Fraz Ali

Opinionated... but all opinions are personal.. RTs are not endorsements. following doesn't mean support. Twitter is for catharsis...

[Michael Kugelman @MichaelKugelman]

Pakistan’s mediation of the Iran deal presents it with an opportunity to capitalize on its newfound global prominence and to expand its footprint in the world. But this will involve hard work, both abroad and at home.
This week for @ForeignPolicy: https://t.co/6DsGzFU133

[Nadeem Haque @nadeemhaque]

A Typical DMG Career: The Quiet Ladder

Young Ahmed clears the CSS exam and enters the Civil Services Academy in Lahore. For two years he lives inside a pressure cooker of lectures, drills, and endless networking. His batch quickly forms tight “tribes” — lifelong alliances that will decide postings, favours and promotions for decades. This tribe or family will stay in power for the next 30+ years

After the academy he spends three hard years in the field as Assistant Commissioner: revenue courts, law-and-order crises, angry crowds and politicians. The district teaches him how Pakistan actually runs.

By his mid-thirties the system rewards the sharp ones. Eighty percent of ambitious officers secure scholarships to Harvard, Oxford, LSE or similar. Ahmed returns with a foreign degree, polished English and a valuable international contact book. He is now fully westernized and indirectly wired to take debt and follow western consultants

Back home he hunts “project” postings. Many move to donor-funded programmes — World Bank, ADB, FCDO, USAID — either on deputation or full secondment. The salary is better, the work cleaner, the reports international. No matter if more debt is required. Not his problem. Besides the consultants give him clean advice that he learnt at Harvard etc

By now he has also secured a spacious GOR house in Lahore that, with the right connections, he will not vacate for the next thirty or forty years.

A few years later he angles for an overseas slot: Commercial or Economic Counsellor in an embassy, or a position at the WTO or some other such agency.

After three to five rewarding years abroad he returns as Joint or Additional Secretary. With luck he reaches full Secretary rank, controlling large budgets and key policies.

In these golden years he quietly but aggressively cultivates donor representatives. Conferences, study tours and quiet dinners build the bridge.

When retirement arrives — or even early retirement — consulting contracts, advisory roles and well-paid door-opener positions appear. Donors need exactly these men: insiders who know every file, every approval route and every decision-maker.

What should we expect? A highly internationalised bureaucracy whose career incentives are shaped as much by foreign aid ecosystems as by national interest.

Who do they ultimately serve? The Government of Pakistan on paper; the revolving door of donors and multilateral organisations in practice.

Conflict of interest? Significant and largely unaddressed.

This is why experts like Stefan Dercon remain in high demand. For a few hundred million pounds over the years, Britain and other donors have built deep influence inside Pakistan’s elite bureaucracy. The system is not “owned,” but it is skilfully rented.

[Hamid Mir حامد میر @HamidMirPAK]

بیروت کے علاقے شتیلا میں فلسطینی شہدا کے قبرستان میں ایک ایسا شخص دفن ہے جس نے مولانا محمد علی جوہر کی بیت المقدس میں تدفین کا اہتمام کیا جس نے علامہ اقبال کی بیت المقدس میں میزبانی کی جس کے کہنے پر قائداعظم نے اسرائیل کو تسلیم کرنے سے انکار کیایہ عظیم شخصیت مفتی امین الحسینی تھے

[Nadeem Haque @nadeemhaque]

Golf in Pakistan: Most subsidized “sport” — zero competitive edge
51+ official courses (claims up to 200, many military/govt on prime public land).

Membership? PKR 3M+ for Defence Raya — but peanuts for the gatekeeper elite (judges, bureaucrats, army brass & rent-seekers).

Colonial hangover deal-making clubs only. Youngsters banned. No real competition. No champions ever.

Just elite networking on taxpayer-subsidized land.

Embarrassing waste.

[Rizwan Ghilzai (Remembering Arshad Sharif) @rizwanghilzai]

میں بطور صحافی کہتا ہوں کہ 2018 کے الیکشن کا کوئی بھی حلقہ کھولیں اور 2024 کے الیکشن کا صرف ایک حلقہ کھولیں، نواز شریف کا حلقہ کھول لیں کہانی سامنے آجائے گی، حبیب اکرم

[axhiiiiii @Abhishek88548]

Student arrives 2 minutes late, misses NEET exam; daughter breaks down in tears outside the center; father says they traveled 70 km and encountered rain along the way.

