Haq's Musings: Coup Topples Morsi, Pak Seeks TTP Dialog, MQM's Altaf in Trouble
Egypt and Pakistan have both been in the news in the last few days. Egypt's military generals staged a coup against President Mohammad Morsi while denying it was a coup. Pakistan sought dialog with the TTP even as its citizens continued to suffer heavy casualties in terrorist attacks launched by the Pakistani Taliban and their sectarian allies across the country. Reports from London indicate that the British police have found credible evidence to link MQM chief Altaf Husain with money laundering and Imran Farooq's murder.
Here's a summary of this week's Viewpoint From Overseas discussion:
1. Military Coup in Egypt:
Egypt's first democratically elected president Dr. Mohammad Morsi was forced out by the Egyptian military in a coup. The military said it was responding to the wishes of the protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo.
The protesters who demanded the removal of Dr. Mohammad Morsi are people who did not vote for him in the first place. These are people who say "My way or highway" and don't understand the democratic process. They agree on very little other than the removal of a man they did not want to be the president. The generals saw this as an opportunity to grab power after barely a year of free and fair election won by Morsi , and restore the privileged position of the military.
I fear a violent reaction from the Brotherhood and its allies to this coup which has been welcomed by retrograde Arab dictators ranging from Syria's Assad to Saudi King Abdullah and the Qatari rulers.
2. Dialog with Pakistani Taliban:
Pakistan's political leaders signaled their weakness yet again by continuing their pleas for dialog with the TTP and its sectarian allies in response to more horrific attacks on many more civilian and state targets across the country.
The question one needs to ponder is what will Pakistani leadership talk with the TTP about? And what is it ready to concede in return for peace?
The TTP have repeatedly made it clear that they want the implementation of their version of Shariah which rejects Pakistan's democracy, constitution and its various state institutions, including the parliament and the judiciary.
Do Pakistani leaders want a repeat of what happened in Swat after ANP signed a peace deal with the TTP in 2009?
Do they remember that the Taliban unleashed their reign of terror on the people of Swat in the name of "Nizam-e-Adl"? Are they willing to accept it across the country?
The second major demand of the Taliban is for Pakistan to cut ties with the United States.
Pakistan is in the middle of another IMF bailout right now. Would the IF, dominated by the US and its allies, bail Pakistan out if it accepted the TTP demand to cut ties with the West?
In fact, the US and its allies are Pakistan's biggest trading partners. How long can Pakistan, or any other country, survive by cutting ties with the US? Do the anti-American demagogues in Pakistan know what is happening to Iran, a country with a lot more resources than Pakistan, under US-sponsored sanctions? Do they know that Iran and Syria are among the world's fastest shrinking economies?
Is it better to first use overwhelming military force against the TTP to weaken them to make them see reason before starting a dialog?
Back in 2009, Pew Poll indicated that 53% of Pakistanis supported military action against the Taliban in Swat.
Support for the use of the Army against the Taliban is 35%, up from 32% last year, while 29% oppose it.
What needs to be done to increase support to use decisive military force against the Taliban?
3. Altaf Husain in Trouble:
There are unconfirmed reports that the British Police have found credible evidence of MQM chief Altaf Husain's involvement in murder and money laundering after several days of searches, seizures and interrogations in Dr. Imran Farooq murder case in London and elsewhere.
Would the British government actually go all the way and charge Altaf Husain? Or would it just use the threat of such charges to influence MQM's behavior in Pakistani politics to protect British interests in Pakistan, particular in the important port city of Karachi? Can Altaf Husain continue to lead the MQM if he is formally charged ad prosecuted?
Haq's Musings: Coup Topples Morsi, Pak Seeks TTP Dialog, MQM's Altaf in Trouble
Here's a video discussion on the above topics:
Egypt and Pakistan have both been in the news in the last few days. Egypt's military generals staged a coup against President Mohammad Morsi while denying it was a coup. Pakistan sought dialog with the TTP even as its citizens continued to suffer heavy casualties in terrorist attacks launched by the Pakistani Taliban and their sectarian allies across the country. Reports from London indicate that the British police have found credible evidence to link MQM chief Altaf Husain with money laundering and Imran Farooq's murder.
Here's a summary of this week's Viewpoint From Overseas discussion:
1. Military Coup in Egypt:
Egypt's first democratically elected president Dr. Mohammad Morsi was forced out by the Egyptian military in a coup. The military said it was responding to the wishes of the protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo.
The protesters who demanded the removal of Dr. Mohammad Morsi are people who did not vote for him in the first place. These are people who say "My way or highway" and don't understand the democratic process. They agree on very little other than the removal of a man they did not want to be the president. The generals saw this as an opportunity to grab power after barely a year of free and fair election won by Morsi , and restore the privileged position of the military.
I fear a violent reaction from the Brotherhood and its allies to this coup which has been welcomed by retrograde Arab dictators ranging from Syria's Assad to Saudi King Abdullah and the Qatari rulers.
2. Dialog with Pakistani Taliban:
Pakistan's political leaders signaled their weakness yet again by continuing their pleas for dialog with the TTP and its sectarian allies in response to more horrific attacks on many more civilian and state targets across the country.
The question one needs to ponder is what will Pakistani leadership talk with the TTP about? And what is it ready to concede in return for peace?
The TTP have repeatedly made it clear that they want the implementation of their version of Shariah which rejects Pakistan's democracy, constitution and its various state institutions, including the parliament and the judiciary.
Do Pakistani leaders want a repeat of what happened in Swat after ANP signed a peace deal with the TTP in 2009?
Do they remember that the Taliban unleashed their reign of terror on the people of Swat in the name of "Nizam-e-Adl"? Are they willing to accept it across the country?
The second major demand of the Taliban is for Pakistan to cut ties with the United States.
Pakistan is in the middle of another IMF bailout right now. Would the IF, dominated by the US and its allies, bail Pakistan out if it accepted the TTP demand to cut ties with the West?
In fact, the US and its allies are Pakistan's biggest trading partners. How long can Pakistan, or any other country, survive by cutting ties with the US? Do the anti-American demagogues in Pakistan know what is happening to Iran, a country with a lot more resources than Pakistan, under US-sponsored sanctions? Do they know that Iran and Syria are among the world's fastest shrinking economies?
Is it better to first use overwhelming military force against the TTP to weaken them to make them see reason before starting a dialog?
Back in 2009, Pew Poll indicated that 53% of Pakistanis supported military action against the Taliban in Swat.
Support for the use of the Army against the Taliban is 35%, up from 32% last year, while 29% oppose it.
What needs to be done to increase support to use decisive military force against the Taliban?
3. Altaf Husain in Trouble:
There are unconfirmed reports that the British Police have found credible evidence of MQM chief Altaf Husain's involvement in murder and money laundering after several days of searches, seizures and interrogations in Dr. Imran Farooq murder case in London and elsewhere.
Would the British government actually go all the way and charge Altaf Husain? Or would it just use the threat of such charges to influence MQM's behavior in Pakistani politics to protect British interests in Pakistan, particular in the important port city of Karachi? Can Altaf Husain continue to lead the MQM if he is formally charged ad prosecuted?
Haq's Musings: Coup Topples Morsi, Pak Seeks TTP Dialog, MQM's Altaf in Trouble
Here's a video discussion on the above topics:
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