This is the reality…

This is taken from BBC Website : http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2007/11/14/karachi_cambs_feature.shtml

By contributor Andrew Webster

Andrew, from St Neots, is living in Pakistan – a country officially in a State of Emergency. Writing from Karachi, he tells us what it’s really like and says that the West’s perception of the situation is very different to the reality…

If there is one thing I would say about living in Pakistan, it is ‘expect the unexpected’ and this was never more true than the moment I was told that General Musharraf had just placed Pakistan under a ’state of emergency’.

Situations like this are accompanied with great uncertainty. What does this mean? How is this possible? What is going to happen next? No answers seemed apparent to me, at least not in that moment. Such uncertainty is followed by panic, especially if you are a 23 year old British citizen newly settled in Pakistan. Am I in danger? Will I have to leave? What must my family be thinking?

Looking for answers you check the news. However more panic sets in when you find that nearly all news channels have been suspended. This is a world alien to me, a world I had only ever read about in the newspaper, a world of social uncertainty and political rights abuse that is to be condemned and avoided at all costs. Many have asked what it is like to be in a country like Pakistan at such a time using words such as ‘terrifying’, ‘unimaginable’ and ‘crazy’.

Well I am sorry to have to tell you that this is the point at which I shatter your illusions. In the moments following my anxiety and initial panic I was immediately reassured by the Pakistani students with me.

• Watch: Pakistan – the path to emergency (BBC News) >

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Although surprised by the decision of their president and uncertain of the future, they shared none of my anxiety, none of my fear and none of my panic. For them, this situation was bad especially for Pakistan’s image, but it would resolve itself regardless of what they did and no matter what happened life would go on… and it has.

This is the reality of the situation and the reality I want to share. In a context where Pakistan is seen as a place to be feared, a place overrun by extremism and a place rife with corruption and political instability I hope to be able carve a slightly different picture, a picture which shows that front page news does not define a country or its people. But first I should explain who I am and why I am here…

Why choose Karachi?

I was brought up in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire where I attended Longsands College before moving on to study Political Science at the University of Birmingham. While at university I got involved with the world’s largest student run organization AIESEC. AIESEC runs a leadership development programme in which students across 1400 universities based in 100 countries arrange internships for international graduates to gain work experience.

 

 

“Karachi is this random assortment of mess that seems to work” – Andrew Webster

While in Birmingham I helped organize internships for graduates from Kenya, Taiwan, China, USA and Poland and by the time I graduated the opportunity was available for me to do the same. So I chose a 12 month communications internship in a Karachi based financial services company. A strange choice for many, but it didn’t feel so strange to me.

As someone who had studied politics and spent some time travelling I wanted to live in a country completely different to my own, a country that would challenge my opinions and beliefs every day and a country that was politically exciting. It has to be said that Pakistan ticked all the boxes and since arriving 3 months ago I have had the most eye opening experience of my life.

The culture shock…

For a start there was the initial shock, the shock of being in a country so diverse and so different to the UK. Everything is so structured in the UK, but Karachi is this random assortment of mess that seems to work. Although not charming to look at (or smell) it’s character is dynamic, diverse and exciting. Cars drive wildly along the roads, beggars and hawkers aimlessly wander the streets, there are dirty cafes next to posh office blocks, and rickety old roads being driven on by fast Mercedes Benz.

The first thing I saw stepping out of the airport was a McDonalds, the western world’s symbol of capitalism, the second thing I saw was a rickshaw – the Asian world’s answer to inner city transport.

Karachi is a modern mix of commerce, culture and wealth. On the one hand you have multi-million pound businesses, rocking house parties complete with alcohol and more wealth than I could ever have imagined. On the other you have street children selling flowers, conservative Muslim households and poverty driven desperation shown by servants in the office and beggars on the street.

Karachi is a weird and wonderful mix, a place to be embraced rather than feared and a place I feel completely comfortable and safe to be in. My average day consists of a mixture of home comforts such as music, movies and fast food and foreign customs such as Islamic culture, electricity blackouts and scorching heat.

This isn’t the Pakistan I imagined, the Pakistan I read about before I came. It is far more cosmopolitan, far more progressive and far friendlier than I could have ever imagined.

