Nuzrah’s political comments

According to reports Pakistani troops have fired on two U.S. helicopters that intruded into Pakistani border on Sunday night. As a result of the firing the helicopters turned back without any action.

The number of attacks by US drones has increased in recent days amid pressure from the United States to “do more”. Pakistan has been accused of failure of control terrorists on the Pakistani side of the border. This I think is not true. If Pakistan has failed, so has United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. Admiral Mullen has said that the US is not winning its war in Afghanistan.

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Pakistan and two U. S. marines are among the people who were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. 53 people have been confirmed dead and rescuers have found additional bodies from the debris.

According to reports a Danish national is also missing. The Danish embassy official said that the embassy was organizing teams to investigate about him. The Danish foreign minister has made an impassioned appeal to the Arab and Muslim world to cooperate with them (west) in fighting terrorism.

We have to explain to the Muslim world (that they need to be) more alert and cooperate better with us (the West) to bring about an end to terrorism.

an attack on cooperation between Pakistan and the international community, because these Islamists, these fanatics, want to break relations between the West and the democratically-elected Pakistani government,” the foreign minister said.

I think that the foreign minister  must  realize that it is not a war between the Muslims and the West. As a result of this war on terror, thousands of innocent Muslims have been killed. Saying that the Muslim world should cooperate with the West suggests that the Muslim world is doing nothing to solve this problem which is not true. But these problems cannot be solved by bombs alone. If only half of the money that is used in killing people is used in their economic uplit, the West will not need to make such appeals. Terrorism will die its own death.

A report has been presented to the president of Pakistan that recent attacks inside Pakistani territory by US drone were caused by flawed CIA intelligence. There was not any high value target present in the areas were attacks were carried out.

I have never been able to understand the term “high value targets”. Pakistan apprehended hundreds of high value targets and handed them over to United States. Each high value target that is killed or arrested is termed number two to Osama bin Laden. I wonder how many high value targets and number twos are there in Al Qaeda and Taliban.

By the way CIA intelligence is always flawed. The purposely cook up story to achieve their purpose. They had to attack Iraq and they spinned a story about present of chemical and biological weapons. None was found despite the fact that thousands have been killed for nothing.

Shortly after the massive bomb blast in Islamabad in which at more than 50 persons were killed, President Zardari of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has left for yet another foreign trip. This time the destination is United States where he would attend the General Assembly of the United Nation. He would also meet President George Bush on the sidelines.

It is expected that US strikes inside Pakistan will be on top of agenda. A report was published in foreign press that President George Bush had authorised strikes inside Pakistani territory back in July 2008. President Bush will press Zardari to “do more” to fight militants inside Pakistan. Zardari will have no option but to accept the guidelines given by his counterpart. The economy of the country is on the verge of collapse. Forex reserves are declining each day. What else can he do besides bowing down under immense pressure which will brought upon him. I think that Zardari will realize the position of President Mushrraf after this meeting.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gillani has formed a committee to discuss modalities to purchase nuclear power plants. Energy crisis in Pakistan is deepening with each passing day. I think that the Prime Minister has made a good decision. The nuclear energy is not only cheap but clean as compared to energy obtained from burning fossil fuels.

I thin that we will need international support for obtaining nuclear technology for peaceful purposes which we do not have at present.

President Zardari recently met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at his official residence 10 Downing Street. Zardari was on a personal visit to London which was extended or one day to meet the British Prime Minister. The last day of the visit was declared as official.

The meeting took place in the backdrop of US attacks inside Pakistani territory. The British Prime Minister said after the talks that he was against US strikes inside Pakistan and hastened to add that the two sides were about to reach an understanding.

I think we must not read too much in the opposition of the British Prime Minister. This is only a public statement. Britain will never go against United States.

It was said that President Pervez Musharraf had arrogated powers under the constititional seventeenth amendment which made the office of the president very powerful. He can dismiss the National and Provincial Assemblies, appoint provincial governors and services chief in his discretion. Under the original constitution of 1973 these powers rested in the office of the prime minister who is the chief executive of the country.

Zardari had said that he would repeal the seventeeth amendment and bring back the constitution in its original shape which envisiged a parliamentary system of government where president is only a ceremonial head who has to act of the advice of the prime minister. He had also said that this would be the first gift of the president elected by his party.

Now that he has got himself elected as the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I think he has forgotten this promise as well. He has now lost all credibility with the people of the country because of his ability to break promises without any compunction. In his maiden speech in the joint sitting of the parliament he was all praise for his wife Benazir Bhutto, his father in law Zulfikar Ali Bhutto but said nothing new about the policies of his government for solving the problems of the country.

He has said that a committee will be formed to look into the constitutional package to reduce the powers of president. Now we all know very well that committees in Pakistan are formed when the idea is to sleep over any issue. I am sure that Zardari will not let go a single power that is available to him at president.

By ruling out the possibility of an alliance with PML-Q , Mian Nawaz Sharif has actually bid farewell to his political insight. It is certainly not a matter of principle because if it had been so, he would have never joined PPP government as a coalition partner.

To form alliance with PML-Q will be only mixing rice with rice but to form alliance with PPP was mixing one grain with a totally different kind of grain.

If he does not want any alliance with PML - Q, why is he holding out a bait to their parliamentarians?

The PPP government has almost completed the task of restoration of deposed judges, of course in her own way. Four Supreme Court judges took their oath today only a few hours before the President Zardari’s address to the joint session of the parliament.

The government gave an open choice and the honourable judges used their own brain and wisdom to listen to the call. I think that the judges realized that if they did not take oath, they stand to lose a lot. They also realized that the political leadership of the country was not sincere in restoration of judges on the guidelines given in the Murree declaration which called for declaring the act of 2nd November 2007 as unconstitutional. 

The lawyers community of Pakistan gave a lot of sacrifices for the independence of judiciary, but the meek judges, as always, succumbed to temptations of perks and priviliges.

By allowing Chaudhry Nisar to get elected Chairman of Public Accounts Committee unopposed Asif Ali Zardari once again made a great move for sure success. No doubt, in a democratic set up this post usually goes to the leader of opposition, but such things seldom happens in Pakistan. This time it has happened as it should have happened.

Chaudhry Nisar is the right choice as a leader of opposition and consequently the head of the PAC. What is the game?

 The game can be seen between the lines of the statement that Chaudhry Nisar made after his election as PAC chief. He said,” The opposition would not protest during the President’s speech.”