Musharraf’s Days are Numbered

From "The Emergency Times", Jan 28 2008

Resign Musharraf, Resign!
By JEMIMA KHAN
...The effects of protests are rarely immediate or even measurable. What demonstrations do is to change the weather. And the weather changes the landscape. Protests invariably move from the extreme to the mainstream.

Sometimes, though, they really do what they say on the banners. Gandhi's march to the sea to make salt marked the beginning of the push to remove the British from India; the Suffragettes did get the vote for women; the Peasant's Revolt did change the feudal system; and the Anti-Slavery Movement did do away with slavery. They are all
examples of what demonstrations hope to achieve: the mass power of the individually powerless.

Tomorrow I will be protesting Gordon Brown's continued support for Pakistan's dictator. I will be joined by politicians, lawyers, doctors, human rights activists, journalists and ordinary Pakistanis who want to know what happened to New Labour's "ethical foreign
policy". Our equivalents in Pakistan have been denied the same right to protest. Many hundreds remain in prison - some tortured. We can't read about it because the media in Pakistan remains restricted.

Brown and Musharraf are planning to discuss democracy..
How can they seriously discuss the "democratic process in Pakistan" with straight faces when 60 percent of the Superior Court judges have been dismissed and many are still under house arrest? How can "free and fair elections" take place in three weeks under the supervision of hand-picked substitute judges, a pet caretaker government and a bogus election Commission? Why is our Government supporting and our taxpayers funding a counter-terrorism strategy that has encouraged terrorism? Above all, why has our Prime Minister chosen to host a constitutionally illegal ruler who has lost the support of Pakistanis both in Britain and abroad, and who is seen as the cause not the solution to the country's problems? ...It is more likely that we will just make ourselves heard. But who knows? 2008 may yet turn out to be Pakistan's 1968. Inshallah.

Monday, midday, Downing Street. Effigies supplied.

[Ms. Jemima (Goldsmith) Khan is a leader of the Free Pakistan Movement
(FPM) based in London, UK.]

http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/resign-musharraf-resign.h tml

There is an interesting article in NYT magazine by Parag Vohra...nay by Parag Khanna. He discusses some new ideas and is well worth reading and figuring out the new issues that are coming up.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/magazine/27world-t.html?ex=1359176400& ; ;en=
1af8c9c386cc212d&ei=5124&partner=
permalink&exprod=permalink

correct link to #33: http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/2008/01/resign-musharraf-resign.html

Massaddi Mian should read the article that HP Mian has put, as he thinks, lives and busily creates Third World. He can improve his knowledge about the new tomorrow.

He should remember that is not Ole' MacDonald had a farm.. and a chick, chick here and a chick chick there. It is Elites of China, and Europe. It is Elites of Brazil, India, Russia and Middle East.

It is Elites here and Elites there. It's Elites everywhere. He would see the reality if he gives up the 7th century to Mills par course.

Zeemax sahib:

It is very interesting, how people start speaking their mind, when they feel their end is near. Probably they have everything to gain.

Can there be a single peson or his successors who link these incidences with Bhutto, Zia and BB?

Re: # 30 HP boss, thats like the illuminati or the freemasons or some other shadow_in_the_mind_organisation did it....you need to go beyond the whispers.
When a statement like is made, it demands evidence and proof for it to stand on its own. If zeemax made such a statement in a paper or an article he would be laughed out of the place - and a referee who supports it with your cryptic statement even more so. (note: this is also your argument with Pavocavalry - is it not 8-) )

So let us all hear it and be done with it.

Re: # 38 it should be


"Re: # 30 HP boss, thats like saying the illuminati or the freemasons or some other shadow_in_the_mind_organisation did it."

sometimes i despair at the state of pakistan...Allah help us!
until someone destroys the power of those who rule -i.e. feudals and army we will never get out of this rut. when will be have a real Renaissance of our own?

sigh...

Re: # 22 Posted by Kamath on January 28, 2008 5:42:01 am

Kamath sahib,

[Why put all the blame on General(R) Musharraf?]

Past crooks do not justify to have present day crooks, or does it? As they say in the financial world, "past performance is no guarantee of future results."

[After all the mess Pakistan is in today has been caused by mostly other powerful guys.] who were in the bureaucracy since 1947 (read the mohajirs) and they should also be held accountable of the corruption that we have in Pakistan.

