From: jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca (Nadeem Jamali)
Subject: Re: God help pakistan
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 03:09:17 GMT
Organization: Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax, N.S.

In article <Nov21.232810.53306@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> ss733645@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu writes:
>In article <By1oqK.I1L@ecf.toronto.edu>, rairan@ecf.toronto.edu (RAI Ranjan) writes:
>|> In article <gf3JGxy00iV405p1kR@andrew.cmu.edu> Asad Iqbal <ac46+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>                          [12 lines deleted]
>
>Raj, I will try to answer your questions in sequential order and
>begins with the first one:
>
>|> 1)  Do you believe Pakistan would be better served with a democratic form
>|> of government?
>
>When you talk about Pakistan and its political structure then the
>first thing that comes into your mind is its political base.  Infact
>Pakistan has no political base that clearly fits into the domains 
>of democracy.  Being and Islamic country they have to have something
>different then the western democracy which in real time seems more
>practical to many of us.  But the truth is that,  Islam itself
>doesn't treat religion and affairs of state separetely.  So, the 
>political base has no specific meaning in an islamic system. They 
>have to have an envelope that covers both political and state
>matters of the country, which definitely is not the western
>democracy.  Now, if you consider their religion base it is as
>fragile as their political base.  One of the main reason, why army
>has ruled Pakistan more than its democraticaly elected people is that
>over the time and decades both religious and political parties have 
>failed to compromise on issues which might lead Pakistan to some psuedo
>western democracy. Pakistan and people of Pakistan can be best served
>if the members of legislative councils truely represents the people of
>Pakistan, which they unfortunately don't.   

Nonsense...

>
>|> 2)  If so, then considering the fact that Mrs. Bhutto is the only Pakistanii
>|> leader ever to be democratically elected, wouldn't you agree that she more
>|> than anyone else should lead the pro democracy forces
>
>Your if argument now has some more elseif's.  Well, there is something
>which is not totally correct.  Benazir Bhutto is not the only 
>democratically elected government.  She treats democracy as her slave 
>and tried to use it, where ever it suits more to her.  Her political 
>party has no democracy in it, itself.  Bhutto family is trying to main
>a dynasty in Pakistan and many Pakistanis can't afford it.  When she

If the people still elect Bhutto, what right has anyone got to challenge
that.

>was in power, she broke the democraticaly elected Balochistan assembly 
>with the support of an old army general (retired) and then later denied
>her involvement.  Its real pathetic that when you are not in power every
>wrong doing comes from the government side and when she was in power 
>that undemocratic act was not from the government but and individual
>act, means the poor army general.  In short, her credentials doesn't 
>support the idea of giving her the lead of pro-democracy forces in
>Pakistan.  BTW, PPP claims that it has its roots in all the four
>provinces of Pakistan and this is not correct in its totality. 
>

More nonsense...  and BTW, you don't know anything about the Balochistan
assembly affair... 

What I find really interesting is that you present your opinions as if 
they were known facts...

>|> 
>|> 3)  If you agree with question 1 but not question 2, then who else should lead
>|> Pakistan to democracy and why?
>
>I don't think so that any one of them deserve to be the prime minister 
>and president of Pakistan.  Certainly its the people of Pakistan who
>can lead Pakistan to democracy.  The argument is simple and clear, b'cos
>its their best choice in all.  But, the unfortunate thing is that they
>are not ready for this difficult task.  They are playing in the hands
>of few people who doesn't belong to them. Same condition in India, isn't it?

Yeah right.... people are playing in the hands of politicians... so, I guess
you want to take it upon yourself to decide who becomes Pakistan's leaders...

It's always going to be few people in the parliament.. yes, the few that the
people elect. These few people can change though. Give me one example of a
country with 50% of the population in the parliament. Pakistan has been under
martial law for so long, I guess you don't know what democracy means, and how
it works.

>
>|> 
>|> 4)  You obviously disagree with Mrs. Bhutto's tactics against the current
>|> government.  What other tatics would you suggest she use? 
>|> 
>
>If she is a diehard supporter of democracy then all of her actions are
>wrong.  B'cos she is repeating the same mistake which her opposition
>parties have made earlier.  If she wants to leave an ideal, then she must not
>follow the politics of 'arguments for the sake of arguments'. On the otherhand
>for the betterment of country she and other old faces should first resign from 
>politics and give chance to other people.  Must enforce something that
>prohibits the enterance of old f**kups into the national and provincial 
>assemblies.  Which infact prohibit herself also. Oh god, give us a break
>from these scumb bags.

I'm sure this must have amused some people...

Who are you to decide who should resign... Pakistan's people have that right.
And what do you mean old f**kups (I guess Mansoor Khan got some company).
What's so old about Mrs. Bhutto??? Who are you to suggest that she aught
to be disqualified from Pakistani politics because her father was a statesman.
What utter nonsense. How does that disqualify her... 

If you want an end to people's exploitation by landlords, go check the results
of 1988 elections. People like Jatoi and Pir Pagaro lost to virtually unknown
people... not landlords...

Isn't Nawaz Sharif the one who proudly says that he'll continue the legacy
of Gen. Zia. Didn't Nawaz Sharif appoint Zia's son as a Minister to show
the same?? Who brought Nawaz Sharif in politics... a Martial Law Administrator
who hanged an elected Prime Minister and brutalized the people of Pakistan
for eleven years...

But then, who am I talking to... Karachiites are the ones who celebrated
Bhutto's execution and mourned Zia's death. 

>
>Mr. Nadeem has striked on Jamat-e-Islami on this issue but infact he has
>some other problems which have to do a lot with freedom of choice and 
>freedom of right but not totally with democracy.
>

Nadeem [probably not the one referred to above]

-- 
Nadeem Jamali                                     jamalin@newton.ccs.tuns.ca
						 
School of Computer Science			  
Technical University of Nova Scotia		  (902)420-7527  
Xref: sparky soc.culture.pakistan:16977 soc.culture.indian:37791