Education System 💩💩

[Dr. Shahbaz GiLL @SHABAZGIL]

عمران خان کی حکومت ہیں انکو مہنگائی سے مسلہ تھا۔ آجکل مسلے اور ہیں۔

[Asad @EYounaan32770]

Sanskrit evolved in Pakistan, not India. Grammarian of Sanskrit, Panini was born in a village near Swabi, Pakistan. He taught in Taxila University, which is also in Pakistan. Sanskrit died 600 years before word India was coined. Word India also originated from a Pakistani river

[Jimmy Virk - Imranian 🇵🇰 @JimmyVirkk]

🚨🚨امریکہ نے ایران کے تیل اور پیٹروکیمکلز کی فروخت اور ایکسپورٹس سے پابندیاں ہٹا لی ہیں۔

اب پاکستان کو چاہیے فورا ایران سے ڈسکاؤنٹ پر تیل اور پیٹروکیمکلز خریدنے کا معاہدہ کرے تا کہ عوام کو ثالثی کا فائدہ پہنچے۔

اس کے بعد امریکی صدر ٹرمپ سے قربت کا فائدہ اٹھاتے ہوئے ایرانی گیس کی خریداری پر sanction waivers لیں جیسے ترکی اور عراق نے لی ہوئی تھیں اور ایران سے گیس خرید رہے تھے (اگر ساری پابندیاں اٹھ گئیں تو waivers کی ضرورت ہی نہيں پڑے گی)۔ اس کے بعد فوری گیس پائپ لائن مکمل کریں۔ ایران کی طرف سے مکمل ہے۔ اور پاکستان کی پیاسی انڈسٹری کو ایرانی گیس کی سپلائی شروع کریں تا کہ اکانومی بہتر ہو، عوام کے لئے روزگار کے مواقع پیدا ہوں اور پاکستان کی ایکسپورٹ دنیا میں competitive ہوں جو ابھی نہيں ہیں۔

[Maleeha Hashmey @MaleehaHashmey]

SIXER !! 😂😂😂😂

[Abdul Basit @abasitpak1]

India is building Chenab-Beas link in violation of Indus Waters Treaty. The IWT prohibits inter-basin transfer of water. Blatant violations under the garb of “holding in abeyance”. India doesn’t give a damn about its international obligations.

[Hina Rabbani Khar @HinaRKhar]

Remarkable that a renaming would send some country s assessment of its relevance even prestige into a tailspin. Terrible place to be in for your national pride & relevance to be linked to the U.S. renaming its command to its original name. Would not wish this mindset on a neighbour.
We should all resist the temptation of falling victim to seeking relevance or importance through ‘framing’ and ‘narrative shaping’ or playing on fear of emerging rivals. Perhaps better to let our relevance or importance be defined by the choices we make. Truly hope that this region will see a time when it rids itself of deniers of geography.

[Ahmad Noorani @Ahmad_Noorani]

کھیلوں کے حوالے سے یہ سال یادگار تھا۔

بے نظیر بھٹو پاکستان کی وزیراعظم تھیں۔ پاکستان کرکٹ اور اسکوائش کا عالمی چیمپئن تھا۔ اس ہاکی فائنل سے کچھ دن پہلے محمد یوسف نے پاکستان کو اسنوکر کا بھی عالمی چیمپئن بنوا دیا تھا۔ اور پھر اس دن پاکستان چار اہم سپورٹس کا عالمی چیمپئن بن گیا۔

[Khawaja Saad Rafique @KhSaad_Rafique]

آواز ِ دروں —•—

سقوط ِ مشرقی پاکستان کو محض بھارتی سازش قرار دیکر حقائق سے آنکھیں چرانے کی بجاۓ اپنی غلطیوں کا ادراک کر لیا جاتا تو آج کا پاکستان مستحکم ، خوشحال اور آئینی جمہوری ریاست بن چکا ھوتا ۔۔۔

