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.
I am curious. What exactly are the goods done by ZAB?
Very nice poll question bc it makes you think in a different way from what we are used to.
I find interesting by differences in results in your last such poll that is linked and the results till now. First, it seems Ayub is getting far fewer votes this time maybe because many of the people who like dictators are now voting for Musharraf instead since he was not there last time. Second, it seems Zia is getting no votes nearly but Nawaz Sharif is getting much more. Could it be that Zia supporters have shifted to Sharif? BB is also getting more votes this time I think part because of sympathy but also some ZAB votes are also going to her. Overall, this result is quite valid because it is kind of like the election results have been, MAJORITY OF OVERALL VOTES ARE FOR BHUTTO’S.
Dear Mr. Asim Kaleem, if you can honestly not think of anyone at all who has done anything at all that is at all good, then you really have led a pathetic existence and I feel sorry for you.
Maybe you should read up a little on your country’s history and try to be less cynical. Read the comments above, all of them did bad things, but al of them also did things that were positive. Maybe if we are so very cynical that we can think of nothing good that has happened in our country, we should just leave the country.
I think you forget to add the option of “No One” as I think no one has done any good to Pakistan…………
Kudos to the website for a most interesting exersise. Did a lot to crystalise my own thoughts but what was more interesting was to read the comments which put some statistics on line and also gave an insight into others thinking. Most interesting to see that the front runners are Musharruf, ayub khan, and bhutto in the front with navaz and benazir even if you lump them together in the mediocre middle and zia in the dust. Thats statistics /numbers for you. things like this make me sign on to ATP severaltimes aday. Tariq K