Benazir; Another Bhutto Sacrifices

About two weeks have passed since the death of the most charismatic leader of South Asia in recent times; Benazir Bhutto. She may have had allegations against her about the misgovernance in the 1990s, but she remains undisputed in her ability to command the best of politics in our country.

Like all other concerned Pakistanis, I pay a tribute to the lady who had enough courage to face the people of Pakistan even when she knew her life was at threat. But, for that she paid a very heavy price. A price which not only cost BB her life, but also took Pakistan to the brink of disaster. After her death, things have not remained even half as hopeful as they seemed to be. In fact, yesterday's horrendous bombing targeting the police officers nearly sums up the game plan of Musharraf. Once again, my heartiest condolences to their families who will have to suffer the pain which will never reach the corridors of power.

Today, Musharraf is no longer the 'respectable' President of our country. He is not even a quarter of the man he used to be in 1999. In fact, he is just providing a glimpse of Yahya Khan and Zia ul Haq as his era comes to an end. He has reached a point of no return where he strongly believes that without him Pakistan will no longer survive. Unfortunately for us Pakistanis, he is doing everything he can to realize the notion. Well, it is disheartening to see another leader losing his way in absolute power. The power which was never distributed in the last 8 years of his rule. Even today, he clutches to the strings of Army as his base to operate from without realizing that the Army is a sovereign institution which will Inshallah always remain. Also it is important to add, that he is no longer a part of this sovereign institution which has protected our country for the last 61 years. He is a civilian President.

After stating the above, my personal opinion is that Musharraf did not orchestrate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. But, he may have the knowledge of the event which was about to occur on December 27, 2007. He is just another player playing at the hands of greater powers to destabilize and disarm Pakistan from nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, BB was used as a scapegoat to further the 'greater cause.' That is all I would say, as our nation today has the ability to read between the lines. They can no longer be manipulated to further a personal interest of a leader. If the leaders have to prove themselves in this country, then they have to be ready for sacrifices like Benazir Bhutto was. As stated earlier, she may have been controversial but she was a brave lady at the end of the day.

Now looking at the future. It is clearly evident that the President of our country is approaching the end of his era. But, the question is how much more damage will be inflicted to our country as it ends? The amount of damage that has been done in the name of 'Sab Say Pehlay Pakistan' (Pakistan comes first) is truly immeasurable. The NWFP governor which was appointed by our President Musharraf has now resigned. Orakzai, hailing from a strong tribal clan himself decided to move away from what is to come. It is clearly evident that a major operation is about to be launched in Waziristan. This is the solution which our smart President Musharraf has come up with to remain in power. As the political wind in Washington starts to blow against Musharraf, he hopes to woo the incoming President by furthering their 'war on terror.' Yes, that is how far you can go to stay in power.

The Lahore bomb blast is just what we need to create the imperfect conditions for holding 'free and fair' elections on Feb. 18, 2008. Therefore, it will not be appropriate to hold these elections at this time. Well, if they are free and fair then the PPP will easily gain a considerable advantage in the future political setup. But, that would hurt our President who is definitely the most 'impartial' President for at least the last two decades. However, if intensive rigging is carried out to make way for the King's party - PML(Q) - then that would mean chaos all over the country. Already, the United States has highlighted the importance of having free and fair elections as it threaten the unity of the federation. The same threat highlight by Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, most recently. So, all these complications would make the elections 2008 on Feb 18, 2008 a tough call to make.

As far as the end result is concerned. Like every Pakistani today, I am also worried about the future our country's setup. No matter what happens next, my beliefs stand strong that without Musharraf at the helm of power we can still survive. If ever there was ever a need for the silent leader, then it is today.

And, eventually in my view we will come out stronger despite all the odds because Zulfikar Ali Bhutto once said 'Ye Qaum is dunya ka loha banaygee' (This nation will become this world's greatest power). And, inshallah it will become.

Supreme Court: Far from expectations

Things have never been so polarized as they seem to be at the moment. The Supreme Court declared the petition against the dual offices as 'invalid' for any prosecution. This is a big blow the opposition, which had pinned a lot of hopes with the nine-member bench under the chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas. However, it is not a surprise for many who should have read between the lines.

Any avid follower of politics through the print, and electronic media would have predicted this verdict. During the hearing of the case, there were several times when Justice Rana Bhagwandas stated that it was the parliament which validated the dual offices, rather than courts. This itself was an indication that the decision would indeed turn to be in favor of General Pervez Musharraf. However, there was also a lot of 'behind the scenes' pressure on a few unnamed judges who reportedly met high ranking officials days before the verdict. It was stated that the situation is pretty much black and white. If the verdict goes in favor of Musharraf then its all well and good. However, if there was any movement of the verdict from the above statement then there is an imminent possibility of martial law being imposed all over the country. This itself, I believe also led the decision in favor of the President by a healthy margin of 6-3. The private meetings which were held 'behind the scenes' must not have secured more than a couple of judges for getting it their way. However, those judges would have definitely created an impression that if the verdict was indeed against the President, then things would go out of control.

