Author Archives: Cyril Almeida
19th May, 2013
End of the electables?
HURRAH for democracy. Not because of who won, but what won. Parties won.
HURRAH for democracy. Not because of who won, but what won. Parties won.
12th May, 2013
Welcome to the victory party
As PML-N supporters swarm the streets, bringing traffic to a halt, dancing and singing on main thoroughfares, the PTI wave of supporters, so obvious until hours earlier, has already melted away.
As PML-N supporters swarm the streets, bringing traffic to a halt, dancing and singing on main thoroughfares, the PTI wave of supporters, so obvious until hours earlier, has already melted away.
11th May, 2013
Decision time
YES, there are many subplots and side stories, some worthy, others nostalgia-driven, but on this day, who really cares? There’s only one main event, one big show, one top billing: PML-N vs PTI.
YES, there are many subplots and side stories, some worthy, others nostalgia-driven, but on this day, who really cares? There’s only one main event, one big show, one top billing: PML-N vs PTI.
10th May, 2013
Nawaz warns against split mandate
LAHORE, May 9: Hours before a hard-fought election campaign comes to an uncertain end, the man who could become Pakistan’s first thrice-elected prime minister is defiantly upbeat about the PML-N’s prospects on May 11 and downplaying the PTI’s late surge
LAHORE, May 9: Hours before a hard-fought election campaign comes to an uncertain end, the man who could become Pakistan’s first thrice-elected prime minister is defiantly upbeat about the PML-N’s prospects on May 11 and downplaying the PTI’s late surge
7th May, 2013
Imran predicts victory, but does not rule out coalition
LAHORE: Nearing the end of his frenetic, barnstorming tour of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Imran Khan is confident of a clear victory on May 11 but is still unwilling to predict the number of seats the PTI will win.
LAHORE: Nearing the end of his frenetic, barnstorming tour of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Imran Khan is confident of a clear victory on May 11 but is still unwilling to predict the number of seats the PTI will win.
5th May, 2013
The second wave
KHAN said it was a dream; the Khanistas believed in him; everyone else scoffed — May 11 was supposed to be the validation of logic over irrationality.
KHAN said it was a dream; the Khanistas believed in him; everyone else scoffed — May 11 was supposed to be the validation of logic over irrationality.
30th April, 2013
Frenzied campaigning in a clutch of pivotal seats
The intensity of the electoral race in Multan is rivalled only by its complexity - PPP, PML-N, PTI and JI vying for victory; biradirism and factionalism; and the south Punjab province issue.
The intensity of the electoral race in Multan is rivalled only by its complexity - PPP, PML-N, PTI and JI vying for victory; biradirism and factionalism; and the south Punjab province issue.
28th April, 2013
Notes from south Punjab
WHAT the state is meant to provide but doesn’t, the private sector can sometimes help sort out.
WHAT the state is meant to provide but doesn’t, the private sector can sometimes help sort out.
27th April, 2013
A wily politician tries to hang on
Wattoo, the PPP president in Punjab, is the architect of the party’s campaign from Okara to Lahore.
Wattoo, the PPP president in Punjab, is the architect of the party’s campaign from Okara to Lahore.
24th April, 2013
A bellwether race in central Punjab
There are no high-wattage names contesting NA-139, no eye-catching personalities or over-the-top politics.
There are no high-wattage names contesting NA-139, no eye-catching personalities or over-the-top politics.
22nd April, 2013
An intense four-way contest
Ali is no longer considered the front-runner; he appears to have been overtaken by Kasuri.
Ali is no longer considered the front-runner; he appears to have been overtaken by Kasuri.
21st April, 2013
Notes from central Punjab
THERE won’t be an election. Voters aren’t quite sure why or how, but they appear convinced: there won’t be an election.
THERE won’t be an election. Voters aren’t quite sure why or how, but they appear convinced: there won’t be an election.
19th April, 2013
A fierce contest in a rural outpost
Party affiliation in Shakargarh appears to matter little to an electorate that is largely rural and poor and always looking for an escape.
Party affiliation in Shakargarh appears to matter little to an electorate that is largely rural and poor and always looking for an escape.
17th April, 2013
A stalwart faces a challenge from an upstart
If PML-N's Ahsan Iqbal is to win a fourth term on May 11, he will likely have to beat Abrarul Haq, the presumptive PTI candidate in Narowal.
If PML-N's Ahsan Iqbal is to win a fourth term on May 11, he will likely have to beat Abrarul Haq, the presumptive PTI candidate in Narowal.
15th April, 2013
A woman’s touch wins over a rural electorate
In an area dominated by men and the PML-N, Firdous Ashiq Awan is a double anomaly: a woman on a directly elected seat and a PPP MNA.
In an area dominated by men and the PML-N, Firdous Ashiq Awan is a double anomaly: a woman on a directly elected seat and a PPP MNA.
14th April, 2013
Notes from north Punjab
WATER-filtration plants. It took a while to figure out what’s going on. Education, health, gas, roads — the usual suspects in the list of voters’ development demands are all still there.
WATER-filtration plants. It took a while to figure out what’s going on. Education, health, gas, roads — the usual suspects in the list of voters’ development demands are all still there.
13th April, 2013
An old warrior still leads the pack
Khwaja Asif, the silver-haired PML-N impresario with the signature country drawl, has never lost an election in Sialkot.
Khwaja Asif, the silver-haired PML-N impresario with the signature country drawl, has never lost an election in Sialkot.
7th April, 2013
The real sin
“I’M the only person in Pakistan who has been disqualified under 62/63 and who has also been certified by the Supreme Court to qualify under 62/63.”
“I’M the only person in Pakistan who has been disqualified under 62/63 and who has also been certified by the Supreme Court to qualify under 62/63.”
5th April, 2013
Jhelum politically paralysed by uncertainty over tickets
Politics in Punjab, where clan and family affiliations dominate party considerations, has a bit of everything this election season.
Politics in Punjab, where clan and family affiliations dominate party considerations, has a bit of everything this election season.
31st March, 2013
Notes from south KP, SWA
ELECTIONS don’t work. It’s always the same faces, the same failed policies, the same tired rhetoric. Nothing changes, for the better anyway.
ELECTIONS don’t work. It’s always the same faces, the same failed policies, the same tired rhetoric. Nothing changes, for the better anyway.
