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Elections 2013 fail to have an impact on property prices

Lahore - After 5 years of stagnant market, several high-end areas of Pakistan real estate sector recorded incredible hikes in 2012. According to Data released by Zameen.com, the General Election 2013 failed to bring the property rates down in most of the posh developments in Pakistan. The portal also notices a rise in property demand in Lahore and Islamabad, where 34.45PC of the total number of visitors on the portal browsed properties in Lahore while 28.85pc of the visitors searched the pages specified for real estate developments in Islamabad. 
This strong demand pushed the property price up in some areas of Lahore and Islamabad. According to data, value of 5, 10, 20, and 40 Marla houses in all major cities of Pakistan increased 8pc during the first quarter of 2013. The real estate agents believe that the market will pick up more aggressively after the election as a lot of overseas Pakistanis will be flying back home to cast their votes.

Opinion: Election 2013; Insight From an Outsider

And so the elections in Pakistan come to an end, with slogans (read roars) of “dekho dekho kawn aaya; sher aaya, sher aaya..” But is it not the same old Lion, that has graced the land with its presence and for years together, many a time before? And the lion comes yet again, perhaps to repeat exactly what it has been doing before. Lions roar; at whom does this lion roar? It has been one of the biggest fans of ‘Aman ki Aasha’-cum-’Aman ka Tamasha’. At whom do they roar then? I hope not at Pakistanis? I hope all the ‘aasha’ the nation has associated with their Lion does not prove to be a similar ‘tamasha’?

I am not even Pakistani, and I don’t believe in democracy, and I don’t understand much of politics, especially Pakistani politics. I don’t believe in democracy because the maximum it allows you to do is to choose your own persecutors. You can choose who should get the chance to loot the nation and fill their pockets and shameface the nation worldwide. This is what democracy is all about in the subcontinent. If the ruling party is being corrupt, well, let them do it for at least five more years. But don’t worry, you can kick them out after 5 years, and assign all their duties (including corruption) to someone else. But what if those others do the same? Well, let them, too, do all they can for another 5 years. The previous government also did it, after all, and democracy guarantees equal rights for all; remember?

So the one good thing about democracy is that you can punish your persecutors, though only after 5 complete years. And we, in India, do it. When the UPA disappoints us, we elect the NDA, NDA disappoints us more, back to UPA, and so on and so forth. At least we have never been weak and meek enough to be whipped with the same whip over and again. We at least give each one of them a break – Give me a break, you know – though we know it too well that this break will never make them get a life!

But can we ever be out of this vicious circle? Hardly, because any new and promising political party is usually faced with the accusation of ‘cutting votes’. A leader of such a new party rightly replied, “It is not us that is cutting the votes; it is the UPA and the NDA that are cutting the votes of the general public!” Sadly but truly, the UPA and the NDA will continue doing that. So the only other alternative might perhaps be that someone truly popular all over the country, to the extent of being the heartthrob of all, irrespective of their political alliance, would come as an agent of change. Celebrities, be it from Bollywood or the world of Cricket, usually win in India, irrespective of political agenda or social work.

Pakistan was finally blessed with such a personality; a heartthrob who wanted to bring a change! I don’t know much about the political agenda of Imran Khan, but I have compared him at least twice with our own heartthrobs – Amitabh bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. Imran Khan for Pakistan is perhaps what Sachin Tendulkar is for India, and I couldn’t help comparing the two when the former set up his Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital. I kept wondering what charitable work our cricketers or Bollywood celebrities have done for the nation. I couldn’t help comparing him, again, with the two greatest Indian heartthrobs of all time, when I learnt that Amitabh Bachchan did not even pay his taxes, when the Bachchans gifted a luxury car to their newborn daughter on her first birthday, when Sachin Tendulkar begged for a tax concession when Michael Schumacher gifted him a Ferrari, and most shockingly, when he claimed to be an ‘actor’ instead of a ‘cricketer’ just so that he could enjoy further concessions from his taxes! All this while being the highest-earning cricketer worldwide!