If a martial law was imposed, these so called 'guardians of justice' would have been made non-functional. As a result, they would have been inactive and they would have been made helpless infront of the nation. I believe it was the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry, which got independence rather than the whole institution. Recent figures of judiciary claim that around 85% of the judiciary is corrupt and it is the third most corrupt institution in Pakistan. Therefore, if a martial law was in place I am sure that General Pervez Musharraf or the new commander leading the scenario would have been able to find enough 'Pakistan loving' judges who would have replaced the current school of lawmakers.

The other interesting aspect about the whole incident is the manners in which the lawyers have reacted. It is sad to know that the same lawyers who had supported the CJ when he was wrongfully removed from his post, are claiming that verdict is biased. The lawyers need to take a crystal clear stand that they are either for an independent judiciary or a 'Musharraf-free' Pakistan. The manner in which they reacted confirmed to me at least that they were just against one man rather than the unjustified system. Even today, I can say with 100% confidence that I can buy a lawyer in Pakistan to get a false case registered in my favor for a mere thousand rupees. Therefore, things have not changed in a way they should have. In addition, I do not agree that the verdict was biased but rather it was not a legal verdict. It was a political verdict. If the verdict would have against Musharraf then Pakistan would have been destabilized. There is no doubt that a martial law would have been put in place. Therefore, the judges left their duty for a moment and took a political decision. This is a sad part in its own way, as political matters are solved through political negotiations. After this verdict, the judges are once again faced with an allegation of being 'politicized.' The lawyers, however, seem to be always politicized. It is not a hidden fact anymore the kind of funding which was provided by Mr. Nawaz Sharif to the media and lawyers community to create an upheaval against Musharraf. Therefore, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of every person who loves Pakistan. Maybe, that is the 'strange' reason why no real masses of people of Pakistan should at any of the days after the restoration of Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry.

What happened on October 29th was also a disgraceful scene. A day earlier, I supported the overall scenario that a martial law was averted. Even though, the judiciary did not fulfill its commitment of abiding my constitution completely. They were indeed politicized by then. But, a day later President Musharraf broke all records to show that he is no more capable of being a tolerant leader. His ongoing tussle with the media had been going on for a while. That was partly because of genuine friction and was also because of the politicization of celebrity journalists who have reportedly taken hefty amounts from opposition to fulfill their agenda. This an issue which I will discuss in my later issues about the manner in which the media has some hidden culprits who change the course of peoples' thoughts. Getting back to Saturday, it was indeed a disgraceful moment. The IG of Islamabad, Manver Shah, showed that he had no fear due to complete backing of the higher administration. The policemen were dressed in white civilian clothes and carried out targeted atrocities on the media people. It was an embarrassing moment for Pakistanis all over the world who witnessed 'freedom of media' in its ugliest form. I partially understand the reason why police had been brought out to take care of the lawyers. Especially ever since Ahmed Kurd had made some aggressive remarks against the army, rather than one person. As I have stated in my earlier blogs, it is wrong for any Pakistan to publicly insult the military institution of Pakistan. Yes, there are some people who have taken part in politics but that does not give any right to any citizen to insult the remaining 90 percent people of the Army who are genuinely defending our homeland. In addition, the lawyers have now shown to the world that they are not genuine as well. Most of them are just creating chaos to take power in their hands rather than being independent. However, what happened with the media personnel was completely unjustified. Never in the history of Pakistan have 32 media personnel been injured in any government tussle. This was worse than the famous slashing of journalist in the era of Zia.

These actions by all the parties involved; lawyers, Presidency camp, government, opposition, media, are just leading to chaos and anarchy. I truly believe that Pakistan should not have a martial law. But, if a martial has to be imposed then it needs to be a takeover in which more than thousands of corrupt people are taken to gallows. The reason for that is power corrupts. When President Musharraf first came to power he gave the people of Pakistan a lot of hope. But, enventually he became a part of a system for which he justified his entry into power. Today, after 8 years of military rule we have not been able to create even one leader in Pakistan. A hope was sparkled in the message of Imran Khan of PTI. But, that also blurred away due to the smoke and dust of his surroundings.

