Category: X.T.M

Pakistan General Elections 2018 – The Silver Linings:

X.T.M · July 27, 2018 · 29 comments

A friend of mine posted this to Facebook and I’m reproducing it below. It’s interesting that Pakistan has a FPTP, like the UK, US, India & Canada. That means that there’s an inbuilt bias for a 2-Party system. At any rate the below is an interesting read. Apparently a Shi’ite lady (PTI) beat a sectarian outfit.

-An absolutely brilliant and inspiring election campaign by Mohammad Jibran Nasir, where he refused to bow down to extremist pressure (ZackNote: he is a Shi’ite and has a bold stance on the Ahmediyya) and never once indulged in condemnation of any community or mud-slinging against any party. It won him 6,462 and 6,109 votes from NA-247 and PS-111 respectively, which in today’s political climate is a huge achievement.

-The first Hindu to be elected to the National Assembly on a general seat: PPP candidate Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani from Tharparkar (NA-222).

-Two leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement – Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar – winning National Assembly seats from South Waziristan and being able to represent the PTM in Parliament.

-Rana Sanaullah, Chaudhry Nisar and Maulana Fazal ur Rehman types being voted out. Just go now, bye.

-The overall underwhelming performance of religious parties such as Tehreek Labaik Pakistan despite all the pre-election hype they had created.

-An over 50% voter turnout despite the targeted attacks that killed three candidates in the election run-up and a suicide attack outside a polling station in Quetta on election day.

-Avoiding a hung Parliament, which would have meant further instability and focus away from governance in Pakistan.

–A stellar victory speech by Imran Khan, hitting all the right notes. Much cause for holding on to hope and a reminder of all the crucial work that is to be done.

Now onwards and upwards Pakistan ??️

FM

Italian belittles India (and no it’s not Sonia Gandhi)

X.T.M · July 25, 2018 · 39 comments

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/world-press-photo-critics-rip-into-alessio-mamo-italian-photographers-poverty-porn-dreaming-food-pho-1889399?pfrom=home-lateststories

This is Coloniser Privileger taken far too far!

PM Modi must immediately ban this “fauxgrapher” Alessio Malmo with a lifetime ban and SAARC must follow. I would also ban William Dalyrymple because his faux-Mughal faux-desi act is tiresome but then I’m getting ahead of myself.

The problem with desis is that we bicker over so much trivia (newsflash Nehru & Jinnah are long-dead) that we don’t focus on actually projecting the right image abroad.

India should have given lifetime bans to all of the makers of SlumDog Millionaire and oh yes ask for the Koh-i-Noor. The great mystery of how Duleep’s Singh line mysteriously died out (even when he had 8 children) is a historic tragedy..

Captain Pakistan and the Faustian Pact

X.T.M · July 25, 2018 · 38 comments

Imran Khan of course has made a Faustian bargain and Mephistopheles is probably some shady top-brass general. A few points:

(1.) PTI + Army is the “National” pan-ethnic party of Pakistan that relies on the young frustrated nationalistic religious (but not fanatic) Pakistanis active on social media. As said it’s the BJP equivalent but since Pakistan is an Islamic Republic; the populist right-wing stance is of a different stance.

(2.) PPP & PML are the provincial parties and will have to work some sort of grand coalition deal to survive. The ethnic messy substratum layer of Pakistan that Partition and Paknationalism has tried so hard to erase will form half the country. Pakistani politics must adapt and will be interesting.

(3.) there is no doubt that there has been vote fudging; close seats haven’t been declared. I would imagine there is a PTI wave and approximately 10-20 seat victories are questionable however the PTI has arrived.

(4.) I personally find Imran Khan odd (like the Donald) as Vidhi quipped “Pakistan, like the US, has a thrice married leader.” I find Maryam or Fati much more palatable since women present a gentler side of our Islamic Republic..

(5.) I do think that today has been a victory for Pakistan. Democracy with Mughal characteristics has won the day. I jest but on a serious note; the democratic process is taking seed in Pakistan and the fact that the military are being push behind the scenes is a force for good.

(6.) this is very offensive; after 1948 & 1971, any more meddling in Pakistani sovereign territory is simply unacceptable and I say this as someone who is on the Barkha Dutta/Arundhati Roya spectrum of Pakistan (believe it or not so is Kabir).