Back to elections, I would have always voted for any new party, be it only because they have not looted the nation before, or maybe even just to give them, too, a chance. Remember; Democracy preaches Equality! But there are problems much deeper than Democracy even. When some people voted for General Musharraf – in the referendum done years back to decide whether he should have continued in power – just because he gave much favours to their own family members, leaving behind all their ideological differences with the person they were voting for; when Karachiites praise the MQM because ‘it made the voice of the Urdu speakers heard’, or because Karachi owes him its lights; when others vote for PPP (or PPPP now) because one of their family members had a personal share in the nation’s wealth due to being a member; when people elect the PML-N, inspite of the name of the leader featured in the party name sounding very monarchic, for the said leader’s caste or creed, or just because both their son and daughter were given laptops by Mr. Shahbaz Shareef, and because the Metro Bus Station is not only an affordable means of travel but also raises the name of Pakistan high (really?); when all this happens in a modern democracy, the problem lies within. In other words, the Constitution of the country might claim to be democratic, but the people are not.

As an Indian, aware of the challenges faced by the Muslim community in India, and weary of the modern loyalties to land, colour, creed, etc., I have been admiring the people who built their nation in the name of their Lord and their Religion, those who sacrificed their lives in order to secure their religious freedom, those who are still facing worldwide hostilities for being the one and only nation belonging to a Religion and not any other modern atheistic values. I somehow gave the benefit of a long history of wars to those Pakistanis who discriminated against me for my nationality. But as I made friends with the historical enemies of our nation, to learn their version of the story, to understand their point of the view; it was a painful realisation that Pakistanis are not just Pakistanis. They are Punjabi, or Sindhi, or Muhaajir, or Baloch. They are Pathan or Shaikh, or Siddiqui or Rajput. Urdu-speakers cannot marry Punjabis because their culture is different! How far can our prejudices go? How far can they take us? Aren’t we Muslims, and therefore equals? Weren’t we given a complete system of Law, many many centuries before Democracy, that not only taught us to be equals, but also gave us the greatest living examples of this equality? If we have not yet learnt to be Muslims, not even in 14 centuries, can we learn Democracy so soon? Wouldn’t we be better off learning and implementing Islam first, and maybe leave Democracy for those who don’t have anything better? And most importantly, wouldn’t the sense of national unity and equality be much more beneficial than the war of weapons with the neighbours?

Elections 2013: What’s in it for Karachi?

Elections 2013 are almost upon us. One week or so to go and the political campaign in Punjab and bomb blasts (if you happen tolive in Karachi) are in full swing. “Tabdeeli” (change) and “Naya Pakistan” are the buzzwords on which these elections are being contested.

In one corner we have the mighty Imran Khan who believes that his time has come and he will lead us, the masses, to pastures green which we have never seen before. On the other hand we have the Mians of Raiwand – the Sharif who claim to be the shers (lions) who saved Pakistan in its hour of need and responded to India’s five nuclear blasts by having six nuclear blasts of our own.

Some believe that Mian’s Pakistan was all set to become an Asian tiger back in the late ‘90s when general Musharraf quite crudely took power from them, a sin for which he now faces condemnation and prosecution.

Lagging somewhere behind these two political entities is our dear prince, excuse my indiscretion, our king in waiting – His Excellency, the very honourable Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of Ghari Khuda Bux, who was born for the sole purpose of ruling over us and providing us all with roti, kapra and makaan.

Daddy dearest, along with erstwhile uncles Gilani and Raja Pervez, has done such a stellar job in ensuring that democracy is the best revenge on the people that our dear Bilawal is now too afraid to be among the people which his dear grandfather Z A Bhutto was a champion at. God bless Skype and the wonders of video calling or the word of wisdoms that Bilawal utters and the mannerism which accompanies these would well and truly be lost on us.

Jokes aside, all three parties have support and should make up majority of the numbers in the next National Assembly when it is next called in to session. These three are those who will be the majority and minority in the next government which will decide the choices we as a nation make in the not so far future.

None of these parties have a major presence in Karachi and I fail to see how the issues that people of Karachi face will in anyway be resolved by the next government without any grass root support.

Karachi is a city in which the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has the most support. This has been reflected in election results post 1985. The MQM has been a part of countless governments at the federal level, yet the city’s problems remain unresolved.

Both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) have, during their campaigns, promised that they will address all of Karachi’s concerns and bring peace to the city. However, neither of these two political parties has undertaken any noteworthy political campaign in this city. Neither Imran Khan nor Mian Nawaz Sharif has held any political rallies in the city of the Quaid. Imran Khan was scheduled to address a public gathering on May 1 but that was cancelled on pretext of security.

With not much on-the-ground campaigning by PTI and/or PML-N in Karachi, neither of these parties stands to gain many seats in the city in the coming elections. This is despite the fact that Imran Khan is quite popular in quite a few constituencies across Karachi.

