I am watching television right now and every news channels is reporting that declaration of emergency in Pakistan is likely sometime tonight or tomorrow for sure. This is happening when rumors about PML(N) leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif’s possible return to Pakistan within next 2-3 days were already in the air. Three likely reasons are being suggested for emergency:
1. Threats from United States to attack so called terrorist targets and growing terrorist activities in Pakistan.
2. General law and order situation in NWFP and Balochistan.
3. Killing and kidnapping of Chinese in Pakistan
I can’t understand HOW declaring emergency is a solution to all these problems. Aitezaz Ahsen suggested that the people who want to get rid of President Musharraf are giving him such advices. There is no justification of declaring emergency except for his malafied intentions of remaining in power at every cost. He said that emergency declaration will really be the biggest blunder by President Musharraf and the end of his regime. Interesting observation.
This is what Geo website has:
A high-level meeting presided over by President General Pervez Musharraf decided Wednesday to declare emergency in the country for one month that could be extended for three months, the well placed sources told Geo News. The meeting reviewed current political situation and various options regarding changes in the political set up came under discussion.
Pakistan Muslim League (QA) president Chaudhry Shujaat also reportedly said while talking to women parliamentarians of party during a reception which was hosted by him at his residence that emergency is likely to be declared. Speaker National Assembly was also called at the reception in which he was consulted that in case of emergency how it could be approved from the National Assembly. Some reliable sources confirmed that the decision regarding declaration of emergency was taken in the meeting.
However, the government sources have denied the reports about the declaration of emergency in the country.
Personally, I don’t see any reason whatsoever for this move now. Declaration of emergency at this time will only be seen as a desperate attempt to prolong Musharraf sahab’s rule in Pakistan and to avoid elections. It will also be interesting to see how the Supreme Court of Pakistan react to this because, if true, this will surely be challenged.
The situation is quite uncertain and unclear so we will have to wait and see what happens in next 24-48 hours. I hope this turns out to be just a rumor. We already have too many problems and this will only make things worse. We do NOT want another crises when we are preparing to celebrate years 60 years of independence. May Allah have mercy on Pakistan and give our leaders wisdom to make right decisions. Ameen.
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Ali Zain:
I thought that we Indians were the only ones fortunate enough to have mass media that are busily flushing themselves down the toilet. Good to hear that our Pakistani brethren are just as fortunate! :)
Seriously, though, you are absolutely right. It is becoming more and more difficult to sift sensationalism from real news.
Commodification zindabad.
“if musharraf seriously wanted to impose the emergency, he would have just gone ahead and done it rather than telegraphing his actions two days in advance.”
King Faisal /Ali Zain,
I don’t agree with you guys. There are too many signs/indications that emergency was seriously comptemplated:
1) Shaikh Rasheed’s threats in Meray Mutabiq over the weekend saying democracy can be derailed
2) Shujaat, Tariq Azeem saying emergency is an option
3) Mush backing out of the grand jirga that he himself had proposed.
4) The barricades and fences placed in Islamabad yesterday
Musharraf is not the same Musharraf as pre-march 9th who can do anything he liked. Even he has to beat a retreat now in the face of public opposition.
Ominously for him, people from the legal fratenity e.g Aitzaz and others were once again on the channels vowing to challenge the imposition of emergency in the SC.
I consider this another setback for Musharraf, he is finding out how weak he has become after July 20th verdict.
The news that 70% of Q leage will desert was mentioned in one of the talk shows yesterday, it was probably Hamid Mir’s show.
This is going too far.
This new wave of news channels in Pakistan and their ways of ’selling’ the news rather than keeping the public informed (and I am not only talking about this particular news). It seems that all the big news channels have blatantly adopted this formula to sensationalise and turn every news into a hype. This is how the daily evening newspapers have always done to sell their papers. To be sure the ‘news’ is being turned into a commodity and its being sold to us to make big bucks. We like good, obedient free-market consumers are glued to the screens to this new reality show. The distinction between news and entertainment is being blurred. We are indeed living in a hyper-reality.
And don’t get me wrong, we certainly do need a free media in Pakistan, a free, fair and responsible media (like we need free and fair elections). I thought after their unrestrained and unchecked joy-ride in the past five years of their existence, the Pakistani media will make a natural transition from adolescence to adulthood. But I was wrong, it is not even half way there. All their efforts are concentrated in order to be on top, to improve ratings and attract advertisements. There is a total lack of journalistic integrity, of professionalism and sense of responsibility. In order to attarct more viewership the news is manipulated by sheer acts of sensationalism, an over-enthusiasm to report and thus glorifying certain political and socail issues. This of course has nothing to do with democracy or our real’ problems but everything to the big news corporations cynical agenda to make money out of anything.
