Pakistan political parties branded without the face of ‘religious’ – doing so would only hinder their fund raising opportunities with Western forces they supposedly despise – like the PTI, MQM, PML N, PPP and ANP have not aligned with the JUI and ASWJ to verbally protest NATO’s plans to restore their supply route. The route [...]

Non Religious Parties Support Restoration of NATO Supply Route is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

Let me start by saying I do not support this party, but one a close friend and confidant is a vocal supporter of the prime version i.e. SZAB era + policies. Let me further clarify that what is written below in italics comes close to the region of ‘bragging’ but I have no other way [...]

Reasons to Support the current PPP regime is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

By Saeed Shah for The Miami Herald

Pakistan’s political crisis, which pits its president against determined opponents in foes in Parliament, the Supreme Court and the military, is likely to reach fever pitch on Monday with a confidence vote scheduled in Parliament and hearings scheduled in two critical court cases.

The crisis is so intense that President Asif Zardari’s administration may be willing to call elections for as soon as October, according to members of his ruling coalition and its advisers. But that may not be enough to mollify the opposition, which wants earlier elections, or the country’s powerful military establishment, which is believed to be trying to force a so-called “soft coup,” under which Zardari, a critic of the military’s traditional dominance of Pakistan, would be forced out by Parliament or the courts.

The threat of an outright coup also hangs over the crisis, if the politicians cannot find a way out or the court proceedings reach absolute stalemate.

Whether the government can reach agreement with opposition leader Nawaz Sharif is unclear. Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party doesn’t want to announce elections until after voting in March for a new Senate, which the PPP is widely expected to win. But Sharif would like the new elections to be in the summer, perhaps June, which would require an earlier announcement.

“There is no other option for the government to come out of the current crisis without elections,” said an adviser to the PPP leadership, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, as did the other coalition members. “It is in the interests of the PPP to reach an agreement with Nawaz.”

The PPP rules with three major coalition partners, but the alliance is looking shaky. Two of the parties, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, have distanced themselves somewhat from the government.

A senior member of the coalition said the parties so far have agreed internally only to a general election to be held in October. That would be just a few months before the February 2013 date when Parliament would complete its five-year term and elections would have to be held anyway.

An early election should also placate the courts and the military. A supposedly neutral caretaker government would have to be installed to oversee a three-month electioneering period.

Another coalition member said: “It is 100 percent certain that there will be elections in 2012. The only solution is elections. It doesn’t matter whether they are held in June or October.”

Zardari’s coalition itself brought Monday’s confidence vote resolution to Parliament, cleverly wording it so that it asks for support not for the prime minister or even the government, but for democracy. That makes it difficult to oppose.

But the PPP’s troubles in Parliament are only one of the fronts in its battle for survival. The courts and the military are both maneuvering against the party’s leaders, with two explosive cases coming up for hearings Monday.

The first stems from a 2007 decree by President Pervez Musharraf that granted immunity from prosecution to Zardari and other exiled PPP politicians in an effort to persuade them to return to Pakistan to participate in elections that Musharraf was being pressured by the United States to hold.

The Supreme Court later ruled, however, that the decree was illegal and demanded that the government reopen corruption charges against Zardari stemming from the time when his wife, the assassinated PPP leader Benazir Bhutto, was prime minister.

The government declined, however, and now the court has summoned the government to explain its actions. The court could declare Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in contempt of court, which would in effect remove him from office.

The other case involves the the scandal in which a judicial commission is investigating allegations that Husain Haqqani, a close Zardari adviser and former ambassador to the U.S., wrote a memo that was passed to U.S. officials in May. That memo offered to replace the Pakistan military’s top officials in return for U.S. support should the military attempt to push Zardari aside.

Haqqani, who was forced to resign, says he had nothing to do with the memo, which the military has said amounted to treason.

