Podcasts about Pervez Musharraf

In Episode 198 of PG Radio, we sit down with Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav, a living legend and Param Vir Chakra awardee, to dive deep into his extraordinary life journey. From his experiences in the Kargil War, Captain Yadav shares gripping accounts of bravery and resilience. The conversation culminates in a reflection on his philosophy of life and the values that have guided him through challenges and triumphs. Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav is a decorated war hero and the youngest recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor. Known for his unmatched bravery during the Kargil War, he was instrumental in the victory at Tiger Hill. This is what we talked about: 00:00 - The Journey of YS Yadav 11:13 - Pervez Musharraf's Ambitions 16:10 - Inside the Kargil War Story 59:36 - Talking About His Autobiography 1:02:52 - Reacting to an Old Photograph 1:03:29 - Relationships with Friends and Family 1:04:51 - His Philosophy of Life 1:16:32 - Prakhar's Monologue

#cuttheclutter Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has completed 100 days in office, but Bangladesh continues to see protests, now against the arrest of ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das. In Episode 1561 of Cut The Clutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta discusses the govt's legitimacy, the uncertainty over elections, and its larger implications for Bangladesh's politics and economy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapters: 2:02 Hindu monk's arrest 6:02 Questions raised by The Economist 8:30: Uncertainty over elections 11:19 Parallels with Pervez Musharraf 14:03 Excitement of revolution 15:29 Bangladesh economy, remittances 18:07 Bangladesh's churning politics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To watch Muhammad Yunus Interview with Al Jazeera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRbxFxxJm88 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Read The Economist Article 1: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/11/13/after-the-revolution-bangladesh-is-stable-for-the-moment --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- T o Read The Economist Article 2: https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/11/13/2024s-biggest-revolution-may-yet-devour-its-children ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  @arvindmenswear66  This Season, Embrace Royalty & Legacy with our New Season Launch of Luxury Primante Collection Fabrics. Discover our latest showcase featuring the esteemed People's Prince, Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar. Own your day, visit your nearest Arvind Store and craft your perfect look. #TheArvindStore #OwnYourLegacy #OwnTheMoment https://tinyurl.com/3wa2zatn

Jon Stewart recounts one of his most profound interviews with former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, and the unique precautions he had to take because of it. During the interview, Jon offers President Pervez Musharraf some tea and a Twinkie and then checks in with Stephen Colbert about the guest that made security insane at Colbert Report.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jawad Ahmad is a Pakistani pop singer and musician. He is also a politician and the Chairman of Barabri Party in Pakistan. Jawad Ahmad comes on The Pakistan Experience for a deep dive podcast on his politics and the nature of class politics in Pakistan. In this episode we discuss, Jawad Ahmad's music career, Rivalry with Abrar-ul-Haq, Imran Khan's Politics, the Military, Quaid-e-Azam, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf, and more. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:00 Why Jawad Ahmad left Singing 13:00 Rivalry with Abrar ul Haq 16:15 Religious Beliefs and the Media Industry 24:00 Artists supporting Pervez Musharaf 30:00 Politics, Democracy and Dictatorship 41:00 The Role of the Individual in History and Jawad Ahmad's Politics 1:05:00 The Left, The Boys and Class Politics 1:17:00 Making political compromises and Popular Politics 1:25:00 Imran Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the Left 1:36:00 Audience Questions

We love an election here at the Bugle. A chance to see democracy in motion - and so in Nov 2007 Andy and John were revelling in an announcement by Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf.Hear more of our shows, including The Bugle Ashes ZaltzCast, and donate here: thebuglepodcast.com/This episode was produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's February 26, 2023. Paxton returns with news for kids around the world. Today she focuses on a new skate park outside of The Colosseum in Rome, South Korea possibly developing nuclear weapons, Brazil sinking an asbestos-filled aircraft carrier, Pope Francis visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the death of Perez Musharraf.

A version of this essay has been published by rediff.com at https://www.rediff.com/news/column/rajeev-srinivasan-target-eject-modi/20230208.htmNow that the hosannas to Pervez Musharraf have reached a crescendo (eg. Michael Kugelman of Foreign Policy: “...[he] could have well authored a peace deal with India”) perhaps it's worth remembering not only the ‘how' of the Gujarat riots of 2002, but also the ‘why'. People seem to be suffering from selective amnesia about what happened then, and that's what the BBC's hatchet-job on Modi is taking advantage of. Most of us have forgotten. I was paying close attention then, and wrote quite a bit about what happened, but the details are a bit hazy. And so it is easy to ‘frame' the events in ways that push certain agendas. Here are a few facts that I remember from those days:* Narendra Modi was an unknown then. He had been thrust into the limelight after the Bhuj Earthquake in 2001, and underwent a baptism by fire, so to speak* After the torching of the Sabarmati Express and the gruesome burning alive of 59 pilgrims, the chatterati felt that they deserved it for being Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya. The Washington Post quoted Teesta Setalvad saying exactly that * There were no funeral processions for the dead, which would have inflamed passions; indeed the dead remain nameless, and nobody knows their individual stories. This is in sharp contrast to the funeral processions of slain terrorists in J&K, and tear-jerking stories from sympathetic media about their being sons of headmasters or whatever* The Sabarmati Express burning was perpetrated on February 27th, riots began on the 28th, and the Indian Army was on the ground one day later, on March 1st. But analysts pretended that February has 31 days, and said “Modi did nothing for 3 days”* Nearby Congress governments (eg in Madhya Pradesh) refused to send armed police contingents that might have controlled the riots* There is, in the background, the massing of the Indian Army at the Pakistan border, in Operation Parakram. The Gujarat riots entirely dissipated the momentum behind a possible punitive invasion.I wrote several columns at the time, and re-reading them brings up a number of points I had forgotten: Blaming the hindu victim http://usnews.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/07rajeev.htm, Godhra, secular progressives https://www.rediff.com/news/2002/mar/25rajeev.htm, Predatory intelligentsia https://www.rediff.com/news/2002/may/13rajeev.htm Most of the focus of the coverage has been on the riots, in which officially 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed. There was a Banerjee Commission that concluded the train coach had been subject to spontaneous combustion. A Supreme Court SIT concluded, on the contrary, that there was a conspiracy to set the coach on fire. Activists contributed plenty of disinformation.Thus a lot has been said about how the riots happened, but there has been relatively little about why they did. That's where Operation Parakram and Musharraf (who was in power in Pakistan at the time) come into the picture. By several accounts, Musharraf was a good tactician, but a poor strategist, as seen, for example, in the Kargil War: he had the advantage of surprise, but he was forced into an ignominious retreat. The same thing was probably behind the Parliament attack on 13th December 2001. In the wake of the September 2001 (“9/11”) attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Pakistan was facing heat from the Americans for possibly harboring Osama bin Laden. What better than to divert attention with an assault on the hated BJP government in India, using terrorist cannon-fodder? There had also been an attack on the J&K Assembly in October 2001, for which there had been no serious consequences. Tactically clever, but not so strategic. For, not only did the attacks fail to do any major damage, it got India so riled up that under Operation Parakram India massed troops on the border. The signal was that India was going to invade, despite the Pakistani threat of first use of nuclear warheads. India seemed resolute, and counter-mobilization was getting expensive to sustain. There was interesting chatter on the leftist Internet at the time that ‘something' would happen to break the deadlock (I was not aware of it then, but it was discussed by the Bharat-Rakshak forum). Lefties knew something would happen, but not what it was. And that ‘something' was quite likely the Sabarmati Express burning. It was a tactical success: India had to abandon Operation Parakram. But perhaps it was a strategic failure because it launched Narendra Modi's national political career, and here we are in 2023: Musharraf is dead, Modi is popular, and the Indian economy is doing rather well. Of course, there are forces that are not so happy with all this: e.g. the very same Deep State that likes Armani-suited, Gucci-wearing generalissimos like Musharraf. There is a regime-change operation in the works. First, there was Victoria Nuland, the architect of Ukraine's regime-change (and we all know how well that has turned out for Ukraine), who showed up in Delhi last year, and met the usual suspects. Then there has been a slew of recent activity that is, one might hypothesize, aimed at containing India's rise, and a key aspect of it is ejecting Modi. The full-court press on India over Ukraine, the BBC ‘documentary', the Oxfam report, the Hindenburg attack on Adani and obliquely on the Indian economy, and any number of other acts are signs that India is a target. The most recent incident is a visit by Hillary Clinton to Gujarat. A case could have been made for denying her a visa, for war crimes in Libya on her watch, including the brutal killing of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. That would only have been sweet revenge for the US denying Modi a visa citing the Gujarat riots. Modi, as the WSJ reports, was the only person ever denied a visa based on an obscure law on religious freedom.The attention being paid to India by the Deep State is alarming. We can expect any number of additional acts. The 2024 Election Season is well and truly up and running, although it would be wise of Deep State to focus on what's happening in the US: their candidate may well lose, given the stories coming out of the woodwork about election manipulation. 1050 words, 7 Feb 2023 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com

Most Americans hadn't seen or heard the name of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf for many years before news broke of his death earlier this month. Musharraf had been ill, living a quiet existence in self-imposed exile in Dubai, a long way in space and time from his once esteemed position as an important U.S. ally in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Musharraf's reluctant embrace of the U.S. war helped lead to his downfall, as it riled segments of Pakistan's population of fundamentalist Islamists who opposed helping the U.S. oust the Taliban from Kabul. As the backlash to his policies escalated, Musharraf became increasingly despotic, ultimately suspending the Pakistani constitution and imposing emergency rule in 2007. In this episode, New America national security expert Peter Bergen discusses the legacy of a ruler who, after coming to power in a bloodless coup in 1999, relented to U.S. "with us or against us" ultimatums. In the end, American interests could never align with Pakistan's strategy of backing a Pashtun force in Afghanistan for strategic depth against India.

