Sick of Musharraf lovers – a factual rant
Guest Post by Saira Ansari
I’m very disturbed, disappointed and sick to death to see the amount of facebook’ers on my list who think Musharraf’s leaving has been a catastrophe for Pakistan. Just because a new evil, a.k.a Zardari, is in the house does not mean that the previous evil is now a good man. A “leader” as some say. That’s our problem – as an entire nation. We forget and we repeat our mistakes over and over again.
People left right and centre have been levelling accusations at me, and countless others like myself, that we support Zardari. Unfortunately no one takes out 5 minutes to ask if that is so. Let me save you the time…we don’t. And no, he is NOT democratically elected. Hierarchic / Monarchic rule within the party does not ensure a democratic candidate, so stop ranting that its democracy that’s bad. We, the people, have been cheated again. The actual institution has been wronged.
I will get hate messages and mail after this because I get them often for my stance. Those who know me well know my passion for this country and its welfare so at least I can’t be labelled for propaganda as my other friends and colleagues are. But I must have my say – whether or not you bother to read the entire note.
It might seem like an attack on all you who support Musharraf, but unfortunately he was a friend of the wealthy and his circles included the elite and the ruling elite (I use the terms separately so that the few elite members in my list are spared the mercy of being called PML-Q-ians).
His ruling party looted and spent generously. The corruption meter Musharraf used himself to oust Nawaz Sharif has rated the corruption during his past 8 years government rule at least 20-40% more corrupt than that of Benazir or Nawaz Sharif…. and that is quite a task to achieve! Don’t believe me – do some research.
Of course all of you will lament his going. You thought he was fighting for the country, and the economy was oh-so-booming and justice was being handed out to all and sundry.
If you think this way then:
None of you had your father/brother/son/husband picked up by intelligence forces, sold to America and other countries for bounty money, threatened torture and death to you and your extended family for searching for your family member.- The worst insult – Musharraf announcing that all the missing persons had actually just run away from their homes and/or were jihadi terrorists. Yes Mr. Musharraf that’s a very smart thing to say – since it really worked for you to pull out a name from your list every time a suicide bombing happened.
- I have met the families of the missing persons in a very high level semi-secretive meeting arranged by HRCP and Amnesty, a couple of years back, and I met normal people with normal lives – just like yours and mine, but maybe a bit more harsher – suddenly flung into chaos.
- I met a 10 year old boy who was picked up alongside his father and uncle and saw his father being tortured. His father still isn’t back.
- I met the murdered journalist Hayat-ullah’s brother who had gone missing with his brother but had been released while his brother killed. The brother too was killed months after I met him.
- I met Amina Janjua and her daughter and other family members of prisoners who are rotting in Guantánamo.
- How is this the war on terror? It’s more like the war of terror. Why are we being auctioned to satiate an ever-hungry monster’s desire to colonize the world? (USA for those who didn’t get that)
- None of you care to find out what happened on May 12, 2007, when Karachi went under siege and people on all sides were senselessly killed, roads blocked, Edhi ambulances attacked and drivers killed – and NO action was taken. But dancing and celebrating the Punjab qabza group government continued in Islamabad.
- The Karachi bridge collapsing after that seemed trivial and really required no justice. Because a few poor people died and Pakistan can do without some more mouths to feed.
- All of you and your mothers/sisters/daughters/friends/wives have not been raped, or better yet gang-raped. Then you probably believe that rape is supposed to be silenced and that Mukhataran Mai case was “so over-done”. Musharraf was right when he had Mukhataran Mai put on the ECL (Exit Control List) so that the image of Pakistan would not be destroyed.
- And all of you at some time have visited countries abroad, or if you’re lucky like me, were probably born abroad so you don’t have to get raped to get an American visa. Musharraf seemed to think that’s why us ladies in Pakistan liked to get raped. Again you doubt me, check online for direct quotes.
You are also one of those people who’s countless acres of land were not snatched in Balochistan and Sindh and handed for a pittance to army officers who then minted a fortune in selling them later. That’s because you don’t live in Balochistan or NWFP and have your own little place in a Pakistani-suburbia.- You probably also think that Balochis are terrorists and should be tackled with the way they are for wanting to break Pakistan.
- In the past 8 years or so media coverage of Balochistan was banned. No one knew what was happening there because the General didn’t see it fit for you to know.
- So while they were being killed they had other trivial things to worry about too:
- No gas – because they provide all to you me and the rest of Pakistan
- No electricity – because why would tribals need it
- No CNG – because…they have cars?
- No roads – no CNG, no cars, why need roads?
- All the minerals, discovered and potential sites, being sold to the yens and the dollars and the pounds while they get nothing
- And the budget allocation – my God it has been an insult each time their share has been announced.
