Anas Imtiaz

Shahid Masood does it – AGAIN!

// August 31st, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Pakistan

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Nawaz Adliya!

// May 26th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Pakistan

And today, the judiciary is finally independent. Yeah right! The so-called Nawaz Azaad Adliya has delivered a verdict to allow the Sharif Sr. to contest the election paving the way for his premiership, according to a change in set up which is widely being talked about. The decision was expected, ofcourse. How can the judges not favour PML-N? They had been doing so even during Mushrraf’s regime. And after what Nawaz did for them, certainly they are indebted to the bald man and give something back to him.

My question remains that isn’t Sharif the same man who has an entire city made for his family in Raiwind? I mean, come on!! Is is the money of his own business? If so, then why doesn’t any other agricultural gets his own city? And what about an attempt to sack an army chief while he was onboard, and then hastily appoint a new one causing a rift in army? How constitutional was that? Oh, and the attack on Supreme Court? An attempt to become the ammer-ul-momineen? What about the retreat from Kargil sitting in the kitchen of White House? The other industrial and financial scandals seem too small to mention here.

But right, as Saad Rafiq says, ‘hum ne tobah karli hai’

All my previous doubts about the judiciary have come back now with this decision. If the judge can be brave enough to say NO to an army chief, he (and the team) should also be brave enough to point out corruption among the ranks of politicians esp. who are highly likely to grab the powerful seat in near future.

What I am glad about is that the 17th Amendmend bars a 3rd time premiership and with PPP not interest (not yet) in giving this away right now, Nawaz is unlikely to get his dream fulfilled unless ofcourse, the azaad adliya comes in to have its say on the controversial amendment.

Until then, Shahbaz Sharif can take the place instead of brother and give it to him when the obstacles are removed.

So much for adliya ki azaadi!

Sharif, A Destroyer of National Institutions – Hamid Gul

// March 1st, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Pakistan, Politics

It is interesting to note how people tend to forget their affiliations with time. Almost ten years ago, Lt. Gen (r) Hamid Gul vehemently supported the military coup and said that the people of Pakistan have rejected both Bhutto and Sharif. He opposed the Sharif government and described his sacking of the then Chief of Army Staff as unconstitutional. Turns out, Sharif is the man that he now loves.

Obviously many of my dear readers will not believe what I’m saying, therefore I’m providing an audio link to BBC and the news article as well. Honestly, its not a surprise at all to me. How can we believe in such people, or even listen to them given what they have done in their past? And if they claim to have repented, then so did Zardari and Sharif, and their promises!

Hamid Gul, speaking to coup, on Oct 1999 coup: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/470000/audio/_473950_gul.ram

News Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/473297.stm

So What If Sharif Brothers Are Disqualified?

// February 26th, 2009 // 9 Comments » // Pakistan, Politics

I fail to understand why a ‘popular’ person cannot be disqualified in Pakistan. Why can’t a two-time Chief Minister and a two-time Prime Minister, elected with two-third majority, be disqualified? What is the fuss about the recent decision of the Supreme Court? So, what if Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified? People should know that he was already ineligible and the court has just witheld the previous verdict. Any why not? A sitting PM, who conspired against the army chief and tries to sack him in-air, doesn’t even deserve to taste power again.

A goon from this very party stated on TV that a politician cannot be disqualified by court. He can only be rejected by the awam. Yeah, and that will never happen in feudal politics! How conveniently he managed to score a point! If the courts cannot disqualify a politician, cannot try an armyman so what the heck is it for?!

Obviously, the current decision is politically motivated but I feel this should have happened long ago. Indeed, it did. There is no place for such a man in the politics of Pakistan.

We should all thank the Almighty that the crooked court has made a landmark decision to get rid of the second most corrupt man in Pakistan (after Zardari). The only thing to lament about here is that the two stooges (Sharifs) will now get lots of media attention and will continue to speak in the emotional, cry-baby style.

I, however, believe that Shahbaz Sharif may still make a comeback in the power politics. As for the elder Sharif, the doors are closed. He will remain as the head of his party, but hold no official post.

Now, coming to the political side of it, I believe this is a very risky move by the man who inherited the country from his wife’s will. Contrary to what others think, I’ve a feeling that this move has worked nicely so far. I saw Saad Rafique saying that the Long March of lawyers will now be transformed in to Pakistan Bachao Movement. This effectively will bring PML-N in to the limelight and the lawyers will take the backseat. There may be a ‘race condition’ as to who leads the movement and what is the objective of it putting everyone in confusion. This decision is also an attempt to restrict the support from Pubjab for the Long March.

PML-N have also called for mid-term elections, again which is something not required. Any sort of election at this point in time will result in a similar result as before. PML-N will not win anything in Sindh and Baluchistan, while PPP may lose ground in Punjab.

In conclusion, my view is that Shahbaz Sharif has become a victim of political vandetta while Nawaz Sharif got what he deserved.

