Games Generals Play

GAMES PAKISTANIS PLAY

Demise of sovereignty



The United States recently executed Mir Aimal Kasi. That he was a murderer might be true, but the way he had been captured in Pakistan by the FBI was quite objectionable.

The question arises: can Pakistan arrest wanted criminals in the US without bypassing American laws? Clearly, the incident could be termed the demise of our sovereignty.

M. TAHIR GURCHANI

Islamabad

(2)

We, the students of a Karachi school, express our sorrow at the unfair execution of Mir Aimal Kasi. His execution was inhuman and should be condemned by all.

That the FBI was allowed to arrest Kasi and take him to the US without following any due process of law and in the absence of any extradition treaty between Pakistan and the US is all the more shocking. It can safely be said that Kasi was in fact kidnapped by the FBI. How many innocent Pakistanis will suffer in this manner before our conscience awakes?

SAD STUDENTS

Karachi
//////

aBOVE IS FROM DAWN OF TODAY.

The ones who wrote the above letters are the educated pf pakistan. What one can see is the same mindset that is on chowk, the posts of romair that support jihadic killings in the name of human rights, the urstrulies who find the jihadic fight as low cost military operation, modern progressive words to support the essentially barbaric traditions of killing the kafirs in the name of religion.

Here we have another two romairs, clothing barbarism as violation of sovereignity, the same outrage of temporal about the shootimg to death of pakistanis involved in killigs in india.
What these pakistanis should remeber is the case of omar sheikh. The stupid indian laws put this killer of german tourists in prison in india, he was released through a hijack operation. The great jihadist of omar went on to kill daniel pearl in pakistan.

The games that pakistanis play cannot appreciate that omar were shot dead in a shopping centre in delhi, may be many will not be killed in pakistan. The final proof came in the resolution by the newly elected pak paliment in honouring the great shaheed. What is pathetic is according to the social values of pakistan kasi wanted ti get killed and all that americans have done is to deliver him to the heaven.

The games that pakistanis play has to have the pretence of modernity, the question of soverignity while the most celebrate the martyrdom, delivered to kasi by the americans.

nasah #20 I think the next couple of years will be a struggle for power between musharaff and the parliament. Let us see who fires whom this time around.

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Hey Sameer -- did u write this column in Dawn about Musharraf Ghaznavi? -- r u the `Onlooker`??

Here it is:

Musharraf`s sand castle

(excerpts)

let me make it very clear, every one of the elected representative in the National Assembly, no matter to which party he/she belonged or how he/she got elected, has behaved most responsibly against the heaviest of odds put in the member`s way by the military regime of President General Pervez Musharraf which continues to insist on holding on to power no matter through what underhand method.

All those who voted for the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the Prime Minister and those who opposed them inside the House are all honourable people.

Compared to President Musharraf even Faisal Saleh Hayat seems to have behaved highly responsibly and honourably because had it not been for him and his bloc, Musharraf`s castle of sand would have simply collapsed within no time sending this nation on another journey into the unknown.

Faisal has put at stake everything in which he had believed in all these years and everything for which he had stood for along with the PPP leadership since he was elected to the parliament in 1977 on a PPP ticket. Of course, in return he and his friends were rewarded with some high profile ministries.

But by doing what he did, Faisal seems to have forfeited his future in electoral politics.

However, with his sacrifice he seems to have saved the country from further chaos which President Musharraf had already promised that he would cause when on August 24 he had warned while talking to media personalities what he would do if the future parliament did not accept him with his uniform.

Even those like the Chaudhry brothers and their PML-Q cabal, Farooq Leghari and his NA clan, and the MQM cult in the final analysis seem to have behaved much more responsibly and honourably than the President

because unlike Musharraf who refuses to see what he is doing to the country by holding the nation hostage to his own whims these politicians seem to have preferred to make costly political adjustments in order to retrieve the country from the depths that the Army leadership is trying to push it into.

And, of course, hats off to the MMA, the PPP and the PML-N.

Despite collectively possessing a mandate far more weighty than Musharraf`s own, these parties have made it very clear through their actions since the NA came into being that they would not do anything on their own to destabilize the elected government whose majority is completely dependent on the opposition.

The PPP, after the PML-N, has lost the most in the drama that Musharraf staged on October 10 and then on November 19 and 21.

But despite having emerged as the second largest party and despite having polled more votes than the PML-Q, the PPP`s leadership did not bargain for any relief for Zardari or Benazir Bhutto.

In fact it has preferred to allow the King`s alliance to form the government rather than enter into politically costly deals in return for an illusionary power with the Army constantly breathing down its neck.
______________________________________________________
However, if you think you can escape a charge just because you committed an illegality at a time when the relevant law was suspended, you are sadly mistaken.
________________________________________________________

Any Bachaa Saqqa can perform this sleight of hand. But he can hardly escape the long arm of law by conjuring up `artificialities` like forward blocs and rewarding almost every one of the bloc with a ministerial slot.