Suicide bomber

However, to say that the social situation has no effect on life here would be wrong. Three weeks ago a suicide bomb in Karachi killed 140 people and something like that can’t be ignored. For the two days that followed there was this eerie feeling of fear and uncertainty on the streets.

But this was an example of the political situation being thrust onto the everyday man. In general people feel detached from the political games being played out in front of their eyes. It is not the general public that is protesting against the state of emergency, they see little point in comparison to the risk, but it is the lawyers, the party leaders and the journalists that are out on the streets.

I imagined the country splitting at the seams and a mass uprising when emergency was declared but this simply has not been the case despite how it may look on the television. And although this makes for a safer Pakistan, it is also a shame for Pakistan. Living in a country where people feel powerless against what their political leaders decide is depressing.

Democracy – it’s about the people

At the moment the state of emergency is seen as the problem by the UK and USA, but it merely exemplifies a bigger problem, a problem that is not acknowledged by either the media or the UK government. Democracy isn’t about an election, democracy is about confidence among the people that their opinion matters, that they have a stake in their country’s future and that their rights are protected by something bigger than a president or prime minister. In the context of a state of emergency and a war on terror these basic principles seem to have been missed somewhere.

The development of these new perspectives has become central to my experience in Pakistan. I am very aware that the experiences I am having within the country are very different to the perception currently held in the UK which I think makes my opinion all the more important to share.

But as a general request I would say to you, try and look past the front page news and keep an open mind towards a country and culture that is not quite as alien to our own as we first might think. Because in all honesty as strange as it may sound, I can’t think of a place I would rather be than Pakistan at the momen

The export oriented industrial city of Sialkot had long felt the need of an international passenger and cargo airport. The nearest one was in Lahore which is about 125kms away. The federal government promised the industrialist of Sialkot an international airport but due to lethargy, red-tapism and indifference by the government, no work could be started. Finally, tired of foot-dragging, Sialkot’s industrialists in the late 80’s agreed to build the airport themselves and sought the federal government’s approval. On February 2 2001. approved was granted after a decade of negotiations with the federal government and construction of an international airport at Sialkot for passenger and cargo traffic began. A team of directors were approved, under the chairmanship of Mian Muhammad Riaz (CEO of Dr. Frigz International & three times chairman for SIAL) all of whom placed personal wealth into the project as a primary investment. Each director on the board had previous experience of running sizeable and successful enterprises, therefore they were all selected due to this knowledge. Also, with Rs 5 million of personal investment in the project by each one of them, the directors had a direct stake in its profitability.  On February 26 2001, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan with the approval of Ministry of Defence for the construction of the international airport in Sialkot.

By March 24 2005, Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) formed under the auspices of the Chamber. On March 26 2005, The first plane landed on the newly constructed Sialkot International Airport runway, that was built to handle a fully loaded Boeing 747 as SIAL future plans involved dealing with heavy aircraft for cargo imports and exports. PIA test flight PK-613 landed at the Sialkot International Airport on oct 20,2007. First and biggest ever international airport constructed in the private sector in Pakistan, at a cost of over Rs 2.6 billion became operational on November 30, 2007.

PIA would start non-stop flight between Sialkot to Manchester, Dubai as well as Haj flights from Sialkot International Airport early in 2008. Airblue & Emirates are expected to operate early 2008.

We, the people, What we can’t achieve if we set our mind to do it. This is an example where people are doing the govt job

Unbelievable. President Bush tells ABC’s Charles Gibson that Gen. Pervez Musharraf “hasn’t crossed the line,” that he is “truly is somebody who believes in democracy” and has “advanced democracy in Pakistan.” Moreover, Bush noted that Musharraf has said there will be elections and today he released prisoners, and “so far I’ve found him to be a man of his word.”

I am not surpirse and expected this kind of statment from Mr. Bush as he might living in the deepen state of denial

What exactly would it take for the president to conclude Musharraf has crossed the line? let see

1) Suspend the constitution? (is that what bush consider not crossing the lines)

2) Impose emergency law? Beat and jail his political opponents and human rights activists?” . “He’s already done all that. If the Bush sees Musharraf as a democrat, he must be wearing the same glasses he had on when he looked in Vladimir Putin’s soul.”

