Archive for December, 2007

My heart bleeds for Pakistan. It deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade by Tariq Ali, The Independent

Published on December 31, 2007 in People and Politics. 3 Comments

Six hours before she was executed, Mary, Queen of Scots wrote to her brother-in-law, Henry III of France: “…As for my son, I commend him to you in so far as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him.” The year was 1587.

On 30 December 2007, a conclave of feudal potentates gathered in the home of the slain Benazir Bhutto to hear her last will and testament being read out and its contents subsequently announced to the world media. Where Mary was tentative, her modern-day equivalent left no room for doubt. She could certainly answer for her son. Continue reading ‘My heart bleeds for Pakistan. It deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade by Tariq Ali, The Independent’

Pakistan’s flawed and feudal princess by William Dalrymple

Published on December 30, 2007 in People. 2 Comments

It’s wrong for the West simply to mourn Benazir Bhutto as a martyred democrat, says this acclaimed south Asia expert. Her legacy is far murkier and more complex (Courtesy: Guardian)

William Dalrymple
Sunday December 30, 2007
The Observer

One of Benazir Bhutto’s more dubious legacies to Pakistan is the Prime Minister’s house in the middle of Islamabad. The building is a giddy, pseudo-Mexican ranch house with white walls and a red tile roof. There is nothing remotely Islamic about the building which, as my minder said when I went there to interview the then Prime Minister Bhutto, was ‘PM’s own design’. Inside, it was the same story. Crystal chandeliers dangled sometimes two or three to a room; oils of sunflowers and tumbling kittens that would have looked at home on the Hyde Park railings hung below garishly gilt cornices. Continue reading ‘Pakistan’s flawed and feudal princess by William Dalrymple’

My long journey with a vulnerable but brave charmer

Published on December 30, 2007 in People. 0 Comments

She bought fruit in a dusty bazaar, impressed me with her insights: two weeks later, she was dead

Jason Burke
Sunday December 30, 2007
The Observer

Benazir Bhutto slipped off the white headscarf she always wore in public and sank back in the rear seat of her armoured police Land Cruiser. On one side of her sat Farhatullah Babar, her long-time aide. I sat on the other, notebook on my knee. After a rally near the dusty frontier city of Peshawar, the motorcade was heading for the capital, Islamabad.Bhutto did not stop talking during the three-hour journey - except once. As we drove through the crowded bazaar of a small town called Pabbi, she suddenly said she wanted to buy oranges and, stopping the vehicle, stepped down into the chaos of the market. Five minutes later, a crate of fruit sat beside her designer handbag on the seat, and crowds of bemused Pashtun tribesmen waved us on our way. Two weeks later, to the day, she was dead. Continue reading ‘My long journey with a vulnerable but brave charmer’

A Macro-Analysis of Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s Open Letter

Published on December 21, 2007 in Emergency and Judiciary. 2 Comments

Guest Post by Hassan Baig

(Accessible at http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com/2007/12/open-letter-from-aitzaz.html)


Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan is a leader in his own right. A populist leader even. Moreover, his read of the political spectrum and all developing eventualities is sensible and practical.

But perhaps not practical enough.

Ms. Benazir Bhutto is widely believed to be averse to the idea of the reinstatement of the deposed judges. In fact, she has gone as far as publicly chiding the lawyer community (and probably Barrister Ahsan in particular) to form their own political party if they so wish. This stand is understandable when seen under the light of the economics of it: the political and self-preservation costs to Ms. Bhutto of a reopening of her files by independent-minded judges are far greater than the costs of loss (if any) of the PPP’s public appeal as a result of her endorsement of the establishment’s agenda. Ms. Bhutto would never underwrite an option which pays dividends only in moral rectitude and not in monetary and/or realpolitik terms.

For someone so ethically-decided, it is abnormal how PPP loyalists endure in their support for Ms. Bhutto. It is almost as if her metamorphosis from her debut in 1988 to the skilful opportunism management she practices today has been completely lost on these supporters. Some quarters insist that Ms. Bhutto’s support is a product of her hereditary right – that many support her with blind conviction borne of the psychological guilt of inaction, engendered among the loyalists when her father was hanged till death without much ado. This is perhaps a major ingredient for Ms. Bhutto’s political adhesiveness, but probably not the only one. There’s also that promise – only to political heavyweights albeit – of garnering a high Internal Rate of Return[i]. And on some level, there’s probably ideological mesmerism involved too - at least for those few who are still motivated by overarching principles instead of material agencies.

Continue reading ‘A Macro-Analysis of Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan’s Open Letter’

The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military by Ahmed Quraishi

Published on December 1, 2007 in Emergency, Musharraf and Pakistan. 8 Comments

[I am a bit unsure about what’s written here as it is almost a mini-thesis yet Ahmed Quraishi fails to address the most important issue for me. He doesn’t talk about the judiciary. There is no mention of what they did wrong, unless he is implying they were also part of the US campaign against the Pakistan army. Because at the end of the day Musharraf and his government, by imposing this emergency, took action against no one except for the judiciary. Our superior judiciary is jobless. The media is mostly back on and soon GEO should be up and running as well. I believe the Dubai authorities have allowed them to operate.

You see it seems like Mr Quraishi is blaming the entire world for what’s going wrong in our country, yet he fails to explain why action was only taken against the judiciary. Also, if the judiciary is part of this whole thing, just like the media, students, activists, lawyers, then something inside me questions why, if at all, all the good men are in the army?

Also, if this is there is a conspiracy against the army then what’s more important is how has the Musharraf government tackled it since November 3 or, in fact, prior to it? All I can see is an act that has visibly weakened the superior judiciary for many years to come.

Just for e.g. the man attacks Ayesha Siddiqa and mentions her Indian contacts. Yet he says nothing about the facts contained in her book. If the research is accurate then what difference does it make whom she meets or befriends?

Well, it’s an interesting read for the conspiracy factor, though completely unsubstantiated.]

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM

The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military

 

This is not about Musharraf anymore. This is about clipping the wings of a strong Pakistani military, denying space for China in Pakistan, squashing the ISI, stirring ethnic unrest, and neutralizing Pakistan’s nuclear program. The first shot in this plan was fired in Pakistan’s Balochistan province in 2004. The last bullet will be toppling Musharraf, sidelining the military and installing a pliant government in Islamabad. Musharraf shares the blame for letting things come this far. But he is also punching holes in Washington’s game plan. He needs to be supported.

Continue reading ‘The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military by Ahmed Quraishi’