Pakistan: Media Under Siege

urstruly: I was reporting on a fact, which is not the same as begging for a savior. Or do you deny that how the Pakistani military views Musharraf may perhaps have some relevance to the current crisis?

Demonstration and hunger strike protest Musharraf's actions
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, November 24, 2007

..In the next two weeks, Pakistani Americans are staging a series of Bay Area protests - all designed to vent frustration with Musharraf and the United States' continued financial support for him, despite his sacking of Pakistan's judiciary and his emergency-rule order.

"Right now," Cemendtaur said of Musharraf, "he has such a strong backing from Bush that he thinks he's indispensable. ... Until everything is back to where it was on Nov. 2, we're not making too much progress."

Separate from today's Union Square protest, several Bay Area members of another Pakistan political party, Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf, are planning a one-day hunger strike today in solidarity with protesters in Pakistan.
...
Today's rally
-- Organizers: Bay Area members of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the largest opposition group in Pakistan

-- When: 3-5 p.m.

-- Where: Union Square

-- Why: The demonstration is a call for fair elections in Pakistan


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/24/BALCTI 2S8.DTL&hw=musharraf&sn=001&sc=1000

Re: # 11

Your type is begging right now that someone in shinning armour shows up again and save the status quo of this murderous shamefull system

Is hamidm2 around? I'ld like to discuss Nawaz's return with him :)

(I can't believe I'm actually looking to talk to that apostate)

...add on...

Oh I forgot. You already said "Taleban needs to be told in a clear term that they would not be allowed to foment secession from Pakistan."

Yeah. That's a good solution. Have you tried it yet?

Better not. They will behead you.

#20 Posted by krashid1961 ,

Yeah ... remind me of world history. And please do take out all the volumes of world history and read them from cover to cover. And then wonder how come Taliban control 54% of Afghanistan after being bombed for six years by G7 combined.

Let me know when you find out how to defeat them.

Zeemax:
Not enlightenment. That is bad word.
Progress is the key word.
Look at the world history. Islam had utility as long as it contributed to progress. That job was taken care of by Europe and it may shift if European philosophy starts hindering it. To me that is the fact.
Taleban may be successful who knows. But so far their only Government in Afghanistan continued busy fighting their own people.

further to #18: of the three dictators, only the one receiving the "aamoN ki paeti" was the one was removed from power by some unknown party that most likely was not the Pakistan military.

#12 bulleye: you say "i don't know of any pressure, ever, from within the miliary of ending martial law"

Ayub ("Tum say pehlay jo aikh shaksh yahan takht nasheen thaa, Oos ko bhi khuda honay kaa Itnaa hee yaqeen thaa") Khan, 1969;

Yahya, 1971 (he even had an "acceptance speech" written up to announce his continuation as President, but was dissuaded);
Zia ("Sir, yeh aamoN ki paeti aap kay liyay haazir hai", said ??) ul Haq, 1988.

V for Vendetta ffrom P the Pervert Pervez.

Aitzaz Ahsan has not been released -- he will be brought in shackles and chains to file the nomination papers for a "free, Fair and a Transparent election" -- under martial law -- for O the opposition ONLY -- by P the Pervert Pervez.

#15 Posted by krashid1961

Taleban needs to be told in a clear term that they would not be allowed to foment secession from Pakistan.

Haha. If there was an ROTFL icon, I would post it here.

The 'enlightened' ones still don't know how far their little iceberg they're happily riding on has melted beneath their fat asses, and soon it will be gone altogether leaving only water to drown-in underneath.

