Salaams folks,
finally it seems it is time when the nation gets together and re-elects former looters! Afterall, Benazir and Shareef brothers have only looted Pakistan four times…why should we believe that they would do it the fifth time? Obviously they have “repented” and shall bring “prosperity” and “good governance” (wink wink). Reminds me of the following words of Nixon:
“The Pakistanis,” says former U.S. president Richard Nixon, “are straightforward and sometimes extremely stupid.”
I am totally devastated that our people have voted in great numbers for a thief like Zardari and a chor like Shareef! Our nation truly has a very short memory. People tell me that its because of a lack of education, I don’t buy this anymore. The reason people have voted back the looters is because they themselves are morally bankrupt creatures of the modern age. Truly if economic disaster comes to Pakistan as a result of the new looting – which is probably already underway – we would have no one to blame but ourselves.
I am reminded of the following hadeeth of the Prophet (SAW):
The believer is not stung from (the same) hole twice.
(Reported by Abû Hurayrah. Sahîh al-Bukhârî, vol. 4, Kitâb al-Adab, Chapter: Lâ Yuldighu-l Mu’minû Min Juhrin Marratayn)
Subhan’Allah, this is a sad reflection on our Pakistani people. We have so much lost our link with our Islamic spiritual heritage that it matters to us not whether we be stung again and again.
Just sickening…
++++++++
© Musharraf Supporters 2008 All rights reserved
Musharraf Supporters 
I was hanging out with Dawn News and as the unofficial results poored in I was almost in mourning WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE THINKING….that sad truth is 1. they don’t remember and that was obvious by the outpouring of sentiment when the two crooks returned to PK (BB and NS) 2. They just flat out have grown tired of Musharraf. Right or wrong…it wasn’t about policies or campaign promises, it was about who’s affiliated with whom. I will say this….although I am concerned for the future of PK….at least the voice was heard……or, perhaps the “rigging” that the PML-N cried about worked!! (wink) I only pray that the new govt. isn’t capable of tearing down the growth of Pakistan…..i.e. the people now have the muster to stand up for what they have-before they didn’t have anything!
By: wendeth on February 20, 2008
at 5:06 am
I like your comments, I wrote a similar note on facebook earlier. If only all the people woudl think like we do : /
By: Zaresh on February 20, 2008
at 12:54 pm
Salam,
The vote turnout was around only 30%. Pakistanis are frustrated, especially with the issue of terrorism and the Red Mosque confrontation last year. They don’t really see any other alternative. They rather see looting as opposed to the killing, violence, and terrorist attacks that have proccupied the country.
The problem is that the eilte and rich are in power; they take advantage of the uneducated by making false promises and thus win their support. The poor and middle-class citizens are so pre-occupied with daily matters, such as survival and getting food on the table; they want economic prosperity, peace, and stability, and without thinking rush to choose their leaders. The process of thinking and analyzing the politics of their country is not given much time, for they are pre-coccupied with many other matters.
It will hence take a while for Pakistan to stabilize itself through a functional democracy. PPP’s promised democracy we today see is monarchial: PPP’s chaimanship was handed down to Benzazir’s son Bilawal after her death. Is this really a democracy or disguised monarchy???
~ Amna Ahmed
By: Amna Ahmed on February 20, 2008
at 6:57 pm
Amina, the voter turnout was 45.56% official according to Election Commission Pakistan.
By: M.R.B on February 20, 2008
at 10:03 pm
Amna,
It’s interesting you use the Red Mosque and terrorism as excuses for the voter issues. Aside from the losses in the NWFP, no one was choosing looting over violence and killing. Quite frankly, a lot of violence and killing is done by the voters themselves!!! Those being attacked by the “terrorists” are the police, military and other like organizations…which proves the fact: if anyone dare attempt to stop them they will retaliate. So, it seems by what you’ve said-if it’s true, the voters would rather no one attempt to squelsh such activities….however, I think THAT mentality is proven false by (as I mentioned) the way the voting turned out in the NWFP.
No one cared about PML-N and PPP aside from their names…..they didn’t listen to issues, who even knew the issues????
I do agree there is difficulty in the “middle class”, but I am saddened that those very people were the majority who stayed home (if research is correct).
By: wendeth on February 21, 2008
at 4:17 am
Salam to all,
First of all, i would like to give credit and salute the creator of this blog. The efforts and knowledge he has put into this, is just brilliant.
Yes, unfortunately, our nation has yet again selected these chors and looters. But this time their decision to elect them was made easy by the ongoing propaganda against our President and current governement.
This propaganda is formed by our media and opposition parties together.
Most of our nation’s majority consists of uneducated people, while the ones who are educated, have fallen into the hole of self-interest and personal agendas.
I just hope Pakistan rises to its potential, and that President Musharraf remains president and continues the gr8 work and development, which was never seen in the years before 1999.
By: Adil on February 21, 2008
at 4:19 pm
Wendeth,
You misunderstood what I was trying to say, perhaps because I used the wrong term (ie. looting) I am refering to the money laundering scandals in the Bhutto & Sharif era, not the looting or rioting on the streets.
Red Mosque has affected Musharraf’s popularity, as the operation against it was covered by both foreign and local media and it recieved much publicilty especially since it was in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad. They viewed the confrontation as the military fighting against its own people (or Musharraf verses the people).Pakistanis were hence provoked with anger and disgust.
