Behind the Curtain in Islamabad
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The capital is yet again bustling with tantalizing news about the president of the Islamic Republic, who has been absent from public view, especially amid the escalating Iran-U.S.-Israel war in the Middle East. On the one hand, the prime minister received considerable coverage in both domestic and international media for his diplomatic efforts in mediation in the Middle East. On the other hand, the president remained absent from the media spotlight for any reason—good or bad. Interestingly, some pundits claim to know who the next president will be, as the current one is stepping down early (or being asked to) due to some hush-hush health issues. Has the current president left the building or planning to do so unwillingly? And do you know who the new president will be? Your guess is as good as mine. 
100 Billion Dollar Question
According to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, approximately $100 billion has been siphoned out of Pakistan through money laundering in recent years, and these illicit transactions are mostly conducted in London. As the Interior Minister revealed, detaining a few key figures could unravel the entire money-laundering network. This situation brings to mind similar efforts by Imran Khan and Ishaq Dar to repatriate $200 billion to the country. Regrettably, the whereabouts of those billions of dollars during Khan’s tenure remained uncertain. According to various estimates, Pakistan has approximately $300 billion held abroad, yet the poor country continues to seek loans from Saudi Arabia to recover merely $3 billion from the UAE. This pattern shows no sign of breaking, a glaring failure of accountability of those untouchable power brokers who exploit every government tenure to launder money regardless of who is in power.
Fiza Ali and the Art of the ‘Small Moment’
The new crop of TV hosts and news anchors has its own definition of decency and appropriate behaviour. On the TV show ‘Morning With Fiza’, for host Fiza Ali, a clip of her husband, Ejaz Khan, lifting her over his shoulder was just a ‘small moment,’ and nothing more than a spontaneous gesture with no bad intentions. The incident drew harsh criticism online, while the chairperson of the Punjab Women Protection Authority rightly described it as immoral, childish, and indecent. As usual, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has issued a show-cause notice. Though Fiza and her hubby seem to have no problem with such ‘small moments’ broadcast live to a national audience, one wonders when the line between appropriate and inappropriate content will ever be drawn at all, especially by private TV channels that seem more invested in ratings than responsibility.
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