- But you say that it serves the tribal Sardars right. Because there are NO other regular people, middle class, students, poor, old, unwell people in Balochistan – only Sardars.
- Tell me – why was Pakistan made? Were we not all being denied our basic rights back then? The breaking up of a country to form our country is celebrated – yet when a province, hounded and ignored since Pakistan’s inception now demands their rights or separation you call them villains and terrorists. Damn hypocrisy I say.
- You agree the media has lost control and attacked Musharraf when it was he who “allowed” them to come.
- Again, my lovelies, the free media revolution had started in 1989 and most of these new channels came when the new satellite technology came. Not because they were always barred and Musharraf had an epiphany to allow them.
- It’s shameful how Daily Times Najam Sethi has sold his soul to the pimped out Governor Salman Taseer to keep his position. Why don’t you question his stand?
- And it’s time anyway to wake up and see what’s happening in ever corner of your country. This again does not mean I support substandard and/or yellow journalism
- And if you still think, like Musharraf did, that all the channels sucked and reported wrong information and deserved to be banned in November 2007, then can you please explain why BBC, CNN, Al-Jazeera and all other international news channels were also banned?
- MEDIA MUST BE FREE. Those who are not interested in changing the status quo of this country please change the damn channel to a cheap Indian soap opera which everyone seems to enjoy.
- You think that suspending the constitution was fine and it solved issues. I talk about a constitution, which is not just formed on a whim. It is a legislation almost sacred to a country. It is based on the universal declaration of human rights that are meant to apply to all and sundry; that ensures basic rights to speech, to thought, to movement, to association, to expression, to religion, to vote, to protest, to demand, to information. If the law guarantees you this security NO one should be allowed to manipulate it to say otherwise. No situation allows for the government to tell me to shut up and sit at home and not participate in democratic (or non-democratic as it might be) change. The government is my servant. It exists to take care of me and look after my country. I pay it to do so and it enjoys a very large amount of luxuries on this behalf alone.
You probably also felt that the activists, journalists, lawyers and students deserved to be beaten up, tortured and arrested. - Then Pakistan’s constitution should be “cleaned up” and our rights to protest, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, legal rights before detention and arrest should all be scrapped, because the General didn’t find them fit to implement.
- The emergency was declared to minimize violence, quote unquote. Read Washington post’s article, written by Musharraf himself. The comments on the article are deeply revealing. The suicide attacks still happened. During the emergency the violence against citizens was abominable. More than 5000 people jailed. I myself made a list of 1000 arrests for my work. People, civilians, activists, lawyers, students, little children beaten up like dogs. Is that security? Is that how you “control society”? By breaking their bones, ripping off their clothes and kicking them in the gut. I have names and pictures, arrested and manhandled. Honestly speaking the army, our protector ended up doing more damage to us than anyone else. The police had as usual jumped in to join the party. The fight for judiciary might have the face of Chaudry Iftikhar and you might not like him but the truth is that judiciary must be free and impartial. Arresting lawyers because “they could incite trouble” is about the biggest hogwash there is.
- You agree with military rule for the benefit of the nation. The army unrightfully so taxes us to our bones for “security reasons”, even gobbling up the share for education and development, yet Lal masjid brewed a few kilometres from the presidents’ house with mass ammunitions, ak 47s machine guns, grenades, gas masks…that too in the most heavily policed city in the country. Is that how the army protects us and itself.
- Sadly, because of Musharraf the armed forces really have suffered. And thousands of men, Jawans not Generals, who come from all corners of the country and bear freezing cold and scorching heat to sacrifice their lives for the love of their country, bear the brunt of their military leaders’ bad choices. The army’s job is to protect our borders and that’s what it should do. We received billions of dollars in aid to tackle terrorism. Not only did terrorism increase, but also there have been solid links of financial and logistical support found between the ISI and the terrorists. Who sold us to the Americans and allowed Boucher and Condoleeza to dictate terms? Where does the army get its funding/training/weapons/luxuries from? I’m sure you’ll like reading Dr. Ayesha Siddiqua’s book Military Inc. I enjoyed it and I haven’t found any quotes from the army denying it. Except for maybe banning the book because reading is so bad for Pakistanis. They’ll start to think.
- You say Shut up Saira – do you know what he did for our economy? Yes what did he do? Watching a show on TV last year about Pakistan’s “booming economy” I was surprised to hear a very Mary Antoinette-ish remark made by one of the young pro-government economists “so what if Punjab has a wheat crisis. They’ll get something else to eat”.
- The reason Pakistan’s GDP went up was because of two reasons – the banking sector and the telecommunication sector. The Pakistan banking sector has one of the worst interest rates in the world – how sweet is that since you and your daddies don’t really need to take out any loans – but many other’s do and the banking sector feeds of their carcasses. Nowhere else in the world would Citibank have been allowed to hound a person (and thousand others like him) till he committed suicide.
