The Memo Politics and Zardari's Answer

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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I personally think that the elections are not far away, opposition parties and establishment should let PPP’s government complete its term and not give it a chance to become a ‘political martyr’ again. They have shown their true colours in the past four years let them do what ever they want for the next year, and let them go into the next elections with their political baggage. It would be a good precedence that the government will complete its term and the next government will have open ground to try to have its agenda implemented. I don’t think anyone would like to go back into the politics of confrontation which we saw in the 1990’s.http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/17/memo-scandal-ppp-resolves-to-take-fight-to-opponents.html

Memo scandal: PPP resolves to take fight to opponents

**ISLAMABAD: Senior PPP leaders put their heads together on Friday to ponder over the fast-developing memo controversy and decided to take a firm stand against their detractors.

**In the absence of President Asif Ali Zardari, who had been running the party affairs single-handedly since the death of his wife, the meeting of the PPP’s parliamentary committee was jointly chaired by the party’s co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and vice-president Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

**Besides taking up the routine agenda, the party leadership tried to use the forum to boost the sagging morale of party lawmakers in the backdrop of the memo scandal, a couple of participants told Dawn.
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**They said that both Mr Gilani and Mr Bilawal Bhutto in their speeches repeatedly referred to sacrifices rendered by the party leadership for democracy in the country.
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**In a brief but emotional speech, Bilawal Bhutto said: “At a very young age, I lost my mother, but due to your unflinching support to the party cause we made it in the end, and if we remain together this crisis of ‘memogate’ will also go away with the passage of time.”
**
Apparently criticising PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif for demanding treason charges against the people involved in the memo controversy, Bilawal Bhutto asked why the term treason was not used for those responsible for the Kargil episode in 1999 and for those who got his grandfather and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hanged.

**He added that whenever there was a PPP government in the country some forces started hatching conspiracies to bring it down.
**
The participants asked the party leaders to take a firm stand against all those who they thought were involved in the conspiracy from within the country.

**They were referring to the speech made by the prime minister in the Senate the other day in which he had claimed that he knew somebody in the parliament who was still in touch with Mansoor Ijaz, the main character in the controversy.

****Some participants were not happy with the government’s response which they said was somewhat apologetic. If Mr Haqqani could resign, why not others, including ISI DG Gen Shuja Pasha, another participant asked.

****Some participants were also critical of the government’s so-called reconciliation policy towards the establishment and called for revival of the party’s old anti-establishment role.

****On several occasions, Mr Gilani had on record said that this was the first PPP government which enjoyed the support of the establishment.
**
Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor, Mumtaz Ali Gilani, Nadeem Afzal Chan and Fouzia Wahab particularly took a tough stand against the establishment.

**Some lawmakers also criticised the government for its knee-jerk reaction to the controversy, asking Husain Haqqani to resign at a time when the prime minister had said the episode was a total fraud.
**
**By asking Mr Haqqani to resign, the government had strengthened the perception that the former ambassador was involved in the plot, said a lawmaker during the meeting. They also spoke against the judicial activism that seemed to target only the PPP.
**
The party leadership called upon lawmakers to increase their interaction with their constituents, as they had only left little over one year to go into next general elections.PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira told Dawn it was a business as usual parliamentary committee meeting of the party in which the party leaders discussed prevailing political situation in the country. About the memo case, Mr Kaira said the government was in favour of a high-level investigation which it had already handed over to the national security committee of parliament.

He said the meeting was informed by the prime minister that it was an international conspiracy against the PPP government which they had to face standing together.In reply to a question, he said to the dismay of many in the country, the party would never opt for a clash with state institutions.

About some TV channel reports that the party had decided to call early elections after March next year, Mr Kaira rejected such reports, saying the party leadership had asked lawmakers to preparations for the next general elections, not snap elections.

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I hope justice is done for once, and if PPP is not the culprit they should be left alone to complete their term. Otherwise we will have a revitalized peoples party again playing with the emotions of people using the victim card as they have been doing during the past 40 years. Let them be exposed for once.

No hope of justice in memo case: Chandio

Federal Law Minister Maula Bukhsh Chandio said he knows justice will not be done in memo case.

Talking to Dunya News outside Parliament House, Maula Bukhsh Chandio said that president Zardari was being criticized only on baseless charges leveled by an American citizen.

**He said Article 6 will not be applied against President Zardari as it was even not implemented against the dictators.
**
Chandio said that the federal ministers were appearing in the lower courts to get bails while the Supreme Court was taking notice on the prices of food items despite which was not in its jurisdiction.

