Imran Khan at LUMS

Re: # 117

"as for the lawyers, if they had managed to get even a third division in their inter exams they could have found gainful employment instead of being beaten on the streets ........."

.... this excludes our friend ylh and maybe half a dozen others ....... generally speaking, pakistani lawyers are rejects who couldn't get a job as a patwari ......

Re: # 116
Well said!!!!

All Musharraf had to do was to secure IOK for Pakistan.
None of this would have been an issue, he would have
remained king forever, all sins forgiven and forgotten.

Since he could not do that and is trying to do all this,
he is getting hammered.

masadi mian,

.... it seems that the us elite is already rigging the elections !!

US Ambassador Anne Patterson meets ( Updated at 1530)
ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W Patterson met with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (Retd) Qazi Muhammad Farooq here on Tuesday.

They exchanged views about the preparations for the forthcoming general elections in Pakistan. Qazi Muhammad Farooq briefed Anne Patterson about the steps being taken to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.

The US Ambassador stressed the need that the schedule for the general elections should be announced at the earliest. Secretary Election Commission (EC) Kanwar Irshad was also present in the meeting.

tahmed mian,

...... actually i do have a dog in this fight because my entire family, except for me, still lives in pakistan and in a few years i plan to retire there .... that is why i have to be optimistic ......

..... but look, this is not the first time emergency or martial law has been imposed on the country ..... and compared to past instances, it is a mild one ... the only difference is the electronic media and the internet, which makes it possible for the unwashed masses and ignoramuses like masadi to discuss it in public ......

..... musharraf is a delusional fool who thinks that only he can bring 'real' democracy to pakistan ...... like all faujis, including our own field marshall romair, he is convinced that he knows everything and is surrounded by sycophants who continue to give him bad advice so that they can hang on to their pajeros ..... hopefully, he will step back from the brink and hold the elections on time ... if not, the only people who will gain from this confusion are the mullahs who we all want dead and buried ........

.... i still predict that we will have a hung parliament and a civilian government in january ...... if not, we have the droopy eyed egomaniac fool to blame - like all pakis, the stupid cj didn't know when to stop ..... as for the lawyers, if they had managed to get even a third division in their inter exams they could have found gainful employment instead of being beaten on the streets .........

anil: if musharraf is such a great leader, why dont you invite him to India where he can do you the favor of destroying your Supreme Court, breaking the heads of lawyers and journalists, taking billions in unaccounted military aid and in return pick up people from the streets to provide the necessary "body counts" while allowing the real terrorists a safe haven, make a mockery of your voting rights by re-electing himself every few years, bring out ghoondas on the street with guns to kill peaceful protestors, let maulvis roam free kidnapping ordinary citizens (until some foreign government pulls his ears)?

#1 "It seems that Imran Khan is the only rational voice coming out of Pakistan at the moment."

Yes davkant, he will and can the moment he stops calling for a universal jirga system in Pakistan. Otherwise, it is only good looks and better English that seperates him from that paagal former ISI man, Hamid Gul.
He spoke well at LUMS and I really want to believe in him, but then when started on his jirga thing ... sigh.

Anil,

(Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad Obliged)

Apparently the guy was completely sozzled and lying in his bathtub when the emergency decree was brought to him for signing. The guy signed without a second thought. Not much later died allegedly becuase of grief and shame at what he had done.

(jump started the job left unfinished by Jinnah.)

He is only jump starting the job left unfinished by the ZAB-Yahya duo, not MAJ (pbuh). Witness the way the kanjaroon army is falling apart in W'stan and Swat under the great Gen's watch.

Regards

Re: # 111

Tahmed Sahib:

Things are not this bad. What I do not understand, why Musharraff did not exercise President's emergency powers?

Indian, and U.S. constitutions, I know, provide for the President to acquire emergency powers that can temporarily suspend all or ant elections, legislative and judiciary acts. This includes rights of member states of the union, in case of America.

May be he is novice in this playing within the rules of democracy. Let him learn.

Indians are very good at it. They have thrown out state governments all the time, and suspended elections many times. Yet they would not do it when it was needed to throw out Modi in Gujrat.

Atleast once, even judiciary was curtailed. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad Obliged, Indira Gandhi. Imposition of emergency is not unheard of in democracy. War powers Act empower President enormously. Executive veto over judiciary also comes through immunity, and ordenances.

