NOW, MORE THAN EVER!

After considerable time, I desire to write again for my country; Pakistan. The reasons for not writing before were many. However to keep it brief, one of the main reasons was that so much has been going in Pakistan since last two years that it had been hard to come to terms with.

We have been hearing since last two decades that Pakistan is standing at a ‘critical juncture.’ I believe that never before we have been in such a state of turmoil like we are in now. We, the privileged class, have miserably failed in aiding Pakistan. Pakistan has been wounded for last two decades. However, since the last five years Pakistan has faced some serious injuries. These injuries have not been attended to and unfortunately, there has been enormous bleeding. We are racing against time. During this time, the momentum has already been built to critically damage Pakistan. The ‘Great Game’ plan is coming closer to its climax. Today, we have been forced to believe that we are the warriors against ‘terrorism.’ We have been forced to understand that our prestigious Pakistan Armed Forces is no longer required against our traditional and geo strategic rivals. However, our glorified soldiers of the Pakistan Armed Forces are mere tools which they want to be disposed only to aid the anti-Pakistan interest in the region. The notion which is being marketed by the western powers is that ‘India is not the greatest threat to Pakistan.’ It is true indeed. The ruling class of Pakistan is our biggest threat. This threat endangers our existence; the very existence which allows us to have the potential to become a glorified nation.

Pakistan has become ‘democratic’ indeed. The democracy has flourished so much in the last few years that our self-centred leaders have become capable of running their own mini-states. The so called ‘provincial autonomy’ is a sword in disguise intended to threaten the existence of Pakistan. These so called leaders are all tainted with allegations of corruption, extortion, and all sorts of heinous crimes. They have succeeded in allowing the cancer to breed within Pakistan. Now, they will preach their own thought to tell our future generations that the only Quaid, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was less important than their sub nationalist heroes. Quaid had envisioned a state where ‘a Muslim will seize to be a Muslim, a Christian will seize to be a Christian, and a Hindu will seize to be a Hindu.’ However, our leaders will preach a state where a ‘Punjabi will seize to be a Punjabi, a Pakhtun will seize to be a Pakhtun, a Balochi will seize to be a Balochi, a Sindhi will seize to be a Sindhi, and not to forget a Mohajir will seize to be a Mohajir.’ All these ethnic classes are today represented by selfish opportunist waiting to ‘seize’ their moment of glory.

Once again we look towards the creators of the brand ‘democracy.’ We forget again the recent past where we were stranded by them after the fall of the Soviet Union. We forget again that they are the ones who led to the embarrassment of Dr. AQ Khan. We forget again that they are the ones who incite our so called leaders to tame the army through their ‘Kerry Lugar’ bills. We forget again that they are the ones which are constantly caught red handed taking information about our nuclear assets. We forget again that they are ones which strive hard to equip our neighbours with hi-tech equipment and nuclear technology. We forget again they played their part in all major events from assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan to the demise of Benazir Bhutto. It seems like our both long and short term memories have been weakened. It might be possible that we have a clot in our brain. This clot is not red but it has the colours of the flag of the United States of America.

Yet, we try harder to please the oppressors. We travel thousands of miles to seek an aid of USD 1.5 billion from them. Yet, we fail to control the corruption in tenure of a government which seems to exceed hundreds of billions of dollars. We fail to extract our resources which have been gifted to us by God when Pakistan was made. We only strive to become the blue-eyed boy of them knowing that they have only blurred our vision.

Our ‘brotherly’ countries are looking towards our neighbours for avenues of ‘economic cooperation.’ The Sino Pak relationship is just on paper due to our immense interest in aiding China’s real enemies. We face our backs to our natural allies in the hope of becoming modern. We force our traditional allies to rethink their views about us. We force them to believe that we have already gone too far. As a result, we allow our leaders to make a mockery of our nation.

We are today worried about removing our leaders in order to save the ‘federation.’ The ‘federation’ in which no leader of the parliament believes in.

My advice to them would be that the ‘federation’ lies with the power of the people of Pakistan. This Islamic Republic of Pakistan was meant for the welfare of the people. These people are neither represented by a leader nor an ethnicity. They are represented by their current state of affairs. Poverty is what they are represented by. These people wait when they will smile again knowing that they have forgotten how to smile. These people still hope for a miracle because they believe that Pakistan was God’s miracle on Earth.

