The Soft Option

Jay aka Rafay Alam,

Now that you have exposed your true identity though I doubt you are Pakistani, let me remind you that you lied once and once a liar always a liar.

You informed us that in Lahore Pakistanis wear Arab clothes and that you see them every day to work. Well well, I took an Indian to Pakistan and showed him around... couldnt find any such thing...

I dont even want to argue with a liar.

Yasser

And here are `freedom-fighters` being REALLY un-wishy-washy aka `puppets on a string` or `who pays the piper calls the tune`. Here`s guessing they all do a round of Haj as well like Nawaz Sharif is planning to.

Sadhana

http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/dec/17jk4.htm
Jamaat leaders from J&K, PoK and Pak to meet in Saudi

Leadership of pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islamia on both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir is to meet in Saudi Arabia in the next few days to work out a new strategy in the face of growing yearning for peace in the state.

Sources in the separatist movement said on Sunday the chief of the JeI G M Bhat is likely to travel to Saudi Arabia where he will hold discussions with Pakistan-based supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Sallahuddin.

Hizbul is the armed wing of the JEI. Unconfirmed reports said commander of the Hizb in J&K Abdul Majid Dar, who had announced an unilateral ceasefire in July, may also participate in the meeting.

The sources said several leaders from Jamaat-e-Islamia Pakistan were also slated to attend the meeting.

A Hizbul Mujahideen spokesman Saleem Hashim said in Islamabad that Syed Salahuddin had already left for Saudi Arabia to hold the meeting aimed at working out fresh strategy to be followed in J&K `in view of the changed scenario`.

Here`s the New York Times being `un-`wishy-washy:
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/17/world/17PAKI.html
December 17, 2000

Exile Deal Salts Old Wounds of Pakistan`s Unrich
By CELIA W. DUGGER

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 15 — The politician, a small-time silk trader who carefully tends his constituency, is holed up in his second- floor office here, above the teeming, fragrant lanes of the bazaar where he hawked notepads as a child.

After 15 years in Parliament, the politician, Sheik Rashid knows that the rich and well-connected usually rule this impoverished nation of 150 million people. He has seen their arrogance up close. Still, he said, nothing prepared him for what happened last Sunday.

The former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who had been jailed since he was toppled in a coup a year ago, and 17 of his relatives flew to a luxurious exile in Saudi Arabia as guests of the Saudi royal family. In Mr. Rashid`s eyes, his leader cut a deal with Pakistan`s military government to save his own skin, abandoning a budding movement for the restoration of democracy and stunning many of his loyalists.

This is the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, but Mr. Rashid is avoiding parties held to break the daily fasts. He said he doesn`t know what to say — and the exile deal is all anyone is talking about. He doesn`t want to condemn Mr. Sharif, a rich man who gave him Rolex watches and suits from Harrods and cash to run his campaigns. But he doesn`t want to lie about what he sees as his leader`s lack of courage, either.

``I feel broken from inside,`` said Mr. Rashid, who himself served time under three earlier military dictators and who referred to Mr. Sharif`s year behind bars as ``peanuts.`` ``The people were so innocent. They believed in us.``

The combined effect of Mr. Sharif`s choice of comfort over martyrdom and the military government`s decision to let him escape life imprisonment has been to diminish the moral standing of both.

Mr. Sharif, reviled as a corrupt plunderer of the public treasury at the time of the October 1999 coup, had begun to win back some sympathy as his time in prison lengthened — and might have resurrected his political career had he stayed on to fight for democracy from his cell, politicians and analysts here say.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who has tirelessly presented himself as the honest, uncompromising leader who would ruthlessly pursue the corrupt and bring them to justice, now has to explain why he let his biggest fish off the hook.

Here in the bazaar at the heart of Sheik Rashid`s constituency, people are grumpy. ``If Nawaz Sharif really plundered the national wealth, why has he been sent abroad?`` asked a butcher, Muhammad Imran, as he hacked apart a slab of meat.

His customer, Farzara Ashraf, a housewife, chimed in indignantly, ``He should have been punished so he could serve as an example.``

The general`s decision to let Mr. Sharif go into exile is only part of a growing disillusionment with his rule, which was initially greeted with an almost giddy hope that a tough- guy military man could whip the country into shape.

Mr. Musharraf promised nothing short of Pakistan`s moral and economic rejuvenation when he took power, but he has found it very difficult to deliver, particularly on people`s bread-and-butter hopes. At a time of political uncertainty, both foreign and domestic investment in the country have lagged.

