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.
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