83pc want Musharraf out - Survey

[Interceptor]

83pc want Musharraf out, judges in: survey

Friday, July 18, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Eighty-three per cent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to be removed and judges to be restored, according to a survey released by the US-based International Republican Institute on Thursday.

Coming three-and-a-half months after a coalition made up of anti-Musharraf parties formed a government, the IRI survey said Nawaz Sharif was now the most popular leader, because of the uncompromising position he has taken over the issues.

In contrast, the Pakistan People’s Party has been hurt by its ambivalence over the reinstatement of judges and how to tackle Musharraf.Yet 52 per cent of respondents said they were optimistic that things would get better in Pakistan under the new government.

The uncertainty in Pakistan is worrying Western powers and neighbours in the region, who fear a transition to civilian-led democracy could founder at a time when the threat of Islamist militancy is growing and the economy is floundering.

The country’s benchmark stock index has shed 35 per cent from a life high in April, depressed by investors’ worries about the political situation and its impact on the economy. The survey from the IRI, a US government-funded organisation chaired by US presidential contender John McCain, said Musharraf’s job approval ratings had dropped to 11 per cent. Only three per cent of people surveyed thought he was the best person to handle Pakistan’s problems.

Conducted between June 1-15, the IRI survey showed that of the 3,484 people, 82 per cent say that they like Sharif, up from 36 per cent in June 2006 when he trailed Musharraf and Bhutto.

When asked who they would support in a future parliamentary election, PML-N was the choice of 36 per cent, up from the 29 per cent who said they voted for the party in February election. Sharif and Zardari disagree on the fate of senior judges Musharraf dismissed when he imposed emergency rule in November to stop the Supreme Court ruling on the legality of his re-election while army chief. Despite Zardari’s hesitancy confronting Musharraf, IRI’s poll found his popularity rating had gone up to 45 per cent from 37 per cent in the last poll released in February.

83pc want Musharraf out, judges in: survey

 

[JK!]

I like Musharraf but in his current capacity he can't do anything so I feel that he should leave quietly and without being charged with anything.

Then perhaps someone can get on with running the country.

 

[Neo]

86 per cent think Pakistan headed in wrong direction​

ISLAMABAD, July 17: An overwhelming majority of Pakistanis believe that the country is moving in a wrong direction and want the government to immediately impeach President Pervez Musharraf.

According to the findings of a survey, conducted by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) between June 1 and 15, about 86 per cent of the respondents believe that Pakistan is heading in a wrong direction while only 12 per cent think the direction is right.

The randomly selected sample consisted of 3,484 adult men and women from 223 rural and 127 urban areas in 50 districts of the four provinces. This is the first survey carried out by any international organisation since the installation of the PPP-led coalition government after the February 18 polls.

According to the survey, 83 per cent of the respondents want the new government to remove Gen (retd) Musharraf from presidency. A majority of 67 per cent people said they supported the election of nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan as the country’s next president while 15 per cent said they did not.

With the decline in Mr Musharraf’s popularity and after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has emerged as the most popular leader in the country, with 82 per cent saying they like him and only six per cent saying they do not. This is up from 36 per cent in June 2006, when he trailed both Mr Musharraf and Ms Bhutto. Likewise, Mr Sharif easily dominated the ‘best leader for Pakistan’ category, being the choice of 38 per cent, leaving the competition far behind. Interestingly, Dr A.Q. Khan is at number two (with 76pc) and deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif sharing the third position (with 65pc) on the list of favourite personalities.

The poll found that President Musharraf’s job approval rating had dropped significantly. Only 11 per cent said they approved of his performance while an all-time high of 75 per cent saying they did not.

In the IRI’s June 2006 poll, President Musharraf was the most popular leader in the country, with 52 per cent saying they liked him. In the June 2008 poll, only nine per cent said they liked the president.

When asked which one leader was the best person to handle the country’s problems, President Musharraf was the choice of only three per cent.

