by Nashia Ahmad Gabol

My heart filled with grief and my eyes with tears as i read this article, written by an American girl . This is the first article being posted on the blog after the assassination of MBB . I really feel that words can not describe my immense love, admiration and appreciation for MBB. On the other hand, my intense feelings of pain, grief and anger at her assassination are immensely overwhelming. We love you MBB and you are in our hearts ,soul and blood . No one can take this away from the People who love M.B.B. .She lives in our heart forever. She was, and will be in our hearts for eternity.

By Michelle Lindsey

A new day has come to Pakistan with the restoration of democracy. My congratulations and my joy are with the people of Pakistan, whom I love, and with their new democratically elected parliament.

At this momentous time, my heart is so full. My emotions are a dichotomy of both profound sadness and also profound joy....as I think of Benazir Bhutto, whom I loved so dearly.

The arrival of this extraordinary moment for Pakistan is the moment and the cause for which she gave her life. Her life and death - her sacrifice and courage - are what made this moment possible.

Benazir wrote to me, in an e-mail, in November 2007:

“I hope many people will benefit from my struggle to restore democracy in Pakistan.

People have an unquestionable desire for democracy, for control over their own lives, for human rights, gender equality, labor and minority rights and for a chance to build a better life for their children. These are indeed the dreams of the Pakistani people and of all people in this part of the world. We appeal to all the people of the world to walk with us on our common destination towards freedom.”

In reading and seeing the reports of these historic days in Pakistan, seeing the joy and hope in the faces of the people - I see Benazir’s face, and her smile, and I feel the hope that her courage, spirit, and vision illuminated in hearts and minds across her country and around the world. Her remarkable spirit and strength; her faith in God; her conviction and commitment to her beliefs and her vision and her cause, are the nexus and heartbeat that made this extraordinary moment a reality.

The hope that she inspired lives on in the hearts of those whose lives she touched. Her courage lives on. Benazir lives on.

The unquenchable, unkillable spirit of Benazir Bhutto is now the heart of Pakistan - and of all the people in this world who believe in freedom, human rights, and democracy - and who hold on to faith and hope, regardless of circumstance. The glow from the flame she lit burns brightly across Pakistan and in hearts around the world. As it will forever.

ZINDA HAI  BIBI  ZINDA HAI.

Michelle Lindsey, of Colorado Springs, Colorado is the founder of  www.SupportBenazir.org

This article was published in DAWN, The Frontier Post, and also in The Rocky Mountain News (in the United States)