What is the legacy of General Pervez Musharraf? The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience To support the channel: Jazzcash/Easypaisa - 0325 -2982912 Patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. Quetta 1935 @Batchelorshow 1/2: #Pakistan: The life and regrets of General and President Pervez Musharraf. Bill Roggio, FDD. Husain Haqqani, Hudson Institute.: https://www.foxnews.com/world/funeral-pakistans-president-pervez-musharraf-karachi-attended-2500-mourners

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow 2/2: #Pakistan: The life and regrets of General and President Pervez Musharraf. Bill Roggio, FDD. Husain Haqqani, Hudson Institute. https://www.foxnews.com/world/funeral-pakistans-president-pervez-musharraf-karachi-attended-2500-mourners

Matthew Bannister on Frene Ginwala (pictured), one of the leading figures in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, who became Speaker of the country's first democratically elected parliament. Lady Martha Bruce OBE, governor of Scotland's first purpose built prison for women. General Pervez Musharraf, who took power as President of Pakistan in a military coup and supported George Bush's War on Terror. Paco Rabanne, the designer who created clothes from metal, plastics and wood. Producer: Neil George Interviewed guest: John Battersby Interviewed guest: Tessa Dunlop Interviewed guest: Umer Farooq Interviewed guest: Suzy Menkes OBE Archive clips used: C-Span, South African State of the National Address, introduction 24/05/1994; The Freedom Collection, Frene Ginwala – We had more offices than the South African Government had Embassies 06/07/2015; British Pathé, Come On Girls Join The Ats 1944; British Movietone, ATS Training Centre 07/07/1941; BBC Radio 4, Now – In Scotland 30/06/1971; BBC One, Nationwide 09/12/1975; ABC Australia, Profile of a General 2000; BBC Two, Newsnight 13/10/1999; BBC World News, HARDtalk – Pervez Musharraf 10/01/2001; NDTV – News (YouTube Channel), Pervez Musharraf interview uploaded on 17/11/2011; BBC News, Assassination Attempt On Musharraf 25/12/2003; FRANCE24 (YouTube Channel), EN – Culture – Paco Rabanne interview uploaded on 04/07/2007; British Pathé, Cinetic Fashions aka Paco Rabanne Way-Out Fashions 1967; British Pathé, Metal Fashions 1969; Paco Rabanne, UK television advert 1986.

America's Congress may be gridlocked, but its state legislatures certainly aren't. The laws they'll pass this year will probably impact more people more directly than anything Congress does, with just a fraction of the public attention. Why things are looking up for Meta. And reflecting on the legacy and achievements of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former president.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America's Congress may be gridlocked, but its state legislatures certainly aren't. The laws they'll pass this year will probably impact more people more directly than anything Congress does, with just a fraction of the public attention. Why things are looking up for Meta. And reflecting on the legacy and achievements of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's former president.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani army chief who masterminded a coup in 1999 and ruled the country for nine years, has died in Dubai aged 79 after a long illness. Stephen Sackur spoke to General Musharraf in 2014, after he had returned from exile to Pakistan in an attempt to revive his political career. What did his rise and fall tell us about the realities of power in Pakistan? Image: Pervez Musharraf, pictured in 2013 (Credit: Mian Khursheed/Reuters)

Taliban now seek to own their political masters in Islamabad.

First, C Raja Mohan joins us to talk about the legacy of former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, and how his tenure impacted India-Pakistan relations. Mohan is a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a contributing editor for The Indian Express.Next, Indian Express' Sukrita Baruah tells us how the Assam government is cracking down on child marriages, and has arrested over 2400 people across the state (10:55).And in the end, we give an update on the three massive earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday leading to widespread destruction and loss of lives in the countries (18:28).Hosted and scripted by Shashank BhargavaProduced by Shashank Bhargava, Anwiti Singh, and Utsa Sarmin Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Facts & Spin for February 7, 2023 top stories: A deadly earthquake kills thousands in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, China accuses the US of 'indiscriminate' use of force after it downed an alleged spy balloon, The trial of 16 Hong Kong democracy activists begins, Kyiv prepares for renewed Russian attacks, Former Pakistan Pres. Pervez Musharraf dies, Dell announces plan to slash over 6,000 jobs, Moscow and Tehran are reportedly advancing plans for a drone facility, Protests break out across India as Adani loses $110 billion, Kamala Harris pledges $4.2 billion in Central America investments, and Koch network says it won't back Donald Trump in 2024. Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/   Brief Listener Survey: https://www.improvethenews.org/pod

*) Erdogan declares seven-day national mourning in Türkiye over deadly quakes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced seven days of national mourning in Türkiye after deadly earthquakes shook several provinces, killing at least 3,381 people and injuring 20,426 others. A 7.7 earthquake hit the country's southern Kahramanmaras Province at 4:17 am local time Monday, triggering numerous aftershocks and strongly shaking several neighbouring provinces and a few countries. A second earthquake of 7.6 magnitude also struck Kahramanmaras at 1:24 pm local time. Authorities fear the death toll will keep climbing as thousands of rescuers look for survivors among tangles of metal and concrete. *) War-torn Syria grapples with aftermath of deadly quake centred in Türkiye The 7.7 magnitude earthquake centred in southern Türkiye sent residents of Damascus and Beirut rushing into the street and was felt as far away as Cairo. The impact was felt hard in northern Syria where people are already suffering under a 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis. At least 1,602 people have been killed and 4,800 others have been wounded according to the regime's Ministry of Health and the White Helmets rescue organisation. So far, over 4,900 people are confirmed dead in Türkiye and Syria. *) Russian reinforcements pour into eastern Ukraine, says governor Russia is pouring reinforcements into eastern Ukraine ahead of a new offensive that could begin next week along a strategic front, a Ukrainian governor said. Ukraine anticipates that the major offensive could be launched for "symbolic" reasons around the February 24 anniversary of the conflict. . Ukraine is itself planning a spring offensive to recapture lost territory, but awaiting delivery of promised longer-range Western missiles and battle tanks. Some analysts say Ukraine is months away from being ready for an offensive. *) France's Macron faces third round of pension reform strikes President Emmanuel Macron and his government are bracing for a third wave of nationwide strikes and protests against plans to make the French work longer before retirement, as the bill started its bumpy passage through parliament. The government says people must work two years longer - meaning for most until the age of 64. The French spend the largest number of years in retirement among OECD countries - a deeply cherished benefit that a substantial majority are reluctant to give up, polls show. *) Plane carrying Musharraf's body lands in Pakistan Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf will be buried after a special plane transporting his body from the United Arab Emirates arrived in Karachi on Monday amid tight security. Family members were also on board when the plane landed at the airport in the city where he will be buried Tuesday. Musharraf, who remains Pakistan's longest-serving president, died in Dubai on Sunday after a prolonged illness.

A former military ruler of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf has died age 79, after spending years in self-imposed exile and battling an illness in hospital. - दुबईमा निर्वासित जीवन बिताइरहेका पाकिस्तानका पूर्व शासक परवेज मुशर्रफको ७९ वर्षको उमेरमा निधन भएको छ।

Pakistan's last military dictator, Pervez Musharraf, has died in Dubai at the age of 79. I was in Islamabad as a correspondent for The Hindu when General Musharraf took power through a bloodless coup in October 1999. He was the presiding officer for the Kargil incursion but later turned peacemaker, signing a milestone agreement with then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in January 2004. Gen. Musharraf, like the man he ousted from office, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, had to eventually leave Pakistan for medical treatment in March 2016. He resigned as President in 2008 following a protracted civil society movement led by lawyers. As the Pakistani Government announced that Musharraf's body would be flown to Islamabad from Dubai, what is the former General's legacy? How is he perceived today in Pakistan? 

Pervez Musharraf, who served as President of Pakistan from 2001-2008, passed away on 5 February 2023. He once came to Michael's house for dinner. It's a must-listen that you do not want to miss. Original air date 6 February 2023.

*) Major earthquakes kill hundreds across Turkiye, Syria A powerful 7.7 earthquake has struck southern Türkiye early Monday, killing at least 912 people and injuring at least 5,385 across several provinces. According to Türkiye's disaster agency AFAD, the quake was centred in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras Province and was followed by magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 quakes that struck Gaziantep province. The quake was felt hard in Syria where at least 326 people were killed and 1,042 were injured in regime-controlled regions, according to regime media. In rebel-held regions, 147 people were killed and more than 340 were injured, rescue workers said. *) Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf's passing leaves divided legacy Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf has passed away at a hospital in Dubai on Sunday after a protracted illness, according to the country's military and mission in the UAE. Musharraf is remembered for overseeing rapid economic growth and attempting to usher in socially liberal values in the conservative country. But his heavy-handed use of the military to quell dissent as well as his continued backing of the United States in its fight against Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban ultimately led to his downfall. Musharraf served as President from 2001 to 2008, when he resigned following a movement led by the ruling coalition government to impeach him. *) Hong Kong's largest national security trial gets underway The trial of 16 Hong Kong activists charged under a national security law imposed by China has begun in a case that some observers say will be a test of the city's judicial independence. The defendants are those who pleaded not guilty out of 47 arrested during a raid in January 2021. The activists were charged with conspiracy to commit subversion for participating in an unofficial primary election organised by anti-Beijing activists in 2020. *) Israeli approves new illegal Jewish settlement near Gaza The Israeli government has approved the construction of a new settlement near the border with the besieged Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his ministry will officially start budgeting the planning of the settlement. Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf said the new settlement will house nearly 500 families. *) Italy sounds alarm on massive computer hacking attack Thousands of computer servers around the world have been targeted by a ransomware hacking attack, Italy's National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) said. The hacking attack on Sunday sought to exploit a software vulnerability, ACN director general Roberto Baldoni said, adding it was on a massive scale. Italy's ANSA news agency, citing the ACN, reported that servers had been compromised in other European countries such as France and Finland as well as the United States and Canada. Dozens of Italian organisations were likely to have been affected and many more had been warned to take action to avoid being locked out of their systems.