When asked if they thought President Musharraf should resign, an all-time high of 85 per cent answered in the affirmative, up 10 points from the last poll. In addition, 79 per cent said they would feel better about the future of the country if Musharraf was out of office.

Likewise, Musharraf’s allies also find themselves in an unpopular position. Only eight per cent of the respondents said they liked PML-Q leaders Pervez Ilahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.

When asked to rate various institutions, 85 per cent said they had a favourable impression of the government, making it the most popular institution. This is in sharp contrast to the 29 per cent rating that the previous government had received.

When asked how had the government performed on issues important to them, 41 per cent responded positively and 51 per cent negatively. Despite the fact that a majority rated the government’s performance as poor, this represents a significant drop from the last rating achieved by the old government.

In the February poll, 80 per cent rated the old government’s performance poorly while only 18 per cent rated it positively.

When asked if they felt that things would get better in Pakistan now that there is a new government, 52 per cent replied yes and 20 per cent said no.

When asked about their personal economic condition over the past year, 12 per cent said it had improved, 72 per cent said it had worsened and 16 per cent said it had remained the same. When asked if they felt their economic wellbeing would improve or worsen during the coming year, 19 per cent said it would improve, 46 per cent said it would worsen and 21 per cent felt it would remain the same.

When asked to choose their most important issue from a list, 71 per cent cited inflation, 13 per cent unemployment and five per cent poverty. This represents a total of 89 per cent of the population citing economic concerns as their top priority.

Pakistanis are also unambiguous when it comes to restoration of the deposed judges. Eighty-three per cent said they wanted the judges to be reinstated. When asked how important this issue was to them, 86 per cent described it as important.

WAR ON TERROR: In the last poll, conducted in the wake of both Ms Bhutto’s assassination and some suicide bombings, 12 per cent selected terrorism as their top issue and six per cent law and order. In the June poll, however, the issue barely resonated; two per cent cited suicide bombings and less than one per cent chose Al Qaeda as a top concern.

While 61 per cent said they felt that religious extremism was a serious problem in the country (down 12 per cent), only 45 per cent said Al Qaeda and the Taliban were a serious concern, a 20 point drop since February and an all-time low since the IRI started asking the question last September.

Further, the number supporting the army fighting in the NWFP and tribal areas dropped six points to 27 per cent.

When it comes to solutions for combating extremism and terrorism, the poll reveals that the Pakistani people are unambiguous, preferring negotiations and development to military options. When asked if they supported political dialogue with extremists, 71 per cent responded yes while 65 per cent said they supported a peace deal.

When asked what they thought was the most effective way to deal with terrorism, 61 per cent said economic development and education, nine per cent said military force and 24 per cent said both.

Among the PPP leaders, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani saw a large increase in his popularity, with 64 per cent saying they liked him, up from 23 per cent in the last poll. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also saw an increase in his popularity to 61 per cent, up from 55 per cent. Likewise, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari also saw his popularity rise from 37 per cent to 45 per cent. And while Makhdoom Amin Fahim saw his popularity drop from a high of 67 per cent in the wake of Ms Bhutto’s assassination, he remained popular with a rating of 49 per cent. It is interesting to note that his rating is still higher than Mr Zardari’s.

Pakistanis consider February’s election to have been mostly fair; only 21 per cent said they felt that the elections had been rigged.

86 per cent think Pakistan headed in wrong direction -DAWN - Top Stories; July 18, 2008

 

[BATMAN]

I hope from now onwards PPP or PML-N will never claim that they represent 160 carore awam.

 

[Keysersoze]

Lies damn lies and statistics.....3000 people equals to the whole country? would love to see who was arranging this in Pakistan. I am betting some "fiddling" went on here.

 

[opinion786]

Foreign Polls and Surveys: Reality, Deception and Hidden Agenda​

Written By: Afreen Baig

Foreign Polls and Surveys: Reality, Deception and Hidden Agenda « Our leader - Musharraf

Recently, it had become sort of a fashion, to give reference to Foreign Polls and Surveys while speculating on the future of Pakistan and the popularity levels of our leaders. Later it was Pakistan’s election process and its consequences. The Media religiously quote these Polls & Surveys to pursue their specific agenda and give credibility to their rumoring views and specious news. The faith is so great that the credulous Pubic doesn’t even bother to check on the reliability, funding and intentions of the lobbies behind these Polls & Surveys.