The youth in the city, especially in the well-to-do areas like DHA, PECHS, KDA, North Nazimabad, Gulshan is quite inclined to vote for the Bat but they need to be mobilised. This seems to be missing. On the ground leadership is required if the support is going to be turned in to votes on Election Day.

If this does not happen, which given the time left in the elections it probably would not, it is quite likely that the MQM will retain its mandate in Karachi and continue to be the representative of people of Karachi in the National Assembly in Islamabad and the Provincial Assembly in Sindh.

With the mainstream parties not actively contesting or campaigning in Karachi, the people of the city are, within their rights, allowed to enquire as to how the issues which concerns this mega city will be addressed by the political party which forms a government in Islamabad. Without any on-the-ground support in Karachi, the decisions taken by the government will become hard to enforce. The only logical solution would be for the MQM to become a part of the coalition government and side with the party which gains the most seats.

But will doing so solve Karachi’s problems?

Will the next government, formed by either PML-N or PTI, be able to work alongside MQM and address the issues which concern the largest city in Pakistan?

How will Karachi prosper and progress?

How will large scale infrastructure projects be undertaken?

These are some of the questions that I would like those destined to lead Pakistan in the next five years to answer prior to May 11, 2013. Karachi deserves answers.

Elections 2013: Some firsts gone wrong

KARACHI: 

They say you never forget your first. And a first it was, for a lot of things election related on May 11. And yet, quite sadly, to the finish line was not one they had envisaged.

The unsung warriors

This electoral round also saw the entry of several unlikely candidates, such as Hajiani Lanjo, Badam Zari, Ruqayya Hashmi and Veeru Kohli.

Lanjo, the first female candidate from Tharparkar, stated that the joy of contesting paled in comparison to the rigging and harassment she witnessed in Mithi and the surrounding areas.

“These elections are neither free nor fair. So there is nothing to celebrate,” she said with a tinge of sadness.

Similarly, Veeru Kohli, a former bonded labour running for a provincial seat in Hyderabad, claimed that many of her fellow Hindus were not allowed to vote. She specifically named PPP’s Sharjeel Memon for intimidating voters.

“The officers were pulling their [the Hindus] hair and kicking them out from the polling stations. Nearly 500 Hindu women have not been allowed to vote,” she said.

Badam Zari, the first female candidate from Bajaur Agency, said that she and her sister-in-law were the only two women at her polling station. She later found out that hundreds of women from the surrounding areas of Sherbet and Aurang had showed up to vote.

On the other hand, Ruqayya Hashmi, the sole female Shia Hazara candidate from Quetta, said she already felt victorious, as women voters’ turnout ranged from 25-45 % in most areas.

A step forward, a step back

The decision to allow transgenders, like Bindiya Rana from Karachi and Sanam Faqeer from Sukkur, to vote and contest the elections was termed a “historical leap” by many. However, Rana stated that while she was thrilled to enjoy the same position as any other Pakistani citizen, she was thoroughly disappointed by the mismanagement at the polling stations.

“There was a constant feeling of insecurity at the polling stations,” she said.

Faqeer, on the other hand, was satisfied with the election process, but said the response of the people was mixed. “While some chanted slogans in our support, there were also those who mocked our presence,” she stated.

First-timers and expats

This electoral round was also memorable because of the number of voters who exercised their rights for the first time, and those who have flown thousands of miles, just to have their voice heard.

But for 33-year-old Angbeen Shahid, who flew to Karachi from Dubai, the experience was a bust. After waiting in line for 7 hours, she was told that the voting for her constituency, NA-250, had been postponed. “All the enthusiasm and spirit I was feeling 24 hours ago has turned to anger and disappointment,” Shahid said.

Conversely, 46-year-old Zeeshan Khalique, who flew in from Singapore with his wife, said the experience was worth every penny. “It was exhilarating. I felt an immense sense of ownership over the country,” he said.

First-time voters Zohreen Lotia and Fahad Qayyum also voiced similar opinions. “The lines were endless and the heat was unbearable. But it felt like Eid and hopefully our Eidi will be a better and brighter future for Pakistan,” they said.

Musharraf’s party opts out of Elections 2013

SLAMABAD: The party of former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a barrage of legal cases over his time in power, on Friday announced it will boycott next week's historic election.

The retired general has been humiliated since returning in March from self-imposed exile to contest elections and is currently under house arrest.

A spokeswoman for the All Party Muslim League on Friday told AFP that the decision was taken after a court on Tuesday banned the former ruler from contesting elections for the rest of his life.