More and more people are switching to most of the talk shows aired by these channels and to tell you the truth its not because of their in-depth analysis, knowledge and issues raised in them. The nature of these talk shows is such that they have become a kind of new entertainment, a horrible caricature of reality-tv talk shows in the US. Most of the hosts of these shows are so baised and partial in their analysis, most of them coming out from Urdu press and its no wonder that they have this right-wing, reactionary and bourgeoisie mind-set. These people are increasingly becoming efficient in forging public opinions and have become over-night celebrities which is alarming.
These talk shows work on the tested and proven formula, to be anti-government in their content and outlook. This formula is successfully adopted and used by many Urdu dailys in Pakistan. Yes everything sells if you blame it to the government, we tend to blame all our ills, short-comings and incompetence to whoever is in charge of government at the moment and you don’t have to be a Freudian to know why. And to be sure I am not suggesting that we shouldn’t criticize governments, but ‘how’ they do it, by sheer sensationalism and with a hedonist capitalist agenda to make money out of it.
The point is to extend our critical attitude and this new-found hope(?) for justice, fairness and impartiality to all the
aspects of our lives and all the institutions and not restrict it to particular institutions. We don’t want to be fed with this reactionary hog-wash in the name of analysis, if I don’t want PTV then I certainly don’t want the likes of GEO and ARY, there is no difference between them, one is controlled by the State and the other by capitalist elite.
I was watching the news last night, that frenzy show of hysteria, of reports, analysis, confirmations, speculations, denials and what not. It was riddled with insentivity, haste and populist hog-wash, some theories put forth as to why the administration would do such an act, were so bizarre and crazy and I felt like I was watching Jerry Springer Show.
My brother woke up this morning and the first thing he asked me was: ‘yar emergency lag gayee kiya?’ and I was like WTF? ‘Dude we don’t have water, we don’t have power and you are concerned about emergency? What could be more urgent, we are already in a state of emergency goddamnit!’
the drama over the emergency reminds me of the tamasha over “killer sms virus”.
if musharraf seriously wanted to impose the emergency, he would have just gone ahead and done it rather than telegraphing his actions two days in advance. moreover, pml’s women’s wing would be the last group of people to learn of governments intention in advance. instead the whole emergency threat was a big drama staged to meet some sort of strategic objective. what that objective was, i cant identify at this point. its possible that government wanted to send some message to the americans. timing of the emergency announcement around the jirga and musharraf pulling out of the jirga at very short notice leads me to believe that govt and bush administration were not seeing eye-to-eye on some important matter. its possible that musharraf was signalling his future course of action should americans act against musharraf’s wishes.
its also possible although highly unlikely in my view that drama was staged for domestic audience. certainly emergency had nothing to to with c.t.b.t court case. govt can always come up with new charges and lock c.t.b.t in jail if the brothers were to land in pak without govt permission. also the timing of emergency would be inappropriate because there is a long time to go before any of the important court cases come before the s.c. in the interim, govt can strike a deal with opposition which would be a much more secure way for musharraf to extend his rule than rather than an emergency. this is not to rule the possibility of emergency but that will be the last resort. also dont forget that shaukat aziz had announced while the cj was on trail that govt was looking into the possibility that emergency might be imposed.
word also on the role of the media which in pakistan specialises in turning man does not bite dog into a story. both the government as well as its opponents manipulate the media which is simply incapable of reporting anything beyond he said she said types of stories. government certainly is very good at this game. government’s manipulation becomes evident every time tariq azeem says one thing while durrani says something else. while all governments are manipulative, its the media’s job to cut through the spin and hold the government to account. dont think thats going to happen anytime soon though given the stupidity of people in our media and the chalaak nature of people in our government.
Kruman writes: “Intelligence reports suggest that 70% of Q league will desert Mush”
Which ‘intelligence’ agency are you getting these numbers from?
Did not realize we had people working for gteh ‘agencies’ using ATP to spread rumors!
Shehzad Ahmad Mir,
You are right. When you read news reports that all attempts to establish a working relationship with CJ have failed, what that really means is that there is hope for biased verdict form the SC (in favor of the dictator).
“Mushie is scared, Mushie is a looser. ”
I am singing this while typing as kids sing to poke fun at others.
Mush is in a real tight spot. He wants to declare his candidacy in uniform. But he is scared with the spectre of 80,000 strong legal fraternity taking to the streets again from Khyber to Karachi, not to mention the legal battle.
Sharif’s case got off to a good start. Intelligence reports suggest that 70% of Q league will desert Mush when the Sharif’s return.
Qazi’s case that Mush has attained the age of superannuation is also going to be taken up soon.
This is a another win for the people. Musharraf was checkmated the day CJP refused to resign. He is looking desperately for a way out, but his departure is now inevitable.