Video: Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain Tere

A wonderful piece of video put together by BoltaPakistan.com folks.

It is time for Civilian Rule

Until recently I was also apolitical along with most Pakistanis who want to be left alone to chase whatever they want be it money or birds (unsuccessful on both counts in my case).

While in Pakistan itself for a number of years there have been two important interest groups

• Those that want to see a civilian government
• A similar sized minority that love military rule believing that authoritarian figures are needed to keep Pak intact
  

In the last year, however, all Pakistanis are being forced to decide which camp they belong to.

This has been due to General Musharraf's political oafishness and lack of common touch which has given the former renewed vigor to agitate for his removal.

The three main catalysts have been

1. The inevitable blow back from doing Bush's dirty work in Waziristan which has tarnished the image of the army generally
2. Failure to blow some life into Pakistani politics by measures such as secret leadership ballots to get new party leaders
3. His taking on of the judiciary has united the different political opposition to military rule where Bush and the Taliban failed to

In so many ways good old Musharraf was so much better than the previous generals - particularly his crisis management job between 1999 and 2003 in very trying circumstances when Pakistan's name was mud internationally.

But he has sown the seeds for his his own downfall by his lack of respect for the judiciary - this was what allowed Aitzaz Ahsan to turn a stuffy figure like Iftikhar Chaudry into a national hero.

Worse still he has appeared to the public as a pathetic rascal who would do anything to keep his presidency - even to do a deal with the crook Benazir (as proven in Swiss courts, however, much she may bleat and appeal) - to again weaken the opposition at the next elections.

His persona from this decision changed to a power drunk autocrat - one that wants to be in power for power's sake - however much he may say that the easiest thing would be for him to leave to be with his beloved Bilal in America.

The momentum that the Chief Justice generated was such that he became more powerful than the President himself - to keep his job the general had to even dismay his Western partners by sacking the Supreme Court.

Personally I think Aitzaz Ahsan and the judiciary went too far in that they were going to declare Musharraf's presidency invalid on the basis that he still had his uniform on at the time of the vote. I think that the opposition should have tried to win the election and given the general a dignified retirement in a few years in the interests of national reconciliation.

But I guess they are all gambling that Mush is losing support by the day even within the army and also want to get their own back on him for the way he has treated them.

While BiBi is having to join in on the bandwagon now that she is finally cottoning onto the fact that the general is sinking.

In the midst of these upheavals I have come to the decision that civilian rule must be Paksitan's political direction. It is the only way that personalities and egos are to be kept in check and that priority will be given to the wants and needs of the Paksitani public.

-- Hamza Anwar (Manchester, UK)

Frost Over The World - Jemima Khan

Sir David Frost talks to Jemima Khan about the arrest and detention of her former husband, politician and former cricketer Imran Khan. Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, also joins the show to discuss the first year of Al Jazeera English.

Musharraf: November 3 Step was Illegal

On Friday, BBC aired an interview that President Musharraf gave on the BBC. It was quite an astonishing interview and truly thought provoking. At one point he said quite openly,

"Have I done anything constitutionally illegal? Yes, I did it on 3 November," he said, referring to his imposition of emergency rule.

Can someone elaborate on this? Was that a slip of a tongue? Or did he actually mean it? If this step on Nov 3 was illegal (in his own words) then he broke the law and should be tried accordingly.

Here is the text of the interview.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7099567.stm

Video of the Interview on BBC website

Crisis in Pakistan

This is a wonderful video produced by Geo on the current "emergency" imposed by the Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf in Pakistan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ByClR16oZY

Curbs on Media

A great place to find out the latest on what is going on with Curbs on media.

http://www.jang.com.pk/important_events/curbonmedia/

http://thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=32385

In one of the recent news item, Geo News has been banned worldwide by Pakistan government in collusion with UAE Emirates. Geo News had achieved the status of CNN news in Pakistan for its to the point and open coverage without bias. Unfortunately, that was too much for the military regime of General Pervaiz Musharraf.

Perils of Protesting against Musharraf

One can protest against the current emergency, but at their own peril. The Pakistani police under direct orders from the military regime will not spare any soul. Be it old men, females or even kids. Here in this short Geo video, we can see how some peaceful protesters, that included females, were mal-treated by the police in Barkat Market, Lahore, Pakistan.

