Muttahida Q-ornered Movement

The present scenario has made everything black & white at least for 2 people, Altaf Hussain and Imran Khan. Who could have imagined that the 'Organized Chaos' may initiate the end of an era? An era in which the people of Karachi witnessed more bloodshed than any other people in Pakistan.

June 2nd is when Imran Khan will be landing in the country where he is, maybe, more acknowledged than in his homeland; United Kingdom. After all, the wall-chalking in Karachi linking Imran Khan and Sita White only further the notion that he is an international figure. If there is one person, who has gained more mileage than anyone in the post-May 12 scenario, then its Imran Khan. But, all this could not have happened without the role of the notorious Chowdhary Brothers Inc. They have once again played their game of politics in a manner which benefited them the most.

Initially, when the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry was removed from office the MQM raised their apprehensions. They stated that they were not even consulted before the decision was taken. Rightly so, being a part of the government they did expect a prior notice of the action which was to be taken. But the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. got a head start in the game of politics which was to be played with their rules and regulations. There are reports which claim that MQM proposed to hold a joint rally with the Chowdhary Brother Inc. on May 12 to reinforce themselves as a significant part of Punjab as well. After all, they had opened a few offices in Punjab ever since they came to power. In addition, their efforts in Kashmir during the aftermath of the earthquake can not be forgotten. This request was obviously denied by the ruling party. Meanwhile, MQM which was busy carrying out development projects in Karachi, for which they were gaining public support, got their final call. The purpose of the call was to tell them to do whatever they can to show their strength when the Chief Justice lands in Karachi. Therefore, without any hesitation the party involved itself in what they were most accustomed to; use of weapons. Therefore, the May 12th occurred with the full-backing of the state-machinery. However, one thing which was unique about the event was the freedom of media. When things went out of hand previously, all news channel were banned in Sindh from broadcasting Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry's processions. However, this time the media was allowed to function but at a higher price, of which Talat Hussain of Aaj TV can illustrate more profoundly. The fact of the matter is that even after all the hurdles the media was allowed to function. This is one of the few things for which I would like to give President Musharraf credit for.

No matter what happened the previous day, there had to be a May 13th. This was the day when the second most important trial started.
Name-Media Trial
Primary Accused- Altaf Hussain, MQM
Secondary Accused - Rest of Goverment
Allegations levelled by - Imran Khan, PTI
PPP minus two top leaders
Lawyers
ANP
MMA and rest of opposition
Neutral role/Mediator - Chowdhary Brothers Inc.

As you may have noticed, the rest of Government does not include the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. Once again, they played their cards to perfection. MQM realized that they were in mess once Aaj TV displayed their side of the story which was ,ofcourse, not so supportive of them. In addition, the opposition were given a free hand in raising their voices against the party which has never been able to become solid allies of the establishment. Realizing the mishap, they rushed to arrange press conferences and talk-shows on TV to control the irreparable damage. But, they were not aware that it was a bit too late. To make things worse, came the barring of PTI leader to enter Sindh. Imran Khan was clearly told by the officials in Punjab that he was not allowed to fly out of Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore, only to implement the orders 'taken by Sindh government.' That means that it was not the Punjab government which was against Imran Khan's visit but it was the 'Sindh government.' This cleared all the doubts in MQM's mind that they were indeed stranded by their 'allies.' To make things worse for some and better for many came the final axe, when Imran Khan decided to file a case against the Quaid-e-Tehrik in London.

Being Britain's blue-eyed boy since last two decades, Imran Khan seems to be on high note. Majority of the British media seems to support Imran Khan for two genuine reasons. First, because he is against Musharraf who has benefited Pakistan to a certain extent, and who I still believe needs to stay in power to keep a check and balance on the political system in Pakistan. Second, to support Imran Khan who has given a significant share of 'Tabloid' cover stories to the British public. But whatever the reasons, Imran Khan has done something which no other leader could have done in the past. I believe that he has played his cards well by collaborating with Naseerullah Babar, the mastermind of the Karachi cleanup operation in the 90's, and the MQM-Haqiqi group which is an anti MQM-Altaf faction. When Altaf Hussain was granted the British passport many people like me, were disappointed with the British government's actions. It was done to hurt Pakistan. Therefore, if the British media is supporting Imran Khan it is to hurt Musharraf who they believe can take Pakistan forward. In any case, if everything goes Imran Khan's way then I believe that this time PTI will be gaining around 8-10 seats in the parliament which is a significant achievement for a party which is without the backing of the influential feudals of Pakistan. The interesting aspect in this scenario is that while these activities develop, two parties remain in contact; Musharraf and Pakistan Peoples Party.