Cựu tổng thống Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf đã qua đời ở tuổi 79, sau nhiều năm sống lưu vong và chiến đấu với bệnh tật trong bệnh viện. Vị tướng bốn sao đã lên nắm quyền trong một cuộc đảo chính và sau đó đã sống sót sau nhiều lần bị các chiến binh Hồi giáo săn đuổi trong nhiều năm.

A former military ruler of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf has died age 79, after spending years in self-imposed exile and battling an illness in hospital.

In our news wrap Sunday, Navy divers are working to recover debris from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf died at the age of 79, and singer-songwriter Beyoncé has a chance to make history at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards tonight. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is pardoning a large number of prisoners, including some of those arrested during the past months of protests. We'll hear a view from Tehran. Also in the programme: The former Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf has died - we'll assess his relationship with the US after 9/11; and the British writer Hanif Kureishi on finding his voice after a terrible accident on holiday. (Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Credit: Handout via Reuters)

Your daily news in under three minutes.

In our news wrap Sunday, Navy divers are working to recover debris from the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down off the coast of South Carolina, Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf died at the age of 79, and singer-songwriter Beyoncé has a chance to make history at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards tonight. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. Tune in to get updated about the major news stories of the day.

Pakistan herätti muun maailman huomion vuonna 1998, kun se teki ensimmäisen ydinkokeensa. Kallis ydinaseohjelma nosti Pakistanin alueelliseksi mahtitekijäksi, mutta samalla se ajoi maan lähes vararikkoon. Ydinasevaltion kiistaton johtajuus oli armeijan komentaja Pervez Musharrafille liian houkutteleva mahdollisuus, ja hän teki verettömän vallankaappauksen vuonna 1999. Siitä tuli Musharrafille vuoteen 2008 asti kestänyt voimaannuttava kokemus, joka loi hänelle kihelmöivän tunteen siitä, että maan ydinaseet olivat parhaiten turvassa juuri hänen käsissään.  Musharraf noteerattiin tuolloin vasta kolmannen luokan diktaattoriksi, mutta syyskuun 2001 terrori-isku Yhdysvalloissa nosti Musharrafin kertaheitolla diktaattorirankingin ykkösketjuun. Pakistanista, joka ainoana alueen valtioista oli tunnustanut naapurimaan Afganistanin Taleban-hallinnon, tuli yksi Yhdysvaltain tärkeimpiä liittolaisia syyskuun 11. päivän terroristijahdissa. Siinä sivussa Musharraf yritti paaluttaa Pakistaniin oman pilvilinnansa, jossa utopia eli ”liberaali diktatuuri” kelpasi politiikaksi.  Asiantuntijana Kauppalehti Option toimituspäällikkö Mikko Metsämäki. Toimittajana Raimo Tyykiluoto, tuottajana Sami Hahtala / Yle.

Es ist ein Konflikt, der einmal mehr eskalieren könnte. Kosovo und Serbien streiten sich um Autokennzeichen. Ab heute gilt: Alle Autos im Kosovo müssen kosovarische Nummernschilder haben. Auch die Autos der mehreren tausend Serbinnen und Serben, die im Kosovo leben. Weitere Themen: * Im Libanon funktioniert fast nichts wie es soll. Keine Müllabfuhr, kein Strom, die Währung ist abgestürzt, immer mehr Menschen leben in Armut. Ab heute steht das Land auch noch ohne Präsidenten da. Der bisherige Michel Aoun hatte gestern seinen letzten Amtstag und das neu gewählte Parlament schafft es nicht, sich auf eine Nachfolgerin oder einen Nachfolger zu einigen. * Heute ist Allerheiligen - der Tag, an dem viele ihrer Liebsten gedenken, die verstorben sind. Auf eine erfrischend leichte Art geht die Bestatterin Sarah Benz aus Berlin mit dem Tod um: Unter dem Titel Sarggeschichten stellt sie Aufklärungsvideos zum Tod ins Netz und ist auch auf Twitter und Instagram unterwegs - unter anderem geht es um Fragen wie «Was brauchen trauernde Kinder?» oder «Wie macht man eine tolle Trauerfeier?» * Am kommenden Samstag ist es genau 15 Jahre her, seit Radio SRF 4 News erstmals auf Sendung ging. Zum Jubiläum blicken wir auf die Themen von damals zurück. Gross in den Schlagzeilen war unter anderem Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf war Präsident. Ursprünglich sehr beliebt - mehr und mehr aber kippte dies ins Gegenteil. Nach heftigen Protesten musste er zurücktreten und wurde später gar zum Tode verurteilt. Wie konnte es so weit kommen?

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 506, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Places In The News 1: In October 2000 a bomb damaged the U.S.S. Cole in this Mideastern country. Yemen. 2: He wasn't an alien visitor, but Felix Baumgartner did come from 24 miles up when he landed in this Southwest state in 2012. New Mexico. 3: In May 2013 hearts rejoiced when 3 women missing for nearly a decade escaped to freedom in this city. Cleveland. 4: In August 2013 ex-president Pervez Musharraf of this country was charged with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Pakistan. 5: In August 2013 ex-president Pervez Musharraf of this country was charged with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Pakistan. Round 2. Category: Motown 1: Beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go", this group has 12 No. 1 hits, more than any act on the Motown label. the Supremes. 2: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" was the first of his 19 Grammys, a record for rock performers. Stevie Wonder. 3: This lead singer of the Miracles wrote "My Guy" for Mary Wells and "My Girl" for the Temptations. Smokey Robinson. 4: On one of his early albums, released in 1963, he was billed as a "12 year old genius". Stevie Wonder. 5: Renaldo Benson, Abdul Fakir, Levi Stubbs and Lawrence Payton performed under this name, starting in 1956. the Four Tops. Round 3. Category: Word To The Chef 1: Roe is fish eggs; roebuck is this meat. Deer/venison. 2: Tybo and Tilsit are types of these. Cheeses. 3: To make small squares of food is to dice; to make them a little larger is to do this, the shape of dice. Cube. 4: This French term refers to food that has been strained and blended to a smooth consistency. Puree. 5: 5-letter word for a male chicken that's been "fixed". Capon. Round 4. Category: Texas 1: David G. Burnet, Mirabeau B. Lamar, Anson Jones and Sam Houston were the only ones to hold this office. president of the Republic of Texas. 2: In 1972 adman Harve Chapman coined the term "Metroplex" for the area shared by these 2 cities. Dallas and Fort Worth. 3: It was said they "can ride like a Mexican, trail like an Indian... and fight like a very devil". the Texas Rangers. 4: This island off Corpus Christi is the largest in Texas, Dad. Padre Island. 5: Now a Republican, he began his career as an aide to freshman Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson. John Connolly. Round 5. Category: (5,5) 1: Very, very, very, very dark, like tar. Pitch black. 2: Mine are vibrating even as I speak. Vocal cords. 3: The best thing to win; it's blue ribbon level. First place. 4: Term for a periodical published by a business for its employees. House organ. 5: A person's temperature and pulse and respiration rates. Vital signs. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the  week that was. If you liked this episode, then don't forget to subscribe to our channel and share this content. You can stay updated with everything at Bharatvaarta by following us on social media: we're @bharatvaarta on Twitter, facebook.com/bharatvaarta.in on Facebook, and @bharatvaarta on Instagram).

