Adil Najam
UPDATE: The picture on the left, published in Daily Times, comes with the caption:
“Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain and MNAs react to an announcement by the Election Commissioner (unseen), at Parliament on Saturday. President Pervez Musharraf won a landslide victory in the election but the official results will be declared after the Supreme Court verdict on his eligibility.“
Maybe our readers can suggest what some of the people here are thinking as they clap. Suggestively, some, you will note, are making too much of an effort to clap, and others too little! The picture is also a good compliment to an earlier one we had posted here.
ORIGINAL POST: It is neither a surprise nor really news that Gen. Musharraf just got himself elected. It was always clear that he would get himself elected by hook or crook; eventually it took a bit of both. The way it had to be done is sad - pathetic really - and no one has come out of this mess looking good. Gen. Musharraf got the votes he needed, but neither he nor anyone else is a winner.
Gen. Musharraf lost whatever little credibility he might have had as someone interested in Pakistan’s development or people’s aspirations. He also lost the ability to make the claim that he was any different or any less p
ower-hungry than his political predecessors. He is now, clearly, one of them and has lost the one thing that had given him a support base. Benazir Bhutto lost the principles her party and father might once have stood for. PML(Q) had little to loose and yet lost big, they may even loose the government. Nawaz Sharif had already lost out some weeks ago. Maulana Fazlur Rehman had already lost all credibility but now they can’t even pretend to have any left. The Supreme Court lost at least some of the public goodwill they had gained as an institution with last minute shenanigans. America lost too because instead of backing one bad bet (Musharraf) they are now backing two (Musharraf + Benazir Bhutto).
But the biggest loser here may be the people of Pakistan who - once again - lost big time. But, then, I guess we are used to it.
Frankly, there is little need or point in commenting on the sham elections today. This was not a news event, this was a scripted stage drama. The real question remains what will happen next. There, it seems, that all of the losers - including Gen. Musharraf - may be confronted with some unexpected turn of events. There, one continues to hope, the people of Pakistan may yet emerge as winners eventually. Whenever ‘eventually’ comes!
Every 5 years the Chaudris, Bharwanas, Tiwanas, and Waderas of Pakistan herd their respective subjects to polling booths so that they can cast their votes to the politician who has bid the highest amount to buy that particular village king. In the cities, when a common man (like me) goes to the polling booth, he realizes that his vote has already been cast for him by some patriotic citizen of Pakistan. The common man then merrily returns to his home, his heart filled with gleeful anticipation of the ensuing dawn of Jeffersonian democracy in his beloved homeland.
Social Mistri,
I am afraid the message sent to the common man by the biggest general’s strong arm tactics - and now with the NRO - is that if they can achieve their aims by employing odious methods, it is not only OK, but in fact laudable, to do so; that is, as long as they can lull their conscience into believing that it is for the good of many that they are doing it.
The tragedy is that this message is not lost on many, encouraging them to twist rules and laws to benefit themselves. In turn, this promotes crime and corruption in society.
Short term gains for people like Musharraf translate into long term pain and loss of security of life and meagre possessions for millions of decent hardworking Pakistanis. The price of someone’s good fortune is paid by violence and injustice inflicted daily on countless innocent sufferers all over Pakistan.
One of these days, it might be your turn to pay this price. But don’t worry; it will all be for a good cause …
common man of pakistan is asked after every 5 years what he/she wants.
Whether someone agrees or not has always been irrelevant. From the inception of “Islami Jamhoori Ittehad” to the flight to Sarwar Palace, nobody has ever asked for the opinion of the wretched lowlife that is the common man of Pakistan.
Can anybody please prove that his election was unconstitutional haan?
no body in this world can.
Shaukat: When I say Now everyone claps.
All the others: Is it now, yet?
Mushy really rocks!!!
Now he is our constitutional president for next 5 years,whether someone agrees or not that is irrelevant.
Lahori saab, most people forget that while our forex reserves continued to rise even after 9/11, prior to that event, the coffers already had close to $1.5BN. This was up from less than $200M when NS (aka jaali balo’n wali balaa) was booted out of the country. There was no American help or other foreign funds involved in that successful attempt at salvaging our economy. We were on the verge of a default when Musharraf took over. Was that also just plain dumb luck, something that Musharraf had nothing to do with?
What about managing a year long deployment in 2002 while still having the economy grow at a healthy rate. As COAS, will he not get credit for even a military success like that? Recently even anti-Musharraf newspapers have written accounts that outline the heroics of our COAS-to-be, Gen. Kiyani, who was DGMO at the time. Musharraf had a lot to do with our successful navigation through that crisis. And, as much as possible, I genuinely believe he has tried to do the best he could for Pakistan.
But let’s assume for a moment that everything good that’s happened IS, indeed, plaindumb luck. Even so, it is happening to us while Musharraf is at the helm. Either he has something to do with it, or Allah mian, apparently, is extremely supportive of him and is sending all this good fortune his way. Either way, he gets my vote.