Musharraf to quit army
For a couple of years now, one of the big questions in Pakistan has been whether Musharraf will doff his uniform before seeking re-election as President. It now looks like the uniform will indeed be doffed…
“Callous authorities lay mighty siege”
Yesterday was a day of high political action here in Islamabad. Nawaz Sharif is now under virtual house arrest in Saudi Arabia, but at least he has a lavish mansion to rattle around in.
Meanwhile, the impact of locking large areas of Rawalpindi, home to Islamabad’s airport, fell heavily on ordinary Pakistanis. Imran Naeem Ahmad reports:
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s return to Islamabad was brief yet in the run-up to his arrival and subsequent deportation, the public remained at the receiving end of the callous authorities who laid a mighty siege of the town.
From barbed wires to tractor trolleys and from long-bodied trucks to picket fences – all resources were brought into use to block major roads leading to the Islamabad International Airport that left commuters and residents facing great trouble…
While Islamabad remained relatively quiet, the authorities in Rawalpindi felt the heat somewhat as groups of Sharif loyalists played hide and seek with police at Liaquat Bagh and the Katchery Chowk. This prompted the law enforcers to pull out their tear gas guns that they used excessively to disperse the crowds.
Caught in the exchanges were scores of innocent bystanders and pedestrians who were ruthlessly beaten by the police, although they were not creating trouble of any kind.
Five hours in Pakistan
The Pakistan Spectator – a local blog – comments on Nawaz Sharif’s brief trip home:
The rationale of today’s drama was that Nawaz Sharif hadnt got the “Asheerbad” of Washington, and US wants a Musharraf-Benazir setup in Pakistan and that is why Uncle Tom directed the whole affair. Pakistani nation, Pakistani judiciary, Pakistani press, or Pakistani opposition at one side and the whims of Statue of Liberty at the other, and we all saw who won.
Its not the question of Nawaz Sharif. I am not really dying for him, far from it. I am just lamenting the contempt of court and the way all the Punjab was sealed. I am weeping because I have doubt now about my freedom and my independence. A two-penny policeman can do anything with me.
What’s a banana republic? A state without a spine of its own, dependent on foreign capital, subject to foreign influence and politically unstable. A state where, typically, the predominant influence is that of the United States.
Strong stuff, but reflective of a common belief here that outsiders are pulling, or attempting to pull, Pakistan’s strings. (more…)
Going, going, gone (maybe)
So Nawaz Sharif is being deported… He was taken from the airport by helicopter and, for a time, it looked like he would be arrested and kept in Pakistan. But now the helicopter has made the return journey and Nawaz is said to be back on a plane, ready to leave for Jeddah.
The country is reported to be mostly quiet. As yet, there’s none of the outpouring of protest that Sharif was hoping for.
Update – Yes he’s gone. Now the action moves to the Supreme Court…
Interesting times…
Here in Islamabad, the airport has been sealed off, mobile phones jammed, and demonstrators kept far far away as former-Pakistan premier, Nawaz Sharif, attempts a triumphant return to the country he left in disgrace almost eight years ago.
Sharif’s plane has landed and is surrounded by troops, but nothing is yet known about his fate. Still on board, we presume, is the man himself, a handful of his supporters and as many journalists as have been able to grab a boarding pass (more are following on a sure-to-be-delayed Gulf flight).
The Musharraf government has three options. Let Sharif make his planned procession to his heartland in Lahore – a three-day jamboree of potentially momentous political significance. Arrest Sharif and take him to a cell that has, we are told, been prepared in the Attock Fort. Or, arrest and deport to a sympathetic country, probably Saudi Arabia.
The betting is on the third option, though this puts Musharraf back on a collision course with the Supreme Court, which recently released a decision allowing Sharif to return. A contempt of court ruling would be a huge embarrassment for the embattled President, whose troubles date from his abortive attempt to sack the Court’s Chief Justice, Iftikkhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
One interesting wrinkle: Nawaz Sharif was due to travel with his brother Shahbaz Sharif. At Heathrow, however, Nawaz ordered his brother not to board the plane. Shahbaz made great play of his reluctance to miss the flight, but also of his willingness to obey his party leader’s decision.
Expect to hear a lot from Shahbaz later today, who will have ready access to the media in London, even if his brother spends his day far from a microphone.
Reports suggest that around a hundred supporters from Sharif’s party have been arrested as they attempted to march on the airport. Those carted away include parliamentarians and other senior party members…