September 2007
Mohtarma Bhutto
condemns brutal attack on opposition
Islamabad September 29,
2007: Former Prime Minister and
Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has
condemned the brutal attack on Opposition members by the Musharraf regime on
the occasion of scrutiny of papers of Presidential candidates Saturday.
In a statement today she said eight years after seizing power and promising
to restore true democracy the present regime had failed to win public
support. It was relying on increasingly violent methods to stay in power,
she said.
The former Prime Minister said that the present dictatorship was responsible
for the civil war conditions in the country because it refused to allow
democracy to emerge.
Mohtarma Bhutto said the attack on Parliamentarian Chaudhry Zamarud, members
of the press, political workers and women activists was deplorable and
illegal.
She hoped the Supreme Court would take suo moto notice of the attacks and
punish the members of law enforcement that had violated the right of
citizens to peaceful protest.
Bhuttos, Pakistan N-Programme
and Dr. A.Q. Khan
By Wajid Shamsul Hasan -
September 29, 2007: At a
defining moment in Pakistan’s chequered history former Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto is to return home to lead the socio-economic and politically
deprived masses in what is being described as “mother of all elections” to
save Pakistan from being talibanised or be declared a failed state.
Her long absence from Pakistan and their connivance with the Establishment
had provided the obscurantist forces, religious extremists and all other
Bhutto haters/ doddering vestiges of the old order-- a golden opportunity to
play foul with the fate of the country.
A Pakistan designed to be secular and democratic by the founding fathers was
perforce allowed to be hijacked by the bigoted clerics who had opposed the
Quaid’s progressive and modern vision. And the land where its citizens were
not to be discriminated on account of their caste, creed or colour was
pushed to be fragmented by the theocrats in league with their undemocratic
mentors who preferred to lay down their arms before a foreign enemy rather
than surrender to the political will of the people and accept them as the
sole arbiters of power.
Now these elements have either camouflaged themselves in the garb of
so-called enlightened moderation when they actually are obscurantist wolves
in sheep’s clothing. As partners in the pillage of pelf and power in the
post 9-11 Pakistan, for the first time the very thought of Benazir Bhutto’s
return is causing them sleepless nights.
Ever since she announced that she would return home, come what may, to lead
the country in the transition to democracy through free, fair and
transparent elections her political adversaries—both in the corridors of
power and outside—have been trying to outdo each other in distorting her
image by their vicarious spins to her well-thought out mission to restore
the supremacy of the masses.
There is no strange co-incidence in the similarity of the concerted
anti-Bhutto campaign by the regime’s dirty mouth pieces and the MMA mullahs
who signed the death warrant for democracy by dancing to the Praetorian
bagpipers to merrily incorporate 17th amendment recently described by the
apex court as an extra-constitutional intervention—not by a military ruler
but the so-called elected representatives of the people represented by MMA.
I would not like to refer here in detail to the gall of those who bought
their freedom from the Attock jail through foreign intervention after
signing an agreement to keep out of politics for ten years. Having done the
“mother of all deals” to save their skin and their wealth, they should have
some qualm of remorse when they accuse PPP Chairperson of striking a deal
with the regime. Indeed, there has been an engagement between the two to
seek return of undiluted democracy and not to have the cases concocted by
Mian Nawaz Sharif’s notorious right hand man—Senator Saifur Rahman--
quashed. While the “mother of all deals” was directed to gain personal
freedom and palatial comforts—PPP’s thrust in the engagement has been to
seek free and fair elections through independent election commission under a
neutral government with level playing field for all political parties and
leaders—including Mian brothers and PML (N).
There is another orchestrated campaign by both the HMV’s of the regime that
wag their tongues and tails with equal ferocity and also the likes of Qazis,
Khans, Mians and et all--who accuse PPP Chairperson of being rather
pro-American. It is something like pot calling the kettle black. Those
currently occupying key positions in the regime—like Ejaul Haq—have
conveniently forgotten the fact that it were Pakistan’s military rulers who
have rendered Pakistan’s sovereignty and independence into a myth and not
Bhuttos.
Martyred Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had summed it up brilliantly in his historic
treatise “The Myth of Independence”—the pathetic plight of his country and
its military leader who used to look to the West for its nod of approval for
everything that he did since—like those of his uniformed colleagues who
succeeded him—he lacked domestic and popular legitimacy. Like all military
rulers he did not derive strength from his own people but his hold on power
depended on support from outside.
One would also like to recall here how a Pakistani prime minister had to
rush to President Clinton to plead to save Pakistan from the dreadful
fall-out consequences of the Kargil misadventure in 1999. Had the Americans
not intervened effectively then, a war with India could not be averted. And
indeed much earlier to that--in 1971-- had not President Nixon stopped Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi from advancing her conquering troops into West
Pakistan after having captured 5000 square miles of Pakistani land on the
western front, by now we would have become a foot note in history.
Please also recall how as the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto saved
Pakistan from being declared a terrorist rogue state in 1993. Even in
General Zia’s time —Benazir Bhutto—considered a ‘security risk’ by him had
used her good offices to save Pakistan from American sanctions. India Today
(May 15, 1984) reported: “During her whirlwind tour of Washington last
month, Benazir Bhutto worked a near political miracle that pulled General
Ziaul Haq’s chestnuts out of the fire. Almost single-handedly, she succeeded
in persuading the Senate Foreign Relations Committee—which had adopted a
resolution that could have ended all American aid to Pakistan—to change its
mind”.
It is generally perceived that the American administration is very unpopular
in Pakistan following 9-11, invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq and its sustained
inability to translate into reality its promise of an independent Palestine
state. Notwithstanding his own conduct and failure to restore democracy, his
supporters claim that much of the flak that General Musharraf receives from
within Pakistan is because of his being too pro-American.
Even his worst critics acknowledge today that ZAB had restored Pakistan’s
image of honour and respect in the comity of nations by his pro-active
foreign policy, his support to the Arabs and his sincere commitment to the
Third World. It was General Zia who pushed this revived image of respect
back to square one by receiving trunk loads of dollars from CIA chief Casey
to wage American Jihad in Afghanistan. Now GPM is also accused of sailing in
Ziaist boat.
What has prompted me to write this column is a well-orchestrated media
blitzkrieg launched against Ms Bhutto following her speech at the Middle
East Institute at Washington DC. Pakistani media seems to have gone berserk
on an alleged comment made by Ms Bhutto on the issue of Dr A.Q. Khan. One of
my friends instead of telling me what it was about urged me to “tell her all
her voters live in Pakistan and not Washington”. Before I could get to know
what the whole issue was about there was another long distance phone. This
time it was from a retired general. “What is wrong with your leader?” He
described her comment about Dr Qadeer Khan as anti-state—a charge later
orchestrated by Minister of State for Information.
Being a journalist of some experience—I got to the bottom of the matter that
caused such a hullabaloo. Those who consider Ms Bhutto as their arch
political rival, a challenger to their authority and those who consider her
as the main stumbling block between them and power—have armies of spin
doctors hired by them with watery mouths and well-lined pockets—sitting like
vultures to attack any utterances from her that they could vomit to the
media as ‘anti-state’, ‘anti-national interest’ and ‘anti-Pakistan’.
Since they throw up instantly, they get away by putting words in her mouth
before PPP media people come to know of the distortion and their
clarification to put the record straight. I am sure her portion of the
Middle East Institute speech that “each military dictatorship has undermined
the independent judiciary by sacking of judges. In the last twenty years, my
government is the only one which has neither removed a Chief Justice nor
attacked the premises of the Supreme Court” must have annoyed all
those-present as well as of the immediate past—who have played dirty with
the highest judiciary. I wish a mention was also made to the sacrifice in
blood given by the People’s Party Workers—more than 40 of them—for the
restoration of judicial honour and dignity.
To the crux of the so-called controversial matter. I got the text of her
speech at the Middle East Institute in Washington and also the transcript of
her answers to the questions raised on the occasion by the audience. No
where did she ever say that when she would come into power she would hand
over Dr Qadeer Khan to IAEA interrogators.
During the question and answer session Ms Bhutto was asked the hypothetical
question whether a government led by her would cooperate with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in investigating charges against
Dr. A.Q. Khan. She responded by saying that a PPP government would extend
full cooperation to the International Atomic Energy Commission. This
position is not very different from what the current government says or any
other responsible government in Pakistan would say. This simple statement of
a factual position has been distorted to imply that she promised any
unlawful handing over of anyone to foreigners. Not only that PPP spokesman’s
reassertion in the clarification that: “The PPP seeks to establish rule of
law and there is no question of violating Pakistani or International law in
relation to the freedom and personal rights of anyone, including Dr A.Q.
Khan” should be reassuring for all and sundry.
A little digression on Pakistan’s nuclear programme. No doubt a new book by
British authors Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark titled
“DECEPTION—Pakistan, the United States and the secret trade in nuclear
weapons” is loaded with hitherto not known facts and reveals threadbare the
extensive role of the uniformed and un-uniformed important Pakistanis in Dr
A.Q. Khan’s net work, I would comment about it when I complete reading it.
I would suffice here to mention briefly that ZAB preferred death than to
give up his pursuit for the nuclear glow for Pakistan. As the youngest
minister in Ayub Khan’s cabinet he set a nuclear goal for Pakistan’s
progress and defence deterrence. ZAB had believed that a self-reliant
Pakistan could face an adversary six times bigger than its size. More than
the generals, he used to underscore the need for strengthening of the
nation’s defence capability supplemented by self-sufficiency and economic
development.
Having started his march on the dream goal much before, it was in 1972 as
President of the country he put his major thrust for a nuclear course. He
told his nuclear scientists in Multan “we will eat grass and have the bomb”.
There was no turning back from then onward. Besides strengthening the
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, he set up yet another institution—the KRL—following
the Indian explosion in 1974. He brought in Dr A.Q. Khan in 1976 to be part
of his two-pronged pursuit of nuclear bomb. Pakistan would have crash-landed
in the exclusive nuclear club as early as late1977 or the beginning of 1978.
But then ZAB was made a horrible example by General Ziaul Haq.
In one of his last meetings ZAB emphasised to his daughter that Pakistan’s
nuclear programme should remain deterrent and at no stage transfer of
technology be permitted. According to him, those opposed to it might swallow
the bitter pill of a Pakistani bomb but they would unleash their wrath on
Pakistan if it passes the technology onto other Muslim or friendly
countries. They would not let Pakistani bomb become an Islamic bomb.
In order to secure it ZAB introduced impregnable security procedures that
became a permanent fixture and were later strictly followed by General Zia.
These security procedures worked smoothly until 1989 when Pakistan had cold
tested the nuclear device and its clandestine nuclear programme became a
major object of concern for our adversaries.
As prime minister in late 1988 Ms Bhutto was approached by military high
command to use her influence—courtesy her late father-- to get Pakistan
assistance in nuclear and missile technology from China and North Korea. The
military knew the enormous extent of high esteem that late Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto was held by the Chinese and North Korean leadership. She could have
had made the Chinese and North Korean assistance conditional to the
completion of her tenure in office but instead of getting foreign countries
involved in the internal politics, Benazir Bhutto decided to give benefit of
the doubt to the generals.
By this time Pakistan was approached by some Muslim countries for help in
their nuclear programmes. In her meetings with her top brass—she underscored
Bhutto’s N-Doctrine. She recalled what her father had told her. While taking
promise from her to continue his nuclear mission, ZAB had told her that
Pakistan was on the threshold of a nuclear breakthrough and she should do
her best to protect it with her life Pakistan’s nuclear programme and two of
the institutions that he had painstakingly built i.e. KRL and Pakistan
Atomic Energy Commission.
ZAB had also told her to ensure that Pakistan’s nuclear technology is not
transferred to any one since its transfer would be of suicidal consequences
for Pakistan. “For our adversaries it would be difficult to swallow the fact
that we have managed to make a bomb—but the transfer of nuclear technology
to any of the Muslim countries would provoke their wrath to obliterate ours
as well. That we must not allow to happen” were some of the last words of
ZAB who staked his life to provide a nuclear bomb for Pakistan as a
deterrent.
It has been Benazir Bhutto’s mission to protect Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
According to her, our nuclear programme was a matter of life and death for
Pakistan. No one would be allowed to roll it back nor would be permitted to
stop its further development solely as a deterrent. In her nuclear doctrine
there is total ban on transfer of nuclear technology for “money or
friendship”. Bhutto, it needs to be mentioned, got a consensus agreement on
her nuclear doctrine from her top brass and had succeeded in putting a bar
on the export of nuclear technology in December 1988.
Like all patriotic Pakistanis Ms Bhutto has always been rightly stressing
upon the need for a bipartisan parliamentary investigation into the
violation of Pakistan’s nuclear doctrine and its proliferation. Such an
inquiry is a must to reassure the international community that Pakistan is a
responsible nation and it can secure its nuclear arsenal through an
impregnable command and control system under a strong democratic government.
This shall have to be done post haste to nip that Western lobby in the bud
that believes that in order to attack Iran’s nuclear programme Pakistan’s
shall have to be destroyed first to ensure it does not fall in the hands of
Taliban and religious extremists. An in-depth inquiry is a must to know
whether the powers that be made Dr Khan a scapegoat to save their skins and
the huge financial benefits thereof or Dr Kan was the sole beneficiary of
the proliferation racket. Pakistani nation also needs to be satisfied that
their national hero has not been victimised by those who remain invisible
but are actually the sole villain of the piece.
Constitutional
petition if nomination papers of General Musharraf accepted by CEC today
Islamabad
September 28, 2007: Commenting on the Supreme Court verdict today
spokesperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party has issued the following
statement today.
“A complete reaction to the verdict can be made only after reading the full
judgment of the Supreme Court.
“As of now however, it seems that the verdict today is more of a technical
nature in as much as the Court has simply admitted the prerogative of the
Election Commission to decide on the issue of the eligibility.
“If on Saturday September 29 the CEC decided the issue of eligibility in
favour of General Musharraf the PPP will file objections against it and
challenge it through a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court.
"The PPP has already said that if General Musharraf was allowed to contest
elections in uniform the Party will consider the option of resigning from
the Assemblies unless General Musharraf took steps for the restoration of
democracy and for national reconciliation.
"If the CEC decided against the eligibility of Musharraf then the PPP’s
candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim will remain in the field as Presidential
candidate.
Musharraf not out of
woods yet: Benazir
WASHINGTON, Sept
28: President Pervez Musharraf is not out of the woods yet and
the real challenge to him will come after the scrutiny of his nomination
papers, says former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
“This is a temporary reprieve and the real test will come when the
nomination is challenged,” said Ms Bhutto while commenting on the Supreme
Court’s decision on Gen Musharraf holding of two offices. In an interview
with Dawn, Ms Bhutto said the judgment was expected to favour Gen Musharraf
because the petitions filed against him dealt with an old issue, whether he
can hold the offices of the army chief and the president together. The
Supreme Court, she said, left it to the Election Commission to determine the
eligibility of Gen Musharraf to contest once again for the office of the
president while continuing as the army chief.
“If the EC decides in favour of Musharraf, there will be fresh legal
challenges in the Supreme Court. The old challenge was not a serious work,
the next will be,” she said.
She said the old petition pertained to the validation that has already been
given to the president. The new challenge, she said, would follow the
scrutiny of the nominations papers. The EC is already perceived to be under
the presidency’s pressure, and recently amended a disqualification clause
relating to Gen Musharraf, so it would likely decide in his favour, she
added. “Then the candidates will go to the Supreme Court to challenge that
decision, given that he is still a government servant and does not fulfil
the mandatory lapse of two years after retirement, the petitioners will have
a valid ground.”
Asked how Friday’s decision would impact the progress towards democracy, Ms
Bhutto said it would affect it adversely, leading to a fresh period of
uncertainty. This uncertainty, she said, would also be exploited by the
militants trying to create a civil war in the country. The preoccupation
with legal challenges, she added, would divert the government’s attention
from real issues.
The PPP will not
accept a President in Uniform, Rehman
Islamabad,
September 27: The Pakistan Peoples Party has reiterated its
principled position that it would not accept a President in uniform.
Central Information Secretary of the PPP, Sherry Rehman has said that while
the party respects the decision of the superior courts, the party has an
established political stance on the controversial blurring of lines between
military and civilian rule.
"The PPP gave the nation its first consensus constitution in 1973, and if
the spirit of that has been distorted by amendments made to concentrate
power in the hands of one person, then the whole point of a democratically
run federation is systematically undermined. If General Musharraf continues
to keep the post of army chief while attempting a presidential re-election,
then he is violating fundamental norms that are enshrined in a civilian
parliamentary system" said Rehman. The party will not allow a clear field to
either the General nor the Q League in this presidential election, and has
fielded Makhdoom Amin Fahim to block any such attempts for an uncontested
poll.
All following decisions will be taken on October 3 in the PPP's CEC meeting
in London.
" Pakistan has gone through enough military rule for the whole world to see
how this great nation has had to pay the price of non-democratic take-overs,
rubber-stamp referendums, and the subversion of popular aspirations over its
checquered history, and it is high time that we got past having to fight
over fundamental issues such as who will govern, and how. The nation has had
enough of dictators who never want to leave power because they invariably
start to see themselves as above the law, and end up ignoring the issues
that afflict the vast majority. Instead of worrying about how to reduce
wheat and food-stuff prices, building better schools and healthcare
facilities in the public sector, the entire political class and the 160
million people they represent is kept busy in struggling for basic rights
over and over again, said Rehman
"The country needs relief from political polarisation and the instability
that invariably follows such tussles over issues that were long since
decided by the people of Pakistan. We need to establish democratic
traditions where clinging to power is not the only driving factor, where
military strongmen see the writing on the wall and relinquish their posts to
the process of natural evolution. Pakistan is indeed a strategically vital
country, but that does not mean that a military chief should rule by force.
What is sorely needed today is a free and fair election, so that at least
the country can resume the process of democratic institution building.
The PPP seeks a transparent, accountable civilian government that is brought
to a sovreign parliament by the power of the ballot, not the bullet, she
added. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto will be given a befitting reception to
Pakistan on October 18, as workers all over the country in each district
have already begun their celebrations and arrangements. After that, no one
will be able to stop the party from seeking its mandate from the people.
Democratization in
Pakistan
The Middle East Institute
Washington, DC - September 25, 2007
Benazir Bhutto
1. Ladies and gentlemen. I thank Ambassador
Chamberlin and the Middle East Institute for the invitation to be with you
this morning. I visit at critical and uncertain time in Pakistan. When the
history of my nation is written, we will look back to the fall of 2007 as a
genuine turning point in Pakistan.
