Zardari wants Bilalwal to become a Sufi Saint

President Asif Ali Zardari plans to spend a considerable time to “monasticize” his son Bilawal, who heads the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as chairman, as he returns home in September after finishing his studies at Oxford University.

“He also requires to know about Makhdoom Bilawal Samo, Baba Bulleh Shah, Shah Bhatai and other Sufi saints, especially he must learn about Makhdoom Samo on whose name me and BB sahiba have named him. It was a desire of BB sahiba that Bilawal follows Makhdoom Samo and become a Sufi” Zardari said according to a visitor to the Presidency. Recently, the Presidency announced that Bilawal would not be given any political responsibility in the PPP in near future.

Before taking up his political role, Bilawal, accompanied by PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badr, would visit Tibet, China. The main agenda of his tour is to visit Budhist monasteries and meet monks to learn different arts of meditation.

Sources said that the President is very impressed with the political influence of different political "Makhdooms", like Ameen Fahim, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Shah Mahmood, Javed Hashmi, and Faisal Saleh Hayat etc. And wishes that his son will also enjoy the same following once he becomes a Sufi saint.

IMF cyber-attack is a case of French Revenge

The International Monetary Fund, the inter-governmental group that oversees the global financial system and brings together 187 member nations, has become the latest known target of a significant cyber attack. It has been suspected that the furious French supports of former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn might have launched this assault on IMF for taking revenge for his humiliating exit.

The whole France feels dishonored after the Strauss-Kahn episode. Because the plea proceedings were carried live on French TV, and his lawyers were swift to paint his plea as some sort of grandiose proof of his innocence in and of itself.  "He pleaded not guilty," his lawyer said afterwards, assign, "That is a very eloquent, powerful statement that he made that denies the charges." 

In such an atmosphere, there are a lot of chances that some angry supporters and sympathizers of Strauss-Kahn might have decided to take revenge from IMF for his humiliating exit.

"It was a targeted attack," said Tom Kellerman, who has worked for both the Washington-headquartered IMF and the World Bank, its sister institution, and who serves on the board of a group known as the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance. The code used in the IMF incident was developed specifically for the attack on the institution, said Kellerman, formerly responsible for cyber-intelligence within the World Bank's treasury team and now chief technology officer at Air Patrol, a cyber consultancy.

IMF spokesman David Hawley said Saturday the Fund was "fully functional," despite the attack. "I can confirm that we are investigating an incident," he said, adding that he was not in a position to elaborate on the extent of it. He declined to respond to requests for comment on Kellerman's conclusion about the intruders' goal.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping to investigate the attack on the IMF, according to a US Defense Department spokeswoman.

Aisam finally wins a finale

Pakistani Tennis start Aisam ul Haq has finally won a final after ending up as runner-up in six straight finals. The top seeded duo of Aisam ul Haq and his Indian partner Rohan Bopanna defeated Dutch Robin Haase and Canadian Milos Raonic in the final of the Gerry Webber Open in Halle, Germany.

Hoti says drone is such a hottie : US Cable

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti appreciates drone attacks and he also wishes to fly a personal drone, according to the whistle blower Wikileaks’ disclosure of Peshawar US Counsel Principal Officer’s cable.

Peshawar U.S. Counsel Principal Officer Tracy’s cable dated April 30, 2009 sent to Washington said that Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has appreciated the drone attacks, but he (Hoti) is coward enough not to support it in public.

Hoti further revealed that drones are very hot and he is a fan of drone flying as it resembles kite flying. He also wished to fly a personal drone during Basant festival at Peshawar.

Watch out people, I am a Sheikh : Hafeez Sheikh

Pakistan's Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has said that he is prepared to take tough decisions as he takes perverse pleasure in being unpopular. When it comes to concessions for public, then he has the special ability to do dour and grumpy miser, after all he is a Sheikh.

The Finance Minster has clearly signaled that there's no room for Mr or Mrs Nice if the country is to be dragged out of this economic mess. Don't tell me that the worst is over or that we've turned a corner. I know it's bad and that it will most likely get worse before genuine green shoots appear.

In his Budget speech 2011 - 2012 the Finance Minister laid it on the line.

"Don't be mistaken, I am a Sheikh, and I know that there is no room at all for soft options. On the contrary, it is in all our interests that the Government follows a very strict discipline. There can be no concessions to public and all sections of the society will have to bear some of the burden."

Pak-Afghan consensus that Rehman Malik is a lier : US Cable

Afghan Minister of Interior Hanif Atmar told US Deputy Ambassador in Kabul that we are in total agreement with the Pakistani people that his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik is an outright lier and he does that for pleasing his masters.

US Deputy Ambassador in Kabul, Francis J. Ricciardone in 8/19/2009 secret cable from Embassy of Kabul wrote details of his meeting with Afghanistan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar.

The cable said: "Atmar said that Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik raised this issue when he visited Afghanistan last month as a special emissary of President Asif Ali Zardari; but, contrary to Malik's claims to the Pakistani media, he had presented neither details nor evidence to support this assertion. Atmar said the move was an indication that Malik is trying to please his masters by showing that he was brave enough to say these things to President Karzai. However, the Afghan government feels that Rehman Malik's reputation in Pakistan, of being an outright lier is justified".

"He added that he was disappointed by several other factually incorrect comments Malik has made to the media, and that he seemed to be focused on everything but the points of discussion in the upcoming trilateral talks between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the U.S. scheduled for November."

Atmar held a press conference on August 2 to dispute several of Malik's allegations. He also challenged Malik's comments that Afghanistan initially was opposed to the installation of biometrics collection stations at border crossing points. Afghanistan has never been against it, and Afghanistan is against selectivity, Atmar told the media.

Zardari promised to become Musharraf's body guard : US Cable

Asif Ali Zardari had promised to the Army to safe guard former President Pervaiz Musharraf for getting himself elected as President, said a US Embassy cable leaked by WikiLeaks.

The secret US Embassy cable sent to Washington on August 27, 2008 highlights how PPP was involved in political scheming to get Zardari elected on President’s post.

PPP deputy secretary general Sheikh Mansoor in a meeting with US Charge d’Affairs Jerry Feierstein on August 27, 2008 admitted that his party leadership,would work on getting immunity for former President Pervaiz Musharraf once its Co-Chairperson Asif Zardari was elected Pakistan’s President on September 6.

Mansoor recognized that Zardari would have to make good on his promise to the Army to safe guard former President Pervaiz Musharraf and to grant him constitutional immunity, but said such a bill would be presented to the National Assembly only after Zardari became President.

Lastly, Mansoor claimed that protecting Musharraf will not be possible without implementing PPP's minus-one formula, i.e. reinstatement of deposed judges except former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. 

However, Feierstein finally mentioned that Zardari doesn't have any credibility, therefore he can not be trusted.