Explaining what is happening in Pakistan, and why, is never easy. Never has it been more difficult than it is now. Talking earlier today to the National Public Radio show Here and Now, it struck me again how difficult it is to articulate any explanation of Pakistan’s politics – not only to non-Pakistani audiences, but to Pakistani audiences too.
Consider the recent news stream. Suicide bomb blasts by extremists kill another 30 in Lahore in yet another dastardly attack. Gen. Musharraf calls the National Assembly to meet on Monday, March 17. Supposedly Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari come to an agreement on the government formation but it is no more clear today who the next Prime Minister will be than it was before the meeting. They also insist that they will “restore” the judges but speculations remain rife on just which judges and just how “restored.”
Depending on who you speak to, you are told that Gen. Musharraf is playing games with the parliament by trying to call the opposition’s hand before they have decided on the Prime Minister issue. Others tell you that it is the politicians themselves who are playing games not only with the cat and house of Prime Ministerial candidates but also with the judges and the lawyers movement. Meanwhile, the extremists continue their deadly game of murder and mayhem as they did in Lahore.
At the end of the day the real losers are – as they always are – the people of Pakistan. It is they who suffer the instability. It is they who are killed. It is they who languish in uncertainty. The costs of uncertainty are never trivial, but it becomes particularly horrendous with suicide bombers blowing themselves up.
What is most disturbing and truly dangerous is that as Gen. Musharraf keeps fighting for his personal survival and position and as the politicians keep fumbling in their indicisive daze, it is the extremist forces that stand to gain by playing simultaneously on the citizen’s dislike for Gen. Musharraf and distrust for the main political leaders of our time.
No one is clear on who will rule Pakistan tomorrow. But it is clear that uncertainty rules Pakistan today. And that is not good for anyone except the extremists who seek to destabilize the country and breed anarchy and chaos.
Folks, stay with Mr Musharaf and you would be fine. I do understand that he has made mistakes in the past and he would learn from his mistakes but he would not let Pakistan go into wrong hands aka Mr Nawaz Sharif.
My jury is still out on Mr Zardari, Mr Aitezaz Ahsan and Mr Makhdoom Amin.
Stay put and we will see how things plays out.
God bless Pakistan.
Respectful Ilyas Khan
To run a country under tremendous pressure and at the same time staying honest will never work. Allah will judge us from our intentions not our deeds. Yes Musharraf may have had made mistakes but no one was willing to sit with Musharraf accept Chouhdries and MQM. Up till now Nawaz Sharif is worried about his own grudges not Pakistan. Musharraf simply worked hard to bring Pakistan to its feet and he would not let these politicians discredit him. Musharraf defiantly has a choice like politicians take the money and run from Pakistan. Ever wonder why he rather die but will not run with the money which is belongs to the people of Pakistan.
This is called true honesty knowing people have turned against but doing the right thing. Where politicians do not worry about doing right thing but they do what makes people happy. And when the hard time comes they leave country.
Our country has nothing to offer. We rather fold and hand our country to other country than giving the control to well known X Looters. OR we work on foundation of Pakistan and that is a hard way to success. This includes tough decisions. Army is the only credible institute Pakistan has.They know better about the security of Pakistan. If Musharraf was so wrong why 9 commanders under him did not take him out?
Because all these guys understand the security of Pakistan better than anyone.
We people of Pakistan who voted for Zardari , Imagine for a minute these are the people are against Musharraf ? Does this tell you something? Although Zardari is acting much decent than Nawaz Sharif. At least he has learned from his mistakes. Same goes for MQM. Or may be Zardari is acting normal as he wants his son to be the next leader of Pakistan.
I have been crying on this board i am sure the owner of this board can tell you that I have been saying unite for terrorism and against extremism.
Today people like Atzaz Hasan and CJ are playing with the emotions of the people of Pakistan but have not given one statement against terrorism which has crippled our country.
Who knows they are loving all these bombings as they are blinded with the hate of Musharraf rest they do not care.
Dear Sir/Madam,
How long shall we scatter the blood of Pakistani for
Dear Sir/Madam,
How to bring back
Further to my previous post, I think our country does not deserve people like Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and Aitezaz Ahsan, who are honest, upright, and courageous. Instead, we hve proven with our actions (complicit or otherwise) that what we do deserve are rogues, rascals, freebooters, courtiers, and opportunists of the kind that has been dominating our political and administrative climate for decades. If Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary was to be reinstated, he wouldn’t be able to survive longer than the proverbial flash in the pan, for he will have to choose between ignoring Zardari and Nawaz Sharif’s mega-corruption cases (which is unlikely), or try them fairly and squarely, which would land him back in the familiar four walls of the oft-repeated, euphemistic ‘protective custody’, in no time.
Instead of keeping the loot to themselves as was their tradition in previous governments, all the movers and shakers seem to have decided to share the spoils of war with each other at the expense of the poor, voiceless Pakistani nation. Ab to sub bhai mil kar khain gay! (Is there no honour among thieves, anymore?)