hollywood. On the other hand, the marketing team at Vanity Fair gave itself a pat on its own shoulder for correctly using naked actresses to increase the magazine's subscription by 3,000 and earning 5 million website visits since the launch on the issue.

Whether its Diddy celebrating recording industry's giant using a song called 'Nasty Girl' or the case of Vanity Fair using naked actresses for its Hollywood issue; the use of women as a marketing tool speaks volumes of the status modern society has given to the female sex. Alarming is also the mode of acceptance such practice has received from the women, themselves, who are quite oblivion to the capitalistic nature of exploitation business. While most young girls would readily sing along with Black Eyed Peas as Fergie sings "my humps, my humps, my lady lumps" and provokes men to "check it out", only few would pay attention to the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, U.S. First Lady, "Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Nasty, indeed.

Outsourcing Blues!!

2006-02-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

While the workers in many American factories and service industry contemplate about the impending doom of their jobs about to be outsourced, India and China on the other hand are fiercely competing with each other for those jobs. As a growing phenomena in the American workplace, its not uncommon for our average American murgha to loose out his job to the hard-working and ever-ready Harold & Kumar. Making a murgha out of the middle-class Americans, the Indians and Chinese are willing to take over all sorts of jobs for a fraction of the cost. And whats with all the complaining about American jobs!! Can someone please tell these fools that there is no such thing as an 'American job'. Wake up from the American Dream and start living in the true reality of globalization. However, I would never argue that there is a certain job that will always stay with Americans since they are so darn good at it : the tough job of taking over sovereign regimes in the name of liberty and democracy. China and India are in no mood to compete for those job, so whoever is scared of being outsourced should join the US Army. They have a number of long-term projects coming up such as Iran and North Korea.

As for outsourcing homework to India, check out www.rentacoder.com and www.guru.com. There are many Harold and Kumars on these sites who are more than willing to do your homework for $5 - $100 via email. And the best thing about it all is that you can always charge it to daddy dear's credit card, assuming daddy still has his job and it hasn't been outsourced to Harold & Kumar as well; just not as yet!!

Cross-posted at: Desicritics.org

Tagged : Outsourcing , India , China , Globalization

President's Day and the Murgha President

2006-02-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

Today, the third Monday in February is celebrated all across America as President's Day Holiday. The holiday is officially in commemoration of George Washington's birthday which fell on February 22, 1732 and reminds everyone around the world about the greatness that resonated with the words "President of United States of America. Great men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln held this office and laid the building blocks of a society based on democracy, liberty and respect.

Sadly, the greatness of those men and the might of their character is put to shame by the current incumbent of the office, George Walker Bush. Also known as Junior Bush, the President is more popular for his comical acts than any of his policy initiatives. The President, or as I call him the Murgha President, has made a fool out of himself on a daily basis and does not fail to provide the viewers with a reason to laugh. Conversely, the President has ensured that the Late Night Shows and Comics don't have to work too hard to come up with fresh material everyday. He himself has taken the solemn duty to fulfill this task, and hence make the world a happier place. To many average Joes, President's comical "Bushisms" and acts of wisdoms relay a small glitter of hope. An office, once considered the 'hardest and most respectable job in America', has become an attainable goal to many average Joes all across the world. With a leader like this, how can you blame the American kids for the drop in their high school grades!! A nation's youth is always inspired by its own leaders than any other historical characters. When the American youth looks at their own President in such comical situations and 'mishaps', its hard for them to find inspiration.

Murgha President Video of the Day: A video collection of President George W. Bush at his hilarious best, with Bushisms and sound bytes to keep you laughing for hours.