And Pakistan cannot afford big social spending programs. It is $36 billion in debt to foreign lenders. It is weighed down by defense expenditures to finance its conflict with India. And it collects income taxes from only 1 percent of the people.

When asked about the past year of military rule, most people here at the bazaar first complained about rising prices for sugar and other basic commodities. In a society where many families are scraping by on $40 to $50 a month, inflation hurts badly. And they blame the government, though the rising cost of oil is a major inflationary culprit.

``Whenever I go shopping, everything has gone up in price — cooking oil, soap, milk, sugar, even salt,`` said Farida Begum as the life of the bazaar swirled around her.

Her family`s hardships have also worsened since the government closed down a money-losing bus service here in Rawalpindi and laid off her husband, a conductor. Now, instead of earning $40 a month, he`s getting only a $4 pension.

As the military government moves forward with a gamut of stringent policies that aim to put the country on a sounder fiscal footing — many of them required by the International Monetary Fund — more people will blame General Musharraf for their pain, and his popularity is likely to suffer further.

In a report released this week, the State Bank of Pakistan predicted that utility bills, gas prices and tax collections would all rise, squeezing consumers and shopkeepers alike. At the same time, it noted, the government will be less able to provide jobs as it sells off public companies to private buyers.

Already General Musharraf is feeling the discontent of the public and the press, largely because there is an absence of fear about speaking out against his government.

The military dictators of earlier eras crushed dissent. But the current rulers have tolerated scathing press criticism. Perhaps it is because General Musharraf is more liberal. Or perhaps it is because they fear a crackdown would upend their cooperative relationships with international lenders on whom Pakistan depends financially.

In The News on Wednesday, for example, one writer said the decision on Mr. Sharif`s exile had entailed ``a loss of honor`` to the military government, while another maintained that the government`s willingness to do the deal reeked of opportunism.

``By compromising with Nawaz Sharif and letting him go free,`` Rashed Rahman wrote, ``they have driven one more nail themselves into the coffin of whatever residual credibility they still enjoyed.``

Fourteen months into General Musharraf`s rule, the military — often described here as Pakistan`s last viable, effective institution — stands demystified. Most people still credit the general with good intentions, but he is often depicted as a bumbler whose government has been too weak to halt sectarian killings or to stand up to Islamic fundamentalists.

But the general has one big thing going for him — the lack of an inspiring civilian leader to challenge him. Benazir Bhutto, who was Mr. Sharif`s main national rival for power, has been convicted on corruption charges and is living in London. And now the general has removed Mr. Sharif from Pakistan — and in such a way that Mr. Sharif`s character has been further discredited.

Members of Mr. Sharif`s party, the Pakistan Muslim League, say he was a man accustomed to a life of luxury and power who apparently could not tolerate the rigors of prison life. He had always had it easy. He rose to positions of power in the 1980`s with the backing of the military. He and his family amassed fabulous wealth during his time in office.

He loved being chauffeured in a black Mercedes. He had a taste for expensive watches and fancy shoes. Before the coup, he was close to moving into a 22-room mansion with stuffed lions and rococo furniture.

``I know him,`` Mr. Rashid said. ``He can`t sleep alone without a servant to look after him. He was a prince born to govern.``

KNOW THY PAKISTAN,

To YLH,

For your info, YLH, here is a case of institutionalised, establised and voted into existance by the people of pakistan, ratified by the ultimate islmic scholars of pakistan in the sheria court, the law of the land, the venerable hoodoo laws. /// ....may be you want to invite people to see pakistan, the baba black sheeps, your friends ....

I was shocked on reading our Honourable Law Minister`s recent statement about the impartiality of the Hudood Ordinance. I may be a young advocate, but I am familiar with the notorious Hudood laws and their implications on women, minorities, children and the poor.

First of all, these laws do not permit the evidence of women or minorities for the imposition of Hadd punishments. Children of any age can be convicted under this law - even for extramarital sex, rape and sodomy. In the early 80`s, a child of 8 was denied bail on charges of sodomy. Thankfully, the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court intervened and the requirements of justice were met.

How would our Law Minister advise victims of rape in Pakistan? How are they to file an FIR? What, in her opinion, would be their chances of getting justice? Will she not warn them that they themselves could be charged with adultery?

I have read case after case where the Federal Shariat Court has acquitted women who have been falsely implicated with charges of Zina. These women are forced to go through the rigours of imprisonment and years of stigmatization and isolation before they have a chance of obtaining justice.