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If PPP is not culprit then who is?

1) Did HH wrote the memo on his own? why would he do that, since there was no benefits for him in it but risk was always there
2) If HH didn't wrote it? then why he was forced to resign? and that is after the meeting with with PM, President, COA and ISI Cheif?

There must be something in it? if the memo is fake, then it should have been PPP who would have taken the lead but since the issue is in SC, why are they crying foul, why they don't there and if they have nothing to hide, today, Govt says memo was fake but Army says it was real... and president has ran away to Dubai...

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http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NTU1NjE=Gen Kayani phones President Zardari Last Updated On **17 December,2011 About 1 hour ago

COAS Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and President Zardari had a telephonic contact today.

Sources said the COAS inquired about the health of the ailing President.

Earlier, the COAS had a meeting with PM Gilani against the backdrop of controversies surrounding many issues confronting the government.

On the other hand, PM Gilani said that the government would continue its efforts for the continuation of the democratic system in the country.

**

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Pakistan is saved.. yahoooo ... ..what the.. !

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On the one hand we have civilians (hussain haqqani and zardari), for one second lets assume that they authored the memo gate. They are being tried in court for that scandal, worst scenario would be that they will be removed from power due to treason.

what about the individuals who gave the air/land bases to Americans? Who allowed drones to fly from Pakistan, and kill Pakistanis at will? Those individuals are free whereas the memo gate people are in trouble?

Which was a greater security threat, writing a letter to the americans or physically handing over the country to them?

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This is a hypocrisy in Pakistan. The media never focuses on this otherwise they get a danda from the Fauj. Look at this forum how people criticse Zardari and the PPP yet ignore the misdeeds of the Fauj. They are both as bad as one another yet most Pakistani want to hate Zardari. It seems as if our Fauj is a holy cow who we cannot criticise because it is unpatriotic.

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The prime minister seems very happy after his meeting with coas and the subsequent contact between the coas and the president.

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This is indirectly related to the memo issue. Haqqani (being a civilian) should be punished for his wrong doings if proven. The last paragraphs seem reasonable, but the exact message given in the book seems to be Mullah Military Alliance and its implications for US. If proven guilty he should be punished, but the time has come for the military to be held responsible for their wrong doings too.http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/2011/12/18/us-think-tank-paid-100000-to-haqqani-to-write-book-against-army/
US Think Tank Paid $100,000 to Haqqani to Write Book Against ArmyISLAMABAD:** Smith Richardson Foundation, an American think tank, claims that it paid $100,000 to Husain Haqqani to write a book, which attacks the Pakistan army and the military-mosque alliance and its implications for US policies.
**
**Haqqani came up with a book within two years and the controversial memo reflects many of the thoughts stated in his book.
**
The think tank also claims that it funded another $175000 to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for developing a new US policy toward Pakistan in 2004 and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hired Husain Haqqani for the purpose.

Smith Richardson Foundation is an American think tank whose mission is ‘to contribute to important public debates and to help address serious public policy challenges facing the United States.

The Foundation seeks to help ensure the vitality of our social, economic, and governmental institutions. It also seeks to assist with the development of effective policies to compete internationally and to advance US interests and values abroad. This mission is embodied in our international and domestic grant programs.’

**The website of Smith Richardson Foundation shows under the link: http://www.srf.org/grants/grantsdb.php? username=&lg=1 that in 2003 a sum of $100,000 was given as grant to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace regarding ‘Mosque-Military Alliance in Pakistan and Implications for US Policy’.
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**The website describes the usage of grant as, “Husain Haqqani will research and write a book on the relationship between Pakistan’s military and the country’s radical Islamic forces and assess the implications of that relationship for US security.”
**
Interestingly Haqqani came up with a book in 2005 titled ‘Pakistan between Mosque and Military’ and he wrote in the concluding paragraphs of his book: “Washington must not ignore Pakistan’s state sponsorship of Islamist militants, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and missiles at the expense of education and healthcare, and its refusal to democratize; each of these issues is directly linked to the future of Islamist radicalism.”

Smith Richardson Foundation’s website further says that it granted $175,000 in 2004 to Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Developing and explained that ‘Husain Haqqani will lead an effort to develop new ideas for US policy toward Pakistan.

