Myopic, Malevolent, Megalomaniac

Sameer, you have a conspiracy theory for everything. This one is ridiculous. Please do not try to interject your prejudices into everything. At least do some research.

PPP and PML have always joined hands with religious parties, when it has suited them. PML(N), even in this election, has seat adjustments with MMA and has put up joint candidates. Religious parties were a partner with PML in the IJI coalation, in previous elections. PPP was a partner with JUI(F), as they jointly created the Taliban.

The MMA hates Musharraf. They have even asked for the army to kick him out. If anything, their victory indicates the transparency of the elections, i.e. the most anti-Musharraf group has ended up winning big. They could upset his whole policy.

Your biases and prejudices are truly amazing, to the point of falsifying truth. And they are very destructive. The MMA has taken the opening that I was hoping the PTI (my party) would take. However, I am still willing to accept the views of the Pakistani voter. Why are you unable to do the same. I dislike maulvi parties and I dislike feudals. But all said and done, the maulvi parties will partially destroy Pakistan, while the feudal parties have completely destroyed it.

It is extremely distressing to see a person with your large reservoir of knowledge attempt to distort truths and produce complete false conspiracy theories, with no facts to back them up. I call this fundamentalism.

Najam Sethi, Editor of The Fridaytimes has writtten intersting piece in tofay`s edition of The Daily Times. He adds a dimention of another myopic vision in the last paragraph that I did not think of when putting together my piece. It is about better bargaining power vis-a-vis USA. But how?

Thank you, Gen Musharraf

By Najam Sethi

Thank you, General Pervez Musharraf, for delivering us from the likes of Nawaz Sharif and handing us over to Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The MMA will be an unprecedented integral element of the National Assembly in days to come. It may well be a partner in the government of Pakistan in Islamabad as well. But, to be sure, it will form the next two governments in the two provinces of the NWFP and Balochistan. In a third, Punjab, it will be a critical part of the ruling coalition in alliance with any one faction of the PML or possibly even with the PPP. And in Karachi it will stage a significant comeback since its ouster in 1981.

It seems that General Musharraf`s rabid anti-PPP and anti-PMLN stance, coupled by his exhortation to the masses to vote-in new faces, was taken to heart by many people. Instead of voting en masse for the lotas or old faces who deserted the PPP and PMLN or were bribed and cajoled to join the PMLQ or King`s Party, many people have voted for the MMA. Indeed, the MMA has wiped out the two mainstream moderate political parties - the PPP and the PML - from the scene in the NWFP and Balochistan.

But thanks for creating a political vacuum into which the MMA has flowed must also go to General Musharraf`s new found American friend, President George Bush, whose pre-emptive anti-Taliban and anti-al-Qaeda policies (read anti-Islam) were equally responsible for nudging the conservative and deeply religious people of these areas into the arms of the MMA. The irony is that when Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Maulana Fazlur Rehman control the levers of power in the frontier regions, including the police and administration, it will become difficult for Islamabad and Washington to enforce their writ in these areas and the task of hunting down the rebellious Taliban and hostile Al-Qaeda will become almost impossible. We may also expect both provinces to unfurl so-called shariah practices that reinforce the negative “image” of Pakistan abroad.

But that`s just for starters. MMA nominees from both the border provinces as well as from the Punjab will probably constitute half the members of the next Senate, or upper house, since each province has an equal number of representatives. That means that the Senate will become not just a springboard for the defense of provincial autonomy as it was meant to be but also for religious activism and orthodoxy which certainly played no part in the dream of the Quaid i Azam to build a modern and moderate Pakistan. Indeed, we may expect the MMA to initiate a host of bills for the “Islamisation” or “Talibanisa-tion” of Pakistan from the floor of the upper House.

I have long argued that politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum, and that by trying to sideline the mainstream, moderate parties, General Musharraf would inevitably pave the way for the immoderate religious parties. This lesson should have been learnt by now but it wasn`t. When the establishment got rid of Benazir Bhutto in 1990, it made way for Nawaz Sharif. When it got rid of Sharif in 1993, it made way for Bhutto. When it got rid of Bhutto in 1996, it made way for Sharif. But when Musharraf got rid of Sharif in 1999 and started to hound Bhutto as well, he made way for the MMA.

But there is a more cynical view that may gain currency. Maybe this is just what the establishment wanted. Two critical provinces bordering Afghanistan with the anti-America MMA so that the establishment can drive a hard bargain with Washington. And coalition governments in the other two provinces in which pro-establishment minorities or majorities can keep “democracy” in check. The armed and unarmed jihadis inside and outside the establishment should be pleased by the election results. Having “lost” Afghanistan, they have now acquired a large base area of their own in their own homeland. They couldn`t have tailored a better outcome for themselves. That is why, in time to come, this “election” may acquire the same ominous significance in the history of Pakistan as the 1970 elections under another “sincere” military dictator.

Yo, I just checked the results. The PPPP was in the lead till last night but the PML (Q) is much further ahead now. That is very surprising.

agree with most of your analysis. dont think that army establishment will be too displeased with the results. success of jehadis will be used to frighten the americans as well as to insure that establishment`s agenda (kashmir jihad, instability in afghanistan and preservation of idealogical frontiers) continues to find traction. Therefore, I dont think the army will be looking to reverse the results of the elections. senile analysts on ptv have already started to fantasize about the prospect of alliance between (q) and religious facist and about the role this alliance will play in defending our islamic fronties. the wildcard is the reaction of the american govt. dont think they will be thrilled with the prospects of jehadis controlling frontier. however, mush risks further alienating popular support if he does not hand power to fundos in nwfp. real tragedy is the lack of political leadership that is ready to confront serious problems. Unfortunately, long-term prospects are not looking good.

Agar koi kehta hai kee Hindustan aur Pakistan mey farak hai, to uss ko aaj ka NYTimes ka issue dikha do. There is a nice photograph of MMA supporters doing Bhangra on occaision of election victory. I am reminded so much of elections in Delhi. We would do Bhangra regardless of winning or loosing. Dhol da music is best.

it`ll be interesting to see how the landslide of MMA in the province of NWFP conflicts with the central fauji command on afghanistan.

the worst thing the faujiz could do now would be to annul the elections. though faujiz are capable of such stupidity, it`ll be better if they accept that they are indeed incompetant and cannot even rig properly and let the `new faces` play it out.

musharaf wanted the people to elect new faces. he got alot of those attached with intimidating beards.

if fauji incompetance was in doubt, this election shows that they are incompetant beyond doubt. is this the best they could rig up? goes to show, no matter how corrupt or insane BB and NS are, people will listen to them over the voice of a back-door parasitic Jernail.

but that said, sada Imran aavay-e-aavay!