Adil Najam
Former Prime Minister and PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif is back in Pakistan.
Reportedly he landed in Lahore to a large reception by his supporters and was escorted to a special bullet proof car that had been brought for him. According to The News:
A special plane carrying the PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif, his brother Shahbaz Sharif and other family members arrived in Lahore from the holy city of Madina on Sunday evening. The convoys of PML-N workers arrived in Lahore to accord rousing welcome to Sharifs. Large welcome banners and pictures of Sharif brothers have been displayed at several places in Lahore. The special plane Boeing777 carried Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif along with 26 members of their family from the holy city of Madina.
The central and provincial leaders of PML-N, lawyers and members of civil society have arrived to receive Sharifs at Lahore Airport. Nawaz Sharif is expected to first visit Data Darbar in a procession and address a public meeting. Security had been tightened in Lahore especially on the airport ahead of arrival of the PML-N leader. Provincial home department has allowed only hundred party leaders to receive Sharifs at the airport, party sources claimed.
According to sources, bullet-proof cars for Sharifs reached in Lahore last night from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the home department said that the authorities have decided to give free hand to Nawaz Sharif but he has not been permitted for holding a public meeting and rally.
Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and other family members will be transported to home from the airport, a home department statement said. However, thousands of PML-N workers succeeded in arriving airport by crossing the barricades put up by police. On this occasion, the workers raised slogans both in favour of Nawaz Sharif and against the government.
Readers would remember from our prior posts that in August the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ruled that he could, in fact, return to Pakistan despite whatever ‘deal’ he had made with Gen. Musharraf at teh time of his original flight to Saudi Arabia. However, when he did return to the country in September, he was unceremoniously and dramatically deported back to Saudi Arabia with theatrics which rivaled his own attempts not to let Gen. Musharraf land in Pakistan many moons ago.
Now it turns out that he has made yet another ‘deal’ with Gen. Musharraf which has enabled his return.
It is not fully clear what the ‘terms’ of this deal are. Nor what the Musharraf-Nawaz Sharif deal mean
s for the earlier Musharraf-Benazir deal that had enabled her return some weeks back. Nor, in fact, is it clear what what his return (and the fact that now both Benazir and Nawaz Sharif are back in Pakistan) will mean for the future of Pakistan’s politics and the (supposed) forthcoming elections.
In despair, one even wonders if it means anything at all? Or is this just one more drama in the string of topi dramas that have come to define our distraught and fractured polity?
I think all the bad stuff done like selling of Steel Mills on peanuts was done under the “able” guidance of Shaukat Aziz. He just acted on IMF guidelines, if thats a good policy.
Ahmed,
Well I partially agree with you. We have good policies since early 1990 when we start adapting free market economy model. I dont give credit to Musharaf but to shaukat aziz, who was equipped with good professional team. NS or BB can do the same if they choose good team.
For BB, Zardari can be real problem. For NS, if he or his brother is PM, they should separate their own “itefaq foundry” business from their public life.
faraz:
Just as Musharraf regime continued policies of NS:)
Peejamistri you are comparing India and Pakistan growth. India and china are fastest growing economies and we are no match for them.
What I will appretiate that Pakistan was growing at 4th or 5th number in Asia and it is better then recession and no growth.
I dont care if NS or BB run country, but they should continue macro economic policies of current government.
What is in a oath?
http://pejamistri.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/what-is -in-a-oath/
If Hameed Dogar and his associates take the oath again, I don’t know what we should call them.
Those who thinks this government made any economic progress in last 6 years (remember these are the years in which $60 billion came to pakistan) read this
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/nov2007-daily/27-11-20 07/col3.htm
This is horrible that Double Shah (current caretaker finance minister), showed $5.5 billion more in exports whereas the countries where we exported showed less. This is another big scam, this was done by “over invoicing” to get the benifits and concessions from the government on subsidized exports.
Some other facts:
Pakistan Foreign reserves : $16 billion (a 400% increase over $4 billion in 2001)
Indian Foreign reserves: $266 billion (a 1000% increase over $28 billion in 2001)
Pakistan export : $11.5 billion ($17 - 5.5 (over invoiced) (a $2.5 billion increase over $9 billion in 2001)
India export : $200 billion ( a $130 billion increase over $70 billion in 2001)
Most unfortunate thing is that Pakistan received so much money from all quarters and even the most corrupt politician in Pakistan would have made Pakistan a better place to live with that money. But unfortunately the general and his cronies just made pakistan a lot worse place to live than 2001.
Also Pakistan has now $41.5 compared to less than $30 billion dollar in 2001. An increase of $11.5 billion dollar.
Thanks God the myth has been broken that if Musharraf is no more COAS then Pakistan would go down the drain and fundamentalists would take control of the nukes.
@Ayjay
Thats what I have been saying about the “overseas Pakistanis”, who think they are the most capable and resident Pakistanis are stupid, realizing little that at present according to some estimates around 3-4 million Pakistanis are resident overseas and even those who are not resident overseas, many still go on short tours abroad. It would take them time to adust to the realities that others are not stupid.