Adil Najam
UPDATE: The picture on the left, published in Daily Times, comes with the caption:
“Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri, PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain and MNAs react to an announcement by the Election Commissioner (unseen), at Parliament on Saturday. President Pervez Musharraf won a landslide victory in the election but the official results will be declared after the Supreme Court verdict on his eligibility.“
Maybe our readers can suggest what some of the people here are thinking as they clap. Suggestively, some, you will note, are making too much of an effort to clap, and others too little! The picture is also a good compliment to an earlier one we had posted here.
ORIGINAL POST: It is neither a surprise nor really news that Gen. Musharraf just got himself elected. It was always clear that he would get himself elected by hook or crook; eventually it took a bit of both. The way it had to be done is sad – pathetic really – and no one has come out of this mess looking good. Gen. Musharraf got the votes he needed, but neither he nor anyone else is a winner.
Gen. Musharraf lost whatever little credibility he might have had as someone interested in Pakistan’s development or people’s aspirations. He also lost the ability to make the claim that he was any different or any less p
ower-hungry than his political predecessors. He is now, clearly, one of them and has lost the one thing that had given him a support base. Benazir Bhutto lost the principles her party and father might once have stood for. PML(Q) had little to loose and yet lost big, they may even loose the government. Nawaz Sharif had already lost out some weeks ago. Maulana Fazlur Rehman had already lost all credibility but now they can’t even pretend to have any left. The Supreme Court lost at least some of the public goodwill they had gained as an institution with last minute shenanigans. America lost too because instead of backing one bad bet (Musharraf) they are now backing two (Musharraf + Benazir Bhutto).
But the biggest loser here may be the people of Pakistan who – once again – lost big time. But, then, I guess we are used to it.
Frankly, there is little need or point in commenting on the sham elections today. This was not a news event, this was a scripted stage drama. The real question remains what will happen next. There, it seems, that all of the losers – including Gen. Musharraf – may be confronted with some unexpected turn of events. There, one continues to hope, the people of Pakistan may yet emerge as winners eventually. Whenever ‘eventually’ comes!
Has anyone noticed how the western media is concerned about Mush’s wellbeing. The news of the chopper in his entourage going down was plastered all over, including financial channels, with a footnote that “Mush is ok”.
Adonis, We are talking about no ordinary government servant. Remember what the SC did to Dr Anwar-ul-Haq; he is not entitled to run for office. To Mush on the other hand, the rules don’t apply.
Legally a government servant can hold a public office only after two years of his retirement. Soit doesn’t matter a bit whether he remains in uniform or not. Pig is ‘haram’ even if it is killed by zabiha and by someone reciting takbeer.
@Social Mistri
I don’t want to be personal with you, however would just return your argument asking you to eat your words of 2004 when he refused to doff uniform after promising to whole nation.
My comments are not based on love or hate for General they are based on logical analysis of situation and understanding of General’s ethics. He has a very base morality, I just shred whenever I recall his remarks about “getting raped and get canadian visa” and then his boosting about himself in a gathering on 16th August while he was drunk (BTW that was not a public gathering). So I know that he will refuse to doff uniform. He is sitting on a lion and as soon as he gets off , lion will eat him.
What should we say, I, atleast feel speechless. When are we going to learn from the past.