An open letter to LUBP – by Salma Jafar
Dear LUBP editors,
Just a few thoughts for what they are worth.
Although I am not a part of LUBP team and you have every right to define the parameters of your debate and LUBP policy but honestly it is very confusing when alternative media can’t take a stance and behaves more like a newspaper that should have a good sale value.
I am a disillusioned witness of LUBP changing colors. I saw LUBP changing colors over the HH (Husain Haqqani) issue by initially asking for his resignation and then not being too sure of its stance backing out; later asking for forgiveness and what not. I would have been more comfortable had there been a stance with clear thinking which could have given clarity to readers also.
Even on twitter discussions a defensive stance was taken and infact it so clearly showed that LUBP didn’t know what is going to happen and as if it didn’t want to take the risk of not supporting HH in some way from fear the Memogate issue will actually topple the government.
It was clear LUBP bought the propaganda that Ambassador HH = democracy and Ambassador HH = Zardari in Presidency; buying that story of fake liberals who criticize the army so superficially ( they don’t even ever retweet the situation in Balochistan to give one example) and actually want to see a rift between state institutions (which Pakistan can’t afford at this point in time). But we were clear this will not happen; at least I was and was dismayed to see no one else was. If LUBP wasn’t it could have played “wait and watch” instead of backing out.
Check the references please:
Make Husain Haqqani a Senator and Slap the Military – (There was no need for this – and Ahmed Iqbalabadi is on LUBP team, so it’s not other authors per se, with apologies to him this is a very apologetic post.
Pakistan army too should learn to forgive bloody civilians – Editor’s note by Abdul Nishapuri; Apologetic, it just broke my heart and around an hour before the resignation I commented on it u can check.
A gentle reminder: General Ayub Khan’s memo to Admiral Radford – by Kamran Shafi – Supporting note by Abdul Nishapuri …. my objection on supporting Kamran Shafi is that he was creating a rumpus to save HH.
There was a little more also but I can only present these s examples of a shift in LUBP’s stance.
Please also check the twitter discussion of Juanid Qaiser and myself.
Again it’s your website and your choice …but a clear analytical approach is required for the readers to know what’s going on; not just jumping the bandwagon…only coz it’s the majority’s view.
Thanks for being open to criticism but hope there is some self reflection also
Wishing you and your team all the best.
Salma Jafar
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Please participate in this poll:
[poll id=”6″]
I think most of the posts published on LUBP in recent days were quite critical of Husain Haqqani. After reading Ms. Salma’s post, I get the impression that LUBP is pro-HH. Is that a fact?
mazdaki Mohammad Taqi
Sherry Rehman’s appt as #Pakistan ambassador shows Pak Army & #US State Dept’s hand strengthened. Terrible for #Afghanistan peace #FB
Ahmad_N
@marvisrimed You praised Haqqani, then praised Sherry (USIP-JI report fame). wow!
tammyhaq Ayesha Tammy Haq
Congratulations @sherryrehman on being appointed ambassador to the US.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Feeling so proud of PPP leadership. What a brilliant move. Here it is in your face boots! Ambassador @sherryrehman! Bravo
Razarumi Raza Rumi
.@sherryrehman like a pragmatic democrat works thru dialogue, consensus & negotiation. Establishment will not have issues with her approach.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Exactly! RT @Fahdhusain: Plus I don’t think establishment will have problems with her appointment.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Sherry Rehman new Pak envoy to US. Good move President sahib. Real good move Congratulations Ambassador @sherryrehman
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Well deserved support! RT @husainhaqqani: Simply overwhelmed by expressions of support by both Pakistanis and others. Thank you all!
