these same left wing fanatics promote the barbaery of slavery, feudalism, alcoholism, drugs, etc.

the moderate islamists are the ones fighting these evils, sadly corrupt secular fundamentalist extremists like you will never realize this as you hopelessly toe your corrupted ideals of debauchery, slavery, drunkedness, corruption, and feudalism.

stop with your secular fundamentalist extremism and realize that benazir is by far the most corrupt person in pakistan today

at least her father stayed in pakistan and faced the music for the murders he instructed, benazir killer her own brother and ran off to dubai driving her rolls royce around dubai and using her money to buy billions of dollars of real estate around the world

benazir is the definition of corruption

The anti-people, plutocratic status-quo supporting elite bombed the gathering. LET THERE BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THE FACT THAT PAKISTANI TALIBANS AND THEIR ALQAEEDA BRETHERN ARE “NOTHING” BUT AN UNOFFICIAL ARMY WORKING FOR THE INTERESTS OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES IN THE MIDDLEEAST, THE UNDEMOCRATIC MILITARY DICTATERSHIP- BUTTRESSED PLUTOCRACY AND A BUNCH OF INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVES AND DRUGS AND WEAPONS SMUGGLING BARONS IN THE NWFP AND TRIBAL AREAS OF PAKISTAN AND THE IR CONTROLED AREAS OF AFGHANISTAN. THEY ARE ONLY USING ISLAMIC SYMBOLS TO PROMOTE THEIR NAME, EASILY FIND NEW RECRUITS IN THE RELIGIOUSLY CHARGED CULTURES AND GET LEGITIMACY EVEN WHEN THEY GO ON RULING THE WHOLE REGION UNDEMOCRATICALLY/CRIMINALLY. PPP, with a strong legacy of pro-people, progressive and pro-labor and peasants and democratic traditions is the only party in Pakistan that can challenge the nexus of Mullahs, Generals, bureaucratic overlords, Intelligence and police dons, robber barons, Industrial magnates, trading tycoons, stock jobbing frauds and drugs and weapons smugglers . The grip of these overlords is very strong on the whole country and since the 9/11 events their symbiotic survival chain in which they are LIVING OFF A WAR ON TERRORISM AGAINST EACH OTHER has even successfully won international legitimacy. THE TTACK ON THE PPP GATHERING WASN’T ORCESTRATED BY THE TALIBANS IT WAS WREAKED AT THE BEHEST OF THEIR GODFATHERS IN THE PAKISTANI ESTABLISHMENT.
Take a stock of the casualties of the war on terrorism and things become very clear,

1 How many Pakistani generals or even brigadiers have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans. NONE (Please don’t be beguiled by the attempts on life, I come from a culture where I know that when REAL ATTEMPTS are made on someone’s life they hardly miss the targets).

2. How many Pakistani top bureaucrats ( Chief secretaries Dcos grade nineteen and above servicemen) have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans. None.

3. How many of Pakistan’s top police officials (SSP AND ABOVE)have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans. 2 or 3.

4. How many of Pakistan top intelligence operatives heads have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans None.

5.How many Pakistani politicians from the big mainstream parties and the so-called ruling parties (PML Q, PPPP and MQM) have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans . None.

6. How many of Pakistan’s ‘top clerics’ have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans . Just four.

7. How many people from the Arab royal families have died in the war on terrorism?
Ans. None

Finally HOW MANY COMMON PEOPLE FROM THE STREETS OF THE REGION HAVE DIED IN THE WAR?

ANS. 0.2 MILLION —-EXCLUDING THE CASUALITIES OF THE IRAQ WAR.

CONCLUSION
IT IS ‘NOT’ A WAR ON TERRORISM. IT IS A WAR OF TERRORISM AGAINST THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT OF THE REGION WHERE THE ISLAMISTS, THE MILITARY GOVERNMENTS, THE KINGS AND THEIR INTERNATIOANL BACKERS ARE ‘ONLY’ TARGETING THE POTENTIAL PEOPLE-FRIENDLY LEFTIST CHANGE (REVOLUTION) IN THE REGION.

AS FOR AS THE DEBATE ABOUT MISOGYNISM IN THE ARAB/AFGHAN OR PAKISTANI CULTURE THAT MIGHT DISAPPROVE OF LEADERSHIP BY A LADY (BENAZIR) IN PAKISTAN’S CASE IS CONCERNED. LADIES LIKE LAILA KHALID LED THE REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE FORTY YEARS BACK IN PALESTINE. IN OUR AFGHAN/PUSHTOON CULTURE IF NO MALE MEMBER IS LEFT TO AVENGE WRONGS DONE TO THE FAMILY YOU FIND LADIES STRUGGLING FOR GETTING JUSTICE. MAULANA FAZL-UR-REHMAN ONE OF THE TOP PAKISTANI CLERICS AND THE ERSTWHILE LEADER OF OPPOSITIN IN THE PAKISTANI LEGISLATURE JOINED A COALITION GOVERNMENT OF BENAZIR BHUTTO WAY BACK IN 1993 FOR WHICH HE GOT 9 MILLION PAKISTANI RUPEES IN THE SHAPE OF “A COMIC SEHRA DEAL (HE SOLD BENAZIR GIFTED NEW PAKISTANI -CURRENCY NOTES TO THE CURENCY LADEN WEDDING GARLANDS WEAVING TRADERS AND RETURNED THE OLD CURRENCY NOTES THAT HE HAD GOT FROM THE TRADERS TO THE BANKS!!!!!!) An INGENIOUS METHOD OF A WOMEN PRIMEMINISTER BRIBING THE MULLAH AND LEAVING NO TRACE OF THE UNDER THE TABLE DEAL.

