Famous Last Words or a Messiah in Khakis?

Umair#9

Your article is upto point.

Democracy needs to be defined.

According to CIA own admissions it has successfully manipulated many elections to bring its own people in power. And since it is quite experienced in this art, America can make sure that its own people are elected. If it is not so as happened in 1977 in Pakistan or couple of years back in Turkey when Arbakan won or in Algeria when Islamic Salvation Front was poised to win the election, America makes sure DEMOCRACY is in its favor.

Also in America people are becoming conscious that Democracy means interest of Capital. It is evidenced by election of Jesse Ventura also. So democracy as a necessity is a product of Capitalist Society where interest of Capital is safeguarded. There are many laws in America like bankruptcy or lock out and historically till recent workers movement is either infiltrated by agents or ruthlessly crushed.

But is there any system which can replace democracy and still reflect the voice of people.

Definitely it is not dictatorship, but neither is it democracy as practiced today.

The best system is which reflect the desire of people. China with its one party dictatorship and communism is more representative of the desire of people (as far as my meeting with chinese people) than many American supported in the world. So is the Limited democracy of Iran.

It is that their democracy is different than Western democracy.

The word is Nationalism and Pakistan.

The way things are going in Pakistan, people are very happy. But it will not last forever. So rather than relying on goodwill of individual person and Khomeni for Pakistan, we should strive for a constitutional setup, which will guarantee the rights of all Pakistani Citizens.

Constitution of Pakistan has failed. It failed even at the time of ZAB. It failed at the time of BB and NS.

It gives absolute power in the hands of one man. And if elections can be manipulated by America or anyone. And particularly if fake mandate is given to a person, that person will be more and more reliant on America to get away from the wrath of people.

We have to work for a constitutional framework which assures tha right of people to decide their destiny, keeping in mind the extreme complex situation of Pakistan Politics.

It is a fact that nobody wants the election to elect again Zardari and Nawaz Sharif and the same lot, when our banks cannot stop them from plundering. When our police cannot stop them from crime and our judges cannot pass a verdict against them.

It is very simplistic to believe that money plays no power in democracy and it is peoples will which is reflected.

On the contrary money is the most important determining factor even in as champion of democracy as America.

It is only in revolution and its aftermath that people`s desire is reflected.

First about this article. I agree with all aspects of what the military junta is trying to do. Seems like it is attacking all the ills plagueing Pakistan - corruption, devolution of power, democracy that does not come from buying votes off fake IDs.

The problem that I have is that I just fail to understand what all these replies till now that are against the military government are complaining about?? I think this is the `josh` mindset that Salman was referring to. These people, if they are sincere towards Pakistan and not one of the select few directly benifiting from NS or BB governments, would most definitely want the corruption, misuse of power etc. to go away even at those times. Well, now all that is really happening and you are complaining... I just don`t get it...

There are 2 very clear choices right now - either call elections, go back to democratic rule because military `dictatorship` is bad. Bring back the same corrupt PPP or ML or the fanatic jihadi (not to mention terrorists producing) religious parties. Or, let these guys in khakis try to do their job - give them a chance. It is not a perfect world and the way it turns out for Pakistan, the electoral process failed miserably. This is the only alternative, and considering last military dictatorships, he is more sincere in practice and taking the right steps than either Zia or Ayub.

Making such drastic changes takes time. They have to be carefully thought over. Try thinking in the long term for a change.

Re:SR#38

I agree with what you have said to a large measure. However, it cannot be denied that Pakistan was making a slow transition to democracy in the past ten years. The movement for the restoration of democracy had picked up tremendous momentum in the later years of the Zia regime. Benazir was voted in quite enthusiastically. The massive mandate of Nawaz Sharif shows that the people of Pakistan want to participate in a democracy.

The fact is that establishing democracy is a tough and messy affair in any country. It takes years and often there are severe conflicts and chaos. The US had to fight a bloody civil war and go through a lot of upheaval. England had a revolution with the King getting beheaded. In South Asia, India had is still trying to reconcile democracy with economic growth. Bangladesh had similar problems moving from military rule to a democracy. The key thing is patience and the willingness of the people to give the process a chance. Unfortunately Pakistanis tend to look at everything in terms of black and white. I think it will be good if Musharraf stays around for a few years. Maybe the myth about military rule will finally disappear.

