Who would have thought 2 weeks ago that BB will returning to Pakistan, and all the charges would be dropped against her?
Many people knew there was a deal being made between the govt. and PPP, but who would have thought BB would get away with so much?
Correct me if I am wrong, but, it appears she has come out of all this smelling of roses?
Re: What next for Pakistan?
who gives a **** in Pakistan anymore who ever comes ,country is going down the hill anyway.I bet you not long from now there wont be a Pakistan left after these Generals and politicans loot her to death.
so dear sunny dont worry about her too much
Re: What next for Pakistan?
Undoubtedly one of Musharrafs greatest achievement in his 7ish years in office is the resurrection of the political career of BB and the PPP. Back in early 1997, even the most die hard PPPliya could not defend their leader, and many of them had written her off in totality.
To be fair Musharraf has been consistent throughout his time in office, he has always stuck to a politics of deals at any opportunity.
In the beginning he needed a constituency so he struck a deal with the chattering middle classes and ngo’s. Once that ran out he struck a deal with George Bush, followed by deals in quick succession with the MQM, MMA and now is trying to strike one with the PPP.
Besides being a consistent wheeler dealer; he has two more traits which has been consistent with..the first is he has left every political partner disappointed in the gap between his promises and actual actions and the second is: he will often break any deal in any form depending on his position of strength (oath not to indulge in politics, promise to give up the uniform and so on). This has worked quite well but it has exhausted his credibility from which he enjoyed something BB and NS have not..simply put he was not considered two faced nor was he genuianely hated by the people..that has rapidly changed.
Benazir on campaign to improve standing: NYT
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Benazir Bhutto, reports the New York Times from New Delhi and Kabul, has “embarked on an international campaign to revive her political standing” as the Musharraf regime struggles to deal with its difficulties.
A dispatch from correspondents Somini Sengupta and Carlotta Gall headlined ‘As Musharraf’s Woes Grow, Enter an Old Rival, Again,’ notes that in recent weeks, the PPP leader has stepped up her criticism of the who operate in the remote regions of the country, in an attempt to marginalise Islamist political parties from an opposition party alliance that has emerged in anticipation of this year’s elections. “Seeking to assure Washington that she would be a staunch ally, she has suggested that as an elected leader, she would be more credible in selling anti-terrorism efforts to the public than General Musharraf, who has been criticised by Washington for a mixed record in combating the Taliban and within Pakistan’s borders. She has even brought her campaign here, to the capital of her nation’s archrival: India,” the dispatch notes.
Ms Bhutto is quoted as having said in late March at a dinner in New Delhi, “I don’t think our present regime has been able to dissociate my country’s name with terrorism, and I believe a popular democratic government can.” She is also said to have hired a lobbying firm in Washington to help sell that same message. In March, she wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post directed at the Washington establishment. In February, she spoke to the conservative American Enterprise Institute. The report says, “Ms Bhutto has lived in self-imposed exile as a result of a long litany of corruption charges that still hound her. Today she divides her time between London and Dubai, and appears ever more intent on preparing the ground for a return to Pakistan, though many obstacles remain.”
According to the NYT correspondent, “For now at least, it seems unlikely that the Bush administration will heed Ms Bhutto’s argument. The White House remains committed to General Musharraf, even through the latest protests against his administration — protests that began ostensibly against his suspension of the chief justice, but have since come to represent growing frustration against military rule.” She quotes “analysts” in Washington and Islamabad as pointing out that the White House remains “sceptical “of Ms Bhutto’s capacity, questioning her authority over Pakistan’s military and intelligence services and troubled by charges that she and her husband illegally gained millions of dollars in deals with people who did business with the government when she was in power. The report notes that Bhutto successfully fought two money-laundering cases in Pakistan, though she continues to face charges in a separate case in a court in Switzerland.
The NYT report quotes Craig Cohen of a major US think tank as saying, “I’m not sure if there’s any amount of charm or orchestration on Benazir’s part that will change this. Something major would have to happen in Pakistan for the Bush administration to give up on Musharraf.”
He adds that there is little reason to believe that having Benazir Bhutto at the helm would fundamentally alter the hold of the military and the intelligence services. “Even after free elections, the military will still call the shots on national security issues,” he points out. “Firing the manager only gets you so far.” It is also uncertain, the report observes, how the Democrats in Washington will respond to General Musharraf in the coming months.
However, one hint of that came last month when four members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including its chairman, Jr, wrote to the Pakistani military leader, warning that without the return of the two key opposition leaders, Benazir Bhutto and , “it will be difficult for the international community to regard the 2007 elections as a true expression of democracy.”
The report notes that on occasion, General Musharraf has said that Benazir Bhutto could return, if she were willing to face corruption charges. “In a step that added to speculation that a deal on her return might be in the works, the government said on Wednesday that it was abolishing the federal division that had been investigating the foreign assets and offshore bank accounts of some politicians, including her. The report quotes the president as saying in a TV interview in February, “There are no back-channel talks. The parties, which are here, will take part in the elections. But those who are abroad would remain there. This is the reality, and there is no deal, no change.”