The judicial commission may take testimony this week from an American businessman, and occasional news commentator, Mansoor Ijaz, who claimed that he had delivered the memo to U.S. officials, in a column that appeared in the British newspaper the Financial Times in October. Ijaz has said he will show up as a witness, though he apparently has yet to receive a visa to enter Pakistan.

Filed under: Afghanistan, American Muslims, Democracy, Freedoms, Pakistan, Pakistan Army, Pakistanis, President Obama, Taliban, United States, US Army Tagged: Asif Ali Zardari, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Imran Khan, Mansoor Ijaz, Memogate, MQM, Muttahida Quami Movement, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Pakistan Parliment, Pervez Musharraf, PPP, Yousuf Raza Gilani

Yet another blogger for yet another major news publishing house has written yet another blog in the ‘open letter’ format, a format that implies that the writer has the balls to take all the heat (come what may) as a direct result of his/her publicly declared opinion. Well gosh darn, I have to know who [...]

Dawn News Blogger Thinks Mansoor Ijaz Cares is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

By Owais Jafri Published: January 8, 2012 MULTAN: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) senior leader and Deputy Convener Raabta Committee Farooq Sattar said on Sunday that the approval of the 20th amendment from the parliament will be a gift of change to the middle class society, poor people and struggling classes of Pakistan. “The 20th amendment is the [...]

Each new year, fates promise us a new beginning. And as is the wont of the most beautiful amongst the ladies, and a part of their allure, this assurance can ultimately lead to either of the two, a heartbreak or a delicious surprise . But in the meantime the mere thought of the possibilities keeps one enthralled.

And the new year is also a traditional time for us foolish mortals for making our own resolutions, remarkable only for the generally singular absence of any real intent and serving the rather useful purpose of making us feel good. The frivolous ones go unheeded, as expected, after a few days into the new year. But then there are others , normally based on personal convictions driven by and filtered from bitter experience, which are meant to be kept.

As with individuals, so do nations appear to make new year resolutions. And judging by the general mood, Pakistan has firmly resolved to change.

This new year has a special universal significance anyway. December of this year is when the fourth count on the ancient Maya calendar ceases. Unlike that portrayed in films and imbedded in popular culture this date is not a portent of some great cataclysm which will strike the human race, but to the Mayans it signified an end to one cycle of human civilization and the beginning of the next one.

And this year is also associated with the most powerful positive force in Chinese cosmology, the Dragon. The Dragon symbolizes potent and auspicious powers. It is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. What superheroes can do, Dragons can do better, and then some more.

By some quirk of fate, both of the above seem to have intertwined and gifted us ordinary Pakistani’s something which most of us had despaired of ever coming across again , a year to look forward to. Looking back it’s amazing how much difference a mere three months can make in changing the psyche of a whole nation. And to emphasize the point, please do recall that the term nation itself had sounded embarrassingly alien in context of Pakistan not so very long ago.

Now we seem poised on the cusp of a new beginning, with PTI being the catalyst.

While for the elite among us , as a popular saying goes, every day has always been Eid and each night a celebration, for millions of other citizens life had become too much of a struggle. The dire socio-economic situation being a major cause but the chief instigator being an absence of hope. A void which had created a palpable pall of depression all round and put a question mark on the very viability of Pakistan as a normal country. Snide remarks of a failed state were being incessantly echoed in international and national media.

And then the previous three months came along. It’s still debatable that whether PTI jumped or it was pushed but it sure made a hell of a splash. Irrespective of who scored the most points, or runs, in this phase one thing is quite apparent, that the ordinary voters have suddenly been energized and become uncompromisingly demanding. They are no longer willing to be treated as mere numbers, to be duped by the more astutely wily of our traditional politicians.

As that most erudite of observers of life , Oscar Wilde observed “what seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”, the apathy of voters in the last election subsequently dealt them a very harsh lesson indeed as to the perils of imprudent choices. Having suffered under the resulting political oligopoly of PPP, Muslim League, MQM and ANP for the last three years, the voters had become increasingly desperate. The desire to teach these arrogant oligopolists a lesson had been thwarted by the fact that there had been no real alternative available. Now Imran Khan and PTI have made sweet retribution all too possible. And promise of real change hangs thick in the air, further exciting the imagination.