I appreciate the writer`s sincere desire for a leader to lead Pakistan towards prosperity and the 21st century. However i strongly believe that this goal will never be achieved as long as our country is saddled by a politicized army. First of all chief martial law administrator is not the man of character he comes across so hard to project. This is the same man who happily accepted the promotion to COAS despite the fact that there were a number of generals who were more senior and deserving of that position. If he had any integrity as a soldier he would not have accepted this political appointment. He made a big fuss about appointing qualified personalities with a record of integrity in his cabinet. However half of his cabinet consists of people who have been associated with some of the most corrupt regimes in the past.

In your last sentence you have written ``You can release the people of Pakistan from the political arena’s black sheep, constantly bleating in the background about democracy being robbed from them at gunpoint; a democracy they themselves disgraced and in the process, left Pakistan in a quagmire of deceit, corruption and sectarianism.``

It is a fact that the army has had a major role in influencing all the elections in the last twelve years. ISI`s involvement in hand picking and then funding the leaders it wants in power is open knowledge. The past regime of Nawaz Sharif is itself a creation of the last martial law administrator the great General Zia ul Haq. Nawaz`s sensational victory and brute majority in the parliament was engineered by the army, which however backfired on them in the end. The foundations of Deceit, corruption and sectarianism were laid and then strenghthened as never before in the illegal and tyrannical rule of Zia ul Haq. There has never been genuine democracy in the country but thats because the army has never allowed it. What makes you think they will have a change of heart overnight with this local bodies setup? It has been estimated that it is going to cost more to run for one of those local bodies seats then to run for an MPA seat in the past. So if you think this system will enable the lower and middle classes to participate you are sadly mistaken.

I know the tendency for urban dwellers who have never set foot outside their city to blame it all on ``feudals`` blind to the immense corruption found amoungst the beauracracy (the majority of whom are from an urban non land owning background) and industrial elite. But I do not want to get into the blame game here. In the end I would just like to point out that Contrary to what you all may believe, the vast majority of land owners out there are extremely hard working and honest citizens, not madmen foaming at the mouths hellbent on looting and corruption.

A Smell-Coffee-Time for those who want to force Pakistan to compete fiercly with India without giving its population any tools (such as :- educatiion, freedom from ``K`` word ! )

Year 1998-1999: Software export:

Pakistan:US$ 5 Millions(against the target $300M)

India: US$5 Billions

Souce: Pakistan Link

PREPARING FOR SUMMER

India is leasing two AWACS from russia complete with aerial refueling facilities and are expected to be operational in weeks. I havnt come across any pak reports on these.

A few raids on terrosrost training grounds are more than likely in the summer. It is time for india to evercome the soft state status, releasing of terrorists in indian prisons and accepting the vanishing act of hijackers in the afghan pak border.

Time for the pak military to take on another, rather than the local police, the air trafic control and wapda.

The commander of the armed forces, in full uniform, pleading for talks is really pathetic, a disgrace to any army. He should quit the army and become a real CE.

Civilian or Military rule ?

I cannot understand what is all this noise about a civilian, and that too `democratic`, government?

Anyone who has bothered to take closer look at the history of the `Islamic Republic` is bound to notice that as soon as the Nawabzada (Jehalat Ali Khan) was turned into `Shaheed-e-Millat` by a mysterious bullet, the military became the final arbitrator of power and has always remain the real government of the state.

General Sikander Mirza silently sneaked into the shadows behind the bulimic Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din, who stepped down from the ceremonial post of Governor General to become prime minister.

Only some days earlier the finance minister, Malik Ghulam Mohammed, a Punjabi ICS officer by background, had suffered a severe stroke and had therefore tendered his resignation to the prime minister. But before the Nawabzada could get to his desk in Karachi and accept the resignation, he was assassinated. The crippled Malik Gamma, was thus still technically the finance minister and was on his way to Karachi by train when his daughter, travelling as his `helper and nurse,` read to him from the newspaper headlines that he was the new Governor General.

Between a cripple and a bulimic the affairs of the state were in `safe` hands that held the strings of their civilian puppets. Those were the glorious days when Lal Bhadur Shastri jibbed that he did not change his `lungi` as frequently as the cabinet changed in Pakistan.

All of a sudden the crippled Gama, who could not speak, let alone walk, became a dictator? The ever smiling general Sikander Mirza (and ever more frequently general Ayub) always by his bed side.

Soon thereafter general Sikander Mirza involved general Mohammed Ayub Khan in the palace intrigues. And the rest, of course, is history.

