A picture equals a thousand words. The occasion seen here is the signing of presidential nomination papers.
34 comments posted
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Comment Pages: « 5 4 [3] 2 1 »
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What short memories everyone here seems to have. “Security Threat” Benazir & “Mr 90%” Shahbaz Sharif, Abba-jee aur chalees chor… everything’s forgotten just because a few years have gone by? They were the ones who sucked Pakistan’s coffers dry.
Musharraf is a thousand times better than that Ganja paapi Nawaz Sharif, who is now conveniently running around calling himself a democrat… martial law ki aulad!! And a blatant LIAR to boot, no deal, 10 year, 5 year… As Salman Taseer said the other day on TV (Lucman.com), “Nawaz Sharif choocha (i.e. chooza) tha jo us ko 10 saal ka matlab 5 saal laga?”
As far as hopes these corrupt losers in APDM are harbouring, of an “uprising”, KUCH BHI NAHIEN HO GA. Musharraf will be elected a civilian President, the new COAS will provide stability and a year from now Musharraf will be in power, having provided the necessary transition and continuity we need.
Bandaro’n ki tarha nachnay ka zamana chala gaya. Koi productive kaam karo. Wohi pathar pehkna, khirkia’n torna aur 200 rupia day fi aadmi day kar buso’n ko bharna band karo APDM. Lots of black suits have been sold and more “lawyers” have been made in Pakistan over the last 6 months than ever before in our history. All of it fell flat on its face. These “huge” protests people talk about have 500 people participating. APDM itself is a mess from the inside; no one wanted to go “greet” Nawaz Sharif at the airport. Fazl has ensured that the NWFP assembly remained in tact for the elections. The opposition is non existent. Chup kar kay ghar betho aur Ganjay ki tarha siri paey khao aur Madhuri kay puranay naach dekho!
Beej Kumar
Any way its too late now, He is elected by his hali mawalis.
Syed Ahsan Ali Sahib,
Cheer up.
Those people standing behind could have been wearing deep-purple robes, with turban on heads. Then we would be longing for this picture.
Back on October 12, 1999, the day when General Musharraf took over the reigns of power, I was showing around a few visitors from the US the old parts of the city of Lahore when the news broke out.
One of the visitors was a distinguished Pakistan scholar. I asked her if the military takeover heralded the end of democracy in the country forever or was it that the army will be honest this time around, carry out some accountability work and let go honorably?
The scholar told me that it’s good be optimistic but great expectations usually end up in ruining hope and give way to despair and disappointment. I didn’t get her point at that time. I guess I was somewhat gullible and happy to see the back of Nawaz Sharif, and of course had some trust left in the army.
However, as time went by, I stayed in touch with the events happening in Pakistan and have been thoroughly disillusioned by the way things have worked out in the country. Musharraf’s military rule has in many respects turned out to be worse than Ayub’s and Zia’s. Yes, his foreign policy in the post 9/11 era has been a classic example of astute diplomacy - I appreciate his vision and competence to understand and recognize the important of cooperating in the war against terrorism.
Needless to say, his domestic handling of affairs has been a mess. I am cognizant of the fact that he had to cling on to the politicians to ‘legitimize’ his rule but the maneuvering that he’s done to prolong his stay in power has destroyed any hopes that Pakistanis could have had from him as their leader. His single-minded approach to ‘acquire’ (read ‘grab’) a second term of office has distracted him from the main issues of the day. The economy remains in shambles, with inflation growing by leaps and bounds. The middle class is almost a perishing commodity/phenomenon.
The condition of the people of Pakistan is like child who has been deserted by his parents. Whereas the leaders live their lives with pomp and show, the interests of the ordinary folks have been pushed aside.
What has really disappointed me is the National Reconciliation Ordinance that has exonerated politicians like Benazir Bhutto who had robbed the national exchequer with ruthless callousness, only because of Musharraf’s lust for power.
Musharaff’s best option would perhaps have been to say goodbye to politics and to live a respectable life as an elder statesman. What lies ahead for the Pakistani nation is greater uncertainty and, may be, an even harder road ahead.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter what system of government is, what matters, at the end of the day, is good governance and caring for the people by those sitting at the helm of affairs.
There are, of course, no easy solutions out of this quagmire. Perhaps, once elected, Musharraf might find time to pay attention to what’s more important than political wheeling dealing.
The key to Pakistan’s future, to my mind, is in the hands of the now much enlightened and aware media and the judges of the Supreme Court. These two institutions have the kind of weapons, the machinery and the paraphernalia to check government authoritarianism and curb the despotic tendencies of those in Islamabad. Being a former member of the media myself, I realize the significance of the role the media can play in affecting positive changes in the mainstream mechanism.
One wishes the people of Pakistan all the luck in the world. Something, however, that I have learnt over the years and would like to share with all is that great expectations are dangerous and hence one’s got to definitely stay away from them!
Aamir Ali,
Your love for Musharraf has almost blinded you.
Do you really think Mush cares about women? If you recall, he let the rapist Major of Dr. Shazia go scot free and she had to run out of country to save herself. He also had to say this about Mukhtaran Mai that some women claim rape to get migration.
Women’s Bill was a marketing ploy. Nothing Else. Quite a few people have come around to this fact. Hopefully, you will do so as well soon.
I call this the signing of death warrant of democracy
Aamir Ali,
saying “pro woman” rights legislation,
as if Mushraf invented, rather, discovered being pro or contra
women is not at all 15th wonder of the world, for which he should be heavyley garlanded.
Politicising ideologically has no value, Women always had rights in Pakistan jonks ago, but it was always exploited,
blocked by all boards- ideologies who had their agendas when and where to use it. Left or right, all of them are criminals before Pakistani women. I would rather limit this point to Pakistan.
Rafay Bhai,
You are a master of satire, its a real shame all of what you wrote about is not hearsay or conjecture but all true. Only in Pakistan do we allow by design or default (and by sheer laziness which the people of Pakistan are showing now!!) an army general to re-elect himself from a dying parliament. Have a read of Pakistan’s Judgement week post at http://www.otherpakistan.org/archive.html
Feimanallah
Wasim