I may be wrong in my presumption.
Debacle of East Pakistan happened because of democracy, without regard to the situation on ground. What does that mean? Bengalis were in numerical superiority. But Industrialist, Beaureaucracy and Army were derived from West Pakistan. Bengalis felt exploited. Although West Pakistan has been able to keep its hold on East Pakistan. In a situation like this, the best solution would have been to realize the situation and rather than continuing to keep a hold by Army rule, a form of confederation would have prevented the debacle. Or East Pakistan should have been told to part way peacefully when West Pakistani elite had exploited it for nearly 23 years already.
What is the current situation. Mohajir and Punjabi is not at a loss. Nor is NWFP. It is mainly the infight between between ruling elite. For example between Nawaz Sharif et al and chowdry brothers et al with no change in situation of common man whether one comes or another. It is more like taking sides and deciding who is less corrupt. The same situation exist in rural Sind. It is only a matter which party platform the same people would be elected. The people mainly at loss are Sardars in Baluchistan who feel their hold is getting weak and incursion by army. It is very important that common Baluch need to be given more autonomy in their internal affairs so that they feel part of Baluchistan and Pakistan.
The problem appears to me mainly in NWFP. As far as I can see Pathans have been integerated somewhat and felt comfortable in Pakistan as they saw the advantage. But the other influences right now there are Taliban/ AlQaeda, American interest in the region and Indian influence through Karzai. In my opinion, and it depends upon the perspective which side you are, Taleban needs to be told in a clear term that they would not be allowed to foment secession from Pakistan.
In this scenario, last thing we want is anarchy. Moreover as I have tried to analyse the situation before. This infighting between have and havenots among ruling elite, meaning people's party, Muslim League (Q) and PML (N) is not going to change the situation in a dramatic way.
I will agree in current situation with the dispensation that whoever wants to serve their constituency, let them serve, rather than take the fight on street in which nobody seems to be interested. Rather than opening the door for further problems in Baluchistan and NWFP where there is main problem let the elected people there be involved and given chance to serve their constituency.
As far as media. Its hold needs to be broken where it can only create anarchy with the help of few people. Giving the impression in the whole world as if the common man is behind them.
Important thing at this point would be to build the institutions. What the CJ was doing was to bring the revolution, without any realities on ground. That means all that exercise would have resulted in no change in overall situation until and unless someone is interested in breakup of Pakistan.
What about the human rights, independent press, independent judiciary etc. That is a long fight. CJ was told that he need not be proactive and that was precisely the reason he was sacked. (Moreover CJ himself was having some baggage with him). 1977 has changed a lot of things. If democracy was not derailed at that time we would have been much advanced. Neither am I against people demonstrating or struggling for these. But anarchy is the last thing we want.

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Re: # 5 Nasah

Has Aitzaz Ahsan been released finally. I haven't heard it on any nws channel.

tahmad #:" Pressure from within the military, more than anything else, may be putting an end to Musharraf's insane quest to remain military chief and president indefinitely..."

i don't know of any pressure, ever, from within the miliary of ending martial law.....why would the military want to end it, when all of a sudden, it becomes the ruling class.....

.......the only pressure, from within, would be to end the bombing of waziristan and swat and to stop supporting the americans so outrightly.....in fact, even the second is somewhat debatable, as supporting the americans, results in a lot of gains for the military......but the first is a definite.......

........you need to understand the training and psyche of the military......i will write about it later......but briefly, the financially corrupt amongst the military like martial law, because it consolidates the financial holdings of the military.......the financially honest like it because, they geninunely feel that it is only the army that can save pakistan........

i think musharraf falls into the second category, though he is now starting to really enjoy the benefits of the first category also, in terms of prestige and privelage.........i think he is psychologically convinced that only he can save pakistan and is unable to see the damage he is doing.....

there is a cultural mindset that is developed from day one in the military.......you are taught that civilians are useless opportunists, who will take everything from pakistan and will then move to michigan at the drop of a hat.....and that they cannot be trusted......by the time a person becomes a general he is totally brainwashed.......

.......you need to notice that (other than hamid gul) not one general or air marshall, serving or retired, has protested or resigned........

so i wouldn't count on general kayani, too much........musharraf has chosen him from one hundred generals.......kayani will only change directions, if he feels there is a mutiny brewing in the military due to waziristan and swat actions, or if the political and corporate interests of the military are being affected, i.e. musharraf is becoming too weak and a liability.......

the first could happen........for the second, the judiciary and the political parties had to remain united.......the judiciary did remain united.........however, the political parties are totally broken and opportunistic........all benazir has to do is to boycott elections and it is curtains for musharraf.......if fazl joins in, it is totally curtains.......but i doubt that will happen.....

so the hosni mubarak scenario is looking likely........the army, maulvis and feudals just want power......as long as they have it, i really don't think it matters much to them, what happens to democracy........nawaz sharif is speaking up, because he has nothing to lose........the guy barely has a few seats......ppp has a lot to lose, if it boycotts......the cases against bb won't get dropped and ppp will lose out on a majority of seats.....mqm will lose out of control on karachi, if it boycotts.....and jui for the first time having tasted power, will lose it.....

only the lawyers and media in pakistan are truly a democratically based group with clear direction.......

Hopeful words from the Kayani (addressing Staff College, Quetta): “Ultimately it is the will of the people and their support that is decisive. It is critical that Pakistan Army’s efforts are backed by the nation,”.

Pressure from within the military, more than anything else, may be putting an end to Musharraf's insane quest to remain military chief and president indefinitely.