PRESIDENT Gen Pervez Musharraf launched his electoral campaign by holding a news conference and a public meeting in Quetta on Friday last. Knowing the sensitivities of the people of Balochistan, he spoke at length about economic and political issues though correspondents did ask questions about strategic nuclear assets of the country, relations with US, health of the national economy, benefits for joining the international coalition against terror, etc.

The president said his government was working on the issue of provincial autonomy to ensure maximum rights for the federating units, mainly the smaller provinces, in order to address their past grievances. He said the Senate would get more powers to discuss the finance bill and other issues.

Responding to a question that in the broader sense of democracy Balochistan would have negligible representation in the future parliament, he said he had attended six or seven presentations by the National Reconstruction Bureau on the question of provincial autonomy, and added that the Constitution would be amended accordingly to grant greater autonomy to the provinces before the general election in October.

Since he received a big response during his present campaign, he announced a package for development of Balochistan. The most prestigious point was the construction of Kachhi Canal. The federal government approved the idea of building a barrage on the Indus, which will be under control of the Balochistan government, though it will be administratively within the territories of Punjab.

The proposed barrage will be built at Mithan Kot in southern Punjab. The Punjab government has objected to it, claiming that the barrage would flood over half a million acres of cultivated land if the reservoir is built. The government of Balochistan has adopted a different stand. The dispute has delayed the approval of Kachhi Canal Project which will irrigate over 0.6 million acres in Sibi-Kachhi plains.

The president himself intervened in the controversy between Punjab and Balochistan and asked the Wapda chairman to sort it out. The controversy has been settled and the president announced that he would personally perform the ground-breaking ceremony of Kachhi Canal in a month or two. He gave the clear signal that Kachhi Canal would be built at all costs and Balochistan would get additional canal water from the Indus source, irrigating 0.6 million acres.

By end of the year, the government would be providing 3,000 tubewells to augment water resources in the drought-affected regions of Balochistan. Some 200 villages would get electricity by the year end, Transmission line is being taken to Gwadar, ensuring 24-hour power supply to the future port city, the president said. Some 105 karezat (deep wells linked up from the bottom for irrigation) were dug or rehabilitated under the Drought Rehabilitation Programme. About 2,500 schemes costing more than Rs3 billion were implemented and more 200,000 people got jobs under the schemes. Some 2,000 kilometres of roads were built, compared to 340 kilometres of roads during five years before the military takeover, the president told the rally.

He promised to consider a proposal to resume production at the two closed textile mills at Uthal and Quetta. First of all, he consulted the governor and later on pledged to seek revival of the industrial units to defend more than 20,000 jobs. However, he said it was not job of the government to run mills. There are public sector organizations which were suffering huge losses. He implicitly mentioned the four major corporations that normally suffered a loss of over Rs120 billion a year until recently.

He promised to personally look into the cases of all those employees who had been removed from service by the Sui Southern Gas, Saindak project and other government corporations and departments. “Justice will be done,” he told the big public meeting.

However, his campaign was generally successful as his opponents did not assert or made any attempt to oppose his referendum. It was a one-sided affair. Some lawyers, however, did oppose the referendum and held a rally on Friday. Interestingly, some of the politicians who were disqualified by the NAB courts after their conviction were seated in the front row when the president addressed them at the Governor’s House. Some other politicians who had been on the run, after court notices, had resurfaced and attended the presidential function with due honour.

The president himself noticed it and told a questioner that he knew it. He said that only a social change could improve the situation. The same people held the vote bank and would return to assemblies, he remarked at the news conference. “There is no solution to it without a social change,” he emphasized.

GREEK playwright Aristophanes in his hilarious comedy Lysistrata delved into women’s collective psyche (yearning for peace) and of men’s as well (obsessed with war).

Lysistrata is considered one of the most remarkable peace plays in world literature. The play’s central theme is that the nation states should be one as husbands and wives should be one. If men in their folly force divisions in the political sphere between nation states, then to bring them to their senses women will force divisions in the domestic sphere.

The characters and the events of Lysistrata mirror our current state of affairs in its excellent Urdu adaptation Jang Ab Nahi Hogi, by well-known poet Fehmida Riaz. The two nations (tribes), Khaebani and Phool Machhi, having gained their independence through a united struggle against foreign colonial rule, soon become embroiled in a war among themselves due to egoistical attitude and greed of male rulers. Women, horrified by the consequences of the war, decide to take charge and bring harmony between the two peoples.

The Tehrik-i-Niswan’s presentation of Jang Ab Nahi Hogi, which is to be staged at the Alliance Francaise from Wednesday, April 17, to Monday, April 22, beginning at 8:30pm, is filled with bawdy, at times shocking humour, always at the expense of men. Though the play proves that sex and politics do mix, the women in the play turn this maxim upside down: enforcing celibacy on the warring men until they make a pact for peace. The men at first find this ridiculous, even audacious; but soon realize, much to their delight and pain, that forced celibacy was no laughing matter. The women have a grand time; seizing the state treasuries, ridiculing the men’s macho, chauvinistic responses and repulsing all their advances, both martial and marital. This gender war for women’s liberation and empowerment creates a highly entertaining and boisterous comedy. The message is dead serious, but it is treated with wild and incredulous situations to drive home the point: “Make Love, Not War!”

