There was a story that if you give a razor blade to a non human primate, it would inflict fatal self harm. Our Great leader can accomplish the same with a microphone.
Death by Microphone:
Every time the Great Leader talks, he gives himself away. He is relatively better if he is working from a text prepared by someone else. He exhibits his most sublime superficiality if he is being spontaneous, when he is expressing his own thoughts. The recent examples are ‘Q-league will win’, ‘CJ is scum of the earth’ and ‘It would be nice if you beat up (Ziauddin) on my behalf’. ‘Benazir is responsible for her own death’. He recently promised the nation, that he would be holding regular weekly press briefings, so that no misunderstandings arose. By not keeping his promise, he has deprived the nation from a great deal of entertainment, and himself from a quick demise. He deliberately uses an affected Punjabi accent, in spite of his Delhi background, to blend in with his predominantly Punjabi constituency of Pakistan army. (Media ko main nay azadi di yay)
The End Game:
Musharraf is now more isolated than he has ever been over the past 8 years. The people have lovingly rubbed the faces of his closest associates in the ground. The army chief has sent clear signals to demonstrate that he wants to extricate the army from the current political mess. This may be a tactical retreat of the snout from the trough, and no doubt they will try to be back again, but it is a retreat nevertheless. Anyway, Musharraf is too much of a baggage for the army to carry, and it is in their interest to dump him as soon as possible.
The Americans:
If you read between the lines of the ‘statements of support’, you will note that the Americans are trying to carefully distance themselves from Musharraf. They are emphasizing the role of Musharraf in holding ‘free and fair elections’, reiterating ‘respect for the people’s choice’ and their desire for ‘continued co-operation’. They are taking credit for asking Musharraf to give up his army chief role, and ending the Emergency. In the meanwhile, they are cultivating Kiyani, and trying to ensure, that he will continue to do their bidding once Musharraf is gone. It is likely that the Americans have worked on this strategy since the end of last year, when Musharraf became increasingly unstable. It is not possible for the Americans to openly ditch Musharraf, because of the domestic fallout that the Bush administration will have to face, when they are accused of having their Pakistan policy in tatters. The shenanigans of the American officials in Pakistan after the elections, have been seen in Pakistan as blatant interference, and naked imperialism; and have done nothing to advance the American interests, but then they are probably playing to a domestic gallery and not for their national interests. I think they know that Musharraf is beyond salvage, and they are trying to ease the impact, by slowing down his departure, an exercise in damage control.
The New Parliament:
By giving mixed signals on the judiciary, and talking of a working relationship with Musharraf, Zardari is falling into the same trap, that Benazir fell into last year: throwing a lifeline to a drowning Musharraf and damaging his own standing. Her motivation probably was to have her corruption charges removed. Zardari may be amenable to the same manipulation. What he should realise is that there has been a sea change in the political climate after 27th of December and after 18th of February. He holds all the cards. It is much better that he takes the risk of the NRO, challenged in the restored Supreme Court, than to cohabit with Musharraf and risk splitting his party and giving the political initiative to Nawaz Sharif. At the moment he is in such an ideal bargaining position, that he can dictate his terms even to the Americans. Nawaz Sharif has been on the other hand, has been much more astute in reading the people’s mood, and brought about a complete transformation in the fortunes of his party. Whereas the people’s party politicians are using weasel words and doublespeak to be able to defer challenging Musharraf, the PMLN politicians are coming across as earnest and straight talking. Remember: you can not fool the people, remember Durrani (Ghalat Bayani)
The Judiciary:
In spite of the frenetic efforts of the establishment to cultivate a split in the lawyer’s movement, they are likely to win in the near future. The time is now to strike the final blow. Aitazaz’s call for a long march on the 9th of March was a master stroke; it has been undermined by the stupidity of Asma Jehangir and Justice Tariq Mahmood. The lawyers won last year not because of the action of the Supreme Court, but because a massive uprising, due to their own campaign. Otherwise the Supreme Court would have wilted before a brutal military regime, as it has done throughout its history. To ask for more time for the parliament to bed in is a mistake; it will bed in much better if there are millions of people on the streets to support it. Aitazaz, by deferring to the sentiments of some of his colleagues, has postponed his long march, again it shows the kind of genius he is. Now the People’s Party have the suddenly the ball in their court, and unless they deliver quickly, they will be shown up to be collaborators and not revolutionaries that they claim to be. The movement will not be reversed. How long can the judges be held prisoner? How long can Aitazaz Ahsan and Ali Ahmad Kurd remain under house arrest? When they are out marching tomorrow, and joined by the people in their millions, who will stop them? The Punjab Government headed by Shehbaz Sharif? or the federal Government headed by Amin Faheem? Who will wield the truncheons? who will fire the tear gas? Who will be the plain clothes thugs beating up the demonstrators? Will it be the Punjab Police or will it be the Pakistan Army? or will it be the goons of MQM?
The Media:
The banished media men and women are emerging from the shadows. The blaze of media exposure is deadly for the ghouls like Musharraf and his stooges. It has been refuelled and reinvigorated by their recent struggle against dictatorship and burns much brighter.
Musharraf is dead. He is just waiting to be buried. The whole world knows it. Even his best mate George Brain-dead Bush. It is time someone told him as well.
by Hakim Hazik
Please leave a comment below, also see: The People Have Spoken, In The Beginning There Was The Gun