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Democracy Returns To Pakistan So What?

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Democracy Returns To Pakistan So What?

Diary Entry by Muhammad Khurshid

A few fuedals used the name of democracy secured their places in corridors of powder, but for the poor the situation is the same. Now they have been dining in big hotels and their farm houses, but the poor is still unable to provide two-time bread to their children.

I am not a supporter of President Pervez Musharraf, but he is far better than the politicians, who have really been ruling this country since indepence. Now after getting power they have started dining in big hotels. but believe me there are still areas in this land of the pure where the poeple have been losing their lives due to hunger and other related problmes.

I am a journalist, but so far despite best effort I am unable to feed and uducate my children properly. They have sold our areas to terrorists.

According to report, Pakistan People’s party (PPP) co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Mnister Yousuf Raza Gilani will have a meeting today (Sunday) with Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif in Lahore.

Taking to Geo News, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) sources said both the leaders would call on Nawaz Sharif at his Raiwind Farm tonight, where Nawaz Sharif will convene a dinner in their honour.

It should be mentioned that the political circles are assigning great importance to this meeting. This would be the first time for Asif Ali Zardari meeting Nawaz Sharif at Raiwind Farm. Earlier, the two met in Model Town twice. The recent meeting is expected to decide several issues in future.

Both the leaders will offer ‘fatiha khawni’ at the grave of Mian Mohammed Sharif.

According to sources, Asif Ali Zardari is coming here from Islamabad by a special plane for only four hours and Yousuf Raza Gilani is already present here.

Muhammad Khurshid, a resident of Bajaur Agency, tribal areas situated on Pak-Afghan border is journalist by profession. He contributes articles and news stories to various online and print newspapers. His subject matter is terrorism. He is also heading Voice For Peace working against terrorism in tribal areas. The aim of the Voice For Peace is restoration of peace in Bajaur Agency, tribal areas and whole world.
 
DEMON-CRAZY returns to Pakistan !

The majority will always support the ESTABLISHMENT over these corrupt, immoral, plunderers, adulterer & adulteress, thieves, mobsters and mafia…... sitting in the Parliament in the disguise of DEMON-CRAZY !

If Democracy means these sick immoral politicians sitting in Parliament ready to plunder…. I'd rather the military rules PAK.
 
Funny how they didn't even spend a week yet and people like these already saying SO WHAT, NOTHING CHANGED, SAME SITUATION BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!

Now your Sam Uncle showed up but they got their answers straight if you were following up the news. Before they used to call not show up. REMEMER!!!!!

Musharraf was sitting on corrupt garbage politicians who gave him nothing, he was good but was relying on BAD so he become one of them.

Its good there are checks and balances on each other. Not some guy walking around with UNIFORM telling people what to do though.
 
They're getting what they awarded others!

The opposition also used to shout on the ONE month flour crisis... demanding nothing happened, what's the govt doing, Blah blah etc.

Now, if it is remembered correctly, the day emergency was declared Americans were here and they were all pressurising Musharraf to avoid emergency....even condi called.... but musharraf did not comply.... he went ahead with emergency! He upset Uncle Sam again.

Musharraf has kicked the Americans back on every single major issue:

1- Musharraf refused PAK troops for Iraq
2- Musharraf refused USA over IPI pipeline with Iran. USA has succeeded in supressing India from the project.... India delaying talks over IPI out of pressure by USA.
3- Musharraf refused handing over of A.Q.Khan to USA
4- Musharraf refused inspection of our Nuclear sites
5- Musharraf refused USA pressure.... and went ahead with China to build Gwadar Port
6- Musharraf refused pressure by USA not to build JF-17 thunder with China
7- Musharraf always refused USA forces to act inside PAK, stating that PAK forces will act inside PAK and no one else.
8- Musharraf implemented emergency, avoiding american pressure.

