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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (45412)	1/2/2004 7:41:45 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50167

Morning Good Readers, it's 2.00am here and I'm in Lahore, which is the pearl of the Punjab. My writing only limits the breadth and diversity of the land of the pure. In a way this has reinforced my identity but furthermore made me more perplexed as what it is exactly that defines Pakistan. Last night living it down at a GT (get together) where half the guys were taking hash (the resin of the marijuana plant) and the rest dancing with the girls to some rap made me astounded as to the ways of the Pakistani elite. People to the core of their opinions are anti-America but this trip has only reinforced my conviction as to the extent that the American imperialism has coopted the third world. The desire to get into the prosperity cycle has consumed so many Pakistanis that minor political disputes such as the Iraq war pale in comparison to the middle class urge to upgrade from RC Cola (the poor man's cola) to Coke Cola. Global brands have proliferated to such an extent in the trimuvirate of the Pakistani cities (Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad-Pindi) that the battle of the fast food franchises is now the talk of the town. The Pakistani consumer has become so sophisticated so as to discern between Nando's and Subway (which is failing because of cultural inhibitions towards cold food in Pakistan) or KFC and Pizza Hut. Pakistan's top jar is rapidly Westernising and the globalising drive, the inherent need to afford the rampant materialistic desires seeping in from the first world, has become the priority. This is not a nation on the verge of Talibanisation for the plains of Pubjab need the woman to sow the crops and tend the flocks whereas the rugged mounts of the Hindu Kush did not have any such demands on it's women. This is a society fissioned by the different continental plates, truly "Middle Asia". Islamic values cohere the society, Indian popular culture permeates entertainment and Western ideas flow to contribute to the cacophany of images, cultures and peoples that lends credence to the idea of Pakistan as historically a syncretic nation. I have been talking of my own narrow prism but I would venture forward and hazard that this is an inherently stable society. The martial races have been subdued and integrated by martial law and there is a general consensus towards building the nation. Ties are acknowledged across the border but as my visit yesterday to Wagah border confirmed we collectively as a nation respect and acknowledge the iron nature and permanence of the division. There is a social structure in Pakistan naturally but the inherent egalitarianism found in Islam ameliorates to an extent and allows people to co-exist in a fundamentally unfair soceity where the sons of the elite race in their mercs whilst their drivers cry silently in their hearts for mothers lost to cancer. Pakistan is indeed in a stage of transition in that it is finding the right balance of Islam between the one extreme of intolerance that arises from too much religiousity and the other that leads to social instability. Islam provides respect, faith and generally a patronage system where the extreme inequalities of wealth are somewhat avoided by personal upkeep and donation to the mosque. People assume Pakistan is volatile, that may be so but they forget the binds that hold this society together. Muti-faceted to say the least but at the same held together by mutual co-dependencies of master-servant, ethnic cornubations and religious affiliations. I will write more as this is but a mere first draft for the moment. Zack

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (45412)	1/2/2004 6:49:07 PM
From: NickSE	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50167

Ike, any chance you see this happening? US wants India and Pakistan to give up nukes by Iftikhar Gilani dailytimes.com.pk NEW DELHI: In the run-up to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, the United States is pushing India and Pakistan to sign an agreement declaring South Asia a nuclear-free region. For the past week, US officials in Washington have been briefing South Asian diplomats, particularly from smaller nations, to pressure India and Pakistan to sanitise the region from nuclear arsenal. Quoting officials in Washington, The Telegrah reported that the proposal had become very urgent following conclusions by American non-proliferation officials that Pakistan sold nuclear secrets a decade and a half ago to Iran - a country defined by President George W Bush as part of the “axis of evil”. Piqued a newspaper article by questioning the government for interrogating top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and other scientists, President Pervez Musharraf lamented before a gathering of newspaper publishers that he was not in a position to tell what these scientists have done. The Americans believe that they cannot unilaterally demand a rollback by Pakistan without asking India to do so also. One American non-proliferation official told the newspaper last week that Washington has “absolutely no problems” with India’s record of export controls or of non-proliferation involving the Third World countries. But the official acknowledged that forcing Pakistan to give up nuclear weapons while allowing India to keep them would be tantamount to pronouncing a death sentence on Mr Musharraf politically and perhaps otherwise. On account of the intense pressure from Washington on this score, Mr Musharraf found it necessary to tell Pakistanis on Monday that “there is no pressure whatsoever on me to roll back the nuclear and missile programme, we are not rolling back, there is no question, these are our national interests and only a traitor will think of rolling back”. Mr Musharraf has been forced in the last few days to take several steps, which would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. To start with, about a fortnight ago, Mr Musharraf ordered the removal of giant replicas of Pakistan’s nuclear capable missiles to tone down the country’s nuclear and missile profile. US officials have told South Asian diplomats that what they would like to see is an agreement among countries in the region on the lines of the Treaty of Tlatelolco. The Americans are likely to work on India through Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, all of which have voted at the UN in favour of creating a nuclear weapons-free zone in South Asia.

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (45412)	1/7/2004 1:51:34 PM
From: JEB	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

;-) ...point well made! ...btw, ...hungry? Try this: Prawns in Spicy Coconut Sauce Yield: 1 servings Ingredients 14 oz Canned coconut milk 8 Dried, red chile peppers * 2 ts Cumin seeds 2 ts Coriander seeds 1 ts Turmeric 1 tb Grated fresh ginger 6 Garlic cloves, minced 5 tb Peanut oil 1 lg Onion, thinly sliced Salt 1 lb Prawns, shelled, deveined * seeded or partially seeded (reduce or increase amount for a milder or spicier flavor Directions Do yourself a favor and use canned coconut milk in this recipe. It's a heck of a lot easier and probably better than what you would produce using a fresh coconut. Process the grated fresh coconut or the desiccated coconut with 3 1/2 cups hot water in a food processor. Drape a piece of folded cheesecloth over a bowl and pour the coconut mixture into the cheesecloth. Strain the liquid, squeezing the pulp to extract as much milk as possible. This is thick coconut milk; set aside. Pour 2 1/2 cups hot water over the coconut in the cheesecloth and squeeze to extract more milk into another bowl. This second extract is thin coconut milk. Set aside. If you are using canned coconut milk, skip this step and proceed with the recipe. Grind the chile peppers, cumin and coriander seeds in a spice grinder and set aside. Process the thick coconut milk (or canned coconut milk) with the ground spices, turmeric, ginger and garlic; set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy, shallow pan. Add the onions and cook until the edges begin to turn almost reddish brown (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently. Add the coconut-spice mixture and cook until the liquid evaporates and oil separates from the paste. Cook this paste for 10 more minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the reserved thin coconut milk (or 2 cups water, if you have used canned coconut milk) and let simmer until reduced to a creamy sauce. Add salt to taste. Stir the prawns into the sauce and cook a few minutes until the prawns are just cooked. (Be careful not to overcook). Serve with steamed rice. Grated fresh coconut: Pierce the eyes of a fresh coconut and drain off the liquid. Put the coconut in a preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes. Break it open with a hammer and separate the meat from the hard shell in large pieces. Break the pieces into smaller ones and, using a vegetable peeler, peel the brown skin off the meat. Grate the coconut meat in a food processor.