NRO why is it taken up so late...

The NRO beneficiaries that sent money out must bring it back!

They have not only taken advantage of it but having availed of it have enjoyed positions and sent money abroad. So much for their patriotism. When not in power they live abroad and come into the country to enjoy the trappings of power. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jiMiQS5zG8

Regardless how Pervez Musharraf performed in his tenure, history is not going to look kindly on him for this single disastrous act of NRO. It is a blunder as great as that of The Chief Justice that brought him down. This is what happens when you are surrounded by sub-standard brains. The government did not pursue with the indictment which was there for the asking.

Legalised corruption hopefully will go and those who did indulge in looting the nation are brought to justice. All Pakistanis should keep their money in Pakistan. It must be made illegal for Pakistanis not living abroad to have accounts in foreign banks. If you love Pakistan live in Pakistan and park your money in Pakistan. Only then will you do good for Pakistan and people of Pakistan.

I am reproducing the link here which please click and read.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3125277.stm

Swiss judge convicts Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto: Dogged by corruption charges

A judge in Switzerland has found former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Zardari, guilty of money laundering.

Investigation Judge Daniel Devaud in Geneva sentenced them to a six-month suspended jail term, fined them $50,000 each and ordered they pay more than $2m to the Pakistani Government.

He said they had illegally deposited millions of dollars in accounts in Switzerland, and ordered the money be returned to Pakistan.

Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari deny misappropriating the money, and are considering an appeal.

The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says the ruling will come as a blow to the former prime minister, who has always said that corruption cases against her in Pakistan were politically motivated.

The latest ruling is a more serious matter and may make it more difficult for her to defend her position, our correspondent says.

Appeal

The case relates to a 1998 indictment in which Benazir Bhutto was accused of having access to money obtained through kickbacks and commissions from two Swiss companies with contracts with the then Pakistani Government.

BENAZIR BHUTTO 1953 - born in Sindh 1979 - father executed 1990/96 - dismissed as Prime Minister 1999 - convicted for not appearing in court 2002 - barred from standing in general elections 2003 - found guilty of money laundering by Swiss judge

An investigation found several numbered accounts in Switzerland in which more than $11m had been deposited.

Benazir Bhutto strongly denies having had access to the accounts and is considering whether to appeal against the ruling.

The couple's lawyer, Farooq Naek, described the order as "illogical, unreasonable, inconsistent with law, based on malafide [bad faith] and ... politically motivated."

He complained that the announcement had been made without notices having been served on either Ms Bhutto or Mr Zardari.

Ms Bhutto lives in self-imposed exile in London and the Middle East.

Asked whether the Swiss ruling could affect Ms Bhutto's permission to remain in the UK, a Home Office spokesman told BBC News Online that they do not comment on individual cases.

But they said: "A person holding an entry clearance can be refused entry to the United Kingdom if there has been a change of circumstances since the visa was issued."

Her husband is currently serving a jail term in Pakistan for corruption.

In a separate development, Mr Zardari was formally indicted on Tuesday for the murder of a chairman of state-owned Pakistan Steel, Sajjad Hussain, who was shot in 1998.

You can't be a little bit pregnant...

Ye tho hona hi tha...

Why NRO and Zardari's oath is exempt? You can't be a little bit pregnant...

Had it not turned out to be like this it would have been very surprising. The judges had to strike back and they did. They have been on he receiving end for far too long. Good job Sir.

You should have come clean with no more mess to be cleaned up. Sir you should have also struck down the NRO. Now you are leaving a window for the beneficiaries of NRO to escape. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3125277.stm You should have helped the parliamentarians. You know they are incapable of doing any thing on their own. They will make a committee and shelve it. They just do not want to take their responsibility seriously. They do not want to work. Apni thankhwah and perks halal nahi karna chahthe.

These exceptions don't make sense. Hope there is no vendetta involved. The man on the street is quite perplexed, they ask if The Supreme Court has become a political party or an extension of them or are in coalition with PPP and N League. This idea is heavy on their minds. I only hope it is not true.

NRO and Zardari's oath are exempt. If Dogar is illegal, he is illegal all the way. It is just like saying you are a little bit pregnant. You are or you are not. Sir come clean but without personal vendetta to let the judicial history be written in golden words.