No wonder then that two different observers reporting about the mood in Pakistan now and say in the past June would come across to the uninformed reader as addressing different countries altogether. Make no mistake that’s the magnitude of the change which has taken place in the national psyche. At this point in time, after many a year, there is a visible undercurrent of optimism and exhilaration in the national polity.

What we are now witnessing is that for the second time in our history , post independence, the engagement of the voters in the political process is promising to dramatically influence the direction our country is likely to take. The people feel that they have an alternative leadership to support. And most importantly well meaning political leaders have another platform to join in case they feel out of sync with their present party’s policies.

Like a particularly well thought out teaser campaign the new year has thus already provided exciting glimpses of a list of alluring possibilities to the Pakistani nation. For once the ordinary people seem to have a fighting chance to set the national agenda. For too long this has remained a prerogative, directly or indirectly, of our armed forces. Well meaning or not their intervention has ended in disaster for all of us, sooner and later. The last undisputed elections were held in 1970. We all remember what happened next when the will of the people was subverted on the plea of greater national interest. This must not be allowed to happen this time round.

For those pointing out the numerous chinks in the armor of our knight to the rescue, a word of advice. Please save your energy , nobody expects a perfect hero in Imran Khan. Real life hero’s, other than saints, are individuals who despite their all too human flaws have the courage to strive for real , meaningful change. I too disagree with his current tactics, and am pretty vocal about it, but I also truly believe that he is the best choice we have.

The Oracle is in a good mood, the auguries are auspicious, the mood is buoyant. Now it is up to all of us to ensure that 2012 year turns out to be a year to remember.

There is a conventional wisdom story out there on how the PTI is becoming a big, bad, scary machine. The story goes something like this:

Imran Khan is personally popular –> higher chances of success in elections for PTI –> more big-name turncoats join the party –> higher chances of success in elections for PTI –> virtuous cycle

To a large extent, this story is true, but I think it glosses over something that needs to be mentioned. The question is: who are the turncoats joining the party (step 3), and where are they coming from?

While a comprehensive list of all the turncoats that have joined PTI from other parties doesn’t seem to exist**, I’ve at least been able to get some sense of who these people are and which parties they’re coming from. These are the last few results for “joins PTI” on Google Pakistan.

Javed Hashmi — PML(N)

Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali — PPP

Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh — Independent

Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani — PPP

Shah Mahmood Qureshi — PPP

Masood Sharif Khattak — PPP

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri — PML(Q)

Azam Khan Swati — JUI(F)

Air Marshal Asghar Khan — Tehrik-e-Istaqlal

Mian Khaliq-ur-Rehman –  PML(Q)

Javed Hashmi, waving goodbye to his party, part of a larger trend

One thing that I suggested yesterday to a couple of friends, and have been happy to see borne out in the data (at least so far), is that the absolute lack of turncoats from (a) the Jamaat-e-Islami, and (b) the MQM. I don’t think either is a coincidence.

For me, of the mainstream parties in Pakistan, only two can be said to be ideological: the Jamaat, and the MQM (Islamic revolution through democratic means for the former, middle class empowerment for the latter). All the rest are based on some sense of identity affiliation, whether ethnic or clan or regional or whatever, but calling them ideological would be stretching it.

As a consequence of this distinction, it’s easy to deduce that the median member of the MQM or JI believes a lot more strongly in the message and “rightness” of his/her party than the median member of, say, the PPP, who’s more likely to be interested in contesting a seat on a party ticket. As a result, when the potential for success for [insert party here] ticket goes down, and PTI’s chances of success go up, we’re more likely to see politicians from [insert party here] to leave for the PTI. But if the same thing happens for the JI or MQM, their members stay put.

