Hamid Mir is the Executive Editor of Geo TV in Islamabad and he has also interviewed Osama bin Laden, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, General Pervaiz Musharraf, Hamid Karzai, L K Advani and other international leaders. Germany will help Pakistan to solve the financial crisis
ISLAMABAD: German Deputy Chancellor and Foreign Minister Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that Germany is committed to solving the economic and financial crisis faced by Pakistan, and long-term friends of Pakistan, like Germany, would like to make a concerted contribution to the country’s economic and political stabilisation. In an exclusive interview to The News, the German foreign minister also said militancy in Pakistan could be reduced by providing jobs to uneducated youth of the troubled areas. “You will not stop al-Qaeda by drilling a well, but you might help reduce militant opposition if you provide job prospects to the young and uneducated in the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said.- Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Islamabad: I was very close to Marriott Hotel and reached the spot within a few minutes of the terrible blast.
By that time only a few police constables from the nearby Frontier House and Balochistan House were trying to rescue the drivers who got killed sitting in their cars parked outside the hotel on Aga Khan Road.
The road was in complete darkness since the intensity of the blast had destroyed all the street lights. Hearing some cries coming from the rubble of the Marriott entrance, I rushed there with another journalist colleague.
ISLAMABAD: In a rare interview on the eve of her father becoming the next president of Pakistan, the politically active 18-year-old Bakhtawar has revealed the existence of a political plan her mother had written a few days before her assassination.
She revealed to me in Islamabad that before her death, Benazir Bhutto had written a political plan, in her own handwriting, which Bakhtawar accidentally found in her purse after her mother's death. “Removal of Musharraf was the first point in the plan. There are many more,” she said.
Bakhtawar says her father is determined to implement all the points written by Benazir in her political plan. The excited daughter of Benazir is planning to raise the slogan of ‘Jeay Bhutto’ in the presidency when her father Zardari takes oath as the strongest man in the country.
ISLAMABAD: August 19 was a unique day in the life of Musharraf. It was his first day without power after nine years. The day started with a breakfast with his family. He was relaxed because there was no hurry of going to the office on time.
Musharraf doesn’t have any office after 44 years. But he has not given up--instead he was pretty sure that he would get one soon.
He still hopes that a situation will be created in the coming weeks when he will get a chance to play a political role. He wants to prove that he can play a role even without a uniform.
Islamabad August 8, 2008-The Ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League (N) leaders have decided to make new history. President Pervez Musharraf is not welcome any more in any government function. The Ruling Coalition wants him to become the first ever non-functional President in the history of Pakistan. Verbal orders have been issued to all the federal government departments and also to the four provincial governments not to invite the President of Pakistan for the opening of any ceremony.
ISLAMABAD: The deadlock between the local Taliban and government will soon be over with the release of kidnapped ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin, according to sources.
The Taliban will release the kidnapped ambassador as a goodwill gesture and they will restart their negotiations with the government officials in a few days. The talks between the Taliban and the government officials were suspended a few days ago due to the continued presence of the Army in the tribal areas. Informed sources are not hopeful of any breakthrough in the coming round of talks due to the absence of leadership of the main political parties. It was learnt that Baitullah Mehsud wanted Nawaz Sharif to become a part of the negotiations due to his role in implementing the Bhurban Declaration.
Pakistan's new Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani is famous as 'Mr No' in his Pakistan Peoples Party.
It was widely speculated that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will ask Gillani to quit after three months after Zardari becomes a member of the national assembly through a by-election.
But Zardari has rejected speculation and said that the Makhdoom from Multan will be the prime minister for five years.
President Pervez Musharraf cannot afford to hold a fair and free election on February 18 in Pakistan. That is why rigging in the forthcoming election is the virtual writing on the wall.
In a recent interview, Musharraf claimed that Pakistan would have the Mother of all Elections on February 18, but many observers think it will be the mother of all poll riggings. Why will Musharraf rig the elections in spite of his tall claims of free and fair polls? Because Musharraf will not survive if the Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League of Nawaz Sharif get two third majority in the next National Assembly.