Can Zardari Call Checkmate?

// February 14th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Pakistan

In a game of chess there are three possible ways of getting out of a check:

• Capturing the checking piece, with either the king or another piece.
• Moving the king to an adjacent square where it will not be in check.
• Blocking the check. This will only work if the checking piece is a queen, rook, or bishop and there is at least one empty square in the line between this checking piece and the checked king.

So far in the political chessboard of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has managed to exercise the second option to get out of Asif Zardari’s incessant and clever checks.

There exists an agreement among the analysts, journalists and the people of Pakistan that Asif Zardari is not governing the country but playing pure politics. There also exists the agreement that this is necessary for someone who was sidelined in the party by the chairperson and his own wife and that the best way to avoid threats from within the party and the aggression from opponents is to attack them. And there exists no doubt among all that Mr. Zardari is playing his cards, or making his moves, flawlessly.

I don’t intend to praise Mr. Zardari in this post for his masterful strokes, nor do I plan to vilify him with charges or corruption (despite the synonymous nature of the words Zardari and corruption). (more…)

PML-N Sucks!! *A MUST WATCH*

// February 13th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Pakistan

This is a must-watch program!!! Watch the complete talk show but if you’re in a hurry just fast forward 20min and watch the through the end. This goon from PML-N was even made a minister in the initial stages.

Click Here To Watch: In Session 29th January

The point here is that if someone hated the Musharraf era and the ministers of that time, is this the way to talk to them? Is this the fuckin democracy they all wanted? I absolutely loathe the Sharif Bros and Co. and this man has given me yet another reason to do so. The way he speaks shows his true colours and intentions. Right now they are talking in this manner to their opponents and if (God forbid) they get the government, they will talk to the people (awam) like this.

Democracy is all about listening to others and being tolerant. So why can’t these assholes do so? Have they forgotten the attempt to make Nawaz Sharif the ameer-ul-momineen?

And since they are so democratic, they should also know that there is a large population in Pakistan that loves Musharraf, and speaking in this manner they are indirectly insulting those people. If they think that Musharraf is to be blamed for all the problems, then the blame goes to Sharif who forced Jahangir Karamat to resign and brought in Musharraf as the COAS. So who is to be blamed? And then tried to fire him (while he was onboard) to bring another change in army leadership. Why was he so desperate? Obviously for that chair! So who’s to be blamed?!!!!!

The Way Forward For Pakistan?

// January 6th, 2009 // 15 Comments » // Pakistan

Despite my proclivity towards Gen. (R) Musharraf and his government, my extreme abhorrence for President Zardari and equally strong feelings of hatred fpr Nawaz Sharif, I would not like to see yet another military coup in the country now. My regular readers may label this a change in my thinking, but it is not. The reasons will be explicated as I present a background for this particular post.

Pakistan is currently surrounded by external threats. The problem of security is compunded with the internal threats. Electricity was always a problem in Karachi, now the whole country faces it. Petrol is mysteriously missing from various large cities. Stock Exchange is being restored to the position of October 99. Higher education sector has taken a bad blow. Political rivalries of the 90’s are back with full throttle. One man is running the show in Pakistan, despite it being a democracy. The list is just endless.

There are calls from certain quarters demanding the topple of the present setup. It is, indeed, extremely unlikely to continue the full tenure (which I guess the ruling elite realises and hence doing all personal favours in haste). Now let us suppose for a moment that the current chaotic conditions continue, pressure grows and Pakistan Army steps again to take control and vow to bring back the country on track. It will be welcomed by the people (again) and they will regret it later, as usual. An army interference at this stage is not a solution because then the politicians will have yet another chance of saying rightly that they weren’t given a chance. For example, if Raja Pervez Ashraf claims to end load-shedding by next year (my understanding being an end to electricity will mean no load-shedding), and the government is being toppled then he can say that he wasn’t allowed to finish his mission. So, the army should exercise patience and let the politicians stay in power for five years. (more…)

Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui: PML-N Loyal Judge?

// August 28th, 2008 // 8 Comments » // Pakistan

Justice (R) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui is widely touted as one of the few judges who refused to take oath under the first PCO in 1999. For his strong reputation of standing against the dictatorship, Nawaz Sharif has allured him in becoming the PML-N’s presidential candidate.

The name did ring a bell so I decided to check some historical background of PML-N’s candidate, that before the 1999 coup.

A judicial crisis similar (in intention) was seen during the second tenure of Nawaz Sharif when the PM was hell-bent on removing the Chief Justice of the time Justice (R) Sajjad Ali Shah. To do the honors, Nawaz divided the judges of the Supreme Court and the war against the CJ was led by our dear candidate Justice (R) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui.