BEFORE the imposition of martial law on Nov 3, Pakistan was
struggling with two critical challenges to its political stability.One was
the subversion of civilian, representative rule, an issue the
nation-state had confronted since 1958 when the first martial law
was imposed on Pakistan.The other challenge had its roots in the
more recent, but far more bloody vintage of the 1980s. Militancy that exploits religion, which incubated with Gen Ziaul Haq’s security apparatus and state ideology, has grown into a full-scale terrorist insurgency today. Major portions of the Tribal Areas, the NWFP, some territory in the Northern Areas, and now two-thirds of Swat, have ceded ground to non-state actors, both foreign and local.Today the country is back in the quagmire of both dictatorship and terrorism. Gen Musharraf has once again called a martial law an emergency, as he did in 1999. An emergency suspends fundamental human rights, but falls short as an instrument that can send the judiciary packing. Judges cannot be made to swear fresh oaths of allegiance, and therefore may not provide the judgments required to prop unconstitutional measures.An emergency does not require a PCO for its imposition. A PCO, or Provisional Constitution Order, entails a suspension of the Constitution of the state, substituting it with a martial law, which can only be imposed by a chief of army staff. Under a martial law, there is no source of justice other than PCO courts, and dictators are provided a veneer of legal cover. So let’s first call a spade a spade. Pakistan is under martial law today, not emergency rule. The assemblies, whether constitutional until Nov 15 or under the PCO, are alive so that they can provide a democratic window-dressing.The PCO cabinet has already given its rubberstamp to the emergency, and the military’s surrogates in parliament pushed it through the National Assembly as well. All these acts are post-PCO and have no bearing on the facts on the ground that Gen Musharraf has already created. There is one man-rule in the country and that is propped only by the use of force.Which is why Gen Musharraf’s announcement of a general election in February and his stepping down as army chief before that has been received with general scepticism.The reason why Pakistan is under martial law today is not so that terrorism can be contained as the disingenuous promulgation order says. It is under martial law so that the possibility of an adverse judgment by the former benches of the newly independent superior judiciary on Gen Musharraf’s eligibility to hold two offices could be avoided. Nothing more, nothing less.If terrorism was the issue, why are peaceful opponents of martial law and terrorism being detained and brutalised all over the country? If terrorism was the objective, why were Asma Jehangir, Aitzaz Ahsan, I.A. Rehman, Iqbal Haider and hundreds of lawyers like PPP’s Ahsan Bhoon, and civil society activists detained? Do they look like the sort of people who run into crowded buses and buildings to maim and kill in the name of religion?Why are wanted criminals allowed to hold press conferences openly threatening the life of Ms Benazir Bhutto for her anti-terrorism clarity? Why have 25 terrorists been released after the imposition of martial law? Why is a peaceful tourist backwater like Swat overrun by foreign and Pakistani militants? Is the state only able to establish its writ now through the law of the jungle?If terrorism is the objective, why has the investigation on the massacre of Oct 19 in Karachi not been treated as an urgent priority? Why was evidence hastily cleaned up, and why is a Pakistan-led independent police inquiry not being assisted by Scotland Yard or the FBI as many enquiries have been in the past? Why is the death of 160 innocent people who were victims of terror being treated like a non-event? Do the culprits not need to be nabbed?If terrorism was the objective why has the independent media been blacked out? Why have cable networks been jammed and why have satellite alternatives been the object of crackdowns by the state? Why has the print media been given press advice, and why is a new ‘code of conduct’ being formulated by the regime to gag the press? Why has Pakistan been thrust back into the dark days of the 1980s, when political leaders were either killed, tortured, arrested or driven underground?Clearly, none of the actions described have anything to do with curbing terrorism. In fact, quite to the contrary, history has taught us that Pakistan has only drifted towards crises during military clampdowns. Extremism and polarisation flourish when democracy is under lockdown.But structural and fundamental disconnects are not the only problem in such a scenario. When the sixth largest standing army in the world busies itself with manipulative politics through coups and double coups, it begins to lose focus. It loses ground in the public eye as an institution that rules the nation instead of serving it.The pseudo-jihadist officials who served Zia’s fundamentalist agenda by creating an anti-PPP political alliance in the shape of the IJI by funnelling state money into slush funds and diverted Afghan resistance petro-dollars into powerful non-state proxies are back in action today. They subverted the aims of a professional army and democratic politicians by using intelligence resources to serve their own covert agenda then, and are trying to do the same again today with the same line-up of reactionary political proxies.The opposition is gearing up to challenge this reversal from a transition to democracy. The PPP was the only party that sees a peaceful transition to democracy as a priority. Its negotiations with the regime were for movement towards democracy, not to prop a dictatorship.The PPP chairperson’s return to Pakistan from Dubai was a brave step to lead the nation and the party in this moment of crisis. Her call to take the protest to the streets came after months of attempts to avoid more bloodshed, as Pakistan can ill-afford more instability. The PPP has been consistent in its position in calling for a restoration of the Constitution, the stepping down of General Musharraf as army chief, respect for the judiciary, a free and fair election on schedule, under a reconstituted Election Commission, and the removal of the curbs on the media as the only route to democracy.Slapping a ban on the PPP’s Rawalpindi rally will only roil the streets further, as will any bid to immobilise Ms Bhutto by house arrest before the Nov 13 long march from Lahore. The PPP showed its non-violent mass support on Oct 18, yet at the same time no one can doubt the party’s ability or record to resist dictatorships, as it stands firm in the face of bullets and persecution.The message to democratic politicians is that we will once again have to fight with our lives, on the streets, for the right to elect our own leadership and for the rule of law to return to Pakistan. Democracy and its attendant institutions have never been given a chance to take root, and now this is a fight for the survival of Pakistan. The military regime is no longer at a place where it can guarantee peace, stability and governance to the people of Pakistan alone, and for the first time, the whole world can see that this is true.

