Re: The Telegraph reports: Pervez Musharraf ‘will exit in days, not months’
He has been nominated by me for best shairy..do you want him to post at jokes forum as well?
Re: The Telegraph reports: Pervez Musharraf ‘will exit in days, not months’
But who would read a 100 page joke? 
Re: The Telegraph reports: Pervez Musharraf ‘will exit in days, not months’
‘Musharraf will go gently into the night’ - Senator Joseph Biden
** US senator says if president is treated with dignity, he will withdraw from exercise of power
*
*By Khalid Hasan
*WASHINGTON: “I think he will go gently into the night,” Senator Joseph Biden said of President Musharraf after returning from Pakistan, where along with two Senate colleagues, he monitored the February 18 national elections.
Biden, addressing a meeting at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York, said he has known the Pakistani leader for 12 years and met him the morning after the elections. He recalled the meeting, “He (Musharraf) walked in and it sort of took us all back a little bit. He said, well, the election – we lost. It’s clear that there’s a different path they’re choosing. It’s clear that the decisions related everything from the court – and he went through the whole list of things – are up to the next parliament. And he made it very straightforwardly clear that he’s prepared to retire to the responsibilities of the president, which you know are significantly less inclusive than the prime minister, under the constitution.”
Impeachment: Biden did not think the PPP will insist on the impeachment of the president as it lacks the votes, adding, “And my view is, if they treat him with a little bit of dignity, I think he is prepared to, in the near term, significantly withdraw from the exercise of power. And I would bet, just as a plain old politician talking to other politicians and seeing their body language, that two years from now or less he will not be there. Conversely, if they focus on old grudges - and there are plenty of them in Pakistan - then I think it’s going to be a very rocky road and I’m not sure what the military does and how they respond.”
Asked how big a mistake it was for the US to align itself so closely to President Musharraf, Biden replied, “I’ve been arguing for about six years or more that it was a mistake. But rather than focus on the degree to which it is a mistake, I think this is a significant prospect or a moment of transition here. I don’t know of many states that have gone from a de facto dictatorship to a real full-blown democracy in one fell swoop. I think this is a process. And I think the process – I think the outcome of the election - was as good as we could have hoped for. Is it likely to succeed? I think it’s likely. But is it possible it could implode? Yes.”
In answer to another question, Biden said the most frightening thing about a failed Afghanistan is Pakistan. There are a number of powers that have keen interests there including China and Russia. He said he did not know of another place in the world where as many major powers believe their interests to be as clearly focused than Afghanistan. He said the US needs “a whole new attitude “about the “the war on terror” and a redefinition of it and how that war is to be fought. Here’s what I think happens, and I’ll conclude: if in fact there is a failure – meaning that American and international forces leave - there’s a dysfunctional government allowing the Taliban back in, effective de facto control of the country, then I think what you do is you’ll embolden - embolden Al Qaeda and you will embolden the spinoff groups to look not West, but East - the biggest prize. The biggest prize is Pakistan. He said if Pakistan fails, “we’re talking about a nation where bin Laden lives, where there’s a lot of nuclear weapons, where there’s the capacity to move them.” He said the Taliban begin where a road ends, adding, the Taliban are “in de facto control of a much larger portion of country than they were four years ago.” He added that today you cannot even walk around Kabul and be safe.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\02\27\story_27-2-2008_pg1_6
Re: The Telegraph reports: Pervez Musharraf ‘will exit in days, not months’
I do not know why some people are making so much fuss? Even expecting President to resign is absurd. For instance, today PPP is in majority and suppose with their coalition partner they elect President in 2012 (next President election due), than after election if they lose election and PML(Q) come back in power, does that mean PML(Q) start expecting President elected by PPP to resign? Or start thinking to impeach President? It is funny even if PML(Q) would have two-third majority but to talk about that when parties do not have even 2-3 majority as what the position is today, is more funny and absurd.
As for those thinking that President does not have support amongst people, than that is funny, as parties that support President and elected President got substantial vote bank in Pakistan, and would not allow any unfair means to bring President down. I am sure that even military would not allow that and any such move could bring another martial law.
As for some people thinking to bring back corrupt lawyers on road than they should know that this time pro-President parties are not in government and they could also bring masses on road (especially MQM), shut down country’s economical activities completely, and could destabilize and bring down any government in Pakistan anytime. I am sure that no government in Islamabad would like to see politics of confrontation and destabilisation even though they themselves tried to do such politics throughout during past government. If JI could call for million march every Friday morning without managing more than few hundred, and Atizaz with the help of Nawaz goons could bring few thousand corrupt lawyers on road, I am sure that pro-Musharraaf parties if decide could really bring millions on road every day.
I am sure that politics of confrontation would be more welcoming for parties in opposition than one in government. So, if parties in government would decide to have politics of confrontation than I believe that they would be welcome to do that as they would do that at the risk of their own government.
Anyhow, here is percentage of votes and comparison of changes between 2002 and 2008.
Percentage of votes:
**2002 result: **http://www.binghamton.edu/cdp/era/elections/pak02par.html
PPP = 25.8
PML (Q) + PML(Z) +PML (J) + NA + PML(F) +PPP (Sh) +MQM = 35.8
MPLN = 9.4
TI = 0.8
MMA = 11.3
PAT = 0.7
[Total votes of 4 parties PMLN, TI, PAT and MMA were 22.2 percent. All above parties minus JUI(F) joined together in 2008 election and secured 21.9 percent votes]
ANP = ?
IND = 14.1
2008 resut: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Pakistan
PPP = 32.7 (Gained 6.9 percent since 2002 election)
PML [PML(Q) + NA +PML(Z)] + PML(F) + PPP (Sh) + MQM = 33.9 (Lost 1.9 percent since 2002 election)
PMLN +TI +PAT = 20.6
MMA = 1.3
(Together PMLN + TI + PAT + MMA lost 0.3 percent votes since 2002 election)
ANP =1.9
Ind = 9.0 (Lost 5.1 percent votes since 2002 election)
Overall: PML(Q) gained votes in Baluchistan and NWFP but lost votes in Punjab and Sindh (mostly NA votes), though MQM gained votes in Sindh. PPP gained votes all over Pakistan. PPP vote gain was mostly from NA that is now part of PML and Ind, plus JI, TI and PMLN (all these parties were supporting any party against pro-Musharraf parties). PMLN gained few percentage votes in urban areas of North Punjab at the expense of PML(Z) and PML(Q) plus they gained votes because of support from JI, PAT and TI. PML(N) lost votes in Sindh and Baluchistan even though they had support of JI, TI and PAT.
PML(N) could not secure a single seat in National Assembly or Provincial Assembly from Sindh, Baluchistan and areas of Pakhtun dominated areas of NWFP. One can confidently say that today PML(N) is regional party just like MQM, ANP, BNP, JWP and so on. Difference is that, since Punjab has plenty of NA seats, PML(N) also got number of NA seats. After this election, PML(N) came out as Punjab Municipal League (North) being party of North Punjab urban areas.
Today, Pakistan has only two National parties, that is PML(Q) and PPP, that has votes as well as representatives in National Assembly from all 4 provinces as well as members in Provincial Assemblies of all 4 provinces, whereas rest are regional parties.