"We were expecting justice from courts but instead they banned Pervez Musharraf for (his) whole life," Aasia Ishaque, information secretary for the party, told AFP.

"We think that under the present election commission, conduct of free and fair election is not possible, so we have decided to boycott it," she said, adding that 170 party candidates had withdrawn.

The decision to boycott the poll will likely have little effect on the outcome of the election, as the party had drummed up very little support.

Musharraf had promised to "save" the country from militancy and economic collapse but was barred from running as a candidate over charges dating back to his 1999-2008 rule.

Musharraf is being held under house arrest over the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and for sacking judges in 2007 when he imposed emergency rule.

In addition he faces a third legal case over the 2006 death of a Baloch rebel leader and has been threatened with death by the Taliban. (AFP)

Election 2013: Tribe before party in rural campaign

SHAHBAZ KHEL: Pakistan’s two main parties may be tearing strips off each other in election campaign adverts, but in one district of the country they are united in brotherly harmony.

In Lakki Marwat district, next to the Taliban-infested badlands bordering Afghanistan, the Saifullah family are tribal leaders and wealthy industrialists who have been in politics for four generations.

The vast majority of the 330,000 registered voters are members of the Marwat tribe and locals know the Saifullah brothers as their clan elders, not for their party affiliations.

Salim Saifullah Khan is running for the national assembly for the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), favourites to win the May 11 poll, while his brother Anwar is contesting two provincial seats for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

They share a campaign base, the family house in Ghazni Khel village, they appear on campaign posters together and the slogan “Saifullah brothers” is daubed on countless walls in the district.

In this deeply traditional land of dry earth and ragged, rocky hillsides, what counts in politics is not party or policies but service and tribal kinship, and the Saifullahs are tied to the people by ancient bonds of blood and loyalty.

For Abdul Hamid Khan, an elderly voter in the village of Shahbaz Khel, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari of the PPP are unimportant.

“We don’t know Nawaz, we don’t know Zardari, we only know our khans,” he told AFP.

The family has a hugely successful group of companies and has ploughed some of its wealth back in to improving the district. A cement plant the family helped set up is the biggest single employer, providing jobs to 2,000 people.

“We are Marwat, they are our princes and we are their nation,” said Mehmood Khan Haji, another voter.

But Salim, a former cabinet minister, has a tough fight on his hands as he seeks to take over his eldest brother Humayun’s seat as he is retiring.

He is running against JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, whose conservative message plays well in the deeply pious area, where women are rarely seen in public.

“We’ve worked here for the last 80 years, my grandfather first got elected in 1936 and we have been working ever since,” Salim told AFP.

“I hope my constituents, who we have served for the last so many years, look at our services and look at his (Rehman’s) services which are negligible and hopefully will vote for me.”

Rural voters expect personal attention from their khans and Salim is pounding the trail for up to 15 hours every day to get his message across.

In Shahbaz Khel, a crucial battleground with a vote bank of around 4,500 where Salim admits he is neck and neck with Rehman, the 65-year-old is received by around 100 villagers – all men.

An elder appointed as spokesman welcomes Salim and pledges the village’s loyalty, but says the Saifullahs should do more for the people, give them more time and listen more to their grievances.

The family say the relationship with the people has changed since earlier generations. Voters’ loyalty is no longer unquestioning and they expect more from the family.

For the Saifullahs as for other wealthy dynasties that dominate rural areas, hearing personal petitions is vital to maintaining political support.

“Every morning there are hundreds of people who would like to meet us – they want jobs, they want transfers, other issues that they have, health issues, they want drinking water schemes for their area,” explained Salim.

After reminding the people of Shahbaz Khel of his family’s service and warning them of the dangers of electing an outsider like Rehman, Salim spends several hours patiently hearing the often fervent pleas of dozens of villagers.

Employment is a big concern in an area with a young and rapidly growing population and a common request is for work at the Lucky Cement plant which the Saifullahs helped found in the 1990s.

Saifullah Khan Mahsud, executive director of the FATA Research Centre think tank, said there was no question the family had helped the area, but he warned their western education and liberal lifestyle could work against them.

He said the fight between Salim and Rehman was too close to call but the brothers would probably win at least one of the seats they are contesting.

Salim’s goal before he retires is to see through a new dam on the Kurram river, which would generate 85 MW of electricity.

More importantly in an area of dusty soil, thin crops and little drinking water, the dam would help irrigate more than 200,000 acres of farmland.

“My one wish is Kurram Tangi. When I have done that I can say to people: ‘You have voted me and I have delivered’.”