In the coming weeks, it seems like Musharraf will indeed get re-elected and will doff his uniform according to his promise. However, I still strongly believe that a deal with Pakistan's largest party, PPP, has been struck. Both Musharraf and BB are playing their cards well to dodge the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. who are breathing their last moments. However, if Musharraf decides to move away from from the commitment then he would be acting as a catalyst in bringing down his downfall. It seems like President Musharraf is moving towards the ultimate end of his power. It is only a matter of time which would decide if this end comes like cancer or rather a sudden collapse. Our history is filled with examples of the latter one rather than former.

What next ?

It has been more than a month since I last wrote. There are two reasons for taking some time to write another article: Firstly, the political activities have been moving in such a random way that it was hard to lay the foot down on one point. Secondly, I have always written articles whenever I had the appetite to do so.

Before I start, I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to the victims of Northern Bypass incident which occurred yesterday. It was another tragedy due to the excessive amount of corruption by the authorities in charge of developing the project. Even though by now 4 officials related to the project have been suspended, it will always remain a doubt in many that they will be punished severely. One of the other victims of the tragedy is also President Pervez Musharraf, who has nothing going right for him at the moment according to the people's perception. But, it may be the story is different altogether.

Yesterday, the negotiations broke off between the government and PPP representatives. However, one can not say for sure that the deal is over. It will be normal for many to differ with my opinions, but my views are based solely on perception of the characters involved in the story. Ever since Musharraf came to power, his involvement with PPP has been significant. First, he believed that Makhdoom Amin Fahim can break PPP into the party which is free to manoeuvre without the most powerful woman at the helm of affairs. However, that was not the case. Mr. Fahim decided to stay loyal to the party by not agreeing to become the PM of the country instead of BB. Then most of the years since then passed in healthy rivalry of the PPP and the government, until a few months back. The party which was by far the most vocal against the military dictatorship, has now flipped the coin to test its luck. But, to my view both Benazir and Musharraf know the answer. There is a high possibility that their deal is a success.

If President Musharraf wants to be re-elected from the current assemblies then he needs to have the support of the current assemblies. Therefore, he needs the backing of the ruling PML-Q to secure the next term. If Musharraf states that he has made a deal with BB then that would mean that PPP would form the next government. This outcome will never be acceptable to the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. who have always had a tussle with the BB's party. And, Musharraf cannot just clearly say that he wants to 'use' the ruling party for his personal interests. Therefore, I believe that everything is going to plan if any. Both the leaders have a sharp mind in their own extent. They would know that for the deal to be successful they should keep their workers away from the real scenario. Once, Musharraf gets re-elected he can always say that for the best interest of Pakistan he resorted to 'national reconciliation' and therefore has struck a deal with the PPP to ensure 'fair and free' elections in Pakistan. To my knowledge, BB has hired the top PR company of US to take care of the foreign lobbying. This PR company has campaigned for Reagan, and both Bush I and II for their campaigns. This exercise has reportedly cost around US $600,000 for Benazir Bhutto.

After the re-election of the President, he will be faced with the next challenge which is Nawaz Sharif's expected arrival at the capital on September 10. It seems like to me that at the end Nawaz Sharif may not come to Pakistan, and it will only be Shahbaz Sharif facing the music. However, in either case the President would not want to face the wrath of BB being against him as PPP played a pivotal role in causing trouble in the government circles. Even the exercise of Chowdhary Aitzaz Ahsan meeting with Nawaz Sharif was, to me, a planned process by the PPP leader. She is one person, in my view, who knows how to play her cards well. The cases against her party have already been dropped. Therefore, it is in Musharraf's interests to secure a deal with PPP so that he can have an extension of his political lifeline.

On the other hand, if this does not turn out to be the case then my belief is that we will be facing a martial law. But, it will not be Musharraf heading the government this time. It will be another person from the army. The reasons for this are many. First, if someone other than Musharraf takes over the army rule in Pakistan then no one can blame Musharraf for breaking his promises. In addition, the army would not want to disrepute itself by allowing Musharraf to hang on to the uniform any longer due to his decline in popularity, in recent months. This decline would cause damage to our armed forces; which without any doubt should be seen with utmost respect by our citizens. Therefore, these are the two options which I believe the President has at the moment.

In my view, we are witnessing the last days of the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. in power in either case; elections or martial law. However, things may change over time for Musharraf if Nawaz's return causes a greater than expected impact on the political atmosphere in the country. The coming days will indeed be an interesting time for the people of Pakistan; who are once again deprived from the whole 'democratic' process. Long live Pakistan.

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.

April 5th Deal - Musharraf rethinks

Speculations are rife that some extraordinary developments took place on the 5th of April, 2007; a day after the 28th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto . It is believed that a senior member of the Army along with some political gurus visited Dubai to finalize the details of a 'deal' between PPP, PML-N and the government. If that is the case then the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. will be feeling a bit more than insecure.