3) Almost everyone in Pakistan who believes in George Bush’s vision of democracy is in prison today. Calling the man who put them in prison a great democrat will only discredit America among moderate Pakistanis and give Musharraf confidence that he can continue to defy the United States because Bush will forgive anything he does.”

Bush has no qualms at all about Musharraf’s jailing of the independent judiciary and replacing them with sock puppets, or clamping down on the independent media and political rallies. Sure Musharaff has released prisoners, including Imran Khan, but his police are continuing to arrest protestors every day, and other important opposition figures (including Aitzaz Ahsan and deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry) remain in detention. The reconstituted Supreme Court, packed with loyalists, is a travesty.

No wounder Pakistani Dictator has successfully fooled American leadership in the name of War on terror. They even can’t see what is crossing the line, and they want to fight against terrorism ……. huh.

 

While Pakistanis are protesting against the so called Emergency and attack on judiciary, the Harvard Law School has announced Medal of Freedom for Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary. Medal of Freedom is the highest honor of Harvard Law School and is awarded to individuals who have worked to uphold the legal system’s fundamental commitment to freedom, justice, and equality.

According to Harvard Law School’s Dean Elena Kagan, this award has been conferred to assure the solidarity of Harvard Law School with Justice iftikhar Chaudhary and Pakistan’s valiant lawyers in their heroic struggle. The previous recipients of this prestigious award include people like former South African President Nelson Mandela. I also found it pleasantly surprising that HLS have have NOT used word former Chief Justice for Justice Iftikhar even though our own Pakistani media is calling him former Chief Justice of Pakistan.

According to Harvard Law School website:

Following last week’s military crackdown in Pakistan and the detention of hundreds of lawyers, the Harvard Law School Association has decided to award Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry its highest honor: The Harvard Law School Medal of Freedom. Chaudhry was detained after he convened the Pakistani Supreme Court to declare the current state of emergency imposed by General Pervez Musharraf to be null and void.

Although Chaudhry has been placed under house arrest and is not free to leave Pakistan, Dean Elena Kagan has reached out to the chief justice regarding the award and hopes that he’ll be able to come to the Law School to receive it when the state of emergency is lifted.

“As lawyers who value freedom and the rule of law, we at Harvard Law School want Chief Justice Chaudhry and all of the courageous lawyers in Pakistan to know that we stand with them in solidarity,” said Kagan. “We are proud to be their colleagues in the cause of justice, and we will do all we can to press for the prompt restoration of constitutionalism and legality in Pakistan.”

Hundreds of lawyers and other critics of Musharraf have been detained since the emergency rule was established more than a week ago. HLS graduates and practicing lawyers in Pakistan Babar Sattar LL.M. ‘02 and Tariq Hassan LL.M. ‘76 S.J.D. ‘80 have spoken out in protest of the suspension of the constitution.

The Medal of Freedom was established by Harvard Law School to honor the achievements of individuals who have worked to uphold the legal system’s fundamental commitment to freedom, justice, and equality. To symbolize this commitment, the award bears the image of Charles Hamilton Houston, whose leadership of the crusade that culminated in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education exemplifies the highest ideals of our democracy.

Past recipients of the Medal of Freedom include the members of the Brown v. Board of Education litigation team and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

This article published in Telegraph UK (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/11/09/dl0902.xml)

Despite George W Bush’s rhetoric about freedom, the struggle against terrorism is provoking a reaction familiar from the Cold War and nowhere is that clearer than over Pakistan.

In the old parlance, General Pervez Musharraf is “our sonofabitch”. He has failed to stamp out extremist groups and close the madrassas that inspire them. He has allowed the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to fall into the hands of assorted jihadis. And he has sacked independent-minded judges for fear that the Supreme Court declare illegal his re-election as president last month.

Yet, despite this combination of incompetence and brutality, America and Britain continue to back him as head of what has a strong claim to be the most dangerous country in the world.

In order to broaden the government’s political base, their plan is for the general to doff his army uniform later this month and enter into a power-sharing arrangement with Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, after general elections in February.

If that ever comes to pass, it will bring together a soldier whose popularity has plummeted and a politician whose standing has been undermined by her willingness to cut a deal with him. And the prospects for its lasting are slim: Miss Bhutto and the military are like oil and water.

