Letter To The Editor : Political Fine-Tuning

Political Fine-Tuning 

The Frontier Post

23-05-13

During the season of election campaign, it was appearing from the behaviour of our politicians that they had turned out to be angels of Pakistan. To gain a margin of votes, they started unveiling their real faces through different political paid contents. They went on to the extent that they started using indecent language against each other in different media channels. Since the season of election is over, they have started chanting the same notion of consensus policy which had started circulating after the 2008 elections. In the name of consensus policy, most of the resources and jobs are distributed among coalition partners. Yes, there is no harm to form a coalition based government but what is detrimental, is, properly addressing the nation's agenda. Forgetting nation just for the sake of smooth sailing of government is quite old and revealed tactic. History clearly speaks of the performance delivered by our democratic government. It is time to deliver not to share the resources. People of Pakistan are intellectually liberated and emerging PTI support speaks volume in this regard. Everyone is tired of old faces now. Even though, a deaf and dumb person said to me through actions that he wanted change in politics because soaring poverty and rocketing prices of local commodities have marred the life of an ordinary citizen. Hence, the slogan chanted by Nawaz Sharif that all parties would be welcome if they work with him on national agenda, is a positive omen. I welcome this political fine-tuning that all stake holders should sit together to resolve the country's myriad of problems.
Waqar Abro
Karachi

 

Letter To The Editor: Suggestions For EC

Suggestions For EC
Pakistan Observer
06-05-2013

There is hue and cry through out the country that the upcoming general elections are supposed to be turning point of Pakistan history. It is true that every Pakistani demands for change now. But can the change the educated society expects really come if our people from far flung areas would not cast their vote due to some reasons? For voting awareness some constructive and achievable measures should be later by Election commission for increasing voter ratio in the coming elections.

There should be election commission social media campaign for increasing the of a votes. Election commission should direct care-taker government to regularly publish its advertisements in various newspapers. All media men aiming to bring change in the country should be directed to play a role in their own capacity.

Artists and singers of various local languages can also spread the message of voting rights through their melodies at mass level. There should be coordination between EC and NGO’s working on election awareness projects for increasing the voter ratio.

Voting know-how in rural areas is worse than No-Go areas. However Election commission should pay more attention to rural areas than urban areas. Khatibs in their respective areas can also spread the importance of a vote through Friday Sermons. There should also be a room for prisoners and disable people to cast their vote by using modern means of communication. There are millions of people in Pakistan who do not live in their respective constituency. However, they should also be given a chance to vote for their registered voting constituency from any part of the country.
WAQAR ABRO
—Karachi

Letter To The Editor: Suggestions for Election Commission

Suggestions for Election Commission
The Frontier Post
02-05-2013

There is hue and cry through out the country that the upcoming general elections are supposed to be turning point of Pakistan history. It is truth that every Pakistani demands for change now. But, the change the educated society expects can really come if our people from far flung areas would not cast their vote due to some reasons? For voting awareness i lay down some constructive and achievable measures before Election commission for increasing voter ratio in the coming elections.
There should be election commission social media campaign for increasing the importance of a vote Election commission should direct care-taker government to regularly publish its advertisements in various newspapers.
All media men aiming to bring change in the country should be directed to play a role in their own capacity.
Artists and singers of various local languages can also spread the message of voting rights through their melodies at mass level.
There should be coordination between EC and Ngo's working on election awareness projects for increasing the voter ratio.
Voting know-how in rural areas is worst than No-Go areas. However Election commission should pay more attention to rural areas than urban areas.
Mullahs in their respective areas can also spread the importance of a vote through Friday Sermons.
There should also be a room for prisoners and disable people to cast their vote by using modern means of communication.
There are millions of people in Pakistan who do not live in their respective constituency. However, they should also be given a chance to vote for their registered voting constituency from any part of the country.
This country has given has us many things. However, we must individually play our role to augment the voter ratio in upcoming general elections. T.V Artists, sports men and women, writers, columnists, media men, bloggers, civil servants, men and women in uniform, and others should also play their role.