He will organize working groups of US and Pakistani experts and commission papers.** He will write a blueprint for a US policy to encourage Pakistan to adopt a more moderate and democratic political system. The project’s findings will appear in a series of monographs and a policy report.’
**
**It is worth mentioning here that Haqqani in the concluding paragraphs of his book has also written “The United States clearly has few good short term policy options in relation to Pakistan.
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**American policy makers should endeavor to recognize the failings of their past policies and avoid repeating their mistakes. The United States has sought short-term gains from its relationship with Pakistan, inadvertently accentuating that country’s problems in the process.
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**Pakistan’s civil and military elite, on the other hand, must understand how their three-part paradigm for state and nation building has led Pakistan from one disaster to the next. Pakistan was created in a hurry and without giving detailed thought to various aspects of nation and state building. Perhaps it is time to rectify that mistake by taking a long-term view. Both Pakistan’s elite and their US benefactors would have to participate in transforming Pakistan into a functional, rather than ideological, state.” **Haqqani was tried to be contacted and an SMS was also sent on his number but no reply was given till filing of this report. A message was also sent on his verified twitter account but that was also not replied.

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Anything can be expected from our army (Saleem Shahzad, Dr Baqar and many more), but this statement will push the army to the corner. I must add the way Asma Jehangir and Hussain Haqqani have behaved in this case the army and the court are coming more under pressure. Hats off to Haqqani!!!](http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NTg1Mzk=)http://dunyanews.tv/index.php?key=Q2F0SUQ9MiNOaWQ9NTg1Mzk=

Hussain Haqqani fears life threat

 Last Updated On **04 January,2012 About 29 minutes ago

‘If I leave my house, I fear I will be killed’, Haqqani says in an interview to British paper.

****Husain Haqqani, former ambassador to Washington, fears he will be murdered if he leaves his sanctuary in the official residence of the country s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph, he said he has been branded a traitor and a Washington lackey by powerful quarters , and that he now fears he will be murdered like his friend, the late governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who was shot dead by one of his own security guards last year after being branded a blasphemer.

**Mr Haqqani was forced to resign last year after a Pakistani-American businessman claimed he had asked him to pass on a memo to the American government calling for their help to oust Islamabad s military leadership.

The businessman, Mansoor Ijaz, said the memo contained an offer, backed by President Asif Zardari, that if Washington helped to oust the current military leadership, a new national security team would disband the Army unit which collaborates with the Taliban and other anti-Western militant groups.

He was recalled from Washington and now faces a Supreme Court commission inquiry amid accusations that he betrayed his country by colluding with the United States to compromise its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Both President Zardari and Mr Haqqani have denied any involvement in the memogate controversy and Mr Haqqani has vowed to challenge the allegations in evidence to the commission.

He told The Daily Telegraph the allegations against him are false and part of a “psychological war” against the government of President Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani by “certain powerful quarters.”

On Tuesday Mr Haqqani said both the president and prime minister were standing behind him and were determined to stay and challenge the allegations. He was speaking after his lawyer, Pakistan s top human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, revealed he had taken refuge in the prime minister s residence.

**He told The Daily Telegraph he had only left the prime minister s residence on three occasions, each under heavy security escort.

"I m a guest of the prime minister with whom I have had a long-standing political association. There are clear security concerns given the hysteria generated against me. Staying at the prime minister s house is the safest option”, Haqqani said.**

“If required I will appear before the inquiry commission with the necessary security. It is not what I would like to do. I d like to be able to go to a restaurant or visit my family,” he added.

Friends of Mr Haqqani said he has been alarmed by repeated suggestions that “his noose is tied” or that he may turn “approver” and give evidence implicating President Zardari in the affair in exchange for immunity.

**They said none of the evidence against him, mainly BlackBerry message exchanges with Mansoor Ijaz, prove authorship or knowledge of the alleged memo to oust Pakistan s military leadership.
**

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^^ as per some news published in newspaper yesterday!!! Haqqani is in the Guest House of Prime Minister house, where he cannot leave at his will....

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^ he’s turned the table today with his statement! here’s the news from telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8989675/Husain-Haqqani-interview-If-I-leave-my-house-I-fear-I-will-be-killed.html
Husain Haqqani interview: ‘If I leave my house, I fear I will be killed’

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s embattled former ambassador to Washington, fears he will be murdered if he leaves his sanctuary in the official residence of the country’s prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

**In an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, he said he has been branded a ‘traitor’ and a ‘Washington lackey’ by ‘powerful quarters’ – a reference to the country’s powerful ISI intelligence agency – and that he now fears he will be murdered like his friend, the late governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, who was shot dead by one of his own security guards last year after being branded a ‘blasphemer.’
**
Mr Haqqani was forced to resign last year after a Pakistani-American businessman claimed he had asked him to pass on a memo to the American government calling for their help to oust Islamabad’s military leadership.