I for one am not too impressed with this judgement. The Ex-President had himself said it was not as per the constitution. But the then CJ, dismissed and now restored was making it impossible for the government to function by his judicial activism then, he says. The CJ should show that activism now to bring law and order in the country.

Let this be a warning to the politicians that nature abhors vaccum. If you don't act, someone else will. You could easily have solved the PCO judges problem on your own. You didn't. SC had to do it. Similarly there are many issues of structural reforms particularly land reforms. If you don't do it, someone else will. Then don't blame decomocracy has been derailed an oft repeated refrain of the falied visionless politicians.

I think instead of whipping a dead horse it is about time to tie up your laces and get down to business of "good" governance and provide relief to the people of Pakistan.

There is a limit to hatred... Don't twist facts please.

Such hatred will only enhance his image in public eyes as it exposes your furstration....

I usually do not comment on these issues but this is too much. The language The Presidential spokesman Mr. Farhatullah Babar used is uncivilised. In sharp contrast I have never heard Musharraf loosing his shirt ever, however bad the circumstances have been. See the report against him in Dawn: http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/12-musharraf+claim+about+benazir+ridiculed--bi-13 . This is not how you write even if he is your enemy. Sorry it is not done.

While Musharraf was stating facts, deal with Benazir, (ask US) Mr. Babar was just spewing venom and without substantial proof. It seemed they were just trying to cover their own embarrasment. It was just a POV (point of view). Using words like disgrace in full public view etc. does not behove of a responsible person to be saying and Dawn had no business to be publishing it like that. The President's team must not forget that the trappings of power they are enjoying are all thanks to Musharraf. Had he not brought in that infamous and despicable NRO no body would be sitting in National and Provincial Assemblies. They would have been in their home countries Dubai or UK (pun intended). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3125277.stm

If they think it is so much on their popularity or talent then repudiate the NRO unilaterally and say you do not want to avail NRO and face the courts. There must be a just a bit of little shame to accept the favours of NRO and also disgrace the guy who made it possible for them to return and get all they got. It was Pervez Musharraf's mistake to give freedom of expression to an immature bunch of vernacular pedestrian journalists, the moneyed politicians took full advantage of and just purchased them. This is the irony. Like Salman Thaseer once said, the journalists who could barely afford a mobike were riding Parados.

If their irresponsible behaviour continued the economy will go down and so will their Parados and Toyata FXs and Land Cruisers and Mitsubishis etc. Who do they owe their affluence to? Pervez Musharraf. How many jobs has he creted with this? Thousands. Like it or not. I challenge the journalistic fraternity to deny this. After Musharraf left you are already seeng the way the nation is swinging both politically and economically. If not for foreign aid could we survive? Not a single day the way things are. We are heading to the point when Pervez Musharraf had taken over from Nawaz Sharif.

According to Hamid Mir in his Capital Talk there is excess capacity of 4,000 MW. The outages are not due to any actions of the previous governments but utter mis-management for the last two years. We as a nation had lost focus. That single stupidity of Shaukat Aziz, another blunder of Musharraf, sending the judicial reference without due preparation brought his 67% approval rating tumbling down. Mistakes happen but that does not mean you demean a person like the way we are doing.

The President must note one thing that he is also not directly elected like Musharraf but by the MNAs and MPSs and where is his promise he gave in full open view when he had said "Our Presdent will voluntarily give back "52/8B" as he exactly said. He did not even know it was supposed to be "58/2B". Geo please replay this recording. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_qcKtbwBg0 Watch Zardari Special 1to8.

After becoming the President has he done anything he talked about? He has also talked of "victims of judiciary". He blames establishment for all ills. Listen to him of his awareness of governance. He talks of removing the condition of degree for himself. Dr. Shahid does not have the guts to give a rebuttal. He wanted to sue the judges. He is the biggest beneficiary of NRO. Now he bad mouths the person who gave him all this.

This government must look forward and not backwards like Nawaz Sharif is constantly doing. The president although not highly educated is not all that bad like Nawaz Sharif. More on this, subject time permitting.

Making a mockery of justice is it?

Have you paid back in kind Sir?

