Adil Najam

PIA print advertisement from the 1960s (Originally uploaded by PakPositive.com which is a blog that highlights the positives aspects of Pakistan).

Let me continue with the ‘Image Pakistan’ theme in choosing the picture for today. I find this advert for PIA absolutely fascinating; both for what it says about how PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) saw itself and how it saw Pakistan (or wanted Pakistan to be seen).

Was this the reality of Pakistan before theso-called ‘darhi wallahs’ took center stage? Or was this ‘image’ of Pakistan as much out-of-sync with the reality of what was Pakistan then, as the image of the bearded-gun-totting-bomb- throwing-jihadi-Pakistani is today?




Speaking of ‘image’ and ‘brand’ the Association of Pakistani Professionals (AOPP) has recently launched an initiative on the subject and held a thoughtful and thought-provoking event on he subject in New York on June 3. I was asked to moderate part of the program, and found the discussion to be mature, reasoned and reasonable–something we should have more of.

Adil Najam

The ‘Charter of Democracy‘ signed by former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif is already old news. This is unfortunate.

Even if it is just ‘talk’, talking about democracy can only be good for Pakistan.

I have been surprised at how few people I know who have even bothered to read the Charter. Indeed, one can excuse them. Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Sharif are not very credible when they claim to:

[Reaffirm] our commitment to undiluted democracy and universally recognised fundamental rights, the rights of a vibrant opposition, internal party democracy, ideological/political tolerance, bipartisan working of the parliament through powerful committee system, a cooperative federation with no discrimination against federating units, the decentralisation and devolution of power, maximum provincial autonomy, the empowerment of the people at the grassroots level, the emancipation of our people from poverty, ignorance, want and disease, the uplift of women and minorities, the elimination of klashnikov culture, a free and independent media, an independent judiciary, a neutral civil service, rule of law and merit, the settlement of disputes with the neighbours through peaceful means, honouring international contracts, laws/covenants and sovereign guarantees, so as to achieve a responsible and civilised status in the comity of nations through a foreign policy that suits our national interests.

Adil Najam

The ‘kujja’ picture yesterday was placed here largely inspired by the news that Pakistan now has a new Rs. 5,000 note; and rumor (denied by the State Bank) has it that we might soon also have a Rs. 10,000 note. A new Rs. 10 note was also introduced and new banknotes of Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 would be launched during the next fiscal year.

In case you are feeling nostalgic, I am attaching a photograph of a really old note with one of the new Rs. 5000 note.This is part of the process of all notes being changed to smaller, slicker, more colorful (too colorful, in my view), and supposedly more secure paper currency. It is not clear when the existing and old notes will formally cease to be, but it is very evident that they tend to get you much less off everything than they used to. And that brings us to the ‘I’ word — inflation — that has the thinking types in Pakistan very worried. Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the State Bank Governor, insists that there is nothing to worry about on that count. And, frankly, that makes me even more worried.