Attempts at passing off all these `artificialities` as new realities can hardly wash.

The tell-tale evidence of the unconstitutionality is all there for every one to see.

How can you look up at the President and not see his uniform?

How can you look at the parliament and not see its impotence vis-a-vis a serving COAS who refuses to allow the elected representatives of the 140 million people the power to go through the constitutional amendments made by one single individual who gets his salary from the taxpayers` contribution.

And how can you look at Faisal Saleh Hayat and not be reminded of horse trading?

These are just three questions which would take you back again and again into the dark alleys of LFO.

On Saturday the President advised the new parliament to forget about how it came into being and how sovereign it is and instead get on with what he called `nation building` work. Good advice.

But why can`t he himself take this advice for the sake of Pakistan and if he actually believes in his own slogan of `Pakistan First`.

What, however, he wants to achieve through this loaded advice is this: Now that I have obtained for myself the label of democracy, I would like the world to play the ostrich on issues like

my uniform,
my extra-constitutional powers and
my complicity in the on-going horse trading.
____________________________________________________
His predecessors too had followed the same story line but failed miserably before long to escape the long arm of law.
____________________________________________________

Well, Musharraf has travelled thus far `successfully` with the help of a pliable judiciary and by framing self-serving laws.

But, now that an elected parliament is in place, it is to be seen how long can he keep himself above the law of the land. -- Onlooker
(DAWN)

the moral of the story --

Ghaznavi`s Goose is cooked -- this Mahmood will not escape the LAW this time -- he WILL BE prosecuted for continued vandalizing of the Temple of Democracy -- only a matter of time --

smells a lot of Chowk -- doesn`t it:-)

``General Yahya Khan was a soldier of wine and roses.``

when filmstar Tarana was visitng Presidency, she was stopped at the gate by the gurads for not having clearance and couple of them misbehaved to her, however, after her visit to President Yahya, she received full salute from guards. They knew now Trana has beocme Qaumi Trana (national anthem) and salute is necessary.

In Yahya`s time, most famous gernal was Gernal Rani and Madam Noorjehan was serving as Chief of Staff.

Yesterday Mushi distributed white paper and folders in Jamali`s cabinet meeting ,so all ministers can go through to his last 3 years performance and details of ongoing projects. That is one of the reason for Sheda Tali (Sheikh Rasheed) to form Govt`s media policy based on Mushi`s instructions rather then of Jamali`s, as he mentioned in his TV interview.

Off the record he revealed that folder handed over to Jamali by Mushi contains comrehensive diet and exercise program so Jami can lose some fats. Mush made it crystal clear that pulling back his tushi should be Jamali`s first priority as PM.

{but spared sons of fellow military generals (Zia`s son, Akhtar`s son) and some chosen others (at least one has made minister I see in this new govt}.

you are right in your analysis, but for above, Ijaz and Humayon are sitting MNA since 1988, how can you blame Mushi for bringing them into assembly. the reason i can see (which may not be true) Humayon being in cabinet , he is the only sitting MNA of PML(Q) from Lahore, all other MNAs from Lahore belong to PML(N), PPP & MMA. Lahore is Pakistan number two city and few say its also Pakistan`s heart.it always had representation in cabinet. For Khi after MQM refusal PML(Q) has no choice, again MMA, and PPP are other parties. i dont recall any previous cabinet without a minister belongs to Khi.....may be after sanate elections(if Govt last by tht time) some one would join.

faisaluno #16 Your cross-reference to your post on this board brings me here. you say ``mush on the other hand, while deserving gobs of criticism for being very timid on the political front does deserve credit for bringing about a semblance of sanity to the economic house. ``
mush is timid on the political front? He is timid LIKE A FOX: He has kept the spectre of the mullah alive, thus ensuring support from the west and from most pakistanis (who, like you, fault him on being timid when in fact you should fault him for playing with fire - i.e. islamic neanderthals - in order to stay in power).
He did put the fear of god on some looters of pakistan, but spared sons of fellow military generals (Zia`s son, Akhtar`s son) and some chosen others (at least one has made minister I see in this new govt). Aside from this gripe, I agree that he has done a good job of putting at least some thugs in the slammer and/or gotten them to cough up what they swallowed. The economy is moving? It is moving indeed - like a painted ship upon a painted ocean (to borrow lines from Coleridge).

