on public television

While I was channel surfing, I stopped at the public television station. The Newshour with Jim Lehrer's Margaret Warner is doing a week-long report on Pakistan, and so there were images from various parts of the country as well as interviews with various politicians and Pakistanis. (what did we do to deserve this?!)

On the whole I thought the report was fair. Some of the Pakistanis they interviewed pissed me off. I was not at all impressed with the guy Hamid Ali Khan or whatever his name is who runs a cigar bar in Karachi. There he was, sitting ever so comfortably defending Musharraf and what he has done for big business. He obviously could not care less whether the vardi folk run the country or not. What he actually reminded me of were some of those moneyed folk sitting ever so comfortably in their fabulously decorated houses, and as long as the powers that be, cater to them, they could not give a rat's ass about anyone else.

Warner spoke with Asma Jahangir, with Nawaz Sharif, with Benazir Bhutto, and a leader from the Muslim League - Nawaz. She also spoke with a retired army general who believes that Musharraf's hold on power will ultimately be detrimental to the Pakistani armed forces. (duh!) He talked about how 'aam log on the street openly insult the men in uniform, and how bad that is for morale. I thought about how when I was growing up in Lahore, until Zia took over, some of us were in awe and admiration of the uniform.

As slick as the politicians sounded, the hypocrisy of Nawaz Sharif speaking of "democracy" was not lost. We are talking about the same man who stormed the Supreme Court after all, among other things. And Benazir Bhutto had more than one chance to do what she desires to do. She had time, and opportunity to curb the extremism, to bring "democracy" to the country she claims to love. The same supposed obstacles that existed then, are still there. And I, for one, am not buying the "It is because I am a woman" bit. There were plenty of men and women who supported and encouraged her. It is not that Pakistan cannot have a woman leader. It is that Pakistan should have a woman leader who is intelligent, not arrogant, and knows how to negotiate. Who is willing to talk to all sides, and not be thwarted by threats and Sharia. Who really does have the country's best interests in mind and heart.

Nawaz Sharif says that regardless of what happens to him, he will be returning to the homeland next week. This should be interesting.

I know what one of the men was saying about how ultimately these politicians are in it for themselves. Seasons change, leaders change, the rich get richer and the poor? It was sad to see the sight of a Karachi slum, the addiction and the hopelessness. To hear a man talking about how the prices for basic necessities like flour for bread keep going up. Yes, much in Pakistan has changed and improved, but how are Musharraf's policies affecting the poor and the working class? What do Musharraf's promises and inconsistencies mean for Pakistan as a whole?

The report on the newshour is continuing throughout the week, I believe, and you can either view it or read it at www.pbs.org.