|
|
 Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير (Re: HAYDER GASIM)
|
Separating myth from the reality in Pakistan
Haroon Siddiqui
Toronto's Star
Dec 29, 2007 04:30 AM
In 1999, George W. Bush was asked in an interview: "Can you name the general who's in charge of Pakistan?" The Republican presidential candidate demurred: "Wait, wait. Is this 50 questions?"
Pressed for an answer, he couldn't come up with the name but offered this gem: "The Pakistani general, he's just been elected, not elected, this guy took over office. It appears this guy is going to bring stability to the country and I think that's good news for the subcontinent."
Bush now knows Pervez Musharraf well. But his assessment of "this guy" as the font of "stability" and "good news" hasn't changed all that much
Bush, however, is not the only one living in the kingdom of clichés
It is instructive to decipher the political and media hieroglyphics on Pakistan, as our political and journalistic classes echo each other.
There is a stark contrast between the Oprah-like tales we are told here and the reality there, especially about Musharraf and the late Benazir Bhutto
Here was a woman who had returned to lead a Muslim nation – a representative of our democratic and secular values who would take on "the Islamists."
A Daughter of the East (the title of her 1989 autobiography) had become the Daughter of the West (the title of an essay by Tariq Ali in the Dec. 13 issue of the London Review of Books, mocking her "arranged marriage" with Musharraf, with Washington playing the match-maker – "the bride was in a hurry, the groom less so.")
First, the notion of a woman leader of Muslims is not all that new
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Turkey – the first, second, third and fourth most populous Muslim nations – had women leaders long before Germany got its first woman chancellor (in 2005), while the U.S. and much of Europe are still ruled by men
Pakistan's national parliament has had a higher proportion of women than Canada's, and a full third of Pakistan's elected municipal councillors are women, a record far superior to ours, America's and Europe's
Bhutto was autocratic. Her Peoples Party had little or no internal democracy and it had the barest minimum platform
She once opined about Quebec separatism that if she were in charge of Canada, she would have ordered in tanks and troops long ago
In her two tenures as prime minister, she proved the queen of nepotism, packing the courts with friends and naming her husband Asif ("Mr. Ten Per cent") Zaradari as minister of investment
It was under her watch that the army helped create the Taliban in Afghanistan and she approved of their takeover of Kabul in 1996
The words and symbols she used for her late father, ZA. Bhutto (hanged in 1979 by a military dictator) were right out of Shiite religious lexicon. He was "shaheed," a martyr. His domed mausoleum in Sindh province, where she herself was buried yesterday, is a shrine with green chadors and genuflecting sycophants
Musharraf, too, has been adept at playing us, even though terrorism, militancy and Islamism have all gone up in his tenure
By the time he imposed emergency rule last month, American politicians and pundits – and sadly their Canadian counterparts were united in what he needed to do: doff uniform, give up his job as army chief, lift the emergency and call an election
Done
Except that his was still an authoritarian rule
He transferred several powers with him to the (civilian) presidency. He still chaired the powerful National Security Council. He suspended portions of the constitution
The courts remained neutered. The election commission remained subservient. The electoral rolls remained unupdated, with nearly 10 million unverified entries. Campaigning politicians and journalists have new marching orders on what they can or cannot say
Asma Jahangir, Pakistan's leading human rights lawyer, sent me an agonizing email Dec. 4 from her home in Lahore: "It appears to the outside world that Mush is moving towards a transition but, in fact, he has strengthened his grip as a civilian president and remains backed by the military."
But North American politicians and editorialists pronounced themselves satisfied that the election was on. With Bhutto's assassination, they are still of one mind that the election that never was must go ahead
Bush: "Musharraf has kept his word. ... He's truly somebody who believes in democracy."
Stephen Harper: "Our role is to continue to press the government of Pakistan to continue on the path of restoring full democracy."
That's exactly what Musharraf says he is doing
In repeatedly backing the wrong horses, and believing our own notices, we've managed to almost run out of options. Ironically, Bush et al have helped Musharraf make his claim: that he is the West's best bet
There is no easy way out. The long journey to the right policy must begin with an examination of many of our facile assumptions.
Haroon Siddiqui, the Star's editorial page editor emeritus, appears Thursday in World and Sunday in the A-section. Email: hsiddiq@thestar
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
| العنوان |
الكاتب |
Date |
| بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:51 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:52 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:53 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:54 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:55 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 00:56 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 01:10 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Ahmed Abdallah | 12-28-07, 01:13 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | ثروت سوار الدهب | 12-28-07, 01:13 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 01:20 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 01:30 AM |
 Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Abubaker Ahmed | 12-28-07, 01:33 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-28-07, 01:38 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Alsa7afa_30 | 12-28-07, 01:42 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Alsa7afa_30 | 12-28-07, 01:45 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 03:06 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | برير اسماعيل يوسف | 12-28-07, 03:19 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | عبدالأله زمراوي | 12-28-07, 03:42 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 03:45 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Tragie Mustafa | 12-28-07, 04:04 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 04:36 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 04:39 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 04:43 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 04:51 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 05:20 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 05:32 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Ahmed Alim | 12-28-07, 05:27 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 07:33 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Aymen Tabir | 12-28-07, 07:51 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | amin siddig | 12-28-07, 09:05 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-28-07, 10:53 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-28-07, 08:00 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | hamid brgo | 12-28-07, 08:24 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-28-07, 09:04 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | غادة عبدالعزيز خالد | 12-28-07, 04:46 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | طلعت الطيب | 12-28-07, 05:06 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | omer abdelsalam | 12-28-07, 05:08 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-28-07, 06:32 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-28-07, 07:07 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | طلعت الطيب | 12-28-07, 07:37 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-28-07, 07:49 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Osman Musa | 12-28-07, 08:00 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Muna Khugali | 12-28-07, 08:25 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | AMNA MUKHTAR | 12-28-07, 11:53 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 03:33 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 04:26 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 04:33 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | على عمر على | 12-29-07, 04:35 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 05:27 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 05:50 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-29-07, 06:36 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 06:58 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-29-07, 07:01 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-29-07, 07:33 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-29-07, 08:03 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | hamid brgo | 12-29-07, 08:51 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | شول اشوانق دينق | 12-29-07, 10:31 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | أبو ساندرا | 12-29-07, 10:59 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-29-07, 09:12 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | محمدين محمد اسحق | 12-29-07, 10:22 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 01:11 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 01:23 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | طلعت الطيب | 12-30-07, 02:45 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 03:03 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | طلعت الطيب | 12-30-07, 03:14 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-30-07, 03:23 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | طلعت الطيب | 12-30-07, 03:30 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | نادر الفضلى | 12-30-07, 04:21 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 04:49 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-30-07, 07:48 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 07:35 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-30-07, 07:55 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-30-07, 08:04 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-30-07, 08:05 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | abubakr | 12-30-07, 03:12 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 12-30-07, 03:27 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | معتز جعفر الحسن | 12-30-07, 06:45 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | HAYDER GASIM | 12-31-07, 08:32 AM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Amira Osman | 01-01-08, 02:28 PM |
| Re: بناذير ... والشر يستطير | Mohamed Omer | 01-03-08, 03:44 PM |
|
| |
Mohamed Omer
فيس بوك
تويتر
انستقرام
يوتيوب
بنتيريست