Asking for 'lift' from BharatSarerahe in Nawa-e-Waqt stated that no one could stop two kinds of people from going. One was headed for the abode of Allah and the other for India. Now actress Sana was leaving for India to act in Sunni Deol's two films. Even an 'antique' Mehdi Hasan could not be persuaded to get himself treated in Pakistan. He too has gone to his messiahs in India. Our signer Adnan Sami Khan was already in India asking Bharat to give him the lift (lift kara dai) he thought he could not get in Pakistan.
Students attack musical evening
According to Khabrain, a musical gathering arranged during a wedding inside the bridegroom's house in Dera Ismail Khan (NWFP) was attacked by the students of a religious seminary. The students were extremely violent. They broke all property and savagely beat up every member of the wedding party. At night, the clerics of madrassa Darul Ulum in the city learnt about the singing session and armed their students with sticks and axes and ordered them to attack. The wedding party ran away after the students opened fire too. The clerics warned the police that no future musical evenings would be tolerated. The police did not arrest anyone.
Law & Justice Commission wants hand-cutting
Columnist Azam Sultan Suhrawardi wrote in Khabrain that Law and Justice Commission was a body devoted to the education of law among the masses. In its recent press release it had repeated its demand for the punishment of cutting of hand and leg for theft under Islamic law. The law is already in force since 1979 when General Zia promulgated it. No punishment of hand cutting has been carried out in Pakistan but the country has been defamed in the world as a savage state. The government should tell the Law & Justice Commission not to release new press advice about old laws that have not been enforced because they were unenforceable because of defect in the evidence law today. The Commission would serve the country better by publicising laws which have been enforced. Its latest press release has caused a lot of consternation among citizens.
Imran Khan's three facets
Columnist Javed Chaudhry wrote in Jang that Imran Khan had three sides to him: cricket, charity and politics. In the first two departments his services would never be forgotten. He had achieved great success as a cricketer and a philanthropist. But in the field of politics in eight years he had achieved nothing. He should therefore turn away from politics and devote himself to the other two facets of his life.
America imposed first martial law
Quoted in Jang magazine Tariq Ali said that America got General Ayub to impose martial law in 1958 to prevent the election from being held. He said he was told this by Bhutto who said that in a cabinet meeting Ayub Khan said that America's was the only effective embassy in Pakistan. Therefore the martial law was imposed through him.
Ban Cohen's book!
According to daily Pakistan one MA Shaida of Lahore stated that book The idea of Pakistan by Stephen Cohen should be banned forthwith and its publisher in Lahore proceeded against for maligning Pakistan army and defending the politicians even though they were clearly responsible for harming the country. He asked for legal proceedings against the American author and member of a Washington think-tank so that Pakistan's name was saved from being sullied.
The 'pir'-killer of Danga
Daily Jang reported that at Danga in South Punjab one Zulfiqar took out the corpse of his pir from his grave and hung it from a tree. The police were unable to find a law under which to arrest him. Zulfiqar had made it a practice to drag the dead bodies of his spiritual guides and hang them for purposes of black magic. The villagers were shocked to see their dead pir hanging from a tree.
Qazi and non-issues
Writing in Khabrain author Raja Anwar said that Qazi Hussain Ahmad was a great leader who engaged in non-issues like mazhabi khana in passports and retention of General Zia's Islam in textbooks. He gave a non-intellectual definition of secularism by saying that it was against Islam and forgot that his beloved poet Allama Iqbal was the product of a secular system of governance in India.
Passport does show religion!Reported in Khabrain, the new machine-readable passport immediately shows the religion of the Pakistani passport holder after it is inserted into the machine. However the passport does not show religion when looked at with bare eyes.
Dr Amir Liaquat's fake degrees
According to Khabrain, federal state minister for religion Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain who also hosted the TV programme on religion had fake PhD degrees from an unknown university in Spain. He bought his degrees for BA, MA and PhD from Trinity College and University located somewhere in Spain and got a certificate of temporary acceptance from the registrar of Karachi University in order to qualify for taking part in the 2002 election. His doctorate was done after 20 days of getting his MA degree. When asked to explain the minister declined to answer.
Is English more civilised?
Writing in Khabrain, Azam Sultan Suhrawardi stated that once he was watching Dr Israr Ahmad defending four marriages of men 'because their sexual desire was too much'. Since Dr Israr was talking to ladies, after some time he stopped talking in Urdu and said that he could now defend his stance only in English because 'such things' could not be discussed in Urdu in front of the ladies.
Mushahid Hussain's two-way loyalty
Daily Khabrain quoted senator Mushahid Hussain as saying that he had not been a renegade from the Nawaz League. He was in jail when the party itself fired him. Loyalty was always two-way, he said. He said unlike others he took no plots or other perks when he was in the PMLN government. He added that Senate elections were less 'expensive'.
Well done, Governor Iftikhar Shah!
Writing in Khabrain, Hafiz Sanaullah stated that it was good that General (Retd) Iftikhar Shah had left his post as governor NWFP when did because those who misjudged their time of exit had to pay with their lives. Governor Sikandar Khan Khalil was shot dead. Governor Hayat Muhammad Khan Sherpao was blown up by a bomb. Governor Fazle Haq was shot dead point blank on a road of Peshawar. Many retired governors of NWFP are dead to the people even though alive. But Iftikhar Shah would be remembered. As a young army officer he was an intelligent man and took the homoeopathic medicine called khalifas to activate his mind.
Victimising Aga Khan Board
Writing in daily Pakistan, Syed Asif Hashmi stated that Aga Khan Education Board was attacked by some uncivilised elements in the country when the Board inadvertently distributed a questionnaire about AIDS and other sexual problems to the institutions. Last year textbooks in Punjab were attacked but no one banned the Textbook Board in Lahore. The campaign against the Aga Khan Board was completely unjustified.