Yes, this is the time when we need it the most; a leader which can spark the flames waiting in dark. A leader which truly possesses the traits of a tiger defined by courage and dignity. Before the arrival we desperately need to seek forgiveness from God. We need to understand that God will reignite these flames if we place ourselves under Him. Because He is the one which has glorified us before. He is the one who has made Pakistan possible. And, Inshallah He will be the One who will make a leader rise from within. This leader will Inshallah cure our ‘cancer.’ We need this leader now, more than ever!

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.

Emergency: Martial Law in Disguise

It took me some time to write this blog. There are two main reasons for that. Initially, I was in disbelief about the manner in which the ‘emergency’ was implemented. Yes, like every other Pakistani I did expect an emergency at some point in time. But, the manner in which the judiciary and media were murdered was devastating. Secondly, after realizing that the ugliest crime had been committed by our ruler, I was left with so much to say that it was not enough to just write an article. Therefore, this blog will always remain incomplete in my eyes.

As the title suggests, I do not believe that Pakistan is facing an emergency at the moment. It is clearly a martial law which has been given the name of ‘emergency.’ It is shameful to know that a leader has brought in a martial law against himself. He is the first leader in Pakistan to get a martial law twice in one country. Not only that; in broad daylight our President murdered the judiciary which had finally become independent after 60 years. Then to add on, our people were deprived of information by a complete blackout of media channels all over Pakistan. There is hardly anything left after what Musharraf has done. Uptil a few days back I used to address him as our President, no matter how controversial his title was. Now, he does not deserve this half-hearted respect even.

Straight away, I want to express my support and respect for the eight ‘removed’ judges of the Supreme Court who passed a verdict immediately; declaring the emergency invalid. In addition, they left with stature when they headed back to their residencies like an everyday procedure of the judges. But, on the other hand Musharraf had ofcourse reached a point of no return. He was so blinded in the lust for power that he did not realize that he was helping himself in his demise as a ruler. The ‘emergency’ was indeed a martial law once the constitution was suspended during the course of action. Musharraf used our respectable armed forces to carry out a crime against our nation. He proved that he is a self-centered leader who is only interested in saving his own power. For that he is ready to compromise on anything; even the existence of Pakistan. Yes. I say 'existence' and am forced to use these harsh words. The reason is that, he has completely damaged our sovereignty by acting only on Americans’ consent.

In his speech later during the day, he caused more damage to our country by carrying out various acts of shamelessness. In the speech first, he mentioned that he was tired of the ‘taunts’ he was receiving from various quarters for being so tolerant. Yes, ‘Mr. President' you are a tolerant leader indeed when you tear apart the law of Pakistan for the sake of sitting in your presidency for a few more moments. You are indeed tolerant ‘Mr. President,' when you terminate the basic human rights of a citizen. To further the cause, he made a fool of himself by stating that his case on dual offices kept on lingering and it only created a lot of uncertainty. Therefore, no more patience was possible.

Musharraf, our nation has waited for 60 years for the independence of judiciary. I can say with complete conviction that they could have waited a few more days. But, the whole nation knows that you were not impatient but were arrogant. Your agenda in October 1999 takeover may have been sincere at that point in time. But, during the course of these years your mind wandered to the tunnel of illusions. You started off as a hopeful leader like many before. But, towards the end you became the worst of them. First, you gave up all the cases by the drama of 'national reconciliation ordinance' in which every politician became innocent. At least before, they were innocent till proven guilty. Over time, you may have not dismembered our country but you have done your level best in making it possible.

To further say, Musharraf then said with confidence that he had consulted the international community before he took the drastic measures.

Musharraf, according to your own views our nation was sovereign and no compromise was to be done on this issue. And, you said your strength derived from the people of Pakistan. Then why did you draw your strength from the international community? Our nation was built by our founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was a true Pakistani. Then why did you consult the international community which has no right on any of the internal affairs of our country?

As if this was not enough to humiliate and sink the hearts of millions of Pakistani, you went even further. You quoted the ‘Great’ Abraham Lincoln of United States of America. Musharraf, you felt that Allama Iqbal and countless other leaders of our country were not worthy enough for their mention in your speech. But do not forget, you once mentioned them immediately after you banned the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar- e-Jhangvi. At that time you were pure leader from the land of the pure; Pakistan. The nation backed you at that point in time and understood your decision. But in your speech, you requested the West for some time so that we can lose whatever little of dignity which was left in our nation. After all at least you realized that 60 years of belief in Pakistan would take some time to diminish amongst the people of Pakistan.