The writer is the central information secretary of the PPP.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/11/10/op.htm#1

Labels: pakistan, Pakistan People's Party, sherry rehman, true

Labels: america, Benazir Bhutto, democracy, pakistan

Click here to view PPP Manifesto 2008. posted by Nashia Ahmad Gabol at 7:21 PM

Today, the Pakistan Peoples Party marks its fortieth year in
mainstream politics. Why does this party hold a unique place in Pakistan's history, politics and social transformations? What animates its diehard support-base, and why do people seek its banner? One, it is the one federal party in this country that has not arisen out of a backroom deal. Two, it has never strayed from its core vision of seeking sovereignty through empowering the people. Three, as a party that sees the poorest, the vulnerable and the oppressed as its first priority, the PPP is the one party that has remained consistent with its agenda of change through progressive politics. In its social democratic vision to deregulate the economy while protecting the vulnerable, the party has evolved to spur the private sector as an engine of growth. Four, in international affairs, it has charted an iconic leadership course through intensely troubled waters. Five, on fighting for fundamental freedoms, the PPP has stood firm in raising its banner for the rule of law, representative civilian democracy and provincial autonomy. Six, it defines national security through development indices, not military adventurism. And seven, it offers hope for a better future through power of human agency.In 60 years of Pakistan's chequered life, from 1947 to 2007 the nation has seen 13 presidents or governors-general, 15 prime ministers and 12 national assemblies. In this whole period, four army generals ruled for 34 years openly, while after 1988, the military ruled as a powerful player in truncated civilian governments. In these sixty years, only one elected government completed its term, and that first PPP government is remembered with widespread nostalgia for empowering people and setting the country on a path to stability. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave Pakistan the strongest institutional foundations by drawing up the 1973 Constitution. By building the national consensus so vital to democratic processes in its signing, the PPP laid the foundation stone for so many social and economic changes that it literally revolutionised the relationship of the state to the citizen.In defining its public agenda, the PPP has evolved through different epochs as the only party that seeks, before everything, to liberate the oppressed, to provide for equal opportunity and empower the most disadvantaged through specific policy interventions. The unaddressed labour and peasant classes, the largest populations at risk in a developing country, have always been targeted by successive PPP governments for public policy relief. That is why they come out in droves to show support for the PPP at public rallies like Ms Bhutto's welcome on October 18, and are tagged for disenfranchisement often through rigged polls.Women, minorities and other socially vulnerable groups have been the focus of actual empowerment through party advocacy and policy articulation by empowerment programmes. In Ms Bhutto's two governments, for instance, key human rights issues were not used as donor magnets and government spin. They were the object of party policy and state action. Women judges were appointed and gender mainstreaming took place on a large scale through the public and private sectors. Remember the women's bank? And the lady health workers programme? No judges were sacked and neither women's marathons baton-charged nor any attempts made to impose manmade shariat laws. The media was given unprecedented freedoms and wage board awards for journalists implemented.An elite-consensus of anti-democratic forces that fear the vast mobilizing power of the PPP have spent an entire generation devoting time and resources to vilifying the PPP as an anti-business party. The facts tell another story. While providing protection for the weak, Ms Bhutto's PPP deregulated the economy to empower a new middle class, introduced communication technology, and ended electricity shutdowns. In fact, Ms Bhutto's PPP was the first government in the history of Pakistan to retire the country's principal debt through privatization proceeds. That is why among those who believe in change through the political process, the PPP is seen as a modern and democratic party, which introduced both energy infrastructure and information technology in Pakistan and empowered, educated and motivated an entire generation to value the power of hard work in a merit-based society. Instead of being labelled as a terrorist sanctuary, Pakistan joined the top ten emerging markets of the world.On foreign relations, the PPP has always led with a defining vision. History is testament to the fact that after the seminal Simla Treaty, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's vision of steering Pakistan out of the narrow alley of India-centrism bore fruit in larger bilateral initiatives that altered the limits of Islamabad's horizons, both in the developing and Muslim worlds. His Islamic summit stands out as a true leadership initiative for Pakistan in the comity of nations. Ms Bhutto's governments -- short as they were -- laid down an entire architecture of peace to replace the infrastructure of war with both India and Afghanistan. Pakistan never went to war in either Kabul or Kargil, but in fact began investing in a vision for South Asia whereby founding SAFTA the ground-work for a regional common market was laid. The blowback from Ziaul Haq's jihadist forward policy in Afghanistan was staunched by containing the Taliban to Kandahar, and in the third PPP government despite pressures, it refused to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.It was not a military dictator who secularized Pakistan's politics; it has always been the PPP. In fact, dictatorship in Pakistan has always emboldened extremists and fuelled terrorism. The dangerous idea that politics is the source of evil in this country has been sown by dictators as early as 1958 when the first martial law was slapped on. The propaganda machine deployed against a genuine political class, fighting a motley crew of military proxies, has diverted state resources and slush monies in such large quantities that it has acquired a life of its own. This has led to swathes of honest people brainwashed and depoliticized. Their retreat from democratic politics is a challenge only the PPP can take on for the future. The anti-democratic establishment in Pakistan believes that the PPP's legitimacy amongst voters is a danger to their formula for fixing politics, manipulating elections and shuffling surrogates.Today, when Pakistan stands at its most dangerous crossroads after the fall of Dhaka in 1971, there really is only one party that will squarely address the threats to the country such as extremism, hunger, and dictatorship. Ms Bhutto has clearly identified terrorism as a national crisis, not another country's problem. To her and the PPP, religion is about peace, about knowledge and about civilizing society, not polarizing it. But if grassroots politics is once again thwarted as a vehicle for democratic expression and social change, the millions of Pakistanis who want a stake in their governance will lose their voice in another closed system. Yet in good times, and in bad, the PPP will still stand out as a beacon of hope in the darkness that threatens. For 40 years it has held out that hope, and when given a chance, turned some dreams into reality. One day, the hope of a government -- elected by the people and accountable to the people -- will surely become a reality.
The writer is a former MNA, and the Central Information Secretary of the PPP
http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=9