A survey released by the U.S based International Republican Institute predicted, seventy-five percent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to quit. The surveyors also speculated that a major victory for opposition parties could force President Musharraf to step down. Keeping in mind 75% of the 3000 people polled. What could be more unreliable?

These polls come out, and presto! The election results are already forecasted and prejudged even before taking place. Some telepathy! The drama begins, with the international lobbies and leaders pressing the current leaders to accept the results of elections, that haven’t even taken place. Diplomatic missionary’s frenzied interactions with the opposition leaders further imprint the impression of US and foreign meddling in Pakistan. The honorable President Musharraf is left to elucidate upon something beyond his control: The up-coming Elections!

The credibility of these organizations leaves a huge question mark, when they fail to come clean and clear about their affiliations and their loyalty to their financers. Who funds them and for what purpose?

Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute (IRI) is an organization, funded by United States government. The IRI operates as a political organization abroad, providing training and assistance to political parties. One could question the interest of the IRI in elections of other countries and the kind of assistance or leverage it provides to their political parties? Why would Pakistan’s political parties require assistance from abroad, specifically the IRI?

As a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization, IRI plays no part in domestic U.S. politics. It further raises suspicions, as to why a US organization is not allowed to publish polls and surveys about their own elections, while meddling in Pakistan?

The majority of its board, staff and consultants are drawn from the Republican Party. Most of its staff and board have links to right-wing think tanks, foundations, and policy institutes, while many also represent major financial, oil, and defense corporations. Oil and Defense corporations - the root cause of all recent evil wars!

IRI Board of Directors includes the current aspiring US Presidential candidate Senator Mc Cain. No wonder the Republican Party was eager to group with late Benazir Bhutto and wanted to see the moderate forces together. The IRI was projecting fraudulently the future allies of the Republicans i.e. the PPP in the upcoming Pakistani elections.

The IRI is also accused of training some of the leaders of the 2004 coup d’etat in Haiti, as well as funding opposition groups in the country in a destabilization campaign in the months leading up the removal of democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide by a coalition of Canada, USA and France.

One more survey frequently quoted by our misguided Media personnel, is the “Terror Free Tomorrow” which claimed that Osama Bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than President Musharraf. What could be more absurd? It seems more like a devious effort to marginalize Pakistan and distort Pakistan’s liberal image. Above all, our sitting President deserves reverence rather being compared to Bin Laden.

The advisory board of “Terror Free Tomorrow” also includes aspiring US Presidential candidate Senator John McCain and its Board of Director includes Andrew Claster. Andrew Claster is also Vice President of Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB). This firm was founded in 1975 and, PSB offers services to businesses and political campaigns worldwide.

In January 2005, “The Daily Telegraph” revealed that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had recruited the services of PSB’s Mark J. Penn in the run-up to the general election in the UK, for that year.

Mark J. Penn is President of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB). He serves as Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chief strategist for her 2008 presidential campaign, for now, and which his firm has received non-refundable $5 million.

As it can be seen above, these organizations that conduct and publish these Polls and Surveys are actively involved in election campaigns for Political parties and make huge profits off those campaigns. When they release such biased Polls and Surveys, the intention is clearly to dictate the minds and behavior of the masses. If the election results come against their calculated projection, the whole exercise is termed as rigged and unfair. The chanting is picked up by media all over, discrediting the honest intentions of the government in place.

It would be unfair, if we fail to pin-point one other popularly quoted Index, the “Failed States index”. This ‘Failed States Index’ conveniently ranks a stable and economically booming country- Pakistan - with GDP growth of 6.5% as a failing country.

Since 2005, the United States think-tank “Fund for Peace” and the magazine “Foreign Policy”, publishes an annual index called the ‘Failed States Index’.