Sheema Kirmani must have derived added pleasure from directing Jang Ab Nahi Hogi, a subject so close to her heart and her feminist ideals. Sheema also has a leading role in the play (as Gulbahar); one can see the glee and mischief in her eyes and sarcasm in her smile when exhorting women to rebellion and humiliating the sexist and vainglorious men. Mahvash Faruqi and Shazia Qamar act with fury and fervour as the other two members of the women leaders’ troika. Mehmood Bhatti, as Qazi, is at the receiving end of women’s jokes. His performance too is excellent. Experienced Nuzhat Kidvai and newcomer Tahira Khan are the Female Elders. While Nuzhat was expected to do well, Tahira’s fine acting debut should not be all that surprising as she happens to be sister of noted television performers Ayesha Khan and Khalida Riasat. The scene that brings out the frustration of men being denied what they consider their conjugal rights and women’s resolve not to give in until the men sign a peace accord, is well acted out by the debutantes, Adnan Jaffar and Shazia Farooqui. Nargis (Shazia) brazenly teases and flirts with her husband, Unaab (Adnan), who gets highly excited at the prospect of love and is driven crazy at its denial. The large cast comprises mostly newcomers who act well in a difficult though thoroughly enjoyable play.

Huma Mulji has done a great job at designing the costumes, props and the set.

Because of its mature theme and bawdy humour, Jang Ab... is restricted to adults only and not recommended for the prudes!

TO no one’s surprise, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in the final of the Sharjah Cup. New Zealand’s performance was spirited but they had come to Sharjah with a depleted team, minus the first-level of their bowling attack, Chris Cairns, Dion Nash, Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori.

To add to their woes, they collected further injuries, Andre Adams, Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan. Yet there was a seriousness of intent about them and it was wonderful to see them shrug off the injuries and put in their best effort. When all their front-line players are available to them, New Zealand will be exceedingly tough customers.

Pakistan lost both the league matches against Sri Lanka, the second one, an absolute shocker as Pakistan appeared to be cruising home. But by now, such an experienced team as Pakistan should know, one never lowers one’s guard in the one-day game and I don’t know about the fat lady singing but I do know what the baseball player Yogi Berra said: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

It was obvious when Pakistan played against New Zealand on Monday that the team had been stunned by the defeat against Sri Lanka and had done its homework. Or, at any rate, had had a meeting and learnt some lessons. It should be a good final and the better team on the day will win.

Pakistan has been experimenting with the one-down position in its batting and since Yousuf Youhana batted twice in that position, it is possible that it has been decided that is where he will bat. He has been out of form and his body-language suggest that he is out of sort, as if a troubled man, perhaps, he could do with some pep talk and be reassured that he is one of the best batsmen in the side and every player goes through a lean patch.

I have always seen Youhana as a happy cricketer, someone who has fitted in well with the team. I am sure that his form will return. He’s too good a player to remain in the doldrums for too long.

The faith shown by the selectors in Imran Nazir is paying off. It was a bit of a gamble selecting him against the claims of Taufiq Umer who had made, a bundle of runs in domestic cricket.

By now, Imran should have been an automatic selection for he had been one of the most exciting talents when he had first burst on the cricket scene. He needed nurturing. Mainly, he was impulsive and being young would get carried away. But youth is a curable disease and he needed was some old fashioned advice that only the hittable balls should be hit. In other words, he needed to tighten his defence. He is almost there. He has had a good tournament and his innings against New Zealand on Monday was as good as they come.

I read a report that the Pakistan Cricket Board has signed on Barry Richards for a short assignment to help with the academy players. I am not certain what he can accomplish on a short assignment but I would hand over Imran to Richards (with an interpreter) and tell him to just teach Imran how to convert fifties into hundreds. Barry, himself was a master at doing so.

Shahid Afridi has learnt or is fast learning the virtue of shot selection and is becoming much more than a blaster. What a fine hundred he got, almost risk-free. He has matured and the way he gave the strike to Imran means that he has learnt that there is no need for two guns to be blazing away. He played an extraordinary innings, hitting more sixes than fours and though he started slowly, in the end, he maintained his strike-rate of over hundred.

The other player who has looked very good is Shoaib Akhtar. He has looked fit and at times, has bowled very fast. But he has bowled straight and used the slower ball effectively. He is still a great entertainer and is Pakistan’s most “marketable” cricketer but if he can maintain his form, he’s going to be one of the stars of the World Cup 2003.

Arjuna Ranatunga is a man of few words even when he is doing the commentary and is not inclined to be too generous in his praise but he is a sharp observer and he, rightly, pin-pointed fielding as being Pakistan’s weakest department. The fielding has not been all that bad, with Imran, and Younis Khan being brilliant.

But Arjuna, repeatedly pointed out, the Pakistan fielders were giving away singles whereas the Sri Lankans would not have. Thus, according to him, some twenty runs could be saved. Pakistan needs to work on this. The fielders seem unable to hit the stumps while other good fielding sides routinely do so.

I have no idea if any progress has been made by Pakistan in acquiring a fitness trainer though it had been agreed in principle some time ago to do so. In these days of e-mails and direct dialling, one would have thought that communications is not a problem. I would have suggested that the PCB chairman look into it himself but the PCB is not short-staffed.

But if we want to start preparing for the World Cup in earnest, we need the fitness trainer. The Sri Lankans are a top class fielding side. But this did not happen overnight. The Sri Lankans have trained hard and put in long hours in fielding practice.

Finally, a few word about the ‘elite’ panel of ICC umpires. I approve of the idea in principle but mistakes will still be made. The first one was by Darryl Harper in the Guyana Test match when he gave Brian Lara out caught behind. One did not even need a replay to know that Lara had not nicked the ball.

Lara is not a batsman who waits for the umpire to give him out. This time, he did not walk and, in fact, he looked quite upset. He knew he had missed out on a big score on that peach of a wicket on which Carl Hooper got a magnificent double century.