This is why it’s difficult for me to attach any real policy significance to the PTI’s admittedly excellent run recently. The party is clearly on the rise and forcing observers (including myself) to tick upwards their estimates of how many seats they can/will win. But at the end of the day, even if it wins 100 seats, it doesn’t really represent “change” on the ground, since it’s the same people but under a different party banner.

Anyway, on a slightly related note, you should read Cafe Pyala’s post on the PTI jalsa in Karachi, if you haven’t already.

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No kidding.

On 25th Dec, Imran Khan conducted a huge rally at mausoleum of Quaid, Karachi. It was estimated that over 1,00,0000 people showed up there. Though it’s a different issue altogether that the mausoleum has capacity of 50K to 60K people. It is also said that Imran Khan managed to gather a crowd bigger than that of Lahore’s. Again, it’s a different issue that Karachi IS bigger than Lahore (by all means), and people from all over Pakistan, travelled to attend the rally, so they were not just Karachiites. Anyhow, the rally was a marvelous success. And the PTIans can now bask in success.

But behind every successful rally, there is a long list of people to thank. And in the case at hand, MQM tops that list.

Anyone without bias and with a pinch of neutrality, would agree to it. Because deep down inside, we all clandestinely admit that, if MQM hadn’t wanted it, it would never ever have happened, not even in thousand years. Imran Khan could hold a rally, because MQM let him. Imran Khan’s rally was a success, because MQM let it be.

For those, who would refute it and argue that it would be MQM’s loss, had MQM created any hurdles. I would first advice them that you are lucky, now is the winters. Kindly avail this awesome opportunity for yourself and eat almonds. Because you really need to. It will improve your memory. How in the cruel world, can you for 12TH MAY 2007? Your trite and boring but a supposedly winning argument?

It was the time when MQM supported the leader, whole Pakistan hated. It was the time when didn’t pay heed to baghi-s (rebels) like Aitizaz Ahsan ( where is he now BTW? Attending a wedding? I head he is writing a autobiographical, “baghi se baghbani tak”) , whole Pakistan was following.It was the time when MQM scorned the Cheif Justice, whole Pakistan was worshipping. And it all resulted in, the city’s—that MQM rules–roads being blocked and well, being blood baths. Needless to mention, how conveniently everyone jumped on the bandwagon and blamed MQM. I won’t argue here, that one needs to be extra ordinarily stupid to create mayhem in his own governance. Anyways, so ranging from TV anchors to print media to street opinion, it was MQM-didn’t-let-CJ-to-hold-the-rally. The anti MQM sentiment went to another level and even beat the anti American sentiment prevalent in Pakistan. MQM was to Pakistan what Muslims are to America and what America is to Muslim countries.

*Fast foward*

So elections in 2008 took place (precisely after 8/9 months of the incident) and whoa, guess what? MQM won a landside victory from the City of Flyovers ( exactly 21 seats from Karachi). And 12th May talk goes on.

The fact is, the voter of MQM is loyal and won’t shift for three reasons. 1, Mustafa Kamal. Name is enough. 2, They have seen and heard about horrendous operation clean up against Mohajirs. 3, Mohajirs have (rightfully) this being cornered mentality.

So, no matter if it is 12th May or IF it WAS 25th Dec, nothing could/would effect MQM’s votebank. Karachi belongs to MQM, and always will.

Therefore, Imran Khan should not be stingy and insecure and should thank MQM, for its bounteous goodness, open mindedness and welcoming behavior.

Having said that, I wish IK all the luck in the world. I am pretty impressed by their demonstration and campaigning. And I am pretty confident that IK would win from Punjab and Khyber, the two provinces badly need some change and some development and some flyovers and some REAL malls.

Best of Luck Imran Khan.

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PS: I apologize in advance if anyone’s offended, I was just trolling. Been a while.

A true picture of our government’s incompetency. http://e.jang.com.pk/12-21-2011/karachi/pic.asp?picname=06_09.gif