Adil Najam
Rumors of a ‘deal’ between PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and Gen. Pervez Musharraf have been rife for a long time. All indications now suggest that a deal of some sort has, in fact, been reached.
The ferocity with which the rumors are being denied – with obvious insincerity – suggests that something is afoot. The question is, exactly what.
There is little utility, it seems to us, to indulge any further in the speculation than people already are. The much more important question is what – if anything – will such a deal mean for Pakistan and for democracy in Pakistan.
Will it make things better? Will it make things worse? Will things remain as they have always been and this will simply be one more round in the ‘great game’ of musical chairs that has always been Pakistan politics?
That is the question for our new ATP Poll (see top of middle column). Let us know what you think, and why? With your vote in the poll and with your comments below.
this is the col picture.aisa lagta hai jaise in dono ki shaddi ho gai hai.in dono ne kursi ke liye mar jana hai
just as george bush attacking iraq made things worse for america this can only help pakistan. this will show how bad musharraf and benazir bhutto really are. i think this will open the eyes of the public and hopefully the good forces can now come out. i think all the people who care abt in parties such as the ppp, pml n, mqm, jamaat, and pti shud form an alliance. they shud stand up against benazir bhutto, musharraf, nawaz sharif, and altaf hussain. these people are a big part of the failing of our country. they have platforms and bogus visions to take the dignity out of our people and the nation. people shud resent forces not because they are liberal or they are religious, they shud stand up for whats right. maybe its not out there right now but thats how things change. people are usually scared of the word revolution, and they shud be, we have seen bloody revolutions. The CJ of pakistan in my view is now the most powerful person in Pakistan, it will be up to him, was the fight for the independence of the judiciary worth it or not? If he fails this task Pakistan will have gone back 50 years and the credibility he and the judiciary had earned will be short lived.
Actually, what is required is free and fair elections but that is too much to expect given past experience. No elections were as close to being fair as the 1970 elections but then the PPP who signed the Legal Framework Order and participated in the elections on that basis did not attend the National Assembly session called in March 1971, which eventually led to the break up of Pakistan, as per the movement “yahan hum and wahan tum,â€
I agree with Daktar. No need to discuss any writer so much.
I also agree with Wasiq. No need to condemn one writer for his past political role or being lota when
Iss hammam main sub nangay hain
Ardeshir Cowasjee was adviser in Ziaul Haq martial law government. Now he writes like he is Mr. Saaf Shaffaf.
Ayaz Amir was minister in Shehbaz Sharif Punjab government. He doesn’t even talk about that in his columns.
Maleeha Lodhi was ambassador under Benazir and then Leghari. Then she became editor again. Then she became ambassador under Musharraf. How is that for being lota?
Najam Sethi of Friday Times was Minister in Leghari chairtaker.
Irshad Ahmed Haqqani of Jang was once Jamatia, then became liberal. He also was information minister in Leghari chairtaker.
Nazir Naji was in PPP then with Nawaz Sharif.
Haroon Family of Dawn has also been in every government, Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Ziaul Haq even Governorship of Sindh under Benazir Bhutto.
Etc. Etc.
Wah… woh baat saarey fasanay may jis ka zikr na tha!
Dear Wasiq, you seem to be seeing onspiracies everwhere!
The thought that Mr. Haqqani would be himself engineering the mesages in his support had never even crossed my mind; until you mentioned it. Whatever one thinks of him, I am quite sure that he has better things to do than that; so should you and I :-)