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.
There should have been an option available that read “None of the above…”
To all those against Musharaf!
Let me ask you a logical question Waqas, if you have 20 acers of land and do not have money to buy seeds would it be better to sell one acer, buy and plant seeds in the rest 19 acers or die hungry, leaving all 20 acers for others?
The amount of money this government and efforts Mr.Sharief [khalifa] will spend on avenging Musharaf will be in millions which can be better spend developing energy and country
Regarding this topic, I believe Ayub khan did the most for Pakistan, we are still surviving from his policy and developmnet of industries. Second vote is for Musharraf, Lets not deny that extremism is an issue in Pakistan, in 90s Sunni were killing Shias and Shias were killing Sunnis, atleast that has gone down now and tribal belt has always been lawless area, every stolen car in rest of the country used to end up there, weapons and drugs were imported from there, so if Musharaf went against them, then he did the right thing!, I graduated during his time and I must say all my mates including me have jobs in media, telecom, banking or private sector. We had 18hrs of electricity till PML-Q’s goverment and suddenly when elections came near, electricity and roti became short!, what a drama!. Musharaf long tried to build Kala bag dam and tried to bring all politicians together for it but did not force, is that a way of dictator or democracy?. Musharaf had so many cartoos and jokes in media but never said anything and the other day i heard editors laughing that Pak gov has banned jokes on Zardari. Its a shame!!
Nawaz sharief claimed he had no agrement with Musharaf when he first attempted to return, then he said it was 3 years and then agreed to 5 years, such a liar!, We should bring him to court and ask why he fired COAS twice and removed one president and one Chief justice
Mr. Zardari call himself champ of democracy, is it democratic way to choose a party leader by the will of predecessor?
I respect BB, she was a brave soldier of our nation but she did not do any development work and always spoke against our nuclear capability and made our kashmir stance week.
Wake up, you fools!
To all the Pervez Musharraf supporters
The current economic conditions are all because of PM, selling ur assets and increasing the foreign exchange does not do u good in long term, not even a single industrial unit was set up, export did not increase on the contrary textile and leather export decreased. All the top posts were given to military or ex-military persons.
When PM came to power, I also supported him; he had the ultimate power at that time and could have done much good but power corrupted him, he wanted to stay in power for ever and started doing things that were worst for Pakistan.
Don
I think Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto served enough time to do good, if they ever wanted to. Instead they looted the country and fought each other like crazy cats. Ultimately I hold them responsible for the lost decade of the 1990’s and the failure of democracy in Pakistan.
The civilian leadership in Pakistan, including the folk in the 1950’s and ZAB, have failed so utterly miserably that their supporters are forced to find scraps and hold it up as “great achievements”.
I hear these days people praising Nawaz Sharif for not breaking the current govt, probably because even a duffer like him has learned from over the last 20 years that when politicians fight, the “establishment” wins. What a great achivement of Nawaz Sharif.
thanks adil:)
i will dust off a piece i was writing on them!
we have all read stories and qissas of how one good deed saved the bad or corrupt person in the folklore
musharraf, no matter how good or bad he was compared to others…there is one deed….imho….that will earn him the all time top spot if …if… pakistan survives in its present shape…and that deed is letting out the genie of free electronic media…
i cannot envisage any succeeding govt. that can put the lid back on this freedom
the free media is the best thing we have going for now and in future to investigate, report and keep an eye on all the politicians and bureaucrats and power brokers …the whole enchilada of bandars and madaris in our political spectrum and in the outside world
with free media and an independent judiciary pakistan’s car would have two balanced wheels out of four in the foreseeable future