By Senator Dr. Javaid Laghari

The Pakistan Peoples Party is led by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who is the symbol of the country's thirty year fight against domination by the military or its surrogates. She is the most popular leader in the country with a national following whose courage in the face of odds has inspired others to overcome adversity and triumph over odds.
Mohtarma Bhutto has paid a heavy price for her commitment to the people of Pakistan. She lost her Father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, and two brothers brutally and tragically. Her husband was imprisoned in ghastly conditions for eleven and a half years without a sentence. She spent six years including in one of the worst prisons of Pakistan and brought up her children as a single parent in years of exile persevering despite the obstacles. Her story is a mirror of the story of her supporters who have sacrificed and suffered so much to give the people of Pakistan freedom, equality, respect and emancipation from poverty, hunger and backwardness. No amount of demonisation by wicked opponents using the resources of the state for political purposes has diminished her standing as the massive reception of three million people at Karachi on October 18, 2007 demonstrated at her homecoming after eight years of exile.
And when the terrorists struck at the October reception killing 179 people with cowardly bomb detonations, the PPP supporters did not lose heart. Even in their grief they called out, "how many Bhutto's will you kill? From each house a Bhutto will be born to fight on against tyranny". The PPP workers see themselves as the heirs of Quaid e Awam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who gave his life fighting tyranny.
The PPP is a modern, democratic party which introduced the age of information technology into Pakistan. It empowered, educated and motivated young people to reach the top through effort and hard work. Mohtarma Bhutto kept peace in the region. There was no war in Pakistan or Afghanistan or with India. She never sacked a Judge nor curbed the media unlike the others. Her government brought the fruits of development through deregulation and decentralisation, creating a vibrant middle class, ending power shut downs and transforming the South Asian landscape. From a country being described as a terrorist state, Pakistan became one of the ten emerging markets of the world. Now under the present regime corruption and poverty is rampant. Transparency International rated the present regime more corrupt than any of its civilian predecessors. Some academics call Pakistan a failed state. Others fear a militant take over of the country that could trigger a conflict over who controls Pakistan's nuclear assets bringing death and destruction to the Nation.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is a towering political leader with the mass support and is the only hope of the people to save Pakistan from a catastrophe. She will win any fair election hands down because people of Pakistan know from experience that her leadership will provide them hope and opportunity, respect and honour, peace and security as well as the compassion so necessary to create a caring society.

EMEL magazine, January 2008

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, bhutto, democracy, Pa, Pakistan People's Party, ppp

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, history, pakistan, Pakistan People's Party

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, pakistan, zia

Labels: ambassador, bilawal house, Karachi, pakistan, ppp

Benazir Bhutto arrives in Karachi with a prescription for her country
BENAZIR BHUTTO
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
October 18, 2007 at 10:18 AM EDT