خیبر پختونخواہ ، بلوچستان اور آزاد جموں و کشمیر میں جاری بے چینی ھماری غیر ذمہ داری ، ، ایڈھاک ازم پر مبنی پالیسیوں ، اشرافیہ کے مفادات کے مسلسل تحفظ ، لوٹ مار اور جینوئن جمہوری عمل روکنے کا رد عمل ھیں

غیر جمہوری مائینڈسیٹ ، موقع پرست سیاست اور نظریۂِ ضرورت پر مبنی نظام ِ عدل کی بد اعمالیاں سارا پاکستان بھگت رھا ھے

مرضی کی حکومتیں بنانے ، بات نہ ماننے والی حکومتیں بگاڑنے، حسب ضرورت سیاسی جماعتیں جنم دینے اور پھر انھیں ختم کر دینے ، نااھل لیکن من پسند افراد کو ملک پر مسلط کرنیکا نتیجہ آج ھماری آنکھوں میں آنکھیں ڈالے سامنے کھڑا ھے ۔۔

ھمارے دشمن نے اس صورتحال کا بھرپور فائدہ اٹھایا ھے اور یہی دشمنی کا تقاضا تھا ۔۔

آج کہیں مسلح شورش ھے اور کہیں جتھوں کی حکمرانی

کہیں ناقابل قبول مطالبات ھیں کہیں ناقابل ِ عمل خواھشات کا انبار ---

ایسے میں ٹوٹکے نہیں تدبر ، ھمت اور جمہوری رویے ھی کام آتے ھیں

سیاسی قوتوں کو تسلیم کرکے آگے بڑھا جاۓ ، طاقت اور سیاست کا امتزاج راستہ بنا سکتا ھے !

سیاستدان اکٹھے نہ ھوۓ تو خاکم بدھن نئے سانحات جنم لے سکتے ھیں ۔۔

[Yasser Latif Hamdani @theRealYLH]

That epic over - etched forever in our memories. Thank you @wasimakramlive

[Kashif Mateen Ansari @kashifmateenpk]

The IMF is not Pakistan’s biggest problem.

Our real problem is that every government wants IMF money without touching the real problems :

untaxed privilege,
energy losses,
SOE bleeding,
elite exemptions,
and a tax system built on easy targets.

[The STRATCOM Bureau @OSPSF]

Rumors are swirling that Ithe Indian Army Chief, General Upendra Dwivedi refused to salute CDS General N.S. Raja Subramani, saying he still considers him as his junior. The new CDS had served under the current COAS but was superseded due to his junior's closeness to NSA Ajit Doval and BJP-RSS circles!

Gen Dwivedi who was commissioned a year before Gen Subramani, and now gets a taste of Supersession!

Gen Subramani was his Vice Chief for nearly a year but is now the CDS and senior to him. So he becomes the First Superseded COAS.

Reportedly, General Dwivedi has even warned to Resign from the Indian Army, after a Heated Argument with CDS General Raja Subramani on this Matter.

This Incident is enough to Expose the Internal Rift and Hierarchy issues the Indian Armed Forces.

[Middle Eastern Affairs @OpsHQs]

The Israeli ambassador to Europe is protesting the spread of this image. Let it spread all over the world. 🌍🔥"

[Call Sign ~ Romeo @induspecter]

The fact is, Gulf has never been a consistently reliable partner for Pakistan in times of trouble. They always act like arrogant B@$t@rd$ when it comes to Pakistan; seeking their own interest. Hugging Modi just to belittle Pakistan, using visa policy as a tool to blackmail us.

[Pravin Sawhney @PravinSawhney]

Retirement of Upendra Dwivedi as the army chief on June 30 is both bad & good news for him.
Bad, because he tried very hard to become the CDS. Sadly, he did not realise that closeness to the NSA was the only qualification for the post.
Good, because now he can scream to his heart's content how he would have altered Pakistan's geography & history in Sindoor.2. No one will now give a damn to his nonsense.
Upendra hugely downgraded the seriousness of his office by such stupid utterance. He sounded more like a politician than a military commander who had done his war appreciation!