I have checked BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera websites + TV channels; Long march is not reported anywhere. It's not even mentioned on the BBC channel's Teletext pages. It's is being kept totally out of Western Public's sights which was not the case when there was 'revolution' in Tunisia, Libya, Tehrir Square or Lawyers movement in Pakistan. Clearly, highlighting the long march is not a priority for these propaganda channels. Obviously, the movers and shakers of their propaganda machinery are very displeased with the Long March.
All the status quo parties are in agreement against long march.
Pervez Musharraf is supporting Long March.
Imran Khan is also supporting Long March, from a distance (playing his role in the grand scheme of things).
Then, there is Orya Maqbool Jan's latest column, Zaid Hamid's weblog, the troubled anti-establishment media personalities (Asma Shirazai, Talat Hussain) and the threatening neighbours at our borders try to help Zardari regime.
Last nail in the coffin will come from The Wh.ore Justice of Pakistan with a massive 'dunda' (cases against his son) given to him from establishment.
After Ayub Khan's Basic Democracies; Zia-ul-Haq's Non-partisan elections and Pervez Musharraf's Local Government Nazim system; this is the latest effort of Military establisment to bring stability to political arena and comfort to People of Pakistan.
It appears that it will be an amalgam of :
1. Bangladesh model (Technocrat Caretaker government for some time)
2. Iran model (
apparently drawing power from religious authorities - just think the stature TuQ will gain once there is a caretaker government but he just walks away without getting involved in later processes - he could be used later if required.
3. Turkey model (Military working only in the background and weak coalition governments that could be easily
coerced to perform).
If it is all of the above and not any foreign agenda, then, I am all for it and pray for it's success.
The masses in Pakistan are devoid of any political (and alas moral) sense. Mustafa Kamal had once said, 'I don't believed that revolution can be achieved by raising the intelligence of others slowly to level of my own'. When the leader leads, the masses need to follow - only if they know who the real leader is.
A theory proposed by US academics like Morris Janowitz and Samuel Huntington (Clash of Civilisations) is that military is the most modern institution in developing societies, and that a politically strong military will therefore develop a country. Whether the world, the masses, the liberal elites and the prophets of democracy care or scorn this seems to be the only option at this time. It is the time for 'Government of the People, in spite of the People'.