Yes, Musharraf did join the WoT (only for Afghanistan and refusing Iraq), in the larger interest of PAK against extremist and militants that cross over from Afghan border into PAK, militants that destabilize PAK; and only to protect the PAk borders from infiltration of Indian RAW agents. :pakistan:
 
Musharraf has kicked the Americans back on every single major issue:

1- Musharraf refused PAK troops for Iraq
2- Musharraf refused USA over IPI pipeline with Iran. USA has succeeded in supressing India from the project.... India delaying talks over IPI out of pressure by USA.
3- Musharraf refused handing over of A.Q.Khan to USA
4- Musharraf refused inspection of our Nuclear sites
5- Musharraf refused USA pressure.... and went ahead with China to build Gwadar Port
6- Musharraf refused pressure by USA not to build JF-17 thunder with China
7- Musharraf always refused USA forces to act inside PAK, stating that PAK forces will act inside PAK and no one else.
8- Musharraf implemented emergency, avoiding american pressure.

Benazir made it very clear she would do all the things above and even more for the U.S, almost like making Pakistan like the 51 U.S. state. But our people still voted for her party. So I wonder if Pakistanis really hate America or do they hate President Musharraf.
 
Benazir made it very clear she would do all the things above and even more for the U.S, almost like making Pakistan like the 51 U.S. state. But our people still voted for her party. So I wonder if Pakistanis really hate America or do they hate President Musharraf.

sigh*...

The roti kapra makaan was the thing man. It offered an escape to the poor and illiterate.... despite the fact these promises have never been fulfilled even in previous terms by benazir. U c almost no one from the higher classes voted for her. No single person with a good standard of living could vote for someone known to be extremely corrupt without being corrupt himself... but it is a sad day for us nonetheless that this party of looters was voted in... The bhutto family is a curse to Pakistan...
 
The roti kapra makaan was the thing man. It offered an escape to the poor and illiterate.... despite the fact these promises have never been fulfilled even in previous terms by benazir. U c almost no one from the higher classes voted for her. No single person with a good standard of living could vote for someone known to be extremely corrupt without being corrupt himself... but it is a sad day for us nonetheless that this party of looters was voted in... The bhutto family is a curse to Pakistan...

I agree with you. Today with this mass media we have, they have a responsibility to remind our rulers what they promised us, their oath and how they are to serve the people not serve their selfish needs. This new government has come into power by making a lot of promises, lets see what happens, lets see if these promises do come true. Lets give them time, their 100 days and hope for the best. They have already broken one promise, they said the price of wheat will go down but yesterday the Prime Minister approved to raise the prices. But again like I said lets wait for 100 days. If they give us what they promised I will no doubt vote for them in the next election.
 
They're getting what they awarded others!

The opposition also used to shout on the ONE month flour crisis... demanding nothing happened, what's the govt doing, Blah blah etc.

Now, if it is remembered correctly, the day emergency was declared Americans were here and they were all pressurising Musharraf to avoid emergency....even condi called.... but musharraf did not comply.... he went ahead with emergency! He upset Uncle Sam again.

Musharraf has kicked the Americans back on every single major issue:

1- Musharraf refused PAK troops for Iraq
2- Musharraf refused USA over IPI pipeline with Iran. USA has succeeded in supressing India from the project.... India delaying talks over IPI out of pressure by USA.
3- Musharraf refused handing over of A.Q.Khan to USA
4- Musharraf refused inspection of our Nuclear sites
5- Musharraf refused USA pressure.... and went ahead with China to build Gwadar Port
6- Musharraf refused pressure by USA not to build JF-17 thunder with China
7- Musharraf always refused USA forces to act inside PAK, stating that PAK forces will act inside PAK and no one else.
8- Musharraf implemented emergency, avoiding american pressure.

Yes, Musharraf did join the WoT (only for Afghanistan and refusing Iraq), in the larger interest of PAK against extremist and militants that cross over from Afghan border into PAK, militants that destabilize PAK; and only to protect the PAk borders from infiltration of Indian RAW agents. :pakistan:

The emergency was to save musharraf's own As-s it was not for anyone else so no matter who would have pressured he had to do it. Otherwise he knew CJ is taking him down for sure, and he was not capable of being elected again anyways.
 