Then the most shameful speech of our history ended with our national anthem being shown on our television screens, and the anthem being sounded at the radio. The flag, which was distinguished with its colors and symbols of faith, unity, and discipline, looked meaningless and torn apart. That moment I, as a Pakistani, was disgraced with humiliation and insult. Our nation was given the most unconvincing reasons for taking away our basic civil liberties.

But, this was not enough. It was now the turn of most of the political parties of Pakistan to fail us. Especially the Pakistan Peoples Party, which is the largest political party in Pakistan amongst the voters; who are also just 30 percent of our country. The party illustrated that they also had a lustful dictator who runs their party; Ms. Benazir Bhutto. This act of murder by Musharraf, required the PPP to come out immediately on the streets and condemn the unjust removal of our judges. But, she only looked towards her own personal interest. Even today, she deceives our nation and the opposition parties by playing on both sides of the table. Her party has only one person, which deserves utmost respect for his bravery and courageous display against Musharraf. And that is Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who proved that he was loyal to his profession rather than his affiliations. He is indeed one leader, who has some sort of real popularity amongst the civil society of the country. But, till today Benazir has not issued a single strong statement in Aitzaz's unjust confinement.

She keeps her party united on weak strings and only looks towards the corridors of power at this crucial juncture. She plays a role of a politician who her respectable father, if alive today, would have opposed till his last breath. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stood against the intervention of the unjust intervention of the Army in politics. People say, he made a few unwise decisions towards the end of his tenurem which cost him his life. However to my view, one of his unwise decisions was to nominate his selfish daughter to take forward his dynasty. He was not aware of the fact that she would just turn out to be an agent of furthering the American cause. It is a cause which believes in dividing the country of Pakistan. In addition, they plan to create instability in the country which will lead to an imminent action to disarm our nuclear capability. Already, the U.S. senate has discussed the possible ‘emergency plan' to do so.

It is high time that our nation stands up. Yes, we miss the real leaders who will lead our nation. The leaders who are ready to take the bullet of sacrifice for the people of Pakistan. Imran Khan, may be some sort of hope for our country. But, unfortunately he has not been able to be the charismatic and vibrant leader of the people who will roar against the prevailing injustice. Our youth represent nearly 70 percent of our society. But, there is no one at the platform to take them forward. The platform exists in PPP to some extent, but they are missing a leader. A genuine leader exists in PTI (Pakistan Tehrik Insaf) and they may have some sort of platform. But, over the years Imran Khan has not been able to strike the hearts, strongly enough, of the poor people of Pakistan. Pakistan is at a critical juncture where it needs a revolution to clean up this dirt of politicians. MQM, PML-Q and all government alliance parties should be tried for treason. If not the parties, then leaders should be asked to be answerable to the people of Pakistan. Even today, our masses remain silent in terms of their actions. But, I strongly believe that their desire to come out becomes more intense. All they need is a leader to take them forward.

A leader who says ‘I am a leader who does not sit in the lavish surroundings of the Presidency or the PM house. But, I am leader who resides in every heart of you people; the people of Pakistan. So that even if I want to do injustice to our country, I am not able to do so. Because amongst you people I will just be a small drop of bad blood in the heart. Over time new blood, in the form of people, will make sure that the power, to make the heart pump, remains amongst the people; rather than above them. As I said I want to reside in the 160 million hearts of Pakistan. And not in the corridors of power.’

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.

Musharraf's Isolation

Congratulations to all the Pakistanis, especially those who had lost hope in our system. In addition, I would like to extend my heartiest felicitations to Pakistan Tehrik Insaf and their leader, Imran Khan, for their long struggle for the independence of judiciary. I hope that July 20^th, 2007, will mark the beginning of the new era. It has the potential of being an era, where the true people of Pakistan will at least get justice.

This decision is historic in many perspectives. But, there is still a long way to go. Unfortunately in the past, we have believed in many new beginnings every time a historic event has taken place. After receiving overwhelming support from the masses, will Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry deliver? This question can only be answered after a certain passage of time.

However, the reinstatement of Chief Justice brings to light many new issues to our minds. Firstly, who is responsible for this saga? Even after this decision, it is hard to believe that such a decision has actually been taken. Is it true that after 60 years, the ‘hidden powers’ are no longer powerful to make a decision go the government’s way? The same ‘hidden powers’ that are given the ‘SOS’ signal by the Presidency at the time of a political crisis. If this is true, then may be the whole notion of ‘hidden powers’ being so powerful was just a myth. Or we are so blinded in the cause of being against the recent policies of the government, that we see all circles of the ruling establishment as one unit. This conclusion can be the most genuine example of an oversimplified generalization.