Well now the circle is complete. Nawaz struggled for you and you paid back as the public perception goes. One can say you are not "ehsan faramosh"( you always return a favour). Amazing how the judgements are over turned by the top judges like top cops playing with law and order.

Sir you you had raised the bar for judges with your steel mill decision. You saved a big asset of the people of Pakistan. The world applauded. Your reputation went sky high when you stood up to the pressures of Shaukat Aziz Government. But now what have you done Sir? You were my hero. What have you done? Soiled your image in one shot? Let's hope not. One wonders what you will do with NRO.

You should have at least stepped aside for the sake of Pakistan Judiciary and to preserve your name in history and remained a symbol of justice and unity for Pakistan. I am very sad today for you. How could you let go a person who had imperilled the lives of a plane load of human beings also carrying The Chief of The Pakistan Army go scott free and a person who has no objective except revenge against a person who he had a feud with. He is holding the nation to ransom for his personal satisfaction.

Ab tho Pakistan ka waqqai "Khuda Hafiz". Now only God can take care of Pakistan.

Were Pakistanis sold for $ 5,000? No.

They say that the Government sold Pakistanis for $5,000 and say Musharraf has confessed in his book. Is it true? Examine. 

I find people coming on Channels even MNAs, MP'As saying that The Government of Pakistan has been selling Pakistanis for $5,000=00 each and that Musharraf has said so in his book - In the line of fire.

Most recently, the day before on Rana Mubashir Show the guys were talking without reading the book. They were Nusrath Mirza, Khurram Dastagir, Faisal Raza Abdi. One of them was a Tajziakar (analyst), so called. They simply uttered the oft repeated slogan that Pakistan sold people for $5,000 and that Musharraf had written in his book. 

Where has he written and what has he written? Did they ever read the book? I guess not. Or probably their understanding of English is extremely poor. Or is it their wishful thinking or prejudice? Even if you hate someone you should not tell such lies. Who will trust the media?

I am attaching a picture of the page number 237 from the chapter "Manhunt" in his book. I read the book again after 2006. I did not find a single statement that they were selling Pakistanis. Yes some hard core terrorists mostly AlQaeda foreigners were hunted down and handed over to save Pakistan from utter devastation. 

I wonder what different decisions any other leadership would have made with NeoCons in that mood soon after 9/11? What had happened in Shareef's time? Were people not handed over when 9/11 had not even happened. I forget names Kansi or somethig who were handed over by Shareef.

I am no admirer of undemocratic forces but my sense of justice and fairplay demands that we call a spade a spade, set the record straight and not make unsubstantiated allegations just for cheap publicity.

Give the devil his due...

The vexed 60 year Kashmir Issue was almost resolved with backdoor diplomacy - Washingtonpost.
Don't get me wrong. I am no admirer of any dictator or any landlords purportedly to be leaders of the people of Pakistan but let's give the devil his due which our sense of fairplay demands. Was it this desire to etch his name in history and do something for Pakistan that he somehow wanted to complete his tenure and accomplish something before he left? Probably yes.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022101714.html
It now transpires that he was close to a deal with India on Kashmir. I have posted the link above that will tell you all about it. Now this was no small achievement. It is terribly sad that a single mistake of Shaukat Aziz let this fellow down. This is a classic example of what happens when you are surrounded by not true leaders but cronies.

While he did a lot of good he was the victim of his own policies in so many areas, there is no denying that but one thing that hurt him most was the media that could not digest the newfound freedom granted by him. They started biting the master that freed him. So much of scorn was aimed at him so thoughtlessly that the thinkers in Pakistan were forced to think if it was not harming the national interests. Now it seems their fears were not unfounded.

The report says that there was going to be almost no border in Kashmir and Indian troops were going to be withdrawn. That was a huge success for the people of Kashmir. But then Musharraf's popularity spiralled down so much that India found it easy to wriggle out of it. One wonders how and when could we get to that point again.

It is fashionable to blame Musharraf for every thing but let's not ignore the good the guy did. His intense backdoor diplomacy that we now know may have been the factor he wanted to cling to power as long as he could and get some results. Apart from picking on him for overthrowing an elected government you can't much attack him. He was engaging India positively, dealing with the a Neocon President in Washington - wonder if any other president could have done any different and the country was cruising ok.