Coming to Citibank – don’t even bring me to Shaukat (Shortcut) Aziz. The man is undoubtedly smart and he could have done wonders for us – yet he too looted us and helped the ruling class mint some more. mint mint mint.- The Punjabi ruling class however was not content and sold and/or hoarded our flour and sugar, so that the hungry stomachs would dish out more when food was scarce.
- Don’t get me started on the chief justice case. You don’t like him because you think the lawyers brought anarchy to the streets. Well the Chief Justice really should have been kicked in the boot. After all he stopped Shaukat Aziz, Musharraf and all their cronies from extreme profiteering in the Steel mill case, and he asked about the missing persons – the damn missing persons. Oh and Suo Motu…he played with that little Latin term that the government came to associate as a swear word.
And FINALLY, all you people lamenting his exit and the arrival of the new vultures – it was Musharraf’s gift to us, the NRO, which legalised their return and it was Musharraf who pardoned all of Benazir’s, Zardari’s and the Sharif brothers’ cases so that he could get a safe exit in return– one tyrant to another. Mushie knows best.
I don’t even know where to stop. I talk from facts. Hundreds and thousands of files, numbers, cases, stats and complaints lying on my desk and those of my colleagues. Colleagues who got arrested for assembling at the office when the emergency was declared. Colleagues who passionately fight for people’s rights – the same rights that allow you and me the simple liberties we take for granted. We meet people who were abused by Musharraf, those who were abused before him and no doubt those who will be abused by the new monster that has narcissistically named itself the people’s government.
For god sakes wake up you slumbering fools. Musharraf’s exit does not have to mean the return of another evil period for us. Why cant we make it mean something more and bring in more educated people into the services and politics. Talk, speak out, and demand action and accountability so that these goons don’t get to loot us again. Lets not be quiet and say lawyers are liars and politicians are pansies. Maybe if we just worked just as hard as making things work as we do in criticising, things could get better. Start by doing your bit – bit by bit – and wait for the change to happen. Don’t sit and complain in your comfortable houses and cars. Don’t do that because it doesn’t help anyone.
Or just don’t damn well fornicate to produce a generation that will suffer at your expense.
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A must read column by a seasoned Journalist Talaat Hussain of AAJ TV…
http://express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1100782780&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20091128
The real worth of a corrupt General, who was no different from the previous looters….
http://express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1100786510&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20091204
http://express.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=1100786513&Issue=NP_LHE&Date=20091204
And here is more….I wonder what would the Musharraf apologist say this time except for bad mouthing and the usual crap
Another achievement( corruption) of the coward and self centered DICKtator exposed by none other than by his fellow General…………
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/06-musharraf-stopped-probes-says-ex-chief-of-nab-rs-10
musharrf was a greatest ruler through out the histoy of PAKISTAN.
Ha ha ha…The greatest ruler is now the greatest coward and shit piece on God’s earth , hiding in London.and his hopeless admirers ranting here on on line forums…..
Poor Musharraf and his poor followers…I wonder how are they feeling after his creation NRO was thrown out in to the dustbin…
lal din,
Tumharee ankh khuleee nahee abhee takkk? uth jao betaa.
Zaid Hamid Kezzab aur Ahmed Qureshi ko ziada mat sunaa karo…
You don’t become rich by wearing fake Rolex watches, yes you can get a bit of attention from whores. Thats what Musharraf brought to Pakistan, fake *taraqqeee*…
Benazir Bhutto exposed. Read her story here:
http://pakspire.com/benazirs-death-finding-reasons-to-mourn
this is all full of crap…. i can write article which zardari and nawaz shareef has done how much evil they are …. 90% of the stories are false and fabricated … you dont mention the good stuff of musharraf that is your problem… wake up our economy is in the drain…. i wish musharraf was still here i love him always will
So what are you waiting for ….I dare you to Write it down if you can …..
What is false…
He sold out Pakistanis
He is a third class Army dictator who licked American boots
He gave away Airbases to USA
He said Yes to drone attacks
He created NRO and welcomed back Benazir
And others tooo
So what are you ranting about …You are a typical Musharraf admirer who doesn’t have the guts to put his real name on this post (Just like that coward MusharraF)
and keep on wishing for the rest of your life because that lover boy of yours is a shit piece coward who will die like a dog abroad ( Like all military dictators in the world)
Don’t know why we have this thread…. he was undoubtedly a HERO and why he is out of this country is that the Mir Jaffers of Pakistan will do anything to get rid of him.. he will come back and will rescue us from anti musharaf’s saviors (nawaz and zardari)… dont worry ….