The package which has been finalized is to be as follows:

- President Musharraf will be re-elected from the current assemblies and will shed his uniform after the elections.
- Both PPP and PML-N will help that to be achieved by their support in the assemblies.
- Benazir Bhutto and Shahbaz Sharif will be allowed to come back to the country without any serious complications, as the cases against them will be taken back.
- The elections will be conducted in a transparent manner decided by all parties.
- The next PM will be from the Frontier province in a bid to help stabilize the violence in that region.

If this is true, then it will be an achievement for the establishment considering the political crisis they are in. It is said that President Musharraf was forced into looking at these options, only recently, due to the judicial crisis. The General is not at all happy with some people in the government who may have caused the judicial chaos in order to meet their own personal interests. The extent of which is so much that it is believed that the 'non-functional' Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry, will be re-instated at the end of the whole affair.

Now, the people will be wondering what about Nawaz Sharif ? I think that his role in politics was over when more than 90 percent of his top leadership turned their backs on him post-October 12 coup. What future can a leader have if his own party members are not loyal to him ? But, Sharif Sahib is not the person who should be blamed solely. The Chowdhry Brothers have a history of not allowing complete power to anyone. In Nawaz Sharif's government another infamous incident took place at the Supreme Court when it was attacked. This time a similar event took place, except that the style was different as we are living in a much more modern era. Now, they just made the Chief Justice 'non-functional.' Even this was no less than an attack on the Supreme Court. As a result, Musharraf lost some serious support from his own trusted quarters. Therefore, it is said that a few imminent changes are about to take place in the cabinet in the coming weeks to give a clear message to the ruling party.

My reading is that Musharraf has realized that he no longer can keep all his eggs in the same basket. Therefore, the next assembly will be an evenly balanced set of PPP, PML-Q, and PML-N members. The MMA may have not done serious damage to President Musharraf, but they have definitely irritated him enough to close their doors to the corridors of power. If this reading proves true, then it will be a decent arrangement for us Pakistanis. That is because there will be a system of checks and balances, amongst all the parties, which Musharraf talked about some time back. And, if the President sheds his uniform then there will automatically be a check and balance on him as well by the next Chief of Army Staff. Yes, the next Army Chief will be hand-picked by the Presidency and should be loyal to Musharraf. But time can always prove anyone wrong. We saw an illustrative example of that by the incident of Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry. After all, he was also hand-picked.

Pakistan Peoples Party

As 2007 starts on a positive note with Pakistan's premiere, Shaukat Aziz, travelling to Afghanistan to make things different. Furthermore, positive remarks have originated from across the border with Mr. Manhoman Singh desiring a durable peace with Pakistan.

However, as all these positive developments take place one has to keep in mind an important aspect that may decide the future of this region. That is the elections of 2007 "The year of Benazir's return" as some people call it. Well, at this point in time I believe its just anyone's guess that BB will be returning to the country or not?

It has been some time since the PPP has raised a serious charge against the government. In addition, not much of major figures from BB's party are appearing on television to prove that 'real democracy' does not exist in Pakistan. It is evident that some formula is being sorted out between the establishment and the Pakistan Peoples Party. There is a rumor that Benazir Sahiba will be allowed to return to Pakistan only if she accepts her role like that of Sonia Gandhi with her Congress. This might be the empth time that Makhdoom Fahim will be keeping his fingers crossed because he has been a regular candidate for the PM slot during the elections period. As these rumors hit the drawing room discussions in Pakistan, many people are starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Now we see more of PML(Q) members appearing on television giving out new figures of economy growth, foreign reserves and poverty level to prove that they have worked hard enough to win their reward from the President of Pakistan. In addition, a lot of the ruling party members may believe it is unfair that every time during elections PPP gets more exciting publicity than their party. While all this happens at the background, Mian Nawaz Sharif seems to be losing his ground very rapidly. It seems like PML(N) has been stranded alone with unclear figures such as Qazi Hussain and Imran Khan. They might be calling it the 'London Plan' which will bring a significant change in the political setup in the country. But to my view, it is just a far fetched idea which will die before its introduction even.

The opposition which was together for a long period of time has started to look for opportunities, if offered. Seems like the notion of 'Power Corrupts' is overpowering the principles of politics. It is unfortunate to see the politicians of today jumping back and forth to seek comfort. However, they do not realize that each jump of theirs dents whatever hopes there exists in the people of Pakistan - or some people may call them as 'Pakistan Ki Awam.'

However, it will be interesting to see the drama unfold in the coming months as bureaucrats manoeuvre around to make an acceptable formula for President Musharraf and his close aides. By close aides, I do not mean the King's Party but only those who are truly trusted by the President. Maybe not many can figure if 2007 will be 'the year of Benazir's return.' But, one thing is clear that it will be an interesting year as far the politics of Pakistan is concerned.