The NYT report points out that Ms Bhutto’s latest approach has been “as notable for what she has chosen to say as for what she has left unsaid”. Her criticism of General Musharraf in recent weeks has been “appreciably mild”. “Her hunger to return to political life could not have been more obvious at a dinner here last month. She wooed that audience with paeans to democracy and promises of peace. Let there be a summit meeting, she proposed, of Indian and Pakistani leaders on August 15, the anniversary of their bloody births, for an accord that brings ‘permanent stability and prosperity. I believe Indo-Pakistan relations can be creatively reinvented’.” The report notes that at the New Delhi dinner referred to earlier, Benazir Bhutto was introduced as a woman born into a family of martyrs, “now all set for a democratic homecoming”.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
Good to see a secular party making its return, even if BB is at the helm... Perhaps a restrained BB with the Army at her door will be more succesful.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
^^^ again BB or NS. freaking lunatics, both parties cant find a leader instead of going back to these bunch. all loosers
Re: What next for Pakistan?
yeah zakk, blame musharraf, give a free pass to the political parties that never had the balls to find a different leader or the people who would continue to support these parties even if they are full of lotas and would keep proven corrupt folks as its leaders.
As I said..the nation deserves these leaders because the nation has never done anything to give these folks an indication that they will not support such crap. fine go supprt your PML(N) your PPP with benazir at its hem, or MMA because islam khatray mein haye.
all I say is, I dont give a damn who runs the country as long as they can show positive results.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
Mushi and the establishment are using another dirty trick up their evil sleeves to cling to power and demonstrate their relevance to masters in Washington now that US is courting Benazir and has thrashed Pakistan for not cooperating in war against terror.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
^^^ again BB or NS. freaking lunatics, both parties cant find a leader instead of going back to these bunch. all loosers
How much worse can BB do? Can she honestly screw the country over anymore? I mean Pak has been through the fires of hell, how much more damage can she do?
Re: What next for Pakistan?
How much worse can BB do? Can she honestly screw the country over anymore? I mean Pak has been through the fires of hell, how much more damage can she do?
are you daring her to do wrose? I think she is up to teh task..
Re: What next for Pakistan?
US is courting Benazir and has thrashed Pakistan for not cooperating in war against terror.
yeah maybe US knows BBs track record and know that she will go in tribal areas the same way like she did in Karachi twice...
Re: What next for Pakistan?
No, they will make BB overrun ISI headquarter in Rawalpindi...Now they know who are the real culprits...They know mullahs, Taleban, etc. are just sand-bags...Behind them are the Khakis and ISI wallas calling shots at Americans and NATO.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
One thing more man! How Americans have threatened to stop aid money to Pakistan until it sincerely cooperates...That is why Mushi and military establishment are staging another "topi-drama" i.e. the shariat court in Islamabad to scare Washington that if pressured more, fundos may take over in Pakistan and then American interests would be at stake.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
No, they will make BB overrun ISI headquarter in Rawalpindi....
for that they need somone else. BB does not have the balls or the brains to do that, she will sell out again and again just to fill her pockets, she may do some stuff to make em happy while she fills her pockets and then its back to dubai again..
Re: What next for Pakistan?
One thing more man! How Americans have threatened to stop aid money to Pakistan until it sincerely cooperates...That is why Mushi and military establishment are staging another "topi-drama" i.e. the shariat court in Islamabad to scare Washington that if pressured more, fundos may take over in Pakistan and the American interests would be at stake in Pakistan.
just like bush's OBL topi drama you mean?
Re: What next for Pakistan?
I am not saying they will empower Benizer...They are just blackmailing the khakis and Mushi, applying pressure so to force them to do the job...and Mushi and his power-base have resorted to counter black-mailing...
But why are you becoming emotional man? Are you a retired sobedar major Saib (just joking).
Re: What next for Pakistan?
just like bush's OBL topi drama you mean?
You know Mullahs are the allies and strategic asset of khakis.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
Who would have thought 2 weeks ago that BB will returning to Pakistan, and all the charges would be dropped against her?
Sad, once again for the people........
This has permanently confirmed my opinion that in Pakistan, ONLY military can make or break a Prime Minister....
I feel sorry for Nawaz Sharif-- a person who was having genuine intentions to improve relations with India.
Why can't Pakistani people take on street like Nepal and show that it's people who will decide their fate -- not the military and America.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
I personally think that a broad political change is in offing...Khakis would off the screen...and in next elections, Federal govt would be with Benizir...and in province there would be MQM, ANP, etc.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
You know Mullahs are the allies and strategic asset of khakis.
ever since US proxy war against the soviets where CIA worked with ISI and afghan mujahideen leaders to get mullahs to send expendable free-fund mercenaries from madrissas funded by Saudis and then armed by US?
yeah..probably.
Re: What next for Pakistan?
Sad, once again for the people........
This has permanently confirmed my opinion that in Pakistan, ONLY military can make or break a Prime Minister....
I feel sorry for Nawaz Sharif-- a person who was having genuine intentions to improve relations with India.
Why can't Pakistani people take on street like Nepal and show that it's people who will decide their fate -- not the military and America.
Nawaz may have been good for India-Pak relations, but surely was not good for pakistanis especially in his second term..
why pakistanis wont take to the streets...hey didnt they just do that during th CJ issue. :) unless you also see that that was top drama putli tamasha by opposition parties.
People do need to speak up more, but we need more people to speak up for true change than the people who are polarized and woud vote for some candidate because of ethnicity or religion