Many may not agree, but it seems like General Pervez Musharraf; believed as the ‘most powerful man’ in Pakistan has been a victim of the same poison which doomed many; the poison of ‘power.’ It may be still true that the ‘hidden powers’, which also include many bureaucrats of our society, have been able to create chaos to benefit their own interest. At this point in time, it may be unclear as to who is the primary beneficiary. But, the prospective candidates are many. When the reference was initiated against the Chief Justice on March 9, 2007, there were many people who were at the forefront while a few of them remained at the background. A couple of outspoken personalities include our Law Minister – Wasi Zafar, and Chief Minister, Sindh – Ghulam Arbab Rahim. It is still clear to my mind the confidence of our Law Minister in stating that another reference is ready for be filed in the court, along with the admission that he played a vital role in creating the dismissed reference. It seems like that his days are numbered, after his exclusion from the round-up by the PM to share the ‘depression’ which haunted their hearts and minds after the July 20^th decision. However, it will be interesting to hear our Chief Minister, when he taunted the judicial system by comparing them to the doctors; who get paid to operate unethically on their patients. Well, God bless our Chief Minister but it is also important to have the blessings of the new Chief Justice; Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Well the Chief Justice has no right to complain about the work he has to do now. There are hopes of millions of Pakistanis attached with this ‘civilian hero.’

Now let us study the people who are indeed powerful in our society. During the whole crisis, Ansar Abbasi kept reminding us of a highly influential person from a powerful institution in Pakistan used to visit the ‘suspended’ Chief Justice’s residence at the middle of the night. At that time the powerful institution was definitely not the judiciary. However, the purpose of the late night meeting was not to threaten the ‘suspended’ CJ with his life. But, it was to reassure him of the decisions which were to be taken. So does that mean the ‘hidden powers’ are still powerful? To me the answer is in the positive. But, the grave part of the whole scenario is that the ‘most powerful man’ in Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, has been isolated.

Rarely has a leader in Pakistan survived, when the ‘hidden powers’ have showed their lack of confidence in him. It is evident that the decision to file the reference was taken by the President and his close aides, rather than the constitutional decision-maker of the country; Shaukat Aziz. But, the close aides assured the President that the decision was in the best interest of him clinching to the reigns of power. In addition, they also assured that any agitation being demonstrated would not be of much strength and force. Then, how did the unanimous decision from the 13-member panel of the SC to re-instate the CJ came about? Therefore, this may not be entirely true that this was a completely independent decision against the ruling establishment; perceived as one unit. In fact, this may be a decision to tailor the future political setup of Pakistan minus the ‘General’ Pervez Musharraf. Maybe the patience within some quarters may have expired due to the prolonged stay of the President in uniform.

The fact that none of the policy-makers of yesterday are with him today, speaks the unsaid story of the fall of a leader. The leader who started off with a team of credible people, such as Javed Jabbar, and Lt. (r) General Moinuddin Haider to name a few, is now amongst a bunch of discredited people. Who can forget the sincere colleagues who assisted the landing of the plane on Oct. 12, 1999, by the name of General Aziz and General Usman. Both of them, were dispatched after a short period of time, due to the unreasonable demand of the American government. This all brings us to the same situation which was experienced by many of our leaders; President Ayub, President Yahya, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and President Zia.

The above mentioned analysis may be false a very large extent. But, if the above mentioned analysis is true then the statement of Benazir Bhutto, which states that after the restoration of the CJ it would be an unpopular decision for the Pakistan Peoples Party to form a deal with President Pervez Musharraf, makes a lot more sense. However, that leaves the President with an option to have Pakistan experience an emergency before the cases of his concern are taken up in the Supreme Court; uniform issue and the re-election of the President.

I clearly remember when the President stated, a few weeks back, that he would have tears in his eyes for this nation if the Chief Justice was restored. Well, it may be true that it would have happened. But, the President has so far withheld himself from stating his future course of action, other than accepting the decision. With the current wave of suicide bombings taking place all over the country, it may just be the perfect precedent to impose an emergency in our country. But, whatever the case let us hope that some sort of conspiracy is not being hatched up again to disillusion the people of Pakistan.