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@dasghar Friends? These couple of fake accounts can’t be of anyone’s friends. They are a strange freemasonry.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Not only @husainhaqqani but all of us should remember them now RT @mazdaki: go zara si baat per barsoN ke yaranay gaiy/ lekin itna to hua kuch log pehchanay gaiy
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@dasghar This is an ages old argument given by establishment. Nothing new. Bhutto was important. BB was important @husainhaqqani @evo8X8
dasghar Dilawar Asghar
@marvisirmed LUBP sd tht institutions R biggr thn ppl. If @husainhaqqani hs 2 resgn 2 sav the Govt so OK. Agree & disagre w wrtr. @evo8X8
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@dasghar Not talking of some random contributors with their identities open. I’m also one of them. I’m talking of few venom spitting fakies
dasghar Dilawar Asghar
@marvisirmed Madam I totally get it. But in a long list of contrbtrs on LUBP, not every 1 is with a pseudo name. Sum of those are real ppl.
SamadK Samad Khurram
@AnasMRazzaq Lol. Yaar tum tou ho LUBP walay. Anyone who does not agree with PPP is ISI/SSP/Taliban supporter walay
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@dasghar Salmaan Taseer was important and so is Prof @husainhaqqani. Period. Everything else is their game of which LUBP is a part @evo8X8
aliarqam aliarqam
@evo8x8 What has been done to Salman Taseer was for his comments on failed Indian missile test, Nothing more @marvisirmed
evo8X8 k
LUBP did the sane to salman taseer…. days before he was assassinated. @marvisirmed @husainhaqqani
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
And backstabbers are not too difficult to be identified! RT @fawadfaheem: @husainhaqqani ISI succeeded in bringing zardari on back foot
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
So we’re today where army, ISI, Jang group and LUBP stand together against one person. Guess Prof @husainhaqqani was doing something right!
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
RT @abbaslakda: @husainhaqqani thanks for setting up a bold tradition unlike most ppp people. May the truth prevail.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
And our PM & idiotic sections of media are not the only backstabbers. Pentagon is the root. Shameful politics USA. Shameful for Democrats.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
By accepting this resignation, Mr. PM, you have backstabbed democracy and the President. Thanks.
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
Prof. Husain Haqqani @husainhaqqani didn’t need this job anyway. Pakistan behaved like a thankless brat. Shame. Shame.
Other view:
Marvi Sirmed’s criticism – LUBP authors hide behind fake identities.
QUOTE
Marvi Sirmed says:
November 19, 2011 at 5:06 am
This post is so ironic in nature that one can lament on the credibility of such a popular blobzine as criticalPPP. You hide behind fake identities (call it pen-name but you can’t escape the truth), but ask others to say everything you say from the comfort of your anonymity. You are spewing venom against HH based on your enmity which is in no case in favor of PPP. It is also factually wrong that HH has never defended or persuaded anyone to defend President Zardari. He has been most potent voice on social media to defend the government and President Zardari. You people are probably in the habit of labeling everyone with little difference of opinion with you, as ‘urban liberals’ and sycophants and what not. You gave a reference to the earlier post on E Tribune editorial, in which Ms. Laibaah even cast aspersions on our very respectable scholar Dr Ayesha Siddiqa. All I can say is, shame.
Please Note: I’m writing this with my own real and public identity.
http://criticalppp.com/archives/63210/comment-page-1#comment-175704
UNQUOTE
Marvi’s criticsm on Shiraz Paracha (http://criticalppp.com/archives/63301), LUBP authors are playing to galleries and have personal problems with HH.