[Corrupt politicians, Stupid religious and finally by Army Guys.] You conveniently leave out the bureaucrats, why?

[What personal glory or rewards are going to be reaped by General(R) Mush.? None.]

O! why are you so naive beta? look around all the army-wallas are running defence housing society, wapda, etc. suddenly they are the brightest tolas of the world. these people are nothing but a group of Mafias.

[He has learnt from his mistakes and there is no one around to take charge of the country at this time- especially against home grown Talibans!]

we have a saying "dhobhee ka kutta, na ghar kaa, na ghaat ka"? does it apply here, maybe it does not. let me try another one "kuutay kaa dhum kabhee seedhee nahin hogee"

[Leave him alone and get rid of him later after 5 years if you don't like!] array waa ray wah, you want the crooks to continue for another 5 years, or so. I am just surprised that Pakistanis who are abroad do not have enough courage to stand together united and get rid of these people. It took only i year for the international Iranian community to get rid of the Shah of Iran. And in Pakistan, these people are still ruling.

#38 Posted by iron_mask
"you need to go beyond the whispers.
When a statement like is made, it demands evidence and proof for it to stand on its own. "

Its like I said if you don't know, you don't know or don't get it.

This is perhaps a Pakistani secret no one is allowed in.
We know and you don't ....that is the end of the story!

Re: # 42 HP, HP you and zeemax are like two peas in a pod....the same idiomatic english...

But I see you are a fan of Eric Margolis and Ambassador Dean. Note the article where this first appeared (the World Policy Journal) removed the allegation from Barbara Crossette’s reflection on the incident.

Lets face it Zia's death is a mystery - he died in a plane incident. Bhutto and others - had the hands of Zia/Army, Bibi herself (according to Pak Newspapers), and now the Pak-Taliban-ISI.

Maybe you do subscribe the wild theories floating in http://www.ishipress.com/happened.htm

Dr. Gill,

It's like a jigsaw puzzle.

If Musharraf goes, Pak Taliban is not going to go away, which is the threat to the state of Pakistan as we know.

If Mush stays, the elected PM wud be anybody but if it's Sharifff, he's not going to work with Musharraf and there'd a crisis again.

If Pervez Ilahi becomes the PM, then hoi polloi is going to get restive and Pakistan wud not look any rosier.

In the meanwhile the marching Taliban wud knock the doors of Rawalpindi which wud pave the way for a potential Taliban Raj which may look outlandish now but not impossible though.

Pak Army of late is reminding me the French Army of WWII (no pun intended) given the spate of surrenders. Milbus adds to the complexity of the issue.

The inter-provincial tensions (esp in Baluchistan and the situation in Sindh after the assassination of Benazir) among the federating units make Pakistan look similar to Afghanistan (where Persians, Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tadjiks and other enthincities live uneasily under one name i.e Afghanistan).

To sum up, the situation in Pakistan can be summarized in one word i.e 'extended instability' & Musharraf's exit is not going to make the picture any better.

VRV: #44

The situation in Pakistan is really complex. Musharraf can help by holding a fair election and then stepping down. He should announce that he isn’t having any political stake, before the elections are held, and that he would step down after the elections.

If the majority of people want Talbanization, let it be. I think esprit de corps is the essence of democracy. If the majority wants to ruin Pakistan in the name of Islam, let them decide. But I like to believe that this wouldn’t happen. Majority of the people would choose to keep religion where it belongs – at a personal level. The moderate Islam (however it may be described) will prevail. But as I said in the article that if the country is doomed, Musharraf alone cannot save it.

Mohammad Gill

#45 Posted by freethinker on January 28, 2008 3:59:10 pm


If the majority wants to ruin Pakistan in the name of Islam, let them decide.


that won't happen because if, allah forbid, the pious people of the the land of the pure were to demand more islam and not less, that would make your elite look pretty bad when they're at parties in the west...and we all know they won't stand for it..

Re: # 9

No Sir, Army can be checked only by another army as shown by the Tiger Niazi bowing before Arora and not Mujib. ZAB had also raised an armed civil force called FSF to counterpoise the army but it failed to deliver as he was toppled before the Force could be equipped with heavy arms like tanks and mortar guns.

Whatever people can blame president. Soon moment of truth is coming 18th feb and we will elected people and general will go back in nonactive prssident mode. Musharraf i going to deliver democracy to people of nation, and its up to awam to take given democracy by general or follow again army rule. First time army allowing and General is pioneer.