As I board the plane that takes me home to Pakistan today, I carry with me a manuscript of a book I am writing that will be published shortly.
It is a treatise on the reconciliation of the values of Islam and the West and a prescription for a moderate and modern Islam that marginalizes religious extremists, returns the military from politics to their barracks, treats all citizens and especially women with full and equal rights, selects its leaders by free and fair elections, and provides for transparent, democratic governance that addresses the social and economic needs of the people as its highest priority.
To me, this is not just a book but a campaign manifesto, a guide to governing. If the people of Pakistan honour me again with an opportunity to lead, I fully intend to practise what I preach, to have my actions match my rhetoric and to make Pakistan a positive model for one billion Muslims around the world.
For 60 years, my nation has lurched between military dictatorships and democracy. The promise that is Pakistan has been stifled by political oppression and economic stagnation. For almost a decade, we have been ruled by a military dictatorship. For the past five years, we have been challenged by an international terrorism movement that seems, unfortunately, to have the tribal areas of Pakistan at its very epicentre. These are not ordinary times, and they require extraordinary solutions.
Over the past several months, I have negotiated with General Pervez Musharraf to simultaneously ensure a transition to democracy in Pakistan and to mobilize the moderate middle of our society to confront and contain fanatics and extremists. It has been a difficult process, made even more difficult by the resistance of many who now enjoy power in Pakistan to accepting a democratic alternative.
But the long discussions have borne some fruit. In September, Gen. Musharraf promised Pakistan's Supreme Court he would retire from the post of army chief before taking the oath of office for President for a new term. This month, the government of Pakistan announced a set of confidence-building measures codified initially in the Ordinance of National Reconciliation to pave the way for a legitimate and accountable Parliament.
It is not a perfect agreement, and it certainly is not an end to the process. But it is an important beginning to the transition to democracy, with the goal of bringing reform and political change without the chaos and bloodshed under which extremism and militancy thrive. In the next phase, more confidence-building measures are expected.
As I board the plane to Pakistan, I am fully aware that the supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda have publicly threatened my assassination.
Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has said his terrorists will "welcome" me on my return. Everyone understands the meaning of these comments. And I fully understand the men behind al-Qaeda. They have tried to assassinate me twice before. The Pakistan People's Party and I represent everything they fear the most - moderation, democracy, equality for women, information and technology. We represent the future of a modern Pakistan, a future that has no place in it for ignorance, intolerance and terrorism.
The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated. I will step out on the tarmac in Karachi not to complete a journey, but to begin one. Despite the death threats, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but lead the fight against it.
Ms. Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, returned to her native land today after eight years in exile.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071018.wcobhutto18/BNStory/Front

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, Karachi, native, pakistan

By Benazir Bhutto

The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated. Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against itAs I board the plane that takes me home to Pakistan today, I carry with me a manuscript of a book. It is a treatise on the reconciliation of the values of Islam and the West and a prescription for a moderate, modern Islam that marginalises extremists, returns the military from politics to their barracks, treats all citizens and especially women equally and selects its leaders by free and fair elections.To me this is not just a book but a campaign manifesto, a guide to governing. If the people of Pakistan honour me again with an opportunity to lead, I intend to practise what I preach and to make Pakistan a positive model to one billion Muslims around the world for our future.For 60 years my nation has lurched between dictatorships and democracy. Pakistan has been stifled by political oppression and economic stagnation. For almost a decade we have been ruled by a military dictatorship. For the past five years we have been challenged by an international terrorism movement that seems to have the tribal areas of Pakistan at its very epicentre. These are not ordinary times, and they require extraordinary solutions.Over the past few months I have negotiated with General Pervez Musharraf to ensure a transition to democracy and to mobilise the moderate middle of our society to confront and contain fanatics and extremists. It has been difficult, made more so by the resistance of many who now enjoy power in Pakistan to accepting a democratic alternative. But the long discussions have borne some fruit.In September General Musharraf promised to Pakistan’s Supreme Court to retire from the post of Army Chief before taking the oath of office for President for a new term. This month the government of Pakistan announced confidence-building measures to pave the way for a legitimate, accountable Parliament. It is not a perfect agreement, but it is an important beginning, bringing reform and political change closer without the chaos and bloodshed under which extremism and militancy thrive.The supporters of the Taliban and Al Qaeda have threatened my assassination. The Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has said that his terrorists will “welcome” me on my return. And the men behind Al Qaeda have tried to assassinate me twice before. The Pakistan People’s Party and I represent everything they fear the most — moderation, democracy, equality for women, information and technology. We represent the future, a future that has no place in it for ignorance, intolerance and terrorism.The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated. I will step out on the tarmac in Karachi in a few hours not to complete a journey, but to begin one. Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against it.Benazir Bhutto is twice former prime minister of Pakistan. As you read this, she has already landed in Karachi where large crowds had gathered to greet her. This piece appeared in The Times of London yesterday to sync with her landing in Karachi

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\10\19\story_19-10-2007_pg3_6

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, croeds, Karachi, pakistan

1.The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is the symbol for democracy and civilian rule. The party’s negotiations with General Musharraf are aimed at an orderly transition to democracy.