Judges vs. judges [Wikipedia]

In his self-imposed war against the Chief Justice, Nawaz Sharif succeeded in dividing the judges into two camps. The group of judges that sided with the Prime Minister said openly that if Justice Sajjad Ali Shah gives up trying cases against Mian Nawaz Sharif, they will accept him as the Chief Justice. The infamous Article 58(2)(b) a.k.a Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was restored and suspended within minutes by two separate benches of the apex court assembled against each other. A 3 member bench headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah suspended the operation of the Thirteenth Amendment restoring the powers of the president to dissolve the National Assembly, a verdict which was within minutes set aside by another 10-member bench.The 10-member bench headed by Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui granted stay against the chief justice’s order minutes after it was passed, even without receiving any formal petition or the copy of the order. All efforts to resolve the judicial crisis failed as both the judges’ groups stuck to their stance and issued separate cause lists.The dissident judges, who do not acknowledge Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as chief justice, issued a fresh cause list for 15 members’ full court session. The full court, headed by Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, took up petitions questioning the validity of chief justice’s appointment.

Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui was reportedly rewarded by Sharif at that time for successfully lobbying against the CJ and getting rid of him. The tilt of Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui towards PML-N is quite obvious, and it is not a surprise when he is nominated as PML-N’s candidate partly in an attempt to show loyalty towards lawyers’ movement. The reality however will remain that Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui was a PML-N loyal judge and is now (un)officially part of the PML-N political party.

So each and everyone who is vying for power has a blotted character in this country. Who’s clean?? Shehzad Roy’s song provides the answer:

Naik woh hai jisko moqa nai mila

Welcome Back To 90’s

// August 25th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Politics

It didn’t take long for Nawaz Sharif to declare an open war against PPP. This was the script of the show with the departure of Pervez Musharraf, the reason PML-N stayed in the coalition for so long. Now that Pervez Musharraf is out, they had to oppose PPP to continue their politics, mostly that of confrontation.

The ground is all set for the battle in Punjab, which is the most important province to conquer if one is to sustain a government in center. The appointment of Salman Taseer was a key indication of PPP’s foresight.

Nawaz was quiet all along and kept hanging on just to jam all ways of PPP’s alliance with Pervez Musharraf. Now that his agenda is fulfilled, it didn’t take him long to part ways with his bitter enemy.

Many bloggers predicted this the day Musharraf resigned. Ammar talked about the start of a cat-fight, which is precisely what is happening between the two parties.

The stage is set for the next showdown in Punjab. PML-Q will play the role of kingmaker, as their alliance with any of the two parties will decide the fate of the government.

Its neither the issue of judiciary nor the choice of president that have caused this coalition to break but the imprudence and incompetence of this lot of politicians has resulted in the failure of this coalition. They were never sincere with the issues of the people, all they wanted was to get rid of Musharraf and get a share of power to fill their pockets. The provincial assemblies are busy criticising Musharraf and endorsing Zardari, completely ignoring the issues of the people of Pakistan.

This has always been the real face of these political parties and those who believed in a certain change of betterment after 18th Feb were living in a fool’s paradise.

The parties are busy playing the dirty game of politics with the camouflage of democracy. This should remind us the last few words of our former President:

Pakistan Ka Khuda Hafiz

Can’t Help Admiring Zardari

// August 24th, 2008 // 8 Comments » // Politics

No matter how much I hate him, I have to admire the man for his moves, courage and foresight.

First of all, despite the whole world labelling him as a notorious politician, corrupt, murderer and everything else, he never admitted any of those crimes. He went on to stay in prison for eleven years even when he had offers of exile. He kept his cool, stuck in, knowing there was light (and a lot of it) at the end of the tunnel.

He started his new era of politics on the back of Benazir’s death. On the front he continued to boast Nawaz Sharif as his big brother knowing very well that the coalition is temporary and hence preparing the ground for PML-N’s disgrace at the back-end.

A close analysis of the presidential issue shows that at first it was PML-N  who wanted Musharraf out of the scene, but the way our dear President bowed out gave most of the credit to PPP rather than PML-N.

While the judiciary issue is the backbone of PML-N’s current success Zardari made numerous promises and then backed out leaving the fool Sharif standing in no man’s land. This has dented PPP’s reputation undoubtedly, but PML-N’s popularity is also hurt by this tactic of Zardari.

This is politics at its best. To dent PML-N further, Zardari created an environment where PML-N is left with no option but to quit themselves, and in case the system is wrapped it, the blame will go squarely on PML-N for destabilising a democratic government.

Zardari, as president, can also reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhry as th CJP because the president has some protections of not facing all those cases of corruption. So President Zardari will have no fear of NRO being revoked by the judiciary. And then he can also take the credit of restoring the judges himself.

He has forced PML-N in a closed chamber having Salman Taseer in Punjab and now having talks with PML-Q for support.

All this is leading to the politics of 90’s, which we all detest. But we have to admire Zardari for excellent political gambits. Despite all such political excellence, I, and most of us, will continue to hate Zardari!