2. It is a critical fork in the road between democracy and dictatorship and
between moderation and extremism. In its resolution lies not only the future
of Pakistan, but also its ability to contain the spread of militancy and
extremism which now threatens the territorial integrity of Pakistan. The
stakes could not be higher.
3. Four times in history, Washington has supported military dictatorship in
Pakistan. Three times the US acted out of perceived self-interest to
constrain communism. Today Islamabad enjoys the support of Washington
because General Musharraf’s military regime is viewed as a vital asset in
fighting extremism and contributing to regional and global security.
4. Some argue that extremism can better be confronted by a military backed
regime. As such, a controlled dictatorship is seen as a stable and reliable
ally, as opposed to a truly elected government that has the support of the
people.
5. It will not surprise you that I disagree with this view quite vigorously.
I think it is a strategic miscalculation that has had a negative impact in
the battle against violent fanaticism, posing grave dangers both to Pakistan
and the larger world community.
6. The recent German investigation into a terrorist conspiracy simply
reinforces this view. It certainly makes Pakistan uncomfortable that whether
it is John Reid the Shoe bomber, or Tanweer the tube bomber, or Khalid
Sheikh the CEO of Al Qaida, or the German plot — unfortunately the steps
lead back to our country. But none of these high-profile terrorist acts took
place when I was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The attacks on the World
Trade Towers, the Cole ship at Yemen, the embassies in africa, the blasts in
bombay and in the indian parl took place when I was in opposition
7. Since 9/11 the Musharraf regime has professed support for confronting
militancy. But actions on the ground have not matched the rhetoric. Indeed,
the only nation on this planet that has ever signed an actual peace treaty
with the Taliban and al Qaeda militants is the current regime in Islamabad.
8. Large sections of Pakistan’s tribal areas have been ceded to non
Pakistanis in the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militias. In fact, after defeat and
demoralization following the fall of the Kabul, these violent elements have
re-organized themselves under the shadow of the military regime. They attack
NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan every day. They conduct suicide
attacks within Pakistan killing innocent people. On September 20, 2007, Al –
Qaeda declared war on the Pakistan army.
9. Military dictatorship has fueled extremism. A democratically elected
government enjoying the support of the people can bring peace to the people
of Pakistan and eliminate extremism. Eliminate terrorism by taking extremism
off the radar screen of the region.
10. I was the civilian female leader of a democratic Pakistan that invested
political capital in the tribal areas that a military regime has failed to
control. As Prime Minister I brought the rule of law and the fruits of
development to the people in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. My
government broke up the international drug cartel’s militias that have now
reasserted themselves under the Musharraf rule and are funding Al – Qaeda to
have a narco-fiefdom. My Administration brought the authority of the
government and the rule of law to FATA in the 1990s. And we can do it again.
11. I would also add that as Prime Minister I took the necessary steps to
close down political madrassas whose curriculum taught hatred and para-military
terrorist techniques. I did this before they became a threat to the world
community. I considered them a threat to the stability, security and
progress of the people of Pakistan.
12. Since the dismissal of my government by military hardliners that had
fought the Afghan Jihad of the eighties, there has been an explosion in
these militant training schools, educating a successor generation of
extremists, reinforcing irregular armies in Pakistan who have made my nation
the Petri dish of the international extremist movement.
13 General Musharraf’s team, many of them linked to a military dictatorship
of the eighties, that founded the Afghan Mujahideen to fight the Soviets in
Afghanistan, has presided over the rise of political Madrassas and private
militias while neglecting social issues and governance.
14. The people of Pakistan want a government that can build a school system
giving their children a chance for a better life. Education was the
centerpiece of my social agenda. My government built 48,000 primary schools
in its two stints in government.
15. If the people of Pakistan wish me to lead them again, education will be
the center-piece of a new PPP government.
16. General Musharraf has tried convincing the world that he is the only
thing standing in the way of an extremist takeover of a nuclear armed
Pakistan. In fact military rule is the cause of this anarchic situation in
Pakistan. Extremism thrives under dictatorship.
17. When Osama Bin Laden declares war on Musharraf, it makes the West rally
around Musharraf’s dictatorship. This in turn extends the environment that
enables Osama to thrive.
18. Neither Musharraf nor Osama Bin Laden wants democracy for their own
reason. One considers democracy a threat to his dictatorship; the other
considers democracy a threat to the environment of chaos and fear in which
he thrives.
19. Both know that the people of Pakistan have never supported dictatorship
or extremism.
20. It is only dictatorships which have used the Islamic card to legitimize
their rule at the expense of the neglected people of Pakistan.
Dictatorships, lacking a popular base, need the religious card, played in
one shape or another, to justify their stranglehold on power. They need a
crisis to obtain international support, both political and financial.
Extremists have never been able to achieve more than 11% of the vote in a
free election, and they will do worse, not better if free elections are held
today.
21. The Musharraf dictatorship like its predecessors is only establishing
the prerequisites for the radicalization of Pakistani society. As our people
continue to be deprived of basic political and human rights, and as the
social needs of our working families go unmet, people lose faith in the
ability of government to respond to their needs. When they lose faith, they
become hopeless, they become desperate and they tend to become vulnerable to
the hysterical appeals of extremists.
22. Ladies and gentlemen, dictatorship in Pakistan is not containing
extremism, it is fueling it.
23. The suppression of democracy in my homeland has had profound
institutional consequences.
24. Each of Pakistan’s four military dictatorships has assaulted the major
infrastructural building blocks of democracy -- by attempting to marginalize
political parties, dismantling NGO’s and undermining civil society, by
constraining labor and student unions, and allowing the intelligence
agencies and government members to physically assault and intimidate the
free press.
25. Each military dictatorship has undermined the independent judiciary by
sacking of judges. In the last twenty years, my government is the only one
which has neither removed a Chief Justice nor attacked the premises of the
Supreme Court.
26. Let me tell you what dictatorships do allow to flourish.
27. Under General Musharraf, the military intelligence agencies have
received over ten billion dollars in unaccountable assistance from the U.S.
government. Retired military officers from the security forces who fought
the Afghan Jihad of the eighties are running our intelligence and
administration.
28. The ones who recruited the Mujahideen who morphed into Taliban and
Al-Qaeda are in charge of our homeland security. Under their watch religious
extremists have expanded in Pakistan. Radical mosques and madrassas have
been encouraged as an alternative to recognized political institutions. They
are awash in money and weapons while the people of Pakistan bear the burden
of unemployment, inflation, poverty and hunger.
29. Dictatorships, by dismantling the infrastructure of democracy, allow the
mosques to become the only outlet of political expression in Pakistan.
30. The Musharraf regime has appointed extremists to head many of the
mosques. For example the head cleric of the Red Mosque in Islamabad who led
a mutiny in the summer of 2007 was appointed by the regime of General
Musharraf. When he was caught smuggling weapons into Islamabad in 2004, he
was released by the Minister of Religious Affairs. The same Minister has
twice defended suicide attacks before a Pakistani audience while retracting
them for the international community.
31. When Pakistanis gather to pray on Friday in the mosques they are often
subjected to long lectures by radical clerics appointed by the government
even as the government claims publicly to be against extremism. The voices
of moderation are exiled or imprisoned. The voices of extremism are
protected.
32. We are all united in the common effort of the world community against
violence and extremism that would destroy our values and the social fabric
of our societies. I am returning to Pakistan to coalesce the forces of
moderation against extremism and to prove that the fundamental battle for
the hearts and minds of a generation can only be accomplished under
democracy.
33. Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained again as it has
been contained in the past, if the “moderate middle” can be mobilized to
stand up to fanaticism. And I intend to lead that struggle. I intend to
mobilize the moderate center of my nation to assert control of our future
and protect us from the threat of extremism and fanaticism.
34. Moderate and centrist political parties, thriving human and political
rights NGOs, the media, and progressive leadership within our security and
intelligence agencies must be brought together to confront extremists who
pose the greatest internal threat to Pakistan.
35. This is a battle that can only successfully be waged in a democratic
Pakistan by a legitimate government that enjoys the support of the people.
This is a battle that I am prepared to wage, to lead and to win.
36. I am well aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I
have engaged in with General Musharraf over the last several months. I
entered into that discussion with my eyes wide open. My goal from the
beginning and to this day is to have free and fair elections in Pakistan
that constitutionally elects a civilian president who recognizes the
supremacy of the Parliament – which embodies the will of the people through
their elected representatives.
37. The goal of my dialogue with Musharraf has never been personal. The goal
was always to ensure that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan,
pursuant to the Constitution, supervised by a robust team of international
monitors and observers, as quickly as possible. My goal was quite literally
to save democracy in Pakistan, to give democracy a chance to nurture and
grow and strengthen.
38. The fight against extremism requires a national effort that can flow
only from legitimate elections. Within our intelligence and military are
elements who sympathize with religious extremists. If these elements are not
answerable to Parliament and the elected government, the battle against
religious militancy, a battle for the survival and future of Pakistan, could
be lost. The military must be part of the battle against extremism, but as
the six years since Sept. 11 have shown, the military cannot do it on its
own.
39. Many issues remain unresolved in our political structure. Musharraf is
precluded by law from seeking reelection in or out of uniform. Pakistani law
requires a two-year lapse before a member of the military can run for the
presidency.
40. The general can respond to the people's desire for legitimate
presidential, parliamentary and ministerial elections, or he can tamper with
the Constitution. The latter choice would risk a fresh confrontation with
the judiciary, the legal community and the political parties.
41. It is perhaps this reason that General Musharraf embarked on
negotiations with the PPP for a transition to democracy. The understanding
has stalled because extremist sympathizers in his party refuse to accept a
democratic process. Musharraf couldn’t deliver on commitments because of
these extremist sympathizers in his party — over whom he seems to have
little control.
42. Once General Musharraf files his nomination papers, the PPP would decide
whether it would resign from the present Parliament or whether it would
boycott the elections. While the PPP would not vote for General Musharraf as
President from this Parliament unless there is a constitutional amendment,
it would not resign if he took the necessary steps to show that he was
moving toward fair elections and a level-playing field.
43. If General Musharraf will retire from the post of Army Chief by October
5 - given his pledge to retire before the year’s end; second seek national
reconciliation by passing an immunity law for those parliamentarians not
proven guilty in the last decade; and third repeal the ban on a twice
elected prime minister seeking office — a law that he put into place
contrary to the constitution; the PPP will not resign from the Assemblies.
44. The Pakistan People’s Party is holding a meeting with its ARD allies to
decide this issue on October 3.
45. Islamabad’s Election Commission created a new controversy when it
attempted to change constitutional provisions to facilitate Musharraf’s
election in uniform. In a government of law, laws are changed by an elected
parliament, not an official appointed by the military regime. This action
alone demonstrates why presidential and parliamentary election held under
the supervision of the present Election Commission worry civil society. The
Election Commission is also viewed as a partisan by civil society and
political parties for its failure to draw up a credible electoral list.
46. As a pretext for the declaration of martial law, the forces of
regression in Pakistan deliberately want to provoke a mass uprising. More
and more, Pakistanis are coming to this sad conclusion. It seems that some
in the President’s ruling party, a party created in the headquarters of the
I.S.I in 2002, believe that they can only continue in power if they seize
power, and not earn it through the people’s trust. They will do any thing;
force an emergency or martial law or rig elections to prevent the
restoration of democracy. They fear that democracy would mean a roll back of
their structure which has permitted the expansion of extremism and militancy
to threaten an Islamist take over of nuclear armed Pakistan.
47. Civil unrest is what the extremists want. Anarchy and chaos suits them.
48. The political element in Musharraf's party that presided over the rise
of extremism has worked with every Pakistani administration since my
government was destabilized in 1996.
49. Its members have done everything possible to block the democratic change
I have tried to achieve through dialogue with Musharraf. They fear that
democracy will be difficult to manipulate to the benefit of extremists and
militants. In this, they are absolutely right.
50. My dialogue with Musharraf aims to bring change by promoting democracy
and stopping a dictatorship that has failed to stop the tribal areas
becoming safe havens for militants. The extremists are now spreading their
tentacles into Pakistan's cities. It is a process that must be stopped, if
the people of Pakistan are to have security, employment, education and a
better quality of life and if Pakistan is to be saved from the clutches of
extremists.
51. My party and I seek fair, free and impartial elections to be held by an
independent election commission under an interim government of national
consensus. We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties. The
Musharraf Election Commission has failed to give civil society and the
opposition confidence.
52. Joseph Stalin is thought to have once said, "Those who cast the vote
decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." That's why we
have stressed electoral reforms -- although our efforts have so far been in
vain.
53. The people of Pakistan want change. Change of systems, change of
programs, change from a climate of threat to one of stability and
prosperity. They don’t want to see the sham of 2002 repeated again,
resulting in an illegitimate government that has no mandate to govern and
fails to give security of life or economic growth that can provide hope and
opportunity to those unemployed or living on the margins of poverty.
54. President Bush has rightly noted, “The most powerful weapon in the
struggle against extremism is not bullets or bombs -- it is the universal
appeal of freedom. Freedom is the design of our Maker, and the longing of
every soul.”
55. I plan to return to Pakistan next month, to land in my home town of
Karachi on October 18th.
56. I chose Karachi as the city to return to because it is the city where
the founder of Pakistan rests. Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah campaigned
to create Pakistan as a democracy where all citizens would be equal
irrespective of their race, their religion or their gender. I go to Karachi
to rekindle the dream of Quaid e Azam for the people of Pakistan.
57. Quaid e Azam believed that every Pakistani should be free to go to the
mosques, the churches or the temples. The extremists who oppose democracy
today oppose Quaid e Azam. But they were defeated; and they will be defeated
again, God willing, because most Pakistanis are moderate. Most Pakistanis
yearn for security, for democracy and for economic progress.
58. My father gave his life standing up for Quaid e Azam’s dream of
Pakistan. And so Karachi is full of symbolism for me.
59. When my plane touches down on the tarmac, I know I will be greeted with
joy by people who are longing to see an end to military rule, and a chance
for democracy.
60. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically, once I leave
the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst.
61. But in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of
Pakistan’s place in the community of democratic nations. I do not fear the
extremists for I have put my fate in the hands of the people of Pakistan,
and my faith in God.
62. Thank you for coming here today, and thank you for your support for
democracy in Pakistan.
Remarks over Dr. A. Q
Khan clarified
Islamabad
September 26, 2007: A spokesperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party
has issued the following statement today.
“During the question and answer session at a public event in Washington DC,
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was asked the hypothetical question whether a
government led by her would cooperate with the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) in investigating charges against Dr. A.Q. Khan.
“Mohtarma Bhutto responded by saying that a PPP government would extend full
cooperation to the International Atomic Energy Commission. This position is
not very different from what the current government says or any other
responsible government in Pakistan would say.
“It is unfortunate that Mohtarma Bhutto’s words are being distorted to imply
that she promised any unlawful handing over of anyone to foreigners.
“The PPP seeks to establish rule of law and there is no question of
violating Pakistani or International law in relation to the freedom and
personal rights of anyone, including Dr A.Q. Khan.”
Mohtarma Bhutto
addresses Middle East Institute in Washington
Says People do not want repeat of sham 2002 elections
Dictatorship fuelling, not containing extremism
Islamabad, 25
September 2007: "The people of Pakistan want change. Change of
systems, change of programs, change from a climate of threat to one of
stability and prosperity. They don't want to see the sham of 2002 repeated
again, resulting in an illegitimate government that has no mandate to govern
and fails to give security of life or economic growth that can provide hope
and opportunity to those unemployed or living on the margins of poverty",
former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan Peoples Party, Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto said this while speaking at the Middle East Institute, in
Washington today. A large number of opinion makers, intellectuals, scholars,
lecturers and students attended the function. Former US ambassador to
Pakistan, Wendy Chamberlain heads the Middle East Institute.
The former Prime Minister giving a detailed account of prevailing situation
in Pakistan said, "It is a critical fork in the road between democracy and
dictatorship and between moderation and extremism. In its resolution lies
not only the future of Pakistan, but also its ability to contain the spread
of militancy and extremism which now threatens the territorial integrity of
Pakistan. Some argue that extremism can better be confronted by a military
backed regime. It will not surprise you that I disagree with this view quite
vigorously. I think it is a strategic miscalculation that has had a negative
impact in the battle against violent fanaticism, posing grave dangers both
to Pakistan and the larger world community. The attacks on the World Trade
Towers, the Cole ship at Yemen, the embassies in Africa, the blasts in
Bombay and in the Indian Parliament took place when I was in opposition".
Regarding the military regime's inability to control the spread of extremism
in Pakistan, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said, "Large sections of Pakistan's
tribal areas have been ceded to non Pakistanis in the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
militias. In fact, after defeat and demoralization following the fall of the
Kabul, these violent elements have re-organized themselves under the shadow
of the military regime. They attack NATO forces across the border in
Afghanistan every day. They conduct suicide attacks within Pakistan killing
innocent people. On September 20, 2007, Al - Qaeda declared war on the
Pakistan army. Military dictatorship has fueled extremism. A democratically
elected government enjoying the support of the people can bring peace to the
people of Pakistan and eliminate extremism. Eliminate terrorism by taking
extremism off the radar screen of the region. I was the civilian female
leader of a democratic Pakistan that invested political capital in the
tribal areas that a military regime has failed to control. As
Prime Minister I brought the rule of law and the fruits of development to
the people in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. My government broke
up the international drug cartel's militias that have now reasserted
themselves under the Musharraf rule and are funding Al - Qaeda to have a
narco-fiefdom. My Administration brought the authority of the government and
the rule of law to FATA in the 1990s. And we can do it again. I would also
add that as Prime Minister I took the necessary steps to close down
political madrassas whose curriculum taught hatred and para-military
terrorist techniques. I did this before they became a threat to the world
community. I considered them a threat to the stability, security and
progress of the people of Pakistan. It is only dictatorships which have used
the Islamic card to legitimize their rule at the expense of the neglected
people of Pakistan. Dictatorships, lacking a popular base, need the
religious card, played in one shape or another, to justify their
stranglehold on power. They need a crisis to obtain international support,
both political and financial. Extremists have never been able to achieve
more than 11% of the vote in a free election, and they will do worse, not
better if free elections are held today. Dictatorship in Pakistan is not
containing extremism, it is fueling. Each of Pakistan's four military
dictatorships has assaulted the major infrastructural building blocks of
democracy -- by attempting to marginalize political parties, dismantling
NGO's and undermining civil society, by constraining labor and student
unions, and allowing the intelligence agencies and government members to
physically assault and intimidate the free press. Each military dictatorship
has undermined the independent judiciary by sacking of judges. In the last
twenty years, my government is the only one which has neither removed a
Chief Justice nor attacked the premises of the Supreme Court."
