Comments on: Pakistan Elections 2008: Why the lull this Time? http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/ Pakistan. Pakistani. Pakistaniat. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:23:50 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.7 By: Aik Aur Dewana http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/comment-page-4/#comment-138855 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:23:50 +0000 http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/#comment-138855 Attorney General thinks elections will be massively rigged;

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/02/14/pakist18069.htm

]]> By: Aik Aur Dewana http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/comment-page-3/#comment-138604 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:03:11 +0000 http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/#comment-138604 JUI molvi says its haram to give vote to anyone except JUI candidates.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/elections08/story/2008/02/080214_vote_fatwa_fz.shtml

Everyone should keep this in mind as we don’t want to do anything haram.

]]> By: meengla http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/comment-page-3/#comment-138572 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:54:49 +0000 http://pakistaniat.com/2008/02/13/pakistan-election-2008-quiet/#comment-138572 I fully agree with @Aqil Sajjad above. In this connection, I’d like to add that the political culture of Pakistan has made some progress since the 70s though it may not seem obvious. Even the nature of martial laws of Pakistan has improved when you compare Musharraf with Zia ul Haq. I also think that, despite all ethnic divisions, there is a growing nationalism in Pakistanis cemented by the common language of Urdu. These are slow improvements. But they are still step in the right direction.

But, as @Classof71 points out, external factors are extremely important in Pakistan’s internal affairs and these external factors can undo the gains–as shown by jihadi-led terrorism– and can even lead to a breakup of the country.

But of course blaming the foreign powers for all of Pakistan’s problem is unfair. Pakistan’s reliance on Western countries is rooted in Pakistan’s internal sense of insecurity vis a vis India. Pakistan has become a ‘client state’ to gain a few morsels of support. Unfortunately the military in Pakistan has all too often become the best agent of performance in the client state.

Until there is peace with India, Pakistan has two basic choices: Continue to be client state and gain some diplomatic cushion as well as foreign aid and trade (Pakistani textile could cripple otherwise, leading to millions of unemployed people). Or Pakistanis can choose to ‘eat grass’, galvanize internally in a revolution, expats become suspects, and show the finger to those who ask Pakistan to ‘do more’.

In my opinion while PML-N was never so Western-inclined anyway, today I read an interview of Asif Ali Zardari. If that reflects a calculated thinking of the PPP following the murder of BB then the PPP is at least halting its reliance on Western capitals to influence events in Pakistan.

I am a firm believer that Pakistan needs to offer sacrifices of trade etc and build govt. of political consensus for next 10-15 years, eat grass if needed, fight the fundos with fullforce, expats be prepared to be targetted…all this after refusing to be America’s client state once and for all. But for that to happen, nothing can replace a govt. elected by the people to make such decisions and galvanize people.

And hence these elections are crucial. Change is coming to Pakistan. May be even a revolution of sort? Or may be we have already seen many mini-revolutions in 2007 and the elections will be the logical ‘last push’ to topple the status quo and the establishment.

]]>