While there was growing insurgency in NWFP due to the Taliban and AlQaeda factor, the country was doing well economically. I bet there was more prosperity somehow. Foreign exchange reserves were swelling, dollar was holding around Pk.Rs 60, energy was not so expensive, law and order not as bad as now, Pakistan was attracting investment too. Then comes this issue of Judical Reference against Iftiqar M. Choudhry and all hell breaks loose.

What people do not talk about which I want to do now is the way he brought back the politicians into the country. If he wanted he could have carried on somehow with Muslim League Q etc. But he brought back Benazir and in the end even brought home Nawaz Sharif. They owe their political existence to him. You may argue adinfinitum on the merits or demerits of NRO but the fact remains he ensured free and fair elections and handed over the power to the politicians.

Is he The Messiah we have been waiting for... the next hero! Can he deliver?

Great day for Pakistan! He has finally spoken of Character... Hope he is serious!
It was heartening although very surprising. The Prime Minister has finally spoken of character today. He said something the whole nation has been waiting since the new guys took up office to run the country. He spoke of people having character. He said public memory is not short as generally promoted but people do remember if there is a scandal or if a reputation is tainted.

If Mr. Geelani sets the pace of character in public office he will be a hero for Pakistan we have all been waiting for since the Qaed e Azam - the first and the last hero of Pakistan. Mr. Geelani would be only the second hero. The nation does not give hero status to Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan, Z.A.Bhutto, Zia Ul Haque, Benazir, Nawaz Sharif, Musharraf and Asif Zardari. The military men are discounted for being dictators and the politicians for their mismanagement and corruption allegations.

Will Mr. Geelani campaign for zero tolerance for corruption and lawlessness and 100% tolerance for religious differences? Unfortunately presently the reverse is true. There is 100% tolerance to corruption and lawlessness and zero tolerance to religious differences. Efficiency like inefficiency percolates from the top similarly if there is no corruption at the top you can hope to have lesser and lesser corruption at lower levels.

Now that The Prime Minister is setting the pace can we hope that our children will usher in an era where there is fairplay with justice, zero lawlessness and zero corruption. Can we expect that there will be no favouritism and people get opportunities based on merit. Can we hope that our natural resources are shared by most citizen not just a few, that there is more equitable distribution of national wealth. Will he say bye bye to regionalism, nepotism and favouritism?

Once this happens see how Pakistan develops. It will be the choicest destination of every one in the world. People will invest massively, industries will flourish and tourism will bring in foreign exchange which we can use not for importing consumer goods but technology that will make consumer goods, export and provide more and more employment all over Pakistan. I hope somehow my message reaches the Prime Minister and he is steadfast in what he said. Amen.

End of an era! The Nation hopes that corruption does not make a come back with the politicians...

Musharraf makes history...
The guy did it. He did what he promised to the nation. Now all the demands of the opposition are fully met. Some are still not satisfied and they won't be, come what may or until they are asked to come and occupy the seat of power. Absurdity knows no bounds. It was history in the making. It is the first time a Military man has so smoothly given up power.

It is indeed remarkable to find a military man with so much of aplomb, vision and genius. You talk to other military men you will never find them so savvy, so well informed and may I say so brilliant. Our politicians were no match to him any way.

I saw his performance in Europe and America. It was par excellence. He did us proud. I have also seen the politicians on various occasions. One clearly sees the difference in class. He outclassed them in every department. The best part was he never played to the gallery. Except the fact that he was originally an army man, if you want to call it a blemish and came to power in unusual circumstances, again created by the politicians, you can't point a finger at him.

See how much good he has already done for the nation. From a bankrupt and failed state we now stand tall among the comity of nations with pride restored. Some problems do remain. Most important Kashmir and spread of Wahabism in the northern areas and hence terrorism. Hopefully the succeeding governments take the country forward and not backward

Can we hope that the politicians do not bring back corruption in high places they are so notorious for. Hopefully we no more have the Mr.10%s and then the Mr.100%s. Amen.
http://thinker-thinkingoutofthebox.blogspot.com/

Musharraf's mistakes 2... Continued...

