Adil Najam
We want to do a blogging experiment (which requires us to put all comments under moderation) and really let our readers write this post on Pakistan’s Elections 2008. What we are doing is not unique, but there is a twist to how we wan to do it.
First, here is the question we want you to answer for us:
Please tell us which political leader or party you support, or you think should be supported, in Pakistan’s elections 2008 and why?
Now, here are the rules – and we will implement these rules strictly, so please do read them carefully. All comments that meet these criteria will be published. Comments that do not meet these criteria will not.
Rule #1: It is not enough to say who you think should be supported, you need to tell us WHY you think they should be supported. In fact, getting to the WHY is the only real point to the exercise.
Rule #2: We understand the importance of comparison and competition in politics, but you are NOT allowed to say who should NOT be supported (or why they should not be supported). You can only tell us who should be supported and why. You can only tell us who you think is ‘good’ and what is ‘good’ about them. Any mention at all of who you think is ‘bad’ or what is ‘bad’ about others will disqualify the comment.
Rule #3. Please do not try to be too “clever.” We are sure you are all very bright and we also know that you are passionate about your preferences. All of that is very good. However, in our moderation we will err on the side of caution and delete any attempt at all to circumvent Rule #2. So, please read your comment carefully before submission to make sure that it cannot be inadvertently understood as an attempt to get around Rule #2.
Rule #4. This brings us to our last and final rule. All comments on this post are placed automatically in moderation and will appear only after a system moderator approves them as having met the rules laid out here. Over the next couple of days we will try to look at the moderation queue as often as we can to reduce the time that comments stay in moderation. However, do please expect some delays between your posting a comment and its appearing here. Also, if you feel that your comment has been moderated, you are welcome to repost the comment this time wording it in a way that meets all these rules, especially Rule #2. While commenters are welcome to post comments more than once – especially if they are building on someone else’s comment – we will remove multiple comments from the same person if the content is the same or very similar; please, do not try to spam us with such repeated comments.
If you think that your leader or party has not gotten a fair deal from us at ATP or the media or the electorate, here is your opportunity to make a case for them. You can make a case for anyone you want. You just cannot make a case against anyone.
I realize that we do often make choices based primarily on what or who we do not like, rather than who or what we like. There is nothing wrong per se with that, but for our purpose we are taking that option off the table.
Too many of us take too much please, too often, in being cynical. Therefore, I suspect that focusing on our positive energies might turn out to be rather difficult for some of our readers. I sincerely hope that I am wrong.
My preference would be Nawaz Sharif for many reasons.
1) His party is a main stream party with support base all over Pakistan.
2) He is one politician who can talk to all different kinds of politicians from the religious right to the left. He has had alliances and understandings with ANP, MQM, JI, PTI, nationalist parties in Baluchistan, PPP, which belong to different hues of the political spectrum in Pakistan.
3) He carried out some really good projects such as the Motorway while he was the PM.
4) He is truly interested in sending military back to the barracks. No wonder he picked fights with at least a couple of COAS and also picked fights with GIK when the latter tried to toe the establishment’s line.
5) He has served at various positions over his political career. thrice CM of Punjab, two times PM, one time leader of the opposition. He has also spent time in exile for seven years. All that adds up to his experience and maturity.
6) He is as practical and at times pragmatic as anyone could get. No idealist, he does politics as it should be done. Principles are good only if they can really be followed.
7) He and his administration had shown the ability to be pro-active on economic policies during his second stint in power when he adopted the supply side policies, which were termed as Sharifonomics.
8) He was truly interested in building the physical infrastructure of the country.
9) He took Pakistani politics away from naarey baazi to doing practical things, such as the Motorway.
10) He was the first ruler to have initiated the economic liberalization program in Pakistan, much before India started it. His policies were based on the three D’s: Deregulation, Denationalization, and the last D I forgot:)
11) His was the first government that allowed the private sector to truly get into the economic activity of the country by allowing it to open banks, run airlines, run shipping lines and what not.
12) He is the best person to resolve the Al-Qaeda problem since he can talk to the religious right with ease, being a religious conservative himself. He has also shown the ability to be accomodative towards all.
MQM
For the good work they are doing in Karachi and what they did during Earthquake in 2005. This party has the potential and organizational capabilities required to manage a mega city like Karachi.
MQM
MQM has enough reasons for me to vote for it.
a) The only party (though with scarred history) which does not comprise of feudals and industrialists. New faces every elections – most representatives from the working class (quite a rarity)
b) Have matured as a party, great development work in Karachi (unseen in the last 60 years).
Pakistan Paindabad!
I and my family will vote for pakistan peoples party as this is the only party that i think can implemet true democracy and rule of law. Its history is full of sacrifices and its the only party which never bowed to establishment and army. Basically we need to get rid of army in politics and implement rule of law where noone is above law and constitution
I will vote for Imran Khan and his party.
He has started his party by working at the grass root levels, did not try to take any short cuts, has a clean record with no allegations of corruption, represents the majority of the middle class Pakistanis, has built a cancer hospital as one of his biggest personal achievements which benefit the common man directly, is well educated and knows very well how to represent the interests of Pakistan in front of the international public.