Murgha President Top 5 Quotes from last year:

1. "I'm occasionally reading, I want you to know, in the second term." -- Washington, D.C., March 16, 2005

2. "I think I may need a bathroom break. Is this possible?" --in a note to to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a U.N. Security Council meeting, September 14, 2005 (View photo)

3. "Wow! Brazil is big." George W. Bush, after being shown a map of Brazil by Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2005

4. "Listen, I want to thank leaders of the -- in the faith -- faith-based and community-based community for being here." George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Sept. 6, 2005

5. "The relations with, uhh -- Europe are important relations, and they've, uhh -- because, we do share values. And, they're universal values, they're not American values or, you know -- European values, they're universal values. And those values -- uhh -- being universal, ought to be applied everywhere." George W. Bush, at a press conference with European Union dignitaries, Washington, D.C., June 20, 2005

Sadly, its hard for anyone to compare and compile any jokes of President Bush without leaving many and many other equally comical and utterly stupid incidents. However, the small compilation of above mentioned incidents clearly land President George W. Bush with the rarely sought title: THE MURGHA PRESIDENT.

Cross-posted at: Desicritics.org
Tagged : George Bush , President's Day , Bushism

Cartoon on Cartoon

2006-02-16T16:45:00.000-05:00

© Khalil Bendib 2006. You can see more of Khalil Bendib's cartoons at www.bendib.com or order his book, It Became Necessary to Destroy the Planet in Order to Save It, from Plan Nine Publishing at www.plan9.org.

Musharraf's cigar making headlines in India

2006-02-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

President Pervez Musharraf is known to be in headlines across the globe for all the right and wrong reasons but rarely he makes headlines that would give him a celebrity stature. And even rarer it is for his 'half-smoked cigar'. Yet, one of the leading headlines circulated by an Indian newspaper, Newindpress.com features Musharraf's half-smoked cigar. Newindpress.com broke all records in accurately breaking the news about how Musharraf's half-smoked cigar turned memento for Chappell's wife on her visit to Pakistan. According to the newspaper, the half-smoked cigar is the most precious thing Judy, wife of India cricket team's coach, will be taking back to India from Pakistan.

Never have a cigar gotten so much attention in this part of the world, nor the cigar was another CBM (Confidence Building Measure) sponsored by the India-Pakistan peace talks. But kudos to the media and its ability to make news out of anything, the cigar managed to steal the headline spot. On the insistence of the news-hungry media to fetch all the details, Judia informed, "I picked up the cigar with a tissue paper and am carrying it with me to India."

From the details that have emerged so far, Judy came across Musharraf's half-smoked cigar during one of his meetings with the Indian Cricket Team. Musharraf, oblivious to his celebrity charisma in India, was careless enough to forget the cigar in the ashtray and provided the perfect opportunity to Judy to carry out her mission. Hats off to Judy, who managed to sneak the cigar right under the ISI's nose. Maybe this cigar will someday turn up on Ebay or maybe it will end up in a museum, but surely it has a certain value attached with it after this incident. However, this incident has forced me to realize that West and Indians both seem particularly fascinated by Pervez Musharraf's personality and charisma. Maybe, we should exploit this avenue into generating some revenue. Risking harsh criticism, I would boldly suggest making Musharraf posters, T-shirts, cigars, guns and other memorabilia available to the visiting foreigners. It may as well help as in surpassing our GPD growth rate of 8%, just maybe ...

Tagged : Pakistan , Musharraf , Cricket

.

St. Valentine, Cupid, Osama and Murgha!!

2006-02-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

February 14, mostly referred to as Valentine's Day, unsuccessful in finding its actual history and traditions, yet celebrated across many cultures and countries across the globe, makes its mark on us yet again, without failing. Just when we are all surrounded by high energy prices, low productivity rates, corrupt politians, the governments that are spying on their own citizens, new plots of terrorism being broadcasted by the President, civilizations clashing with each other and the entire global order going in disarray, all is not lost. Don't fear, St. Valentine is here with his scantly-dressed friend Cupid and they are both here so that we can focus on issues that will be directly affecting us in a day or so. Iran may have nukes, Hamas may threat Israel but there is nothing worse than the wrath of your partner, expecting gifts, chocolates and flowers. Simple excuses like 'I made a donation on your behalf to the Hurricane Katrina Fund' or 'Your valentine day gift is ME' may result in irreparable damage!

Surprisingly it is also the only day that Homeland Security doesn't offer overtime to its over-worked employees, since its the only calendar day yet untargetted by Osama Bin Laden. Either, Osama is too busy trying to locate the nearby Hallmark's store in Afghanistan or he is simply too scared to call upon the anger of his four wives, combined. Whatever the case maybe, its truly considered a relatively 'safe' day in the post 9-11 world, thanks to St. Valentines.