You should have bargained something for Pakistan too...
Now what are his other blunders? It was just unfortunate that the 9/11 disaster had to strike in his time. Sad as it was, the incident was not of our making. It had it's roots in the wider history of The Middle East. Where was the need to panic? US needed to be sympathised and indeed helped. But we did not have to buy more problems.
US could have helped in solving vexed issues...
We had to calculate our cost. A little time should have been taken and US told of our own concerns and of a problem we have been having for 50 years, despite a UN resolution in our favor. US needed to be told that if certain issues are not resolved in time the world would have more problems on it's hand.
We are paying dearly for US follies...
The frustration might all the more manifest itself in shape of further terrorism which Pakistan could ill afford. Now we are seen as doing the dirty work for United States and yet being told "do more". Are we in a position to say "no more"? No. We are in a no win situation. People are taking up arms. It is a dangerous situation now as you must be seeing in the news these days in northern areas.
All we want is a democratic solution and a bully kept at bay...
We could have at least bargained for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. You did not avail of the reciprocity opportunity. You can't possibly fight India to get Kashmir. We are not even wanting Kashmir. All we want is a democratic solution. India is holding on to Kashmir against the wishes of the Kashmiri people. US had to be told "you scratch my back I scratch yours". And why not? This would have saved Kashmiris of the sufferings at the hands of the huge Indian army. That would have given the signal to the people that Pakistan was not just doing the US bidding but was solving it's own problem. That did not happen.
I consider this a major blunder and an opportunity lost that might trigger further terrorism.

http://thinker-thinkingoutofthebox.blogspot.com/

Musharraf's mistakes...

The blunders were too costly...
On being freed, a man went wild dancing on the street and hit the nose of a person. He went to court. The hitter defended that he was a free man and could do any thing. The judge decreed: right, but the moment his nose came in your path the other man's freedom began. So here is the punishment.
Freedom comes with responsibility Sir...
This is precisely what Mr. Musharraf and the media have not understood. Freedom of the Press is fine but they cannot go wild as they have for the past so many months. Any freedom comes with responsibility. Where is the responsibility. Where is integrity to your profession?
Inept political leadership caused the take over of military...
The media does nothing concrete and positive but simply and only criticizes the President. Yes he came to power as a military man. But the situation was created by sheer arrogance and irresponsibility of the political leadership. Who can deny this?
Mr.Nawaz Sharif's life saved...
You just can't take one thing and keep harping on it. You must also see if Mr. Nawaz Sharif had not done what he did, for which he was punished for life, the opportunity would not have been there for the Junta to take over. He left for ten years on his own and got a pardon.
Army should be in the barracks for sure but the entire blame cannot go to them alone...
I am one of those who firmly believes that the army should be in the barracks for sure. But the ground reality is different. This guy when he took over, Pakistan was about to default. There were no reserves left. Nawaz had indeed become an elected dictator. Remember what he had done with the previous Chief of Staff. So blaming The President for just belonging to the army is not fair.
Ministry of Information erred grossly... where were the guidelines Sir?
The way, without guidelines, freedom of press was given by the President was his biggest blunder. While this should have helped Pakistan and Pakistanis it has helped the opposition. Media immediately took sides. I was amazed why the media rather a few in the media were taking sides instead of being neutral and just reporting and anlyzing. They cannot conduct media trials as they have been doing.
Media trials by the unscrupulous should be stopped...
They would start with judgments "that the government has totally failed, what do you think?" Leading question. You get the desired answer not necessarily the correct one. Why are some journalists doing this, guys like Kamran Khan and Kashif Abbasi etc? They would go to the extent of that 16 crore people have passed a judgment etc. As if they have taken a poll or done a referendum. Media trials going unabated. And their holier than thou approach. My God. I was all perplexed.
The journalists are scared of PPP. Why? Where is the freedom of press then?
On hard investigation I found that they are very scared of PPP even a passing negative reference would attract a threat. Some say that they get paid extra and also get the protection. Now media is power and if such unscrupulous elements get in, they exploit. And they have. President does not take action. They know it and are having a field day. They have even abused the President and the freedom they are enjoying for the first time in 60 years. Does it happen any where else in the world?
Freedom of the press is a lethal weapon cannot be used with carelessness...
In India for instance pass a negative reference against Rahul Gandhi, then see what happens to them, leave alone Sonia and Manmohan Singh. Their houses will be burnt and they will be taught a lesson that will be a deterrence for all other journalists. Freedom of the press should have been given with due guidelines so that it did not become a free lethal weapon in the hands of the opposition. Pakistan media is like wild bull right now.
Is Muhtharama an official title of the corrupt and twice failed ex-Prime Mininisters? Media should refer to her as Mrs.Benazir that is all...
Why should Benazir be called a Muhtharama in media? Their party workers call her that, it is fine. Does one call Respected His Highness Mr. Bush or Mr. Gordon or Mr.Blair in international media? This is ridiculous. Is it some official title for the corrupt, a former Prime Minister twice removed on corruption charges and misrule or something. A Pakistani journalist is not a PPP worker. If he is then surely he or she can call her Muhtharama although corrupt people cannot be respected.
This is a major blunder of The President. Other blunders you will read later. Keep reading my blog. Thank you.