VisionPakistan Suleman Hasan
@marvisirmed Look forward 2 know your remarks! MT @farhadjarral Two psychopaths a ‘new threat’ to Pakistani democracy? bit.ly/tdeR6e
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@VisionPakistan LUBP seems to be playing to galleries. They have personal problem with HH. My contempts for their recent posts @farhadjarral
AbdulNishapuri Abdul Nishapuri
@Chiltan Please bear in mind that LUBP is being criticized by both pro-HH and anti-HH camps. We don’t believe in censorship. @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@AbdulNishapuri Well that’s precisely the argument Jang Group uses so often. We can’t accuse it of being “neutra;” @Chiltan @Darveshh
AbdulNishapuri Abdul Nishapuri
@marvisirmed You have every right to criticize LUBP. Please note we published all (pro or anti-HH) articles sent to us. @Chiltan @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@AbdulNishapuri Couldn’t see any pro_HH articles, as the ante was too high via well-tweeted anti-HH articles @Chiltan @Darveshh
Chiltan salma jafar
@AbdulNishapuri Hi am sending u references to all editorial notes it wud be gud 2 self reflect, not defend @marvisirmed @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@AbdulNishapuri I can understand the personal grudge some people might have, with a middle class HH, but at this moment? @Chiltan @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@AbdulNishapuri Also, Ms (?) Laibah’s twitter feed backed and RTed by LUBP people & Pak Blogzine ridiculed us rigorously @Chiltan @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@Chiltan You should be happier to see so many anti-HH tweets from them and posts too. Hate posts on PakBlogzine @AbdulNishapuri @Darveshh
Chiltan salma jafar
@marvisirmed now this getting a little haywire LOL – my issue quite the opposite poor #LUBP @AbdulNishapuri @Darveshh
marvisirmed Marvi Sirmed
@AbdulNishapuri It was a personal pain to see LUBP in line with army/ISI and repeating their rhetoric of “HH was jamati” @Chiltan @Darveshh
Razarumi Raza Rumi
@marvisirmed Agree.wht was the point of indulging in sum1’s char assassination when he was being attacked by usual suspects @AbdulNishapuri
Kudos to Salma Jafar for writing an honest letter to LUBP. I too was quite disappointed when LUBP started publishing pro-HH posts based on pure flattery and opportunism.
Read this post: “Husain Haqqani is not an ordinary diplomat. He is the finest of intellects Pakistan has produced.” http://criticalppp.com/archives/63360
Then I recalled the rumour that LUBP is funded and managed by none other than Haqqani himself. Perhaps there is some element of truth in that?
Quite the contrary. By siding with anti-Hussain Haqqani camp, LUBP showed their true colours. They were also a part of similar sinister campaign a few days before Taseer’s murder.
LUBP, at least some of them, are agency operatives.
Did not LUBP also publish this article by Tarek Fatah: Is a Palace Coup Unfolding in Pakistan? http://criticalppp.com/archives/62961
There was no palace coup other than an imaginative storm in urban elite’s little mind. They only wanted to save their friend’s job in Washington, D.C.
Move on, folks. It’s Sherry ka zamana now. Sherry be praised!
LUBP did flip flop on this issue & initially supprted mullah military alliance which was successfult to oust HH.
Any how some consolation that its Sherry & not Lodhi or Salman Bashir who replaced HH.
While I respect your views Salma, I’d like to mention certain facts that may help you understand the picture which I assure you was coincidental.
The issue has time and again been mentioned as to whether LUBP authors should follow a certain directive, however, being a purely voluntary blog it is not possible for us to coordinate it so.
All authors have two commonalities, firstly goal to have a secular democratic Pakistan and secondly a support for the PPP. Various authors interpret every event differently and publish their articles at their own convenience. As a result of this the position on various issues may often appear to be excessively skewed.
This was perhaps what happened in the case of Hussain Haqqani. However in light of your point I think it is necessary that LUBP should ensure that the view points of democratic forces are duly highlighted and they are given an outright support where needed.
why has LUBP put a survey there…its being defensive again…and not reflective.
The point of my letter is not at all on publishing diverse views the letter only points out the editorial notes or articles by LUBPs own team or cross posting of articles which somehow didn’t conform to LUBPs own point of view on the issue.
and how do we know LUBPs own team is not voting for the diverse views question on the survey! :-))
Salma,
Thanks for pointing this out. Diversity of views is always welcome. You have to question the logic that was being promoted in favor of HH on Twitter and by the fake liberals. If there is one thing very sure about us it is that we are very very openly pro-PPP. we are not fake PPP supporters who in order to be jiyalas call ZAB as Shaheed and MBB as Shaheedrani but leave no stone unturned to lambast President Zardari. If we are open supporters of the party, that is the best thing we do unlike all the fakesters out there.