However, its not so safe for the murghas since this is the day when love is truly judged by the size of the gift and the brand of chocolates. Its not only the day when the lovers celebrate their love and profess their true feelings to each other, but its also a day when they don't feel shy to contribute $1.3 billion dollars towards the economy, according to the National Retail Federation. A great national service rendered by no other than St. Valentine and Cupid; even Batman and Robin could not have done the same for the economy. Greeting Cards Association also informs us that over 1 billion Valentine Cards are purchased around Valentine's day. A surprising fact is that 85% of those valentine cards are purchased by women. Hence, the murghas of the day are not only the males but the women are also made into a murgha by St. Valentine and Cupid.

Yet its a more troubling day for the murghas who are courting more than one lover at the same time. Nancy Keates of Wall Street Journal interestingly points out that its a crisis day for cheaters: "Valentine's Day is the biggest single 24-hour period for florists, a huge event for greeting-card companies and a boon for candy makers. But it's also a major crisis day for anyone who is having an affair." Another industry benefiting from the St. Valentine's business savvy approach is the private investigator's business. "If anything is going on, it will be happening on that day," says Irene Smith, who says business at her Discreet Investigations detective agency, as much as doubles - to as many as 12 cases some years - on Valentine's Day.

Murgha Website of the Day: Cupid Cupid Bush Valentine
Tagged: Valentine

Mixing Cartoons and Religion!!

2006-02-11T20:50:00.000-05:00

Courtesy: Time Magazine Catroon of the Week

- click on the image for the full-scale version.

When the Murgha "comes home to roost"

2006-02-07T23:32:00.000-05:00

The Muslim furor on the controversial cartoon issue and the 'clash of globalization' usually reported with the unrest and protest all over the Muslim World, recently showcased an interesting incident. According to AP, a leading and popular Iranian newspaper has announced an international competition for cartoons on Holocaust. This announcement comes as an interesting turn in the whole issue and has backfired into the West's reaction to the controversial issue with a biased claim of upholding Freedom of Expression. The Iranian newspaper, Hamshahri, left no doubt in the minds of proponents of freedom of speech that this contest was announced only as a reaction to the Danish newspaper's publications of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed. Many conclusions can be inferred from this unique announcement, but its hard to deny that its clearly an 'out of the box' and somewhat creative way of displaying a non-violent protest.

Such a non-violent means of protest, that may even raise Ariel Sharon's eye-brows from his hospital bed, has raised many interesting questions. "Does the West extend freedom of expression to the crimes committed by the United States and Israel, or an event such as the Holocaust? Or is its freedom only for insulting religious sanctities?" Hamshahri wrote, referring to the Prophet Muhammad cartoons.

The Iranians have clearly showed that they are not only hell-bent on acquiring nuclear technology but they are the only Muslim country that is ready to challenge the West's established ideologies and total disregard of religious sensitivities. Now the only question remains is how far will the West go to protect its ideology and at what cost? Is it possible that in coming days, a mysterious bomb may explode at the Iranian newspaper's office? It may be the same mysterious circumstances where American missiles 'accidentally' blew up the Al-Jazera's headquarter in Baghdad or the bombs that somehow landed in the pharmaceutical (aka "Chemical Weapons") factory in Sudan. While the commoners like us may never gain the ability to understand the scale of these mysteries, it should not surprise us if they still occur in coming days.

In 1963, at the time of President Kennedy's assassination, Malcolm X gave a frank comment about the assassination being the case of "the chickens coming home to roost." Maybe this time the murgha has returned to roost in the West's backyard and the next few days will, indeed, show the way in which the guardians and saviours of Freedom of Expression will react to the return of the Murgha.