The businessman, Mansoor Ijaz, said the memo contained an offer, backed by President Asif Zardari, that if Washington helped to oust the current military leadership, a new ‘national security’ team would disband the Army unit which collaborates with the Taliban and other anti-Western militant groups.

He was recalled from Washington and now faces a Supreme Court commission inquiry amid accusations that he betrayed his country by colluding with the United States to compromise its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Both President Zardari and Mr Haqqani have denied any involvement in the ‘memogate’ controversy and Mr Haqqani has vowed to challenge the allegations in evidence to the commission.

He told *The Daily Telegraph *the allegations against him are false and part of a “psychological war” against the government of President Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani by “certain powerful quarters.”

Analysts said the row is part of a feud between the country’s elected political leadership and a military establishment determined to pursue the matter, regardless of how deep it plunges the country into further crisis. Western diplomats fear it could eventually bring down President Zardari’s elected government.

On Tuesday Mr Haqqani said both the president and prime minister were standing behind him and were determined to stay and challenge the allegations. He was speaking after his lawyer, Pakistan’s top human rights lawyer Asma Jahangir, revealed he had taken refuge in the prime minister’s residence for fear that the ISI intelligence agency would force him to make a false statement on the affair.

He told *The Daily Telegraph *he had only left the prime minister’s residence on three occasions, each under heavy security escort.

"I’m a guest of the prime minister with whom I have had a long-standing political association. There are clear security concerns given the hysteria generated against me. Staying at the prime minister’s house is the safest option.

**“My good friend Salman Taseer was killed by a security guard because he heard in the media that the governor had blasphemed. I’m being called a traitor and an American lackey in the media with the clear encouragement of certain powerful quarters even though I’ve not been charged legally with anything,” he said.
**
He had left the prime minister’s home to go to "the Supreme Court once to meet my lawyer with very heavy security, and one day to the dentist, when I had a toothache, and to the Abbottabad Commission (into the American raid which killed Osama bin Laden), with massive security.

“If required I will appear before the inquiry commission with the necessary security. It is not what I would like to do. I’d like to be able to go to a restaurant or visit my family,” he added.

**Friends of Mr Haqqani said he has been alarmed by repeated suggestions that “his noose is tied” or that he may turn “approver” and give evidence implicating President Zardari in the affair in exchange for immunity.
**
They said none of the evidence against him – mainly BlackBerry message exchanges with Mansoor Ijaz – prove authorship or knowledge of the alleged memo to oust Pakistan’s military leadership.

“The president and prime minister are firmly standing behind me and the government is not going anywhere. This is psychological warfare against the government,” he said.

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^^ why are you posting same thing twice? and this thing related to his life being under threat, that was also there in same paper...

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dunya news and then the original article from telegraph.

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According to Asma Shirazi, people’s party has decided to go for elections in 2012.asmashirazi Asma Shirazi SamaaTV

2012 Intikhabaat ka Saal…Peoples Party nain Faisla Ker Lia…KIA Awam Tayyar Hain…???..

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Is history repeating itself? Sharif’s the pioneers of memogate have put a petition in Pakistani courts against the recent memogate. What about the memogate they initiated themselves in 1999?

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=83792&Cat=2[FONT=Georgia, ‘Times New Roman’, Times, serif]Bruce Riedel recalls Shahbaz’s request to US against coup

Friday, December 23, 201

WASHINGTON: A political crisis in Pakistan may threaten not only the future of President Asif Ali Zardari but also keep pressure on an already tense relationship with the United States as it seeks to stabilize neighboring Afghanistan.

A scandal over a murky memo that warned the Pentagon of a possible military coup in Pakistan has highlighted historic tensions between the weak civilian government in Islamabad and the powerful military, whose help Washington needs to battle militants fueling violence in Afghanistan.

“The memo-gate issue is likely to have negative repercussions on the US-Pakistan relationship,” said Lisa Curtis, a former CIA analyst and State Department official now with the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.

“Many in Washington policy circles believe that forces that wish to undermine democracy in Pakistan are behind the affair.” The controversy comes at a particularly tense time as US investigators unveiled a probe into an incident in late November in which Nato aircraft killed Pakistani soldiers.

The Obama administration’s response to “memo-gate” has been muted, perhaps in part reflecting resignation among U.S. officials to troubled ties with an uneasy ally for now. The two countries faced a series of crises in 2011: the arrest of a CIA contractor, the unilateral US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil and the closure of NATO supply routes through Pakistan.