Just look at recent going out of people from the party in the name of opportunism: SMQ because he didnt become the FM; Shafqat Mehmood a former senator who stabbed the party in the back by joining Laghari and Masood Sharif Khattak a two time DG IB who contested elections twice from PPP tickets but this time was out of favor probably because Rehman Malik is the head honcho of civilian security. All these people left the party for not getting their birthright. Are we asking for something similar? Are Abdul Nishapuri, Maula Bux Thadani, Ahmed Iqbalabadi, Junaid Qaiser etc asking for party positions and perks? We are doing “Bey-laus” khidmat without any return.
via Twitter:
KamranShafi46 Kamran Shafi
An open letter to LUBP – by Salma Jafar shar.es/ot8rF How is unearthing a Memo by those who lecture others bad?
UsamaKabbir M Usama Kabbir
@AbdulNishapuri There was nothing wrong in publishing pro & anti HH articles. LUBP is not a one way traffic
Bol K Lub Azad Hai Teray !
@Ahmed Iqbalabadi I know that (Respect it a lot) but what i tried to say was different… it seems the point has been missed….entirely!
Salma Jaffer is one of the million Pakistanis that get the mind set on the speculated news. While criticizing LUBP management for their “biased” judgment, she forgets the basic fact that every domain has some inclination towards any political party one way or the other. Nothing strange – difference of opinions is the essence of democracy. LUBP thinks it backs the party that represents the majority of masses. Other sites think PPP has lost the mandate. The truth would only come out in the next general election (if it is not doctored). But, media people are putting the cart before the horse, what to say about Twitter and Facebook (I do not give a damn to those insane exchange of views there).
Now what is the fact sheet of Hussain Haqqani’s case as it stands today. A hand written memo has been written by one Pakistani-American, Mansoor Ijaz. He claims he had been dictated by the then ambassador (HH). HH denies this. Mansoor Ijaz, in rebuttal “leaks some Blackberry emails exchanged between HH and Ijaz. HH denies the contents of the exchanged messages. When a dispute is created it goes to investigation (which is being done most likely forensic examination). Because, HH becomes a controvertial figure for such a sensative post he comes to Islamabad and tenders his resignation. The matter is being thoroughly investigated between the President, Gen. Kayani and Shuja Pasha as HH is present for all sort of probe.
But what is happening on print and electronic media. Before the fact is established, judgments and punishments and consequences are being given. This is cheapness, all matters are not for sensationlization. The media is shouting loudly “Independent Judiciary”, they do not know the meaning of judiciary. The sheet anchor of judiciary lies on the maxim of “audi artem partem” (hear the other side).
A word of advice to Salma, do not go on speculations and fictional write ups, use your own IQ.
Khalid Humayun (?) you need to re read my letter….u have also missed the point Mr. Great IQ!
Mostly I do not revisit my write ups and even comments for that matter. But this time I did. I confess I missed your point Salma. After going through thoroughly your “letter to LUBP” I have come to the conclusion you are pained due change of stance of editors. Then again, editors are human beings and they have a point at one point of time that may change as the event develops. I do not see any harm in this, rather it is but natural – to err is human. Besides as long as the maintenance and discipline of the site is concerned it is the team work of editors but, as long as their political approach to the current affairs is concerned every man is an island. World Wide Web is the only democratic institution on this planet. No need to get irritated if you feel something odd.
Nonetheless, I tender my apology.
Mr Haqqani made the mistake of getting involved with a shady character.
The military in Pakistan and consequently the United States took advantege of that mistake and took apart his career.