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto expressing grave concerns about the political
element in Musharraf's party that presided over the rise of extremism and
said, "Dictatorships, by dismantling the infrastructure of democracy, allow
the mosques to become the only outlet of political expression in Pakistan.
The Musharraf regime has appointed extremists to head many of the mosques.
For example the head cleric of the Red Mosque in Islamabad who led a mutiny
in the summer of 2007 was appointed by the regime of General Musharraf. When
he was caught smuggling weapons into Islamabad in 2004, he was released by
the Minister of Religious Affairs. The same Minister has twice defended
suicide attacks before a Pakistani audience while retracting them for the
international community. When Pakistanis gather to pray on Friday in the
mosques they are often subjected to long lectures by radical clerics
appointed by the government even as the government claims publicly to be
against extremism. The voices of moderation are exiled or imprisoned. The
voices of extremism are protected. Moderate and centrist political parties,
thriving human and political rights NGOs, the media, and progressive
leadership within our security and intelligence agencies must be brought
together to confront extremists who pose the greatest internal threat to
Pakistan. This is a battle that can only successfully be waged in a
democratic Pakistan by a legitimate government that enjoys the support of
the people. This is a battle that I am prepared to wage, to lead and to
win."
Regarding dialogue with General Musharraf, she said, "The goal of my
dialogue with Musharraf has never been personal. The goal was always to
ensure that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan, pursuant to the
Constitution, supervised by a robust team of international monitors and
observers, as quickly as possible. My goal was quite literally to save
democracy in Pakistan, to give democracy a chance to nurture and grow and
strengthen."
On the issue of presidential election in Pakistan, she said, "Once General
Musharraf files his nomination papers, the PPP would decide whether it would
resign from the present Parliament or whether it would boycott the
elections. While the PPP would not vote for General Musharraf as President
from this Parliament unless there is a constitutional amendment, it would
not resign if he took the necessary steps to show that he was moving toward
fair elections and a level-playing field. If General Musharraf will retire
from the post of Army Chief by October 5 - given his pledge to retire before
the year's end; second seek national reconciliation by passing an immunity
law for those parliamentarians not proven guilty in the last decade; and
third repeal the ban on a twice elected prime minister seeking office - a
law that he put into place contrary to the constitution; the PPP will not
resign from the Assemblies. The Pakistan People's Party is holding a meeting
with its ARD allies to decide this issue on October 3. Civil unrest is what
the extremists want. Anarchy and chaos suits them. The political element in
Musharraf's party that presided over the rise of extremism has worked with
every Pakistani administration since my government was destabilized in
1996."
About the general elections in Pakistan, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said, "My
Party and I seek fair, free and impartial elections to be held by an
independent election commission under an interim government of national
consensus. We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties. The
Musharraf Election Commission has failed to give civil society and the
opposition confidence."
Regarding her return home from exile, she said, "I chose Karachi as the city
to return to because it is the city where the founder of Pakistan rests.
Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah campaigned to create Pakistan as a
democracy where all citizens would be equal irrespective of their race,
their religion or their gender. I go to Karachi to rekindle the dream of
Quaid e Azam for the people of Pakistan. My father gave his life standing up
for Quaid e Azam's dream of Pakistan. And so Karachi is full of symbolism
for me. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically, once I
leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But in any
case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan's place in
the community of democratic nations. I do not fear the extremists for I have
put my fate in the hands of the people of Pakistan, and my faith in God."
Bhutto Says Pakistan
at a Crucial Point
By Gary Thomas
Washington
September 25,
2007: Exiled former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says
she plans to return home, even without reaching a political deal with the
country's military ruler. VOA Correspondent Gary Thomas reports the former
leader blames what she calls extremist elements for the failure to reach
agreement with President Pervez Musharraf.
Speaking in Washington Tuesday, Benazir Bhutto said Pakistan is at a
critical juncture.
"When the history of my nation is written, I think we will look back to the
fall of 2007 as a genuine turning point in Pakistan," she said. "It is a
critical fork between democracy and dictatorship, and between moderation and
extremism."
Ms. Bhutto says negotiations between her Pakistan People's Party, the PPP,
and General Musharraf have stalled. She blamed the roadblocks on hard-liners
with General Musharraf's party who, she says, do not want a return to
civilian democratic rule in her country.
"General Musharraf has embarked on negotiations with the PPP on a transition
to democracy," she said. "But the dialogue that we have held over so many
months has stalled because extremist sympathizers in his party refuse to
accept a democratic process. General Musharraf has not been able to deliver
on commitments because of these extremist sympathizers in his party over
whom he has little control."
The former prime minister also criticized the United States for supporting
General Musharraf, just as it had supported three earlier military leaders
of Pakistan.
"Three times the United States acted out of perceived self-interest to
constrain communism," she said. "And today Islamabad enjoys the support of
Washington because General Musharraf's military regime is viewed as vital
asset in combating extremism and contributing to regional and global
security."
General Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless military coup in 1999, is
seeking another term in office in an October 6 election. The president of
Pakistan is elected by an electoral college comprised of the national
parliament and provincial assemblies.
Elections for new parliament and assemblies are to be held sometime after
that, most likely in early 2008.
Ms. Bhutto's key demand is that General Musharraf be barred from holding the
dual posts of army chief and president. She says he must resign his army
post before contesting the election and that he lift the ban on a
twice-elected prime minister from running for another term.
Ms. Bhutto was twice elected prime minister of Pakistan, but was never
allowed to complete either term. Facing charges of corruption, she has lived
abroad in London and Dubai, but plans to return home October 18. She says
she does not know how the government will react and she prays for the best,
but is prepared for the worst.
Earlier this month, the prime minister ousted by General Musharraf, Nawaz
Sharif, tried to return home, but was promptly deported back to Saudi
Arabia.
The former chief of South Asia analysis for State Department Intelligence,
Walter Andersen, tells VOA General Musharraf must walk a delicate line, and
that Ms. Bhutto is also in a difficult position.
"She is in a difficult position, too, because this whole set of
circumstances has tended to give political leadership to Nawaz Sharif," he
said. "She has to figure out some way to sort of get back the mantle of
democratic leadership.
Ms. Bhutto says her party will meet October 3 in London to decide whether to
boycott the presidential vote if General Musharraf does not meet their
demands.
No meeting of
Mohtarma Bhutto with Chaudhry Shujaat
Islamabad
September 25, 2007: A spokesperson of the PPP has issued the
following statement today.
"A section of the press today reported about a possible meeting between the
PML President Chaudhry Shjujaat Hussain with PPP Chairperson PPP Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto in Dubai.
"Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain wanted to fly in to Dubai to meet Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto as speculated in a section of the press.
"However the Party decided that Mohtarma Bhutto's dialogue should be at the
lever of General Pervez Musharraf and Presidency and dialogue with PML (Q)
should be with the President of PPP Parliamentarian Makhdoom Amin Fahim".
Mohtarma Bhutto
condemns attack on former federal Minister
Deplores deteriorating law and order situation in the country
Islamabad
September 25, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has condemned the murderous
attack on former federal Minister Muhammad Afzal Khan Lala and called for
the arrest and punishment to the assailants.
Unidentified attackers opened indiscriminate fire on former federal Minister
and ANP leader Muhammad Afzal Khan Lala on Friday in Swat, killing his
driver and gunman and wounding the ex-Minister, his nephew and two servants.
In a statement today the former Prime Minister said that she was shocked to
learn about the cowardly attack on Mr. Afzal Khan who also served as cabinet
minister during her tenure as Prime Minister during 1993-96.
Mohtarma Bhutto deplored that law and order situation in the country had
gone haywire and the writ of the state was fast eroding.
She said that a major reason for the fast deteriorating law and order
situation in the country was the regime’s policy of appeasement towards
militants and extremists.
Mohtarma Bhutto prayed for those who lost their lives in the attack and also
for the speedy recovery of the wounded Afzal Khan and his nephew and
servants.
She called upon the regime to immediately arrest the assailants and bring
them to book under the law of the land.
Raja Pervez Ashraf
writes to MoI for security of Mohtarma Bhutto
September 22, 2007
Sayed Kamal Shah
Interior Secretary
Ministry of Interior
Government of Pakistan
Islamabad
Dear Interior Secretary,
Former Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto leader of the largest
political party in the country, is returning to Pakistan on October 18,
2007.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is entitled to state security and it is the
responsibility of the government to provide it.
In this connection I am writing to ask that:
(a) Mohtarma be provided state security by the same group that provides
Presidential security;
(b) A superintendent of Police nominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party be
assigned to liaise with local administration for her security;
(c) That she be provided the same facilities in transport and otherwise as
are being presently granted to an interim Prime Minister and other former
dignitaries of Pakistan.
I look forward to hearing from you in the next ten days.
Sincerely
(Raja Parvez Ashraf, MNA)
Secretary General
Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians
PPP Decries Use of
Force Against Media
Islamabad,
September 24, 2007: The Pakistan Peoples Party condemned the
illegal detention of Waqt TV reporters in the Parliament Lodges late last
week, as they were covering the condemnable arrest of PML-N acting President
Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in Islamabad.
As the regime braces for a massive crackdown on the opposition leaders and
workers in the run up to the Presidential elections, freedom of the media
has turned out to be the biggest casualty of the regime's blind ambition to
crush all dissent with force. This is the second instance of state sponsored
violence against the media in a matter of a week. Early last week, an
intelligence agency men kidnapped, detained, and harassed a TV reporter for
his report on the suicide attack on the Army mess in Tarbella.
"The harassment spree against the media reflects the tribal mentality of the
regime that has been shamelessly trampling on the fundamental rights of the
nation for eight years," said Sherry Rehman, Central Information Secretary
Pakistan Peoples Party. " We condemn the crackdown on the opposition as well
as the media. This government has been carrying out shameless atrocities
against the media in broad daylight, and has demonstrated absolute disregard
for civil liberties all through its eight year term."
Sherry Rehman pointed out that successive acts of highhandedness against the
media has earned Pakistan the dubious distinction of being one of the top
ten most dangerous countries for the media. "Had this been a civilian
democratic government, it would have long been voted out of power for
violating civil and political rights of the people, the way this regime has
been. No nation can tolerate a government that shows zero regard for its
rights and aspirations.
Rehman called for immediate arrest of the police officials involved in
detaining the Waqt TV team, and demanded the regime to fulfil its
constitutional obligation to safeguard the information rights of the
citizens, and facilitate the media to perform their professional duties.
Assuring the media of her Party's support, the PPP leader said that her
Party has taken a strong notice of the incident. "We, as an opposition Party
and the biggest representative of the people of Pakistan, will never
tolerate acts of violence against the media and the civilians. The PPP will
raise the issue at all relevant forums in line with our commitment to the
ideals of the freedom of the media. The regime must stop violating the civil
rights of the nation with such impunity."
Moderation vs
extremism central issue facing Pakistan : Benazir Bhutto
WASHINGTON, Sept
20, 2007: Describing “moderation vs. extremism” as the central
issue facing Pakistan, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto has stated the problem
of extremism can be contained if the moderate middle can be mobilized to
stand up to fanaticism.
“Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the
past if the moderate middle can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I
return to lead that battle,” she wrote in an article published in The
Washington Post Thursday.
Pakistan’s future viability, stability and security lie in empowering its
people and building political institutions, she observed. “My goal is to
prove that the fundamental battle for the hearts and minds of a generation
can be accomplished only under democracy.”
“The central issue facing Pakistan is moderation vs. extremism,” she
stressed and added that the “resolution of this issue will affect the world,
particularly South and Central Asia and all Muslim nations.”
The former prime minister, who plans to return to Pakistan from self-exile
on October 18, wrote she has been holding talks with the government for
restoration of democracy and defended her approach.
“I am aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I have
engaged in with Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the past several months. I held
those discussions hoping that Musharraf would resign from the army and
restore democracy.
“My goal in that dialogue has never been personal but was always to ensure
that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan, to save democracy. The
fight against extremism requires a national effort that can flow only from
legitimate elections.”
She reiterated her party’s call for “fair, free and impartial elections to
be held by an independent election commission under an interim government of
national consensus.”
“We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties,” the PPP
leader urged.
Benazir Bhutto wrote she does not know what awaits her upon return to
homeland.
“When my flight lands in Pakistan next month, I know I will be greeted with
joy by the people. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically,
once I leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But
in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan’s
place in the community of democratic nations.”
City will be
decorated like a bride: PPP
KARACHI:
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party, Karachi chapter decided Thursday that
Karachi would be decorated like a bride on the eve of October 18, the day
Benazir Bhutto is scheduled to land in Karachi.
The city will be illuminated, the banners on display will be inscribed with
welcome slogans and party flags will be displayed all over. These decisions
were made at a PPP Karachi meeting. Presidents, general secretaries and
information secretaries of district chapters and city areas and divisional
presidents and general secretaries of PPP sister organizations attended the
meeting. Qaim Ali Shah, provincial president of the PPP, and his close aide,
Waqar Mehdi, appealed to the people to finalise their plans for joining the
welcome rally in Karachi.
“I urge the PPP’s members to go door to door and inform the people about Ms.
Bhutto’s return,” said Qaim Ali Shah, directing the PPP workers who met him
at his house.
Rashid Rabbani, the president, and Rafiq Engineer, the general secretary of
the PPP Karachi chapter, said that reception camps would be set up all over
Karachi.
Saeed Ghani, PPP Karachi’s information secretary, urged PPP workers to
counter the government-sponsored media trials of the PPP’s leadership.
PPP slams harassment
of Dawn News journalist
Islamabad
September 20, 2007: The Pakistan Peoples Party expressed its deep
concern over the harassment of DawnNews reporter who was picked by the
intelligence agency officials early this week for his report on the recent
suicide attack on SSG commandos in Tarbela.
In a statement issued from the office of Sherry Rehman, Central Information
Secretary PPP, the Party condemned in strongest terms the inhuman treatment
meted out to Mr Babar Hussain by the intelligence agency men who kidnapped
and intimidated him in broad daylight outside his house in Rawalpindi.
"This incident was not only inhuman, it was also a message for other members
of the journalist community to exercise restraint as they go about their
duty," said Rehman adding that her Party has taken a serious note of the
issue and will be raising it at all the relevant platforms.
"Mr Hussain's harassment comes at a time when journalists are fighting a two
pronged battle for freedom to information. On the one hand they are faced
with the regime that will stoop to any level to harass them, and on the
other hand they are struggling against a systematic disinformation campaign
initiated by the regime with regards to the developments in the tribal areas
and the military barracks. Pakistan features in the list of top 10 worst
countries for press freedom, and such intimidation exercises only add to
poor track record of the country."
Rehman also noted that the ongoing year could be singled out for successive
covert and overt measures against journalists in the wake of the judicial
and political crisis that has gripped the country this year. "We have seen
journalists being brutally murdered, threatened and harassed right in front
of camera, as happened on May 12 in Karachi and on several other occasions
during the judicial crisis. Even their children are not spared. Journalists
Shakeel Turrabi's son was beaten outside his school to warn his father to
exercise caution while reporting about the regime. This is totally
unacceptable."
Expressing her Party's concern at the deteriorating work environment for
journalists, Rehman demanded immediate arrests of those responsible for
harassing Mr Hussain. "The constitution provides no room for immunity to the
intelligence agency officials. They cannot be allowed to run a parallel
system of governance. We all know the length they are capable of going to to
muzzle the press, as we witnessed in the case of the brutal murder of
journalist Hayatullah, last year. This cannot be allowed to go on. The state
has a duty to protect its citizens, and it has completely failed in its
responsibility to do so. In fact, the current rulers do not hesitate to pick
arms against their own citizens when they sense an impending threat to their
hold on power."
Rehman said that her Party is committed to work towards a safe and secure
environment for journalists and has actively campaigned for their rights
both inside and outside the Parliament. "The PPP has a zero tolerance policy
towards the harassment of journalists. We have always fought, and will
continue to fight atrocities against the journalists, which is the biggest
stumbling block in the way of freedom of information that is the fundamental
right of the citizens of Pakistan."
Mohtarma Bhutto says
killers of Mir Murtaza will be exposed and punished
Islamabad
September 19, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party has said that in the fullness of time Mir Murtaza
Bhutto’s murderers would not only be exposed but also punished.
In a statement today on the eve of eleventh martyrdom anniversary of Mir
Murtaza Bhutto Shaheed she said that Mir Murtaza had dedicated his life to
freedom, human dignity and the emancipation of the people.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto was brutally murdered on September 20, 1996 in Karachi.
Following is the text of her message.
"On this eleventh martyrdom anniversary of my beloved brother Mir Murtaza
Bhutto Shaheed, I pay tribute to him both for personal courage and the
valiant struggle he waged for restoring the constitutional rights of our
people.
“Eleven years have passed since our beloved Mir Murtaza fell victim to a
malicious conspiracy. Although he is no longer with us in this world, Mir
Murtaza Shaheed will forever be remembered for the courage with which he
faced military dictatorship.
“Mir Murtaza dedicated his life to freedom, human dignity and the
emancipation of our people. I know how much he suffered during the harsh
years of exile and especially when Shah Nawaz Bhutto Shaheed was killed.
“Mir Murtaza was a proud citizen of the Indus Valley civilization who
defended his people to his last breath. He inspired great loyalty from his
followers. He was brutally killed in the prime of his life by those had
plotted to overthrow the PPP government.
“Mir Murtaza could not attend the funerals of his Father or his Brother due
to his struggle and opposition to military rule. He was a loving brother,
kind-hearted and caring. He was an honourable son who took on his Father's
killers who were also the killers of the people's rights.
“His killers may think that they have got away with murder but they are sure
to be exposed some day. Nothing remains secret forever. History has its own
ways of laying bare what appears to many to be secret. I believe that in the
fullness of time Mir Murtaz's killers would not only be exposed but also
punished.
“May Allah bless his soul with a high place in heaven".
When I Return to
Pakistan
By Benazir Bhutto
Thursday,
September 20, 2007: I am returning to Pakistan on Oct. 18 to
bring change to my country. Pakistan's future viability, stability and
security lie in empowering its people and building political institutions.
My goal is to prove that the fundamental battle for the hearts and minds of
a generation can be accomplished only under democracy.
The central issue facing Pakistan is moderation vs. extremism. The
resolution of this issue will affect the world, particularly South and
Central Asia and all Muslim nations. Extremism can flourish only in an
environment where basic governmental social responsibility for the welfare
of the people is neglected. Political dictatorship and social hopelessness
create the desperation that fuels religious extremism.
