Tuesday, July 12, 2011

JP wash r

RE: JP MONSANTO Lobbying for introducing Genetically Modified Crops in Pakistan

dear eriends it is worth to note the explaination by ijaz rao who is one of the experienced person on the subject . his obsevation are based on facts so for the regulatory and conduct of trial are concerned.h pl. also look on both sides what loss or benefit will accrue due to non refinement of technology. let us ask our own institute to work hard to save the country for exclusive dependence on foreign organization.anyhow your approach reflects love for the soil

SINCERELY YOUR S
Dr. AKHLAQ HUSSAIN
Ex-Director General (Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department)
project director
Establishment of facilitation unit for
participatory vegetable seed and
nursery production programme.
House # 873 St # 34 G-10/1
Islamabad, Pakistan
Ph: 0092-051-2293164
Cell: 0092-300-5186541
Email: akhlaq7@hotmail.com

From: msarwar80@hotmail.com
To: joinpakistan@googlegroups.com
Subject: **JP** MONSANTO Lobbying for introducing Genetically Modified Crops in Pakistan
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:31:40 +0600

Dear friends and colleagues

Below*** is an invitation and attached is program details sent out to the media by MEDIATORS which is the Public Relations (PR) agency for Monsanto.

The latest lobbying effort in the ongoing Biotech/genetically modified (GM) crops approval process in Pakistan is that media is being invited to attend a seminar/workshop in Indonesia. So in the next few months expect some very pro-GM crop stories in the media with examples from the Philippines, India, USA and rest of the World except, Pakistan since nothing actually has been done locally at the Govt., and private sector to analyze/verify the so called socio-economic or yield benefits of Bt corn/maize and Bt Cotton.

In 2007-8, then Federal Secretary Food & Agriculture Mr. Zia-ur-Rehman visited Monsanto headquarters at Creve Couve, Missouri, USA on the Company's invitation. Later a group of farmers was taken to the USA. In 2009, Punjab Govt., Advisor Haroon Khawaja visited St. Louis. In 2010, 6 Govt., officials visited the Philippines through Monsanto sponsored 'Biosafety Coalition 'BCP' of the Philippines'. In early 2011, Pioneer Seed Company brought in people from abroad to make some pro-Biotech statements and convince decision-makers just before launching its Bt Corn commercial approval process without even starting the large-scale open field trials. Now media is being taken to Indonesia in the name of capacity building regarding GM crops'.

So no wonder with such lobbying at work, about 2 months back, ex-Chairman of TAC sub-committee Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad thought it's OK to let Monsanto drafted reports be circulated among colleagues and recommend its word on face value without any analysis by the Pakistani regulators themselves.

The question is: What's wrong with us? We blame politicians of unethical behavior but conveniently forget the same when we are accepting sponsored visits from Corporate sector. Is blaming politicians correct then?

Throughout this effort of introducing Biotech or GM crops in Pakistan, multinational seed companies (especially Monsanto) have indulged in lobbying and such 'Sponsored' visits to influence decision makers and opinion makers. That is why instead of focusing on issues, all we hear is propaganda and quoting examples of Philippines, India etc., instead of any local data. Instead of focusing on conducting proper regulatory procedure, environmental due diligence and socio-economic benefits/disadvantages in local Pakistani conditions, corporate seed sector is trying to make puppets in all segments of Pakistani society who will speak their language and agenda. Media is the latest target of lobbying now.

Is Biotechnology so poor a technology that it requires lobbying and sponsored visits? Is ethics of any importance to regulators, media?

Media should stop blaming the politicians for wrong-doings, if it can accept visits sponsored by Corporate entities, what's wrong with politicians doing what they do.

3 cheers for tireless flouting of regulatory process and related ethics, by the multinational/Corporate seed companies, to get Biotech approvals in Pakistan.

Regards

Ijaz Ahmad Rao

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Email from Monsanto (PR) agency MEDIATORS

***

Subject: Invitation for Media Capacity building workshop

> XXXX,
> Editor,
> XXXX
> XXXX
>
> Dear
> XXXX,

As discussed on telephone on behalf of our client Monsanto Pakistan Agritech Limited, we would request you to kindly nominate a senior reporter / feature writer on agriculture based in Lahore for capacity building to attend a workshop on :

Status, Impacts and Future Prospects of Agri-biotechnology in a Changing Climate. It is a Regional Workshop for Media Practitioners from July 20-22, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The workshop is organized by BIOTROP, Bogor, Indonesia. Other organizers and sponsors of this workshop are SEAMEO Southeast Asian Regional Center on Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), SEAMEO Regional Center for Tropical Biology (BIOTROP), the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)and the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II (ABSPII), Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC) and Crop Life Asia(CLA)Please note that Air-fare and accomodation would be covered by our client.

Kindly let us have the name and contact details of your nominee as soon as possible as we have to arrange Visas and make other necessary travel arrangements. Please note that your nominee must have a valid passport with at least six months validity.

A copy of the Workshop program is attached for your attention.

We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest

Kind Regards

Babar Ayaz
Mediators
10-11, Mezzanine Floor, Progressive Plaza, Beaumont Road, Karachi
00-92-21-5656177

-----------------------------------------------------------

Muhammad Boota Sarwar

H#193, Street#42

Margala Town, Phase II

Islamabad.

Ph#0519241485

Cell#03003003405

Email:msarwar80@hotmail.com

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JP Jobs in Pakistan

Riddles about Liberals

The Looking Spoon Blog

Riddles About Liberals

Posted: 09 Jul 2011 12:46 PM PDT

Many of these have been inspired by previous writings. Some are totally new. Some are ones I probably haven't been the first one to think of, but they're all from me.

Fair warning, some are more R-rated than others. Click on "Answer" to reveal the....um.....answer.

If you have one put it in the comments!

----------

Q: Which pick for VP is the only no-brainer for both parties?
Answer:

Q: What do you get when you combine Joe Biden, fast food, and a 10 dollar bill?
Answer:

Q: Why does Obama golf so much?
Answer:

Q: What is the difference between Joe Biden's credit card and his library card?
Answer:

Q: What kind of party will there be at the Ground Zero Mosque opening?
Answer:

Q: What kind of cure, paradoxically, scares gay men to death?
Answer:

Q: What is the one thing liberals need to sustain their dishonesty?
Answer:

Q: What is the only thing lower than Obama's approval rate?
Answer:

Q: Why did Biden think he was a member of the Tea Party?
Answer:

Q: If liberals take what they love most, and switch the vowels, they'll get the home of who they hate most. What is the word?
Answer:

Q: What do you get when you combine liberal ideas with Sham-wow?
Answer:

Q: What did Tiger Woods blame his marital infidelity on most?
Answer:

Q: What is the most vile four-letter profanity ever uttered on a Planned Parenthood operating table?
Answer:

Q: How does Biden feel about legalizing gay marriage?
Answer:

Q: Why is Obama so upset about 9% unemployment?
Answer:

Q: Why should the constitution be required reading in Congress?
Answer:

Q: Why didn't Anthony Weiner's wife leave him?
Answer:

Q: When will Nancy Pelosi stop going green?
Answer:

Q: What will Hillary Clinton be for the Halloween before the 2012 election?
Answer:

Q: What did Al Gore call his love child with Mother Nature?
Answer:

Q: A New York Times poll found 9 in 10 Tea Party members want to replace Obama in 2012. What do the 1 in 10 want?
Answer:

Q: Even though it was unpopular in the polls, why did Obama insist on passing ObamaCare?
Answer:

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