Osama's Dilema

2006-02-03T10:35:00.000-05:00

To General, With Love

2006-01-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

In a very public display of affection and somewhat a ceremonious act, Punjab's chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi could not stop but express his unequivocal and honest support for General Pervaiz Musharaf. Having confidence in General's amazing capability to stay in power and in view of upcoming elections in 2007, Chaudary announced, "Let there be no misunderstanding on this issue. The assemblies will elect him president for a second term as he has taken the correct decisions in the interests of the country and its people."

Not many local newspapers felt the aspirations of Chaudhry, nor the admiration he had for the great General. Daily Times of Lahore, however, was gracious enough to keep a close eye on the Chaudhary's activities. In view of ensuring salvation for the general populace, as well as entertainment for political observers, they not only reported this incident but gave Chaudhary a cover picture and made his interview the into a headline. The only other time Chaudhary achieved this milestone was when he managed to defeat the Indian Punjab's Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, in a 'Chicken-Tikkah' eating contest during his recent visit to the Indian Punjab. A memory that still stings the Punjabis on the other side of Wagah.

This is not the first time that the Chaudhary has expressed his true feelings about the man-in-charge. Similar sentiments were expressed by him when Former Prime Minister, Nawaz Shariff, was the man in shining armor for the Chaudhary. There might be many more skeletons in his closet, coming out only with feasible political climate around the Chaundary Ranch. Whether its Chaudary's unfathomed talent with consuming 'murghs' or his sophistication of words to describe the General, it can be safely said that this Chaudhary has ambitions that go far beyond the borders of Punjab.

Murgha Website of the Day: www.chaudhrybrothers.com
Check out Chaudhary's official profile at http://www.chaudhrybrothers.com/assets/profiles.htm

The New Murgha in Middle East

2006-01-30T02:27:00.000-05:00

From: Time Magazine Cartoon of the Week Jan 22 - 28

- click on the image for the full-scale version.

Female infanticide in INDIA - ramifications, revelations and dilemma for the murgha

2006-01-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

"India is missing about 10 million daughters since the widespread use of ultrasound, estimates a new study."

This strikingly disturbing fact caught my unguarded attention when reported by an article in New Scientist. The research is based on a survey of 1.1 million households in 1998 ad was carried out by Dr Prabhat Jha of St Michael's Hospital at the University of Toronto, Canada, and Dr Rajesh Kumar of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Research in Chandigarh, India. The 'shock and awe' factor sinks in further deeper when you look at the births on the basis of gender. The study reveals an increasing tendency to choose boys when firstborn has been a girl. In such cases, the sex ratio is just 759 girls for every 1000 boys. More alarmingly, for a third child, just 719 girls were born per 1000 boys, if both the older children were girls.

This practice of female infanticide is not something new in poor and under-developed regions of third world. Marina Porras has indicated in her study, "Female Infanticide and Foeticide", that such practice occurs "due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females". Reading such figures would make one think that this would be a practice in rural arears carried out by uneducated masses who are forced into these circumstances due to poverty, economics disparity and Indian custom of dowry. The reality is that this evil is more prevalent in the urban centers of the educated elite of Indian society. Scott Baldauf reported in Christian Science Monitor that this practice is most common among India's elite, who can afford "multiple trips to an ultrasound clinic", and the "hushed-up abortion" of an unwanted girl.

The disturbing use of ultrasound technoloy aiding the ancient believes and custom of female infanticide is making a true murgha out of the much-praised benefits of globalization and our much-acclaimed 'technology era'. Thomas Friedman's concept of explaining globalizationn through "Lexus and the Olive Tree" is challenged by such heinous practices. It cannot be ignored that the forces of globalization, availibity of technology and the entrepreneurial drive of Indian doctors has entered into a succesfull collusion with the Indian psyche of preferring males over females. Mr. Friedman, being the great ambassador of globalizationn and praising it further more in his new book, "The World is Flat", has conveniently overlooked the by-products of globalization in such areas. True that productivity and entrepreneurship has increased in countries like India through the "Ten Forces that Flattened the World", but what about the lack of similar increase in the Human Development Index in such societies? While we are all busy discussing outsourcing, offshoring, free movement of capital, free trade and its implications; we have easily closed our eyes towards such horrors taking place in this cyber-age of ours. It is, indeed, hard to appreciate the mammoth growth of call-centers and IT companies in New Delhi's suburbs when you are told that "the number of girl babies is 845 per 1,000 boys" in the same high-rent suburbs. Great times, indeed!

