Initial results in Pakistan’s general elections today went against President Pervez Musharraf with several of his former ministers losing. While opposition PPP (the late Benazir Bhutto’s party) and PML-N (led by Nawaz Sharif) winning in their strongholds, Sindh and Punjab, respectively. The final Pakistan election results are expected by Wednesday.
Here is The Tribune news story…
The Times of India reports: “Pakistan’s ruling party conceded that the Opposition was doing well in Monday’s parliamentary elections. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, chairman of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, the outgoing railways minister, lost seats in the party’s stronghold in Punjab province. Both men are close political allies of President Pervez Musharraf.
“People have given their verdict. We respect it. We congratulate the PML-N and PPP. They have done well,” said PML-Q spokesman Tariq Azeem, referring to the Opposition parties of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and another ex-premier, Nawaz Sharif. “As far as we are concerned, we will be willing to sit on Opposition benches if final results prove that we have lost. This is the trend.”
Prominent figures in Pakistani political parties often run for multiple seats to boost their chances of victory. The TV reports said Nawaz Sharif’s party defeated Ahmed, the railways minister, in both seats he contested in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Here is the detailed Associated Press report…
(Photo courtesy Pakistan Times)
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.