The emergency was to save musharraf's own As-s it was not for anyone else so no matter who would have pressured he had to do it. Otherwise he knew CJ is taking him down for sure, and he was not capable of being elected again anyways.

The emergency was bound to take place, every one knew it. Whether it was necessary or not, I cant comment on it, quite frankly I think Pakistan needs atleast 10 years of strict Martial Law, to clear up everything, and then a transferr to the civilians. Now as far as President Musharraf being elected again, I would just like to say if he is not capable of being elected then who is? Mr.10% or the only Sharif of Pakistan?
 
The emergency was bound to take place, every one knew it. Whether it was necessary or not, I cant comment on it, quite frankly I think Pakistan needs atleast 10 years of strict Martial Law, to clear up everything, and then a transferr to the civilians. Now as far as President Musharraf being elected again, I would just like to say if he is not capable of being elected then who is? Mr.10% or the only Sharif of Pakistan?

One is elected already let him run dont assume everything before you even see it. Musharraf is or was capable then why he had bunch of looters in his cabinet was only sharif and BB were responsible.

Not chaudries, nor other lotas who left their parties? sometimes its funny how people put everything on one person and leave others who were or is supporting the same guy.

If musharraf was so capable why two months ago we were hearing economy is this and that and now when the new GOVT showed up the true numbers showed up nothing is there. where is all that reserve where is all the money? Why naib didt pickup steel mill case and many other cases. So stop saying who is capable or who is not. Rite now there are many checks and balances as neither party have two third majority. So relax at your home, wait and see what up the cards are still on the table lets see who play it rite.
 
I will quote Sir Winston Churchill:

"Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

IMO this answers the question "So what?'
 
=Dynamic_Dynasty;148091]One is elected already let him run dont assume everything before you even see it. Musharraf is or was capable then why he had bunch of looters in his cabinet was only sharif and BB were responsible.

Please we have seen their govt TWICE before.

1. According to the World Bank Report 2000-2001, Pakistan is among the High Indebted Countries & Low Income Nations of the World.

2. 1999, Pakistan is a nation that is spending only 2.2 percent of its budget on Education, 0.5 per cent on its health. And where 80 per cent of its villages are without clean drinking water, sewerage, hygiene facilities, and 60 per cent are without electricity. Where one child under the age of 5 dies every 40 seconds and one child is born every 10 seconds.

3. 1999, Pakistan’s the per capita income is US$450 per annum which is less than US$ 500 World Bank poverty line.

4. In 1999 Pakistan’s Total debt as percentage of GDP was the highest in South Asia – 99.3 percent of its GDP and 629 percent of its revenue receipts,

5. The State Bank report 1999-2000 states, that besides external liabilities, of US$37.30 billion under different categories, Pakistan is committed to pay in rupee liabilities 1.72 billion dollars on accounts of frozen foreign currency accounts and on various foreign currency certificates.


Not chaudries, nor other lotas who left their parties? sometimes its funny how people put everything on one person and leave others who were or is supporting the same guy.

Well i guess than nawaz is a bigger lota, by deserting Zia-ul-Haq and going against the same establishment who groomed him. ISI created the IJI and Nawaz was made by General jillani and General Zia-ul-Haq. All these chaudhry brothers were part of that forming by ISI... not personally obliged to Nawaz Sharif.

The PML was as much the party of Chaudhry's as Sharifs. Only that Sharifs HIJACKED it!

If musharraf was so capable why two months ago we were hearing economy is this and that and now when the new GOVT showed up the true numbers showed up nothing is there. where is all that reserve where is all the money? Why naib didt pickup steel mill case and many other cases. So stop saying who is capable or who is not. Rite now there are many checks and balances as neither party have two third majority. So relax at your home, wait and see what up the cards are still on the table lets see who play it rite.

Yes, you are right in saying that 'you're hearin it'. But no credible supporting reports of State bank or World bank have been referred to.

