Seducing The Devil

romair! ......... where do you come up with these cerebral gems:

``However, now it occupies the prominent role in the opposition and in the govt. `` ...

....uh ?????............ this might make sense for the mma because in their vision there is no such thing as an opposition - god does not tolerate any such nonsense .......... but most ordinary people (civilians) would agree that you can`t be in the government and in the opposition at the same time ............

............ waiting with bated breath for the next profundity from your flatulence ..........

nhk,

``It is time that politicians agreed on at least on ONE ISSUE - not to tolerate the Khakis``

hear hear! Army needs to go!


ferozk

The issue is not as much of democracy, which is, you will agree, an abstract term. Pakistan might be an `administrative` state, but for any state to function there should be some legality , some constitutional basis. Army`s presence in the halls of political power tells us that the highest law has been violated... forget what it does for democracy... think the repercussions in law and order ...

This is precisely why the entire proceeding on the vote of confidence is a lie and farce.


-YLH

MMA has played its cards well.

Politics is the art of the possible. Not the dreams of the impossible. MMA had a smaller percentage of seats, yet ended up dominating the opposition. Both the PML(N) and PPPP were dancing to the tunes of MMA, and Fazl would have been the leader of the opposition, even though PPP had more votes.

The govt. put pressure on the MMA, through the disqualification act of degrees, and the MMA seeing the situation, decided to work with the govt. Interestingly, it has not voted for Musharraf. It has infact, abstained from the voting. And it still sits in the opposition.

However, now it occupies the prominent role in the opposition and in the govt.

PML has done well also. Since nearly the whole party is now called PML(Q). Only a little bit is left in PML(N). So PML(Q) is the real PML now. It is running the country.

The one party that has sidelined itself politically, is PPPP. This is not due to any political stand based on principal. It is due to giving the desires of its top leader (BB) more important than the future of the party. Had all the charges been dropped against BB, PPPP would have jumped on the bandwagon with the govt. However, sincce that was not done, BB disallowed her party to work with the govt. and form the govt. She is not even allowing a new leadership to emerge in the party, lest her own influence be reduced. That is why she has appointed a weak leader like Amin Fahim to lead it. She is scared that a strong leader may empower the party, and she maybe sidelined. If she does not have her party as a leverage, she will be forced to face the music in the courts, like any other Pakistani citizen would.

MQM has a very strong and loyal base. It is the most secular party in Pakistan. And it genuinely represents the middle class of Karachi (while MMA represents the lower class of NWFP and Baluchistan). A secular MQM, even if it performs marginally well, cannot be defeated by a religious MMA. This is why MQM literally swept away Jamaat-i-Islami from Karachi. And this is why, even after screwing up Karachi, MQM still wins there.

If MQM can get out of its ethnic Muhajir leanings and actually start doing something productive, instead of gang warfare, it would be the best force in representing secularism throughout Pakistan.

There are only two electable parties in Pakistan, whose leaders resemble their voters and are from the same social strata. These are MQM and MMA. MQM leaders are very middle class - pharmacists, shopkeepers, rickshawallahs, doctors etc. As are its voters. MMA leaders are generally from the lower class - illiterate and madrassah educated farmers, mosque imams etc. As are its voters.

This is why the voting base of these two parties is so loyal and disciplined. Altaf Hussain and Qazi Hussain can clap their hands and 50,000 of their supporters will line up in the streets. And hardly any of their MNAs and MPAs ever defects from their party. Added to this, their own heads are not elitist. Altaf Hussain was a pharmacist, and cab driver(?) in USA. And Qazi Hussain was a Geography(?) teacher.

These parties, of course, have other problems. Like violence, and misguided religious policies, respectively.

However, compare them to the two mainstream parties in Pakistan, i.e. PPP and PML, and their leaderships. NS, and especially BB, have absolutely nothing common with the voter who is in their constituency. The former is (was) perhaps the richest guy in the country. And the later is one of the most powerful feudals in the country and an extremely rich woman (through corruption and land holdings).

As I stated many times before, people need to stop making fun of the MMA, and start making fun of their won party`s leaders. There used to be a time, when secularists in Pakistan would say, that if democracy is allowed, maulvis cannot win any seats. This was true uptil the last election. Before than maulvi parties won around 1 - 3% of the seats in the NA.