(7.) Pakistan’s economy is in a right mess let’s see if Mr. Clean can fix it up but the biggest reason is of course Mephistopheles himself. I’ve seen the Marlow play twice (once with the Game of Thrones chap & Marlow descendant Kit H) and I genuinely can’t remember how the play ends. I’m not going to google it but let the suspense play out; let see how the reality tv version goes..

Is PTI the BJP of Pakistan and Imran Khan, Modi

X.T.M · July 25, 2018 · 75 comments

To be honest to compare the political cultures of Pakistan and India is insulting to the latter.

For instance the condemnable lynching of the Muslim cowherd has been loudly and clearly condemned by the Indian political and media establishment whereas Aasia Bibi is still in jail.

It is furthermore arguable that the more right wing parties in India are still more liberal than the left wing parties in Pakistan since the Indian Right, by and large, accepts the Nehruvian settlement whereas the Pakistani left accepts the Islamic Republic.

Notwithstanding these caveats (after commentators complained of the anti-Indian bias on BP I want to make sure I check myself); if we are to map the Indian and Pakistan political scenes I do see some symmetry between IK & Modi.

One striking one is that they both have rather weird sex lives and haven’t been able to make marriage work for them individually.

Tough times ahead for Pakistan if Imran Khan does get to power. However I will say this that like Modi he does seem rather incorruptible perhaps because he doesn’t have a dynasty.

I would never accept Jemima’s sons in a dynastic setting; Pakistan has a hard enough time dealing with Benazir’s brood. The advantage the Sharifs have with their children is that their children (Maryam et al) exude a Pakistaniness that only comes from being immersed in the environment. Bilawal suffers from the Rahul syndrome (to make another Indo-Pak comparison).

Islam at her Greatest

X.T.M · July 22, 2018 · No comments

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bla8F4OHdd9/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1h5bpz7tovf9j

The great story of our Post-1492 age is the decline and decline of Islam. I don’t know what the blip in China (between Burma and Laos) is but I imagine it must have something to do with the WarLord Era.

This does bring to mind Huntington’s maxim that Islam has bloody border; Spain, Israel, Greece (+Balkans) & the Phillipines have all shrugged of the Muslim yoke (according to their national histories)..

Amartya Sen calls demonetisation despotic

X.T.M · July 22, 2018 · 40 comments

I don’t know who the other chap but he’s being rather rude to Professor Sen who is not only a Nobel Laureate but was the Master of Trinity College (which is no mean feat for a coloured person as Trinity is the Queen of Oxbridge and it’s richest college by far – also the whitest, poshest and most entrenched).

My thoughts on demonetisation is that it was a tax on the upper middle classes but one that the ultra-rich (the Ambani class) could easily avoid.

The magic of PR is that Aam Admi hates both the upper class and the Muslim minority but admired the oligarchic class, who really control India’s tentacles. That 0.1% elite is immunised to all governments and changes to tri-colour to Saffron depending on who is in power. Continue reading Amartya Sen calls demonetisation despotic

How have the English paid for imperialism/colonialism?

X.T.M · July 22, 2018 · 14 comments

Yesterday we went for lunch with some friends and rather randomly the husband engaged Vidhi on the merits/demerits of colonialism. I also had a commentator somehow bring up that I’m unfairly blaming the English for South Asia’s problems.

My point being is that the new counter-narrative is that the English seem to have done us a favour by gifting us English, building railways and a United India.

The idea that India was some sort of net expense on the Crown is palpably absurd and I’ll leave it to the Commentariat to discuss. Continue reading How have the English paid for imperialism/colonialism?

The future of Hindi cinema

X.T.M · July 22, 2018 · 17 comments

I’m excerpting Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra’s reviews of Dhadak. I haven’t seen Sairat, the movie on which Dhadak is based on, but I’ll excerpt what Rajeev and Anupama said:

(1) a homogeneised Dharma production of the caste issue (there was an important water scene in Sairat not repeated in Dhadak) (RM)

(2) Jhaanvi’s hair was perfect throughout the second half even when they were living in the slum (AC). Continue reading The future of Hindi cinema

Dhadak

X.T.M · July 21, 2018 · 9 comments

We just saw Dhadak; an excellent and important film about an inter caste romance starring Jhanvi Kapoor (SriDevi’s daughter) and Ishaan Khattak (Shahid Kapoor’s half-brother).

The funny moment is when shortly after intermission was over 2 black guys walked into the cinema hall. The whole audience was so confused but they then realised they were in the wrong hall to the merriment of all.

A few observations: Continue reading Dhadak

Brown Pundits