The 2007 performance is a follows, by STate Bank PAk and World bank:

Pakistan's economy grew by 100% --- to become $ 160 billion
Revenue grew by 100% --- to become $ 11.4 billion
Foreign Reserves grew by 500% --- to become $ 17 billion
Exports grew by 100% --- to become $ 18.5 billion
Textile exports grew by 100% --- to become $ 10.2 billion
Karachi Stock Exchange grew by 500% --- to become $ 65 billion
Foreign Direct Investment grew by 500% --- to become $ 8 billion
Annual Debt servicing decreased by 35% --- to become 26%
Poverty decreased by 10% --- to become 24%
literacy rate grew by 10% --- to become 54%
Public development Funds grew by 100% --- to become Rs 520 billion

The external debt and liabilities (EDL) in ratio to ‘Foreign Exchange earnings’ were:
1999 - 347%
2000 – 297.2%
2006 – 137%
2007 – 122.5%

External debt & liabilities (EDL):
1988 - $ 18 billion
1990 - $ 20 billion
1999 - $ 39 billion
2007 - $ 40.17 billion
 
Benazir made it very clear she would do all the things above and even more for the U.S, almost like making Pakistan like the 51 U.S. state. But our people still voted for her party. So I wonder if Pakistanis really hate America or do they hate President Musharraf.

Media Magic:
We have seen media impeaching Musharraf the most. Where leading role was played by American media.

Conspiracy:
What Pakistan needed is a leader and a state where people can excercise there rights (within the legal frame work). It is not freedom that every tom dick and harry blackmails the government. there is no difference between lawyers movement or lal mosque stand off.

Traitors:
Bhagwandas brought the master plan with him and members of his racket like Aitizaz, Asma and Ayesha were waiting for green signal to unleash there hate towards Pakistan.

Selfish minority:
Politicians likes of Sharif and Bainazir used all crisis to their favor and intimidated the govt. by chanting rigging and black mailing the ruling coalition of destruction and sever consequencies.

Partial democracy:
If need to apply western style democracy than we have to apply it in ful.
The candidates must come from senate like background and should hold live mutual debates with live questions from public.
One way speeches should be banned and email questions should be allowed and be answered.
Al campaign must be done within a leagal frame work and any violation should be shown on tv.
Bogus ID cards and votes should be made impossible, as I know in past Sharif used to have his private printing machines for ID cards. PPP disclosed it on PTV.
We all know how politics work in Sindh culture, Sind is the most un-democratic province of Pakistan. (in contrast to Karachi) Ever wonder why PPP miserably failed to root democracy in home town?
Political parties should hold elections for choosing party head and one person may not be allowed to hold more than one position.

On Sunday I was watching ARY channel, perhaps it was the first sesion of assembly they cut all those parts from Fasial Salah Hayat's speech which may decrease the popolarity of rulers. Is this free media? Why they cut and showed stray people standing outside the assembly when Faisal started to ask about comencment of political victimisation in Sindh.
It was edited few times for no valid reasons. If this is a private channel than what about the PTV, can ambitious minister allow neutral reporting and will not use it as advertising agency!
 
Please we have seen their govt TWICE before.

1. According to the World Bank Report 2000-2001, Pakistan is among the High Indebted Countries & Low Income Nations of the World.

2. 1999, Pakistan is a nation that is spending only 2.2 percent of its budget on Education, 0.5 per cent on its health. And where 80 per cent of its villages are without clean drinking water, sewerage, hygiene facilities, and 60 per cent are without electricity. Where one child under the age of 5 dies every 40 seconds and one child is born every 10 seconds.

3. 1999, Pakistan’s the per capita income is US$450 per annum which is less than US$ 500 World Bank poverty line.

4. In 1999 Pakistan’s Total debt as percentage of GDP was the highest in South Asia – 99.3 percent of its GDP and 629 percent of its revenue receipts,

5. The State Bank report 1999-2000 states, that besides external liabilities, of US$37.30 billion under different categories, Pakistan is committed to pay in rupee liabilities 1.72 billion dollars on accounts of frozen foreign currency accounts and on various foreign currency certificates.