The US State Department says the memo scandal is an “internal matter” for the Pakistani government. On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman George Little, speaking generally about the US-Pakistan relationship, said the United States was committed to pushing through difficult issues.

“It’s not going to be easy but with a lot of work we think we can do it,” he told reporters. There are also doubts in Washington about how much turbulence Pakistan’s fragile democracy can withstand and whether courts can conduct a fair trial in a charged climate.

“The fact that the Supreme Court has now been involved gives (the memo matter) extra importance and legitimacy,” said Shujaa Nawaz, a Pakistan scholar with the Atlantic Council. Pakistan’s top court is now moving ahead with the petition, filed by Nawaz Sharif, Zardari’s chief opponent, raising questions about the political motivations for the case.

**Bruce Riedel, a former CIA and White House official who chaired President Barack Obama’s 2009 review of U.S. policy on the region, said Sharif himself initiated a similar petition over a decade ago.

He recalled a 1999 meeting with Sharif’s brother Shahbaz, who he said traveled to Washington to warn of what civilian officials at the time feared was a brewing military coup. “It was an entire day spent at the Willard Hotel listening to Shahbaz talk about their fears that a military coup was coming and asking for American help to prevent it,” he said.

“That’s pretty much the charge (that) is being leveled against Ambassador Haqqani.” A coup did ultimately happen, in 1999, bringing General Pervez Musharraf to power until he resigned as president in August 2008. **](The News International: Latest News Breaking, World, Entertainment, Royal News)

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hmmmmmmmmmm

US Senators McCain, Lieberman, Kirk troubled by Haqqani’s treatment

By Huma Imtiaz

****WASHINGTON DC: **US Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Mark Kirk expressed reservations on the treatment of former Pakistani ambassador Husain Haqqani on Thursday.
**
In a joint press statement, the senators said that they were “increasingly troubled by Ambassador Haqqani’s treatment since he returned home to Pakistan, including the travel ban imposed on him. Like many in Washington, we are closely following Ambassador Haqqani’s case.”

According to the press release, the senators have urged Pakistani authorities to resolve the matter swiftly. The senators asked Pakistan to “prevent the judicial commission investigating Ambassador Haqqani from becoming a political tool for revenge against an honorable man.”

Haqqani had stepped down from his post as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US in December 2011, after Mansoor Ijaz implicated him in the “memogate” scandal. He is currently on the Exit Control List, and is facing proceedings in the courts of Pakistan.

**The senators added that the former Pakistani ambassador had served its country honourably in his role as a diplomat. “While we did not always agree with Ambassador Haqqani, and our exchange of views could be spirited at times, we always had the highest respect for him and knew he was serving his nation and government with patriotism and distinction. We regret that the Pakistani people have lost a tough-minded, eloquent, and principled advocate for their nation’s interests now that Ambassador Haqqani has departed Washington.”
**
**The press release further stated that the Pakistani people “can be proud of the service that Ambassador Haqqani has provided Pakistan, and we look forward to the day when he can once again serve the government and people of Pakistan as one of the nation’s finest leaders.”
**
**In a related development, sources confirmed that the former ambassador’s wife and Presidential spokesperson Farahnaz Ispahani was currently in Washington DC.
**
Earlier on Tuesday, Husain Haqqani expressed fear for his life in an exclusive interview with *The Daily Telegraph.
*
Haqqani said he fears that he will be murdered if he steps out of his residence as he has been branded a ‘traitor’ by ‘powerful quarters’ – a clear reference to the ISI. He has been residing at the prime minister’s house in Islamabad since his return to Pakistan on his resignation as the Ambassador.
He termed the issue as ‘psychological warfare’ against the government.

“I’m being called a traitor and an American lackey in the media with the clear encouragement of certain powerful quarters even though I’ve not been charged legally with anything.”

(Read: Threat to life: Haqqani fears he might be murdered)

Haqqani on Wednesday also challenged the constitution of the judicial commission probing the case.

He held a meeting with his legal team at the office of his former counsel Asma Jehangir wherein it was decided that a review petition will be filed in the Supreme Court over its decision to appoint a probe commission to look into the memo affair.

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Interesting read!

http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/01/16/what-do-they-want/

What Do They Want?

They wanted foreign policy. Zardari gave it to them. They wanted extensions. Zardari gave them extensions. They wanted Haqqani’s scalp. Zardari presented that in a platter. What more do the generals want?