Throughout Pakistan's 60-year history, weaving between dictatorship and
democracy, from free elections to rigged elections to no elections,
religious fundamentalists have never been a significant part of our
political consciousness. We are inherently a centrist, moderate nation.
Historically, the religious parties have not received more than 11 percent
of the vote in national elections. The largest political party is mine, the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Pakistan's political landscape has been
molded primarily by the moderate PPP, which has demonstrated strong and
continuous support from the rural masses and the urban elite.
Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the
past if the moderate middle can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I
return to lead that battle.
I have led an unusual life. I have buried a father killed at age 50 and two
brothers killed in the prime of their lives. I raised my children as a
single mother when my husband was arrested and held for eight years without
a conviction -- a hostage to my political career. I made my choice when the
mantle of political leadership was thrust upon my shoulders after my
father's murder. I did not shrink from responsibility then, and I will not
shrink from it now.
I am aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I have engaged
in with Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the past several months. I held those
discussions hoping that Musharraf would resign from the army and restore
democracy.
My goal in that dialogue has never been personal but was always to ensure
that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan, to save democracy. The
fight against extremism requires a national effort that can flow only from
legitimate elections. Within our intelligence and military are elements who
sympathize with religious extremists. If these elements are not answerable
to Parliament and the elected government, the battle against religious
militancy, a battle for the survival and future of Pakistan, could be lost.
The military must be part of the battle against extremism, but as the six
years since Sept. 11, 2001, have shown, the military cannot do it on its
own.
Many issues remain unresolved in our political structure. Musharraf is
precluded from seeking reelection in or out of uniform. Pakistani law
requires a two-year wait before a member of the military can run for the
presidency. The general can respond to the people's desire for legitimate
presidential, parliamentary and ministerial elections, or he can tamper with
the constitution. The latter choice would risk a fresh confrontation with
the judiciary, the legal community and the political parties. Such a
confrontation could lead to another declaration of martial law, civil
unrest, or both.
Civil unrest is what the extremists want. Anarchy and chaos suit them.
The political element in Musharraf's party that presided over the rise of
extremism has worked with every Pakistani administration since my government
was destabilized in 1996. Its members are blocking the democratic change I
have tried to achieve with Musharraf. They fear that democracy will be
difficult to manipulate to the benefit of extremists and militants.
My dialogue with Musharraf aims to move the country forward from a
dictatorship that has failed to stop the tribal areas from becoming havens
for terrorists. The extremists are even spreading their tentacles into
Pakistan's cities.
Last week brought a fresh challenge. Just days ago, Pakistan's election
commission arbitrarily amended the constitutional provision regarding the
eligibility of a person competent to contest for the office of president. As
the constitution can be amended only through a two-thirds majority in
Parliament, a judicial hornet's nest has been stirred.
My party and I seek fair, free and impartial elections to be held by an
independent election commission under an interim government of national
consensus. We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties.
In words commonly attributed to Joseph Stalin, "Those who cast the vote
decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." That's why we
have stressed electoral reforms -- although our efforts have so far been in
vain.
President Bush has rightly noted, "The most powerful weapon in the struggle
against extremism is not bullets or bombs -- it is the universal appeal of
freedom. Freedom is the design of our maker, and the longing of every soul."
When my flight lands in Pakistan next month, I know I will be greeted with
joy by the people. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically,
once I leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But
in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan's
place in the community of democratic nations.
The writer is chairwoman of the Pakistan People's Party and served as prime
minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She lives in
exile in Dubai.
Benazir Bhutto: "We
must succeed"
Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto speaks to RNW
Click
here for the interview
President’s
re-election plan stuns Benazir
ISLAMABAD, Sept
19: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said on Tuesday she was
surprised that President Pervez Musharraf would seek re-election while still
donning his uniform and said her party might quit parliament if he did not
take steps to restore democracy.
“But he has not quite done this ... I was quite surprised to hear that he is
going to retire as army chief in November,” Ms Bhutto told Reuters in a
telephone interview.
“The Pakistan People’s Party wants to support Gen Musharraf if he takes the
country towards democracy but we do not want to bail out a military
dictatorship,” she said.
Ms Bhutto said her party could not support the notion of a military
president.
“We are not going to compromise on our democratic principles. We want
democracy in its true spirit. If it is done through negotiations, good. If
we can’t get in through negotiations than we will exert pressure through the
public.” She said her support for President Musharraf would hinge on him
accepting proposals she had made, including immunity from prosecution for
civilians who ruled between 1988 and 1999 and the lifting of a ban on a
prime minister serving a third term.
“If he doesn’t do it then the Pakistan People’s Party ... will consider
resigning from parliament,” she said.
“I think General Musharraf should hear the voice of the people and move
towards true democracy.”—Reuters
Threats to my life
won't keep me from returning home - Benazir
By Ashfaq Ahmed,
September 21,
2007: Former prime minister and chairperson of the Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto yesterday said she was being threatened
against returning home.
"I am being told that there is a threat to my life if I go back, but I must
tell those people that I am not afraid of anyone but Allah. I will return to
my people," Bhutto told a function held here yesterday to mark the death
anniversary of her brother Mir Murtaza Bhutto, who was shot dead in Karachi
during her last tenure as prime minister.
The function was organised by PPP leaders in the UAE, Akram Farooqi and
Abbas Bhatti.
PPP supporters at the function were overwhelmed by their leader's presence
and chanted slogans like "Prime Minister Benazir". Many of them milled
around her while she was delivering the speech and she had to stop midway
and ask security personnel to keep them back.
Security personnel also had a hard time at the hotel where Benazir was
staying as everyone tried to get near her for a "photograph". Her security
adviser Rehman Malik also accompanied her.
PPP workers have been very excited since Benazir announced that she would
return to Pakistan on October 18, ending her eight year self-exile.
"The country is heading towards civil war as the extremists, who were
earlier killing people in streets, have now started killing our army
personnel," she said.
The sovereignty of the country is at stake because the government has failed
to control extremist elements and there is the looming threat of foreign
invasion, she warned.
"I am going back because I don't want Pakistan to become another Afghanistan
or Iraq. I don't have guns but the PPP has a programme to eliminate
extremism from the country."
On the much hyped deal with the government, she said she held a dialogue
with General Pervez Musharraf because she wanted peace and reconciliation
and did not want to open another battlefront in the country.
"I held a dialogue but I did not accept a president in uniform and will not
accept it in the future as well," she declared.
"I held a dialogue for democracy, balance of power and stable political
system," she said and warned that there would be no compromise if upcoming
polls were not held in a free and fair manner.
Moderation vs
extremism central issue facing Pakistan : Benazir Bhutto
WASHINGTON, Sept
20 APP): Describing “moderation vs. extremism” as the central
issue facing Pakistan, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto has stated the problem
of extremism can be contained if the moderate middle can be mobilized to
stand up to fanaticism.
“Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the
past if the moderate middle can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I
return to lead that battle,” she wrote in an article published in The
Washington Post Thursday.
Pakistan’s future viability, stability and security lie in empowering its
people and building political institutions, she observed. “My goal is to
prove that the fundamental battle for the hearts and minds of a generation
can be accomplished only under democracy.”
“The central issue facing Pakistan is moderation vs. extremism,” she
stressed and added that the “resolution of this issue will affect the world,
particularly South and Central Asia and all Muslim nations.”
The former prime minister, who plans to return to Pakistan from self-exile
on October 18, wrote she has been holding talks with the government for
restoration of democracy and defended her approach.
“I am aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I have
engaged in with Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the past several months. I held
those discussions hoping that Musharraf would resign from the army and
restore democracy.
“My goal in that dialogue has never been personal but was always to ensure
that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan, to save democracy. The
fight against extremism requires a national effort that can flow only from
legitimate elections.”
She reiterated her party’s call for “fair, free and impartial elections to
be held by an independent election commission under an interim government of
national consensus.”
“We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties,” the PPP
leader urged.
Benazir Bhutto wrote she does not know what awaits her upon return to
homeland.
“When my flight lands in Pakistan next month, I know I will be greeted with
joy by the people. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically,
once I leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But
in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan’s
place in the community of democratic nations.”
PPP slams harassment
of Dawn News journalist
Islamabad
September 20, 2007: The Pakistan Peoples Party expressed its deep
concern over the harassment of DawnNews reporter who was picked by the
intelligence agency officials early this week for his report on the recent
suicide attack on SSG commandos in Tarbela.
In a statement issued from the office of Sherry Rehman, Central Information
Secretary PPP, the Party condemned in strongest terms the inhuman treatment
meted out to Mr Babar Hussain by the intelligence agency men who kidnapped
and intimidated him in broad daylight outside his house in Rawalpindi.
"This incident was not only inhuman, it was also a message for other members
of the journalist community to exercise restraint as they go about their
duty," said Rehman adding that her Party has taken a serious note of the
issue and will be raising it at all the relevant platforms.
"Mr Hussain's harassment comes at a time when journalists are fighting a two
pronged battle for freedom to information. On the one hand they are faced
with the regime that will stoop to any level to harass them, and on the
other hand they are struggling against a systematic disinformation campaign
initiated by the regime with regards to the developments in the tribal areas
and the military barracks. Pakistan features in the list of top 10 worst
countries for press freedom, and such intimidation exercises only add to
poor track record of the country."
Rehman also noted that the ongoing year could be singled out for successive
covert and overt measures against journalists in the wake of the judicial
and political crisis that has gripped the country this year. "We have seen
journalists being brutally murdered, threatened and harassed right in front
of camera, as happened on May 12 in Karachi and on several other occasions
during the judicial crisis. Even their children are not spared. Journalists
Shakeel Turrabi's son was beaten outside his school to warn his father to
exercise caution while reporting about the regime. This is totally
unacceptable."
Expressing her Party's concern at the deteriorating work environment for
journalists, Rehman demanded immediate arrests of those responsible for
harassing Mr Hussain. "The constitution provides no room for immunity to the
intelligence agency officials. They cannot be allowed to run a parallel
system of governance. We all know the length they are capable of going to to
muzzle the press, as we witnessed in the case of the brutal murder of
journalist Hayatullah, last year. This cannot be allowed to go on. The state
has a duty to protect its citizens, and it has completely failed in its
responsibility to do so. In fact, the current rulers do not hesitate to pick
arms against their own citizens when they sense an impending threat to their
hold on power."
Rehman said that her Party is committed to work towards a safe and secure
environment for journalists and has actively campaigned for their rights
both inside and outside the Parliament. "The PPP has a zero tolerance policy
towards the harassment of journalists. We have always fought, and will
continue to fight atrocities against the journalists, which is the biggest
stumbling block in the way of freedom of information that is the fundamental
right of the citizens of Pakistan."
When I Return to
Pakistan
By: Benazir Bhutto
Thursday, September 20, 2007:
I am returning to Pakistan on Oct. 18 to bring change to my country.
Pakistan's future viability, stability and security lie in empowering its
people and building political institutions. My goal is to prove that the
fundamental battle for the hearts and minds of a generation can be
accomplished only under democracy.
The central issue facing Pakistan is moderation vs. extremism. The
resolution of this issue will affect the world, particularly South and
Central Asia and all Muslim nations. Extremism can flourish only in an
environment where basic governmental social responsibility for the welfare
of the people is neglected. Political dictatorship and social hopelessness
create the desperation that fuels religious extremism.
Throughout Pakistan's 60-year history, weaving between dictatorship and
democracy, from free elections to rigged elections to no elections,
religious fundamentalists have never been a significant part of our
political consciousness. We are inherently a centrist, moderate nation.
Historically, the religious parties have not received more than 11 percent
of the vote in national elections. The largest political party is mine, the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Pakistan's political landscape has been
molded primarily by the moderate PPP, which has demonstrated strong and
continuous support from the rural masses and the urban elite.
Extremism looms as a threat, but it will be contained as it has been in the
past if the moderate middle can be mobilized to stand up to fanaticism. I
return to lead that battle.
I have led an unusual life. I have buried a father killed at age 50 and two
brothers killed in the prime of their lives. I raised my children as a
single mother when my husband was arrested and held for eight years without
a conviction -- a hostage to my political career. I made my choice when the
mantle of political leadership was thrust upon my shoulders after my
father's murder. I did not shrink from responsibility then, and I will not
shrink from it now.
I am aware that some in Pakistan have questioned the dialogue I have engaged
in with Gen. Pervez Musharraf over the past several months. I held those
discussions hoping that Musharraf would resign from the army and restore
democracy.
My goal in that dialogue has never been personal but was always to ensure
that there be fair and free elections in Pakistan, to save democracy. The
fight against extremism requires a national effort that can flow only from
legitimate elections. Within our intelligence and military are elements who
sympathize with religious extremists. If these elements are not answerable
to Parliament and the elected government, the battle against religious
militancy, a battle for the survival and future of Pakistan, could be lost.
The military must be part of the battle against extremism, but as the six
years since Sept. 11, 2001, have shown, the military cannot do it on its
own.
Many issues remain unresolved in our political structure. Musharraf is
precluded from seeking reelection in or out of uniform. Pakistani law
requires a two-year wait before a member of the military can run for the
presidency. The general can respond to the people's desire for legitimate
presidential, parliamentary and ministerial elections, or he can tamper with
the constitution. The latter choice would risk a fresh confrontation with
the judiciary, the legal community and the political parties. Such a
confrontation could lead to another declaration of martial law, civil
unrest, or both.
Civil unrest is what the extremists want. Anarchy and chaos suit them.
The political element in Musharraf's party that presided over the rise of
extremism has worked with every Pakistani administration since my government
was destabilized in 1996. Its members are blocking the democratic change I
have tried to achieve with Musharraf. They fear that democracy will be
difficult to manipulate to the benefit of extremists and militants.
My dialogue with Musharraf aims to move the country forward from a
dictatorship that has failed to stop the tribal areas from becoming havens
for terrorists. The extremists are even spreading their tentacles into
Pakistan's cities.
Last week brought a fresh challenge. Just days ago, Pakistan's election
commission arbitrarily amended the constitutional provision regarding the
eligibility of a person competent to contest for the office of president. As
the constitution can be amended only through a two-thirds majority in
Parliament, a judicial hornet's nest has been stirred.
My party and I seek fair, free and impartial elections to be held by an
independent election commission under an interim government of national
consensus. We want a level playing field for all candidates and parties.
In words commonly attributed to Joseph Stalin, "Those who cast the vote
decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." That's why we
have stressed electoral reforms -- although our efforts have so far been in
vain.
President Bush has rightly noted, "The most powerful weapon in the struggle
against extremism is not bullets or bombs -- it is the universal appeal of
freedom. Freedom is the design of our maker, and the longing of every soul."
When my flight lands in Pakistan next month, I know I will be greeted with
joy by the people. I do not know what awaits me, personally or politically,
once I leave the airport. I pray for the best and prepare for the worst. But
in any case, I am going home to fight for the restoration of Pakistan's
place in the community of democratic nations.
The writer is chairwoman of the Pakistan People's Party and served as prime
minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. She lives in
exile in Dubai.
President’s
re-election plan stuns Benazir
ISLAMABAD, Sept
19: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said on Tuesday she was
surprised that President Pervez Musharraf would seek re-election while still
donning his uniform and said her party might quit parliament if he did not
take steps to restore democracy.
“But he has not quite done this ... I was quite surprised to hear that he is
going to retire as army chief in November,” Ms Bhutto told Reuters in a
telephone interview.
“The Pakistan People’s Party wants to support Gen Musharraf if he takes the
country towards democracy but we do not want to bail out a military
dictatorship,” she said.
Ms Bhutto said her party could not support the notion of a military
president.
“We are not going to compromise on our democratic principles. We want
democracy in its true spirit. If it is done through negotiations, good. If
we can’t get in through negotiations than we will exert pressure through the
public.” She said her support for President Musharraf would hinge on him
accepting proposals she had made, including immunity from prosecution for
civilians who ruled between 1988 and 1999 and the lifting of a ban on a
prime minister serving a third term.
“If he doesn’t do it then the Pakistan People’s Party ... will consider
resigning from parliament,” she said.
“I think General Musharraf should hear the voice of the people and move
towards true democracy.”—Reuters
Mohtarma Bhutto says
killers of Mir Murtaza will be exposed and punished
Islamabad
September 19, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party has said that in the fullness of time Mir Murtaza
Bhutto’s murderers would not only be exposed but also punished.
In a statement today on the eve of eleventh martyrdom anniversary of Mir
Murtaza Bhutto Shaheed she said that Mir Murtaza had dedicated his life to
freedom, human dignity and the emancipation of the people.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto was brutally murdered on September 20, 1996 in Karachi.
Following is the text of her message.
"On this eleventh martyrdom anniversary of my beloved brother Mir Murtaza
Bhutto Shaheed, I pay tribute to him both for personal courage and the
valiant struggle he waged for restoring the constitutional rights of our
people.
“Eleven years have passed since our beloved Mir Murtaza fell victim to a
malicious conspiracy. Although he is no longer with us in this world, Mir
Murtaza Shaheed will forever be remembered for the courage with which he
faced military dictatorship.
“Mir Murtaza dedicated his life to freedom, human dignity and the
emancipation of our people. I know how much he suffered during the harsh
years of exile and especially when Shah Nawaz Bhutto Shaheed was killed.
“Mir Murtaza was a proud citizen of the Indus Valley civilization who
defended his people to his last breath. He inspired great loyalty from his
followers. He was brutally killed in the prime of his life by those had
plotted to overthrow the PPP government.
“Mir Murtaza could not attend the funerals of his Father or his Brother due
to his struggle and opposition to military rule. He was a loving brother,
kind-hearted and caring. He was an honourable son who took on his Father's
killers who were also the killers of the people's rights.
“His killers may think that they have got away with murder but they are sure
to be exposed some day. Nothing remains secret forever. History has its own
ways of laying bare what appears to many to be secret. I believe that in the
fullness of time Mir Murtaz's killers would not only be exposed but also
punished.
“May Allah bless his soul with a high place in heaven".
President’s
re-election plan stuns Benazir
ISLAMABAD, Sept
19: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said on Tuesday she was
surprised that President Pervez Musharraf would seek re-election while still
donning his uniform and said her party might quit parliament if he did not
take steps to restore democracy.
“But he has not quite done this ... I was quite surprised to hear that he is
going to retire as army chief in November,” Ms Bhutto told Reuters in a
telephone interview.
“The Pakistan People’s Party wants to support Gen Musharraf if he takes the
country towards democracy but we do not want to bail out a military
dictatorship,” she said.