The government in Karachi was soon brought closer to the GHQ and Islamabad was born within a decade.

After some time the crippled Gamma died and general Sikander Mirza became head of state. Soon afterwards general Ayub ousted his mentor and took over himself. In time the exhausted Ayub was relieved by general Yahya who ignominiously proceeded to give the country a push into a heap of cow dung.

General Yahya was relieved by general Gul Hassan (with Air Marshal Rahim Khan`s help) after the dogshit was beaten out of the `na-Pak fauj` in Bengal. But Gul Hassan and Rahim realized that they needed a new civilian face. Zulfi Bhutto was their chosen one for he could claim some legitimacy on account of being the `vadeera` of a party that had won 37% of the casted vote in what remained of the country and thus he had a majority of the seats in the rump parliament.

Zulfi was sworn in as the `Chief Martial Law Adminsitrator`. That was on December 21, 1971. It took until the summer of 1973 that the civilian parliament ratified a constitution and the so-called `democracy` was let loose. Four years later the party was over and general Zina-ul-Haq took over.

After the general descended from the heavens and became ``Jabra Pir`` (Saint Jaw) the second round of `controlled democracy` began and that was was even less funny than the first. Whenever the generals wanted they kicked out the civilian government and brought in hitherto annonymous `caretakers` to hold fresh ballots.

For a while they let Princess Pinky pretend that she was her daddy`s legitimate heir, but in reality she could not even enter some sensitive defense installations. And `Mian Naajah` along with his brother `Mian Saajah` were basically cronies of `Saint Jaw`.

Basically it has ALWAYS been a military rule. The only difference is that from time to time the military wears a fig leaf with a civilian face and when it becomes inconvenient the fig-leaf is tossed out.

So what`s the fuss about? What civilian government? What democracy? Which country are we talking about here? Let`s get real.

...SR

Jay

``Our leadership is young, dynamic, straight-forward and truthful whereas the Indian leadership is old and orthodox. I am sure Mr Vajpayee cannot play golf with Mr Clinton, and that is the difference between the Pakistani and Indian leadership.``

LT.COL S. IFTIKHAR AHMED (Retd)(no no on the way up after the coup)``

Damme! I chuckled at the pathetic sycophancy on reading the piece but did not pay attention to the author...

So the same dude talikng to PM

``Iftekhar, kya baat hai?``

``Kuch Nahi Jarnail sahab. Humne Ganje ko pakad liya hai or mere Aaka, aapki rah dekh rahe hai!``

Thanks for connecting the dots Jay

Jay #35

Golf???, I dont recall seeing the great white chief clinton playing golf with the CE? I have to admit that if the guys in foggy bottom start generating US international strategy on the basis of golf playing capability, then I am emigrating to mars.

I have to admit that I suspect that letter is a hoax!!!, but a good one, Jay, made me laugh quite a lot.

cheers

bd

COLONEL THINKS AGAIN

FROM DAWN

US-India honeymoon

MR Shaheen Sehbai`s article `Who pushed me in the pool?` (March 30) is a thought-provoking analysis but appears to be one-sided. The US tilt towards India is likely to be a temporary affair for three reasons. Firstly, the sinister designs behind India`s sugar-coated words will soon become clear to the US administration.

Secondly, history is testimony to the fact that despite slogans of `Hindi-Chini bhai, bhai`, India and China went to war in 1962.The US will find out soon enough that India does not keep commitments .

Thirdly, Mr Clinton is on his way out and the new US president is likely to have a different perspective in a changed environment. Above all, Mr Clinton and his entourage must have seen the difference between India and Pakistan in every aspect. Our leadership is young, dynamic, straight-forward and truthful whereas the Indian leadership is old and orthodox. I am sure Mr Vajpayee cannot play golf with Mr Clinton, and that is the difference between the Pakistani and Indian leadership.

LT.COL S. IFTIKHAR AHMED (Retd)(no no on the way up after the coup)

Karachi

Re: Vicky # 28

Let me make myself clear here before you accuse me of `short sighted...by using catchy phrases`. I am not an admirer of military dictator, in fact I hate Zia and his lunatic policies as much as any patriot can do. The reason I prefer PM over NS is because of NS ludicrous drive for ultimate power and for that he was crushing dissent & destroying democratic institutions. He had already tamed the judiciary, threatened journalists and was about to become the Amir-ul-momnin had he not succeeded in the Nifaaz of Shariat Bill.