The 'Lal Masjid' : An unsolved mystery

July 10th, 2007, was a sad day indeed in the history of Pakistan. It was a day when hundreds of people lost their lives for an unexplained chaos. Being a Pakistani, I feel really sad with the events that took place which not only caused the deaths of our citizens; soldiers and civilians. But, also that it painted Islam in a negative manner. The same Islam for which Pakistan was made.Remember, on 14th August 1947; the birth of this country was on the basis of an 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan.' Yes, it is true that the events which took place somehow reflected otherwise.

There is no justification for using arms in an Islamic Republic to challenge the authority of the government. But, it is also not valid to use force to silent the people who, at the end, were born in the same 'land of the pure';Pakistan. It disheartening to see that we, sometimes, are not able to solve things in a civilized manner. Even though, we are also part of this human civilization. It is indeed, an unexplained mystery.

It is a known fact that the 'Lal Masjid' is based in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. A city where nothing can be done at such large scale without the approval of the establishment. However, to our disbelief the 'Lal Masjid', unfortunately became an arms depot with tremendous potential. It is easy to turn a blind eye on the reasons which allowed the 'Lal Masjid' to become what it had become. But a few questions need to be answered, if not many.

Being a 'good Pakistani', I will not go into the details of the mystery of the import of guns into the mosque. After all, it is in our 'National Interest' or it is in line with the ideology of 'Sub Say Pehlay Pakistan' - Pakistan comes first - . But, there are other questions which I will ask on behalf of those soldiers' relatives and those civilians' loved ones. Was there a need to make a Pakistani kill a Pakistani ? Yes, there were extremists inside the mosque. I have no second thoughts about it. But, are not these extremists a part of our blood? Are we not proud to be associated with these tribal areas, a part of our country ? Ofcourse, we are. So, then why did all this happen?

If a deal had been reached between Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi at 3 am in the morning, in Islamabad, then what was the issue? Yes, there may have been foreigners inside the mosque. But, a commando operation by the second-most professional unit in the world is meant to save the civilians from the aliens. The foreigners should not be let go if they are involved in any terrorist activities in Pakistan. Yes, I agree with it. But, if a foreigner comes to the country and takes us hostage every now and then, does that mean we keep killing our own people? These civilians also love their country. Yes, they may have different views about the system of Pakistan, but they do love it. And, that is the reason why most of the children and women who came out the mosque stated that they wanted to go back into the mosque. Their views are completely different than what the norm is, or should be. But, we have to stop isolating these people from the system.

This system is so unique, that it allows the entry of some individuals who have cases of murder, financial corruption, kidnapping, and others against them. However, this system is completely against the uneducated people of Pakistan, who believe in another method of solving problems. The uneducated people who have got no other option but to join these madrassas to gain religious education. Even today, around 80% madrassas do not promote hatred against America, or the government of Pakistan. This was implied by our President, General Pervez Musharraf, in his address to the nation last night.So, does that mean we create terror in the minds of our people for that mere 20% percent? The same 'extremists' are our assets when it comes to fighting a silent war against our enemies. The same 'extremists' saved the country's honor in the Afghan war, so that the rest of the people of Pakistan can sleep in peace. The same 'extremists' constitute an immeasurable army unit which can penetrate into any other army in the world. Yes, things have changed after 9/11. Whatever happened at that point in time was the right decision. That is because the survival of Pakistan was at stake. I realize that. But, these people should not have been isolated.

They need to be taken into confidence. Yes, the majority of the people in Pakistan are moderates. But, they are not liberals. Any action against our own people will have its implications. We should not forget that this nation is emotional. On its day, it can create wonders for this country. But, when things are not going right it can also discredit the government with every good thing they may have done. I am afraid that has been the case with Mr. President; General Pervez Musharraf. I have stated earlier in my views, that we need him to stay in power on top of the politicians, before the self-controlling system is established. But, it not easy to maintain your public support in relative to attaining one.

Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi may have known his fate way before the people who were watching the television did. And, his methodology for achieving his goals were also not right. I am sure, that most of the Pakistanis agree with me. In addition, the killing of our respectable commander, Lt. Colonel Haroonul-Islam, was definitely not justified. May his soul rest in peace and may he be blessed in heaven, Ameen. But, it is the responsibility of the government or the leader to provide protection to our citizens. It a basic right of the human race to be protected by their state. Unfortunately, these basics still remain an unrealized dream in our country; which has been in existence for around 60 years.