Ms Bhutto said her party could not support the notion of a military
president.
“We are not going to compromise on our democratic principles. We want
democracy in its true spirit. If it is done through negotiations, good. If
we can’t get in through negotiations than we will exert pressure through the
public.” She said her support for President Musharraf would hinge on him
accepting proposals she had made, including immunity from prosecution for
civilians who ruled between 1988 and 1999 and the lifting of a ban on a
prime minister serving a third term.
“If he doesn’t do it then the Pakistan People’s Party ... will consider
resigning from parliament,” she said.
“I think General Musharraf should hear the voice of the people and move
towards true democracy.”—Reuters
PPP seeks third term
for Benazir
September 19, 2007
(Islamabad): Pakistan Opposition PPP has threatened to resign
from Parliament if the ban on their leader Benazir Bhutto becoming prime
minister for a third term is not lifted.
The move comes after General Pervez Musharraf's undertaking to quit as the
country's army chief after being re-elected as president.
The PPP believes that it is unconstitutional for General Musharraf as army
chief to contest elections until a period of two years has lapsed.
"General Musharraf's decision to get himself re-elected in uniform is both
unconstitutional and undemocratic," said Sherry Rehman, Information
Secretary of Pakistan People's Party.
Rehman urged Musharraf to initiate a process of ''national reconciliation''
by meeting key demands of Bhutto.
Final strategy
Rehman also said that PPP would finalise a strategy after discussions with
allied parties of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD).
Bhutto has set October 18 as the date for her return.
Nawaz Sharif's brother Shahbaz Sharif meanwhile accused Musharraf of serious
violations of the Supreme Court order that had allowed the former prime
minister to return to Pakistan in the first place.
According to Shahbaz, the President should be put behind bars for having
forcefully deported Nawaz.
"Musharraf is guilty of contempt of court. It is not a simple offence, it is
a serious crime. A crime for which he can be debarred for holding a public
post. Musharraf and his friends have not committed a small crime and Punjab
Chief Minister Pervez Elahi is also involved in this along with his
henchmen," said Shahbaz.
The Sharifs have also been urging Benazir Bhutto to stay away from a deal
with Musharraf. (With PTI inputs)
SHC issues notices on
Benazir’s petition for bullet-proof vehicle
KARCHI:
A division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin
Ahmed and Justice Faisal Arab issued Tuesday notice to the federal interior
secretary and Sindh home secretary for September 25 in a petition filed by
Benazir Bhutto, chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP)
and former prime minister of Pakistan.
The petitioner moved the court alleging that these officers had failed to
decide her application, seeking an import permit for a bullet-proof vehicle.
“The law and order situation in the country, especially Sindh, is
precarious. There are an increasing number of suicide attacks and even the
most sensitive areas, including garrisons, are not safe any more,” said the
petition filed by her attorney Farooq H Naek.
She maintained that as a politician with an open and progressive mind, who
shuns all sorts of extremism, she remained a target of fanatics and
extremists and the killer of a Punjab women’s welfare minister had also
confessed of targeting her. She mentioned the murders of her two brothers
and said that her entire family was a prime target of assassins who are
opposed to the ideals preached by her party and leadership. She maintained
that keeping her security needs in view, she had applied for permission to
import a bullet-proof vehicle. “The respondents not only neglected and
failed to issue the import permit but also failed to reply. It is my legal
right under Customs Act 1969 and rules framed thereunder,” she maintained.
She prayed the court to direct the respondents to issue her an import permit
for her Toyota Land Cruiser converted to B-6 Protection Version.
PPP Terms General
Musharraf's Re-election in Uniform Both Unconstitutional and Undemocratic
Islamabad: October
18: The PPP has made it very clear at all points that it cannot
accept a uniformed president. General Musharraf's decision to get himself
re-elected in uniform is both unconstitutional and undemocratic
Central Information Secretary of the PPP, Sherry Rehman has said that the
party has always struggled for the restoration of democracy and the
empowerment of the people through a sovereign parliament. A uniformed
president belies both claims. This kind of bending of electoral rules and
constitutional laws will trigger political instability in Pakistan, which
the country can ill afford. The party will announce its parliamentary
strategy as soon as the election schedule is announced and in consultation
with the ARD. The PPP believes that it is unconstitutional for a public
servant, which General Musharaf is as army chief, to contest for elections
until a period of two years has lapsed.
The party has held negotiations in the interests of strengthening democratic
institutions, not individuals, said Rehman. The party opposes the
re-election of General Musharaf from the present parliament as
unconstitutional on two grounds namely that first an army chief cannot
contest presidential elections and secondly that even after retiring an army
chief has to wait two years to contest elections. If General Musharaf had
thought of Pakistan first he would have relinquished the post of Army Chief
prior to seeking election from the present parliament. It would have better
for the country if a national reconciliation process had been initiated by
passing a law giving immunity to those parliamentarians who have not been
proved guilty by any court in the last ten years as well as to have repealed
the ban on a twice elected prime minister to contest for a third time, in
conformity with the constitution as it was before being tampered by military
rule. If these steps for national reconciliation are not taken, the Pakistan
Peoples Party will consider resigning from the Parliament.
EC has no authority
to make amendment in Constitution: Benazir
ISLAMABAD Monday September 17, 2007:
Criticizing the Election Commission over declaring the
election of President exempted from the Article 63 of the constitution,
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has said that the EC has made itself
controversial.
Talking to a private TV Channel, the Chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party
said that only the Parliament has the authority to make any amendment in the
constitution not the Election Commission.
The former Prime Minister while terming illegal the EC declaration declaring
Presidential Election exempted from the Article 63 of the constitution
appealed the Supreme Court to take notice in this regard, adding that EC has
given the impression that it takes dictation from the President House.
Benazir Bhutto said that President Musharraf wants to elect himself but its
up to SC what decision it would take, adding that despite of the recent
amendment, General Pervez Musharraf cannot be re- elected from the incumbent
assemblies.
Commenting on her contacts with the Government, the former Prime Minister
said that there was no contact after September 4. She blamed that the ruling
party does not want negotiations but confrontation between the Judiciary and
the Opposition.
Benazir's
return to Pakistan will bring political stability: Kasuri
Tuesday September
18, 2007: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri has
said that the return of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan
would bring political stability to the country.
"We would welcome Bhutto on her return to the country," Kasuri told
reporters on the sidelines of an exhibition organised at the French Embassy
in Islamabad to celebrate the completion of 60 years of Pakistan-France
friendship.
Kasuri said the government wanted to take along all parties for a national
consensus on key issues.
The government wanted to have links with the PML-N and had contacted the
party leadership before Nawaz Sharif's return, but he adopted a "harsh
approach," the Daily Times quoted Kasuri, as saying.
Earlier, the Musharraf camp has been pushed to the backfoot after some
leading ministers and the PML-Q members strongly resisted the deal with
Bhutto in their meeting with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and party chief
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
Pakistan People's Party chairperson, Bhutto would be landing at the Karachi
airport on October 18, ending her eight years of exile. (ANI)
The PPP Rejects the
Election Commission's Amendments as Rigging
Sept 17th,
Islamabad: Central Information Secretary of the PPP, Sherry
Rehman said that the govt can twist and bend rules as it likes, but there is
no basis, constitutional or otherwise for Gen Musharraf to be elected from
the current assembly.
The PPP has always fought for the principle of a democratically elected
government, and the imposition of a military president runs against all
fundamental rules that underpin a sovereign parliament, and undermine the
existence and writ of an elected government. Momtarma Benazir Bhutto and the
ppp have been categorical in their position on a military president, and
will not countenance this charade once more on the people of Pakistan. All
democratic forces will reject such a move, said Rehman, and in such
circumstances, all talk of an election commission bending the rules to suit
one-man rule has exposed the commission as a body that is unwilling to stand
firm according to its constitutional mandate to hold all offices and
contestants as equal before the law.
By going through with such a farce, the government and the election
commission will be taking Pakistan towards further chaos and instability,
said Rehman. No democrat can accept the bona fides of an institution that
facilitates only those who control the state's resources through the
over-used power of the bullet. The election commission should be providing a
level playing field for those who only vest power in themselves through the
ballot, not tamely acquiescing to changing the goalposts and rules to tilt
the field in favour of a military president to prolong his rule.
This open subversion of democratic systems will plunge the country into
another spiral of uncertainty, warned Rehman, as the people of Pakistan are
in no mood to accept non-accountable institutions, nor accord anyone a place
where they are above the law. The constitution of Pakistan is very clear on
the election of a president, and subverting it via changes in the
Presidential Election Rules will result in this move being challenged in
court at the very least. It is better that the Election Commission stick to
its duty of holding a free and fair election, instead of trying to interpret
the constitution, she said.
Mohtarma Bhutto
felicitates Rizwan Sunny on election
Islamabad, 16
September 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan
Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has congratulated President Peoples
Traders Cell, Mr. Rizwan Sunny on his election as President Commercial
Market, Rawalpindi.
In a message congratulating Rizwan Sunny, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said,
"your election as President demonstrates the trust of the business and
trading community in your leadership".
She said that the PPP has always supported the downtrodden and middle class
and wants a vibrant business and trading community so that the country can
prosper and develop.
Your victory is indicative of the fact that the PPP has strong support in
the business community as well as students, lawyers, workers, teachers and
every strata of the society, she said.
Felicitating Rizwan Sunny, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto hoped that he would
continue to serve his community and spread the message of the party.
Mohtarma Bhutto
condemns murder of Advocate Raja Riaz
Islamabad, 16
September 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson Pakistan
Peoples Party, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto condemning the murder of advocate
Raja Riaz has expressed grave concern over attacks on lawyer's community in
Karachi.
Raja Riaz advocate was shot dead after two armed men intercepted him near
Governor House Karachi the other day. Another advocate Muhammad Ali Abbasi,
the former president Peoples Lawyers Forum and member Sindh High Court Bar
Association was robbed at gunpoint on 10 September depriving him of cash and
valuables.
In a statement today Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that the law and order
situation in the country is deteriorating with every passing day and the
regime has miserably failed to protect the lives and property of citizens of
Pakistan.
It is a matter of grave concern that lawyers are being murdered in broad
daylight and beaten up and tortured by the thugs who want to create chaos in
the country, she said.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto demanded immediate arrest of the killers of Advocate
Raja and the attackers who deprived advocate Muhammad Ali Abbasi of his
valuables at gunpoint and to bring them to book.
She also prayed for grant of eternal peace to the departed soul and courage
and fortitude for the family members to bear this irreparable loss with
equanimity.
Benazir to land in
Karachi on Oct 18
By Amir Wasim
ISLAMABAD, Sept
14: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Friday announced that its
leader Benazir Bhutto would return to Pakistan, ending her eight-year
self-imposed exile, on October 18, and land in Karachi.
“I want to give a good news to the millions of millions of the people of
Pakistan that Benazir will return to Pakistan on October 18,” announced
PPP’s senior vice-president Makhdoom Amin Fahim at a crowded news conference
amid cheers and slogans from supporters and a barrage of firecrackers.
He was accompanied by spokesman Farhatullah Babar, information secretary
Sherry Rehman and other parliamentarians.
Similar news conferences were held simultaneously in eight places, including
four provincial capitals, Azad Kashmir and Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (Fata) where senior office-bearers announced Ms Bhutto’s return plan.
Activists of People’s Students Federation, People’s Youth Organisation and
women’s wing of the party chanted slogans of “Wazir-i-Azam Benazir” and
“Long Live Benazir” as soon as Mr Fahim announced the return date.
There were reports that workers of the party celebrated the announcement in
several cities, including Lahore, Multan and Larkana, the hometown of the
Bhutto family by dancing on the streets and distributing sweets.
Ms Bhutto had left the country for the UAE on April 6, 1999, six months
before the take over by Gen Pervez Musharraf.
She served as prime minister twice, during 1988-90 and 1993-96, and has been
leading her party from abroad by convening party meetings in Dubai and
London over the past eight years.
The announcement of Ms Bhutto’s return came three days after the government
deported another former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Saudi Arabia when he
attempted to end his seven-year exile.
Mr Fahim said that soon after landing in Karachi, Ms Bhutto would go
straight to the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam to pay homage to the Father of the
Nation.
He said the flight number and the time of Ms Bhutto’s arrival would be
announced later.
When asked about the party’s strategy if the government created any hurdle,
Mr Fahim said: “We are ready to face any situation and we will handle it
appropriately.”
“Benazir Bhutto needs nobody’s green light to come to Pakistan,” said Sherry
Rehman when a reporter asked if Ms Bhutto was returning to the country after
reaching an understanding with Gen Musharraf.
She said the chairperson, who is facing corruption charges, had gone abroad
with the permission of courts and, therefore, it was not appropriate to say
that she was an absconder.
The PPP leaders evaded a question regarding Asif Zardari indicating that he
might not be accompanying Ms Bhutto.
Talking to DawnNews TV, Benazir said she had decided to land in Karachi to
give a message of unity to the people of Pakistan.
She said that military operations were being carried out in Balochistan and
tribal areas and the federation was in danger.
“When there is a threat to the federation, I want to give a message of unity
by going to the tomb of the Quaid-i-Azam,” she said when asked why had she
chosen Karachi for her return.
She said there was a need for re-creating Pakistan of the Quaid-i-Azam.
When asked why she had decided to return after the presidential elections
expected by October 15, she said her plan had nothing to do with the
presidential elections. In fact, she said, it was yet to be seen as to when
the presidential elections would be held.
She said that her party wanted to maintain the sanctity of the holy month of
Ramazan and, therefore, she had decided to return soon after Eid.Ms Bhutto
said it would be wiser for Gen Musharraf to delay the presidential elections
and wait for the next assemblies.
She said that Gen Musharraf’s representatives had last met her on September
4.
According to her, the team was supposed to come back to her in two days and
now the ball was in the government’s court.
She said it was up to the government to decide whether it was serious about
transition to democracy or there were some other ideas in their minds, like
imposition of emergency or martial law.
She said the timing of the elections was not important and it was better to
focus on reforms suggested by the party for free and fair polls.
About the interim caretaker set-up for the polls, the PPP chairperson said
she had asked Mr Fahim and party’s secretary general Raja Pervez Ashraf to
prepare a panel for her to decide the name for a caretaker prime minister.
Ms Bhutto said PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif had brokered a deal with Gen
Musharraf and also involved a foreign country in it.
Similarly, she said, the MMA supported the regime in getting the 17th
Amendment approved and Imran Khan backed Gen Musharraf during the
presidential referendum.
She said it was only the PPP which was confronting Gen Musharraf face to
face. She said it was the PPP workers, and not the PML-N’s, who were killed
in the struggle against the regime.
PPP secretary general Jahangir Badar and president PPP Punjab Makhdoom Shah
Mehmood Qureshi addressed similar news conference in Lahore.
Leader of Opposition in the Senate Raza Rabbani and president PPP Sindh Syed
Qaim Ali Shah in Karachi, PPP vice-chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani and MWFP
president Rahim Dad Khan in Peshawar, MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf and PPP Azad
Kashmir president Chaudhry Abdul Majeed in Muzaffarabad, MNA Nayyar Hussain
Bokhari and Syed Jafar Shah in Gilgit and PPP Women’s Wing leader Mehrunisa
Afridi in Fata.
Our Quetta Correspondent adds: PPP workers and local leaders gathered at the
Sarawan House here on Friday to celebrate the announcement about Benazir
Bhutto’s return.
Addressing a joint press conference, former MNA Abida Hussain and the
party’s Balochistan chapter president Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani said
the PPP would give a safe exit to the military ruler if he accepted demands.
They asserted that Ms Bhutto was concerned over the confrontation between
the government and insurgents in Balochistan and the deteriorating situation
in Karachi.
They claimed that issues of unemployment, price hike, lawlessness, dire
economic conditions and political uncertainty had forced Ms Bhutto to return
to the country to lead the masses for restoration of democracy and civilian
rule.
Benazir coming on Oct
18
* Amin Fahim says PPP chairwoman to land
in Karachi
* Door for talks with govt to remain open till October 18
* BB says it is unfortunate that PPP has not reached deal with govt
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/ KARACHI: Former
premier Benazir Bhutto will land at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport,
Karachi, on October 18.
PPP Vice Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim made the announcement of Benazir’s
return to Pakistan at a press conference at the party’s central secretariat
here on Friday.
“I am giving this good news to the people that she is arriving on the 18th
of October and will land in Karachi from where she will go to the mausoleum
of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to pay homage to the founder of
Pakistan. The time of her arrival and flight will be announced later,” said
Fahim.
The moment Fahim announced this, a group of cheerful PPP workers started
shouting “Welcome Benazir”, “Prime Minister Benazir”, turning the press
conference into a party gathering.
Fahim said Benazir would restore real democracy in the country with the help
of the people. “We don’t need to strike a deal with President Gen Pervez
Musharraf. Our deal is with the people of Pakistan. However, the party has
not closed the door for talks,” the PPP vice chairman said to questions on
the ongoing talks and the reported power-sharing deal between Benazir and
President Musharraf.
Fahim said the PPP was prepared to face any situation on Benazir’s return.
He, however, neither denied nor confirmed the speculative reports of a
meeting between Benazir Bhutto and US Assistant Secretary for South Asia
Richard Boucher in Dubai.
In Lahore, PPP Secretary General Jehangir Badr announced Benazir’s return at
a press conference at the local press club. The party has, meanwhile, formed
three committees to finalise the arrangements to receive Benazir on October
18.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said Benazir could
return home, but told Reuters: “The law will take its course. She has to
face corruption cases pending against her in the courts.” The Associated
Press reported Fahim as saying that the door for negotiations with the
government would remain open until October 18.
Benazir told Dawn News that it was unfortunate that her party could not
reach a deal with the government, but said she would return to Pakistan on
October 18. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach an agreement despite our
negotiations with the government, but I will definitely return on October
18.”
PPP to announce
Benazir’s return date today
ISLAMABAD, Sept
13: The Pakistan People’s Party will announce on Friday the date
and venue of party chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s return to the country.PPP
spokesman and former senator Farhatullah Khan Babar told Dawn that Ms
Bhutto’s return schedule would be announced by party leaders in news
conferences to be held simultaneously in eight cities, including Karachi,
Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Fata.
The main news conference to be held at the PPP’s Central Secretariat in
Islamabad will be addressed by party’s vice-chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim and
information-secretary Sherry Rehman.
Mr Babar declined to give any specific date of Ms Bhutto’s return. However,
party sources said the former prime minister was expected to land in the
country by the end of next month, possibly between Oct 20 and 25.
