First it was Bangladesh now it Baluchistan

I have a feeling that Kiyani is going to be very friendly with the mullahs and would be worse than Zia in the coming future!!!

I have a feeling that Kiyani is going to be very friendly with the mullahs and would be worse than Zia in the coming future!!!

#88 of course, the big question is: does kiyani understand the significance of "The Battleship Potemkin"? We shall find out for sure in the coming days. But I am very hopeful that he has not been corrupted by power as yet, and may still understand reality. And if he doesnt - then God protect Pakistan. Because I dont see how the people of Pakistan are going to rest until Musharraf is totally booted out along with his rubber stamp judges, and the rule of law restored in Pakistan.

#87 DashDot: Yes they can, my friend. You are too deep inside the "army box". Think outside the box and see the reality.

This March, Musharraf fired the CJ because in doing so he thought he would get to be President and uniformed Chief of Army at the same time for another 5 years. In a few short months, even with the CJ in prison, Mush has had not choice but to do exactly what the CJ had told him he should do.

Like you, Mush too thought that power comes from the barrel of the gun. He forgot that when enough brave people put themselves before the barrel - the soldiers themselves refuse to continue shooting.

See "The Battleship Potemkin" someday to help you get out of this "cantonment box". This is the famed Soviet era movie that showed a true incident when the Czar's navy flotilla sailors refused to fire against their own people. This happened in 1969 in Pakistan, and it is again happening today.

Re: # 86 its not touching. But realism.

None of the civvies can fart, breath, sneeze without his permission or without his knowing.....power in this case flows from the barrel of the gun...

DashDot: Your respect for the military power now with "Kiyani sahib" is touching. However, Kiyani, if he has any sense in his head (which I think he does, not having been driven mad with power yet the Musharraf has been), probably understands that real power belongs to the people, and he is merely entrusted with serving them.

Re: # 79 #83

Yesterday on NDTV in an interview with Barkha Dut, sharif-e-badmash stated categorically

"he will not share power with mush-e-ruff - never, never ever. If it came to it and his party had the majority, there will be a surrogate puppet PM"

I think Mush-e-ruff has another deal with the Badmash-e-arabia. Both have decided that the Bibi-10% shoul dbe kept out. its a trinagular relationship each edge having its own deal going. But the real power is Kiyani sahib...these three are just small fry....for now atleast.

some parallels in baluchistan and assam..insurgencies, outsider colonizers vs local conflict, oil-natural gas, seperatism and so on. assam is much smaller as compared to baluchistan in proportion to rest of india-pakistan size.

hamidm2,

What could be the deal between NS and musharraf? What would/did each get in return for what?

As a hindu idolator who has to face the ultimate reality of "Islamic identity" of my dear Pakistani neighbourers I am only interested in knowing one thing-

Would the present dispensation be good for the jehad against me or not?

If kiyani or "Islamic democracy" is going to result in increase in jehad against idolators then we have to be at guard against the present set up that is brewing in Pakistan!!!

As far as I kmow - kiyani is going to support the current jehad that is being pushed by ISI from Nepal and Bangladesh!!

hamidm: Watch for the fireworks from now on - students are gearing up for big demonstrations on Friday it seems, the normally quarelling NS and BB seem to understand that the restoration of the CJ and other judges is vital to loosening Musharraf's last desperate attempts at clinging to power. You can vote for whoever you like - I will be happy just to see you and zeemax and all other fellow Pakistanis casting your ballots.

Re: # 72 krashid1961:
Ilham and wahi is Pir sahib's domain. I have based my assertions on his stands and pronouncements in the past. In the past, he always referred to the armed forces, along with the feudals, as primary culprits for the ills of Pakistan. Not that I am in disagreement with this diagnosis.

What gets me, though, is a lot of empty rhetoric. Given his allergy to army and feudal elites in the past, isn't it ironic that his party should now be in bed with both?

"Army operation was started because they just did not realized their limits".

Which army operation are you referring to over here? There have been so many. Can you be more specific?

"Now you don't expect a party with 13-17 members in parliament to take a lead in 200+ strong parliament. They can only take a stand on issues. And I will give them credit where it is due".

Actually I expect that people take on what they can deliver. What is the point in making grand statements and in championing causes when they don't have the strength, or even sincere intent, to follow them through?

MQM, in the past, allied with both PPP and PML, pulling out of both alliances after disillusionment. They could certainly have, and should have, pulled out last year when the operation in Baluchistan was mounted.

BTW, the only place I have ever lived in Pak was Karachi; that is where I grew up, and did all my schooling all the way up to the bachelors from NED; I am urdu-speaking, a bit older than you are, and certainly am fully aware of Pir sahib and MQM's conduct. Sorry, the wahi and ilham trick does not work with me.

tahmed mian,

....... i will be thrilled if nawaz sharif does not have a deal with musharraf, but i doubt it very much .... never the less, i would vote for nawaz sharif if i could (i have to vote for sheikh rashid regardless of the party) ....... i will vote for nawaz sharif's mpa candidate ....... it is a matter of choosing the lesser evil ......

........ i also hope you are right and musharraf is gone in a few months - it can easily happen if the politicians get their act together ........ but that is like expecting masadi to stop acting like a lunatic .......

.......... of course all bets are off if imran khan storms the presidential palace !!! ..... he is keeping alive the tradition of maulana bhashani, nawabzada nasrullah and asghar khan .....

krashid #69 You are very right about the need to determine the direction of the nation. There are basically two choices - dictatorship or democracy. The dictatorship can come cloaked in a uniform spouting "national interest", or cloaked in a beard spouting "sharia law", or cloaked in some ethnic or regional identity spouting "regional grievances". But it is still dictatorship in the sense that the ordinary people are irrelevant to those seeking power by doing this spouting.

Or Pakistan can be a democracy - based on universally accepted principles starting that are enforced through the rule of law.

The battle lines are drawn as clearly today in Pakistan as they ever have been. And the vast majority of the nation has made clear that they prefer democracy and a free press and the rule of law over a dictatorship.

So, I think the direction is set as clearly as it ever can be.

#73 nasah: It is sinister indeed. An army's allegiance is to the nation, to which it reports through elected representatives of the people. Not to one man. Musharaff, having destroyed the judiciary on November 3, is now clearly trying to destroy the military as well by giving armymen the impression that they owe their allegiance to one individuals. The big question is: will the military buy it? I doubt it. I think the average armyman is as fed up of this scoundrel's games as the average Pakistani.

so normal service returns to Pakistan.

kiyani is in the hot seat...the man has a similar resume to Mush-e-ruff, and been bloodied in 1971.

We now have a notional wardi man as prez - Ayub, (a few since then) and now mush-e-ruff. Bibi-10% or Shareef-e-badmash will be PM. The big difference between then and now is the NSC, and its composition is interesting

(1) Pres
(2) PM
(3) C-JCS
(4) COAS
(5) Marshall of the Air Force
(6) Admiral of the Navy
(7) Chair Senate
(8) Speaker of NA

and a few kaun-kiskas

The scene is set for the civilians to carry the can. The Civilian PM will not be allowed to even sneeze or fart without the armed forces say-so.

Can BiBi fill in the shoes of her father? Will Mush-e-ruff turn out to be Ayub? Kiyani the 21st century Yayha Khan?
Who is the next Zia-ul-Haq? Is the cycle repeating itself? Will we see another ZAB-episode?