Ahad,
Musharraf is one of the Mir Jaffer of Pakistan, who is now absconding. He is the bastard who brought Pakistan to this stage…
He was a brain-less thug, who didn’t have any thing in the upper chamber and the core commanders who helped bring him in power now regret it for the rest of their lives…
He made Dr Qadeer an escape goat and now the whole Pakistan Army has made him a escape goat….what goes around, comes around….
Dear Abrar,
This discussion is not going anywhere, i had same discussion on many forums most of the time result is the same at the end people start abusing each other :) BTW AQ khan is whole different debate so i dont wanna go there.
my point is that even if for the hack of discussion we accept that he was bad then … he was the least bad leader throughout the history of Pakistan after our great leaders.
and people my humble request is to kindly don’t use abusive language for anyone(our leaders) on the internet because as brothers and sisters we can fight with each other and will be united again but we shouldn’t give chance of a good laugh to the world
Saira bibi, you havent seen what was done from 1992-1997 in Karachi and hyderabad.. visit http://www.mqm.org to see the images :)
I grow up in Islamabad n lived there for more than 20 years then in 2004 i went to Dubai and came back in 2007. after coming back i didn’t believed that its the same Pakistan all things were changed Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi i can see the difference and then about the roads they were not made by any leader except G.Musharaf , Hats off to him, and thats why now i hate politicians. some how i realized that in Pakistan you support the Political party to which your family supports i havnt seen any any1 who have a different point of view form their family, (Baradari Nizam)Musharaf Bought a change.
and talking about Zahid Hamid i think he will definately bring a change he has engaged YOUNGSTERS in his league he is a true lover of Pakistan, i agree he cant be right at every aspect but he is bringing a hope, same was done by our great leader Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal. we badly need a hope , we hav to reconize wht we are capable of, and he is just doing this job, a WAKE UP call to all Pakistanis
otherwise you are not left with more choices.
Dont show Afia sadique as a innocent lady who was sold to Americans, she was a terrorist and i think its enough for you people to see that Terrorists hav no religion you supported Taliban for all life and now when you said them to stop they stand against you, taking aids from your enemies weather its America or India. (ashteen ka sanm) these Matawa’s (Molvies) ruined you and you still follow them they even dont agree with each other, Please read the Quran by your self dont just follow what they say,and from last 62 years you are CHAMCHA of Arabs (saudia and other Arabs ) why ? why dont you think and study about Islam on your own ? you hate Isreal why ? because they have issues with Arabs ? and you are a big supporters and Lovers of Arabs LMFAO ! please visit Arab and stay there for some time then you will relize what they think about you Pakis..
and how they treat you , do you know they support India more than Us ? they have more trade and other agreements with them ? even they know India is our enemy. they giv a damn about it. but they really want us to hate Isreal. one of my Yamanii friend always used to say me that he loves India, he will prefer visiting India on Pakistan then One day i said to OK then I also dont hate Israel, Y should i hate Israel? and then i was stunned after seen his F. face
you haven’t captured a single spy of Mosad in Pakistan, they never interfered in your Polices they had never abused Pakistan, then why the hell we want them our enemy ? although India is doing all that to us, and Arabs dont stop their Safartii relations with Indians even India got more arab visitors than Pk. come on now its time to wake up, think by your own, ok Thanks Arab for showing us the right Path(Islam) now abh hamarai jaan choroo, WE ARE PAKISTANIS , ASIANS and v hav to live with this.
Dear Didoo
Did you motice the suicide bombings , sugar and atta crisis, barbed wires and hundreds of policemen, rangers and Army soldeirs at every road of Islamabad too….
These are the blessings of the same dictator you are admiring…And like other Musharraf lovers , if you are a huge fan of Musharraf , why do you oppose Zardari( brought by Musharraf), why don’t you voted for PML(Q) his own party and creation and i am sure you love retards like Sher Afghan Niazi and Chaudhry Shujaat too….
If he is so popular in Pakistan why he is afraid to show his black face in Public in Pakistan and has to hide in exile…
He can and will never come back and i wish he comes back ..she should be blown apart by a suicide bomber ( the same curse he introduced in Pakistan)
hate muusharraf.. he bought us the gift of suicider bombers :@
MY brother dido whateva mentioned sis.aafia as a terrorist i ask him what if your mother or your sister your father your brother your daughter were caught and sold to America by these filthy leaders including Musharraf will u den still say that my sister or my whateva is a terrorist ”i dont think shoo” u mentioned ”Terrorists hav no religion” i totally agree wid ew buh they don’t im talking about the people wh wants to de establise ur country MY COUNTRY..we don’t hav tym for this bullshitism this pathan sindhi mahajir pakhtoon they dont want to see pakistan in their ”NEW WORLD ORDER” i wanted to tell ew the whole story buh i don’t hav enuf tym my bro google pe jao en type ”new world order” or ”zionism, neoconzionist”
nothing personel ma bro it was awl ma patriotism
peace
pakistan zindabad…!!!