It seems that our Law Minister has overlooked these hard truths. Perhaps it is because she is not quite familiar with the inner mechanisms of these laws, having grown up in the relatively prejudice-free Pakistan of the 60s. However, I`m sure if the Hudood Laws had been enforced in those days, even in far off places like Makran, then those couples who eloped and married would have been accused and prosecuted for adultery. That is if they didn`t have influential family members to rescue them.

The fact that these laws have the potential of being misused and are misused shows the gender, age and ethnic bias in the legislation. I would therefore request our Law Minister to acquaint herself with the Hudood Ordinance so that she can discharge her duties more effectively.

AHMAD RAFAY ALAM

Lahore

I felt the need for writing this post in the wake of some recent disturbing political developments in India. It is really unfortunate for India that Mr. Vajpayee gave in to RSS finally. He did put up a spirited fight as is evident in the economic policies of the govt. which are in total contrast with the anachronistic Swadeshi type of model advocated by RSS. I was taken aback by his statement that ``Demolition of the mosque was an expression of nationalistic feeling``. Such a statement at this time when India is standing at the crossroads, one path of which goes to economic prosperity and the other to anarchy and poverty, has brought him down by a notch in my eyes. I am afraid that after such an uncalled for statement, Indian politics would once again plunge into a state of turmoil and instability. Such a scenario may put the more substantative issues of the second generation economic reforms, foreign investment, infrastructure development etc. at the back-burner. Stupid ego clash and filthy politics will once again take its toll on the welfare of the nation. India is facing a real danger from these RSS MORONS who fail to look beyond Mandir. What is Mandir/Masjid but another form of ego clash, and stupid emotional bakwas. I admired BJP govt not only for introducing a second generation of economic reforms but also achieving partial success in overcomming political hassles in implementing them. Infact just when it appeared that they are steering the country in the right direction they axed their own feet by giving in to RSS. It is really unfortunate for India that there is no better alternative in sight who can maintain the pace of reforms and provide the much needed stability. Congress is a dead party with an incompetent leader who neither fathoms the intricacies of the economic policies nor the complexity of Indian political scene. There is nothing called the third front and this is a fact. There appears to be a sort of leadership vaccuum. Mr. Vajpayee is the only capable person who could have filled this vaccuum. It is a miserable moment for India that even he failed to resist RSS.

Farzana, some questions for you

1) Do you hate India?

2) Do you believe muslims are actively persecuted in India?

3) Do you hate Hindus?

4) Do you view Hindus with suspicion?

5) What steps by the majority community will make you feel safe in India?

I would like to suggest, in an effort to bring some sanity to this discussion, people base their ideas and views on some facts. Second hand information based solely on predictions, should never be the basis of any argument. Also, assuming under-handed deals without providing any facts, only indicates that the critic is basing his/her views on their personal liking or disliking of someone. Cynicism begets cynicism which begets furthur cynicism. People should voice their views on this issue, one way or the other, based on the picture and facts available to them. Coming up with conspiracy theories (something us Pakistanis are specialists at) leads to useless debates. And useless debates are generally harmful to any society, because they remove people`s minds, from realistic issues and solutions, off into imaginary worlds.

So even though, I heard from an uncle, who is the second cousin of Musharraf`s gardener`s brother-in-law, that he read in an Indian newpaper, which quoted a Pakistan newspaper that an anonymous political analyst has stated that he was informed by his son who goes to the same bar in the US as Shaukat Aziz`s second nephew, that the actual reason the Sharif family was exiled is because Abbaji gave to Musharraf, Nawaz`s used Vespa, and based on that Musharraf will now declare himself Amir-ul-Momineen for life; should I waste everyone`s time with such a theory? :-) I could turn out to be right, but that would be nothing more than a coincidence.

Predictions based on conspiracy theories and fifth-hand information are only slightly different than spreading out right lies. Political analysis, both of present situations and future situations, should be based on facts available and/or an extrapolation of the available facts. Then again, if wishes were horses, tabloids wouldn`t be doing booming business in the USA, and (to paraphrase S.H. Manto) every Pakistani with a tablecloth and a vase wouldn`t consider himself a politician.

Perhaps a good analysis of what occured is available at http://www.dawn.com/weekly/ayaz/ayaz.htm

``Hilarity or what?

By Ayaz Amir

MORAL outrage and high dudgeon. There has been much of this flying around since the strategic escape of Pakistan`s once-upon-a-time saviour, Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. But if things be considered calmly this indignation is a bit funny and entirely misplaced......