Responding to a question, Mr Babar said that Ms Bhutto’s return had no
connection to the ongoing power-sharing dialogue with the Musharraf regime.
When asked to comment on reports that the talks between Gen Musharraf and Ms
Bhutto had failed, he said: “Doors are not closed, but we can’t say at this
moment that they are close to any agreement.”
Shamim-ur-Rehman in Karachi adds: The PPP chairperson is likely to return
home on Oct 24, one week after Eid, well-informed sources say.
However, they said that Ms Bhutto herself would formally announce the date
of her return on Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Bilawal House and the PPP secretariat are busy giving fining
final touches to video-clips, welcome songs and jingles and posters and
banners which will be distributed all over the country.
At Bilawal House, CDs of Ms Bhutto’s speeches and activities and party songs
are being pre-viewed.
“We will make it a historic welcome and will prove that Benazir Bhutto has
an unprecedented popular following and that the PPP is the only
national-level party,” said Jameel Soomro of the media cell at Bilawal
House.
Mohtarma Bhutto
greets Muslims on the eve of Ramadan
Islamabad
September 13, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has greeted the Muslims on
the advent of Ramadan on Friday September 14 and urged them to seek
forgiveness of their sins and the blessings of Allah in this Holy month.
Following is the text of her message.
"I wish to felicitate the Muslims throughout the world in general and the
Muslim brothers and sisters in Pakistan in particular on the advent of the
holy month of Ramadan.
"The month of Ramadan is a month of fasting and blessing, which enjoins upon
the Muslims to devote themselves to observe fasting and refrain from all
evil deeds.
"On this occasion I urge the countrymen to make full use of the holy month
in seeking forgiveness for their sins and in submitting to the will of
Allah.
"Each age and each society has a distinct evil peculiar to it. Evil
manifests itself in different shapes at different times. One of the greatest
evils of our time is the hijacking of constitutional and democratic rights
of people by some undemocratic elements. They want to keep the status quo at
all cost so as to continue arrogating to themselves the social and economic
opportunities at the expense of the vast teeming millions.
"On this auspicious occasion therefore, I call upon my countrymen not to
give up their rights and not to allow the usurpation by few of what actually
belongs to the people.
"In this connection I therefore urge the Party leaders to arrange Iftar
meetings to meet and educate the workers and the people. The people must be
taken into confidence on the challenges posed to the civil society by
undemocratic forces and power seekers. Our people need to be educated on the
need for transition to democracy and to banish dictatorship forever.
"At this time I also pray for peace all over the world and especially within
the Muslim World.. I pray that God will bless us and free our world from
terrorism and help build an understanding between peoples of different
religions, races and cultures so that our children can live in a world of
harmony.
"May the blessings of Ramadan will remain with all of you for the whole
year".
Mohtarma Bhutto
condemns banning Imran Khan from entering Karachi
Islamabad
September 13, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has condemned the forced
return to Islamabad of the Tehrik e Insaaf leader Imran Khan from Karachi
airport.
Imran Khan was forced to return to Islamabad on Wednesday immediately after
he landed in Karachi.
In a statement today the former Prime Minister said, "our Founding Fathers
formed a free Nation guaranteeing every citizen the right to freedom of
movement as well as the freedom of speech and association. This is a right
for which Quaid e Awam gave his life and PPP pledges to support".
Recalling past PPP governments, Mohtarma Bhutto said that Quaid e Awam gave
the country a unanimous Constitution introducing fundamental human rights
and habeas corpus for the first time in the history of Pakistan. She said
PPP governments respected the Opposition's rights to dissent and never
interfered in their freedoms.
She called upon the regime to take back the order banning Imran Khan from
entering Karachi, release all workers of political parties and respect human
rights.
Mohtarma Bhutto asked the people of Pakistan who are, her brothers and
sisters, to come forward and strengthen the hands of the PPP to build a
safe, secure, peaceful, prosperous Pakistan free from terrorism where the
social and economic needs of the people were met.
The PPP would give education, employment, energy and environment and
strengthen the right of every individual to Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan, she
said.
The poor and
shirtless of Pakistan are my strength, says Benazir
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE:
Pakistan People’s Party Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto says she is more
popular than former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and that he chose to return
to Pakistan at a time when there was no hope of getting any relief from the
judiciary.
“Polls show that the Pakistan People’s Party and I are most popular leaders
in the country. Yes, more popular than even Mr Nawaz Sharif,” Ms Bhutto said
in an interview (briefly reported on Wednesday) with CNN-IBN published on
Wednesday.
“Mr Nawaz Sharif chose to go back but when the judiciary was under pressure,
when there was no hope of getting any relief from them and the days were
dark and dismal. Those were the days when PPP workers and other democratic
forces stood their ground and kept the torch of democracy alive.” Asked if
her deal (if there is any) with the government would materialise or not, she
said, “The Pakistan People’s Party and I have been in a struggle for the
democratic rights of the people and we have been exploring whether a
transition to democracy can be made through the holding of free and fair
elections open to all political parties and political leaders. We haven’t
still come to a point where an agreement can be reached. Many people in his
party are against the democratisation of Pakistan.”
Asked if she was hopeful of an agreement, Ms Bhutto said, “We are running
out of time as elections are coming up but the window is not completely
shut.”
Ms Bhutto denied that she was courting President Gen Pervez Musharraf to get
the corruption charges against her dropped.
“Well, that’s wrong, because if I just wanted the corruption charges
dropped, there would be no problem, would there? They would be only too
happy to do it, just like they dropped the corruption charges against Nawaz
Sharif and limited his sentence. If it was an issue of just charges, they
would have been dropped and my husband and I would have led a smooth life
with our three children. But we didn’t, we were buffeted by storms because
we stayed true to the people of Pakistan.”
The former premier also denied that she was “extending a lifeline to a
sinking dictator”. “We are not supporting him (Musharraf). We are supporting
a transition to democracy and the holding of fair elections and electing a
viable parliament.”
When told that she had reversed the views she expressed to the Sunday Times
in Britain six weeks ago that “Musharraf has lost his moral authority. His
popularity ratings are down and it would be very unpopular if we saved him
and would lose votes if we are associated with him,” Ms Bhutto said, “I
don’t reverse my views. I have a very clear mission of where my party and my
country should go. I don’t support uniformed presidency. When I was asked a
question related to uniformed presidency, is said it was not possible for
us. He is very unpopular and that is what the International Republican
Institute polls also show. Pakistan is an important country. It is facing a
threat from within and it is very important for us to move in a manner that
can get the country elections. This dialogue of ours on democracy has
precluded at certain critical moments so far the imposition of emergency in
country.”
To a query, the PPP chairwoman said the reason people speak to her is
because “I am the majority leader of the people of Pakistan. The poor and
shirtless people of Pakistan who many would like to ignore support me and
they are my strength.”
Asked if she would return to Pakistan without an understanding, she said,
“Yes. I will return. I announced on January 5 of this year that I would be
returning to Pakistan and whether there is an understanding or not. The
reason there has been no understanding to date is because I have refused to
accept anything for myself. I have been fighting to get something for the
people of Pakistan. Through this process of dialogue, I have insured that
the elections that were promised in Pakistan not be derailed.
There could have been an emergency and there could have been an imposition
of martial law, but during these critical months from January to September,
we have averted such a disaster and we have done so because we always kept
the doors of dialogue open for a peaceful political transition towards
democracy in our country.”
She said her party intends to announce the date of her return on September
14. “We want to announce it from the soil of Pakistan, she added.
Ghulam Musataf Khar
no longer in Pakistan Peoples Party
Islamabad,
September 12: The Secretary General of Pakistan Peoples Party,
Jahangir Badar has said that Ghulam Musataf Khar was no longer a member of
the Pakistan Peoples Party and it was incorrect to refer to him as a PPP
leader.
In a statement today, Jahangir Badar said that Ghulam Mustafa Khar had
violated the conditions necessary for the party membership and had
therefore, ceased to be a member of the party.
He said that this is the 9th time Mr. Khar has left the party. Last week,
Mr. Khar has said in a television interview that he wanted to campaign
against the Pakistan People party.
The PPP Secretary General said that during the last party meeting in London,
Mr. Mustafa Khar has asked for two national assembly seats for his nominees
in Muzaffargarh. But the Divisional President and local party office bearers
opposed to give his nominees two national assembly
seats.
It was the dispute on the two national assembly seats sought by him that has
resulted in Mustafa Khar quitting the party, Jahangir Badar said.
PPP united under the
leadership of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
Reiterates transition to democracy through free elections, end to uniformed
Presidency
Islamabad, 10
September 2007: Senator Dr. Safdar Abbasi member Central
Executive Committee Pakistan Peoples Party said the PPP members do not share
the view attributed to a PPP leader that a section within the PPP believed
that an agreement for the transition to democracy in the country through the
holding of fair, free and impartial elections and an end to a uniformed
presidency with General Musharraf might be harmful for the Party.
In a statement today he said that the Party is united under the leadership
of the Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Senator Dr. Safdar Abbasi said that Pakistan Peoples Party is the largest
democratic party in the country and although there may be several opinions
within the party, which are expressed at the proper forums, once Chairperson
takes a decision all the party workers abide by that decision.
From the days of Quaid e Awam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Party workers have
had full faith and confidence in the leadership of Quaid e Awam, Begum
Nusrat Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. There is no question of any Party
worker questioning the wisdom of its leadership.
He said that the Party workers and Parliamentarians have a sense of
responsibility and duty to their leader from whose popularity and standing
amongst the public they seek election themselves. Those that have forgotten
this, like Farooq Leghari, learnt that without the platform of a PPP led by
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, they had no platform or recognition amongst the
masses.
The PPP Senator said that the Party has once again reposed full confidence
in the Chairperson Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in the recently held joint
meeting of the Central Executive Committee and Federal Council in London and
believe that the Chairperson and her family as well as the workers have paid
a heavy price in political suffering to keep alive the interest of the
Party, democratic supremacy and the People of Pakistan's right to
representative government.
Boucher Visit To
Pakistan Ally
Islamabad
September 9, 2007: Responding to reports in a section of the
press that the US Assistant Secretary of State Mr Richard Boucher was
visiting Pakistan to bring PPP and General Musharraf together a spokesperson
of the PPP has issued the following statement today.
“The Pakistan Peoples Party said that the visit of Assistant Secretary of
State Mr. Richard Boucher to Islamabad was due to Pakistan status as an ally
in the war against terrorism and not due to bringing General Musharaf
together with the P.P.P as reported in a segment of the press.
“Such visits have been taking place on regular basis since 9/11. However now
that Washington has started supporting the aspirations of the people of
Pakistan for democracy, pro-dictatorship forces are trying to distort the
nature of the routine visits for their own purposes.
“American officials have met with joint delegations of all parties including
the MMA, PMLQ, PMLN and P.P.P to ascertain the sentiments of the Pakistani
people.
“However, the main focus of the visits has been with regard to regional
security.”
PPP never left for
Saudia with 40 suitcases: MBB
Chairperson PPP MBB, while talking with Geo
TV has said that PPP never tried to left for Saudia along with 40 suitcases.
She further said Nawaz should not joke with democracy by using the name of
SZAB. MBB announced to contest election from Larkana.
Politics of deals
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Mir Jamilur Rahman
The game of enumerating President
Musharraf's options is in full swing. The 'options' so enumerated are based
on the premise that Musharraf would go to any length to retain his
presidential office. For instance, his ongoing dialogue with Benazir Bhutto
is put forth as an example of stark opportunism. President Musharraf and
Benazir Bhutto are both being malignantly accused of overriding national
interest for their personal interest.
President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto are jointly seeking a way to the
peaceful transfer of power from military to democratic rule. They have yet
to reach a consensus on several issues. Time is running short. Therefore it
is expected that they would soon reach a final decision, most probably
before the arrival of Mian Nawaz Sharif.
The president of the ruling party, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, recently told
an American newspaper that Musharraf's options for staying in power are
becoming bleak. With reference to the petition in the Supreme Court that has
challenged Musharraf's eligibility for re-election, Chaudhry said he was not
optimistic about the president's chances there.
The impending 'deal' between Musharraf and Benazir has unnerved the PML-Q
and its allies. The opponents of the deal cite the wide ideological gulf
that exists between the PPP and the PML-Q as the stumbling block to
reconciliation between the two parties. Minister Ejazul Haq has declared to
resign from the cabinet if such a deal ever saw the light of day. Some
voices from within the ruling party have been raised saying that the PML-Q
would prefer a deal with the PML-N rather than the PPP.
It seems that the PML-Q leadership does not comprehend the issue fully.
President Musharraf is negotiating with Benazir Bhutto not out of love for
the PPP but for securing his re-election. He needs PPP votes in parliament
to amend the constitution suitably so as to make him eligible to contest the
presidential office with or without uniform. The PML-Q should have the good
sense to understand that without Musharraf in the President House its
remains would be scattered to the wind.
The issue of the president's uniform has been blown out of proportion. In
fact, the uniform has usually served as a sobering influence on the caustic
politicians. Moreover, Pakistanis have great fascination with the army
uniform though it is true that they don't fancy it in the same degree as
before. Far back in the fifties, as Altaf Gauhar writes in his biography of
Ayub Khan, the governor-general would summon the commander-in-chief (Gen
Ayub Khan) to Karachi, the then capital, whenever the government was facing
a crisis. The presence of the C-in-C would cool the tempers of parliament
and keep it down until the making of the next crisis.
Gen Musharraf is not the first military ruler to keep wearing the uniform
while presiding over the country. His three military predecessors – General
Ziaul Haq, General Yahya Khan and Field Marshal Ayub Khan – never let go
their uniforms. President Musharraf has described his uniform as his second
skin. The tradition of uniformed politicians goes far back to the
mid-fifties. While Gen Ayub Khan was a serving C-in-C, he became defence
minister in the cabinet of prime minister Mohammad Ali Bogra. General Ayub
was always properly dressed in the C-in-C regalia whenever he attended
cabinet meetings. No politician is on record having objected to his
presence.
Of Ayub, his biographer, the late Altaf Gauhar, wrote: "He stands out as the
first Muslim ruler in South Asia who tried to put his country on the modern
secular path without renouncing the fundamental principles of Islam. He
tried to persuade his people to recognise the contemporary compulsions and
realities and to respond to the challenge of the modern age instead of
living in the past in the belief that all the problems of life that they
might be called upon to address now or in the future had already been
resolved for them in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. They could not
hope to progress if they continued to cling to the belief that their
salvation lay in adopting the traditional formulations and solutions, as
embodied in the Shariah, the Islamic code of life, and resisting the lure of
any innovation".
This tribute applies to General Musharraf as well. Ayub's biography was
published in 1993, six years before Gen Musharraf appeared on the scene. It
is a pity that Gen Musharraf has waited so long to come to terms with
Benazir and the PPP, a party that is nearest to his philosophy. He has been
instrumental in opening the doors wide open to media freedom.
As for Benazir Bhutto, she has been subjected to insidious attacks for
talking to Gen Musharraf. Some of her opponents have indulged in scurrilous
distortions to defame her and to question her intentions. They claim she is
entering into a deal with President Musharraf to get the corruption cases
against her dropped. To be sure, she and her husband are facing these cases
for the last dozen years. Asif Zardari was incarcerated for eight long years
without ever being convicted for any crime. There should be an end to this
harassment which goes on not only against her but other politicians. And the
Sharif's plan to land in Islamabad soon, on Sept. 10. The government has
said that they may well be arrested. Such an act will not diminish the
popularity of Nawaz Sharif and would only reduce the government's
credibility.
The writer is a freelance columnist. Email:
mirjrahman@yahoo.com
Sharifs left Saudi
Arabia with American blessings
Article by Muhammad Saleh Zaafir -
ISLAMABAD September 7, 2007:
A “courageous and victorious” return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
from exile is yet another episode of the international play that has been
very craftily and proficiently written by the global stakeholders.
Nawaz Sharif happens to be a friend of former US president Bill Clinton and
at times considered to be the right-wing zealot since he used to provide all
sorts of assistance to the Mujahideen of late Gen Ziaul Haq in the 1980s,
who were fighting the war of Islam under the patronage of the United States.
The diplomatic receptions in the federal capital are the occasions where all
types of theories are discussed these days with fair amount of interest. The
narrators are mostly former top bureaucrats and retired high-ups of the
‘sensitive’ outfits who recount close association of the man with the people
in the West and his homecoming is being mockingly portrayed by his
adversaries as return of the Tarzan. The leaders of his Pakistan Muslim
League-N contemptuously reject these notions and insist that Nawaz Sharif is
a naive leader who has nothing to do with any such manoeuvrings.
The narrators while talking candidly to The News said that the prime
minister who was turned into a hijacker on that ‘fateful day’, was
overthrown in a meticulously worked out plan that was drawn weeks earlier
and executed with perfection. Unlike his predecessor, Gen Pervez Musharraf
did not consign his rival to the gallows and instead dispatched the whole
family to the most revered place on earth within 14 months where he was
received at the Jeddah airport by the most powerful Crown Prince of his
times. The important capitals of the world heaved a sigh of relief while
Washington was more than happy about it. Interestingly, it was Nawaz Sharif
who had overtly annoyed the United States two years earlier by exploding a
nuclear device and making Pakistan a member the exclusive nuclear club.
The second part of the story takes off when the Sharif family left for Saudi
Arabia with the US blessing. Initially it was stated that the family has
gone to Saudi Arabia for a period of 10 years and that during this period
none of its members would take part in political activities. The Sharif
family had not spent even half of the period there when Nawaz Sharif’s
younger brother Shehbaz was easily allowed to proceed to the United States
where he got treatment for cancer and miraculously recovered. He visited the
US more than once and regained health to the extent that he got married
despite having his own married children.
On the other hand, Nawaz’s son also suddenly fell ill in London and Nawaz
Sharif was permitted to go to London to be with him. The day he arrived in
London, his son started recovering miraculously and no one heard about his
ailment afterwards. Shahbaz Sharif had already ventured to return to
Pakistan defying all the undertakings but failed. The Musharraf
administration kept facilitating the Sharif family on humanitarian grounds.
Nawaz Sharif had already shifted his capital to Europe and wound up his
flourishing business in Saudi Arabia. He settled in the United Kingdom and
kept on expanding his international acquaintances while keeping a low
profile.