Your quote `Sure Sharif was a bad ruler but he should have been fired by the people of Pakistan` your delusion is quite evident when you naively suggest that. What makes you think that? After seeing the terrible duo of BB & NS playing musical chairs for more than a decade there is no reason to be hopeful. Equally, your other claim was also amusing when you hint why not he put him in protective custody and ask PML to choose another leader. Another leader!! From where, among the thieves or thugs. Listen man, Pak politics revolves around a very powerful and cunning elite Mafia, who will never relinquish their hold. They know how to mend or bend the system. Where the bureaucracy is been politicized to such an extent that it is nefariously known as Afhsar Shahi, thanks to the great leader ZAB. What we need here is not different faces with same agenda but a way to weed out these despicable and cronies. Otherwise you know what going to happen, these corrupts will continue to loot and then, when it comes to demise of Pakistan they will say `oops, I`m sorry` and will head to their safer homes in west with their heavy pockets without giving any damn and the only one who will left robbed will be the people of Pakistan.

The job landing thing I was talking about is true he didn`t plan the coup. He was only protecting the last remaining professional institution left from the reach of capricious NS. We all know well why he was firing PM, so NS can put his own man, he was politicizing the Army and that was the last nail on the coffin.

Your quote `The latest worry for thinking people in the Subcontinent should be that Musharaf might launch an offensive on India to make Sharif a distant memory` don`t rely on your innuendoes, for that matter the long rap sheet of NS own making will do the job.

Pakistan right now need is stability & economic uplift. When heavy wheel of GNP start to move, you will see the voices from EC, US for restoration of democracy subside, they will know that Pakistan will be able to pay its loan and will not become a Pariah State. Pay utmost & foremost attention to economic development then worry about democracy. We don`t have the luxury of literate mass and big middle class, so, let us create a functioning government which meet our need, is that too unrealistic?

About your concern regarding praise of CE next year, I`ll be equally vocal if he deviates from the path. He knows better that`s why he has not curbed any press freedom. The sword is dangling on his head and he knows it, but give that guy a benefit of doubt. If we can wait for BB & NS for more than a decade to deliver `something` then 1 or 2 years of CE will not going to kill us.

Hope you will get the point.

rgds,

Moez Momin

I was in New York when this coup occurred and was on Dawn page when it just disappeared from Web.

With wonder I saw history repeating itself.

I remember with great clarity the decleration of emergency in India, when many of my elders were of opinion that Indira Gandhi is going to be the true deliverer. I heard the trains again running on time and corruption disappearing. However, in a short time people were disappointed and disenchanted. That being our only experience with dictatorship, I guess we can be forgiven for the wrong expectations.

When Pakistani coup happened, I read same opinion being expressed on Chowk. Same expressions of hope, expectations of trains running on time and corruption disappearing. When will Pakistani public realize that deliverer can not come from outside and no dictator can deliver the goods?

Vicky reply #28: ``The new dictator has impressed a lot of short sighted folks by using catchy phrases and new terminology like: ``sham democracy``, ``counter coup``, ``Chief Executive`` ..etc. By cleverly marketing himself with slogans, phrases and playing the poor General with no choice but to sack Sharif, he is able to cover up his true nature.``

I don`t think people are as short-sighted as you make them out to be. In the end, the people are going to compare the current regime to the regime of NS and BB, and reach their conclusions.

``Like in the past Pakistanis` are passing euphoric judgements on someone who has not completed even one financial year.``

Very few passing are passing any euphoric statements about the current regime. Infact, most have stated that the current regime is moving too slowly. The one thing that most commentators do agree on is that this regime is more honest and competent than the previous ones. However, I doubt anyone is euphoric; I know I am not euphoric. They have to clean up many years of mess. I still don`t know whether they will be successful or not. However, so far they are doing a far better job than the NS regime.

``Let`s see if this day next year Ummair & Moez will be still be praising the Messiah.``

Why do you refer to Musharraf as the Messiah? No one is praising the Messiah. People are just pointing out that in the current situation, this current regime is the best option. No one knows where Pakistan will be in a few years. I cannot be 100% sure that in the long run, the current regime is the best option; similarly you cannot be sure that it is not the best option. Both of us are making educated guesses. I am not sure how you can be so convinced that appointing another PML leader to replace NS would have solved problems, instead of increasing the problems. Like you said, we must wait for a few years, to know who is right and who is wrong.

