A conspiracy against democracy?
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Posted by: Jarri Mirza
Guest blogger : Ahmed Nadeem Gehla
First published in The News
This is with reference to Charles Ferndale’s article titled “Allowed to be damaged” (November 16). The views expressed by the writer reflect his ignorance with regard to the political system in Pakistan and the Asian region. President Zardari was unanimously elected as co-chairman of the PPP in a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in Larkana. Later at the time of his election as president he was once again unanimously nominated as a candidate by the CEC and the Federal Council, the two most powerful decision-making bodies of the PPP.
This is to be remembered that members of these bodies were never selected or handpicked by Mr Zardari. Most of them have been there since the time of Zia’s dictatorship and belong to different parts of the country. He was elected as president of Pakistan with an overwhelming majority from all the four provincial assemblies, the Senate and the National Assembly of Pakistan.
I humbly suggest that the writer should spend sometime studying the social and political culture of South Asia to have a better understanding of political organisations in the region. Here politics is invariably dominated by political successors, be it India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia or Indonesia.
The Pakistani establishment has time and again tried to carve out a PPP which is not Bhutto-centred, but all its efforts failed. Any such attempt in future is going to be another exercise in futility. If one cannot imagine the Nawaz League without the Sharifs, the MQM without Altaf Husain and the Indian Congress without Sonia Gandhi then there is little choice but to accept Mr Zardari as a reality in the PPP.
No doubt Aitzaz Ahsan is a popular and respected figure in the PPP but his popularity inside the party is subject to his faithfulness with the Bhuttos. In the past, Mustafa Khar, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Meraj Mohammad Khan and Farooq Leghari were equally popular but were abandoned by PPP workers the moment they abandoned the Bhuttos. Like it or not, even today the PPP is the only party which represents all federating units – and Mr Zardari is its head.
Ahmad Nadeem Gehla…..
there is a wide misconception that a zardari minus formula will succeed this time. this fallacy should be absolved by now. if present democracy is toppled and zardari sahab is forced out of the presidency then out marches the slogan of pakistan khappay too !!. He was the man who united this nation at a time when pakistan was just at the brink of another 1971 episode.
Pakistan Khappay!!
Usama- it will be minus Jang Group now, democracy survived alot from the day we got independence only democracy is targetted. this time we will make a change now its time of Establishment,taliban spokespersons,anti-democratic elements to survive and InshAllah we will make it by our strength and support with democratic system. PPP government will complete its tenure of 5 years without any minus formula and if anyone want to derail this system we will show them the power of Awaam. ASAAN K PAKISTAN KHAPPAY, PAKISTAN JO KHAIR KHUWA PRESIDENT ZARDARI KHAPPAY.
If some people want a minus Zardari formulae 2 b implemented , then it makes no difference between democracy and dictatorship….In the past , at times , General Musharraf too proposed for a PPP Government without Benazeer Bhutto and today a group of people is talking to get rid of President Zardari but any loyal and true PPP woker is not at all going to accept it..PPP is a body without soul without his leadership. However these claims have no legs to stand on and all what anti Zardari people say is nothing but an attempt to harm Pakistan and democracy.