i agree with the author. mush’s presence can provide stability to the system.. in my previous life, i was a banker in pakistan and this role provided me with the opportunity to interact with some of the top paki entrepreneurs during a period which saw the reign of messrs. zardari, shariff and musharrif. to a person, the biggest reason cited for slow pace of investment by these entrepreneurs was the inconsistency in the government economic policy. the other big complaint was the unending hassle of dealing with leeches in public sector organizations like cbr, kesc/wapda and customs etc. there is no point in commenting on zardri’s tenure. (zardari actually cut the power supply to our building for two weeks in the middle of june because the owner of the building refused to sell him the property) n.s. did propose some bold economic reforms but he never implemented the bold part of his agenda. instead he just spent his time hounding his opponents while appointing his corrupt cronies on top of public sector organizations. cronies in turn turned a blind eye to the rot at the bottom because they themselves had their hands in the till. even when n.s. appointed decent people to organizations like ubl, his cronies never gave them a free hand. remember saifur rehman’s campign against ubl? if i remember correctly, saifur rehman actually kidnapped the ubl loan officer who was hounding him for loan repayments. mush on the other hand, while deserving gobs of criticism for being very timid on the political front does deserve credit for bringing about a semblance of sanity to the economic house. it is important to remember that he took power at a time when the banking sector was suffering from a serious crises in confidence because of default on foreign currency borrowed from individuals and foreign banks. mush’s team also deserves credit for the skillful handling of the riba issue because this was something that was giving rise to a great deal of uncertainty. mush’s team also deserves kudos for not squandering the aid that has flowed in after sep 11. god knows what bb/ns would have done with the money.

while a lot of good work has been done on the economic front, the real challenge now is going to be how the administration responds to the shenanigans of democratically elected ministers who are going to demand their pound of flesh. and since most of these ministers would probably be in power in a setup even without mush, the issue of comprises with the corrupt political class is moot anyway. having a clean person at the top can hopefully limit the damage these ministers are going to inflict.

sax...#10
your wisdom never ceases to amaze me. how could i not have known that he, and others I went to school with were trying to show me the right path to salvation...*slaps hand on forehead*
;)

sameer

````Friends, not Masters`` and Musharraf will have his book, ``Friends not, Masters`` soon``

............ that is precious!

``General Yahya Khan was a soldier of wine and roses.``

Stories circulating about our mard-i-momin(s) speak of the gilded age of Mohammed Shah Rangeela being born afresh. Crore commanders are parcelling out firing ranges to each other. Pimps are pulling the strings for all major transfers. And drunkards have the country in a choke-hold. Pakistan`s eventual tryst with the mullahs gets closer and closer. Nothing but pain and suffering lies ahead.

later
-sac

This is truly great wisdom. I suggest that there should be a pakistani delegation that would go around the world explaining how only military generals can save democracy. This will need a lot of explaining as most of us na-pak people seem to think that democracy is something you have to build step-by-step and over time.

But, of course, now there is a chance to enlighten us stupid folks by explaining how Pakistan, the leader in human rights, equal treatment of minorities and good relationships with its neighbors, has created its special system of khaki-ocracy.

This article would truly be hilarious and an amusing demonstration of political illiteracy, if only the kind of thinking it embodies were not the cause of 100s if not 1000s of deaths in South Asia.

``Thus the General deserves to be applauded for forcing a semblance of democracy to the working of political parties. ``

These political parties had to choose their Army-bootlicker-in-chief by ballot? How democratic of Musharraf to ask them to do so!

``Also at no time was the media, particularly television so free and so lively (in political debates and interviews) as it is at present under General Musharraf.``

Why be pathetically grateful for something which is every Pakistanis citizen`s right ? Ask the Army why this didnot happen before and what are the bounds they have set on this `freedom`?

``A great deal more has to be done to make these ‘champions of democracy’ democratic, tolerant and transparent first.``

As long as the `champions of democracy` have to prostitute themselves for the Army agenda(which is not transparent, tolerant or democratic) donot expect things to improve.

``However the results of the elections have made it possible for General Musharraf to sit back, relax and have the last laugh.``

Yes, first Zardari was released then Hafiz Saeed of LeT and the Sipah-e-Sahiba guy. Thats the cost of the coalition. How many people are going to pay in blood for this government?

And why does he still look so worried? Nuclear proliferation blues or Osama blues?

re: nooralain


{suggested on national television that non-Muslims convert to Islam}

...what else is new...don`t you see, he was trying to show you the ``true path``...to ``save`` you...

First things first. There is no subsitute for democracy. Secondly, Pakistan is not a democracy; it is a timocracy. Lastly, remember the salute given by the gladiators to the Roman emperor prior to their deaths, but above all else, consider the words of St. Augustine as he wrote them in his book, ``The Confessions`` and then quote the words of Sir Thomas More, which he said to the British parliament that condemned him to death and end your mediations with the curse shouted by Oliver Cromwell to the Long Parliament.

Ciao

A NEW GAME FOR THE GENERALS,

There is a new game coming up for the generals. It will start after the fall of Iraq. Already the generals are in a tight fix, more of it will come shortly as the war on terror rolls on.

Attack on the temples in India, two organisations in pakistan have claimed responsibility. The new game for the generals will be tretty simple, whom to surrender to, to the amricans or the indians. India has with drawn the troops because of US troops in pakistan, they have assured a slow return of pakistan to the early days of the book. The genrals game should be to achieve this as quickly as possible. If the americans do not deliver this india will have to do it.

Slowly the indians are realising that the issue is not kashmir, it is jihad, and there can be no solution other than a promise to deliver shehdad at the door step of every jihadist, the israeli way.