This month’s circus has three major players – the PPP, the GHQ and the Supreme Court (SC). Whenever I don’t fully understand what the players are doing I fall back to my favourite ‘Game Theory’. This is what the theory says: the PPP, the GHQ and the SC are all ‘interested parties’ facing a ‘competitive situation’ whereby each and every one of them determines its own ‘optimal course of action’. Each and every one of the three entities acts to maximise its own individual gains by anticipating the responses to its actions by one or other players in the game.

What does the PPP want? Zardari is up against the judges as well as the generals. In that sense, the circus has a legal side and a political side. The PPP is a status quo player. The PPP is fighting for the right to continue doing what they have been doing for the past forty-six months. It is not clear whether the generals are serious in putting an end to what the PPP is – or has been – doing but the judges are clearly becoming an impediment.

There is some evidence now – that didn’t exist before – that the generals may back up what the judges finally decide to do. What can the PPP do? The PPP can begin implementing the NRO judgment. Or, dismiss the COAS. Or, wait and see if the SC can walk into unchartered waters of disqualifying an elected PM. What can the SC do? Act now meaning disqualification of the PM and/or the president. Or, delay by appointing a commission etc. To be sure, the SC’s support in the ‘court of public opinion’ is at or close to its peak and definitely higher than any other state institution (because of infighting between other institutions). In case of a ‘delay’ by the SC, some of that support is bound to evaporate into thin air.

What can the generals do? They can let the executive-judiciary confrontation play out. Or, they can directly intervene. There’s evidence that the generals are opting not to intervene – let the executive-judiciary confrontation play out – unless the PPP exercises its option of dismissal.

**The PPP will prefer a takeover by the generals as oppose to being dismissed by the SC (claiming “martyrdom” will be easier if the generals takeover). The generals will prefer a disqualification by the SC as oppose to a direct intervention.What do the generals want? To be certain, the Pak Army has a serious interest in Pakistan’s economy and that is for two reasons: First; if the size of the economic pie does not grow then the size of the defence budget cannot grow either. Second; an economic meltdown will damage – or whatever is left of it – the domestic social fabric and that in return will open up vulnerabilities on the external front. The generals know full well that the economy ensures internal security and economic growth is the prerequisite to jacking up the defence budget. **

And therein lies the answer to the riddle. Zardari is prepared to give whatever the generals demand but perhaps what they now demand is beyond Zardari to deliver – economic management.

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like we have been saying all along… :slight_smile:

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=88124&Cat=6PML-Q leader spills the beans after meeting
**Eighty percent members of the core committee of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have urged President Asif Ali Zardari to severely deal with any state institution that confronts the government, Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, a partner of the ruling coalition, said.

“There are elements in the PPP, which want the government to become a political martyr by locking in a fight, and this obsession is driving them to be in the combat mode,” he told The News.
**

Chaudhry Shujaat said that as a whole the PPP could work better in opposition than in government. “Different lobbies are working to ignite the tussle,” he added. The PML-Q chief said the issue of resignation of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani after the Supreme Court issued a show cause notice for contempt of court was not discussed by the government with its coalition allies.

He said that everything was recently settled but then came the dismissal of the defence secretary, which aggravated the situation. “Public statements including Gilani’s remarks that he was not answerable to any individual have spoiled the efforts for reconciliation.”

However, Chaudhry Shujaat said the question of imposition of martial law did not arise. “There is no such intention anywhere.” The PML-Q chief said the prime minister has not discussed taking prominent leaders of the allied parties to the Supreme Court when he would appear before it on January 19. “There is going to be no public meeting at the apex court. There will be no storming of the court as Nawaz Sharif had done in 1997 and destroyed everything.”

Chaudhry Shujaat said the prime minister was expecting the contempt show cause notice, which he would now face and would do whatever was possible under the Constitution and law. He said he did not recently meet Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on behalf of the government. He added that President Zardari and Gilani wanted an amicable solution of the present crisis.

The PML-Q president said no discussion among the coalition partners was held about the next prime minister if Gilani was disqualified. “A decision is yet to come in this connection. Let’s see what happens on January 19.” Chaudhry Shujaat said Zardari has immunity under the Constitution. His party, he said, would give its reaction if the apex court held that Zardari did not have immunity.

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Mansoor Ijaz did not turn up on 19th and up till now he has not applied for his visa. I dont think he will be coming to Pak, lagta hay ulloo bana gaya hay MI…

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/01/mansoor-ijaz-in-kinky-music-video/

Mansoor Ijaz in kinky music video?