PolicyWTF: See No Evil, Read No Evil, Hear No EvilThis section looks at egregious public policies. Policies that make you go: WTF, Did that really happen?— Pranay KotasthaneEarlier this week, I stumbled on this headline in the Business Standard: "Remove price cap and channel bundling restrictions: Broadcasters tell TRAI”. For someone writing a weekly newsletter on Indian public policy, price controls are a gift that keeps on giving. Naturally, I went down this rabbit hole.For context, read this consultation paper. Under the New Regulatory Framework 2017, there are price caps on channel bundles, individual channels that are part of bundles, and the overall package of standard-definition channels. Once this 2017 order came into force, broadcasters smartly kept the popular sports channels out of the channel bundles. The aim was to price them high, thereby cross-subsidising other channels. Further, some providers included these sports channels in bundles at a discounted rate so that they could be packaged with other trashy channels. Not surprising. And now, TRAI wants to reduce the price cap on individual channels that can be part of a bundle to ₹12 from ₹19 per month. Mind-boggling, no?The consultation paper is quite well-written, to be honest. It makes me wonder the extent to which state capacity is applied to come up with price controls. This instance got me thinking about how government restrictions have shaped today’s media environment in India. Let’s have a look at the three major types: video, radio, and written media. How OTT (Over-the-top) became TOT (The-Only-Thing)The same TRAI consultation paper highlights that OTT platforms (SonyLiv, HotStar, etc.) are displacing traditional TV. Anecdotally too, this shift is quite obvious. So why is it that there’s good Indian content on OTT platforms, while the old news channels seem to be stuck in a rut? Government regulations are one big reason. There are no price caps on OTT platforms, allowing them to make investments, create niche content, and recover the investments at an appropriate price. In contrast, TV channel prices are controlled by the government since 2004. News channels, in particular, have degraded the most. Writing in Hindustan Times in 2017, Ashok Malik traced the cause to (surprise! surprise!) price caps again:“As per the TRAI tariff order of 2016, the price ceiling for a news channel is Rs 5 per month. In contrast the price ceiling for a general entertainment channel is Rs 12 per month.Consider what this means. In theory, the general entertainment channel could be re-running old soaps (cost of content: zero). The news channel would be required to constantly generate fresh content. Even so, the former is allowed to charge more than double what the latter is able to. Besides a general entertainment channel is always likely to get more subscribers. So it is a double hit for anybody seeking to build a serious news channel.Over time news channel owners have simply given up, and decided to take the route of reality TV. Today, with the sheer volume of free – occasionally dubious and sometimes outright fake – content available online, one wonders if the news business can ever be rescued in India.”Not that general entertainment channels have fared much better. Broadband internet has now made subscription easier, and the people have voted with their feet, remotes, and phones. At present, TRAI no longer caps the prices of individual channels, on the condition that they are not included in any bundle. But that’s hardly a respite when enough damage has already been done.Radio SilenceThe case of another broadcast medium, the FM radio, is also instructive. The kiss of death here is a ban on FM channels broadcasting news or current affairs. Observe how the government justified pre-censorship in the Supreme Court in 2017:“Broadcasting of news by these stations/channel may pose a possible security risk as there is no mechanism to monitor the contents of news bulletin of every such stations. As these stations/channels are run mainly by NGO/other small organisation and private operators, several anti-national/radical elements within the country can misuse it for propagating their own agenda.”Need I say more? This is the reason why all our FM radio channels play mind-numbing songs, spoofs, and call pranks on loop. While some niche content has moved to podcasts, a lot of current affairs content is now sought after on non-English YouTube channels. As for “radical elements within the country can misuse it for propagating their own agenda”, that has been turbocharged by one-to-many communication on Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, etc. The Pen is Mightier than its SubscribersNow let’s come to the curious case of print and online media. There are no price caps on newspaper and magazine prices. Not that it wasn’t attempted. But in a 1961 Sakal Papers vs Union of India judgment, the Supreme Court, citing Article 19(1), declared unconstitutional a law that tried to connect prices to the number of pages published.And so, India has an amazingly high number of newspapers and magazines— nearly a lakh registered ones, increasing year on year. But that’s where the party ends. Print media is disproportionately dependent on advertisement revenue and not reader subscriptions. Newspapers are primarily pamphlets, with a bit of news and opinion thrown in.The reasons for this low equilibrium are not very clear. Raju Narisetti contends in a recent book Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms, and Governments Control the News (edited by Anya Schiffrin) that the ‘invitation pricing’ model introduced by the Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd. (BCCL) in 1994 created a de-facto price cap for other players. However, that still doesn’t explain the absence of niche, small, and subscription-fuelled newspapers. Magazines do slightly better. I suspect the low purchasing power of Indians when newspapers were all the rage, can explain to an extent the inertia to pay more for reading news. Whatever the reasons, it works well for India’s governments, for they are the biggest advertisers in newspapers. Mere threats of cancelling advertisement contracts become powerful means to exert influence on the content and tone of newspapers. Nevertheless, online media has shown that new revenue models are possible. In the pandemic, most newspapers took their online portals behind paywalls. There’re also many subscriber-only portals catering to special audiences. But how can you keep the government away? RBI’s new rules on auto-debit of recurring payments led to the cancellation of subscriptions and a decline in revenue. (Showing small mercies, the RBI this week decided to raise the e-mandate limit to ₹15,000 earlier this week.)All in all, if you want to ask why our media environment is the way it is, tracking government regulations is a good place to begin the search. TV and Radio, and to a lesser extent print media, are all victims of seemingly well-intentioned yet counter-productive government regulations. India Policy Watch: Inflation, Growth & StabilityInsights on burning policy issues in India- RSJWe are back to discussing macroeconomy here. This week, in its scheduled bi-monthly review, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to increase the repo rate by 50 bps (100 bps = 1 percentage point) to 4.90 per cent. It also stayed firm on withdrawing its accommodative policy stance to tame inflation going forward. From the Governor’s press release:“Let me now explain the MPC’s rationale for its decisions on the policy rate and the stance. The protracted war in Europe and the accompanying sanctions have kept global commodity prices elevated across the board. This is exerting sustained upward pressure on consumer price inflation, well beyond the targets in many economies. The ongoing war is also turning out to be a dampener for global trade and growth. The faster pace of monetary policy normalisation undertaken by systemic advanced economies (AEs) is leading to heightened volatility in global financial markets. This is reflected in sharp corrections in major equity markets, sizeable swings in sovereign bond yields, US dollar appreciation, capital outflows from EMEs and even from some AEs. The EMEs are also witnessing depreciation of their currencies. Globally, stagflation concerns are growing and are amplifying the volatility in global financial markets. This is feeding back into the real economy and further clouding the outlook.”To put this in context, we have had an almost 100 bps increase in repo rate in about a month. Short-term rates in the market have already moved up by about 200 bps in the last six months. The impact of these will begin to pinch. And yet, inflation remains above 7 per cent and is likely to stay there for a while. There’s been a coordinated response between the government and the central bank in the recent past including a reduction in excise duties on fuel. Some external factors like the lifting of the palm oil exports by Indonesia and a likely good monsoon also might help moderate inflation during the year. But the 6 per cent upper limit of the inflation target range will be breached for most of the year. The Ukraine war and its repercussions on supply chains and commodities have kept prices elevated. The speed of monetary policy normalisation by the developed world has meant the dollar has appreciated sharply, equity markets have fallen across and capital has flown out of emerging markets. The statement by the Governor acknowledged these issues and summarised its priorities (italicised by me below):“Experience teaches us that preserving price stability is the best guarantee to ensure lasting growth and prosperity. Our actions today will impart further credibility to our medium-term inflation target, which is the central tenet of a flexible inflation targeting framework. India’s recovery is proceeding apace, offering us space for an orderly policy shift. While we will continuously assess the evolving situation to tailor our responses, our actions must demonstrate the commitment to keep inflation and inflationary expectations under check. Therefore, monitoring and assessing inflation pressures and balancing risks to growth will be crucial for judging the appropriate policy path as we move ahead. ……Given the elevated uncertainties of the current period, we have remained dynamic and pragmatic rather than being bound by stereotypes and conventions. As the Reserve Bank works tirelessly in its pursuit of macro-financial stability, I am reminded of what Mahatma Gandhi said long ago: If we want to overtake the storm that is about to burst, we must make the boldest effort to sail full steam ahead.”Nothing new there on priorities. For any central bank, they remain to manage the interplay between - price volatility, growth and macro-financial stability. This is an equilibrium hard to locate in normal, calmer weather. In uncertain times like today, it is a gigantic headache. We will dig a bit deeper to understand the variables that RBI will have to deal with in handling these three priorities during the year. First, let’s take inflation. As I mentioned above, the global risks to inflation will remain elevated with high crude oil and commodity prices and continuing supply bottlenecks for the next couple of quarters. The more interesting point here is that the input cost spikes haven’t yet been passed on to consumers in India. You can take a look at the declared results of the Jan-Apr quarter for listed companies to draw this conclusion. As this gets passed through eventually, inflation will keep pushing upwards. The opening up of the high contact services sector is almost complete now, notwithstanding the recent spike in Covid cases in parts of India. So, there is still the impact of services inflation to show up. Globally, central banks have made an about-turn on their earlier views of this inflation being transient. India is no different. The inflation expectations now show a secular upward trend and this is reflected in various surveys like PMI and BIES. Like always, the lower-income bands are starting to voice their concern about prices because it materially affects their lives. Price rise in India is a politically sensitive topic and as much as this government is politically dominant with the opposition nowhere in sight, it is difficult to see how it will remain unfazed by it. An important point to also consider here is the unique K-shaped recovery that’s happened in India post-pandemic. We have spoken about it a few times earlier. This has meant there is further concentration of total consumption among the top 10-15 per cent of India. The problem with this is that it leads to stickiness in prices and wages. This creamy layer of consumers has a low marginal propensity to consume and that combined with the large cushion of savings with them means there isn’t a quick demand-side response to the rising prices in India. Also, a useful question to ask is what is the impact on growth because of a change in real interest rate in India? Is there any historical evidence to find a relation between the two? A rough rule of thumb is that a 100 bps change in real interest rate could lead to a 20 bps drop in expected growth rate ( a summary of a 2013 paper by RBI that concludes this is at the end of this article). This suggests RBI won’t be worried about growth slowdown anytime soon as it raises rates. The government won’t be worried too. Why? Because there is a global slowdown and it can always point to China struggling with its own lockdowns. In any case, we have seen a 4 per cent growth rate just before the pandemic and that had no impact on the popularity of the government. The government will be willing to trade growth for lower inflation. So, the front-loading of interest rate hikes, as seen in the last month, will continue. My guess is, cumulatively, we will have another 100 bps rate hike by the end of this year.  