2.The PPP recognizes that protests in the streets lead to a loss of life, liberty and livelihood even when the protests are peaceful from the viewpoint of pro-democracy activists. We have only used protests as a last option when all other doors are closed. Our goal from the outset is to set the course for a successful transition to democracy and political marginalization of the anti-people and extremist forces.

3. Keeping in view the above, and the interest of the people of Pakistan and the civilized world, the PPP has negotiated with the Musharraf regime the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which has recently been promulgated.

4.The NRO and other public declarations is a broad package of reforms that facilitates the transition to democracy in Pakistan. Its very preamble acknowledges the abuses that have occurred under dictatorship by stating that "it is expedient to promote national reconciliation, foster mutual trust and confidence amongst holders of public office and remove the vestiges of political vendetta and victimization…and to make the electoral process more transparent." Due to the untiring efforts of the PPP towards democracy, the nation has got:

a). A public agreement by General Musharraf before the Supreme Court of Pakistan to resign his position as Chief of Army Staff and to take his oath of office as President, should he be reelected, as a civilian.

b)Part of an important electoral reform demanded by political parties and groups representing the civil society to prevent rigging and vote counting fraud in subsequent election, by amending laws to provide that “after consolidation of results, the Returning Officer shall give to such contesting candidates and their election agents as are present during the consolidation proceedings, a copy of the result of the count notified to the Commission immediately against proper receipt and shall also post a copy thereof to the other candidates and election agents.”

c)Addressing the problem of governmental intimidation undoing the will of the electorate, as was the case in the General Elections of 2002, a Parliamentary Committee on Ethics will be created. The Committee will prevent intimidation of members of the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies by the government to cross party lines under coercive threat of charges and imprisonment on trumped up political charges as has occurred in the past, most notably in the Assembly elections of 2002. Furthermore, the Parliamentary Committee on Ethics protecting Parliamentarians and thereby ensuring the sanctity of the assembly’s popular mandate, will -- in an extraordinary extension of democracy -- recognize the role in democratic governance of the Opposition. Members of the Committee on Ethics will be chosen on the recommendation of the Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition, with equal representation from both sides.

d)An agreement by the regime to end unproven from prosecution, against Parliamentarians of all political parties who were “falsely involved for political reasons or though political victimization” during the years prior to 1999 but never convicted. This provision applies to parliamentarians associated with all major political parties in Pakistan, including those from the opposition parties such as PML (N) led by Mr Nawaz Sharif.

5.Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto could have secured an arrangement favorable to herself long ago. Instead she endured exile and a psychological war campaign while her husband suffered eight and a half years in prison courageously refusing a personal arrangement for a political principle (The call to drop politically motivated cases is enshrined in the Charter of Democracy as well as in the resolutions by the Pakistan Bar Association, the Alliance for Restroration to Democracy (ARD) and the major political parties). Mohtarma Bhutto has insisted on measures to prevent political re-engineering through false cases as well as in future to prevent horse-trading. The PPP is committed to fight against corruption through the rule of law.

6.The PPP has upheld its democratic principles in negotiations with the regime. First and above all, it insists on free, fair and transparent elections, supervised by a neutral caretaker government and an independent Election Commission.

7. The PPP continues to insist on a civilian president without uniform, restoration of the balance of powers between president and prime minister and article 58-2(b) of the Constitution enabling the President to undermine the sovereignty of Parliament (which led to the dysfunctional democracy of the nineties), and an end of the military imposed ban on two-term priming ministers from running for a third term.

8.The PPP negotiations are not structured around any “power sharing” concept. The issue of which political party would form the government will be determined only by the people of Pakistan through a fair general elections.