So who is the murgha here and who will be enduring the ramifications of using technology for the means of female fecticide?

I will let you guys determine that!!

Comments Section Upgraded to meet the Murghas' demands!

2006-01-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

Listening into some of the local murghas and few others scattered all across the globe, the comments section has been upgraded. Now, you don't have to be a BlogSpot member or Anonymous to leave a comment. You can simply enter your name and email address and post a comment in order to express your reactio to the posts.

So my dear murghas, you no longer have to fear the great evil we are here to fight. Wage the war against the EVIL and leave your name and email address when you leave a comment and let your voices be heard.

Speak of the Murgha and the Murgha is there!

2006-01-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

The great Greek philosopher, Aristotle once said "All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." An indepth analysis of the murghas demonstrates that they also exhibit the above stated causes and in retrospect are victims of their own actions. For the murghas, who do discover that they had being conned and deceived by the other person, this discovery is rarely met with their acceptance of being marked as a murgha. Hence, its not unusual for a murgha to completely and wholeheartedly reject the notion of being a murgha. Pride plays a stronger role in this reaction than anything else. This straight-out rejection rather reinforces them as a murgha.

With the launch of this wesbite, such reaction was not surprising among the murghas in the surrounding farms. Not to count the murghas before they are hatched, I was overwhelmingly surprised by the positive response given by the murghas who came across this site. Clearly, they have taken the first step into self-discovery. However, more alarming was the lack of response from an individual known for her quality collection of murghas. But then, this kind of reaction is quite the characteristic of the perpetrator of such evil.

As an observant bystander I must add that it is important for the murghas to maintain order in their lines if they are ever to overcome the great evil that surrounds them. Fingerpointing and ridiculing other murghas around them will only create chaos in the farm and strengthen the very evil they are fighting against. It is imperatively important for the murghas to follow the advise Gandhi once gave to his Indian murghas , "An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind."

What is a MURGHA

2006-01-19T09:33:00.000-05:00

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, murgha is a two syllable word derived from the Urdu language and is used to describe the male domestic fowl kept for its meat. Also know as 'Rooster' by the English speaking world, French use the word 'Poulet' to describe this widely popular bird, in fact the most common bird in the world. According to the Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds, the chicken population stood at an astounding 24 billion in 2003.

Murgha is primarily assigned to the task of protecting the eggs laid down by the various female partners that surround it. However, the females simply flock around him since it also serves as a look-out for them and makes good use of his distinctively loud voice to warn the females and their young ones of the incoming predators. Murgha is a polygamous species, however its not uncommon for his females to be sleeping around with more than one murgha at the same time. Infact, the females are known for their ability to use a Murgha for providing them with shelter, food and all the luxeries of farmlife. In return, the murgha tirelessly anticipates to receive a simple promise of love from the female and the commitment on the female's part to bring an end to her frivolous and adulterous ways. To the credit of the female, she smartly and shamlessly plays the mugha around (usually more than one murgha at the same time) and enjoys her popular status among her admirers and suitors. To say that a murgha would not go out his way to earn the admiration of the female would be to take an ostrich-in-the sand attitude - ostrich himself being another famous cousin of murgha.

However with time and careful analysis by anthropologists and linguists, the pervasively peculiar bahaviour of murgha has transcended from the local farm into the auspicious modern Urdu dialect. 'Murgha' is hence mostly associated with a male that is being played upon by his female counterparts. But this definition does not limit the richness and the wide application the term 'murgha' enjoys. Briefly, a person who is being used by any other person, group, organization or an ideology to carry out their interests can be referred as 'murgha'. For example, a political use of the word 'murgha' can be illustrated by the relationship between George Bush and Tony Blair. In this scenario, Tonly Blair can be effectively referred as Bush's murgha where Bush tried to legitimize Iraq's invasion using Tony Blair as the murgha in order to gain support and build the 'coalition of the willing'.

Reading future postings on this blog will make the term 'murgha' more clearer!