NO BODY PRACTISES POLITICS OF PRINCIPLES/IDEALS IN PAKISTAN ! IT IS ALL A MAD RATRACE FOR MONEY . IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY AND RIGHT CONNECTIONS YOU CAN EVEN ARRANGE FOR THE MULLAHS BACKING CONDELEZA RICE FOR THE PREMIERSHIP OF PAKISTAN!

THE REAL HOPE FOR PAKISTAN LIES IN RAISING THE RIGT POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE MASSES THROUGH A VERY GOOD EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM and an INTELLIGENT USE OF A LEFTIST POLITICAL PARTY THAT APPROACHES THE MASSES WITH A NEW-LEFTIST CONTRACT ON THE MODEL OF THE LATIN AMERICAN LEFTIST PROGRAMME OR THE SOUTHASIAN MAOIST SCHEME refashioned for a Muslim country. Who so ever comes up with such a programme can become our new saviour a PAKISTANI JOAN OF ARC.

Musharraf’s rule reminds me a bit of Gorbachev – the glasnost, as speech bcame freer, and the media could criticise the Government with greater latitude. There is also the economic growth and US dollars instead of the economic sanctions which democracies tend to deliver. He seems much more with overseas Pakistanis than local Pakistanis who feel things have started to stagnate again. I think he is more politically corrupt than overseas Pakistanis tend to recognise.

Benazir and Nawaz Sharif are democrats like Yeltsin – mismanagement and kleptocracy, and mildly like Putin – media networks cowed into subservience for the ruling party.

Of all of them, Musharraf has done the most for a sense of democracy. Partly because he is more of a political pluralist, although it is pretty feeble and still corrupt in my opinion. Partly becaue the corruption involved in Bhutto and Sharif stints in power were more corrosive because they were called democrats as they undermined the ideals of democracy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7058543.stm

there seems to be an understanding floating around about ‘intervention’ as some sort of injection you give and then ‘lift-off!”. i swear there is a real lack about thinking abilities, and the reality of social and institutional interaction. Or just – implementation.

A lot of planners, and not enough plumbers clearly.

its all about the complex interaction of institutions and individuals, not one damn individual by themself, or one damn institution by itself. it aint easy, and it aint something you can ‘gun’ into people. ( which is why it was so obvious what was going to happen in Iraq).

HAVE WE NOT LEARNED ANYTHING?

Of course, European banks are ever happy to receive foreign money, tainted or not but Pakistanis should insist that the money be returned to the ocuntry forthwith.

go Imran! you da man!

Now that the baby snake has grown up to threaten its master, they have to confront it and kill it…. or it will take them into destruction.

Imran is more part of the raving Right Wing than loony Left Wing. For all his criticisms of BB and others, he has no problems in cosying up to the MMA nuts.

Pakistans best hope is with a democratically elected Musharaf/Aziz combination and BB/PPP as an effective opposition. BB in power would not work with the current situation.

I want to see democracy thrive in Pakistan, and I think that Bhutto returning is better than Bhutto not returning.

Which is fine – but strikes me as a little bit akin to sympathetic magic. The last time Bhutto was there (by this i mean just before she left), Pakistan might have been more democratic than it is now. There’s no evidence to suggest that she will help the present situation though. After all, her arrogance masquerading as statesmanship played its own part in getting Pakistan to where it is.

That said, she could pleasantly suprise us all. I wouldn’t hold my breath, and the circumstances that she’s returned in are hardly auspicious.

“Rather, I think it highlights that the reasons for invading Iraq, whether wiberal intervention, installation of democracy or what have you, were nominal at best.”

Elmer Fudd was said to be a strong supporter of the first one. Heh.

“And your high-minded altruism for democratic process shows itself to be muddled, misinformed and, sorry to say, simple ignorance of the circumstances by your support of a status quo, which is a military autocracy conjoined to a sham civilian facade of a feudal, elite family-based power brokerage.”

I want to see democracy thrive in Pakistan, and I think that Bhutto returning is better than Bhutto not returning.

And your high-minded altruism for democratic process shows itself to be muddled, misinformed and, sorry to say, simple ignorance of the circumstances by your support of a status quo, which is a military autocracy conjoined to a sham civilian facade of a feudal, elite family-based power brokerage.

In that sense, your choices are wholly consistent.

“But, I hate to remind you yet again, but you supported a military invasion of Iraq in order to rid the country of a repressive, authortarian, ex-military dictator; arguing that this was necessary to install democracy in the country.

And now in the case of Pakistan, not only are you choosing to ignore the grassroots democratic movement or reforms or forces who advocate the strengthening of democratic institutions, but you’re also willing to support the status quo of an authorotarian, repressive military dictatorship bolted on with the sham of a civilian component as a pretence of democratic norms.”

We both asked ourselves what would be best for Iraq, and what would be best for Pakistan? We came up with different answers, but that does not mean that either of our values are inconsistant. I support democracy in Pakistan, and the strengthening of institutions, and to this end I believe that the best way to achieve this is by Bhutto returning, and hopefully the institutions will also be helped. Saddam Hussein was far far worse than Musharraf, and if it had not been for gross American incompetence after the invasion things would probably be a lot better.