However, the last election changed that. Maulvis actually defeated the pro-Musharraf PML(Q) in NWFP. Now people have been forced to state that, ``PPP still got the most votes in the country.`` True. But I have a feeling, if the PPPs are not taken away from the self-centered leaderships, pretty soon people will not be able to make the above statement about the votes, either. And once the MMA-types gets a majority, it will be too late for our Secularists to carry out any introspection.

Here is to hoping a day will come when PPP will be headed by a cab driving pharmacist. And PML will be headed by a Geogrphy lecturer. That is when they will turn into truly democratic parties and will be able to take on the maulvi brigade (and the Army for that matter). Till then, if you ask me, the best hope, in the long run, for Pakistani secularism is an ethnically-agnostic and neutral MQM.

.......... i don`t understand fr khan`s logic of what the ppp and ard would have gained by participating in a rigged vote............why?........ anyone who votes when they know that the result is pre-determined is either an flaming idiot or a suffering fool - take your pick.............oh, but they would have proven that they are gentlemen .... so??........what would they get in return - the scorn of the goons in khaki and their bearded allies?.......... at least now they are not part of the establishment and stand a chance with the next chief of army staff - the guy who really matters ............

This is a good article, except that mentioning PML N a number of times does not make any sense. There is no such thing as PML N anymore.

As the writer has mentioned, the best deal would have been a Musharraf-PPP alliance with Makhdoom Amin Faheem as PM. Musharraf also sought that as a prefered option. However, BB could not have settled for that. From her point of view, its only her who merits the position of PM. Any other person elected to PM position would be non-democratic. PPP is BB is PM is democracy. That is the simple relationship for the House of Bhutto.

The writer has correctly forecasted the eventual demise of PPP and Muttahida taking its place in the national politics.

Khan Sahib

I tend to disagree.

You are blaming PPP, ARD and PML(N) for not supportung a Chief of Army Staff who took over.

Whereas, the politicians to be blamed are the one`s in the PML (Q) & its associates for supporting the military.

It was better to have an unconstitutional rule than to have it legalized by the politicians themselves. Army has already ruled for about 25 years - few more years would not have mattered. But then it would have been thrown out by the people. ARD`s stand is correct.

It is time that politicians agreed on at least on ONE ISSUE - not to tolerate the Khakis.

True to the simplistic approach of the military, Musharaf has already done a great harm. By keeping PPP and PML(N) out of the political process, on the pretext of corruption of a few billion Dollars (and possibly Zardari`s murder charges in Shahnawaz case), he has let a much bigger EVIL MMA get some position in the Pakistani political system.

I agree with you on the MQM. MQM has arrived - quite at ease with the Sindhis & deadly against Mullacracy.

Rest assured, PPP & PML (N) have not gone anywhere. They collectively got 70% of the cast votes in the last election. Wait till Musharraf`s uniform is off. The present dispensation is unnarural & unstable. 342 Parliamentarians are just the jokers. It is one man rule.

The MMA has in the ned taken a very pro democracy stance in this whole issue. While negotiations with the PPP stalled because of the BB-Zardari factor, solely. The MMA did what any responsible opposition party would have done it negotiated an exit strategy for the Army, as has been the practice of every civilian parliament since teh first martial law. Surprisingly the MMA accepted clauses in the LFO which reversed Zia`s Islamisation..like the joint electorate..the increase in womens seats and so on....irrespective of their political idealogy..I think they have come out of the whole story as a nationlly recognised political force..which may deliver dividends in Punjab and Sinh come next election.

Mushaarf might be a dictator and might be a `bad guy` in your eyes Mr. F.R.Khan but Pakistan has always done better when ruled by a dictatorship. Our Foreign Researves have increased drastically and our ties with America are good as well. The Economic enviroment in Pakistan has become much better. There is saying ke Nawaz shareef and Benazir Bhutto,
` Woh kuch samajata nahin tha aur woh kuch sunti nahin thi`.

PML-N and PPP have both plagued Pakistan and now their age is over. A new Pakistan is about to emerge. And why are you so in favor of Democracy? Democracy evolved in Greek City states. It greatly influenced the American and French Revolutions. My point is democracy is a Western thing, and it can not be imposed upon us.

Down with democracy! :P