As for the Sharifs, the tears shed in some quarters about their betrayal and treachery are also a bit out of place. The wonder is not that the Sharifs no longer could take the strain. The wonder is how they took it for so long. Thirteen months after all is not a short period and would test the fortitude of souls far hardier than them. In any event it is easy setting standards of sacrifice for other people and somewhat more difficult doing the sacrificing oneself. Nevertheless, the Sharifs could have been a bit more graceful in defeat. If nothing else, they could have spared their party the ordeal of false defiance they put it through. Even as they were negotiating their own safety they were telling their followers to stand tall and be counted. This more than their actual flight was a dishonourable thing to do. But then let us not forget who Nawaz Sharif really was: a product of accident and military patronage and not someone cut in the mould of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. So in the end when the crunch came he could only be true to himself and from where he came. Even so, if anyone should do any soul-searching, it is the people of Pakistan and their great armed forces. How could the people of Pakistan ever take someone like the Sharifs seriously? And how could the political wizards of the Pakistan army (and their bureaucratic henchmen like Ghulam Ishaq Khan and others of his ilk) prime the Sharifs as their political favourites? How small Pakistani leaders? But how much smaller and small-minded their shadowy creators?`` (Dawn, Pakistan)

I have come to concur with Shammi`s views.. you are right Mr Shammi Musharaff is no Ataturk...

Disillusioned *SIGH *

Re: Shammi #521

Military men everywhere prefer presidential to parliamentary systems because it fits in best with their training and experience: well defined hierarchies and chains of command. Gen. PM is a member of a minority group which quite a few people in Pakistan do not particularly care for, so as far as that goes, his assuming the Presidency would not exactly stifle minority aspirations (at least not those of minorities in relatively favorable positions). By definition, all majoritarian systems stifle minority aspirations. The solution is often worse than the problem: counter-weighted greater-than-proportional representation systems. Look at the US: how do you think Bush could lose the popular vote and still become the President?

A presidential system with some minority rights/constitutional safeguards could work fairly well in Pakistan or anywhere else as long as the existing laws are enforced. Alas, who is going to enforce them?

Ataturk gained his complete ascendancy over the Turkish people and the Turkish Army by refusing to accept the Allied division of Turkey proper (Treaty of Sevres? Lausanne? where is YLH when you need him?) and fighting the Greeks--backed by the Allies--to a complete standstill and actually pushing them back in places. This was a far greater accomplishment than his role in the Dardanelles campaign--although that is where I believe he made his reputation for incredible personal courage. He could order his illiterate and devoutly Muslim troops to use mosques as stables or warehouses and hang mullahs because they feared/worshipped him more than they did God himself.

Sorry, digressed there.

I think PM is an Ataturk admirer and a reformer but his hands are tied by domestic considerations and his seat is not very secure. I agree that he doesn`t seem to realize that the more he gives in to the obscurantists, the bolder they get.

How will the NS release affect Pakistan and Pakistanis in the future? Some possibilities:

a. NS becomes pals with Idi Amin (another guest of the Saudis), and like him spends out his remain days in obscurity (comforted by a couple of wives he brought along with him) with an occasional interview with reporters who have nothing better to do. This scenario is Not Likely - NS aint finished yet, I think.

(BTW: Amin was of course a rogue of a different stripe - his torture cells in Kampala have been converted to a hotel (!) where people claim that ghosts of his victims sometimes wake up the hotel guests at night by moaning and brushing against their feet.)

b. NS makes a grand re-entry, his own man, a la Napoleon from St. Elba, ready to pave Pakistan with glorious motorways with rest places every 50 miles, each with an ugly replica of Chagai mountains. Not Likely: NS does not have the kind of popularity, and has too many internal enemies.

c. NS makes a re-entry a la the Bourbon dynasty , beholden to the Saudis and ready to make a deal with Jamaatias. Possible - and we can then kiss goodbye to progress in Pakistan for about ten years.

I wait for thoughts of the sagacious ones on chowk on this question.

Musharraf wants to be President now

Ijaz ul Haq, son of former President Zia-ul-Haq, may also be included in the Cabinet

(article at http://news.india-today.com/ntoday/newsarchives/100/12/15/n79.shtml)

I hope that this report is not true, but if it is, then this is another step towards legitimizing dictatorship.

Just the thought that a general may appoint himself president makes me wonder:

What? Without debate, introduce such sweeping changes? Change the basic structure of governance and the system of elections? What are Haq, Jr.`s credentials? Has the Zia ul Haq family not damaged Pakistan enough already? Have we not been down this path before -- a coup, a general unwilling to give up power (comfortable in the illusory belief that HE alone knows what is best for Pakistan), anointing himself president.