If things go according to expectations, President Musharraf will get himself re-elected for the next 5 years in parliament only to make his next move; discard the MQM and sideline the 'conservative' PML-Q to a certain extent. The talks which are being held with Mohtarma's aides seem to be gaining momentum as neither Mohtarma nor Makhdoom Amin Fahim has criticized Musharraf the way they have in the past. On the other hand, the Peoples Party has placed Chowdhary Aitzaz Ahsan at the spotlight to ensure that the Supreme Court hearing will go their way. Even Musharraf, would have an intuition by now that the 13 member full-court bench is serious about bringing a change in the judicial system of Pakistan. If that happens, then PPP will indeed emerge as an important player in the game; the point which has been emphasized by Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed in his press conference. There is no prize for anyone to guess the future of the ruling party in Karachi. Hopefully, Pakistan Peoples Party will ensure that my question does not remain unanswered.

May 12th: 'Organized Chaos'

As you all know by now, at least 30 people have been confirmed dead officially. More than hundred are injured. Unofficial sources claim that more than 57 people have died and around 200 people have been injured on this day of 'organized chaos.' Let us not forget the driver, who was shot because his crime was that he was carrying the injured to the hospital. First of all, I would like to offer my condolences to the victims as we are all related to each other in some way or the other. It is indeed a sad day in our history.

Now, I would like to state my views on this 'organized chaos' which was created today by the ruling party of Karachi. There is no doubt in my mind, that this violence was planned way in advance and was executed to near perfection. Firstly, there were three parties involved who were engaged in violence today. They were the PPI (Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad), ANP (Awami National Party), and MQM; without whom today was not possible. 11 workers of the MQM party also got killed in this pointless chaos, for whom I condole with their families and friends. It is indeed sad, that our leaders use the poor people of Pakistan to carry out unnecessary operations against their brothers who are also misguided by their leaders. In the year of 2007, this was not thinkable but it happened today as if it was an 'everyday affair.'

It is sad to see that all this chaos had the approval of the most powerful man in Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. We, as a nation, have always had hopes attached with this person. But today, he has not only failed us but showed us our worst nightmare; which happened a decade back. Again, the youth of Karachi were armed and told to kill anyone who they deemed against them. One night before the violence, 1000 plus containers were brought in to Shara-e-Faisal and everything was organized to make it impossible for Iftikhar Chowdhry to proceed. Then when one of the darkest morning arrived, it was bloodshed at the streets of Karachi. After the whole drama, the governor claims that it was the opposition. Not only this, they say that opposition people continuously attacked them first. Is it that the governor thinks that we are watching a soap opera? Or maybe, he thinks that we are just not sane enough to understand anything anymore? What benefit did the 'opposition' get by attacking Aaj TV? Why would the 'opposition' attack the institution which is clearly turning against the government over the last few weeks?

Now let me illustrate the real story. If someone was following the Aaj TV they would have seen that in the morning the channel showed some footages of ANP workers being injured and shot at. In the interview of the victims, they said that it was the MQM which attacked them with bullets. This was the turnaround. ANP workers which were few in numbers were not able to sustain for long. Within an hour, more reinforcements of the MQM party arrived and started shooting at the new enemy, Aaj TV. MQM is known to have the most organized media monitoring team amongst all the political parties in Pakistan. The footage of the injured ANP worker initiated the onslaught which was not meant to be. For hours their office was attacked with no signs of Rangers or law enforcement agencies. After nearly 5 hours of discriminatory firing a vehicle of Rangers came only to leave the area. All calls for help by the Bureau Chief, Mr. Talat Hussain, went to despair. He was not aware that he was just a victim of the 'organized chaos' which was planned way before. The federal government had given a free-hand to the ruling party in Karachi to do what they do best; create terror.

The party which had gained credibility and sympathy for their work over the last few years in Karachi lost everything in one go. There is no doubt that MQM worked well to regain the trust of the people of Karachi when they started developing Karachi at such a rapid pace. But, today that sympathy is not only lost but it has brought back the terror in Karachi'ites.

