Open Season?
A delegation of 15 from Qatar, consisting of princes, arrived in the desert terrain near Bhakkar to hunt Tilour birds. According to Daily Dunya (05 Dec 2016), the local administration took unprecedented and strict measures to facilitate the Qatari delegation, including keeping the local population away from the hunting zone.
Musharraf on ‘pungay’
General (retd.) Pervez Musharraf was quoted by Daily Dunya (05 Dec 2016) as saying that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has a dispute with every Army Chief, because he is obsessed (damagh mein fitoor hai). He went on to express his belief that the Prime Minister will not desist and will go on to mess with the new Chief (punga lenay se baaz nahin aaein ge).
Throwing a Party for the People…
Daily Jang reported (05 Dec 2016) that on the 49th founding anniversary of the PPP, party leader Bilawal attended in his favourite dark blue clothes, with a Sindhi cap and ajrak. Due to faulty security measures, there was confusion after the barbed wire became electrified. PPP loyalists raised slogans in favour of Bilawal and chicken qorma, biryani, halwa and Kashmiri tea were prepared for some 3,000 attendees.
Role-models for integration?
Daily Jang (05 Dec 2016) reported that a recently published British government survey report found that thousands of Muslims stay confined to their areas, venturing out only rarely and having established their own schools and TV stations. The report found that this segment of the Muslim population considers Britain to be a primarily Muslim country, even though Muslims constitute only 5 percent of the population of Great Britain. It was reported that these people consider Britain to be 75 percent Muslim.
Who knows?
It was reported by Daily Jang (07 Dec 2016) that PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari bid farewell to Prime Minister, saying that it was the latter’s last turn (aakhri baari). As for where the PM would be after 2018, Bilawal said that nobody knew.
“Not even a broken button for Imran!”
Daily Express (10 Dec 2016) reported that former Information Minister Pervez Rasheed decried PTI leader Imran Khan’s attitude, saying that Khan sought the PM’s resignation, but he would not get even a broken button from Nawaz Sharif’s sherwani.
Saima’s protectionism
Pakistani film star Saima Noor was quoted by Daily Express (10 Dec 2016) as saying that the dark era of the film industry in the country (film industry ke andheray) are coming to an end and that in the future we will see only light (roshni hee roshni) in the industry. She went on to say that the ban on Indian films in the country was having a very positive impact on the film industry.
Sheikh Rasheed and his dogged pursuit of thieves
Daily Express (11 Dec 2016) quoted Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed as saying that even if a new judicial Bench is formed for the Panama Leaks investigation, the chase would not be given up. Sheikh Rasheed went on to say that only the one who admits defeat is defeated. He said that thieves have to be pursued and that they drop their loot at some point while fleeing.
No Imran-style promises?
Minister for Railways Saad Rafique was quoted by Daily Express (11 Dec 2016) as saying that PTI chief Imran Khan is not ‘U-turn’ but that he is in fact ‘about-turn’. Rafique said that he is no Imran Khan, so he would not make claims suggesting that he could fix the Railways in three months. The minister went on to say that the decline of the railways had begun in 1972, and that now ten years were needed to mend it all.
Judicial furniture?
PPML-Q leader Shujaat Hussain was quoted by Daily Express (11 Dec 2016) as saying that the Panama Leaks investigation process would reach a conclusion eventually, whether it is carried forward on a Bench, a Chair (kursi) or a Charpoy (manji).