In short, the relationship between Gen Musharraf and the West is bankrupt. Valued as an ally after 9/11, he is now part of the problem. Under his dictatorship, Pakistan has become an increasingly ungovernable country in which moderate, secular forces have been sidelined to the advantage of the Islamists.

An alternative – an alliance between General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the army chief designate, and Miss Bhutto’s secular rival, Nawaz Sharif – seems neither imminent nor especially enticing. But that should not blind Britain and America to the fact that their “sonofabitch” in Pakistan is a spent force.

Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, ahead of a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president, thrusting the country deeper into political turmoil as it struggles to contain spreading Islamic militancy. Seven Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. The government blocked all television transmissions in major cities other than state-run Pakistan TV, and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut. The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order, a newscaster on PTV said, adding that Musharraf would address the nation at 6 P.M. GMT.

I don’t understand one thing, You are the one-in- all ruler of Pakistan from last 8 years, prime minister is yours, army is yours, everything is a puppet in your hand, but still YOU FAILED……. You are a failure, you failed to govern the country and now you want to do what every other asshole military dictator have done with the Pakistan. Raping the constitution.

President Musharaf – you want to take back my freedom of speech and freedom of expression by imposing PCO. I am not giving up; I will continue to do it any available mean, I will continue to register my protest against your greed of power. My forefathers did not take bullets on their chests so a no-good military dictator can dictate us, they did so their children can live where they can enjoy basic human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of everything.

 

You may think Pakistan may not survive without you, let me remind you, From Yahya to Zia, graveyard is full of people who thought the same…. Pakistan is there, these people are not. Just like any other militry dictator, you have learnt nothing from history. This time let the history teaches you the lesson in hard way.

 

I John Carter Cash, rebuff this PCO, because it conflicts with the very foundation of human rights, freedom of expression and the values this country built upon. This is the most condemnable act

Long Live Pakistan.

 

US policy toward Pakistan, in other words, is based on trust (if there is any). But too much trust is making Musharraf’s Pakistan a potential threat to long-term U.S. security.After 9/11, the United States needed Musharraf to help crack down on the Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives whose network spreads from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Musharraf, a general who overthrew an elected government eight years ago, understood that.

He has since sold himself as the indispensable dictator. He insists that his repressive leadership is all that prevents nuclear-armed Pakistan from exploding into fundamentalist turmoil.

Take just some of the latest developments. He has entered a pact with a tribal area (Bajur) to grant freedom from interference for a pledge not to shelter foreign militants — though similar deals with Waziristan have given the Taliban and al-Qaeda haven from which to mount attacks into Afghanistan. He has suspended his outspoken chief justice. And he is non-committal about ending his dictatorship as promised. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden and his top aides continue to hide out comfortably in Pakistan.

Those who know ISI well, they know that eliminating Taliban from the root only required a week or less. But Musharraf’s army will not do that, they are the one who created Taliban. Musharraf is successfully ‘fooled’ USA and Bush administration as bush allowed him to be fooled.

The U.S. goal has to be to make Pakistan less fertile for terrorism. That, in turn, requires a long-term strategy creating more opportunities for Pakistanis. A model exists in neighboring India, where democracy and education have helped create a technologically savvy middle class with a bright future. Benchmarks could be used, starting with kicking out Musharraf ass, closed the door for military dictator-ship and promote democratic pockets.

Untill Musharraf is ruling in Pakistan, US will get only ‘empty-promises’ nothing more then from Pakistan. If US want results, there must be resulted oriented administration in Pakistan and I don’t think so musharraf and results can be combined ever. His 8 years rule is full of failure and the recent move to impose PCO and emergency clearly indicates he is not sincere to fight with Taliban, but rather he have a good plan to make US administration fool.

This is taken from MSNBC

Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan ahead of a crucial Supreme Court decision on whether to overturn his recent election win and amid rising Islamic militant violence.

Eight Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. The government blocked transmissions of private news channels in several cities and telephone services in the capital, Islamabad, were cut.

“The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order,” a newscaster on state Pakistan TV said, adding that Musharraf, who took power in 1999 coup, would address the nation later Saturday.

Dozens of police blocked the road in front of the Supreme Court building, with the judges believed inside.

Bhutto, seen by many supporters as key to a possible return to democratic rule, flew from the United Arab Emirates, where she went to visit family just two weeks after she was targeted by assassins in Pakistan.

