Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing, China, last week. Thomas Peter / Getty
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing, China, last week. Thomas Peter / Getty

Imran Khan is learning the tough lessons of public service



Congratulations on your incisive editorial, Imran Khan is caught between the past and the future (Nov 8). He may well be realising that it is easier to be a member or leader of the opposition than to be in the hot seat. Power is a funny phenomenon. Those who do not have it, seek it. Those who have it, wonder whether it was worth the struggle. Social media has made every voice count. Everyone has an opinion and a voice. So, a leader is incessantly subject to audit and scrutiny. Eventually, they have to act out of conscience, and if they can sleep at night, they are doing just fine.

In developing countries such as Pakistan and India, tradition and modernity are constantly tugging at each other. Science, literature and technology propel societies forward. However, the old, established ways of doing things can make the process slower. It is a leader’s job to balance these pressures and keep the economy moving forwards. Mr Khan may be realising that to solve Pakistan’s problems, he may have to start a fresh journey. What he has learned on the cricket field may not suffice. In sport, there are rules and conventions. Societal problems evolve unpredictably, and there is no rule book. Every problem is new, requiring lateral thinking.

Public service can be a thankless job. You do acquire some fame, but there is little money to be made if you are honest, and rarely is there much appreciation at the end of a long career. Look at the Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. Once, she was the darling of Europe. Now people cannot wait to see her go. That is very sad, indeed.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Will there be a resolution to Sri Lanka’s political crisis?

I write in reference to the recent political developments in Sri Lanka. The nation's president Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved the nation's parliament, which is a shocking development, and called for fresh elections in January. For the past few months, the nation's politics have been in crisis. Will the situation of ordinary Sri Lankans improve? We will have to wait and see.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru

When it comes to housing, always be sure to plan ahead

I write in reference to your recent article Homefront: "Can my landlord charge a full year's rent for breaking a contract early?": I found myself in a similar situation, without an early cancellation clause, and worked with the landlord to find a new tenant. Worked like a charm and everybody was happy at the end. Lesson learned: never assume you'll stay in a place for long, and put everything in writing, including your exit strategy.

Miguel Llorente, Dubai

Artificial intelligence is no substitute for news anchors

I write in reference to your recent article China debuts the world's first AI news presenter (Nov 10): definitely a big no from me. Human newscasters must be retained.

Benazir Khan, Dubai

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

At a glance

- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years

- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills

- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis

- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector

- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes

- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950