After all this, came the rally of Mr. Musharraf which was nothing but a shocker. How could a person with so much will and determination become so weak? The President addressed a bunch of less than hundred thousand people, who were paid guests, with the most un-purposeful speech ever made. How can he support the idea of talking to people who did not even know the reason for being there? If there was ever a literal example of the notion 'power corrupts' then the President's rally was it. The Chowdhary Brothers Inc. once again blind-folded their leader into the dark well. After all, they are experienced in this since the Supreme court attack in Nawaz Sharif's government.

The way I see it is that, President Musharraf has got limited options. I think that he will eventually move into negotiations with the biggest political party in Pakistan, PPP. But, this will happen only if the Supreme Court shows its strength in the coming weeks. There is a strong belief that the President is still wary of two top judges in the SC. As we all know, more than 70 percent of the top judiciary is against the man who promised so much. I believe that if the Supreme Court keeps its nerve and makes it all the way, then this will go a long way in establishing a system in Pakistan. A system which will also keep these political parties in control which only come forward to achieve their own interests.

Lastly, if the above statements hold true then I believe that one more round of chaos will engulf Karachi in the coming years. But this time the difference will be that it will be final 'cleanup' of those who believe in 'organized chaos.' I am sure that PPP will not repeat its mistakes by leaving the top leadership and killing the brain-washed workers below. The workers below just carry out the orders of their leaders. This leader claims that the people who went against him in the past will face a slow death. But, he forgets that if our agencies are most uncomfortable with someone, then it is him. The same person, who resides in London and is still not able to come back to the city which he rules. Now, this is what i would refer as the 'hollow power.' Let us hope that whatever the case, one day soon the masses of Pakistan which include the Mohajirs, Memons, Sindhis, Pathans, Punjabis and Balochis, and all others are able to come together to bring a real change in the country. If around 20,000 people attended the MQM rally in Karachi and around 80,000 attended the rally in Islamabad then I am sure that it does not even represent 0.1 percent of our country. So all we need is just 1 percent of Pakistan to come out and silence the short-sighted leaders. And like any other Pakistani, I have that unrealized hope.

Another Turnaround

As you all know by now, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has made an un-speculative move by suspending the Supreme Judicial Council's proceedings. It seems like the 'lunch that raised eyebrows' has taken its toll. The opposition seems to be pleased by this unprecedented move but it should also be cautious at the same time. Could this be a move by the government to show the 'independence' of the judiciary before setting up the final verdict against the Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry? Well, only the coming days can tell us the real story.

The other significant development which has occurred is that the hearing will be taking place on daily basis. This may reflect the government's desire to soon get over with the judicial crisis so that there is enough time to campaign effectively for the upcoming elections. This is a positive move for the ruling circles as they would be able to get some sort of breathing space. In fact, if you look at the overall picture, the glass can be viewed as half-full by both the sides; government and opposition. The next few days will be crucial in deciding the fate of not only Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, but also of the evolution of the new-born Pakistan Peoples Party. Benazir Bhutto has taken a very unconventional stance in the last few weeks with regards to her relationship with General Pervez Musharraf. It may be possible that the long awaited honeymoon trip with the General is about to start. This time for the next 10 years, as the President seems to be re-elected comfortably from the current assemblies.

To my view, Pakistan Peoples Party is playing a do or die match in the political arena as they are left with the choice of either losing it all for the next years. As a part of that package, I believe that many Pakistan Peoples Party workers will be disappointed as they have been the ones who have been truly struggling for democracy in Pakistan. This is because the leader of party, Benazir, has been outside the country for quite some time without any real hardships. Therefore, if BB decides to hold back Mr. Makhdoom Amin Faheem for the empth time from becoming the PM then she might be instigating a silent elections within her party. Hence, it is better for BB herself, and the PPP to join hands with the all powerful Musharraf to help him bring a change in the country. As stated earlier in my articles, I strongly believe that we need Musharraf's presence for the progress of Pakistan. But, at the same time I also believe that is high time he changes his team which is right now just a bunch of politicians who are united on one agenda; 'Kursi' - Power.

As a result of all this, the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. are experiencing their most nervous moments since the removal of Nawaz Sharif. They may not be liking the whole idea of sharing power with another party. That too which has been known for its liberal policies which one way or the other coincide with the President's ideology as well. Before, the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. may have had to use less brains to outmanoeuvre the MMA. But, this time the game will be a bit tough as the PPP senior hierarchy is equipped with immense intellectual capabilities. Whatever the case, the next few weeks will be able to project a clearer image for the future of Pakistan. Let us hope that the President makes the right moves. And, for that to happen he will have to interact less with the ruling party members.