The suicide bombing at her homecoming parade following eight years in exile killed 140 people and was widely blamed on Islamic militants.

Earlier Saturday, Bhutto’s legal adviser, Farooq Naek, said she had gone to the Dubai International Airport, but that he was not sure where she was going.

The state TV report gave no reason for the emergency but it follows weeks of speculation that he could take the step. Military vehicles patrolled and troops blocked roads in the administrative heart of the capital.

The U.S. and other Western allies urged him this week not to take steps that would jeopardize the country’s transition to democracy.

During previous emergencies in Pakistan, a provisional constitutional order has led to the suspension of some basic rights of citizens and for judges to take a fresh oath of office.

“This is the most condemnable act,” said Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for the opposition PML-N party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was barred by Musharraf from returning to exile to Pakistan in September to mount a campaign against military rule.

“The whole nation will resist this extra-constitutional measure,” he said.

Private Geo TV network reported the eight judges rejected the declaration of emergency and ordered top officials, including the prime minister, and military officers not to comply.

Geo reported that the army had entered the court building, but the report could not immediately be confirmed.

Shahzad Iqbal, an official at a cable TV news provider in Islamabad said authorities were blocking transmissions of private news channels in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi. State TV was still on the air.

Musharraf’s attempts to control his country are just paper over cracks. The very unity of Pakistan is under threat, the wild borderlands of Waziristan where allegiances are to the ultra-conservative, rigid tribal system and not to Kabul.

Pakistan is about to descend even deeper into violence and chaos, as the front-line state in the war on terror prepares for an all-out offensive on the jihadi militants entrenched in Waziristan, the country’s lawless northern province. In what amounts to total war on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, President Musharraf is planning to bring the whole region under military control. This is a high-risk strategy, as the consequences of failure could be devastating for Pakistan. They could even lead to the break-up of the country.

Behind the headlines, the state’s contradictions and tensions are being tested to the limit. The arrival of Benazir Bhutto, supposed to help marshal the forces of moderation and reform, has increased political instability. Supporters of the other former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who plans a second attempt to return from exile to Pakistan in the first week of November, are preparing a mass campaign against Musharraf that could lead to political gridlock. And the president himself has given a general amnesty to corrupt politicians – an act seen as handing a tabula rasa to plunderers and murderers.

Bhutto returned to Pakistan on the basis of a “power-sharing deal” brokered by Washington and vaunted in the international media as a positive move towards democracy. But it is little more than a conjunction of self-interests. Musharraf describes the proposed arrangement as a “troika”, involving the president, the prime minister and the army chief of staff. The powers of the president, including being able to sack the prime minister at will, are to remain untouched for the next five-year term. Any premier would thus have little real power and would be forced to do the bidding of the other two members of the troika. A pliant prime minister with selected political parties on board means Musharraf remains in charge. The status quo is preserved.

In return for joining the arrangement, Bhutto’s two main demands are met: her Swiss bank accounts have been unfrozen and she gets to keep her skyscraper in Dubai and properties in England and the US; and the rule against her serving a third term as prime minister is waived.

Musharraf’s plans for the immediate future have two components. First, now that Bhutto has returned, he is determined to hold elections before mid-January. They will be “managed”, just as he managed the 2002 elections, by “seat adjustment” - this time to the advantage of her party. He expects Bhutto to deliver her “blind” followers from Sind and Punjab, largely poor peasants at the mercy of feudal landlords. The intelligence agencies and the army will do the rest and ensure the desired results.

Fear of suicide bombings will be a potent inhibition to voters from venturing into the polling booths. And given that large parts of the northern provinces are virtually no-go areas, it will be next to impossible to hold elections in that region.

The power-sharing arrangement was conceived as a ploy to paper over the gaping cracks in the country. After Karachi, it looks more like another contributory factor in a more turbulent and dangerous era for Pakistan. The intelligence services, elements of which may be responsible for the attack on Bhutto’s motorcade, are out of control. Suicide bombings have become an integral part of the militants’ strategy in Waziristan, both to undermine the political process and to demoralise the army. Whether one player, or even power-sharing players, ultimately subservient to Washington can retain control of this explosive situation is a moot point.