Well i guess than nawaz is a bigger lota, by deserting Zia-ul-Haq and going against the same establishment who groomed him. ISI created the IJI and Nawaz was made by General jillani and General Zia-ul-Haq. All these chaudhry brothers were part of that forming by ISI... not personally obliged to Nawaz Sharif.

The PML was as much the party of Chaudhry's as Sharifs. Only that Sharifs HIJACKED it!



Yes, you are right in saying that 'you're hearin it'. But no credible supporting reports of State bank or World bank have been referred to.

The 2007 performance is a follows, by STate Bank PAk and World bank:

Pakistan's economy grew by 100% --- to become $ 160 billion
Revenue grew by 100% --- to become $ 11.4 billion
Foreign Reserves grew by 500% --- to become $ 17 billion
Exports grew by 100% --- to become $ 18.5 billion
Textile exports grew by 100% --- to become $ 10.2 billion
Karachi Stock Exchange grew by 500% --- to become $ 65 billion
Foreign Direct Investment grew by 500% --- to become $ 8 billion
Annual Debt servicing decreased by 35% --- to become 26%
Poverty decreased by 10% --- to become 24%
literacy rate grew by 10% --- to become 54%
Public development Funds grew by 100% --- to become Rs 520 billion

The external debt and liabilities (EDL) in ratio to ‘Foreign Exchange earnings’ were:
1999 - 347%
2000 – 297.2%
2006 – 137%
2007 – 122.5%

External debt & liabilities (EDL):
1988 - $ 18 billion
1990 - $ 20 billion
1999 - $ 39 billion
2007 - $ 40.17 billion

If you think that I am totally against Musharraf then you are wrong, he was good but he had bad people around him, and the wway you are digging the dead. Then let me tell you If NS hijacked the PML then why Chaudries were with him in that HIJACKED PML until Musharraf showed up pick their cousin throw him in the jail told them wanna be with me or you wanna go in too and there they are PML-Q, the most BS party ever.


For economy there were many factors, but i will just put this article for you if you never have heared with the source which you did't provide with your DATA.

The economy under Pervez Musharraf



By Shahid Javed Burki


This may be a good time to take stock of the economy’s recent performance. When on October 12, 2007, General Pervez Musharraf completed the eighth year of being in total power, the military had governed the country for a total of 32 years.

During this time the economy grew at an average rate of 6.3 per cent a year. For the remaining 28 years, the economy’s performance was less impressive, the GDP increased at the annual rate of 4.7 per cent.

Does this mean that the military is a better manager of the economy? This question does not have an easy answer but it can begin to be addressed by looking closely at the performance of the economy under General Musharraf.

This article is an attempt to take a look at how the economy was governed in 1999-2007 period. The conclusion that I will reach after asking a number of questions and then providing brief answers to a few of them is that while the economy performed well under the general, it was not due to any deep structural change brought about by the regime in power. Luck and a change in the external environment were important determinants of growth.

What are the important questions we need to raise at this time as we begin to assess the performance of the economy under the military? I will begin with six of them. Are the people better off after eight years of military rule compared to their situation when the military returned to power?

Has the economy, as a result of the policies adopted during this eight year period, now proceeding on a trajectory of reasonably high level of growth on which it can remain, no matter what happens to the flow of foreign assistance?

What kind of structural changes have been introduced and will these strengthen the economy over the long run? Is Pakistan now in a position to take advantage of the enormous change that is occurring in the global economy?

Was the decision making in place during the Musharraf period such that it could factor in the wishes and aspirations of the population at large? Have the governments at the sub-national level been given the autonomy to operate without too much interference from the central authority?

Full answer to these questions will need a much longer article than possible for the pages of a newspaper. That said, my main purpose today is to provide a quick overview of the performance of the economy over the last eight years and then address the issue of its vulnerability to possible changes in the perception of the world to the evolving situation in Pakistan.