``The latest worry for thinking people in the Subcontinent should be that Musharaf might launch an offensive on India to make Sharif a distant memory.``

There is nothing to indicate that Pakistan is going to launch an offensive on India. Just because someone doesn`t like the current regime, doesn`t mean that Pakistan will launch an offensive on India. Have there been any forward troop movements? Has Pakistan drastically increased its military budget? Is Pakistan purchasing new offensive weapons? Has the Air Force deployed to its forward sattelite bases? Is there any additional training going on for launching an offensive? There is no indication of any of this happening. The only statements made by the current regime are that they want to talk with India anytime and at any place. So how have you reached this conclusion.

Launching an all out military offensive against another country is no joke. It requires a lot of logistics, planning, troops movement, etc. etc. Any major offensive planning and movement would be detected by US sattelites immediately. Even launching a (very) small local offensive like Kargil, with hundreds of troops and no air cover and no naval movements, required a lot of planning and execution (months of planning, if not a year or more). So I am not quite sure how you have come up with the idea of Pakistan launching an offensive against India. If one is going to come up with such ideas and theories, then why not state that thinking Pakistanis should be worried that Pakistan is going to launch a nuclear attack against the US, or Israel. That carries more punch; although it is an equally improbable occurrence.

Dear Vicky,

I`m not much into the politics scene…yet but let me tell you this. Pakistan on average is a nation of illiterates. They really have no real clue to what politics is about. READ MY LIPS. MAJORITY OF PAKIS ARE THICK. (there go my political hopes). With a thick nation, do you really want to give them democracy when they can be so easily fooled? B. Bhutto promised the thickos free rickshaws and Dhai Bhalla…guess what she won. Ayub, a wonderful leader, as told by so many of the elderly was shunned off by the thick illiterate Pakis. These people form the majority of Pakistan.

You see, our own nation does not deserve good leaders because we ourselves are not good people. Where do you think good leaders come from. Not from planet Mars but from within us. When you got a nation which thinks, `Oh, I`m but one, what can I do` and is not willing to sacrifice itself for the greater good, do you really want to give them democracy, and most importantly, do you think they deserve a good leader.

Democracy for Pakistan is like Communism. Everybody`s` opinion is the same, that includes the scholar and the guy who thinks that the earth stands on a cow`s horn. The best thing any body or any leader can do right now is to educate Pakistan. Then when everybody is on the same level of thinking, can we apply democracy.

As for dictatorship, all I know is the previous two generals did good for their country, who says the third can`t follow their footsteps, and the army is the only institution which has made Pakistan proud and without it we would have been assimalated into that dirt down south.

Take care.

Omar Phoenix

Sameer #25: There are quite a few Pakistanis I have met in the Silicon Valley community who could have joined the Pakistan civil services. I fall into that category myself. The common reason for them not joining the civil services is they felt, sooner or later, they would have to get involved in corruption. So even after passing the CSS exams, they moved to the US (many with very few prospects when they came here). They now earn an honest living. Had they been in the Pakistan civil services, many of them, involuntarily or voluntarily, would have become corrupt. So should these people be considered honest or dishonest?

Corruption is the act of actually committing corruption. One cannot consider someone corrupt under the assumption that they would have been corrupt if they had the opportunity. As long as they have not committed the act, they must be considered honest. Otherwise, every human being in the world is corrupt, since no one knows how one would behave had one been given the opportunity to be corrupt.

``Similarly defaultig and grabbing the choicest plots are lawful corruptions.`` I used to be a very vocal critic of the perks and benefits that were enjoyed by the generals, while I was in the military. I felt that those resources should have been equally distributed amongst officers of all ranks (I think the military deserved those resouces, however the resources should have distributed better). I also was aware of rumors of corruption in the military. My criticism and complaining got to such a stage, that I was almost court martialled, and eventually asked (ordered, volunteered; you chose the word) to retire without a pension, retirement benefits, or even a rank. Before the court martial stage, I was put under room (house) arrest for over a month (had a guard standing in front of my room all day, and could only leave it to go to the mess to eat). This is quite common when court martial proceedings are being discussed.

The entry into the Pakistani civilian life was a rude awakening. I quickly found out that compared to the Pakistani civilian sector, the military is a nunnery. I can safely say through experience that the Pakistani civilian sector is far far more corrupt than the military (that is not to say that the military does not have corruption). I was able to spend 12 years in the military without having to rely on any corruption, to get anything done. The first day I went to get a passport at the passport office as a civilian, the extent of corruption in the civilian sector became quite clear.

