Adil Najam
The obvious and logical followup to our last ATP Poll is to now ask the question: which of our leaders did the most harm to Pakistan? A number of readers suggested, and we agree, that such a poll should be conducted. We ask only that you please respond to the question with the same care with which it has been structured.
As we had done in the last poll, we have structured the question carefully to focus only the harm that these leaders might have caused (all leaders do bad things as well as good, some more and some less).
Please focus on the negative actions these leaders were themselves responsible for, and not as much on things that might have been out of their own control.
The Question: Focusing primarily on what you consider ‘negative’ actions taken by them during their stint(s) in power, who, amongst the following, do you think did the most ‘harm’ to Pakistan?
As others have suggested, it is not at all necessary that those who got the most votes for doing ‘good’ will automatically get least votes for doing ‘harm.’ Since we have been asking people to focus only on one or the other, it is not entirely impossible that the same person is deemed to have done a lot of good as well as a lot of harm; albeit by a different set of voters – in a society as divided as Pakistan this is not just possible, but even likely.
As in the last poll, the current leadership is not included (although we did conduct a poll grading them recently) and only those whose tenure is now behind us are included, from Ayub Khan onwards. 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 which of their actions you think had the most harmful and lasting impacts on Pakistan’s well-being as a nation.
We eagerly await your views on this, in the poll as well as in the comments.
I think Musharaf greatest act is also a greatest sin for many. He dumped Jihadist mafia when pressed by USA and India. I think he is the one who changed the direction of wind.
For me Zia has done greatest harm to Pakistan as he turn this nation into a nation of religiuos fanatics . Also he hanged Bhutto and alianted Sindhis.
This column in Jang seems to be very much in line with this post.
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/18-08-20 09/col4.htm
We know where his vote is not going to.
adil:
good and timely poll
wish you had made provision for joint blame! in that case without trepidation i’d have named zulfikar and zina jointly as the two most destructive leaders…
but you don’t make things easy:)
i have deliberated and even though i want to name zina’s surviving legacy that is so destructive and negative i clicked on zulfikar bhutto…why?…without the steps taken by bhutto, zina could not have gotten away with what he did!
also i would agree with another commentator (probably fuzair) who wrote that you should have mentioned “us”…the awaam in your list
leaders do not rise in vacuum…we deserve equal share in the blame…by our silence and lack of protest we were and are complicit with our leaders
I do hereby have some itching related to my fountainpen/laptopi and do find it appropriate to utter some kind words that are meant in the most humble way
and not primarily to criticize the “origine d`commont fault
I guess, just like PPP got sympathy vote because of Benazir’s death, Musharaf will get alot of negative votes such polls as “the wounds are fresh”. Only time will tell if his actions (Lal musjid, PCO etc) were honest efforts in nation’s interest.
Must also mention, there is alot of Propoganda by Media and politicians against out-going government, which has been a normal practice by our politicians for last two decades.