Adil Najam
One of the most important decision in Pakistan’s political history was made yesterday when Gen. Pervez Musharraf was made to resign from the Presidency. Equally, and possibly more, important decisions are being made right now by the political leadership of the ruling coalition. It is these decisions being made now that will ultimately effect not only the immediate but the long-term future of the country and which will, in many ways, determine the real significance of the decision made yesterday.
As the political leadership of the country continues its deliberations four questions in particular seem critical. The answers they come up will will impact what happens to Pakistan politics as well as what happens to Pakistan’s political leadership itself.
On each of the following four key decision points, what do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?
Question #1. Who will replace Gen. Pervez Musharraf as President of Pakistan?
The names being thrown around, some I think less seriously than others, include those of Afsaryab Khattak, Afsandyar Wali Khan, Fazlur Rahman, Dr Fehmida Mirza, Aftab Shaaban Mirani, Faryal Talpur, Attaullah Mengal, Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, Mehmood Achakzai, Aitizaz Ahsan, Rana Bhagwandas, Fakharuddin Ibrahim, and many others. As important as the choice of the President is the signal it will send about whether the nature and powers of the President will also be cut down or not. What do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?
Question #2. Will Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his fellow judges be restored? And when?
The really important question here is the “when”. PML(N) wants the judges to be restored immediately. If they are not, what signal will this send to the PML(N) and the country about their role and power within the ruling coalition? What, really, are the pros and cons of an early restoration, and for whom? The one question that may be even more important than the “when” question here, is the “under what conditions” question. That is the question one hears less about but will may ultimately determine what comes, or does not come, out of the judges moevement. What do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?
Question #3. What is the future of the ruling coalition itself?
The ruling coalition was really constructed as a coalition against Gen. Musharraf. Its primary purpose was to remove Gen. Musharraf from office. It has been spectacularly successful in doing that. What now? Will it survive? In what form? Should it survive at all? Will it be more healthy if PML(N) now becomes a parliamentary opposition which, in a functioning democracy, is as important as a government? What do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?
Question #4. What about the survival issues of the Pakistani awam: Bijli, Paani, Nokri, Naan?
Ultimately, this is the most important question of all. Till now, with a visibly divided government, the political parties could ward of part of the economic woes faced by ordinary Pakistanis to Gen. Musharraf and his past policies. Now, they will have to – and quickly – demonstrate that they can and will do something about these major crises. It is not clear what they plan to, or even can, do. But if they don’t their popularity will be seriously imperiled. What do you think will happen? What do you think should happen?
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=5386&uid=2 4753837033#/group.php?gid=24753837033
above is the link for supporters of Musharraf to join Musharraf group on face book
A1. Anyone for whom 58 2 B will be made irrelevant. If 58 2 B persists then anyone who wants absolute power.
A2. The real question here “WILL they be restored, not WHEN”. NRO is the biggest stumbling block. Iftikhar Choudhary , if he is as good as everybody thinks, will not let crooks go that easy.
A3. Coalition is bound to fail. They had too little in common and now even the few commonalities are running out.
A4. Awam will linger on.
There are news report that cracks started appearing in the coalition after Musharraf’s resignation, thats when we say for Poor awam :
From frypan into fire!
Floods, economy, energy, infrastructure who cares……we have cleared stage one of this game, now lets play stage II and then….
I believe anyone who takes out the time to post here is a Pakistan lover and cannot control their frustration on the ongoing chaos, they love musharraf for Paksitan they hate him for Paksitan and is true for any other personality.
A single splendid sun by Auj Badsha
‘There used to be a time we used to celebrate this day, tch tch. Ab toohh..’
‘Pakistan toh ab rehnay ki jaga nai rahi :(‘ [Yes, the sad face is made too.]
‘Pakistan ab WOH pakistan nai raha.’
Until we have a country, until we have an Independence day to celebrate, until we have a tiny corner of the world to call our own, until we have a home we can go to, one way or the other, we have more than enough reason to celebrate.
We have our ground to stand on and settle on. No one’s telling me to budge a foot, and no one’s looking at me an iota lower than they should. I have an identity to give myself, without having to ‘borrow’ it from someone else. I have a country that people shed blood for. A lot of it. They didn’t do it out of boredom, they did it because they wanted Independence, something that us ‘independant’ people can’t understand until we become truly dependant. Petrol prices or not, Corruption or not, THEN we’ll be wistuflly longing after the soils of a country we once called our own.
Freedom, Independance, Identity.
As long as I have all three, the reason my country was made, the reason ANY country is made, I have reason to Celebrate. I love my country, however it is, cause this IS what I’ve been givien. Like a child who may be a cripple, but is still a child, my love for it isn’t changing, no matter who the president is, how the government works, or where the prices rise.
So for those of you who think Pakistan’s lost everything? Well you hadn’t found the right thing to begin with! For those of you who’re leaving Pakistan, saying it’s just not liveable anymore? Well you don’t know what dignity is. Luxury is a price NO honorable man can pay for dignity, and by the time you realise that, you’d already have lost yours.
For those of you who look upon the country with pity? Stop. Don’t bother.
You’d be a damn fool to throw away something this valuable, but you’re plain out pitiable if you don’t even know the value of what you’re throwing out.
Long, long live Pakistan, if by the skin of its teeth, if by a tiny hair, dangling off a cliff, if by one man standing. I hope things get better for it, which I know they will, and even if they don’t, I hope we all remain loyal to it, and don’t abandon it or give up on it the first chance we get. When we were fighting for Independance we didn’t give up, we kept fighting, battle after bloody battle, and now, the minute we get on the edge of dependace, we’re all so ready to give up?
Independance Day. Until we have that, we have everything we need.
For “lida” and those who say they support “lida”, lets be very clear what he/she is saying and why I also think that this person cannot be Pakistani, and if once was is now a Paksitan-hater. Lida’s comment is right here for everyone to see, so lets just read what he wrote and if you agree with him, then, you obviously also hate Pakistan and Pakistanis as much as he/she does:
Lida says: “I hope Pakistani