The observers are questioning how all this could have happened without the
consent of the Americans as their closest buddy was on the top of Nawaz
Sharif’s hit-list. The British media did not report about the presence of
Nawaz Sharif in the United Kingdom in the initial days but lately he was
appearing regularly on the British as well as the world media without any
hindrance. He was holding his party meetings and addressed a number of news
conferences in London where he had gone to attend to his ailing son. He
chanced to have meeting with his ace erstwhile rival Ms. Benazir Bhutto in
London and inked the Pakistan-specific charter of democracy (CoD).
The tarnishing of Pervez Musharraf’s image started with the infamous
reference of March 9. Since then the events are taking place in such an
organized way that not a single day passed when the demolition process of
Pervez Musharraf rule was not on. The popularity graph of the President fell
to record low. At this juncture the General started cozying up to the PPP
leadership. Benazir Bhutto has been the darling of the West for long. All of
a sudden people came to know that the two who had been abusing each other
publicly for last eight years had secret contacts for about three years.
Pervez and Benazir met on the soil of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in July
courtesy the ruling family of that brotherly country.
While his marriage of convenience has raised many eyebrows, it has
indirectly benefited Nawaz Sharif immensely. The observers wonder how the
global stakeholders could have agreed to let Nawaz Sharif return to
frustrate their longstanding designs in the region.
Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq Chairman PML-N when asked to comment on the
scenario said that the administration in Washington did consider General
Pervez Musharraf as their credible ally till sometime back. But with the
passage of time they have changed their mind and US Congress, think tanks,
media and public opinion have reached the conclusion General Musharraf grip
on the affairs of the country has weakened. For the same reason the British
opinion makers have also started asking their government and even the US
authorities not to bank on one person, as he is not indispensable.
The British asked the Americans to ‘widen their support base’. When Raja
Zafar was asked whether Nawaz Sharif planned sojourn is part of the efforts
to ‘widen the base’, he smiled and said Nawaz Sharif’s views about the
United States are well known. When his attention was drawn to a recent
statement of Nawaz Sharif on terrorism Raja Zafar disputed the contents of
the statement.
Bhutto gets British,
US backing on deal with Musharraf
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto has won British and American backing for her efforts to enter into a
power-sharing 'deal' with the Islamic nation's embattled President Pervez
Musharraf before the general elections, according to a British daily.
For the first time since 2005, Bhutto had a meeting with British Foreign
Secretary David Miliband here yesterday in the wake of her claims that
Musharraf had agreed to shed his uniform before the presidential polls as
part of the 'deal', which the President reportedly rejected.
While the chief of Pakistan People's Party described her encounter with
Miliband as "positive", other party leaders termed it as "helpful", 'The
Daily Telegraph' reported today.
"I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with the Foreign
Secretary to discuss a range of issues, including the upcoming election,"
the former self-exiled Premier was quoted as saying.
Even a British Foreign Office spokesman yesterday said: "The meeting this
morning discussed the future internal political situation but it's up to the
parties themselves to negotiate the way forward."
However, the spokesperson refused to comment whether Britain was
pressurising Musharraf to seal the pact with the former Premier, which will
ensure her return from self-exile to contest parliamentary polls and his bid
to seek re-election from the present assemblies in the Islamic nation.
It may be mentioned that the White House had also recently put its weight
behind Bhutto, calling on Musharraf to honour "commitments in the past" to
resign from the army leadership, clearly indicating the arrangement between
the two leaders would be the best for Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto keeps
Fahim in Abu Dhabi for discussions
By Arslan Rafiq Bhatti
LAHORE:
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto has asked Makhdoom
Amin Fahim to stay in Abu Dhabi for a few more days to discuss the party’s
future line of action, and to finalise pending seats for the national and
provincial assemblies.
According to PPP sources, Fahim was scheduled to return on Thursday morning
after receiving directions from Benazir on the party’s negotiations with
Islamabad in order to pave way for her “safe” return.
They said that Fahim was now going to meet senior government officials in
Islamabad, who were playing a vital role in the “understanding” between the
PPP chief and President General Pervez Musharraf, to give final touches to
their deal. Fahim met Benazir on Thursday morning at her residence and
discussed several issues including the party’s line of action after the
Supreme Court’s decision on the president’s dual offices, Nawaz Sharif’s
fate after his return to the country, and the party’s pending seats for the
assemblies, which will be decided in a meeting to be held on September 10 in
London or Abu Dhabi.
The sources said that much of the discussion was focused on the pending
seats, especially those in main cities such as Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala,
Rawalpindi and Mianwali along with others in southern Punjab, since a large
number of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) members were expected to leave their
party to join the PPP after September 10.
Benazir might change candidates in a few constituencies in the province,
including the provincial capital, since she wants to ensure that the
candidates are going to win, they said.
The sources said that the leaders also discussed possible defections by
several senior party members, who had told the senior leadership that if the
party entered into a deal with the government led by a dictator, they would
leave.
The senior members’ disapproval of the deal was communicated to Benazir in
the joint meeting of the PPP Federal Council and Central Executive Committee
in London last month, and she had assured the members in question that any
steps that compromised the party and its vote bank would not be taken.
Bhutto warns
Musharraf of uprising if no deal comes through
New York, Sept. 7,
2007: With her much-touted power sharing deal with President
Pervez Musharraf yet to materialise, former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto has warned the General that failure to reach an agreement with her
could prompt a "people's uprising" in the country.
"It is up to the government to decide whether it wants a peaceful transition
to democracy through free and fair elections or face people's power" and a
"Ukrainian-style Orange Revolution in Pakistan," Bhutto told a paper in a
telephone interview from Dubai.
Protests had erupted in Ukraine in 2005 following allegations that the
government had rigged elections and ended only after opposition leader
Viktor Yushchenko took over.
Her power-sharing effort, Bhutto told the Wall Street Journal, was designed
to achieve a "peaceful transition" to democracy and a stronger balance
between the powers of the President and Parliament.
"This is such a roller coaster that one cannot be sure about the final
outcome," Bhutto said. " Musharraf is sincere, but there are some vested
interests who do not want to see a peaceful transition from military rule to
democracy."
The 56-year-old former two-term prime minister is trying to return from self
exile through negotiations with Musharraf and both the leaders, the paper
said, are under pressure to reach a deal ahead of Monday's scheduled return
of Nawaz Sharif, whose democratically elected government was ousted by the
General eight years ago.
"Pakistan's unity is at stake because of terrorism and religious
extremists," Bhutto said. "So, need for unity among the moderate and liberal
forces is much greater today."
Replying to a question, Bhutto said some significant progress has been made
in negotiations with Musharraf but acknowledged that some issues remained
unresolved.
She claimed there was a strong faction in the government resisting any
agreement.
A major point of difference still to be resolved is diluting the current
power held by the president to dissolve Parliament. "There is need for a
balance of power between the president and the Parliament," she said.
The negotiations, the paper said, had stalled last week after objections
raised by top leaders of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q.
Bhutto, who has faced dissent in her own party's ranks over the talks, said
she realizes the risks involved but maintains that the dialogue with
Musharraf is necessary since the country's security was threatened by
terrorism and religious extremism.
Stressing that there is unrest in the country and tribal areas are dominated
by pro Taliban and pro al Qaida elements, she said even Pakistani army
officers are being kidnapped and Pakistan's unity is at stake." "In this
situation, people will prefer a peaceful transition to democracy," she
added.
Pakistani lawyers
call for Musharraf to quit
By Zeeshan Haider
ISLAMABAD Thu 6
Sep 2007: Pakistani lawyers boycotted courts and rallied across
the country on Thursday calling for embattled President Pervez Musharraf to
stand down and give up efforts to seek another term.
Army chief Musharraf has seen his popularity plummet since he tried to
dismiss the Supreme Court chief in March, outraging lawyers and whipping up
opposition to military rule eight years after he seized power in a bloodless
coup.
Chanting "Go, Musharraf go" and "down with dictatorship," about 1,500
lawyers marched in the city of Lahore demanding Musharraf resign as both
president and army chief.
Similar protests were held in Peshawar, Quetta and other cities while courts
were largely deserted throughout the country.
"Our struggle is for the restoration of real democracy and the end of
military dictatorship," said Munir A. Malik, president of the Supreme Court
Bar Association.
"Our struggle will continue until we achieve our objective," he said.
Musharraf aims to get re-elected by the national and provincial assemblies
some time between September 15 and October 15 and to hold a general election
around the year-end.
But he is facing a barrage of legal and political opposition.
Opposition politicians and a lawyers' association have filed legal
challenges to Musharraf's rule in the Supreme Court, which took up the cases
on Wednesday and will begin regular hearings on September 17.
RIVAL DUE TO RETURN
Adding to president's woes, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who
Musharraf ousted in 1999 and later sent into exile, has vowed to return on
September 10, despite the possibility of arrest on corruption charges, to
mount a campaign to end Musharraf's rule.
In the face of his deepening political problems, Musharraf has turned for
help from another exiled former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, in the hope
that a power-sharing deal with her would boost his legitimacy and help him
overcome constitutional hurdles to holding on to power.
A deal, if finalised, could see Musharraf stepping down as army chief and
paving the way for the two-time prime minister, Bhutto, to return home to
resume her political career.
The United States and other Western allies hope a pact between the old
rivals would bring stability and help sustain Pakistan's efforts in the war
on terrorism.
ANALYSIS:
Bhutto-Musharraf Deal
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON
ISLAMABAD
09-03-2007: Pakistan - The government of President Gen. Pervez
Musharraf still hopes to reach a power-sharing deal with ex-premier Benazir
Bhutto. But with negotiations stalled because of fierce opposition from the
ruling party, hopes are fading and Musharraf could be drifting toward his
political demise.
"It leaves him in a pretty desperate corner," said Ayaz Amir, a former
lawmaker and newspaper columnist. "I try to figure out what he can do. There
are no clear answers."
In London on Saturday, Bhutto said the long-running talks with Musharraf's
camp aimed at gaining her support for the general's bid to win a new
five-year term had reached a standstill. She declared her intention to
return to Pakistan with or without his support.
Some view that as a pressure tactic on Musharraf to agree to her demands,
but it also underscored the pitfalls of reaching a deal that must satisfy
both leaders and their political supporters, while overcoming myriad legal
and constitutional obstacles.
Bhutto already has served twice as prime minister between 1988 and 1996 -
elected governments that collapsed amid allegations of graft.
Bhutto wants the government to drop corruption charges against her and to
support a constitutional amendment that would allow her to serve a third
term as prime minister. In return, her party would back another amendment to
help Musharraf prolong his eight years in power.
A match-up between the longtime political rivals is an attractive
proposition for Western governments, particularly the U.S. and Britain,
looking for liberal government that could combat the Talibanization of
Pakistan's border regions where al-Qaida is feared to be regrouping.
It also could offer a political life raft to Musharraf, a key ally in the
U.S.-led war on terrorism, whose popularity has sunk since he unsuccessfully
tried to oust the country's top judge in March, straining public acceptance
of the military's dominance in Pakistan.
But the deal could see the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party sidelined
by the rise of Bhutto's party, particularly if she gains the premiership.
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, a political scientist at Lahore's University of
Management Sciences, likened the PML-Q's support of the deal as "signing
their own death warrants" and said the party could disintegrate.
Musharraf appeared to have negotiated its terms over the heads of key
members of the ruling coalition who were now balking at supporting the
constitutional amendments needed to make it happen, he said.
Such amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament and would
demand comprehensive support from the People's Party, currently in the
parliamentary opposition, and the ruling coalition.
Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani accused Bhutto of making
"undemocratic demands" in the talks - including the abolition of the
president's authority to dismiss a government and dissolve parliament.
Sen. Tariq Azim, deputy information minister, said Sunday the government is
still interested in seeking a deal with Bhutto, but said any agreement
should also have backing from the PML-Q.
"She (Bhutto) forgot that A plus B plus C equals D. D stands for deal, A is
the army, B is Benazir and C is the ruling coalition. The army and Benazir
were holding talks ... but C, the ruling coalition, has a major part in this
whole equation," he said.
Bhutto's vehement criticism of the PML-Q on Saturday - blaming it for the
failure of the talks and claiming that elements of the ruling party were
supporting Taliban militants - underlined the animosity between key
Musharraf supporters and her party.
Also, as Musharraf struggles to persuade the PML-Q the deal would be in
their interest, Bhutto similarly faces discontent within her own party for
mulling a political trade-off with the military leader - widely seen as
tarnishing her democratic credentials.
"Bhutto is still keeping the door open (for the deal). She wants something
and she's pretty desperate," said Amir. "But she's not getting that deal
because what she wants, he (Musharraf) can't give, and what the general
wants, she can't guarantee."
But it is probably Musharraf who has most to lose.
Political analyst Hasan-Askari Rizvi said the failure of the talks would
leave Musharraf little scope to seek another five-year term from lawmakers
this September or October - a re-election bid also likely to face legal
challenges that would be heard by an increasingly defiant Supreme Court.
Opposition parties say Musharraf should hold legislative elections first,
and allow a new set of lawmakers - likely to be less supportive of the army
chief than those in the current Parliament - to elect a president.
Adding to Musharraf's woes, Nawaz Sharif, another exiled former premier whom
he toppled in the 1999 coup but who still has a powerful political base in
the key province of Punjab, plans to return to Pakistan on Sept. 10 to
oppose the president's attempt to extend his rule.
"I don't see Musharraf sailing through (to a new presidential term)
according to his own game plan. The only way out for him is to accept the
demands of the opposition parties," Rizvi said.
Associated Press Writer Sadaqat Jan contributed to this report.
Musharraf sincere,
Shaukat Aziz Government not, says Bhutto
London, Sept. 6:
Former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto has described President
General Pervez Musharraf as sincere, but voiced scepticism about the Shaukat
Aziz Government's desire to go ahead with the deal to facilitate her return
home and for her participation in the general elections.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Benazir said that failure to
reach an agreement could prompt a people's uprising akin to the Orange
Revolution in Ukraine in 2004.
Benazir Bhutto said the people of Pakistan want change and a society free
from terrorism and suicide bombings.
She claimed that the power-sharing deal that she was negotiating with
Musharraf was designed to achieve a peaceful transition to democracy and a
stronger balance between the powers of the president and Parliament.
Commenting on the situation in Pakistan she said there is unrest in the
country. Tribal areas are dominated by pro Taliban and pro al Qaida
elements. Even Pakistan army soldiers are being kidnapped and the country's
unity is at stake
"In this situation, people will prefer a peaceful transition to democracy."
She said some significant progress was made in the negotiations.
According to The News, Bhutto also acknowledged that some issues remained
unresolved and claimed there was a faction in the government resisting any
agreement.
"This is such a roller coaster that one cannot be sure about the final
outcome," Bhutto said.
"Pakistan's unity is at stake because of terrorism and religious extremists.
So, the need for unity among the moderate and liberal forces is much greater
today," she said.
Benazir plans to return in
weeks, not months
ISLAMABAD, Sept 5:
Former premier Benazir Bhutto said on Wednesday she wanted to meet President
Pervez Musharraf face-to-face after making progress in talks on a
power-sharing deal between them.
The two-time prime minister added that she would return home from self-exile
in London and Dubai in “weeks, not months,” ahead of upcoming presidential
and parliamentary elections.
“There has been progress in some areas and we are working on those areas,”
she told AFP in a telephone interview after the stalled negotiations resumed
this week, adding that “good” progress had been made.
“I prefer face-to-face negotiations between himself and myself (but) I also
appreciate that he has got a country to run and that might be very
difficult,” she said when asked if she would meet the military ruler.
Asked when she planned to fly back to Pakistan, which she left eight years
ago after serving as premier from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, Ms
Bhutto said her return would take place in “weeks, not months”.
Ms Bhutto said one of the key issues in the negotiations — whether Musharraf
will quit his role as army chief ahead of his bid to be re-elected as
president in September or October was “resolved”.
Her Pakistan People’s Party would regard any attempt by him to keep his
military position as a deal-breaker, she said, adding: “As far as we are
concerned, we cannot have a president in uniform”.
The main progress in this week’s talks was on the issue of “free and fair
elections,” she said, which party sources said included the setting-up of a
caretaker government before polls.
There was no immediate reaction from the government on whether Musharraf
would be prepared to meet Ms Bhutto to seal the deal.
Meanwhile, Ms Bhutto put forward her credentials as a moderate leader who
would be tough on Islamic militancy, a growing problem in Pakistan amid
pressure from Washington to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda rebels.
She said she would continue Musharraf’s alliance with Washington and his
cooperation with US-led and NATO forces in Afghanistan, who have complained
that Pakistan is not doing enough to tackle extremism.
Negotiations between the Musharraf and Bhutto camps were given extra urgency
last week when another former premier, Nawaz Sharif, said he planned to
return to Pakistan from exile on September 10.—AFP
Red carpet
dusted off for Benazir
By Declan Walsh
LARKANA, Sept 5: The
carpet smells, the air-conditioning has collapsed and the pool has been dry
for years. Government spies skulk in the lobby, snooping on the trickle of
guests.
The Sambara Inn, Larkana’s top hotel, has seen better days. But like this
dusty town’s most famous daughter, the hotel is praying for a return to
glory.
“We can’t wait for Benazir to get back,” said the assistant manager,
standing in one of the blast-hot corridors. “Everything will change around
here.”
Hopes that Benazir Bhutto will soon return from exile has sent a crackle of
excitement through Larkana.
The Bhuttos are Pakistan’s premier political dynasty, enthralled by power,
cloaked in controversy and dogged by unsolved murders.
The family name evokes strong emotions, from love to hate, across Pakistan.
But in Larkana, it is pure gold.
Ghulam Nabi, an elderly cleaner, wore a photo of Ms Bhutto around his neck.
“The Bhuttos help the poor,” he said. “When they are out of power, there is
nobody to help us. Allah help us, she will return.”
One reason for the adoration is patronage, the driving force behind much of
Pakistani politics. During Ms Bhutto’s two terms in office, Larkana thrived.
Schools and courthouses were built, religious shrines renovated and jobs
created. When she was ejected, the gravy train slid to a halt.
“Whenever she is in power, she provides jobs and facilities. The grocery
shop owners, the rickshaw and bus drivers - they all make money,” said
Khursheed Junejo, a senior official of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
“But now you can see the deserted look of the roads and streets. Musharraf
is neglecting us.”
Reminders of the epic tragedy that is the Bhutto family’s history are dotted
around Larkana.
In the town centre is Al-Murtaza, the ancestral home where Benazir Bhutto
was imprisoned by the military in 1979 as her political ambitions stirred.
Further out, a giant Taj Mahal-style mausoleum honours her father, Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto. Sweeping staircases lead into the mausoleum, where workmen are
laying marble slabs.
Inside, visitors remove their shoes before approaching a flower-covered
marble tomb. A 130ft onion-shaped dome rises overhead.
