Adil Najam
Since yesterday the “I” word - impeachment - has begun to be thrown around a lot.
Some quarters seem to think that it just happen this time. Others suggest that it is more talk than action and the numbers needed to pull this are still not there.
Coming out of the “critical” Nawaz Sharif-Asif Zardari meetings one keeps wondering how much of this is an effort to keep the coalition going and how much is a real push to change the essential political equations of Pakistan. There are reports that Gen. Musharraf is taking this move seriously enough to cancel his trip to China (to attend the Olympics opening ceremony). On the other hand some of Gen. Musharraf’s supporters are claiming that no such cancellation has happened. We do know, however, that he is taking this challenge seriously and lining up his supporters.
All in all, there is too much noise to say what is happening. But something is clearly happening. Does the PPP-PML(N) have the numbers they need to go ahead? Does the President have the numbers he needs to stop it? And what of all the external actors and where they may lean, why and for what?
Interestingly, we had run a ATP Poll back in June asking you what you thought would have happened to Gen. Musharraf by October 2008? The majority (38%) had thought that he would be impeached by then. A significant number (31%) thought that by October 2008 we woudl be still muddling through as we are now.
We do not intend to open the Poll again, but it does seem that either of those two answers could turn out to be true again. Indeed, even our earlier Poll on the subject, from October 2007, may still be relevant in its results!
So, since we can’t make full sense of exactly what all of this adds up to, we thought we woudl ask our best source: You. What do you think? What is happening? What might happen? And why?
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I really do not liek Zardari. But the fact is that this government was elected and it deserves a chance to finish its term. If they do badly, like I think they will, then let people vote them out. But the term of elected govt has to be completed.
@Ahmad,
I think Musharraf should have resigned after Feb 18 as his coalition party could not get public mandate. But we know, a person who comes to power with coup hardly thinks about the democratic norms. Yet we expect, these norms from the parties who believe in democratic process.
Ahmed Shadid
The current govt doesnt even have an economic minister or an economic policy, the result is that the economy is degenerating. Is that Mr Musharraf’s fault or that of the last eight years?
A page from my diary. Let me share it with you guys.
Today I am really sad of the experience I had with the Pakistani politician and the first family of Pakistan.. Since I started my internship in Embassy of Pakistan in Washington DC I was really excited that I will got to see the PM of our nation. Because I think that it is a honor to meet the Prim Minister . But all excitement ended when I got to see the real face of our leaders. It started with the strange experience when Senator Khawaja Came in our camp office really mad because the officer have put his name in wrong place in the hand book. He wanted the person to be fired because he said that the last government have done a lot of injustice to him, and now we are ignoring him too. He yelling at us the same way Pakistani people treat their servant. I don’t how did the DCM handled him. Then their was Miss Shery Rahman (information minister) who was mad at every thing. It did not look like to me that they are at state visit, but it was more like a vacation. It gave a lot of stress to the people who work in the embassy. Because of that they lost their track that what was their main agenda for being the United State. Then the next day I was expecting the First lady to be in the white house with the Prim Minister. But she have to do shopping. I got the honor to be with them. They were really nice by manner but they don’t know what First family is spouse to do accept shopping, where ever we went with her, the First lady was doing shopping. I think as a first lady she should have went to museum, historical place meet with the real people of America. But she was too busy buying thousands dollar begs and shoes. And here we cry that Pakistan is a poor country . Were every day Pakistan people are doing suicide because they can’t afford one time food. I know that the PM is rich family. But they should not do shopping like this because her husband is in US to ask for aid. And the PM’s question and answer in the event of CFR was a disaster the reason it happen like because Every body was busy promoting themselves then prepare the PM for the event , and here we had 30 journalists came from Pakistan, I don’t know why do we need that many journalist here. This event was for just lost of state money, no body even care how much they are spending,
I wander what will happen to my country ? Where we have 19 year old crown, a 10% and a hijacker our leader. I am disappointed but what can I expect from this government who are not mature enough to chose their leader and they talk about democracy and they don’t even know the meaning of that word is. Who should I blame for this situation . Myself , you all people or them? What will be my future ???????
Reading some of the comments here, from all side, has been disappointing. Its like the crap you find on YouTube or some of the other blogs by people just misbehaving and calling each other names. I hope that ATP will not let this continue. It will not force the more thoughtful readers go away. For many of us we come here every day as much for the regular commenters and their intellectual comments and ideas as we do for the posts. So, please, do not let these shouting types crowd out the people and ideas that makes this our home away from home.
Musharraf has taken the back seat ever since the ruling coalition has come to power. It is the ruling coalition now that has to answer for all the problems that are being faced by Pakistan. The economy is in extreme turmoil, the situation in NWFP is still not under control. But despite all this, it is not President Musharraf who is required to be answerable for all this since he seems to have handed over the reins of power over to the elected government. Is that fair? Why should at this point the president, who is in part responsible for all the problems that we are facing today, be calmly enjoying his tenure as President. The move to impeach him is fair, however, whether he gets impeached or not is a totally different matter. He will fight it and he has a right to fight it. But, the question our leaders should be asking is this, will impeaching President Musharraf solve all the problems being faced by Pakistan? Is it fair to blame all the problems on him? I don’t see much change or even hope of change ever since the new government has taken over.
I THINK THAT WILLBE THE BAD IDEA OF GOVT OF PAKISTAN(PPP) THROUGHING OUT PRESEDENT MUSHARAF. I HOPE THEY WILL WORK IT OUT TOGETHER. ALLAH BLESS US ALL
SINDHPARAST SAMEE MANGI
@Roshan
The democratically elected government should resign if it fails to impeach the President but the President doesn’t need to resign when he commits all kinds of grand mistakes?