11-18-2007, 09:49 PM
MUSHARRAF's ACT OF DESPERATION SHOWS THAT TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE "DEMOCRATIC " DICTATOR AND HIS WESTERN ALLIES
www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/issues-explained/musharraf-s-act-of-desperation-shows-that-time-is-running-out-for-the-democratic-dictator.htm
The imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan last Saturday comes as no surprise to onlookers who have witnessed Musharraf's grip on power ebb away over the past few months.
Clearly suspecting that his recent re-election by the National Assembly last month while holding both the offices of President and Chief of Army Staff may have been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, Musharraf imposed de facto martial law in a desperate bid to retain power.
In a televised address to the nation, Musharraf cited the nationwide rise in terrorism and the interference of the judiciary in the running of government as the reasons for his drastic action. He stated that his decision was taken to protect Pakistan's sovereignty and that his overall aim was still to establish democracy at a future point in time. His actions since his speech have been to arrest all political opponents, shut down all independent media outlets and subject thousands of lawyers to brutal beatings at the hands of the police for demonstrating against his suspension of the constitution.
Musharraf also stated that he imposed emergency rule in order to prevent Pakistan from "committing suicide." Yet the truth is that after 8 years of supreme power, Musharraf has, by his own discription, brought Pakistan to its knees. By siding with the US in its War on Terror, Musharraf has polarised Pakistani society and weakened her strategically within the region. His unpopular policies of secularising the country, undermining the resistance in Kashmir, and setting the army upon the citizens of Waziristan and the Northern regions have caused divisions at every level of Pakistani society including within the army. Indeed, his inability to allow political expression by opposition groups or criticism of his policies by the judiciary has left him deeply unpopular and weakened. Ironically, Musharraf's suspension of the constitution, replacement the nation's chief judge and blacking out the independent media that refused to support him will only generate an environment that will foster greater support for militancy.
The imposition of a state of emergency is a last ditch attempt by Musharraf to cling on to power. Even after the desperate intervention of his close allies of the US and UK governments to save his regime by securing a marriage of convenience with the disgraced former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf's position has proven to be untenable. Clearly the deep concern expressed by the US and UK governments at the imposition of emergency rule is not that democracy has been further set back in Pakistan but rather that Musharraf's decision is likely to constitute the point of no return for his ailing premiership. Indeed, the mute responses from the US and UK governments indicate that they realise their loyal partner in their war on Islam was left with few options other than to stage another coup d'etat.
The Muslims of Pakistan can no longer allow the current cycle of failure to continue and must now take the opportunity to bring about not only a change of leadership but a change of system. The Khilafat system is the only hope remaining for Pakistan to bring about a national reconciliation in which the desire for Islam, representative governance and the respect for the rule of law are combined within a political system that unifies the people upon the basis upon which Pakistan was created-Islam. Furthermore, only the Khilafat system can rid Pakistan of the plaque of western interference which has played a key part in the failed politics of the past 60 years and bring about a true era of independence.
BENAZIR AND NAWAZ CANNOT RESOLVE PAKISTAN's TURMOIL
26 November 2007
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/is...rmoil.html
The bombing of military installations in Rawalpindi on Saturday, which killed 35, is a reminder to all who care about Pakistan that the country is facing a crisis that goes beyond simply the antics of a beleaguered dictator trying to cling on to power.
It comes as part of a disturbing elevation in the cycle of violence between government forces and popular militants groups that are assisting the Taliban in its battle to liberate Afghanistan from occupation forces. While these clashes had been restricted to the tribal areas, they are now spreading into the major cities such as Rawalpindi.
Musharraf's pursuit of America's war on terror may have earned his military billions of dollars in aid, but the cost to the Pakistan cannot be measured in monetary terms. Pakistan is now a fractured nation heading towards disintegration with society polarised by the clash between rising popular Islamic movements and a die hard secular elite comprising of land owners, business leaders and military personnel.
The unpopularity of Musharraf and the politicised role of the military had become a serious problem for America and the West due to the existence of a political vacuum in the country. This posed a potential danger to the status quo in the event that Musharraf's regime should fall and open the door for Islamic parties to seize power.
This is why America and Britain organised the return of Benazir Bhutto in order to bolster the secular political class in the wake of an Islamic challenge. However, both Benazir and Nawaz, who returned to Pakistan on Sunday following Musharraf ‘s trip to Saudi Arabia, far from being the saviours of Pakistan, represent a return to the failed democratic politics of the past which has brought nothing but misery and stagnation to Pakistan. Both leaders have been charged with corruption and have a track record of putting the interests of America ahead of that of the nation.
Benazir's last government was arguably the most corrupt in Pakistan's history with billions of dollars of public funds embezzled by her family and cronies. Likewise, Nawas Sheriff's withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the Kargil heights after the intervention of President Clinton was a betrayal of the Muslims of Kashmir and India as it facilitated the re-election of the fascist, Vajpay BJP government.
Consequently, both leaders have nothing to offer Pakistan but their track record of treachery, corruption and cronyist politics. More importantly, the situation in Pakistan and the world has changed drastically necessitating a new type of governance characterised by strength and conviction and an ideology that can bring about a national reconciliation. The type of divisive politics that Benazir and Nawaz offer belongs in the past and could only weaken Pakistan even further.