Waqar Abro

Letter To The Editor: Elections Heat

Elections heat 

The Frontier Post 

30-04-2013

As the day of general elections is about to come, heat of elections engulfs us with every passing moment. Few political parties have started engaging in their political activities while a few have called for shutting down their camps owing to security reasons. Breathing fire against rival politician is also seen on daily basis.
The ongoing political situation clearly implies that 11 May would be the historic day of Pakistan. The heat of elections has gone to such extent that political leaders of different parties, have started breathing fire against each other. Imran says that on 11th May 2013 Pakistan will be independent from looters while Nawaz says after 11 May winds of prosperity will blow in the country. On the contrary, There is a hue and cry on electronic media that how elections will successfully hold if the ongoing security situation persistently prevails. This style of propagating news will not only cause fears in the masses but also demoralize our law and order enforcers.
It is time to spread political and voting awareness rather than creating havoc across the country. It is therefore. We need to tell our people that no matter heaven may fall, elections will be on time and every Pakistani stands shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement agencies. Someone has rightly said every dark night is followed by a colorful morning. It must be in our chamber of thoughts that whosoever gets hurt while political canvassing is not a worker of certain political party but our Pakistani fellow.

Waqar Abro
Karachi 

Letter To The Editor: Let there be hope

Let there be hope

Pakistan Observer

29-04-2013

As the day of general elections approaches, heat of elections engulfs with every passing moment. Few political parties have started engaging in their political activities while a few have called for shutting down their camps owing to security reasons. The ongoing political situation clearly implies that 11 May would be a historic day of Pakistan. The heat of elections has gone to such extent that political leaders of different parties , have started breathing fire against each other. Imran says that on 11th May 2013 Pakistan will be independent from looters while Nawaz says after 11 May winds of prosperity will blow in the country. On the contrary, there is a hue and cry on electronic media that how elections will be successfully held if the ongoing security situation continues. This style of propagating news will not only cause fears in the masses but also demoralize our law and order enforcers.

It is time to spread political and voting awareness rather than creating even if havoc across the country. We need to tell our people that no matter heaven falls, elections will be on time and every Pakistani stands shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement agencies. Someone has rightly said every dark night is followed by a colorful morning.

WAQAR ABRO
KARACHI

Slaughter of merit

The News International

28-04-2013

Slaughter of merit is not a new practice in our country. Whosoever comes into power always misuses their authority by inducting unskilled and inexperience people on key posts. Political inductions are promoted and practised for several reasons, the main reason being to influence elections and administration. Ideally, a civil servant should be non-partisan but the situation on the ground is totally different. There is a widespread belief among the bureaucracy that a civil servant can never flourish if he does not have the blessings of a political party.
There are thousands of civil servants, serving on in cadres, who cannot write a single letter properly. Pakistan may be flourishing democratically, but administratively it is weakening. Unless posts are filled on merit and non-political basis, attainment of administrative efficiency will never be possible. The caretaker government should scrutinise all the appointments made to key posts in the last five years.

Waqar Abro
Karachi 

Letter To The Editor: Cast your vote campaign

Cast your vote campaign
Pakistan Observer
23-04-2013

Casting a vote is as necessary as acquiring education or rendering other services for the betterment of the country. Since, there is hue and cry circulating in social and electronic media that many people may not cast their vote owing to different reasons, an alarming situation has been created throughout the country. However, Election Commission has invited Shahid Khan Afridi to play his part as Election Campaigner. He has been assigned the duty of mobilizing people for casting their precious vote in order to bring change in the country. No doubt, Shahid Khan Afridi always renders his yeoman’s services whenever the country or force of the situation demands. His recent Polio campaign is worth citing example in this regard. This country has given us many things but temptation of materialist and worldly desires always compel us to forget the basic duties of a citizen. We need to realize now what are our basic duties and what is the importance of a vote. A single vote can prevent a corrupt or dishonest contestant from entering into the parliament. I welcome the clarification given by Shahid Afridi that he would not help a certain political party. Rather, he will launch his campaign for bringing about a meaningful change in the existing voting system. This is the approach needed to be adopted by all and sundry. We must also take the upcoming elections as a historic or turning period and play our role in spreading the voting awareness individually.


Waqar Abro
-Karachi

Letter To The Editor: Shahid Afridi -as election campaigner

Shahid Afridi -as election campaigner
The Frontier Post
20-04-2013

Casting a vote is as necessary as acquiring education or rendering other services for the betterment of the country. Since, there is a hue and cry circulating in social and electronic media that many people may not cast their vote owing to different reasons that has created an alarming situation throughout the country. However, the Election Commission has invited Shahid Khan Afridi to play his part as Election Campaigner.
He has been assigned of the duty of mobilizing people for casting their precious vote in order to bring change in the country. No doubt, Shahid Khan Afridi always renders his yeoman’s services whenever the country demands. His recent Polio campaign is worth citing example in this regard. This country has given us many things but temptation of materialist and worldly desires always compel us to forget the basic duties of a citizen.
We need to realize what is the importance of a vote. A single vote can prevent a corrupt or dishonest contestant from entering into the parliament. I welcome the clarification given by Shahid Afridi that he would not help a certain political party. Rather, he will launch his campaign for bringing about a meaningful change in the existing voting system. This is the approach needed to be adopted by all and sundry. We must also take the upcoming elections as a historic or turning period and play our role in spreading the voting awareness individually.

