Hype in the media is really now the only way to catch people’s attention. A private channel carried on an extensive teaser campaign for weeks recently with visuals of the teeming populace on one side and a suggestive line to the effect that somebody is coming written under them! I thought to myself that perhaps, being media, they know far more than the average citizen and are tipping us off on a change in the corridors of power or some such related information which they are privy to. It transpired that it was only hype about a new programme. While we do have our TV show preferences, I definitely think that the channel overdid its campaign to the point of misleading.
Especially because there is a continuous buzz in the capital that something may just give and we should continue to sit with our seatbelts on. And the new awaited knight or even knights will not be mere anchors of some programme or the other! All the analysts and their aunts have been suggesting to the SC that they should let the new PM breathe easy a bit because in their opinion we will not be able to sustain another dismissal or a shock to the system, so to speak. However, the SC has really done away with all the frills and has asked the PM to report back in 13 days with a mission accomplished statement or face ‘appropriate action’. This, despite the hurriedly passed new contempt of court law in Parliament as well as the Senate.
It is becoming clearly evident that there is no eye to eye on some key issues between these two important pillars of state. While a delay in elections will favour the PPP (with our famous inability for retaining lessons learnt) and short-term elections will favour PTI and PML-N, it is a fervent hope that the general elections will be called soon.
The appointment of Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim as CEC is a decision that is like a breath of fresh air in a really stale environment and augurs well for the fairness of the exercise at least, whenever it takes place. Thank God for the fact that there still exist in this country a few odd honest and upright people about whom everybody is in agreement. They are, alas, a vanishing breed!
The Dr Juma Khan evidence in the ephedrine scandal is adding to all the pointers at Ali Musa Gilani, son of former Prime Minister, being a party to the case. So, while Ali Musa continues to duck as the noose gets tighter, his brother continues to solicit his father’s vacant seat in Parliament from their city of Multan. Abdul Qadir’s projected win from this constituency on July 19 will not depict the preference of the people, who will make a definite and big statement when it is time for the general elections. Until then, the Gilanis are on a roll much like the couplet by Iqbal:
“Jahan mai ahle imaan surat-e-khurshid jeetay hain,
    Idhar dubey, udhar niklay, udhar dubey, idhar niklay!”
A visitor from Washington recently also disclosed that while Sherry Rehman is our current Ambassador to America certainly, the previous one continues to enjoy a lot of clout and can get many things done for his friends, vide our Embassy there still, because of his close and cosy terms with the powers that be at home. Coming back as he promised the courts does not seem an option for him and he appears quite content to remain udhar niklay after the idhar dubey bit!
There is news that the new PM is having a helipad built at his home in a city not too distant from Rawalpindi. I, for one, do not disapprove the idea at all if it means less hold up of traffic on the roads while he commutes. Life in all our cities comes to a standstill as we know all too well when there is a blighted ‘VIP’ movement! The only thing to worry about is the fact that the helipad may not be even fully ready to land or take off from before the PM is whisked off the helicopter of power by factors out of his control!
Postscript: I wanted to comment on a marketing ploy currently being used by a cellular company of giving out two tickets daily for Umrah to two winners in a lucky draw. I wonder if it is appropriate to exploit religious sentiments to increase sales. There is also the strange fact that this country has the highest percentage of mobile phone users in the world! This is apart from being the largest charity givers while being one of the most poverty-ridden countries. I suppose these are the odd paradoxes which make Pakistan vibrant and viable despite its huge sea of problems. I would also like to share a quotable quote about the incident of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s pocket being picked at the DPC jalsa. Here goes:
“Chand tasweerain buttan,
Chand agencion kai khatoot,
Baad katney kai meri,
Jaib sai samaan nikla!”

   The writer is a public relations and event management professional based in Islamabad.
    Email: tallatazim@yahoo.com