I know you love your country dearly, it is not going to dogs. Your commander-in-chief and President Musharraff is playing very smartly. The world will reconize him as a world leader who triumphed over terror, and jump started the job left unfinished by Jinnah. Please no Jinnah - Gandhi on this comment. I greatly admire Gandhi.

Re: # 101

Hamidm Sahib:

Locus of power moves around top two, at most three power blocks, in almost any situation. Although, even three is a crowd, at times. This principle is quite consistent and universally applicable, in democratic, corporate or any other set up for governance.

In Pakistan's case, for now atleast, two slots are already taken, Army and America.

Allah had been drummed as a bogus joker in this pack of three till recently. Even CIA would like to leave Allah out for now.

It really is in America's strategic interest to add one more player - moderate Pakistani civilians. Benazir priced and sold herself well, as that attractive bride.

The third player, like it or not, is going to be America's choice, not Army's. Even though it is a bride for the Army.

Army had drummed up Allah (a la Zia-ul-Haq) as the third choice, this time they are not getting the chance to choose.

This role of America to get a civilian partner, is good for Pakistan to atleast on paper and in minds of few have Harvard's famous road-map to democracy.

It really is more of a concession to Bush under the gun and on the loosing side in Iraq. Your republican party, more than my favorite Hillary Clinton - needs Benazir to let republicans make any sense out of their actions of last seven years in that part (including Iraq). How else they can justify blowing several hundreds of billion dollars, and few thousand American lives. In addition, brought the U.S. dollar to all time low,, that your neighbors across the bridge can cross over and buy Detroit Lions now, with additional free U.S. dollars they get for each Loonie (sp?), what a name, really.

This is one of the few times, when Pakistan can really squeeze the best deals from the U.S. and industrialized west and their lackies in Arabia, so that you may even consider adopting Masadi and Romair.

Musharraff is doing just that. He may be incorruptible, and indeed brought technocrats to help run. Mr. 10% may increase at least 90% going into Pakistan. Every 90 cents counts. Armed forces to fight terror, is the best outsourcing beusiness Pakistan started. Not bad, whichever way one looks.

anil: #100 I have no doubt that musharraf is playing "very smartly". The problem i have is the game he is playing - i.e. destroying national institutions like the supreme court, stealing the basic rights of pakistanis (habeas corpus, the right to elect their rulers).

Canadian Muslims ask Ottawa to react to Pakistan coup

Posted: 05 Nov 2007 08:44 AM CST

The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC), a liberal Islamic group, has asked the Canadian government to cease all links and cooperation with Pakistan’s army generals until such time as they return to their barracks.

In a letter to the prime minister, the Muslim Canadian Congress said it welcomed Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier’s “rebuke” of the martial law in Pakistan, adding, “Ottawa should use all possible levers available to send a clear message to the generals in Islamabad that Canada will not cooperate with a rogue regime that tramples over the judiciary and rules the population at gun point.”

As a first step, the prime minister has been asked to “impose a ban on Pakistan army officers and their families traveling to Canada”. The letter also urges the prime minister to summon the Pakistan high commissioner in Ottawa and convey to him the dismay of Canadians who are appalled at the imposition of martial law in Pakistan. “We urge you to inform the Pakistan government that normal diplomatic relations cannot continue unless the Constitution of the Pakistan is restored, all arrested political prisoners are released, and censorship on the media is lifted.”

hamidm: as you said before, you dont have a dog in this fight. you are comfortable in the USA. has it occurred to you that the 160 million pakistanis who actually live in pakistan do have a dog in this fight? maybe it is a bit more than politics as usual as you try to make it - maulvis have become more and more in power during musharraf's rule over the past 8 years, with lal masjid maulvis actually become law givers until they crossed the line and picked up chinese women; hundreds of pakistanis have been "disappeared" by musharraf as he tries to cull favor with the west by claiming to be picking up terrorists.

so, while you are welcome to have fun watching police beat up protestors with sticks, but dont for one minute think that you are any smarter than any of those thousands of brave pakistanis fighting to save their country from this monstrous tyranny. you are merely safe and sound in the US. That is all.

....... in a couple of weeks tahmed (along with george bush and the bum on 34th st and 7th av) will be taking credit for 'convincing' mushy to get back on track ......

Re: # 105

tahmed,

.... et tu ?!! ...... man! you need to get out more often ......

....... this is a golden oportunity for imran khan to get recognized as a serious politician - he should go out there and at least get a bloody head ....