9.The PPP believes that transition to democracy, which begins with the National Reconciliation Ordinance, will take place in a phased manner. Some critical steps have already been taken, like the arrangement for the shedding of military uniform. Other key steps on electoral reform, incorporating the recommendations of The Citizen’s Group on Electoral Politics, which will insure the transparency and sanctity of the forthcoming National Assembly and Provincial Assembly elections are still being discussed

Labels: democracy, general elections, NRO points, ppp

By Karen Yop

1. What do you think of Lt. Gen. Ashfaque Kiani? He's a close ally of Musharraf. Does that bother you?

Ans: Lt General Kiani has a reputation as a professional officer which is what the armed forces and Pakistan need.

2. The army controls everything from arms to businesses and there are those who are supporting extremism and terrorism. How would you be able to handle and control the Army?

Ans: Our first step is to separate the offices of army chief and the President. General Musharaf has now given an undertaking to the SupremeCourt of Pakistan that he will retire as army chief after the presidential elections this October. Under the present military doctored Constitution, the armed forces come under the President. The political parties would need to unite to bring control of the armed forces back to Parliament for reform to take place. PPP has signed a Charter of Democracy calling upon political parties to make the members of the armed forces answerable to Parliament, as they are in Washington, London and France,for greater transparency and accountability.

3. What would be your ideal amendment to the Constitution, if youreturn to power?

Ans: To prevent a return to the dysfunctional democracy of the ninetiesit is important to do away with the powers of the president to dismissan elected parliament in his discretion. Secondly, there are other issues like lifting the military imposed ban on a twice elected prime minister contesting election for a third time for prime minister,appointment of Governors, members of the Judiciary and Election Commission.The Charter of Democracy spells out the changes needed.

4. You've had mentioned about the package deal with Musharraf: balance of power, reforms for a fair election, lifting the ban on atwice-elected prime minister. When do you expect these to happen and how so?

Ans: These issues are part of our negotiations and will happen in aphased manner. Some steps have already been taken like arrangements for shedding military uniform, the counting of ballots, stopping horse trading by preventing arrest of parliamentarians without permission of an Ethics Committee, end to political victimization and national reconciliation. I hope other issues like eligibility of Prime Ministerial candidates and balance of power between parliament and presidency will also beresolved in due course.

5. Elaborate on what does "a power-sharing" deal means? Would this include the Army as well since Musharraf has a hold on them?

Ans: The PPP negotiations are not to share power but to restore democracy through the holding of fair, free and impartial elections where civilians govern and people are the masters of their own destiny.

6. Being in self-exiled for 8 years, what has changed inside on aperson (as a mother and wife) and professional level (as a politician)?

Ans: Adversity has tempered my character. My husband was in jail in Pakistan for 8 years without a conviction and I had to bring up small children as single parent in exile besides looking after my ailing mother.Scores of members of my party were killed. We paid a heavy price for democracy. This experience has strengthened my commitment for building a tolerant society which respects human rights, allows a free media, has a transparent and corruption free government which tackles the social and economic issues of the people, brings peace internally by undermining the forces of extremism and builds peace regionally.

7. How would you run the country now in comparison to your previous tenures? Which issues would you give priority?

Ans: I would seek reconciliation, peace, ending militancy,eradicating poverty, building institutions of civil rule and democracy,spreading education and providing hope to the people of Pakistan for a better future.

8. You mentioned before that you'd better controls in the tribal areas when you were in office. Things have certainly changed during the past years -- 9/11 and the rising inflation rate and terrorism -- in the country. How do you expect to tackle an uphill task after being out ofaction for 8 years?

Ans: The military government has relied solely on the use of force indealing with extremism in the tribal areas. We believe that alongside the use of force, we also need to take political steps and improve the socio economic conditions of the people in the tribal area. Poverty and social isolation also breeds militancy. We will address issues of poverty and social isolation in the tribal areas. My Party has already filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court seeking the extension of Political Parties Act to the tribal areas. We want to bring the people of the tribal areas into the twenty first century and make them stakeholders in fighting militancy and extremism. We would interrupt the flow of drug funds that finance militancy as well as spread education and employment.

9. It was understood that you tried to strike a deal with the Army. Howis it going and how would that gel with your deal with Musharraf?

Ans: I am not striking any deal with the Army. I am looking attransition to democracy in which the Parliament is sovereign and the military performs its constitutionally ordained duties.

10. Your take on American funds to Pakistan for the war on terror.Increasingly, there is an anti-American sentiment among Pakistanis because the country's leaders continue to be dictated by the American government. Do you think the country still needs aid to fight terror? What wouldyou have done?

