Reaching for the black gold at Thar on December 6, 2019On August 14, 2018 I stood at the base of Pakistan’s first open pit coal mine to touch the black gold hidden under the sand at Thar. It was a proud moment for all of us. With me were two other major players two turned this dream into reality. Shamsuddin Sheikh as Chief Executive Officer […]
Pleasing the boss on December 2, 2019Keeping the boss happy has always been considered an important trait in our times to rise in the ranks of service. In developing countries like Pakistan where the monitoring mechanisms are weak and there are massive cover-ups, a very dangerous breed of people has emerged over a period of time; they utter only those words […]
Crippling of a nation on November 26, 2019‘I will break your legs’ is a threat that is widely used in Punjab and is very effective in intimidating the ordinary folks. Breaking legs is a bailable offence but it has long term crippling effects. Over the years, we have been crippled as a nation, while the offenders keep getting bail after bail. When […]
The grand diesel alliance on November 19, 2019As a Muslim League (ML) child who grew in the midst of Long ‘Marches’ and ‘Dharnas’, it is very unusual and strange for me not to be there this time. In October 1958 at the age of five I stood with my father to receive the ‘Long March’ led by Khan Qayyum Khan the President […]
Delivering without passion or personal profit on November 10, 2019Passion has been in short supply in the land of the pure. Ever since the House of Sharif entered the political arena, an effective system of personal profits has been introduced to perfection. Nothing moves unless driven by individual gains. Without passionate efforts, there can be no change. While Kaptaan is committed to building “Naya […]
From Raj to Samraj on November 4, 2019In August of 1947 the British Raj ended in the Indian Subcontinent. Jinnah as father of the nation refused to accept Lord Mountbatten to continue as Governor General. Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan as the first Prime Minister (PM) started the transition towards a democratic state. The colonial establishment left behind was not interested to serve […]
Diesel free Pakistan on November 1, 2019Diesel is a dirty fuel worldwide, it is being replaced by cleaner options. About two years back I visited Dublin, Ireland for a European Union (EU) funded project to replace all diesel trucks with CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). EU cargo arrives at the port in Dublin which is then transported all across the continent. Diesel […]
Running without diesel on October 28, 2019Fazal-ul-Rehman aka ‘Maulana Diesel’ was elected to the National Assembly in 1988 from Dera Ismail Khan. His first political venture was a fatwa against a female head of government in a Muslim country. The year was tumultuous, while there was relief in getting rid of the tyrant his two leftovers (Nawaz, Fazal) had to be […]
From Gandhi to Modi on October 21, 2019The rise of Modi has made Gandhi controversial. Either Mohandas was fake or Nirander is real. Even in his life Gandhi was perceived differently by different people. Winston Churchill called him half naked ‘Fakir’. Even Jinnah suspected the hidden intentions behind Gandhi’s humanism and secularism. Ghaffar Khan was always in his camp which earned him […]
70 years of revolution on October 18, 2019Out of the three revolutions (Bolshevik, Chinese, Iranian), Mao’s People Republic of China (PRC) has emerged as a major economic power of the world. The revolution continues even after 70 years (Oct, 1949 to 2019). President Xi Ping attired in Mao’s revolutionary dress arrived at the Tiananmen Square to address his countrymen and review the […]