Opinion Fight to the finish
A register of reports and views from the Pakistan press
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Fight to the finish
Malala Yousafzai,a 14-year-old girl,was shot by the Taliban. In 2009,when girls were prohibited from going to school as part of the Talibans Islamic clampdown in Swat Valley,she began writing online diaries for the BBC under a pseudonym. Her family had been guarding her anonymity as the author of the diaries,first-person accounts critical of the Talibans presence. This week,locals were asked to identify her and she was shot at point blank range. She had to be airlifted from her village and moved to Peshawar,where a surgery was conducted to remove the bullet from her head. Her condition is reported to be critical and she has been moved to Rawalpindis army hospital. An editorial in The Express Tribune on October 12 said: As expected,the interior minister gave his usual assurances of the best possible treatment for the injured girl. Perhaps,what parliamentarians need to ask themselves is why [the 14-year-old Malala was left to raise her voice and stand up for girls education with only limited support from other quarters,including public representatives who sit in the National Assembly… this responsibility should have been shouldered more fervently by them rather than exposing a small girl to such danger over the past few years.
Condemnation of the Taliban came from unexpected quarters. The News reported on October 11: More than 50 Muftis of [the Sunni Ittehad Council have issued a Fatwa declaring the armed attack on… Malala… as unIslamic and against Sharia… and their [Talibans understanding of Islam is based on ignorance and illiteracy.
Letter and spirit
THE controversial case about the letter to be written by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government to Swiss authorities that may get Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari into trouble may be nearing its end. Dawn carried a report on October 11: After more than 30 months,the painful NRO saga has ended for President Zardari. The Supreme Court approved… the draft of a letter it had ordered the government to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against the president. But the government won the courts sanction only after firing a warning shot by moving a petition only a day earlier,seeking review of the courts formula of monitoring the legal procedure till final disposition of the matter… The letter asks for the reopening of $60 million graft cases against the president but,at the same time,emphasises the legal protection and immunity available to him without mentioning constitutional provisions.
The report referred to a statement made by Pakistans law minister Farooq Naek (who drafted the letter). Since the draft was okayed by the bench this Wednesday,the judge heading the bench asked Naek about the significance of Wednesday as a day. It is called Budh Sudh,a lucky day, Naek replied,referring to Budhwaar,Wednesday according to the Hindu calendar,and the adage Budh,sab kaam shudh (roughly: the good omen of Wednesday).
F ather and son
ALWAYS considered loyal to the party and Zardari,former Pakistan PM Yousaf Raza Gilani seems disillusioned. Dawn reported on October 7: Gilani is not happy with PM Raja Pervez Ashrafs government because
of its inability to stop the arrest of his son on [the premises of the Supreme Court and for changing his team of bureaucrats… There is no point in my stay at the presidency if my partys government fails to stop the arrest of my son,Ali Musa,from the Red Zone. Neither [the PPPs parliamentarian Hamid Saeed Kazmi nor PML-Ns Anjum Aqeel was arrested from the Red Zone. Why only my son… Similarly,I was not expecting that my team (of bureaucrats) will be removed from their posts in such an unceremonious manner he said.
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