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!
I am happy Musharraf won! He may not be perfect but he is much better than the opposition. I believe he cares for Pakistan much more than any in the opposition. It is unfortunate that he had to make a deal with BB.
He made a mistake in trying to dismiss the CJ. The judiciary council reinstated the CJ. Musharraf accepted the verdict. The supreme court decided he can run for president in uniform. Why couldn’t the opposition accept the verdict, stay in the assembly, vote against him and defeat him?
They can’t have it both ways.
From personal experience I can say that the performance of the the government has been very impressive, at least of the consulate offices in the United States. Last year, on two occasions the delivery of service was better than promised, unlike in the past pre-Musharraf era.
The economic progress is well recognized by international financial institutions.
The author writes:
“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”.
Hope springs eternal.
dil ke bahelAnE ko GhAlib yeh KhayAl aCHA hae
Adil, you really hit the nail on the head – the biggest losers of today’s sham elections are the people of Pakistan.
What will happen next? To my mind, the country will sink into a deeper chaos. Musharraf has introduced too many players but hasn’t been able to provide a clear-cut orientation vis-
Delhi ta Palam,
Sultanat-e-Shah Alam
Although I have supported Pervez Musharraf all these years , I think it is about time he had the insight to relaise that it is time to quit.
It is quite sad that whilst the rest of the world has indicted and convicted Benazir Bhutto for her corruption and even her secret Swiss bank accounts have been seized by Interpol, Pervez Musharraf is busy signing “forgiveness” and “reconciliation” orders for her !
Adil Najam sahib,
While not disputing your account of events, I must agree with Mistry sahib