After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Proves what I have been saying all along, the only thing that matters to Musharraf is his kursi not Paksitan and what a fine mess he has made of our beloved country in order to stay in power. Shame on him.

After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Rocked by political and street chaos since the slaying of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan faces further danger as it braces for crucial February 18 elections, analysts warn.
They point to potential for conflict among a bewildering array of competing groups, from traditional political parties rooted in ethnic and regional rivalries to sectarian extremists and Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda.
The murder of Bhutto, the leader of Pakistan’s most powerful political dynasty and an eloquent voice for secular democracy, has changed the rules of the game for all who hope to shape the future of the Islamic republic.
“Instability appears to be building into the post-election situation in Pakistan,” political analyst Shafqat Mahmood told AFP.
“This includes the political status quo in Islamabad, the aftermath of Bhutto’s assassination and the political future of President Pervez Musharraf.”
Analysts said the new playing field could encourage political rivals to play the ethnic card in an attempt to capitalise on division between Pakistan’s Punjabis, Sindhis and Pashtuns.
The country’s main ethnic groups are also at odds with the Mohajirs, the Muslim refugees from India after partition, whose most famous exemplar today is Musharraf.
“The assassination has prompted a major sympathy wave for her party and the anti-Musharraf party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif which, if sustained until polling day, could create problems for the pro-Musharraf party,” analyst Hasan Askari said.
He said Musharraf loyalists would try to counter support for Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Punjab.
“The PML-Q (which backs Musharraf) plans to aggressively pursue the election campaign and play up the regional ethnic dimension to neutralise the PPP’s support in the Punjab,” he said.
“This could adversely affect inter-provincial relations and cause conflict with the opposition.”
Deadly rioting in the immediate aftermath of Bhutto’s murder has subsided, but Mahmood said PPP activists could respond violently to any hint of pre-election intimidation from the authorities.
Rumours persist that the government is preparing to round up hundreds of PPP members ahead of the election on charges such as looting and public disorder related to the unrest.
Comments from Musharraf that Bhutto asked for trouble by standing up through the roof of her car, providing a target for her assassins, may fuel anger among her following.
“For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone. Nobody else. Responsibility is hers,” he told CBS television in an interview to be broadcast Sunday.
Many in the PPP blame Musharraf for, at best, failing to protect Bhutto after her return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in October. Some believe the powerful secret intelligence agencies were involved.
Meanwhile fighting between Pakistani forces and Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban continues in the northern region of Swat, where seven members of a family were killed by artillery fire during fighting Saturday.
Analysts also fear that the approaching holy month of Moharram, from around January 10 to February 8, will see a spike in sectarian violence between minority Shiites and majority Sunnis.
Its status as the holiest month besides the fasting period of Ramadan, particularly for Shiites, has made it a time of sectarian bloodletting through the ages.
Pakistan has been wracked by sectarian violence in recent years, with thousands of people dying since major Sunni-Shiite clashes first erupted in the 1980s.
“A small incident can unleash violence on a big scale,” Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, head of religious body the Pakistan Ulema Council, said last week.
Mahmood said the president, who led a military coup in 1999 and resigned as army chief only late last year, could provoke further unrest by trying to cling to power after the February 18 polls.
“So far he has shown that he does not want to take any chances as far his power is concerned,” he said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jmV2uaI5avlV6kZQegS5FMcTgNvw

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Mush is pathetic... These foreign analysts hit it right on the nose... I decrepid dictator, supported only by a party of his ethnic goons and lotaz.

This dictator has no chance of survival unless he does some massive rigging..

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Yes here is a quick recipe for turning Pakistan into Islamic Imarat of Afghanistan. Initiate a civil war in the name of democracy. Burn and loot your own banks, railway stations, and then we all will be just fine. At least we'll have our Amir Zardari to take care of us.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

That's right.

Once again armchair politician cannot grasp the realities of Pakistan, but continue with hate and recipe for anarachy.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Just in case you missed it the biggest growth industry under Musharraf has been the increase in terrorism and how shamelessly he has used it to further his hold on kursi.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Well here is a recipe not to turn Pak into Afghanistan... Hold free and fair elections, allow for an independant supreme court, allow media freedom, and provice security to the people by sending the army back to the barracks so they can do the job they were meant to..

And FYI, Zardari or anyone else, cant mke the situation much worse then it already is...
Let the people decide... People create civil war. If you give them a voise through free and fair elections, then they wont need to resort to violence.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Your a Zardari supporter anyway so why do you care?!?!

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Hey Bro!

You ain't seen notin' yet!

People have already decided! Can't you see bro?

With all the appeals of halla gullah, hartal baazi, lier-lawyer-pants-on-fire-storm, CJ-baazi, that people have stayed out of this whole tamasha?

That simply shows that civil warriors are nothing but tea-cup storms with zero public support. Sure anyone can bring about African or Arab style goons and loot the petrol pumps, but people don't want it.

Time and again Pakistani people have rejected the politics of tribal clashes, and that's why no pahiyya jaam appeal have been successful.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

Sorry man, I dont buy it..

Pakistan is on the verge of collapse, we need a political stability and democracy can provide it...
Your narrow minded on this issue..

People will decide when they are allowed to vote..
This is the same SILENT majorty that Musharaf touted as his supporters... Now they are silently opposed...
I have proof, read all the analysis and all the data... Can you provide me with a source that says otherwise, that Mush is still popular? I doubt it.
People came out in the thousands when CJ came to their towns...
When he was reinstated, his court room was FILLED with people coming to him for justice... This is documented, it was all in the news..
Mush cant even walk across the street unaccompanied for fear of being lynched.

So no, you dont know what your talking about, your just ranting... Wake up and read the news, blind support for dictators is not popular with anyone anymore.

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Re: After Bhutto, danger looms for crisis-hit Pakistan: analysts

but what are other parties offering? lets get beyond this ..okay musharraf needs to go. fine go.

what are other parties offering, BB khatoon wanted to allow US to attack FATA openly and was going to hand AQ Khan over.

how was her approach significantly different from what is not except she was going to bend over a little bit more.

as far as Nawaz goes I simply dont know what his plans are.

if the root cause of unrest are how the militancy and FATA issue has been handled then I would really like to see how others are proposing that it be dealt with. I mean I know PPP stance unless they have changed their tune since BB passed away.

if the issue is people being picked up, and secretly held, again I dont know nawaz plans but BB govt was dismissed back in teh day because they had pulled teh same stunt so I dont know if really they would have done things differently.

In terms of ppl's unrest due to conflict with judiciary, well there I do know Nawaz's record as the armed assualt on Supreme court is well known.

so gentlemen, please explain to me, how would other parties handle it, and please please none of the usual 'oh your dictator this' or "you mush/mqm supportert" type of middle schoolish yipyap.

The basic scenarior is musharraf is put of the picture.

now what, how will the parties handle things that would resolve the different issues that we see. lets have an intelligent discussion rather than the same back and forth taunts that have become a trademark of all threads :)