After 60 Years, Will Pakistan Be Reborn?

[haviZsultan]

first, bring back non-army influenced democracy to Pakistan... atleast look at Myanmar now :s

Not again!!!

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Inshallah Pakistan will become a great nation. If you look back in history great nations started in a similar situation as Pakistan and it took way more than 60 years for them to become a great nation.

Some examples please.

 

[Bull]

first, bring back non-army influenced democracy to Pakistan... atleast look at Myanmar now :s

Pakistan must avoid Myanmar's fate
By Husain Haqqani, Special to Gulf News
Published: October 02, 2007, 23:09


General Pervez Musharraf may have won a legal battle when Pakistan's Supreme Court made it possible, on a technicality, for him to run for president without giving up his position as army chief. But "legal" is not the same as "legitimate".

A government headed by a serving general in uniform is, by definition, a military regime. For a government to qualify as civilian and democratic, its head must be elected as a civilian and under the spirit of the constitution.

Since taking power in a military coup in 1999 and especially since 9/11, Musharraf has invoked three principal arguments to secure international backing and to justify his continuation in power.

The first of these is his status as a US ally in the global war against terrorism; the second relates to Pakistan's rapid economic growth under military rule and the third is based on the idea that Musharraf is a benign dictator, not a malevolent one. Recent developments in Pakistan have contradicted each of these lines of reasoning.

Musharraf's efficacy as a bulwark against terrorism has been exposed as parts of Pakistan have slipped deeper under the influence of Islamist extremists.

With US intelligence confirming that Al Qaida enjoys a safe haven in remote regions of Pakistan, Musharraf's claims about saving Pakistan from becoming a terrorist safe haven are ringing hollow.

Musharraf has repeatedly asserted that he is good for Pakistan's stability mainly because the country's economy has grown at a rate of 6-8 per cent annually under military rule.

Small group

This rapid economic growth is not based on major expansion in manufacturing or agriculture, the areas that affect the lives of a majority of Pakistanis. As a result, it has benefited only a small group with ties to Pakistan's military and civilian oligarchy.

Musharraf's Western supporters have also said that he is not as repressive as other military dictators, which coupled with other reasons justifies his continuation in office.

But Musharraf has always been selectively repressive and repression is rising along with threats to its continuing in power.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, James Hookway recently attributed the current violence in Burma (Myanmar) to some core beliefs of the Burmese army. "The country's military rulers will go to any lengths to crush civil opposition," he wrote, adding that the two core beliefs of Myanmar's generals were "that only the army can keep the ethnically diverse country together and that if the generals don't act decisively, they may be ousted by their own army rivals".

A similar set of beliefs can be found among the higher echelons of Pakistan's army and is certainly a major factor in Musharraf's assertion of his indispensability to Pakistan.

Musharraf and his military backers also fear Pakistan's disintegration or consignment to international irrelevance without the steadying hand of the army. Pakistan is culturally, economically and historically very different from Burma (Myanmar), which explains why cooption of some civilians and selective repression has been enough to maintain military rule.

The army has ruled Burma (Myanmar) uninterrupted since 1960 whereas Pakistan's military has had to cede power to civilians (as was the case after the military defeat of 1971) or to share power in an attempt to retain its institutional credibility (1988-1999).

Socialist model

Furthermore, Burma's military opted for a socialist model resulting in economic stagnation.

But a military mindset that does not recognise the value of civilian control eventually descends to the depths where Myanmar finds itself today. Pakistani patriots must prevent putting their country down that slope by working towards an orderly transition from military to civilian rule based on civilian, rather than military, ascendancy.

Husain Haqqani is Director of Boston University's Centre for International Relations, and Co-Chair of the Islam and Democracy Project at Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. He is author of the book 'Pakistan between Mosque and Military'.


Gulfnews: Pakistan must avoid Myanmar's fate

 

[Awesome]

Some examples please.

I always draw parallels with Rome.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

I always draw parallels with Rome.

Do amplify the similarities.

One liners could compare with Patagonia, if you will. But would it be similar without proving it so?

 

[blain2]

first, bring back non-army influenced democracy to Pakistan... atleast look at Myanmar now :s

Or you can look at Turkey (and Singapore to some extent)...they all have had guided democracies which eventually made way for full-fledged ones.

Each country has its own dynamics and destiny...maybe for Pakistan it is self-inflicted agony at times and at others due to the external situation...but whatever it is, it is shaping the country...as an optimist I think we are seeing the growing pains as Pakistan came too easily to most who live there. People do not realize the blessing it is and as such do not value Pakistan for what it is...result is that Pakistan gets used and abused by both Pakistanis and others whose interests the country may serve...until the realization of this immense blessing dawns upon us as Pakistanis, we will continue to wonder why things went wrong.

I, for one, am very optimistic...inshallah Pakistan's time will come but there will be obstacles along the way...although I am inclined to say that we are kind of spent dealing with these obstacles...hopefully the next generation will have less tolerance towards being taken for a ride and assert themselves in a more effective way than the current generation inshallah.

 

[Awesome]

Do amplify the similarities.

One liners could compare with Patagonia, if you will. But would it be similar without proving it so?

lol Julius Caesar and Musharraf?

Came to power with immense popularity. Was cheated out, betrayed by the politicians and finally murdered.

Pakistani public is like the mob. That's why democracy hasn't really worked. Rome was like a mob, one day they favored Caesar and a few rumors and they rose up against him, a speech by Antony and they rose up against Brutus.

Strong belief in religion, looks towards the army for resolution of irking matters...

If I probably think of it, I can draw more similarities.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Ayub was the first to bring in the concept of Guided Democracy.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

lol Julius Caesar and Musharraf?

Came to power with immense popularity. Was cheated out, betrayed by the politicians and finally murdered.

Pakistani public is like the mob. That's why democracy hasn't really worked. Rome was like a mob, one day they favored Caesar and a few rumors and they rose up against him, a speech by Antony and they rose up against Brutus.

Strong belief in religion, looks towards the army for resolution of irking matters...

If I probably think of it, I can draw more similarities.

You must.

60 years.

This does not pass the litmus test in its entirety!

 

[Awesome]

[/B]

You must.

60 years.

This does not pass the litmus test in its entirety!

A more detailed answer cannot be provided at nearly 1am

But I seem to have caught your interest. Just think about it. I got really interested in the Roman empire during the age of the emperors.

 

[blain2]

Ayub was the first to bring in the concept of Guided Democracy.

Ayub "claimed" to have a "guided democracy". In my mind, the Armed Forces can (and in Pakistan) should play the role of guiding the leadership. The lack of the NSC in Pakistan has caused more problems (even in times of stability such as right after Nawaz Shareef's election with an overwhelming mandate) as was seen in the case of booting out of Gen Karamat for saying something that a civilian leader should have said and recognized on his/her own.