Second, let’s look at growth. The FY23 growth forecast has moderated from 9+ per cent about two quarters back to about 7-7.5 per cent range in most estimates. However, so far the high-frequency indicators of growth are holding up well suggesting robust economic activity. On almost every indicator - from fuel consumption, cement and sale production, exports, IIP, e-way bills or GST - we are up by a significant margin from the pre-pandemic levels (20-30 per cent in most cases). Credit offtake has also been strong in the retail loans segment so far. The recent rate hikes and the correction in the equity market will have an impact on this but we will have to wait and see how soon the slowdown in consumption will show up in numbers. My guess is it will take some time because of the nature of the consumption pyramid in India. There is also spillover effect of the US Fed's action on rate hikes on India. Will India be forced to mirror Fed’s moves? The inflation in the US is at a historic 40-year high and the economy is running at almost full employment. So supply disruptions apart, there are strong demand factors impacting inflation there. In India, there is some overheating in the labour market, especially in the technology space but we are far from any kind of tightening. It will be useful to bring in Taylor’s rule here to understand the likely monetary policy response. From Investopedia:“Taylor's rule is essentially a forecasting model used to determine what interest rates should be in order to shift the economy toward stable prices and full employment. The Taylor rule was invented and published from 1992 to 1993 by John Taylor, a Stanford economist, who outlined the rule in his precedent-setting 1993 study "Discretion vs. Policy Rules in Practice."Taylor's equation looks like:r = p + 0.5y + 0.5(p - 2) + 2Where:r = nominal fed funds ratep = the rate of inflationy = the percent deviation between current real GDP and the long-term linear trend in GDP In simpler terms, this equation says that the Fed will adjust its fed funds rate target by an equally weighted average of the gap between actual inflation and the Fed's desired rate of inflation (assumed to be 2%) and the gap between observed real GDP and a hypothetical target GDP at a constant linear growth rate (calculated by Taylor at 2.2% from approximately 1984 to 1992). This means that the Fed will raise its target fed funds rate when inflation rises above 2% or real GDP growth rises above 2.2%, and lower the target rate when either of these falls below their respective targets.”The current weights for India are 1.2 for inflation and 0.5 for growth while the growth weight for the US might be close to zero. Also, remember we didn’t use the fiscal tools as liberally as the US during the pandemic. The US treasury balance sheet expanded by more than a quarter on the back of the stimulus to prop up the economy in the last two years. We have a very different reality. Of course, there will be some defence of the Rupee that will be needed as the actions of the central banks of the developed markets strengthens the US Dollar. But beyond those temporary shocks of investors looking for a safe haven and creating currency volatility, there should be no real reasons why the MPC should follow the lead of the Fed's response to inflation in the US.Lastly, how will this expedited, front-loaded rate hike actions impact the macroeconomic stability especially of the financial sector? As we have already seen, the transmission of interest rate hikes has happened with speed. Most banks have lost no time in resetting their rates. Also, remember the majority of small business loans to the MSME sector and mortgage loans in India are now linked to repo rates (or some external benchmarks like 30-day T-bills). If the global growth slows and exports weaken and if the large corporations pass on their input cost burden to the customers or their vendors, we might see stress building up in the system among smaller borrowers. This is a lead indicator to be watched although the repo rates after the latest round of hikes are still about 150 bps below where they were in 2018-19. This isn’t a scenario like in the US or UK where the interest rates are at multi-decadal highs. Some prudence on part of borrowers and a bit of flexibility in restructuring loans by Banks aided by the RBI should help the system see through this phase. On the balance, I see the CPI settling at about 5 per cent in four quarters from now. The “neutral” real interest rate should be about 1.5 per cent which would mean a repo rate of about 6.5 per cent. My estimate is that’s where we will end up from the current 4.9 per cent level in about 12 months. That’s when any option of moving back to an accommodative stance will start looking viable. The RBI will be walking on eggshells managing the multiple trade-offs between growth, inflation and macroeconomic stability during this time. Through a happy coming together of circumstances, India is placed relatively better than most economies at this moment. We should avoid any misadventures at this time, political or economic. That’s not a lot to ask for, I hope. Postscript: Here’s the paper from the RBI website - “Real Interest Rate Impact on Investment and Growth – What the Empirical Evidence for India Suggests?”. It is a good empirical study about how much growth sacrifice should be needed to tame inflationary pressure. From its abstract: “Monetary policy is often expected to adopt a pro-growth stance in a phase of prolonged slowdown in growth and sluggish investment activities. Sacrificing inflation, i.e. lowering nominal policy rate even when inflation persists at a high level, is a convenient means to lower real interest rates, which in turn could be seen as a pro-growth stance of monetary policy. This paper, using both firm-level and macroeconomic data, and alternative methodologies - such as panel regression, VAR, Quantile regression and simple OLS – finds that for 100 bps increase in real interest rate, investment rate may decline by about 50 bps and GDP growth may moderate by about 20 bps. The empirically estimated sensitivity of investment and growth to changes in real interest rate suggests that if the RBI can lower real lending rates, it can also stimulate growth. Review of literature highlights that a central bank can lower real interest rates either through financial repression or by not responding aggressively to inflation while raising the nominal policy rates in response to inflation. Empirical estimates for India indicate that RBI’s monetary policy response to inflation has not been aggressive, and as a result the Fisher effect –i.e. one for one response of interest rate to inflation that could leave the real rate constant – does not hold. Thus, even when a high nominal interest rate may often signal that monetary policy stance is tight, because of higher inflation and absence of Fisher effect, lower real interest rate may actually be growth supportive. In India, real lending rates in recent years have been generally lower than the levels seen during the high growth phase before the global crisis. But lower real rates in the post-crisis period have coincided with sluggish investment and GDP growth. This is due to the fact that while real rates are lower, marginal productivity of capital, or expected return on new investment has also declined, which has dampened the expected positive impact of lower real rates on investment. In such a scenario, one policy option could be to lower real rates even more, by raising inflation tolerance, i.e. lowering nominal policy interest rate even when high inflation persists or inflation expectations remain high. This paper, however, provides robust empirical justification against any policy of lowering policy interest rates when inflation persists above a threshold level of 6 per cent. The beneficial impact of lower real rates on growth that may be achieved through higher inflation tolerance is more than offset by the harmful effect of high inflation, particularly when it exceeds a threshold level of 6 per cent.”Matsyanyaaya: Dictatorship and Democracy in Israel and PakistanBig fish eating small fish = Foreign Policy in action— Pranay KotasthaneNews reports suggest that Pakistan’s military dictator-turned-president-turned-politician Pervez Musharraf is in a critical medical condition. While I have no good things to say about the man, I was reminded of a post I’d written in 2017 which asked: despite their similarities, why has Pakistan had bouts of military dictatorship rule, while Israel has steadfastly retained electoral democracy?The two religious States — Israel and Pakistan—were both created for the explicit purpose of securing a homeland for religious minorities. Given their preoccupation with security, the military-security establishment occupied a key position in the politics of the two States. Yet, what can explain this fundamental difference: while Pakistan has had long periods of rule by a military dictatorship, Israel has steadfastly retained electoral democracy?The similarities between Israel and Pakistan are well documented. Faisal Devji’s 2013 book Muslim Zion argues thatLike Israel, Pakistan came into being through the migration of a minority population, inhabiting a vast subcontinent, who abandoned old lands in which they feared persecution to settle in a new homeland. Just as Israel is the world’s sole Jewish state, Pakistan is the only country to be established in the name of Islam.In this regard, the military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq’s remarks made in an interview to The Economist in 1981 are also instructive:Pakistan is like Israel, an ideological state. Take out the Judaism from Israel and it will fall like a house of cards. Take Islam out of Pakistan and make it a secular state; it would collapse.So, what explains the difference?My hypothesis to explain the difference is this: the mediating variable between democracy and dictatorship is the status of civil-military relations in the formative years.The basis of this hypothesis is an argument developed in Steven Wilkinson’s excellent book Army and Nation. The book tries to explore why the armies in India and Pakistan—although cut from the same cloth—became such markedly different domestic political actors in their respective democracies. My case is that the arguments mentioned in the book apply equally to the Israel—Pakistan comparison. Here’s how.Wilkinson lists three factors for the difference between the armies of independent India and Pakistan:India’s socio-economic, strategic and military inheritance in 1947 was much better than that of Pakistan. Among other things, Partition worsened the ethnic balance in the Pakistan army while improving it somewhat in the Indian army.The Congress party — unlike the Muslim League in Pakistan — was strongly institutionalised and had a political reach and presence that was difficult to replicate, let alone dislodge.During the first decade of independence, the Indian government took specific “coup proofing” measures: new command and control structures, careful attention to promotions, tenures, and balancing ethnic groups at the top of the military, and attention to top generals’ career pathways after retirement.Now, if these exact factors related to civil-military relations in the formative years are applied to the Israel-Pakistan case, one can see that points (2) and (3) were exactly what David Ben-Gurion and his political forces managed to accomplish in Israel. And hence while Israel managed to retain civilian superiority over its military forces, Pakistan kept having episodic military dictatorships.The follow-up question would then be: was Jinnah’s death immediately after Pakistan’s formation a big reason for the path it took, while India and Israel had the benefit of dominant, long-standing civilian leaders in the formative years?I don’t think so. If Jinnah would have lived longer after Partition, it is likely that he would have put specific “coup proofing” measures in place [point (3) in Wilkinson’s schema]. However, the worsening ethnic balance of the army and a weakly institutionalised Muslim League [points (1) and (2)] would’ve still remained intractable. The paths that Israel and Pakistan are now on have a lot to do with what happened in the formative years of the two democracies.HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters[Article] The EU has agreed to make “One Europe, One Charger” a reality in 2024. In October 2021, we had written why this move is a PolicyWTF. The decision is also a useful case study for policymaking. It demonstrates that we should be wary of intuitive solutions to policy problems.[Book] Media Capture: How Money, Digital Platforms, and Governments Control the News (edited by Anya Schiffrin).[Podcast] Ashok Malik speaking about TV price controls on The Seen and the Unseen[Podcast] Shruti Rajagopalan and Lant Pritchett have released another blockbuster Ideas of India episode. A must-listen for all public policy enthusiasts. If you are short on time, jump to Pritchett’s criticism of the poverty line. It’s superb. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpolicy.substack.com

