As a Jiyala and a regular LUBP leader, I was very happy to see Mr. Shiraz Paracha being appointed as Media Advisor to Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Chief Minister, Pervaiz Khattak. The PTI-led government has found a great talent and have used it to their advantage by appointing a seasoned journalist-cum-academic to a position where he can add some value. Shiraz Paracha has written many articles for LUBP over the period of 2009 till 2013 and these have been well read and received by those who have reading sense. Shiraz Paracha has worked as a journalist, with newspapers, television, radio and online companies in Britain, Central Asia and Pakistan. Between 1995 and 1996, hosted and presented very popular television programs (Awami Forum and Awami Jirga) in Pakistan. His former employers include the BBC and Press TV among other notable names. He is also an academic being a journalism professor and has taught journalism and communication courses at international universities outside Pakistan.

In the last few months, we have been follwoing Mr. Paracha’s excellent work on BBC, Voice of America, Dawn, The News, PTV and other forums. He has been performing his task in the most befitting manner despite the fact that the province faces mutlifaceted issues including law and order, terrorism, lack of resources and resistance from bureaucracy and non-progressive forces.

Examples of Mr. Paracha’s work: http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/main/2013/09/09/feature-02 http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-204010-PTI-govt-facing-tough-time-handling-KP-bureaucrats http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2013/10/131001_peshawar_security_beefing_up_rk.shtml

Shiraz Paracha is (or now, was) a PPP supporter and has written positively about the PPP over the course of years. He also wrote a number of articles and features for LUBP website, and very kindly groomed and encouraged new writers.

Of course, like a true jiyala, he has never benefitted from a PPP government.

It is a matter of sadness that one sees his talents being used by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led KP government while the PPP has always relied on “wolves in sheep skins” like Najm Sethi, Hamid Mir, Raza Rumi, Ejaz Haider, Talat Hussain, Kashif Abbasi etc to deliver their point across, hoping these wolves will deliver for the PPP. They never have and they never will.

The PPP will always ignore its true workers and supporters and expect others to be on their side. The party has to come out of this that a “jiyala will remain a jiyala”. Times have changed. While the recent result in the 2013 General Elections can partly be attributed to scheming against the party, the fact remains that many a jiyala abstained from voting or voted for someone else.

PPP has hard choices to make. Acknowledge and accept your own kin or realize that you will lose in the long run!

More importanlty, the party has to learn to value and use skills of those sincere to the party and its vision. Time servers and personal flatterers of party’s leadership are never trusthworthy.

We wish Mr. Paracha and KP government the best of luck and assure Mr. Paracha of the fullest of our cooperation in his efforst to build a better Pakistan and a better KP prvoince.

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