High School Students Protest in Islamabad

While we all debate the merits and de-merits of Martial law regime, abeyance of constitution, and violation of human rights in the name of "emergency", students in the posh sectors of Islamabad (F-10/F-8) were baton charged by the police.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=80413

The students (most of them between 9-12 grade) were peacefully protesting against the "emergency" in the country. They were not only baton charged by the roit police but 48 of them were put in jail including a 12 year old kid.



The video was compiled using the many footages taken from cellphone cameras. The approximate different segments of the video (seperated by still pictures) are:

1. Students outside McDonald's
2. Students walking on the grassy path, NOT on the road. They were NOT disrupting traffic.
3. They only started removing the tapes from their mouths when the media or policemen came.
4. The students stopped to talk to the police.
5. First police officer, one in light blue clothes said, "Just stop here for a while, let the magistrate come.
6. The magistrate comes in, in white clothes, asking the students to return.
7. They all agree and start walking back singing the national anthem of Pakistan.
8. People traveling by also showed their support to us.
9. Reinforcements starting arriving. Riot police surrounded the students. Many others were on the way.
10. Students agreed to everything, even to being arrested.
11. The boys formed a circle around the girls so that they would be free from the indecencies our police is known to inflict.
12. The policemen stormed them, charged them with batons, hurled abuses and shoved 48 students into police van (Unfortunately we don't have footage of all of that as people were more concerned with saving themselves than filming it. Some media channels were there and they might have it).

e-Protest - Sign the Petition- 1,000,000 Target

While the media is banned and public gatherings are not allowed in Pakistan, we are planning a massive global "e-Protest" to raise our voice.

The petition will be sent to Embassies, United Nations, Human Rights Organizations, Politicians, Governments, Press and Media.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/15064.html

The number of signatures is increasing at double the speed of the minute clock! Sign this petition and send this link to every person you know through Facebook, Emails, Orkut, Friendster, Bebo and every social networking platform available. Our voice will be heard globally.

Alternative approaches to protests

This note is in reference to the current political crisis in Pakistan.

Blockaded route to the Presidency in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Protests internationally will only bring bad publicity to the cause. It will reinforce the idea that Pakistan is really “the most dangerous place in the world”. There needs to be a mechanism that we can get the word out without affecting the country's reputation. That is a tough ask, but still doable.

As professionals living in Pakistan and abroad, we should protest in mechanisms that can create the maximum impact with minimum effort and all being within the legal framework. Otherwise, there is no difference between us and the lawbreakers. We should also encourage non-Pakistanis to learn more about the country and recruit them to support our cause.

Therefore, we should be involved in activities that may assist in educating the common person that the actual issues that plague Pakistan, and emphasize that it suffers from inept and corrupt leadership. Here is what I would recommend one should do.

For those, who are too busy to take time out, can still participate by doing some of the following tasks.

Simple tasks that anyone can do, with no time available

• Join online groups on social networking websites


• Sign online petitions


• Spread the message among friends (Pakistanis and others)


• Talk positively about the crisis and ask for assistance from friends


• Write a blog about your experiences. Or if you do not have a blog, try writing a note in your facebook or something similar.


• Share your opinion (even one paragraph) on any popular website. So that others know that the cause has many supporters.

A bit more time for activities

• Call your local state representative in the congress Congress/Senate and ask what is their stance on the recent crisis in Pakistan?


• Ask them to raise and discuss this issue in congress.


• Ask them not to impose sanctions on the country as it will hurt the poor, rather impose sanctions on individuals who violate human rights.

Dedicated time for activities

• Initiate a physical gathering of like minded individuals who might have joined the electronic groups based on the cause.


• Speak about the issue in detail


• Educate the people concerned about the cause


• Come up with unique strategies to resolve the crisis


• Join organizations that work for the cause. Maybe, restoration of democracy.


• Get internationally recognized speakers to speak at your forum (Hoover institute at stanford, or JFK School of Govt at Harvard or something similar maybe)


In addition, one can always participate in protest marches and demonstrations taking place in your neighborhood.