I will begin with a simple accounting of the performance of the economy in terms of the growth in GDP and income per capita of the population. These are shown in the table placed below. The table shows three things. One, the economy took time to pick up under General Musharraf. It was only after three years that it began to expand and income per capita started to increase. The economy was deliberately kept in check by the decision to follow the IMF’s model of stabilisation.

Nonetheless, in the eight year period since the latest take over by the military, the size of the economy increased by almost 50 per cent and that of income per head of the population by nearly 25 per cent.

Two, once the economy shrugged off the constraints placed on it, it went on to a higher trajectory of growth on which it has remained for the last five years.

Three, over the entire period, GDP per capita has increased at nearly twice the rate of growth of population. This should have had a profound impact on the incidence of poverty. But that did not happen.

There is a reason why the poor did not benefit as much from the pick up in the rate of the economy during the period of Pervez Musharraf. This was due to the fact that growth came from the sectors which did not provide much employment to lower income groups. Much of the increase in GDP came from the sectors which returned high rewards to the investors but in which the share of wages was relatively low. Real estate development was one of the important sectors of the economy as was the modern service sector. Neither, at least in the context of Pakistan, generated employment and income for the poorer segments of the population.

The government maintains that public policy has put the economy on a trajectory of growth that would produce seven to eight per cent increase in GDP over the next several years. That claim is hard to endorse since the economy remains sensitive to the quantum of external flows. As was the case in the past, the economy would suffer a serious set back if the flow of resources from abroad is reduced significantly. The only difference between the present situation and the past is that a sudden cut off in aid will not hurt the economy as much as it did in the ‘nineties. Then, the sanctions imposed on the country following its decision to test nuclear weapons resulted in a severe economic set back. Now, if aid were to suddenly stop, Pakistan could continue with economic expansion provided capital continues to flow in from the large and rich Pakistani diasporas in three continents and provided also the Middle Eastern investors retain their interest in the country.

One of the positive features of the way the Musharraf government managed the economy is to have made it attractive for some foreign investors. But Pakistan has not become an important destination for investors as India has over the last decade. India offers the promise of political stability, a legal system that can protect investors, a highly trained workforce, and a fairly large rate of domestic savings. It also has a large domestic market which is of interest to foreign companies.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is seen as a country which has high levels of illiteracy, in which political instability continues to threaten the pursuit of economic policies that would be sustained over a reasonably long time, and in which the rise of Islamic extremism threatens economic and social modernisation. If foreign investors have been attracted to the country it is only those who either are tapping the large market for some basic goods of consumption and for some basic services. When the government claims that it has made possible large foreign direct investment into the country, it does not mention that FDI has come in the form of purchase of domestic cigarette manufacturing by America’s Altria group, or by an expansion in the presence of such food and beverage companies as Pepsi Cola and MacDonald. There has also been significant investment in mobile telephony by operators from the Middle East and China.

But investment in consumer product and domestic services cannot be the basis of long-term sustainable growth.

The vulnerability of the economy to external flows is revealed by the data on investments and the sources for financing it. During the Musharraf period, the rate of investment has increased by a third, from 17.2 per cent of GDP in 2001-02 to 23.0 per cent in 2006-07. However domestic savings have declined from 17.8 to 16.1 per cent of GDP in the same period. This means that the economy is even more dependent on foreign flows than was the case in the 1990s. This dependence may not mean that the continuing political support of western governments and development institutions such as the World Bank is absolutely critical for economic progress. But there is now reliance on other sources of external finance. In other words, some changes in the structure of the economy notwithstanding, the claim of Islamabad that the economy is now moving on a sustainable course and that it will not derailed by political storms is hard to accept. The economy remains vulnerable to external shocks but of a different kind.


The economy under Pervez Musharraf -DAWN - Business; October 17, 2007
 
There are pros and cons for every thing. I agree with most of Musharraf policies and have a different point of view on many matters but IMO there is no true Political Leader in Pakistan and this is unfortunate. The politicians are not leaders they are thugs and people have chosen them for other reasons.

In our Country many people choose leaders based on cast and ethnicity which should be avoided and voter should vote for good work. May Allah save Pakistan (Ameen).:pakistan:
 
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