They say that around 800 coffins have been called by the Army, from the Edhi services. But, the official figures discount that number to nearly its one-tenth. This is what causes immense disturbance in our peoples' minds. This should not happen. After all, no Pakistani would want a child to be dead in an unreasonable war when they were admitted into the mosque only because they were orphans. The orphan who had already been through unimaginable pain when he or she lost its parents in the devastating earthquake of Oct. 2005. What is their crime, except that they were destined to be in that mosque while the operation happened?

At the end, I would just extend my heartiest condolences to all the victims of this unexplained mystery. Be it the brave soldiers of our army, the brainwashed extremists, or the destined children of Pakistan, they all need our prayers. But, it is time that we as a nation learn a lesson from this chaos. We cannot afford more of our soldiers being killed by our own people. We have to get these 'extremists' involved in our system. We need to make them understand by talking with them. For that we need to realize that our national interest is not in line with the interests of America. Yes, we can learn a lot from the world's oldest democracy. But, if everything between us and the Americans was the same, then the 'survival of Pakistan' would not have been under question post-9/11 incident. I hope that the President, General Pervez Musharraf, realizes the need to address the concern of these people. It is extremely important to address these people, rather than the mere spectators - the rest of people - on state television. It is an undeniable fact, that people are most comfortable when they are addressed on a personal level, rather than a public one. In this manner, the issue of personal ego is kept aside.

May Allah give our leaders the strength and our nation the willpower to bring about a change in our vision of using force to address our domestic problems, Ameen. And, we take pride in our armed forces which is the fifth largest unit in the world. Therefore, let us accommodate each other and live in harmony. No other nation should have the right to judge our actions, because they will never understand this vibrant nation. The nation which, undoubtedly, harbors the people with the most potential in this world. Pakistan Zindabad.

National Treasure

Salary & Concessions for a Member of National Assembly (MNA)

Monthly Salary: Rs. 120,000 to 200,000 - US$ 1977 - 3295
Expense for Constitution per month: Rs.100,000 - US$ 1647
Office expenditure per month: Rs.140,000 - US$ 2306
Travelling concession (Rs. 8 per km): Rs.48,000 - US$ 791 (For a visit to ISLAMABAD & return: 6000 km)
Daily BETA during Assembly meets: Rs.500 - US$ 8.24
Charge for 1st class (A/C) in train: Free (For any number of times & All over PAKISTAN)
Charge for Business Class in flights: Free for 40 trips / Year (With wife or P.A.)
Rent for Govt hostel any where: Free
Electricity costs at home: Free up to 50,000 units
Local phone call charge: Free up to 1, 70,000 call.
TOTAL expense for a MNA per year: Rs. 32,000,000 - US$ 527,182
TOTAL expense for 5 years: Rs. 1, 6000 000 - US$ 263,591
For 534 MNA, the expense for 5 years: Rs. 8,54,40,000, 000 ( about 9000 crores) - US$ 1.4 Billion

Need I say more? Is this the 'true essence' of democracy stated by our leader, General Pervez Musharraf ? Or is this an implementation of the 'Sub Say Pehlay Pakistan - Pakistan Comes First' policy ? Today, we stand at a point where the masses of Pakistan are disappointed with the system and believe that nothing can bring a change in Pakistan. The MNAs of our assembly, either in opposition or government, all sing to the same tune of bringing 'real democracy' in Pakistan.

According to my opinion, that will not happen until the system is changed. President Musharraf, being in Army uniform, was the only man who could have done that. But, unfortunately he also did not show enough resolve and character to bring about a new political system. The army is indeed the most powerful institution in Pakistan. Therefore, everyone hoped that if a change is ever possible, it is only through the man who heads the most powerful institution. All what was required from the President was to establish an independent judiciary. This would have automatically filtered the MNAs of today who for the last 15 years or so, have been sitting at the assembly, except with different masks ie. PML(N) , PPP, PML(Q), PPPP . Before it was the Chowdhary Shujaat under the umbrella of PML- Nawaz. Today, it is the same Chowdhary under the PML - Quaid e Azam.

To conclude, until the judiciary of Pakistan is not made independent the system will always fail us. Furthermore, a change in Pakistan will come only when these disappointed masses or 'awam' of Pakistan stand up and make their voices heard. It will happen when the 'silent' majority of Pakistan which never votes, will cast their votes in the electoral process. When that will happen is a million dollar question left to be answered.

P.S. - The statistics for NA expenditure was forwarded to me by a very dear friend who works for a major news channel in Pakistan. His attachment with government circles has enabled me to provide this information.