- 1
- 2
Musharraf Promises Elections
Musharraf keeps insisting that his emergency powers are necessary to prevent the country from "falling into turmoil." He said that before he acted, Pakistan was in a "state of paralysis, turmoil, shock and confusion," forcing him to take "a drastic measure to save the democratic process." As he did last Monday, when defending the emergency decree to some 80 foreign envoys in Islamabad, he once again attacked deposed and increasingly popular Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, blaming him for the country's ills. He claimed that "one individual in the judiciary" had "paralyzed" the government, "demoralized and shattered" law enforcement, and "encouraged" terrorists who "are gaining ground because of this whole state of confusion and turmoil." He even suggested Chaudhry is responsible for the country's recent economic downturn.
Musharraf ruled out any reconciliation with, or reinstatement of, the chief justice, which is an opposition demand, or any of the other Supreme Court and other high court justice who refused to approve the emergency, which they called unconstitutional. "They are no more judges," he said sharply. Most Pakistanis believe the chief reason for Musharraf's move was not instability or terrorism but simply to preempt the court from ruling that he was ineligible to get reelected to a second term while serving as army chief.
He took a sharp shot at Bhutto as well, questioning her popularity. "You think she is the next prime minister of Pakistan?" he asked. He then urged journalists to go into the cities and rural areas of populous Punjab state to determine her popularity. He also seemed to dismiss any talk of negotiations with Bhutto on any power-sharing deal. "There's no point in a personality getting in touch with me," he said. Bhutto, too, seems to be moving away from her one-time conciliatory stance toward Musharraf that won her an amnesty from a slew of corruption charges last September. After being released from one day's house arrest last Friday, she attempted to meet the chief justice yesterday but was stopped at the police barricade on the road leading to his house where he and his family are being held under house arrest. Speaking into a megaphone at the barrier she said Chaudhry is "the real" chief justice of Pakistan, and "we demand that all detained judges of the Supreme Court should be released." Later that evening she told a gathering of foreign diplomats inside Parliament that Musharraf's emergency had made the country even more unstable. "Pakistan under dictatorship is a pressure cooker," she said. "Without a place to vent, the passion of our people for liberty threatens to explode."
She will test the Musharraf's will and the people's passion next week as she has vowed to lead a "long march," or slow motorcade, from Lahore to Islamabad, a journey of nearly 300 miles. Today she traveled to Lahore to prepare for the protest march, but she is likely to find the same fate she met last Friday, having her house surrounded by police and barbed wire to keep her from venturing out. Even if she is allowed to move around the city, the main road to Islamabad will certainly be blocked.
Musharraf is playing his cards cautiously, keeping the emergency intact for the foreseeable future, including the monthlong campaigning period and during the voting. But he is taking one risk. If he does resign from the army just before taking the presidential oath, he is expected to lose much of his political clout that flows from his army command. But he seems confident the army will stay behind him. "Even if I'm not in uniform anymore, let me assure you the army will be with me," he in an aside soon after the press conference. That may be true but once Musharraf is out of uniform he will be stepping into unknown territory.
© 2007
- 1
- 2
Loading Menu
Member Comments
Posted By: dr.shaukat.amanullah @ 11/14/2007 2:10:47 PM
Comment: Musharraf is riding a multi-horned dragon which consists of escalating inflation, unemployment, poverty and hyper-escalating population explosion (500 children an hour). Sectarian and linguistic conflicts, fundamentalist bloody upheivels in the North, nasty encounters with the judiciary and clergy, he has to keep the Army's morale up. I wonder how the brass is going to manage the dragon's flight. We plea to America to come to the front-line ally's help. Pakistanis are extremely de-moralised because of the uncertainities of the events. The way Musharraf handled Laal Masjid and Jamiya-e-Hafsa was a unique phenomenon in Pakistan's tragic history. We saw several hundred people evaporating in suicidal bombs etc. How the free world expects Pakistan to perform its herculean job of fighting terrorism? In our view, Musharraf has to digest the bitter accolade of judicial independence, removal of uniform, tolerance of opposition parties and absolute freedom to media. It is the ripest time for Army to start relying on civilian politicians. We must realise that the so-called "nuclear power" status that we are enjoying is no more than a nightmare. Nuclear power against whom? I wonder. Pakistan at this juncture needs a sacular, democratic system of government which although appears like a dream but with the help of our great ally, America, this can be achieved. "Enlightened moderates" who have the intellect to promulgate free and sacular ideologies be encouraged and brought to the upper stratas of our rulers. The multi-millionaire traders, manufacturers, industrialists, bankers and intellectuals are the people who can bring about this change. "Economic crunch" which directly hits the stomach is to be remedied by the people mentioned above. These selfish, callous and short-sighted classes are supposed to provide their labourers enough to keep them thriving. Our country is in dire need of changing into an industrial state instead of the thousands-of-years-old agrarian system. Because agrarian society is accumulating wealth and culture into a few traders' hands in the cities and these callous individuals mix the above-mentioned entities with religion and in-conivance with greedy religious clerics manipulate the destiny of the hundred and sixty million Pakistanis.
-Dr Shaukat Amanullah, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Posted By: shaista @ 11/14/2007 5:08:36 AM
Comment: Comments: "" Musharaf what Musharaf does "
Musharaf Promise Elections, he also promised to take off his uniform before December 31, 2004, Musharaf also promised that he will accept the decision of Supreme court for eligibility, but ............?
Musharaf promise that he will eliminate terrorism but expand
Musharaf promise the World that he will fight against terrorism, but he released the terrorist
Musharaf what Musharaf promised
How the US and international community belief on such person who has the said credential
How the world belief on such person who dash to ground what he oath
How the world rely on such person who promised his nation that he will remained a civilian president after December 31 ,2004 and still with uniform
How the US belief that he will safe guard the nuke, I think he will hand over to the terrorist for the sake of his power when he deem so
He does all what he can for the sake of power
We the world should to realized and analyse his past actions that how he selfish person, and what good be expect from
If a man not sincere with his nation or people how the other world expect
If he declared himself as moderate why the moderate (HRC, LAWERS, Politions and judges) are in jailed and why he released the terrorist
This is what moderations
One day the whole world will see an atomic bomb in the hand of Alqueda's during Mushraf' regim
And the Alqueda command or authority will be in the hand of Musharaf and he will annouced and promised that the world that you are now safe
He then compelled the world to support me other wise you will be bombing
Shaista Khan
shaistakhan6@hotmail.com
Posted By: ihsanfsd @ 11/14/2007 12:17:34 AM
Comment: Pervez Musharaf might well be a dicitator, but we must understand that there is a difference between being a dictator and being a dictator with a vision. His vision is to first educate the people about the meaning of democracy and their rights using media, But, unfortunately, that immature media indulged into yellow and sensational journalism rather than educating people about the challenges confronting Pakistan. For last many days, same media is portraying Benzir Bhutto, the ex-prime minister, as the champion and saviour of Pakistan and its democracy willfully oblivious of the fact that two terms of her rule in Pakistan were the most corrupt and the most haughty ones in the anals of this prepetually belaboured country.
I appeal to all Pakistanis to understand the critical situation we are facing. I ask you if our borders at Kasur or elsewhere are so tightly closed, and rightfully so, shouldn't they be closed at Wazirstan or elsewhere to plug infilteration and black businesses?