The “Fund for Peace” is an independent research organization. The “Fund for Peace” considers- Threat Convergence; or the idea that weak and failing states may contribute to global security threats such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism.

This signifies that few conspiracing countries may manipulate the “Fund for Peace” to write Pakistan off as a country proliferating WMDs and label Pakistan as a ‘Failed State’. There have been numerous attempts earlier, to label Pakistan as a terrorism supporting state. Hillary Clinton also called upon recently to place Pakistan’s Nuclear Assets under UN supervision citing Security concerns. It was therefore not amusing, to see the UN Security Council’s session called and proceeded upon within few hours, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Cutting ties off with the Taliban in 2001, was in the larger interest of Pakistan. Pakistan could not have afforded suicide over the Taliban.

Similarly, “Foreign Policy” is an American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington. Huntington is that controversial conservative political scientist, who in 1996, provoked great debate among international relations theorists with the interrogatively- titled book “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” in which he wrote:

“Islam’s borders are bloody and so are its innards. The fundamental problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam- a different civilization, whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and are obsessed with the inferiority of their power”.

The intention of Huntington is clear. We Muslims and Pakistanis must not be mesmerized by the false intellects of these Polls & Surveys. Our blind faith in these Polls & Surveys will obfuscate our judgment to further deviate us from the reality. We must renounce all such Polls & Surveys that strive to meddle in our internal affairs. Pakistan’s National interest should be held foremost and without compromise! Pakistan First!

 

[x_man]

Statistics shows that 98% of all statistics are made up……..and statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth....

 

[Neo]

Foreign Polls and Surveys: Reality, Deception and Hidden Agenda​

Written By: Afreen Baig

Foreign Polls and Surveys: Reality, Deception and Hidden Agenda « Our leader - Musharraf

Recently, it had become sort of a fashion, to give reference to Foreign Polls and Surveys while speculating on the future of Pakistan and the popularity levels of our leaders. Later it was Pakistan’s election process and its consequences. The Media religiously quote these Polls & Surveys to pursue their specific agenda and give credibility to their rumoring views and specious news. The faith is so great that the credulous Pubic doesn’t even bother to check on the reliability, funding and intentions of the lobbies behind these Polls & Surveys.

A survey released by the U.S based International Republican Institute predicted, seventy-five percent of Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to quit. The surveyors also speculated that a major victory for opposition parties could force President Musharraf to step down. Keeping in mind 75% of the 3000 people polled. What could be more unreliable?

These polls come out, and presto! The election results are already forecasted and prejudged even before taking place. Some telepathy! The drama begins, with the international lobbies and leaders pressing the current leaders to accept the results of elections, that haven’t even taken place. Diplomatic missionary’s frenzied interactions with the opposition leaders further imprint the impression of US and foreign meddling in Pakistan. The honorable President Musharraf is left to elucidate upon something beyond his control: The up-coming Elections!

The credibility of these organizations leaves a huge question mark, when they fail to come clean and clear about their affiliations and their loyalty to their financers. Who funds them and for what purpose?

Founded in 1983, the International Republican Institute (IRI) is an organization, funded by United States government. The IRI operates as a political organization abroad, providing training and assistance to political parties. One could question the interest of the IRI in elections of other countries and the kind of assistance or leverage it provides to their political parties? Why would Pakistan’s political parties require assistance from abroad, specifically the IRI?

As a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization, IRI plays no part in domestic U.S. politics. It further raises suspicions, as to why a US organization is not allowed to publish polls and surveys about their own elections, while meddling in Pakistan?

The majority of its board, staff and consultants are drawn from the Republican Party. Most of its staff and board have links to right-wing think tanks, foundations, and policy institutes, while many also represent major financial, oil, and defense corporations. Oil and Defense corporations - the root cause of all recent evil wars!

IRI Board of Directors includes the current aspiring US Presidential candidate Senator Mc Cain. No wonder the Republican Party was eager to group with late Benazir Bhutto and wanted to see the moderate forces together. The IRI was projecting fraudulently the future allies of the Republicans i.e. the PPP in the upcoming Pakistani elections.