Waqar Abro
Karachi

Letter To The Editor: Choosing changers or cheaters

Choosing changers or cheaters
The Frontier Post
15-04-2013

There is a notion in everyone's mind that what have been successes of democracy in the last five year. Though, there is a big list of failures yet positive aspects are always neglected. Democracy has brought revolutionary and evolutionary changes in Pakistan. Yes, it had brutally failed to adopt welfare-oriented democratic norms but it has still delivered. Mental poverty is worst then social and economic poverty.
The main reason that always prevented democracy to thrive was intellectual bankruptcy. Though democracy brings political independence yet it is meaningless without economic and intellectual independence. In the last five years, people have started learning political system and its functioning. Today, due to modern means of communication and free media, people are more aware of politics then before. They know very well that what is going on in the capital.
They in their street gossip do not only exchange their political opinions but also analyze different manifestos and past performances of various political parties. And, the main actor of this success is electronic and print media. Unavoidably, democracy is flourishing and people are keenly observing each and every thing. It seems as people are intellectually liberated. To further elaborate the successes and failures of democracy, the writer has enlisted the crux of the topic as follow;
Successes: Judicial populism, freedom of media, social media and its effects on society and institutions, intellectual, political and economic bankruptcies addressed, pluralism In politics (First time ,in the history 216 political parties will contest general elections), openness in system, accountability of army and wealth eaters, political Socialization, Women rights to some extent addressed and their status also
elevated (Fehmeeda Mirza, Shela Raza, Malala etc), legacy system nosedived, mature and harmonized political system (APC example), provincial autonomy, independent election commission, change in status quo mindset, constitutional amendments
Failures: bad governance, politicization of institutions, corruption, target killings, poverty, energy crisis, economic meltdown, unemployment, slaughter of merit, drone attacks, unfair distribution of resources, Balochistan issue, Tax evasion, institutional disharmony, sectarian violence
Though, there may be few more points to be added in the failure list yet successes of democracy should not be neglected. Someone has rightly said that democracy may be a terrible system but it is the best system that we know.
Now, the future of Pakistan is to be decided by the people in the upcoming general elections. Whom they want to bring to the parliament a cheater or a changer? To conclude, the best form of revolution is the positive and correct use of vote.
Waqar Abro
Karachi

Letters To The Editors: Third gender contestants and The Third Gender

Third gender contestants 

 The Frontier Post

 07-04-2013

Whenever I write on democracy words of Aristotle come into chamber of my thoughts. ‘Democracy is when the indigent not men in property are the rulers. It is for the very first time that third gender people have submitted their nomination for national and provincial assemblies. It seems that Pakistan is politically flourishing and people at grass root level are being politically mobilized. Participation of third gender people in the upcoming elections is a positive omen.
Their issues pertaining to gender equality, joblessness, identity, and social value can only be addressed if they are chosen as parliamentarians or considered as a part of the system. If the political socialization will go with the same pace, the day is not far when dynastic political system will not exist in the country. Gone are the days when father nominates his son or daughter to emerge as a new political leader.
In today’s Pakistan a third gender can also be a parliamentarian and this remarkable success attributes to Media, Judiciary, Army and vibrant civil society.

Waqar Abro
Karachi

The third gender 

The News International

 07-04-2013 

It is for the very first time that those who identify as third gender persons have submitted their nomination papers contesting for national and provincial assemblies. It seems that Pakistan is politically flourishing and people at grass root level are being politically mobilised. Participation of people of transgendered and third gendered people in the upcoming elections is a positive sign.

The issues that affect them can only be addressed if they are part of the political system. If political socialisation continues at the same pace, the day is not far when dynastic politics will not exist in the country. In today’s Pakistan a third gender-ed person can also dream of becoming a parliamentarian and this is due to the media, judiciary and a vibrant civil society.

Waqar Abro
Karachi