“Naturally, Bhutto sahib is our greatest leader,” said Aziz Abro, a party
official who has published a hagiography on Mr Bhutto with chapter titles
such as “A gift of God”.
But critics say Mr Bhutto was also a ruthless leader who cemented his rule
with illegal detentions and torture. His children have also been dogged by
conflict, some between themselves.
One of Mr Bhutto’s sons, Shahnawaz, was poisoned in still unexplained
circumstances at the family holiday home in Cannes, France, in 1985. Ms
Bhutto’s other brother, Mir Murtaza, was shot dead on a Karachi street in
1996.
At the Bhutto family’s vast estate outside Larkana, servants are sprucing up
Ms Bhutto’s 14-bedroom mansion.
Mohammad Hassan, a loyal employee, will be waiting. “She has taken up the
legacy of her father,” he said.
“We are praying in the mosques for her return.”—Dawn-Guardian News Service.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's
Message on the Defence of Pakistan Day
Islamabad Sept 05, 2007:
Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples
Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has said that the Defence of Pakistan Day
falling on Sept 06 is a memorable day as it was on this day that the people
of Pakistan forged an unprecedented unity among their ranks to deter
external aggression.
This day will also always remind us of the brave resistance put forth by our
valiant armed forces in defence of the country, she said in a statement
today.
"On this day our thoughts go to those who sacrificed their lives in defence
of the country. They died so that we live in peace and honour".
The Pakistan Peoples Party is concerned that the involvement of the armed
forces in the political affairs of the country is making them controversial
which is not good for the image of the armed forces or the security of the
country, she said.
She said that the PPP would like to see professional armed forces carrying
out its functions in defence of the territorial integrity of the country, as
is the case in other countries. It is only when the armed forces are
dedicated to their professional duties when people salute them for their
valor, courage and dedication in service of the motherland.
She said that the future of a democratic and prosperous Pakistan is linked
with the restoration of complete democracy.
"On this day therefore I wish to reiterate our resolve to strive for the
restoration of democracy in the country".
PPP Terms Mushahid
Hussain's Criticism of MBB Ridiculous
Islamabad, September 5, 2007:
The PPP has declared Mushahid Hussain's criticism of Mohtarma Benazir
Bhutto's as entirely ridiculous.
Central information Secretary of the PPP, Sherry Rehman said it was
understandable that many members of the Q League felt threatened by MBB's
talks with Musharraf's envoys, but to criticise the PPP Chairperson for
talking to the miitary regime via their representatives is actually quite
bizarre.
" Hussain should look at his own partners and backers, whose cause he has
had no qualm championing in the past, under any conditions, but he finds it
problematic if the PPP leader only engages in talks with them in order to
take the country back to the democratic system that no one else has been
able to do," said Rehman.
" All those who see PPP as a challenge to their anti-democratic record will
now feel this way, as the party has never broken its promise to the people,
and bases its power in the ballot, not the bullet. The power of a legitimate
government is always greater than a government imposed on the people, and we
will see many such expressions of outrage today, but to do it so openly is a
manifestation of the deep insecurity rattling through the Q League. It would
have been better if the Senator had engaged the people of Pakistan in a more
constructive dialogue of pre-election promises, but here instead we have all
been entertained from sources least expected, added Rehman.
PPP Dialogue for Free, Fair
and Transparent Election
Islamabad: September 4, 2007:
The dialogue for the restoration of democracy between the PPP and the
Government have hinged on the holding of free, fair and transparent
elections, and the restoration of a balance of power between the President
and the Parliament.
All those who are saying that MBB is waiting to finalise details on her
personal indemnity should remember that if personal issues had been the
driving force for the PPP's leadership, then they could have taken power in
2002, and would have agreed to fly out on a royal jet to more comfortable
climates. Instead, Mohtarma Bhutto faced the rigours of red notices and
Swiss Courts, while her husband, Senator Zardari, suffered nine years in
jail without a single conviction.
Central Information Secretary, Sherry Rehman has said that the party as a
whole has paid a heavy price for its commitment to democracy and will never
dilute its core message of democracy and progressive politics. Even in the
struggle for restoration of the Chief Justice, it was the PPP's workers and
lawyers that stood in the forefront whether on the killing fields of
Karachi, the baton charges in Lahore, or the bomb blasts in Islamabad.
Pakistan is truly at a turning point. Without democratic institutions in
which a balance of power exists between the parliament and the president,
the current political instability will cause further damage to the solvency
and unity of Pakistan, said Rehman.
Almost a decade of military dictatorship has devastated the basic
infrastructure of democracy. Political parties have been assaulted,
political leaders arrested, and the judicial system manipulated to force
party leaders into exile. NGOs have been under constant attack, especially
those that deal with human rights, democratic values and women's rights. The
press has been intimidated while student and labour unions have not been
allowed to function. This can no longer go on.
The PPP is trying to work for a transition to democracy which will avoid the
spilling of more blood on the streets, but if a struggle is required once
again, it will be the PPP in the forefront which will challenge a
non-democratic dispensation, said Rehman.
Dialogue for transition to
democracy resumed in Dubai
Islamabad September 4, 2007:
Spokesperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party has issued the following
statement today.
“Dialogue between PPP and the government of Pakistan for transition to
Democracy through holding of their fair, free and impartial elections
resumed in Dubai on Tuesday September 04, 2007.
“There was discussion on some unresolved issues pertaining to the balance of
power between the Parliament and the Presidency.
“Arrangements for free and fair elections were discussed where some progress
was made for which dialogue will continue.
“Makhdoom Amin Fahim Vice President Pakistan Peoples Party and Chairman ARD
as well as Dr Rehman Malik Advisor Security Affairs (PPP) were present in
the meeting”.
PPP takes on Chaudhrys
LAHORE, Sept 3:
The Pakistan People’s Party has accused the Chaudhrys of Gujrat of giving
wrong advices to President Musharraf and leaving him in lurch at a crucial
stage.
“They (Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Pervaiz Elahi) are now hobnobbing with
certain other army generals, leaving President Musharraf in lurch and the
country in chaos in their bid to stay in power,” Punjab PPP information
secretary Farzana Raja told a news conference here.
She alleged that the Chaudhrys had been misguiding Gen Musharraf on his
uniform. “They have emphatically been pleading with him to retain his
uniform to seek re-election to a second five-year term in the Presidency
from the existing assemblies; they are on record saying that they will elect
Musharraf in uniform. Both their pleas are in sharp conflict with the 1973
Constitution; their advices mean that they want Musharraf to land in more
serious trouble”, she claimed.
Also an MPA, the PPP official said that the Chaudhrys were also behind the
controversial regime’s assertions about the imposition of martial law,
enforcement of emergency and extending the tenure of assemblies. The people
knew well that several such threats had also come directly from the
Chaudhrys, she said and added that they were responsible for the present
critical situation.
She said the Chaudhrys contacts with religious extremists were also not a
secret. She said the country was now in the grip of ‘commission mafia’ and
it was also having a close nexus with the people from Gujrat. “Those at the
helm of affairs should now identify their real enemies”, she said.
Ms Raja said that the PPP was not striking a deal with the government. The
party, she said, was in negotiations with the regime only for the purpose of
initiating a national reconciliation process to establish democracy and pull
the country out of the chaotic condition.
Answering a question, she said that chairperson Benazir Bhutto had decided
to return home ‘sooner than anyone expects’. The party had already started a
process to make preparations for Ms Bhutto’s reception in Pakistan. The
first of a series of such meetings would be held in Lahore on Sept 8. This
would be followed by similar meetings in Multan on Sept 9, Faisalabad on
Sept 10, Sargodha on Sept 11, Rawalpindi on Sept 12 and Gujranwala on Sept
13. Punjab PPP president Shah Mahmood Qureshi would chair all preparatory
meetings, she added.
Similar meetings were also being held in other provinces, according to Ms
Raja. —Correspondent
Anatomy of a bridge
collapse
Farhatullah Babar
Tuesday, September 04, 2007:
The collapse on Saturday, within days of inauguration, of the multi-billion
Northern Bypass built in Karachi by a military organisation National
Logistic Cell (NLC) has raised some serious issues that need to be looked
into dispassionately. One such issue is the growing involvement of military
related institutions like the NLC in contracting and construction and the
manner in which they are awarded contracts by client departments like the
National Highway Authority (NHA).
Was the NLC created for building roads, bridges and other civil mega
projects and is it qualified to undertake such projects?
On December 27, 2005, the writer asked a question in the senate about the
charter of duties of NLC and its job description. The senate was informed
that there was a National Logistic Board functioning through the NLC headed
by the quartermaster general in the GHQ. Further, the NLC was "the only
crisis management organisation in the country" whose charter of duties "was
approved by the Cabinet Division of the government of Pakistan".
When demanded, a copy of the charter was also placed on the floor of the
House. According to the charter the NLC was to work in seven areas including
'transportation of commodities, procurement of transportation trucks,
building of truck bodies, hiring of storage facilities, engaging local and
foreign consultants, raising of organisations necessary for the performance
of the mission assigned and engaging staff and labour'. The charter does not
authorise and the NLC has no business to undertake a construction project.
As it was a written question no supplementary questions were allowed to be
asked. Also there was no point in asking supplementary questions about
giving construction contracts to NLC not mandated by its charter. In the
past the questioner was greeted with boos and jeers by the Treasury and
accused of lack of patriotic fervour and even undermining the defence of the
country.
The Saturday collapse of the bridge has brought into sharp focus the
relevance of those questions, jeers and boos notwithstanding. Here are the
questions about NLC that were asked and the replies given by the government
revealing the tip of the iceberg.
1. Does the NLC also take part in securing commercial contracts of the
government departments?
Reply: "NLC does participate in nation building. These projects are given to
the NLC through open tender/competitive bidding. M/s NLC is also registered
O&M contractors with Pakistan Engineering Council".
2. Whether NLC has been awarded contracts on single contract basis without
tenders?
Reply: In fact when government launches development works in
remote/inaccessible regions in the country, most of the building firms shy
away from them. Under these circumstances, the government gives contracts on
single contract basis to NLC and other organisations as well".
The senate was shocked when in reply to yet another question it came to
light that the contract for the Karachi Northern Bypass was awarded by the
NHA to the NLC without bids and on single tender basis.
It is on record of the senate that the over 2.4 billion contract for
building the Karachi Northern Bypass was awarded in July 2002 to the NLC
without bids. The question was of oral category that permitted asking
supplementary questions. We asked if Karachi was a "remote /inaccessible
region" that persuaded the NHA to give the contract to NLC without bids. But
we were silenced for raising 'unpatriotic' questions.
Unfortunately we had to wait for the bridge to collapse and the loss of so
many lives on Saturday September 1, to drive home the point that our
concerns were not out of malice or absence of patriotism but were based on a
genuine concern that involving military outfits in business, commercial and
building enterprises was not the right thing to do and needed to be
reviewed.
The inquiry committee that is being set up must now look into several issues
such as the following:
- Why was the contract awarded to NLC without open bids and who is
responsible for this apparently weird decision?
- How many contracts have been awarded both to the NLC and Frontier Works
Organisation (FWO), another military outfit, on single tender basis without
bids? A re-examination of the justification is called for.
- Who headed the NHA, the client for these projects and authority to award
contracts since the 1999 take over by the military? It may be a mere
coincidence that army officers have headed the NHA during most of this
period. But the coincidence does not throw bright light on the image of the
military when a civilian department headed by a military officer is
perceived to be awarding contracts to other military organisations.
- Did the NLC also sub contract parts of the Northern Bypass project to sub
contractors, what were the reasons for it and was the sub contracting
approved by the NHA? If it was sub contracted because the NLC lacked
expertise or capacity to execute the project itself, why was it awarded the
project in the first place and that too without bids?
- Is the NLC a corporation under the companies ordinance which would bring
it under the purview of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)
and is it under the tax net of the CBR?
The NLC is about to enter into more lucrative power generation and coal
exploration and mining projects as well. On June 25 the NLC published ads
inviting pre-qualification bids in areas of coal exploration and oil and gas
exploration and production. It has raised questions if the NLC has become a
major stakeholder in the recently set up Thar Coal Mining Company for the
exploitation of coal deposits in Thar in Sindh, how is it compatible with
the government policy of divesting the strategic areas like oil, gas and
power?
A month later in July last it invited bids for pre-qualification to
undertake activities relating to thermal power generation, high voltage
transmission lines and grid stations. From an organisation created thirty
years ago required to undertake work relating to emergency and heavy freight
as contained in its charter, it has become a huge business and commercial
enterprise engaged in construction, operating dry ports, manning and
collecting toll tax on toll plazas (also without bids), power generation,
coal mining and much else besides -- none of which is mandated by its
charter.
It is time to look inwardly and do some soul searching. Was it Iqbal who
said:
Khuadaya terai sada dil banday kidhar jaain
Darveshi bhi ayyari aur sultani bhi ayyari
(O God, where should the simple folk go,
For the darvesh and the sultan both are cunning)
The writer is a former member of the defence committee of the Senate
belonging to the PPP
PPP holds rally, pledges
undying support to Benazir Bhutto
Karachi: PPP workers and
supporters brought out a candlelight procession on Sunday to mark the
preparations for the welcome of Benazir Bhutto.
Carrying torches, candles and party flags, the emotionally-charged party
activists marched from Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar to Bilawal House. Scores of
women activists also participated in the rally.
The rally was organised by the ‘Benazir Bhutto Welcome Committee’ and the
workers and activists of five districts bodies of the party, including the
women, student, labour and culture wings, participated in the welcome rally.
They chanted slogans ‘Prime Minister Benazir’ and ‘welcome, welcome Benazir,
welcome.’
The participants also approved a declaration at the end of the rally that
stated that the party workers stand by each and every policy of Benazir
Bhutto and promised to sacrifice for the implementation of her vision for a
democratic, liberal, progressive, peaceful, prosperous and a vibrant society
in Pakistan.
Lauding the sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto and her family for the country,
party and for democracy, the workers’ declaration pledged loyalty to the
‘indomitable’ leadership of Benazir Bhutto till the last breath and promised
to serve the party cause with every drop of their blood.
Addressing the rally, the Secretary General PPP, Sindh, Nafees Siddiqi, said
that the party pays tribute to workers and supporters who have stood by the
party despite innumerable pressures and victimisation during the trying
times of dictatorship.
He said the PPP also paid tribute to the judiciary for its unflappable
system of justice and prayed that the same is applied to rectify the
injustice faced by the PPP chairperson. He said the components of the
Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) struggled for their untiring
cause for the past eight years to restore democracy in the country.
Siddiqui said that the PPP pledges to continue its struggle for democracy
and civil liberties for the sanctity of the constitution, the vote and the
parliament and for a people’s government in the country, which is the only
weapon to eradicate terrorism and lawlessness from Pakistan.
The party leaders said that the people firmly believed that together under
the ‘incomparable’ leadership of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan can be back on the
road to economic, political and social stability.
Party leaders Shazia Marri, Bilal Shaikh, Akram Baluch, , Muzaffar Shijra
and others also spoke on the occasion.
Mohtarma Bhutto shocked
over bridge collapse
Demands inquiry and compensation to victims
Islamabad
September 1, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has expressed profound shock
and grief over the collapse of Northern Bye pass in Karachi Saturday
afternoon resulting in the death of at least six people and injury to many
more. The exact number of casualties is still not known.
In a statement today the former Prime Minister said that the collapse of a
brand new bridge within weeks of its inauguration pointed towards criminal
negligence in the construction and supervision of the bridge.
The former Prime Minister demanded a thorough probe into the award of
contract, the supervision of the project and whether the collapse was the
result of sub standard material used in building the bridge and lack of
supervision in executing the project.
She demanded that the inquiry report must be made public and all those
whether contractors or consultants responsible for the poor quality
construction should be hauled and brought to book.
Mohtarma Bhutto also demanded payment of adequate compensation to the
victims of the tragedy.
PPP condemns Karachi Bridge
Collapse
September
1, 2007: Sherry Rehman, Central Information Secretary of the
Pakistan Peoples Party condemned, in strongest terms, the collapse of the
Northern Bypass Bridge that killed six citizens and injured several others.
"The death of innocent citizens is most unfortunate," said Sherry Rehman
speaking from London where she is currently present to attend the CEC
meeting of her Party. "The Rs 3 billion bridge was inaugurated with much
fanfare early last month. The fact that it did not even sustain for three
weeks says much about the quality of development work being carried out by
the City Government of Karachi. There have been numerous questions raised
about the feasibility and, the processes of the massive development work
undertaken by the City District Government of Karachi during the past two
years. None of these projects have satisfactory answers to the objections
raised by engineering experts and members of the civil society bodies
dealing with urban issues. These projects have already caused immense
inconvenience to the citizens for their ill-planning. However, such
non-consultative projects cannot be allowed to go on when they harm the
lives of the citizens."
Rehman called for an immediate inquiry into the collapse. "The regime should
pay compensation to the families of the victims. It is also about time that
the development work being carried out by the current regime in the city be
open for public debate. All those projects that fail to satisfy standards of
safety and quality should be put to a halt on an urgent basis. Vested
interests cannot be allowed to pocket commissions and kickbacks at the cost
of the precious lives."
Reports about meeting with
British Foreign Secretary clarified
Islamabad September 1, 2007:
A spokesperson of the PPP has said that reports in section of the
press today that Mohtarma Bhutto urgently asked to see the British foreign
secretary to kick start the negotiations with General Musharraf are not
correct.
In a statement today the spokesperson said that the timing of the meeting
with the British Foreign Secretary had no relevance to the negotiations with
General Musharraf.
The meeting with British Foreign Secretary had been scheduled in advance and
its timing had nothing to do with negotiations with General Musharraf, he
said.
There was a great Prime Minister, the first Prime Minister, the father
of the present Prime Minister of India, who said, "We were too old, we
were too tired to oppose Pakistan, and Pakistan had to come into being.
But we hope that one day we will get together gain." I too hope so, not
that Pakistan will emerge as subservient to India but in the sense that
we will get together again as equal friends, in a common fraternity,
living in a common subcontinent and sharing the common effort of seeing
that poverty, ignorance and misery are wiped out. If there are any two
countries in world that are the poorest in the world, they are Pakistan
and India. Our resources might be tremendous, but the fact is that we
two are the poorest in the world. Yet in the last 24 years, we have gone
to war three times. Three times there has been conflict in the
subcontinent. I remember that Prime Minister of the Soviet Union once
telling me that even rich nations try to avoide war; poorer nations
should make a greater attempt to avoid war.