The Bharatvaarta Weekly is our reaction to the news headlines of the week that was. If you liked this episode, then don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and share this content. You can stay updated with everything at Bharatvaarta by following us on social media: we're @bharatvaarta on Twitter, facebook.com/bharatvaarta.in on Facebook, and @bharatvaarta on Instagram).

Javed Jabbar is a Pakistani writer and politician. Javed Jabbar has served as a Senator during Zia-ul-Haq's tensure and as the Information Minister during Pervez Mushraf's rule. Javed Jabbar has also been associated with the Advertising industry for the past 5 decades and has written several books. Mr. Jabbar joins on this week's episode of The Pakistan Experience to discuss Pakistaniyat, the need for a Pakistani identity, serving under Military Dictators and whether there is an effort being made to revise history. The Pakistan Experience is an independently produced podcast looking to tell stories about Pakistan through conversations. Please consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thepakistanexperience And Please stay in touch: https://twitter.com/ThePakistanExp1 https://www.facebook.com/thepakistanexperience https://instagram.com/thepakistanexpeperience The podcast is hosted by comedian and writer, Shehzad Ghias Shaikh. Shehzad is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters in Theatre from Brooklyn College. He is also one of the foremost Stand-up comedians in Pakistan and frequently writes for numerous publications. Instagram.com/shehzadghiasshaikh Facebook.com/Shehzadghias/ Twitter.com/shehzad89 Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 What is Pakistaniyat? 7:00 Is Pakistaniyat exclusionary? 11:30 The Pakistani Identity 32:30 Serving under Pervez Musharraf and supporting Military Dictators 42:30 Perspectives on history 49:00 Documentary on 1971

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian statesman who served three terms as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he was the first Indian prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office. He was also noted as a poet and a writer. He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five decades, having been elected ten times to the Lok Sabha, the lower house, and twice to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house. He served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, retiring from active politics in 2009. He was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), of which he was president from 1968 to 1972. The BJS merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general election. In March 1977, Vajpayee became the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He resigned in 1979, and the Janata alliance collapsed soon after. Former members of the BJS formed the BJP in 1980, with Vajpayee its first president. During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra. The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died on 16 August 2018 of age-related illness.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian statesman who served three terms as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he was the first Indian prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office. He was also noted as a poet and a writer. He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five decades, having been elected ten times to the Lok Sabha, the lower house, and twice to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house. He served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, retiring from active politics in 2009. He was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), of which he was president from 1968 to 1972. The BJS merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general election. In March 1977, Vajpayee became the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He resigned in 1979, and the Janata alliance collapsed soon after. Former members of the BJS formed the BJP in 1980, with Vajpayee its first president. During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra. The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died on 16 August 2018 of age-related illness.

In this episode of NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Meghnad S and Mehraj D Lone of Newslaundry are joined by Betwa Sharma, Politics Editor at HuffPost India.They begin with a discussion on the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Talking about the timing of the protests, Betwa says, “If you had actually built that momentum, maybe the bill wasn’t gonna get passed in the first place.'' Meghnad echoes her view.On the violent police crackdown in Jamia Millia Islamia University and elsewhere, Mehraj points out, “Police are doing this because they know they are not going to be held accountable. In fact, some of them might get rewards and promotions.” He also wonders why anybody in a democracy should need the police’s permission to stage a protest.Raman, discussing the media’s reporting of popular movements, points out, “As reporters, we need to go back to the field and do a deep dive and that's what we have been doing.” As he narrates how Newslaundry reporter Veena Nair ended up on a bus filled with protesters detained by the police, Betwa expresses her dilemma about the extent to which a journalist should be involved in a story. Meghnad says, referring to Veena, “I think her first person account of how she did this is also important where she is the story but she is also doing the story.”Speaking about the Data Protection Bill, Abhinandan says, “Complete privacy I don’t think is possible in today's age.” The question, however, is to what extent personal data of citizens should be available to governments or corporations.The panel also discuss a Pakistani court’s sentencing of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to death for treason.Tune in! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Quizmasters Lee and Marc meet to exchange their favorite trivia questions of the week, and have a Rate-My-Question inspired conversation about running your trivia questions against friends and confidants. Round One CITY NICKNAMES - What nickname was Milwaukee given due to the color of the bricks that made up many of the buildings in the mid- to late-19th century? GROCERY STORES - Headquartered in the Cincinnati, Ohio, which national grocery store chain is the largest grocery store chain by revenue in the United States and the second largest retailer behind Walmart? BEVERAGES - “Black Cow” or “Spider” is another term for what chilled beverage? FLORIDIAN AVIATORS - Which famous Floridian has his own departure procedure named in his honor that takes off from West Palm Beach headed south? BIRDS - What long-legged, long-necked wading bird is accidentally responsible for the discovery that birds migrate? GEOLOGY - Trees, grasses, fungi, as well as other types of organic remains, such as insects, and animal remains are collectively known as a what, which becomes coal after a sufficient amount of heat, time and pressure are applied to turn the mixture into sedimentary rock? Missed Corrections “Tim Gunn is definitely NOT from "America's Next Top Model"; as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure he would take great offense to that since ANTM is pretty terrible. Tim Gunn is the fashion expert and mentor on "Project Runway. I've heard you (mostly Lee) say, on at least two or three occasions, that Wyoming is in the Midwest. It most certainly is not! Wyoming is a mountain state.” - submitted by Katie W. Round Two MOVIE CAMEOS - Which late night talk show host was credited as Earl Hofert, first playing the character “Old Salt in Fishing Village” in a 1994 adventure comedy about a fancy lad, who is played by one of his show writers and later in 1996 voicing Butt-Head’s father in 1996’s Beavis and Butt-Head Do America? PATRON SAINTS - Who is the patron saint of difficult marriage, whose name was popularized on late-80’s to early-90’s evening television? ART - Provocative artist Paul McCarthy's big green inflatable artwork "Tree", which resembles a butt plug, was recently deflated by vandals in which European city? Pervez Musharraf has been sentenced to death for treason and subverting the constitution of which country, of which he was president? CIRCUS PERFORMERS - Emmet Kelly earned an induction into the Circus Ring of Fame in 1988 for his classic performance of which sad clown role, further made iconic by his son who carried on the character after his father's retirement? U.S. HISTORY - What is railroad construction foreman Phineas Gage known for? Rate My Question COUNTRY MUSIC - David Allan Coe, a country singer known for his satirical style during the late 70s and 80s, performed the song You Never Even Called Me By My Name. In this song what five things do they say you have to mention in order to be considered the perfect 'Country and Western song' - which they jokingly shoehorned into the last verse in rapid succession? - submitted by Cali Final Questions SITCOM SPINOFFS - “Top Of The Heap” was a spin-off of what television sitcom? CHRISTMAS STORIES - Racer and Pacer, Reckless and Speckless, Fearless and Peerless, and Ready and Steady, Glossie and Flossie are all names given to the reindeer who pull Santa’s sleigh in 1902’s The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, written by which author of children’s books? Weekly Wrap Up #252 - Palace Pub and Wine Bar - Moistwood Mac - 91 pts. #253 - No. 3 Craft Brews and Beer Bar - As You Wish - 98 pts. Upcoming LIVE Know Nonsense Trivia Challenges December 23rd, 2019 – Know Nonsense Trivia Challenge #254 @ Palace Pub and Wine Bar in Cape Coral, FL. It will be an all holiday themed trivia with free bottles of wine for our round winners. Categories for the quiz will include HOLIDAY MUSIC IN HISTORY, TELEVISION SPECIALS, FAMOUS ADS, CHRISTMAS NAMES, SANTA’S HELPERS and more. The final wager question that evening will be a question about SWEET TREATS selected by Quizmaster Lee. December 26th, 2019 - Know Nonsense Trivia Challenge #255 @ No. 3 Craft Brews and Beer Bar in Cape Coral, FL. Categories for the quiz will include SPORTS, VIDEO GAMES, HISTORY, MUSIC, SITCOMS, BEER and more. The final wager question that evening will be a question about BOB’S BURGERS selected by ‘SUPER PRETENDO’. January 25th, 2019 - Star Wars Trivia @ No. 3 Craft Brews & Beer Bar in Cape Coral, FL - We travel to a galaxy far, far away with Know Nonsense Trivia Challenge: Star Wars Edition. We’ll be asking questions from the entire universe of Star Wars, including MOVIES, BOOKS, TV SHOWS, CANON, LEGENDS, EXPANDED UNIVERSE, TOYS, MEMES, BEHIND THE SCENES and more! Thank you Thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thank you, Quizdaddies – Tommy (The Electric Mud) and Tim (Pat's Garden Service) Thank you, Team Captains – David, Rachael, Aaron, Kristen & Fletcher Thank you, Proverbial Lightkeepers – Mo, Matthew, Nicole, Luc, Spencer, Hank, Dylan, Justin, Cooper, Elyse, Sarah, Brina, Karly, Kristopher, Josh, Gil, Shaun, Lucas and Max Thank you, Rumplesnailtskins – Manu, Jeff, Eric, Steven, Efren, Mike J., Mike C. If you'd like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus content, please visit http://theknowno.com and click "Support."