This is an act of self-serving cowardice to justify defying a court order to restore a civil government in three years. These cowardly generals manipulate the system behind closed doors with complete arrogance for the ordinary person`s opinion. Does the idiot general not know that the Presidential system works well for homogeneous societies, and not for multi-ethnic ones? And that minority ethnic groups have NO chance of becoming President and become even more frustrated than they already are. That a President`s powers need to be checked through a powerful legislature?

Mushy fancies himself to be a modern-day Ataturk, but he forgets that Ataturk gained legitimacy over the mullahs by defeating the British at Darandelles. Mushy has done no such thing -- he cut a deal with NS this week to see him off, only to announce his own political intentions!!

Also, read `Kashmir is Pakistan`s cat`s paw` and why no weak politician in Pakistan (e.g. Mushy -- I have to call him that now, or anyone else) will never settle on Kashmir.

http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/dec/15nayar.htm

NAWAZ-ARMY DEAL

The following has been in circulation for a while in chain e-mails. I dont know who is the author:

What would u have done if u were nawaz Sharif and Gang?????????

Hmmm.........

considering u have looted and raped the country`s wealth and considering u
a
have a long jail sentence awarded to u and considering u are dealing with
Pakistan army who`s history in war and civil life is well known what would u have done?

dealing with generals who have more wealth then many big businessmen, who
are known for taking commissions for defense deals and who have a sale tag
on their chest along with the self awarded medals

Hmmm......

oh here is $100 million , lets distribute among top generals and let me
go.
by the way keep my factory which is non functional since 1992 and other
assets against which I have already taken loans from banks, so you can
show
the idiots of this country who would still vote for me if I return

Ha Ha ha
Bingo

I think we are only beating ourselves with our wild speculations. We should look at the net result, which is, we have now one less thug to worry about.

Please disregard my post # 514. I have better theory, which I will be posting as a reply at Bilal Ahmad`s article.

In response to SameerJB (Reply # 514)
Dear Sameer:

Your statement: “. . . my problem is not with NS release because current rulers are also guilty of corruption of different kinds.”

Comment: My problem is with NS’s release and its manner. If Nawaz Sharif was innocent, he should not have been behind the bars in the first instance. If he was guilty as charged, he should not have come out the prison. I personally believe that the hijacking charge had no weight. If Nawaz was as corrupt as most of his opponents believed, then why the entire state of Pakistan had failed to bring charges against him. This suggest that there was something fishy.

The real Pakistani politics is perhaps far more complex than what we can imagine. I agree with you, however, that corruption charges could have opened a politically-sensitive pandora’s box.

Your statement: “My problem is with the underhandedness of the whole affair. Then Gen. Qureshi, stating on record, about confiscating 80 percent of the Sharif family`s property in Pakistan without proving that 80 percent of their properties resulted from corruption.”

Comment: I fully agree with you.


Your statement: “The family was filthy rich even during Z. A. Bhutto`s time with Ittefaq Foundaries. Moreover, there is no justification of confiscating properties belonging to a large number of people belonging to a family when there is not a single corruption case against Shahbaz Sharif. As it appears that he was not even part of the deal and kind of pushed into accepting it. He may soon be returning to Pakistan. Keep an eye on him because he is smarter and more liked than his brother, and does not have the corruption baggage with him.”

Comment: This shows the dexterity and the cunningness of the Sharif Mafia (replace Mafia with any appropriate word, if you wish). This does not prove that Shahbaz was not a part of the same. But, I believe, a person is innocent unless proven guilty in a “just” court of law. The Musharraf regime has failed to establish the guilt.

Your statement: “Here is my theory . . . .”

Comment: It is plausible, but Abbaji may have used his economic/noneconomic muscles too.

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

re bahmed #502:

The MRD formed against Zia spent years in the wilderness. The ARD would have been no different. The army is well-entrenched and faces no threat from huqqa-weilding pygmies of the ARD. Musharraf`s constituency is the army. As long as he has its backing he is fine. There are elements within the army who may be getting a little queasy. The army has already spent two decades trying to exorcise the demons of ZAB. The last thing they wanted was a Nawaz `shahadat` and the ensuing mantle of leadership being passed on to the female geniuses in Raiwind thereby losing the ability to manipulate the permanent king`s party--Muslim League.

Nothing is ever new in Pakistani politics. The army is the only real political force.

later

-sac

P.S: I`ve tried to stifle the urge to have a dialogue with you in the past because to be brutally honest your dialectic tendencies tend to bore me :). But I am sure that`s just me!!