Condoleeza Rice should mind her own business...

Don't tell us what to do...
Condoleeza Rice has no business to advise us. We are a sovereign state and we do not like orders from any body even it is a super power and a friend. And please do not even suggest that we are going to be unfair in elections. You have no business what so ever to meddle in our domestic matters and make them worse. Please let us have our dignity and do not tell us what to do. We know what to do.

You are making blunders after blunders before and after 9/11. Did we tell you any thing. You want to solve the problem of terrorism but you do not want to address the root causes of the problem. By supporting Israel illogically you created a monster. One side you talk of democracy and the other side you do not support the will of people. You allow Israel to occupy for 40 years with all attrocities. When they want a democratic solution you use veto and have done so almost 80 times for Israel. You are compromising on US security for the sake of Israel. You are serving not US interests but that of Israel. But do we tell you any thing?

You talk of democracy but do not pressure India to stop atrocities on the people of Kashmir and let the will of the people prevail. On top of it you go and reward India in so many different ways, forgetting the way it treats its minorities and the pogroms it conducts against Muslims. You give no helping hand in solving the Kashmir problem and when we are helping you, you say "not enough". What are you doing to solve the problem of people so that people do not have to take up arms. You do nothing but do we tell you anything? No.

You left Afghanistan after they liberated Soviet Union and made no efforts to develop it. You do not help people where they are in problems and yet want help all the time. Why? But do we tell you anything? No. So why do you tell us what to do? You have no right what so ever to tell us what to do?

You go and invade Afghanistan and Iraq and are responsible for unnecessary deaths of millions of people and some your own. You go in so childishly on false pretext and destroy countries. Do we tell you what to do. We don't. So why do you tell us what to do?

If Ms Rice and her predecessors had done their job right there would have been no terrorism.

Media in Pakistan is doing free publicity for the Oppositon - Irresponsible journalism! Don't take sides.

Free publicity for the Opposition...
I usually see the electronic media in Pakistan. It is fantastic the way the present Government has given freedom to the media. Media never enjoyed this freedom for the past 60 years. And mind you this kind of freedom is not there in USA, Europe or even India. Media in the pretext of the freedom of the press does not promote a party against the other. It does not even take a stand against the defined Government policy in national interest.

For instance can one talk in India against the Government stand on Kashmir? Never. Can they raise the voice of some Indians who happen to be Muslims? Never. It is all suppressed with an iron hand. Take for instance Urdu TV from India - the policy is all government propaganda. Can they reflect the mass opinions? Never. One word against the government policy, they are in trouble. So many restrictions will be employed for one reason or the other.

Pakistan media has totally gone out of control. Kamran Khan for instance in Geo, look at him, the way he beams on talking to Benazir and promoting her and the same with Kashif Abbasi of ARY. Aaj's Talat Hussein is not that partisan, although as a channel it is. They start off by saying "The Government has failed in every possible way etc." They are conducting the media trials and passing judgments on the Government and The President in particular all the time. And this is without giving the accused a chance to defend themselves.

If they are critising the Government objectively it is fine. But they are taking sides. While their issue is only the president and his uniform and re-election they do not talk about the utter mis-management and rampant corruption that prevailed at the time of Benazir's and Nawaz Sharif's governance. They don't even raise the critical issues of the people. On the contrary with the help of the audience they have they are building opinion against a party. Can media take sides to this extent?

