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?
These days impeachment of Pres Mush is what everyone is talking - but who are demanding it? The top leaders of the two major political parties which themselves have a shady past of throwing out the sitting CJ from his office and making and “exporting” billions out of the country.
Let the first stone be thrown by the someone who hasnt committed a sin till date.
Ahmad R. Shahid:
I agree that change is a slow, evolutionary process. There is no magic wand that will imediately fix the problems. The judiciary’s restoration, however, would be an important step forward. Even more than the impeachment of Musharraf in fact, since institutions are more important than individuals.
Also, if he is given a safe exit, then the impeachment will not be of much significance in the long-run evolution of democracy.
…hmm.;
-just wondering if not I heard the “Prince of Denmark” /Hamlet just whispering something like ; “there is something rotten in the State of Denmark” . Nowadays it could be implemented on certain factors concerning a country called Pakistan.
Mush’s goose, as far as I can see, has been cooked good and proper. Let us see how well he fights his case. If I were his lawyer I will make the plea for his mental incapacity to save him from death by stoning or something like that. His just one remark yesterday is enough to prove his mental incapacity. He said: I have never violated the constitution of Pakistan. By the way lying is not a serious offence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as it is in USA.
Just a lot of “hot air”
The “unelected” leaders have found another way to distract the citizens from real issues: lack of law and order, food shortages, high inflation, high taxes, political corruption ……….
No body is going anywhere MIAN,ZARDARI AND MUSH are here till BUSH is there.
If this GROUP OF ..DOVES.. really want to bring some good change in our life JUST Restore the judges or stop this TOPI DRAMA of impeachment as soon as possible .
Auk:
It is the choice of the Pakistani people to obsess over Mr Musharraf, even though he is no longer running the country, and it is the choice of the Pakistani people to believe in fantasies, such as “dont kill our own people (terrorists)” and tell America to “go away”.
Pakistanis believe in delusions then throw tantrums when someone like Musharraf points out facts to them.
I wonder if the impeachment of the President and the restoration of the judges would really improve things, they would only correct two wrongs. One is the self-imposition of a COAS as the President, which the consitution doesn’t allow and for which the saza is death by hanging, and the other is to restoration of the illegally and unconstitutionally deposed judges by a person who has no right to depose them.
Apart from that its just part of a bigger evolutionary scheme of things that takes place over centuries and not days. But surely any impeachment of a former COAS would hinder the mis-adventures of future Generals.