Your Blogger will concede that Benazir Bhutto can be extremely shrewd, cunning and politically savvy, but he nevertheless maintains that she has never been known to be overly bright. Take last week when she appeared gloating with new found confidence during an interview with Ayesha Tammy Haq on the Business Channel. Little did we know that she was about to attend a “non-meeting” with Musharraf in Dubai a day or so later. Anyone familiar with the current mood of the nation would have had second thoughts about such a venture; but not Benazir. By all accounts, despite the long faces of the PPP leadership in Pakistan, she appeared to be revelling at the ‘change’ in her fortunes.
It has taken her a fortnight or so to realise the price she has had to pay for her opportunism. Two days ago she finally admitted "we are risking our popularity even by having this dialogue." (Apparently the rushed trip of PPP’s local leadership - Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Farhatullah Babar and Raja Pervez Ashraf - to New York has managed to bring a dose of much-needed reality to her thinking).
The latest poll taken by BBC should make her think even harder. As the Daily Times reports:
According to a new BBC poll, Nawaz Sharif has emerged as the most popular leader of Pakistan. The late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has made to the second place while Ms Benazir Bhutto has been placed third after her father. Surprisingly, the generals have dominated the three lower positions of the poll: General Ayub is fourth, General Zia fifth and General Musharraf sixth …The PPP has slid because of the “deal” and PMLN has come up because of Mr Nawaz Sharif’s London APC and his party’s generally confrontational attitude.
Benazir Bhutto
Pakistan
8 comments:
What is the point of including dead people along with the living in a popularity poll? Surely we are not considering, like in North Korea, a dead person as a head of state? Ms. Bhutto does taint herself by associating herself with a military dictator. It is part of the political judgment she has to make whether it is worth that risk to ease Mr. Musharaff out of his difficulties. It is a bad situation and there may be no ideal way out.
Looks like Washington has figured - in its infinite wisdom - that it needs Mush to hound the Taliban and BB to give him political cover.
she has never been known to be overly bright. She's certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed - but neither Mush nor Nawaz Sharif labors under any serious intellectual burdens either.
What washington does not realize that its helping Pakistan in pushing towards extremism (not that it needs any push).
By interfering in political matters (condi rice's phone call, boucher's visit) they will risk branding Musharraf and Benazir as pro-america (again not that they need any help in that).
This will result in polarization of society into washington branded/recommended 'moderates' (Musharraf and Benzair) and extremists/islamists/obscurantists.
With anti-america feelings at peak; PML(N), PTI etc. will probably join anti-america coalition along with MMA and islamists.
In light of these, I think its obvious that US's misguided policy is pushing us towards islamism and extremism as well.
To understand the finer points of US policy and how they are affecting us, I would recommend RAND's report Building Moderate Muslim Networks (available online freely) and
http://opendemocracy.org/article/conflicts/middle_east/washington_hizbollah
imkhalil
the full link
http://opendemocracy.org/article/conflicts/middle_east
/washington_hizbollah
Have the people forgotten the utter misrule and corruption in the periods, two each of Benazir and Nawaz Sharif? Do they want the country to be plundered again with wanton disregard to national interests. If Pervez goes and if he is replaced by a commoner who feels, thinks and acts for Pakistan it makes sense but if we are to choose once again from the failed two villains then the third villain is a better choice. There should be a struggle against the feudal system that is at the core of all the ills in Pakistan. Who ever brings in land ceiling and does away with the land lords and the vested interests we shall bring him into power. Please we dont want the same villains again.
Have the people forgotten the utter misrule and corruption in the periods, two each of Benazir and Nawaz Sharif? Do they want the country to be plundered again with wanton disregard to national interests. If Pervez goes and if he is replaced by a commoner who feels, thinks and acts for Pakistan it makes sense but if we are to choose once again from the failed two villains then the third villain is a better choice. There should be a struggle against the feudal system that is at the core of all the ills in Pakistan. Who ever brings in land ceiling and does away with the land lords and the vested interests we shall bring him into power. Please we dont want the same villains again.
Anti American feeling? These Islamists should think again. Don't they know that Allah is just. He rewards only those who understand the ways of the world and take actions accordingly. We are suffering for the inaction or the misdeeds of The Arab World.
Only after I read The Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence of Arabia and The Desert King by David Howarth did I understand how easily Israel was created. Read and you will know how they acted like pawns in the hands of The British to throw Turks out. Once that was accomplished it was easy to make Israel.
Now Jews are a smart people. They work hard and first they research, think and then plan hard. They have invested hundred years on USA and also UK. They cultivated the minds of five generations and continue to do so.
If these Islamists wanted to do any thing they should first understand how the world works.
It rests on three pillars. The core power to be used as a deterrence, diplomacy most of the time and media 24x7 all the time. Do they do it? No.
Remember none of this terrorism will ever make a policy change. Things will get worse and worse each time. What will work is a long term persuasive effort.
USA had not invaded a single Muslim country untill 9/11. Take a good look at history. Had these terrorists done something to change matters of their own countries things could have been a lot better. They had no brains.
How could they when they were a product of a society that is not allowed to think independently and where there is no culture of learning, debates and difference of opinion. They have closed minds and can never think out of the box.
Please do not assume I am in any way supporting the aggressive actions of the present US regime and the way they totally unnecessarily went into Iraq and destroyed a whole country. For that USA must pay 5 trillion dollars to Iraq and Mr. Bush tried like in the Nurenberg trial. If the world does not do this then they are no different than the same terrorists that are responsible for 9/11.
Yet there is no need to be anti-American, there is a lot of good there and good people, however bad and foolish the present regime is.
For Pakistanis please do not die for these Arabs thinking they are Muslims. These Najadis do not even consider you as Muslims. Do not die for them please.
Resurrect yourself from a mundane ordinary existence to a phenomenal stalwart and ravishing personality with a new posh look garnered from the uk replicas watches available at the online Swiss watch market. These are just some of the better known brands which I mention although there are still lots of other branded men's luxury watches.
Post a Comment