The IRI is also accused of training some of the leaders of the 2004 coup d’etat in Haiti, as well as funding opposition groups in the country in a destabilization campaign in the months leading up the removal of democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide by a coalition of Canada, USA and France.

One more survey frequently quoted by our misguided Media personnel, is the “Terror Free Tomorrow” which claimed that Osama Bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than President Musharraf. What could be more absurd? It seems more like a devious effort to marginalize Pakistan and distort Pakistan’s liberal image. Above all, our sitting President deserves reverence rather being compared to Bin Laden.

The advisory board of “Terror Free Tomorrow” also includes aspiring US Presidential candidate Senator John McCain and its Board of Director includes Andrew Claster. Andrew Claster is also Vice President of Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates (PSB). This firm was founded in 1975 and, PSB offers services to businesses and political campaigns worldwide.

In January 2005, “The Daily Telegraph” revealed that British Prime Minister Tony Blair had recruited the services of PSB’s Mark J. Penn in the run-up to the general election in the UK, for that year.

Mark J. Penn is President of the polling firm Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates (PSB). He serves as Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chief strategist for her 2008 presidential campaign, for now, and which his firm has received non-refundable $5 million.

As it can be seen above, these organizations that conduct and publish these Polls and Surveys are actively involved in election campaigns for Political parties and make huge profits off those campaigns. When they release such biased Polls and Surveys, the intention is clearly to dictate the minds and behavior of the masses. If the election results come against their calculated projection, the whole exercise is termed as rigged and unfair. The chanting is picked up by media all over, discrediting the honest intentions of the government in place.

It would be unfair, if we fail to pin-point one other popularly quoted Index, the “Failed States index”. This ‘Failed States Index’ conveniently ranks a stable and economically booming country- Pakistan - with GDP growth of 6.5% as a failing country.

Since 2005, the United States think-tank “Fund for Peace” and the magazine “Foreign Policy”, publishes an annual index called the ‘Failed States Index’.

The “Fund for Peace” is an independent research organization. The “Fund for Peace” considers- Threat Convergence; or the idea that weak and failing states may contribute to global security threats such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism.

This signifies that few conspiracing countries may manipulate the “Fund for Peace” to write Pakistan off as a country proliferating WMDs and label Pakistan as a ‘Failed State’. There have been numerous attempts earlier, to label Pakistan as a terrorism supporting state. Hillary Clinton also called upon recently to place Pakistan’s Nuclear Assets under UN supervision citing Security concerns. It was therefore not amusing, to see the UN Security Council’s session called and proceeded upon within few hours, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Cutting ties off with the Taliban in 2001, was in the larger interest of Pakistan. Pakistan could not have afforded suicide over the Taliban.

Similarly, “Foreign Policy” is an American magazine founded in 1970 by Samuel P. Huntington. Huntington is that controversial conservative political scientist, who in 1996, provoked great debate among international relations theorists with the interrogatively- titled book “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” in which he wrote:

“Islam’s borders are bloody and so are its innards. The fundamental problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam- a different civilization, whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and are obsessed with the inferiority of their power”.

The intention of Huntington is clear. We Muslims and Pakistanis must not be mesmerized by the false intellects of these Polls & Surveys. Our blind faith in these Polls & Surveys will obfuscate our judgment to further deviate us from the reality. We must renounce all such Polls & Surveys that strive to meddle in our internal affairs. Pakistan’s National interest should be held foremost and without compromise! Pakistan First!

Excellent read, right on spot!

 

[Flintlock]

So how do we reconcile these results with another survey which says that roughly 45% Pakistanis believe that Zardari had Bhutto killed?

 

[opinion786]

Statistics shows that 98% of all statistics are made up……..and statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth....

Good one X_man !

 

[Interceptor]

"When asked if they thought President Musharraf should resign, an all-time high of 85 per cent answered in the affirmative, up 10 points from the last poll. In addition, 79 per cent said they would feel better about the future of the country if Musharraf was out of office."

