Benazir Bhutto’s supporters protested recently against Gen. Pervez Musharraf, though she has muted her criticisms to ease her path to elections. Photo: Nadeem Khawer/European Pressphoto Agency
As the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, wrestles with swelling public disaffection over his rule, one of his key political rivals, Benazir Bhutto, has embarked on an international campaign to revive her political standing, says The New York Times.
“In recent weeks, Ms. Bhutto, 53, a former prime minister and the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party who has lived in exile since 1999, has stepped up her criticism of the Taliban who operate in the remote regions of the country.
“She has sought to marginalize Islamist political parties from an opposition party alliance that has emerged in anticipation of elections later this year.
“Seeking to assure Washington that she would be a staunch ally, she has suggested that as an elected leader, she would be more credible in selling antiterrorism efforts to the public than General Musharraf, who has been criticized by Washington for a mixed record in combating the Taliban and Al Qaeda within Pakistan’s borders.
“She has even brought her campaign here, to the capital of her nation’s archrival: India.”
Meanwhile The Australian says: “Pakistan has abolished a taskforce charged with prosecuting former leader Benazir Bhutto over longstanding corruption allegations, giving hope to her supporters that she may again take centre stage of the country’s political scene.
“Officers in the special operation division of the National Accountability Bureau, which was spearheading an investigation against Ms Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, have been reassigned to other jobs.
“The move follows months of speculation about a deal between Ms Bhutto, 54, who lives in exile in Dubai and London, and Pakistan’s military ruler, Pervez Musharraf.”
For my earlier post on Benazir please click here…
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.