Adil Najam
Back in August of 2006 one of the first ATP Polls we did was to ask our readers which recent leader they thought did the most good for Pakistan? We had structured the question carefully to focus on the good that these leaders did (all leaders do bad things as well as good, some more and some less). It is time to ask the same question again.
In 2006 we had not included Gen. Musharraf since he was still in power. This time including Gen. Musharraf but not Asif Zardari, who is in power now. So, what do you think?
Please do take the question serious and answer it in the spirit asked:
The Question: Focussing primarily on whatever ‘positives’ might have been achieved during their stint(s) in power, who, amongst the following, did the most ‘good’ for Pakistan?
Let me repeat the explanatory paragraph I had included in introducing the question the first time:
The key word is ‘achieved.’ We always have plenty of discussions about what leaders have and are doing wrong, but nearly never talk about what they did right. Interestingly, even when we are trying to make a case for someone, we tend to make it by explaining what is wrong with everyone else. After all, if everyone else is bad (and worse) then our guy must be good, at least in ccomparison and by default. The logic makes a perverse sort of sense but tends to take our political conversations towards confrontations (since they are based on ‘attacking’ the other rather than on ’supporting’ our own). So, here is an experiment to see if we are capable of talking differently about such things.
As before, for Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif consider the combined impact of two stints they each had in power. Do also please tell us what you think they did that was most important and lasting to Pakistan’s well-being as a nation. Again, we focus on achievement here not because the ‘bad’ that they did was not important (in each case it was) but to discipline our conversation towards thinking of things that, maybe, we should be doing more of.
UVR – Useless Viral Rants
UVR1: ZAB was responsible for 1971 debacle.
Response:
– ZAB was only a minister in AK cabinat and during yahya khan he was not even in the coridors of powers.
– Furthermore it was not Bhutto running the country and making decisions, it was Yahya. So according to simple rules of Army chain of command and responsibility it was Yahya fighting the war and not Bhutto.
– The Fall of Dhaka was not created overnight but it took 10-15 odd years to mature and no one seams to care about the real cause of this debacle.
– It is same as all of the MUSH’s debacles were due to IMRAN KHAN. :)
UVR2: ZAB give rise to religious extremism or mulla-ism.
Response:
– It is rather ironic Islamist parties were used to destablize the ZAB elected government.
– Rise of religious extremism was started as a manefesto of ZIA’s govt.
– Different policies and tactics were initiated for polarizing pakistani society on sectarian and ethnic grounds.
– When ever pakistan was ruled by dictator it has played a role of a client state or put in simple words the whole country was put on lease in return of dollars.
– ZAB initiated the process of creating a nation.
a) Popularized the shalwar kameez in social gatherings
b) Initiative of Organization of Islamic Countries for which all of the founding fathers have to pay a price by there life like KSA’s Shah faisal, ZAB and others.
c) The Constitution of Pakistan created and unanimously passed during his tenure.
-ZAB gave us national prestige, constitution, Nuclear technology and in the end sacrifice his life for his country.
– ZIA gave us heroin, gun culture and tyranny. When he left the world he gave us Altaf Hussain. :)
Jis Dhaj say koe maqtal man gaya
wo shaan salamat rahtee hai
Ye Jaan tu anne janee hai
Iss Jaan ke koe baat nahin
nice work
keep it up
thanks
How can ZAB possibly be considered the one who did the greatest good?
Apparently we forget that it was his brilliant theory that in 1965 India would not retaliate across the International border in response to Pakistan’s Operation Gibralter in Kashmir.
And that he was instrumental in destroying the foundations of democracy when he prevented the Awami League from forming a government after they rightfully won the election in 1970. The beginning of the end with respect to the dismemberment of Pakistan.
Single handedly destroyed the economy with his nationalization agenda.
And of course as has already been pointed out, he was the one that first pandered to the religious nuts and their Jamaati agenda … reinforced by his parting gift of Zia … poetic justice that it was.
@Ahmed Shahid, Nawaz sharief stole the credit of Nuclear technology, which rightfully goes to Pak Army and AQKhan. This project was started by ZAB but over the decades it was Pak Army who did all the good work in secrecy. No one can overnight dig a whole in a mountain to test nuclear weapons, It was Pak army’s planning and preprations for such an event which made that day a glorious day in our history. Neither america, nor india or Israel had a clue where test sites were.
No one has answered my question so far:
Sharief brothers have been ruling PML for 20 years and PPP is being ruled by Bhutto family for 30 years, Is that a democratic way?
@Ahmed Shahid. absolutely disagree. How much support does your favourite leader has outside his home province. ZERO. How many NA/PA seats his party got outside the larger province. ZERO. Therefore before you accuse and pass judgement on other leaders being regional think about your own superstar leaders. They are all regional in one way or the other. You may have short memory but we clearly remember how country almost went bankrupt under the great leadership of NS. I also didn’t like subtle remark mentioning support of ‘people of Karachi’. People of Karachi are also as much part of Pakistan and Pakistani as anybody else.