With Pakistanis embracing social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, it was only a matter of time before our politicians also went online.

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Pakistani security officials in Peshawar on Oct. 21 carry the coffins of paramilitary Frontier Constabulary members who were killed in an attack in the Shalobar area of Bara Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. At least 34 alleged militants and three soldiers were killed during a clash along the Afghan border in northwestern Pakistan. The fighting occurred in a stronghold of the Lashkar-e-Islam militant group.

Matiullah Achakzai / EPA

Arshad Butt / AP

 

People mourn next to the body of a relative at a hospital in Quetta, Oct. 4. Suspected Sunni extremists opened fire on Shiite Muslims traveling through southwestern Pakistan.

 

 

K.m. Chaudary / AP

 

A supporter holds a poster of Mumtaz Qadri, the confessed killer of a liberal Pakistani governor, during a rally to condemn the court decision against Qadri on Oct. 1 in Lahore. A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced Qadri to death for the killing of Salman Taseer, a murder that led to fears the country was buckling under the weight of extremism. Taseer was an outspoken critic of the country’s “blasphemy laws.”
Angry demonstrations broke out in Pakistan after a court on Saturday convicted and sentenced a police officer to death for the killing of a liberal governor.

Aamir Qureshi / AFP – Getty Images

 

Residents gather at the site of a blast in Islamabad, Sept. 29, that ripped through the top floor of a hotel building in Islamabad, injuring at least six people. City police chief Bani Amin said the cause of the blast appeared “to be a gas cylinder” that was still leaking at the Citi Hotel in the Blue Area, a bustling district of shops and restaurants.

Athar Hussain / Reuters

 

Supporters of the Pakistan People’s Party wave flags during an anti-American rally near the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Sept. 27. Pakistan, facing a crisis in relations with the United States, appears to be seeking more support from China.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banaras Khan / AFP – Getty Images

 

Shiite Muslims shout slogans as they carry coffins during a funeral ceremony for those killed in an attack in Quetta on Sept. 21. Gunmen shot dead 26 Pakistani Shiite pilgrims traveling to Iran on Sept. 20, the deadliest attack on the minority community in Pakistan for more than a year. In a brutal assault, gunmen ordered pilgrims off their bus, lined them up and shot them. Two weeks later, a similar incident left 13 dead.
Suspected Sunni extremists shot 13 Shiite Muslims to death execution-style after ordering them off a bus and lining them up Tuesday in southwestern Pakistan, ramping up a campaign of sectarian violence that has exposed Islamabad’s inability to protect minorities.

Pervez Masih / AP

 

Displaced Pakistanis try to hand over their identity cards to get permits for relief at an office in Tando Mohammad Khan near Hyderabad, Sept, 29. Flooding killed scores of people, destroyed some 665,000 homes and displaced nearly 1.8 million people in Sindh province.

 

Athar Hussain / Reuters

 

 

Athar Hussain / Reuters

Residents peer past a cloth barrier raised to cordon off the scene of a suicide bomb attack in Karachi on Sept. 19. At least eight people were killed, including six policemen, after a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the home of a senior police official in Pakistan’s commercial center, Karachi.
At least eight people were killed, including six policemen, after a Taliban suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car into the home of a senior police official in Pakistan’s commercial hub Karachi on Monday.

A. Majeed / AFP – Getty Images

 

Pakistani firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire after a bomb blast at a market in Peshawar on Sept. 19. The bomb killed at least five people and wounded 28 others at a market selling CDs.

 

 

 

Dear Zardari,

Came as soon as heard the news. Ah, unkind fate, you spin webs in which even spiders would become entangled. Ambition thwarted is cruel indeed. Man can scheme all his life, think he has taken care of all that stands between him and absolute power, and then find all that he has labored for disappear in a twinkle of an eye …

I decry the injustice and sympathize with you. I was also dealt with rather harshly on a certain matter of principle, a very long time ago, actually before time began. Obviously differences of opinion are not tolerated anywhere, especially by a very demanding boss.

One can take care of a meddlesome brother in law, see off a wife who has come uncomfortably close to the truth, buy off all and sundry, but what can one do when the fates decide to have a little fun, and the spirits come calling!

Old friend, I would never be rude enough to repeat what is now an open secret. Let’s not use language of the streets. Let’s just say that you are presently mentally challenged. And that gives me hope because I know you love challenges. I know you will fight the good fight. What do they know, who snicker behind your back, that how it feels when the spirits began to whisper to you uncomfortable truths, when the line between past and present becomes ever blurred, and the dead confront the living.