NL Hafta has gone behind the paywall, but we love our listeners. So here's a little sneak peek into the complete episode.In this episode of NL Hafta, Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Meghnad S and Mehraj D Lone of Newslaundry are joined by Betwa Sharma, Politics Editor at HuffPost India. They discuss the big news of the week, from the nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and police violence to objectivity in journalism to the death penalty for Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. Listen to the full episode:https://www.newslaundry.com/2019/12/21/hafta-255-citizenship-law-data-protection-bill-and-more You can also listen to all our podcasts on the Newslaundry App and get updates about all our podcasts via Twitter and Facebook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*)Impeachment vote set for Wednesday as Trump lashes out Donald Trump could become the third US President to be impeached if today’s House vote favours his trial. Trump said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he was being subjected to an "attempted coup" and a witch trial. Trump is accused of attempting to force Ukraine to investigate his main 2020 re-election rival, Joe Biden. *)US Congress authorises sanctions on Syria, Iran, Russia US lawmakers have approved a bill that seeks to place new sanctions on Syria, Iran and Russia for alleged war crimes in Syria. The sanctions could target Syrian security officials and companies doing business with the regime. The bill is known as the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act of 2019. UN urges 'reboot' of response to refugees as millions displaced The UN has called on governments and businesses to 'reboot' their response to refugees. The first-ever global refugee forum in Geneva discussed the issues involving more than 70 million displaced people around the world. Participants hope the optimism and promises made at the forum will translate into concrete action. *)Pakistan’s former president handed death penalty in treason case In Pakistan, a special court has sentenced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to death. The court found him guilty of treason for suspending the constitution and imposing a state of emergency in 2007 while he was president. Musharraf is now living in exile, but is expected to file an appeal. The ruling has been criticised by both the army and the government. And finally, *)Australia experiences hottest day on record Australia has sweltered through its hottest day on record. The country's average temperature on Tuesday was 40.9 degrees Celsius, beating the 2013 record of 40.3. Bushfires triggered by a heatwave have killed at least six people and destroyed hundreds of homes across the country in recent months.

Many of Pakistan’s leaders, or at least their careers, have met an untimely end – and now a court in Islamabad has sentenced former president Pervez Musharraf to death for high treason. Andrew Mueller looks at what Musharraf might have done to deserve this.

A three-member bench of the special court, headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth has held former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf guilty of high treason for suspending the Pakistani constitution and imposing emergency in 2007.The death sentence is based on the Article 6 of the Pakistani Constitution which holds anybody who subverts the constitution by use of force or unconstitutional means guilty of high treason and the punishment for that in the country is death or lifetime imprisonment.What does this judgment mean for Pakistan's judiciary? What message does it send to Pakistan's army that has attempted several coups since the formation of the country? Tune in to The Big Story for more! Host and Producer: Shorbori PurkayasthaGuests: Taher Siddiqui, Senior Journalist, PakistanMurtaza Solangi, Senior Journalist, PakistanEditor: Shelly Walia Listen to The Big Story podcast on:Apple: https://apple.co/2AYdLIlSaavn: http://bit.ly/2oix78CGoogle Podcasts: http://bit.ly/2ntMV7SSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2IyLAUQDeezer: http://bit.ly/2Vrf5NgCastbox: http://bit.ly/2VqZ9ur

Dhyanesh Vaishnav brings you the latest news from Delhi, Assam, Pakistan, the UN, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dhyanesh Vaishnav brings you the latest news from Delhi, Assam, Pakistan, the UN, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of the Monsoon Podcast, Maxwell Lowe looks at the life and legacy of AQ Khan, the man behind the Pakistan's nuclear black market. In 2004, Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer (AQ) Khan appeared on state television and forcibly confessed to illegally supplying nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea for over three decades. Famous for his role in developing Pakistan’s nuclear bomb, AQ Khan revealed himself to be the largest black market exporter of nuclear technology in history. Today Khan’s legacy can be seen through the world’s most volatile nuclear hot spots which threaten the lives of millions every day. In Pakistan, Khan is still seen as a national hero. Yet despite the scale and reckless consequences of his actions, he has largely been forgotten outside his home state. How did AQ Khan transform himself into the world’s most powerful nuclear smuggler and why was he able to continue for so long? Maxwell Lowe looks at Pakistan’s nuclear bomb and the life and legacy of AQ Khan. Hassan Abbas is a professor of International Security at the National Defence University in Washington D.C and senior adviser at the Asia Society. Previously, he was the distinguished Quaid-i-Azam Chair Professor at Columbia University and fellow at Harvard University. Before his academic career, he worked in the governments of Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf. His latest book Pakistan’s Nuclear Bomb: a Story of Defiance, Deterrence and Deviance chronicles the story of AQ Khan and nuclear developments in South Asia. Feature image source: rabedirkwennigsen on Pixabay Music: Man Down and Master Disorder by Kevin McLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Hardtalk speaks to Pervez Musharraf, former army chief and president of Pakistan. He thought he could ride a wave of popular support back into power on his return to Pakistan. Instead, he found himself facing separate charges of treason and murder. How did Pakistan's former strong man get things so wrong? What will his fate tell us about where power lies in today's Pakistan?(Photo: Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

In Conversation with Pervez Musharraf and David Bradley

Aired 07/25/10 VALERIE PLAME, CIA agent outed by Bush White House Her focus: non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. She's featured in the film COUNTDOWN TO ZERO, playing in NY and DC opening in LA July 30th. http://www.globalzero.org/ How big a threat is North Korea? Will Iran go nuclear? Will Israel attack Iran? Are nukes safe in Pakistan? Are they safe in the former Soviet Union? Will Obama move seriously toward disarmament? The globalization of the 21st century has produced positive and peaceful exchanges between peoples and nations, and it has given birth to global terrorism. Today a nuclear attack caused by accident, miscalculation or madness is a real possibility. The film COUNTDOWN TO ZERO (playing in NY and Washington and opening July 30th in LA) makes clear the nuclear threat and calls on us to commit to their abolition. COUNTDOWN TO ZERO traces the history of the atomic bomb from its origins to the present, where nine nations possess nuclear weapons capabilities, and others race to join them. The world lives in a delicate balance that could be obliterated by an act of terrorism, failed diplomacy, or a simple accident. The film, which includes Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pervez Musharraf and Tony Blair, was written and directed by Lucy Walker (Devil's Playground, Blindsight), produced by Lawrence Bender (Inglourious Basterds, An Inconvenient Truth) and developed, financed and executive produced by Participant Media, together with World Security Institute.

The World Affairs Council is pleased to co-sponsor a Marines’ Memorial event with journalist Nicholas Schmidle to discuss the most recent and turbulent period of Pakistan’s history. In February 2006 Schmidle traveled to Pakistan hoping to learn more about the place dubbed “the most dangerous country in the world.” After spending two years covering Pakistan and being deported twice by the Pakistani authorities for his reporting, his observations provide a contemporary history of this country at a time when President Pervez Musharraf’s power was waning and the Taliban’s was growing, and when Americans began to realize that Pakistan’s fate is inextricably linked with our own. A fellow at the New America Foundation, Schmidle writes for The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, and Smithsonian, and received the Kurt Schork Award for freelance journalism in 2008.

The Foreign Policy of Fools It is impossible to look at recent US diplomacy without discovering that it is one based more on whim and fancy, than reason. That's because much of what passes for diplomacy and foreign policy is driven by the market, which is ultimately, the only true bipartisan feature of the nation's politics. The market buys politicians by the bushel, and when they are slick enough to gain office, they serve corporate interests first, second, and always. When you think about it, isn't this a perversity of democracy? In Raj Patel's brilliant new book, Stuffed & Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System (Brooklyn, NY: Melville House Publ., 2008) we find a telling quotation from Robert Strauss, the former head of the Democratic National Committee, describing his relationship with the agricultural business giant, Archer Daniels Midland. Speaking of the company's former chairman, Strauss said, "Dwayne Andreas just owns me. But I mean that in a nice way" (pp.112-13). If you visited the nation's capital, you'd doubtless find hundreds of men and women who could quite effortlessly replace ADM with Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman, Occidental Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton ad infinitum. And it is precisely on behalf of such interests that foreign policy is made. It's not, and has never been, democracy. It's not freedom. It's none of these things. It's what's good for business. This may seem a hard truth, but it is the truth. The Iraq war was a pipe dream of the energy corporations, and opposed by more Americans than almost any war in generations. Who did the politicians listen to -- the people? -- or the corporations? The impact on US foreign policy and democracy couldn't be more pronounced, as shown by incumbent President Bush's recent visit to the Middle East. America's closest allies essentially gave him the brush-off, and one US-supported leader, Lebanon's Prime Minister, Fuad Saniora, actually told Bush that he didn't have time to rap -- he had another, more important meeting -- with Hezbollah. Indeed, several weeks later Lebanon's Parliament voted to give more power to Hezbollah. That's one side-effect of US foreign policy; here's another. Virtually every elected forum in Pakistan has voted for the impeachment of Pakistan's so-called President (and US ally) Pervez Musharraf, the de facto dictator who locked up his opponents, tossed lawyers in jail, and removed Supreme Court judges who didn't vote his way. Who has America supported - the dictator? -- or the People? How's this supporting democracy? Over the border in Afghanistan, the US supports what may be called a narcocracy -- or a narco-state. The preferred US ally is a military junta (or dictatorship) which oppressed its people with violence and terror. We have nearly a century of examples to prove this all throughout Latin America. What kind of foreign policy is this but an imperial one? One designed to make millions of enemies, instead of a few isolated 'friends?' Mumia Abu-Jamal (c) 8/16/08 ========= Source: "Hezbollah Gains Power in Lebanon," USA Today, 8/13/08, 5A; Mr. Patel's book, Stuffed & Starved, is available at:www.mhpbooks.com