Despite all its faults, the military is still an institution. This means that for every corrupt general (and I am sure there are some), there are one or two very honest ones also. This is more than one can say about the Pakistani bureacracy, politics, or even the private sector. In a sense, I have more right to criticize the military than anyone else, since I was, ``relieved`` of my rank without anything to show for my 12 years of service, during which I had to risk my life, every now and then.

However, one must be objective in one`s analysis, and not let one`s personal feelings get into the equation. Musharraf and his fellow generals have obviously committed one major crime; they took over the country against the constitution. No one knows whether his actions will prove good for the country or not. So no one can make final assessments. In a few years, we will know whether your opinion of not supporting him is correct, or my opinion of cautiously supporting him is correct.

However, this is the only crime that Musharraf has committed. Everything else you have written about him and the other generals is only speculation and an opinion, and does not seem to based on even circumstancial evidence.

In my opinion, there is nothing common between the current regime, and Nawaz Sharif`s regime (apart from the fact that both are dictatorial). In the later case, it was a publicly and personally a blatantly corrupt, unpatriotic regime, that brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy twice; the only indications of corruption against the current regime are all speculation, and incorrect attempts at putting imaginary twos and two together. Musharraf has publicly declared his assetts, and tax statements, and no one has found any corruption. Every plot a military person gets is earned at market prices through housing societies. There is nothing wrong with that.Your second hand theory of corruption does not make sense to me.

If one starts speculating then why stop here; perhaps Musharraf is a wild womaniser also, since so many females interview him in his house. The current delegation of Indian ladies was quite impressed with him; who know why? Maybe they were doing something more than interviewing. There is no limit to this kind of thinking. The only limit is one`s own imagination. A better idea is to wait until there are solid facts available for corruption (like there are against NS and BB).

I agree with you that Musharraf and his group of generals are lawbreakers in the manner they took over the country (I still support their decision, so far). However, I do not see anything to justify the other accusations you have made against them, and the military. One should not let one`s personal feelings about someone or some institution get in the way of making an objective analysis.

Moez, Ummair

in support of Sameer #20

What Sameer is probably trying to hint at is the Moral & ethical corruption of Musharaf and his ability to be deviously scheming & self serving. This is the corruption in his mind which will harm Pakistan beyond repair. As for the land it should be a no-brainer that with the influence of the Generals on society and government, they will get land allotted cheaply AND legally. But when there is so much larger at stake, I think this is a very minor thing.

The big picture being missed here is that you guys are thinking that because Sharif was incompetent and was becoming a dictator,it was all right for Musharaf to kick him out. Has it ever occurred to the people who support Musharaf that they had a choice?

The new dictator has impressed a lot of short sighted folks by using catchy phrases and new terminology like: ``sham democracy``, ``counter coup``, ``Chief Executive`` ..etc. By cleverly marketing himself with slogans, phrases and playing the poor General with no choice but to sack Sharif, he is able to cover up his true nature.

Was there not one elected peoples` representative who was capable of Ruling Pakistan? Why does it HAVE to be the army? If there is no over-ambitious-general what would be the choice. What about the provincial heads? If Musharaf was so democratic why did he not make some statements BEFORE he was fired? If he was afraid of openly criticizing his boss, why did he not take Sharif into protective custody and ask the PML to elect another leader? Definitely these were options rather than taking the entire responsibility of Pakistan`s future on his untrained shoulders?

It is tragic and somewhat hilarious when thinking public says the job was thrust on him!

Like in the past Pakistanis` are passing euphoric judgements on someone who has not completed even one financial year.

Moez says `` And one more thing Musharaf didn’t land on CE job, CE job landed on him.`` ,

Why Was Musharaf the Deputy Prime minister and Nawaz Sharif died in office? Moez, my man, read the constitution, or what passes for one.

Let`s see if this day next year Ummair & Moez will be still be praising the Messiah.

Sure Sharif was a bad ruler but he should have been fired by the people of Pakistan. Remember the old saying? Two wrongs don`t make one right. While we are at it - Between the people of Pakistan & their politicians, like the two monkeys with a roti in the story, the army will play the cat and take the loot (The country`s prosperity).

The latest worry for thinking people in the Subcontinent should be that Musharaf might launch an offensive on India to make Sharif a distant memory.

Gentlemen, you have a tiger in the house - a big, powerful, clever and hungry tiger. Best of luck.

Vicky