Media is building opinions with biased views and without regard to national interests and peoples' interests. Poor are completely forgotten. Media does not talk of the pressing issues of the people and poor in particular. I think it is about time media showed maturity, sensibility and responsibility and did not take sides lest you help the corrupt and proven failures each twice. The opposition is also not spending money but getting free publicity from the irresponsible media that is not serving the people in all integrity but some vested interested.

Don't take sides.

Has the opposition gone bankrupt of ideas

Your Manifesto is not for the people... why?
It is about time we started thinking in the larger interests of the people of Pakistan and the country itself. Why is it our so called politicians only talk of issues that will bring them to power? Why don't they talk of issues that affect the people of Pakistan - the majority that is poor and does not have any political power what so ever most unfortunately.

We want Heroes not Villains please...

Choice between Villains...
Is it our destiny that we can only choose from a list of proven villains, each twice failed. Do we not deserve heroes? Or is it too much to expect? Perhaps. Where are the heroes? Who I consider as heroes is not the hero for others. There is only one undisputed hero and that is Mr. Jinnah. Every single leader after that is tainted one way or the other.

For me Ayub was a hero, probably he was the first Pakistani leader I heard about when growing up. I sort of liked him. But you talk to people they disagree. He is accused of derailing democracy and destroying the then existing institutions.

I even attended the funeral prayers of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. But no one agrees that he is a hero. He is accused of autocracy, arrogance, vendetta, lack of vision and above all integrity. For me his biggest blunder was nationalisation of industries that crippled the economy and stunted growth. He made many industries no more viable and Pakistan lost the world export market by overnight becoming uncompetitive. He is also blamed for dismembering the country into two.

Every thing that Zia did, I wonder if he did anything besides Umras, is over shadowed by his military credentials. It is a long story what he did and didn't.

However I can't recall any thing big he did on the domestic front in Pakistan. He may have had some successes on the international arena. His Kashmir policy was a failure so was Khalistan policy after initial successes. His crowning glory is the success achieved in ousting a super power in Afghanistan. But that did not help Pakistan but we fought a proxy war for another super power that has never been nor can ever be our reliable partner.

But the price we paid for America and Afghanistan is so great that for the next 50 years we are stuck with it. The Kalashnikov Culture. So Zia is most certainly ruled out also as a hero. I would have liked to call him a hero for his humility and his histrionic talents.

But one thing is clear in my mind and that is the regimes of Benazir, (now called moothorama by media) and Nawaz Sharif. My, what periods. Truely tumultuous for its incompetence and rampant corruption. They competed against each other in loot and plunder. If one was the patron of a 10%, later cent per cent, the other was a looter par excellence. Remember his "dollar bhijao and mulk bachao".

God alone knows where all that money went. The country went bankrupt in Nawaz's time and was about to be declared a default state. In moothorama's time her husband is on record as having said "things are good today, only 50 died." This is the state of our elected so called democratic leaders. Heroes? Where are they? Villains. Villains. Villains.

Don't we have a third choice? So far none, because whatever development Pervez Musharraf might have done is disregarded because he hails from the military. He is a very strong contender though from what he has achieved on the domestic front. An assembly completing it's full term is an achievement in itself. There has been development all over Pakistan even in remote towns and villages.

My driver who hails from a remote town in Punjab says they could never have imagined, roads and drainage there and he attributes that to the present people at helm and prays for Pervez Musharraf. People have benefited. The prosperity is visible. Mega projects have been completed in record time and the work goes on. If his policies reach there logical conclusion the country will benefit enormously. History will then judge if he was a hero.

There surely are the down sides like inflation that went uncontrolled. He did not introduce any measures to remove feudalism. He failed miserably to understand the Indian psyche in solving the Kashmir problem and did not even take advantage of 9/11 in solving the same issue. He did the dirty job that America should have done for itself. Why should we have been involved in problems which Arabs create for themselves by being inactive for past 100 years. Why should we pay for their follies when they do not even consider you as Muslims.

But what ever he may do he will never be accepted as a hero publicly although in heart of hearts of poor people he could possibly be a hero. So let us leave at that.

I have not the faintest idea how we could have a hero as a leader. I am clueless for the time being. If you have some ideas how we can have a hero as our leader please post it here.