With news of the abrupt resignation of Pakistani general-cum-president, Pervez Musharraf, comes the stark realization that, in Islamabad, democracy means the power of the people over that of a dictator. It also means that Pakistanis so believe in their Constitution that they were willing to confront a military dictator who violated it. Musharraf, buffeted by the bellows of opposition, chose to switch, rather than fight. He knew that parliamentary opposition parties were intent on impeaching him for violation of the national constitution. They protested in the streets from the elites to the poor, and Musharraf threw them into jails. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated under suspicious circumstances. Some 7,000 miles away, another president violates the constitution at will, and breaks both statutory and international laws on torture, secret prisons, renditions, illegal detentions, wiretaps -- and on and on. But,of course, in this other democracy, the constitution is an historical artifact, held under special glass in a vacuum of a special gas, something to be worshipped from a distance, while violated daily. And the national legislature? They favor false stability over all things -- and when the party in opposition recently gained the majority, they immediately announced impeachment was "off the table." In a nation based on precedent, this means every president -- from now on- can feel free to violate the constitution at will. He - or she - can go to war on a whim - or lies. She may order her subordinates to torture, to kidnap, to break any law with impunity, and be sure that she is protected by precedent. The political classes have decided that the only avenue left for the people is every four years or so, during an election where millionaires are the candidates. In the meantime, anything goes. Right? In the US, democracy is a word that we throw out to justify armed invasions and illegal violations of international law -- it has no intrinsic meaning. In Pakistan, democracy is thriving and alive. It marched in the streets, it spoke in the courts, and it ran in the actions of Parliament, demanding impeachment. In democracy, it seems, Americans have a great deal to learn. --(c) '08 maj

When Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar chose to make a film about democracy in her country, she didn't just request a traditional interview with President Musharraf: she insisted on a formal dinner. To her surprise, the man who ran Pakistan for nearly eight years agreed, and Sumar spent the evening grilling Musharraf about the state of affairs in their sharply polarized culture. Sumar's documentary "My Dinner with the President," intercuts the dinner discourse with candid interviews with a wide range Pakistanis, from religious fundamentalists to partiers on a Pakistani beach. On Friday, August 8 at 8:30 pm (check local listings), NOW's David Brancaccio talks with Sumar about the film, about our cultural and political relationship with Pakistan, and about Musharraf's desire to democratize his nation while functioning as its dictator.

President Pervez Musharraf has not captured or killed Osama bin Laden. Maybe Pakistan's new coalition will. Political changes make terrorist leaders increasingly vulnerable, as the US reviews its billions of dollars in aid. Also, twenty-two people are killed in weekend tornadoes, and corporate American embraces Second Life. 

Pakistan's newly elected opposition parties have joined forces against President Pervez Musharraf. They want talks with Islamic militants, including the Taliban. What's the future of a Bush Administration ally in the war on terror? What's the likely impact on Afghanistan, where NATO forces are struggling against a tough enemy and among themselves? Also, hot times for both parties on the presidential campaign trail.

There are big changes in store for Cuba and Pakistan. Fidel Castro has resigned from office.  Pervez Musharraf has been soundly defeated in parliamentary elections. We talk with reporters and others in both countries and the US. What's the likely impact on American interests in South Asia and 90 miles from the beaches of Florida?

Earl is on the show this week.The show starts talking about Saddam's surprise with the attack on Iraq.Mail Bag:A couple more from Mike this weeka) Barack is not Muslim.b) Social Security change for 2008.The Rest of the Show:1) Fred Thompson quits.2) Wrongful conviction. 3) Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf's rant this week.4) Earl goes off on the stock market and the United States' handling of recent events. Including the Prime Rate, Federal Reserve, a French trader causing it all, governmental priorities and more.5) Money and politics: Illuminating the connection.    Your guide to the money in U.S. elections.

Former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf spoke at RUSI about the challenges Pakistan has faced in recent years and how he envisioned the future of his country and the region. The speech was given while Mr Musharraf was President of Pakistan.

Detectives from Scotland Yard will help Pakistan investigate the killing of Benazir Bhutto, but can they give President Pervez Musharraf much-needed credibility? Also, more post-election violence today in Kenya, and Republicans and Democrats caucus tonight in Iowa--with high stakes for America's political future. 

Dave notices that our ally, Pervez Musharraf, can't quite abide free speech

Top 20 Interesting Facts About Lance Armstrong Dating Ashley Olsen 1. Olsen can use a Live Strong bracelet as a hula hoop 2. Armstrong enjoys saying "I'm gettin' my Tour de Freak on" 3. Olsen likes being with one of the few men alive who's been more doped than her 4. In a pinch, Armstrong can use Olsen as a replacement spoke in his bike wheel 5. Armstrong feels a sentimental connection with Olsen since she's the same age as his testicle was when it died 6. In a fit of spite, Cheryl Crow is now dating adorable "Jerry Maguire" wunderkind, Jonathan Lipnicki 7. Armstrong is never quite sure if he's making out with Mary Kate or Ashley--and he really doesn't give a damn 8. Olsen's former "Full House" costar, Dave Coulier--when informed of the relationship--was heard uttering the phrase "sloppy seconds" 9. When bumpin' uglies, the loud washboard sounds--emitted by Armstrong and Olsen's bony rib cages grinding together--attracts jug bands from far and wide 10. Inspired by her new beau, Olsen is releasing a series of "Heave Strong" bracelets to celebrate her vigorous bulimia 11. Armstrong already has his sights set on Suri Cruise 12. Taking an inappropriately young and emaciated mistress is Armstrong's way of getting back into the good graces of the French people 13. Armstrong friend Matthew McConaughey, while really high, mistook Olsen for a chihuahua--but still hit on her anyway 14. Armstrong and Olsen enjoy sharing romantic dinners of IV bags filled with Red Bull and cocaine 15. Mary Kate Olsen "will not be ignored" and has inquired if Armstrong has any pet rabbits 16. When they first started dating, Olsen initially thought Armstrong was "that guy who did something on the moon or something" 17. Armstrong, for his part, initially thought Olsen was a flesh eating goblin brought about by steroid withdrawals 18. Adding to their long list of similar interests, Armstrong's Nike merchandise and Olsen's teen fashion line are made at the same Chinese sweat shop 19. Olsen can conveniently fit in the basket on Armstrong's handle bars 20. It makes for great Actual News fodder (along with Britney Spears, Pervez Musharraf, and the Writer's Guild strike)

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has backed out tomorrow's summit with President Hamid Karzai of Afganistan. Will Karzai have to go it alone against terrorists funded by the opium trade? Also, next year's Olympic Games, and Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home-run record.

Barak Obama's threat to attack al Qaeda in Pakistan has made that country an issue in the presidential campaign. Is it time to get tough with President Pervez Musharraf? Plus, an update on the Minneapolis bridge collapse, and liberal bloggers and the DailyKos convention.

The bloody showdown at the Red Mosque in Islamabad is evidence that Islamic extremists are increasing their power in Pakistan. The Bush Administration continues to support President Pervez Musharraf, but is he a credible ally in the war on terror?  Also, a "gut feeling" about an imminent terror attack on the US, and politics and public health in the Bush Administration.

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, has been resilient in the wake of eight simultaneous bomb explosions on the city's public train lines that killed more than 200 and injured 700 more. The trains were back on schedule less than 24 hours after the attacks and the Bombay Stock Exchange climbed a healthy three percent the following day. Indian authorities have rounded up 350 possible suspects. Similar to the 2004 bombings in Madrid and public transportation bombings in London last summer, Monday's explosions preceded peace talks--both the G8 Summit in Russia, to begin this weekend, and ongoing talks between India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. Was it an act of international terrorism or a statement by homegrown terrorists, protesting India's quick growth toward globalization? Diana Nyad guest hosts. Making News: Israel Bombs Lebanon after Hezbollah Kidnaps SoldiersYesterday, Hezbollah militants attacked several towns in northern Israel, wounding civilians and capturing two Israeli soldiers. The Lebanese group has demanded an exchange of Arab prisoners in Israeli jails for the soldiers. Today, after Israel's concentrated attack on Lebanese airports, aimed at crippling civilian and military air access, Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel's populous port city of Haifa. We get an update from Nicholas Blanford, who's in Beirut for the Christian Science Monitor, and Kevin Peraino, who's in Jerusalem for Newsweek.Reporter's Notebook: Wider Flaws Found in Boston's Big Dig TunnelIt was conceived as a $14.6 bill engineering marvel to replace the city's central highway with an underground system. But over the course of 15 years of construction, Boston's Big Dig was fraught with trouble, from leaks and defective panels to accusations of using inferior quality concrete. On Monday, a section of tile fell and crushed a car. The driver escaped but couldn't save his wife. Joe Dwinell is assistant metro editor of the Boston Herald.