Going by the book

The General8217;s book itself seems to be in the line of fire. National Herald8217;s Urdu Daily Qaumi Awaz in its editorial titled 8216;In the Line of Fire8217;...

The General8217;s book itself seems to be in the line of fire. National Herald8217;s Urdu Daily Qaumi Awaz in its editorial titled 8216;In the Line of Fire8217; September 27 calls it Pervez Musharraf8217;s Yaadon ki baaraat, a book of 8220;half-truths and half-lies8221;. It says the book is mired in controversy 8220;the minute it has hit the stalls, demonstrating that he is a very able and clever salesman8221;8230; The paper calls the book full of 8220;andhadhund blind crossfire which may not have injured anyone, but he himself has lost all credibility8221;. In another editorial on the book September 28 the paper has called it a 8220;pack of lies8221;. Delhi daily Hindustan Express has called the book 8220;a confession8221;. In its editorial on September 26, the paper says the book is merely pleading a case for its 8220;boss8221; referring to the US, saying how, 8220;despite difficulties, it did its bidding8221;. Akhbar-e -Mashriq, published out of Kolkata and Delhi, in its editorial of September 29, in a lighter vein says the 8220;book is interesting8221;. It compares Musharraf temperamentally aashiqaana mizaaj 8212; romantic disposition to Bill Clinton ! and has gone on to comparing wife Sehba Musharraf to Hillary Clinton, calling her 8220;strong8221; 8212; in the face of 8220;romantic tales narrated by the General8221;.

The Afzal Hanging

Interestingly, one couldn8217;t spot any prominent editorials in the Delhi-based Urdu dailies on the hanging of Mohammed Afzal, scheduled for October 20. But there is extensive coverage of the impending hanging as a news story. Rashtriya Sahara on September 28 merely recounts the case and has only 8220;wondered8221; if 8220;the peace process will be affected by either the hanging as well as Musharraf8217;s claims on Kargil8221;. It makes a pitch for continuing talks with Pakistan. Mumbai daily Inquilab on October 3 reports on Afzal8217;s family members coming to Delhi. 8220;The family will meet Afzal in Tihar jail and then decide on the mercy petition before the President8221;, it says, adding that BJP President Rajnath Singh is hoping the President would take a 8220;correct decision8221;.

Ayodhya Security Cover?

Akhbar-eMashriq writes, in one of its front-page stories on September 21, that the bullet-proof cover envisaged for the make-shift temple at Ayodhya will not be built. Quoting unnamed Home Ministry officials, the paper writes that the suggestion of the UP government to build the controversial structure has been rejected.

Nainital tears

The Congress Conclave in Nainital has been extensively covered by Urdu dailies. Hindustan Express on September 25 has referred to the Congress lament of Muslims being harassed under the name of getting after terrorists 8212; Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh are 8220;shedding crocodile tears8221;. The paper says 8220;the ground situation remains bad. Nothing has been done to address the grievance of only Muslims being picked up by the police8221;. Akhbar-e-Mashriq on September 25 calls its strongly-worded editorial 8216;Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh Updesh sermon8217;, writing that when 8220;Muslims were being singled out and harassed, where were these people when the government was supposed to be preventing such injustice? Where were they hiding? Why didn8217;t they go there then?8221;

Chinese Daawat

Hardline Jamiat-e-Islami mouthpiece the bi-weekly Daawat October 1 says that the government supposedly making different rules for Chinese investment is 8220;unfair8221;; 8220;at a time when ties between neighbours are getting stronger, no step should be taken which could create any misunderstanding8221;.

Music to our ears

For all those who recall the Cat Stevens song Morning has broken, Hyderabad-based daily Siasat says the singer 8212; who later converted and took the name Yusuf Islam 8212; is back to cutting a commercial album, though making it clear that this 8220;does not imply that he is distancing himself from Islam8221;.

8212; Compiled by Seema Chishti