Nawaz Sharif, the exiled former prime minister of Pakistan, has boarded the plane in Saudi Arabia and should reach his country at 5.25 pm (about 1200 GMT), his nephew told news agencies. Meanwhile Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has gifted to Sharif two bulletproof Mercedes cars and also lent a helicopter for use during the elections from his personal fleet.
Well if George Bush can gift so much to his protege General Musharraf for years, why not the Saudi King who hosted Sharif in Saudi Arabia after Musharraf grabbed power from Sharif and threw him out of the country? Pakistani leaders, both military dictators and civilians, just can’t resist the temptations of gifts…while the country can go to the dogs!!!
A news report says that King Abdullah during his farewell meeting with Sharif said: “As he (Nawaz Sharif) is dear to me, so I was concerned about his security and well-being,” sources said. Sources further disclosed that Nawaz Sharif had accepted the offer and later the car was airlifted here in Lahore, his hometown, on Friday where it was handed over to his nephew Hamza Shahbaz Sharif.
“It is pertinent to mention that following suicide attack on the PPP rally in Karachi on October 18 in which more than 140 people were killed, the US Embassy had provided Benazir Bhutto with a bulletproof car equipped with latest explosive- device jamming system. The car would remain in her use throughout the election campaign.”
Meanwhile Reuters adds: “Pakistan police detained thousands of supporters of Nawaz Sharif to stop them greeting the former prime minister on his return from exile in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to party loyalists. U.S. ally President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3 to safeguard his own presidency, but under pressure from Saudi King Abdullah reluctantly acquiesced to the return of Sharif, the leader he deposed in a bloodless coup eight years ago.”
While The Daily Times says: “Former premier Nawaz Sharif has reached an understanding with the government, whereby he and possibly Shahbaz Sharif may not destabilise the Musharraf regime or boycott the elections, according to sources in government. Also, while Sharif may not personally contest the upcoming general elections, Kulsoom Nawaz and Hamza Shahbaz would be allowed to contest the elections from Lahore, sources told Daily Times on Saturday.”
The Times of India reports: “Despite a call by an opposition group for boycotting the upcoming general elections, former Pakistan prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif will file their nominations on Monday, the last day to submit the papers for their candidature. Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Bhutto will file her nomination papers from two parliamentary constituencies in Larkana, a traditional stronghold of her family in Punjab province. Nawaz Sharif, the head of the PML-N party, will file nominations with his wife Kulsoom and his brother Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.