Mr. Zardari, note the formality , now that you are now being visited by the demons of your past, time to take stock perhaps of your options? Especially now that the articles 6 and 47 of the constitution of Pakistan beckon…

Unfortunately one of the terms of my plea bargain, under duress, stated that I could only advise human beings on a suitable course of action. Dictation or indication of a course of action was a definite no-no. Oh, how I wish lawyers had been invented at that time. Could have cut a much better deal. Anyhow I will tender advice and let you choose your own path.

As you well know article 6 deals with high treason as stated in sub clause (1). For individuals who have or have attempted to abrogate, subvert, suspend or hold in abeyance the constitution. The good news is, you have definitely not lost all your marbles because I just saw you shiver. Fear can only arise from comprehension of danger. You are in your senses enough to know then that high treason is a crime which, in Pakistan, is only committed by civilians. All your military dictators have remained and will remain immune to this clause. And it can have very permanent sort of consequences…

No million dollar lecture tours, no interviews on CNN or BBC, no nice semi-retirement in Dubai, or granting of interviews to rather charming reporters. A short trial, a long rope, a short drop, and it’s all over in three simple steps. And then a rather lavish mausoleum in either Nawab Shah or Garhi Khuda Baksh. Your choice of course, though I would recommend Nawab Shah as it never does to be too close to the in-laws

And in case you were wondering why are Rehman Malik and Farooq Naik not calling on you anymore allow me to draw your kind attention to subsection (b), which has the magic words aiding and abetting. They may be idiots but they are definitely not mad. At least not at this point of time. Ha, no swinging buddies these two!

And while we are all fascinated by the latest fancy gadgets, please remind Mr. Haqqani that BlackBerry texts are for amateurs. A whisper or two in the right ears works every time; and so very romantic…sigh!

Now if I may draw your attention to section 47. This one is positively benign compared to what we have just discussed. I am glad that you would have noticed there is a possibility of a second career here, which, if I may remind you, was very visibly absent in the first one unless you were thinking of becoming a mummy.

Sub section (1) straight away delves in the rather touchy subject of removal of a President on the grounds of physical and mental incapacity. And if this was not frightening enough it continues, so unfashionably, in the same section to mention impeachment for violating the constitution or gross misconduct.

So as far as I can see, the ISI wallas have you nicely trussed and stuffed up. I would seriously advise against trying to put up a resistance. These guys are mean. The mental incapacity could be very rapidly transformed into a physical one also.

My advice to you is to accept fate, and do as you are told, and live to fight another day. Please note my emphasis on the word live – a docile President or Ex. is at least breathing.

I would advise you to seriously consider this option .. and do remember what happened previously when you acted as your rather limited intelligence dictated .. having your brother in law bumped off in such crude manner was bad enough , but to facilitate the removal of such a charming lady .. beyond words .. certainly not my style throughout the ages .. my friend women are my tools for driving men mad with desire .. they rule the imagination !!

Spite never did anyone any good. Revenge needs purpose otherwise it is mere foolishness. Told you often enough that what women cherish is respect. The rather old fashioned village macho man preferred methods of yours were unlikely to impress a village dame let alone such a cultured individual. Anyway we all learn except that in your case there is now no need for further learning of any kind.

I beg leave now. I wish you luck in this, the twilight zone between sanity and insanity. How long you stay here depends on how much of a good mood are the creatures of your imagination. Answer their questions truthfully and there is hope still. The checkout is open at all times and you have enough credit with me to last several lifetimes. However you do remember the last line’s from my favorite song , don’t you? Here listen to this:

“Relax,” said the night man, “We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!”

Yours truly

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari was hospitalised in Dubai for medical checkups, complaining of heart pains on Tuesday.

According to the sources, doctors have advised the President to remain in the hospital for a night.

President Zardari went to Dubai along with the team of his family physicians for extensive medical checkups.

Earlier, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar had told media that the president had gone to Dubai along with his team of doctors for an extensive medical examination.

He added that before his departure, President Zardari on Tuesday had separate meetings with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chairman Senate Farooq H Naik, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

What are the consequences of Zulfiqar Mirza’s diatribe for the PPP, Sindh and the crises-ridden state of Pakistan?

Zulfiqar Mirza’s diatribe will be damaging to the PPP’s policy of reconciliation and to democracy itself.

The timing of Mirza’s flaming disclosures lends credence to the rumours that the doctor may prove to be a game-changer.

Let’s show our government and each other what being a nation really means.

Is there any hope at all for Karachi and its beleaguered residents?