This government will serve the people, when it is stable, at the moment it is drenched in a crisis a catastrophe left by the previous government.

Neo we will move positiver if we move towards Democracy, decade of dictatorship has left the country in tatters. The country will slowly recover from its wounds, and we need patients, we are here to stay nothing but unity and patients is required.

 

[Neo]

This government will serve the people, when it is stable, at the moment it is drenched in a crisis a catastrophe left by the previous government.

This government will only destroy what we've achieved over past six years.
I lost faith after the failure of Kalabagh Dam, this is only the beginning...

Neo we will move positiver if we move towards Democracy, decade of dictatorship has left the country in tatters. The country will slowly recover from its wounds, and we need patients, we are here to stay nothing but unity and patients is required.

Democracy will only work if we eliminate illiteracy and the cancer of feudalism from our society...till then we need to be ruled with an iron hand.
Pakistan was better off under Musharraf...one day we'll realise that.

"Hazaaron saal Nargis apni benoori pe roti hai
Bari mushkil se hota hai chaman mai deedawar paida"

 

[opinion786]

Well said NEO !

Demon-crazy has been hijacked by feudals and mafia businessmen who inherit democracy through monarchy !

 

[muse]

Isn't it incredible that even Europeans know what the problem is , but "democractic" politicans could care less - in the 90's it took them nearly a decade to wreck Pakistan, this time around the pace has picked up considerably



Pakistan's troubles demand unity: Financial Times
MONITORING DESK

KARACHI (July 19 2008): World's leading financial daily believes that the hopes generated by the February 18 elections are evaporating. In its editorial comment, Financial Times also says that Pakistan is rising rapidly up the global risk register.

"The country, a nuclear power, and its 165m people are beset by a deepening political and economic crisis, of which Thursday's riot at the stock exchange is but a small manifestation. Yet elected politicians seem unwilling or unable to do anything about it," the newspaper says.

According to the newspaper, in some respects, the politicians have been unlucky. It is not their fault that they took over the reins of power just as global food and energy prices were exploding. Subsidies on fuel and food - increased by Pervez Musharraf-made matters worse, forcing the government to choose between two unpalatable alternatives, letting prices rip or watching government finances spiral out of control.

At the moment, they have the worst of all worlds: inflation of 12 per cent and accelerating, and a budget deficit already equal to 7 per cent of gross domestic product.

"It would be serious enough if this were the only issue the government has to confront. But developments in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan are heightening tensions with its neighbours, and preoccupying the US and its Nato partners.

Pakistan's army appears to have resumed confrontation with religious militants in these areas, but the extremists have taken advantage of recent cease-fires to launch bolder incursions into Afghanistan. These have already led to hot pursuit missions over the border into Pakistan, which, if they continue and intensify, can only strengthen religious extremists inside the country," the newspaper says.

The newspaper is of the view that the outside world can help Pakistan with finance for development. Yet, the newspaper argues, the solutions really lie at home. "There has been a worrying vacuum at the centre, which has meant that the government has hardly moved to address these gathering problems.

The reason has been that the heads of the main political parties, Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, have failed to set aside their personal rivalries and thirst for power to govern together to help manage the crisis," the newspaper says.

On the role of chief of army staff, the newspaper says that "fortunately", so far, the head of the army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has shown no desire to step in to "solve" the gathering problems. "Indeed, military government provides no real answer, as recent history shows. But unless the party leaders come together for the sake of their country, Pakistan's elected party leaders may find that the crisis consumes them too," the newspaper says


A new Costitution, a New system for a New Pakistan - the second Republic

 

[Myth_buster_1]

This government will serve the people, when it is stable, at the moment it is drenched in a crisis a catastrophe left by the previous government.

Neo we will move positiver if we move towards Democracy, decade of dictatorship has left the country in tatters. The country will slowly recover from its wounds, and we need patients, we are here to stay nothing but unity and patients is required.

Is it your moral obligation to self appoint yourself to be the messenger of your masters??