Ans: Terrorism is a threat to the internal unity and integrity of Pakistan. Unless it is eliminated, God forbid, Pakistan could disintegrate and its people suffer bloodshed and civil war. A PPP government will cooperate with the international community in the fight on terror to save Pakistan and bring regional security for a safer world.

For IPS October 06, 2007

Labels: Benazir Bhutto, democracy, General Musharraf, pakistan

Baitullah Mehsud, who pretends to run a Taliban government in South Waziristan but is actually a warlord serving Al Qaeda, has executed three soldiers of the Pakistan army and has vowed to kill more of the 250 he took hostage in September in South Waziristan. The corpses were found with a letter pinned to them saying, “We will gift three bodies every day”. Mehsud has more troops in his custody, including eight officers who might be likewise executed in the days to come.The Pakistan army is fighting a very difficult battle in Waziristan. It is difficult not only because of the terrain and the hostile tribes involved, but because it is backed by dwindling political support in the country. Apart from Ms Benazir Bhutto of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), political leaders have avoided a verbal confrontation with Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the Tribal Areas. Their line of argument is that trouble among the tribes is linked to Pakistan’s strategic slavery of the United States, and that trouble will cease once Islamabad’s link with Washington is broken.Not surprisingly, Baitullah Mehsud has threatened suicide attacks against Ms Bhutto, the PPP chairperson, and said that his suicide-bombers are waiting in the wings to “welcome” her when she returns to Pakistan. He said: “We don’t accept President General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto because they only protect the US interest and see things through its glasses. They’re only acceptable if they wear Pakistani glasses”. He is said to have 35,000 armed men under him and, if he is a Pushtun and an Al Qaeda lieutenant, he will not settle for anything less than capitulation from Islamabad.Most people opposed to the PPP look at Ms Bhutto as a protégée of the United States. Typically in Pakistani politics, public debates are inclined to take no account of the temperament of a political party. This fudging of the ideological distinction is so widespread that many PPP rank and file in Punjab want their leader to switch off the “liberal” character of the party and focus on the illegitimacy of General Musharraf. Yet, if you look at the PPP’s voting pattern on human rights bills in parliament, its liberal credentials seem to outshine the reluctant PMLQ’s performance. Even during its participation at the APDM summit, it accepted reversion to the 1999 version of the Constitution only if the women’s reserved seats and joint electorates were retained.Is Ms Bhutto’s stance fashioned under American diktat and under pressure from General Musharraf who “will save her from going to prison” if she supports him? Most commentators in a highly emotive Pakistani environment will “simplify” the argument by saying she is being led by the nose by US President Bush who wants to save his client in power, General Musharraf, from going under. In this perspective, Ms Bhutto is supposed to have spoken out about the threat of Talibanisation and Al Qaeda, and supported General Musharraf’s action against Lal Masjid, only to earn the pleasure of the United States. But the truth is otherwise.The history of Ms Bhutto’s relationship with Al Qaeda is not new. She has written about it in her book and it is known outside Pakistan that she was an early target of Al Qaeda simply because, being a woman leader, she violated the “Islamic” edict subscribed to by Al Qaeda. Indeed, she revealed some years ago that Osama Bin Laden “contributed” $10 million to the IJI campaign against her. One should also recall that it was during the Afghan jihad and, through it, the rise of Al Qaeda and its creed, that Pakistani clergy reached the dubious consensus that a woman could neither be leader of Muslim men nor a Muslim country’s prime minister. Ms Bhutto was therefore not wrong in assuming that her party as a liberal force in Pakistan did not stand a chance in the midst of this point of view. America or no America, her enemy number one was Al Qaeda and, linked to it, terrorism in general.Baitullah Mehsud and many in Pakistan are perhaps greatly put off by the fact that she has played her cards deftly with President Musharraf, who will now need support from liberal quarters if he has to prevent the Pakistan army from retreating from its job of re-establishing the writ of the state in the Tribal Areas. The PMLQ is not willing to go beyond a certain level of pragmatism to support a campaign against anything that smells of religion. The PPP had the option of joining the rightwing religious consensus in the opposition and then hope to survive after the triumph of Talibanisation. But Ms Bhutto did not take that option and finessed most of the national and international power-brokers into backing her strategy. Therefore, the frightened and confused Pakistani liberal should take heart from her success; so should the myriad PPP rank and file who do not understand the real political contest in Pakistan.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\10\06\story_6-10-2007_pg3_1

Labels: Al Qaeda, bhutto, Mehsud, Pakistan People's Party, ppp