As for statistics on vote turnout (around 30-40%), according to USATODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-02-18-pakistan-results_N.htm
Election Commision of Pakistan is obviously more reliable with the 45.56%
The statistics do show however that ther was’nt any major turnout.
By: Amna Ahmed on February 22, 2008
at 12:53 pm
Amna,
45.56% is a very well turnout. In 1997 the turnout was 35% in which Nawaz claimed he got 66% majority.
Also plz do keep in mind that this 45.56% is of an increased registered voter list. The Election Commision has enlisted millions new voters this year.
By: A.B on February 22, 2008
at 5:27 pm
A.B.,
It may be a good turnout in comparison to previous elections. You’re right; it is significant progress.
Yet, I wish it were around 70-80% like countries such as the UK, Ireland, and Israel. I would consider something in that range to be a major voter turnout.
But we have to give Pakistan some time to heal; its only been 60 years since it’s been established and its environment is certainly very different from other countries who have significant voter turnouts. At least Musharraf is giving democracy a real chance, in contrast to our previous leaders.
Why then is Musharraf considered a ruthless dictator by his own population? Analyzing closely this situation, is he not opening the doors to true sustainable democracy and allowing for free press and media for the first time in the history of Pakistan?
By: Amna Ahmed on February 22, 2008
at 9:00 pm
Amna,
I understood you meant the looting of the previous governments. No worries.
The problem with the Red Mosque situation, as usual, shows people do not use their minds in this country. And, if it would not have been Musharaaf (who was already loosing ground in the public eye), or if he would have still been AS popular as before, then the backlash of that incident wouldn’t have been as severe. The fact is, those people were causing havok on the people in the area…and the people were not please with the actions of those inside the mosque. There were also parents of children inside there who were begging for the release of their young ones, something ignored by those inside. The fact that the situation was covered so widely should have been able to prove to the people that (just about) every action was taken to keep it from getting out of hand…..it was the “last resort” scenario which unfortunately had to happen. Let us not forget, it was the “beloved” B.B. who was in FULL support of military/police action taken by Musharaaf.
Those people who were released from the Red Mosque are not creating havok up north…..and while I do not believe that bombs and guns solve “terrorism”, I do believe it’s time someone do SOMETHING. The fact remains, people look at the issue differently from how they respond. Everyone SAYS we need communication and answers, and yet their actions are either ignore it, or blow it up.
I am happy the people got out and voted in PK….30 or 45%, that’s still a decent number in pretty much any country these days…and it’s much greater here where people were (reportedly) not trusting or interested in the process. It proves, as usual, the press need to spend more time encouraging the masses rather than promoting negativity.
By: wendeth on February 23, 2008
at 4:18 am
Hello and Assalam Alaikum friends,
Brief comments concerning the Lal-Masjid saga: had the Lal-Masjid hooligans behaved the way they did in Saudi Arabia, then within hours the Saudi government would have bulldozed the area and arrested or killed all of them. Their (Lal0Masjid militants) behaviour would never have been tolerated. In Pakistan, however, despite the vandalism conducted by the Lal-Masjid militants, the authorities spent many months negotiating with them.
I recall that when the negotiations were taking place, a number of individuals I knew were lambasting the government and blaming them for not taking immediate action against the militants. And finally when the government had no choice but to reply with force, the same individuals began lambasting them for taking such an action and for not carrying out further negotiations! I believe that there was nothing the government could have done to satisfy such people.
The entire fuss was created over nothing – the demolition and relocation of some (unused) masjids (I wonder if these hooligans knew about the destruction of the Islamic heritage in Saudi Arabia!). Furthermore, these militants then began assuming the role of the police when they began marching into the market and burning video shops and beating up whoever they suspected was involved in an unIslamic activity. From what I know, Islamic jurisprudence does not allow people to take the law into their own hand. Only the authorities have the power to enforce the law and if you suspect something illegal is taking place, then all you can do is report it to the authorities. Besides these acts, these militants were armed with weapons and basically terrorising people living nearby.
I believe that God punished these militants for creating fitna in the land and humiliated them when, finally, their leader (elder brother of Ghazi) was caught trying to run away in a burkaa!
In light of the above, the Pakistan government did the right thing in removing these people from the scene. No nation should tolerate this type of terrorism. While it is true that many Pakistanis disapproved the government action, many also supported their action and understood the reasons behind it.
Finally, Amna, I doubt that most Pakistanis would label Musharraf as a ruthless dictator. If we consider the total number of votes, then parties aligned with Musharraf received its major portion (even though the PPPP and PML-N got more seats). This shows that not all Pakistanis have a negative view about President Musharraf. Many, if not all, still tend to support him.
By: uss017 on February 23, 2008
at 5:10 am
Thanks for the further analysis!
By: wendeth on February 23, 2008
at 6:25 am
True. I recall Musharraf excercising a great deal of flexibility when dealing with the Lal Masjid issue.
But unfortunately, innocent lives were lost in this conflict. This is why some even turned against Musharraf. However, understanding the complexity of the situation as well as the external pressures the government of Pakistan faced, I do not know of any better way of handling the situation. The Lal Masjiid clerics did not make a serious effort to preserve the innocent lives of those in the Mosque, and instead used their deaths for their political motivation to make Musharraf look “bad” and become unpopular amongst the people. I agree; it was in fact the clerics who were directly responsible for the chaos and the deaths of their own students, not Musharraf nor the military, who took every precaution to avoid casualties.
By: Amna Ahmed on February 23, 2008
at 7:06 pm
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