By Anjum Niaz

The writer is a freelance journalist with over twenty years of experience in reporting.

On April 4, almost all TV channels dutifully rolled out footage on Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. It was his death anniversary. Leading the show was our own PTV, handmaiden to the government-of-the-day. Information Minister Sherry Rahman had earlier rebuked the state-owned television channel and its equally dim-witted sister the APP to "improve" their performance. The truth is that both are like aging courtesans who have been serving their paymasters for so long that the only thing they know is to dance to their keepers' tune. But what about the burgeoning private TV channels? Why did they feel it necessary to resurrect Bhutto ignored for over a decade? Granted that his party is the ruler today, but the media's sudden interest in ZAB appeared self-serving. Throughout the day the growing chorus of TV anchors appeared coddling the PPP.

And this leads me to my second observation of the week that was. The founder of this nation got visited by a phalanx of freshly-minted VIPs. After swearing before the nation to serve the country and not themselves, these leaders winged their way via the VIP lounges, hopping on to tinted glass SUVs for a ride to Mohammad Ali Jinnah's mausoleum. With heads covered (if they happened to be women), cupped hands and eyes lowered, from PM Gilani to ministers and PPP stalwarts, all moved their lips in a mumble as the cameras clicked and the film rolled. The next day, readers of various newspapers awoke to a new morn, a new dawn as they turned the pages to see glossy shots of piety at the Quaid's mazar. One was 'reassured' that the VIP circus was alive and kicking as in the past. Nothing changes except change was coined naught for nothing!

But one thing was different this time. We got to see photos of VIPs at the graves of their own relatives. From a son-in-law who never knew his father-in-law, seen spreading a garland of red roses at the latter's mazar in Garhi Khuda Buxsh surrounded by devotees; we saw the former chief justice of Pakistan praying at his parents' graves in Quetta again surrounded by so many others; and we saw the newly elected chief minister of NWFP Amir Haider Khan Hoti flanked by his father and others laying a chaddar of flowers at his grandfather Amir Muhammad Khan Hoti's grave.

Graveyards were the in thing. Even the MQM got Asif Zardari to pay his respects at the graves of Altaf Hussain's brother and nephew slain during the second PPP term. Supplementing his graveyard diplomacy, Zardari later condoled their deaths with the elder sister of Altaf Hussain. That done, the TV channels relayed a blow by blow, more like a loud religious lamentation, of Altaf's telephonic address from London while Zardari and his hangers-on stood to attention for full 30 minutes as the clock struck the midnight hour. It looked like a scene out of a science fiction movie at Nine Zero. Over-zealous shaking of hands was obvious. Today the MQM and PPP workers are going bananas outshouting each other with slogan mongering which to be fair to them should be tolerated even at the expense of bursting one's eardrums because they need to ventilate their pent-up anger against Musharraf's dictatorship.

Zardari and Anne Patterson bicycled in tandem to the altar of Altaf. Patterson, the peripatetic American ambassador in Islamabad flew to London to meet the MQM chief and seek his reassurance for supporting Zardari. When will the Americans let us mind our own business?

But along with the surreal came the real. In an English daily on two different pages were photos of Pakistani women shaking hands. On the front page, we saw PML "“Q leader Nighat Orakzai shaking hands with the chief minister-designate Amir Hoti. It was a firm handshake of friendship. Then on page three was another handshake! Information Secretary Anwar Mahmood holding Sherry Rehman's right hand in a handshake. But this handshake looked anything but firm, even though Sherry was snapped smiling and looking chic in her ivory satin outfit with matching pearls.

Showing women handshaking is a good beginning. Speaker of Sindh assembly Muzaffar Hussain Shah's hugging and hand-holding with the incoming speaker Nisar Khuro, however, was excessive. What was Shah in his generic pinstriped suit messaging his successor? "Be kind to me!" Was that his cry considering he has hogged the speaker's seat for donkey's years and hobbled his opponents? But the jiyalas are not in a forgiving mood. Breaking down doors and police barriers, a crush of PPP party workers cavaliered into the assembly hall, taking over the proceedings and shouting "Ab raj karegi Benazir."

Sindh's former chief minister, a fellow not many would find easy to love, with a tongue that latched on to abuse, ridicule, slander and Benazir-bashing deservedly got a taste of his own bullying. Arbab Ghulam Rahim reportedly was "abused, harassed and even physically assaulted" as he tried sneaking in from the backdoor. Imagine the plight of the man who some months before would strut in as if he owned Sindh? Now he has to skulk through from the back. His portrait was pulled down and ripped to shreds as was that of Liaquat Jatoi, Shaukat Aziz's not so better known minister of power.

Are there lessons to learn for the new ministers? They too could be casualties once their rule is up. It's too early to say, but the television appearance on one of the talk shows of the new minister of law was disappointing, to say the least. Farooq Naek appeared so eager to score points with the anchor that he lost his dignity and forgot that he was after all the law minister. "Aap to badhshah log hain," he said to the anchor who took Naek to task for letting down the sacked judges. Having been a personal attorney of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari, is Naek really up to the jumbo task of tackling the judges issue? His expertise over the last decade lies in appearing and defending the couple in scores of corruption cases doing the rounds here and abroad. As one of the architects of the NRO (National Reconstruction Ordinance) Naek justifiably deserves Zardari's gratitude but not a law ministry, for taking the wind out of an over-bloated NAB (National Accountability Bureau) hell-bent on 'catching' BB and Zardari.

What's with Zardari and Aitzaz? Talking heads on TV channels began their day with the reenactment of a dialogue that took place between the two. And then throughout the day, we heard an angry Zardari throwing the gauntlet at Aitzaz saying he can go take his protest to the street as he keeps threatening. We're told Aitzaz was speechless. This bit of news is hard to swallow knowing the sharp tongued Chaudhry from Gujrat who honed his witty repartees from schooldays.

Finally, Zardari pummeled Aitzaz on Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry becoming too "political" after his house arrest was lifted recently. But if memory serves me right, didn't Zardari himself receive Chaudhry when he came calling immediately after his release? In the photo-op, both were seen smiling wearing their Sindhi caps in a show of camaraderie! Oh times"¦

Email: aniaz@fas.harvard.edu

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)