Islam and its Shariah are inseparable from Pakistan and the rise of political Islam is nothing more than a natural expression of the will of the nation. However, through western interference and the treachery of the secular ruling elite, Pakistan is not being allowed to develop its own political identity, which will only lead to further instability and violence. Today, Pakistan must release herself from the shackles of stagnation and subservience to the West and bring in a new dawn of Islam through the establishment of the Khilafah on the method of the Khulafa Rashideen. Such a Khilafah will be characterised by the high moral standards of Islam and an accountable leadership that will respect the independence of the judiciary. Most importantly, the Khilafah will implement policies internally and externally based upon the interests of its citizens and Islam and not upon those of foreign powers.
MUSHARRAF's FALSE ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/is...ments.html
The few remaining "die-hard" Musharraf supporters point to Pakistan's improved economic performance under Musharraf's rule as a defence against his critics and opponents.
Indeed, in 2006 the IMF's Executive Board stated in their report that "Pakistan's recent economic performance has been impressive." The international club of bankers and financiers based their assessment on economic growth of 8%, record levels of net capital inflow from foreign direct investment and the large reduction in the government's debt to GDP ratio. However, these figures conceal a false economy.
Under the tutelage of the IMF, and following a western economic model, the strong economic growth has been fuelled by increasing the supply of money in the economy - particularly private credit, which has risen by an astounding average annual rate of 25% over the last five years. Usurious credit is not only prohibited for a country founded upon Islam, it has also been incredibly damaging for the economy and the country's poverty stricken citizens. The credit has fuelled inflation, which officially stands at 10% but in actual fact is many times greater as evidenced by the rise in the price of staple foods like flour and cooking oil. These large increases in the price of basic foods has probably done more to raise the numbers living in poverty than the 8% growth in lowering the numbers with access to basic needs via the trickle down effect.
Meanwhile, the large foreign inflow of capital has come as a result of selling off the country's valuable and most prized assets through privatisation. The most recent government divestitures included the vital energy resources of electricity and strategically important telecommunication companies. Privatisation of public assets like energy that belong to the Ummah is another violation of the Shariah. Moreover, it leaves the country vulnerable to foreign powers in meeting its vitally important energy needs and dependent upon foreign exchange reserves.
Finally, the significant reduction in the government-debt to GDP ratio from 80% in 2001/02 to 60% in 2004/05 is the direct result of the substantial payoff from America and the Paris Club to Pakistan for supporting the America's war in Afghanistan and its subsequent disastrous War on Terror. This alliance between President Musharaff and Bush has been catastrophic! It has violated the bond of brotherhood between Muslims; compromised Pakistan's security; undermined Pakistan's military; and drained the economy's scarce resources. As a result, the majority of Pakistan's citizens have not benefited from the substantial reduction in the debt burden but have rather suffered as the gulf between the rich and the poor has widened. Indeed, Musharraf has ensured loyalty from the military by turning it in to the new feudal class, with lavish gifts of land and shares in military owned companies.
Far from making Pakistan economically secure and independent of the colonial western nations and their financial institutions, Musharraf has weakened Pakistan's economic and strategic position in the region. The Muslims of Pakistan must now take the opportunity to rid Pakistan of its most traitorous ruler in history and look for to a new horizon of economic development under Islam. A future Khilafah state, based on Islamic values, will align its political and economic objectives with the Shariah. The false economy based on financial growth will be replaced by economic activity in the real economy with money supply tied to the gold and silver standards. Active redistribution will take place from the public resources like energy, which will be managed by the state, to eradicate poverty and raise living standards. International treaties will be negotiated that benefit the citizens without compromising the interests of the Ummah while at the same time taking the mercy of the call of Islam to other nations.
www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/issues-explained/musharraf-s-act-of-desperation-shows-that-time-is-running-out-for-the-democratic-dictator.htm
The imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan last Saturday comes as no surprise to onlookers who have witnessed Musharraf's grip on power ebb away over the past few months.
Clearly suspecting that his recent re-election by the National Assembly last month while holding both the offices of President and Chief of Army Staff may have been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, Musharraf imposed de facto martial law in a desperate bid to retain power.
In a televised address to the nation, Musharraf cited the nationwide rise in terrorism and the interference of the judiciary in the running of government as the reasons for his drastic action. He stated that his decision was taken to protect Pakistan's sovereignty and that his overall aim was still to establish democracy at a future point in time. His actions since his speech have been to arrest all political opponents, shut down all independent media outlets and subject thousands of lawyers to brutal beatings at the hands of the police for demonstrating against his suspension of the constitution.
Musharraf also stated that he imposed emergency rule in order to prevent Pakistan from "committing suicide." Yet the truth is that after 8 years of supreme power, Musharraf has, by his own discription, brought Pakistan to its knees. By siding with the US in its War on Terror, Musharraf has polarised Pakistani society and weakened her strategically within the region. His unpopular policies of secularising the country, undermining the resistance in Kashmir, and setting the army upon the citizens of Waziristan and the Northern regions have caused divisions at every level of Pakistani society including within the army. Indeed, his inability to allow political expression by opposition groups or criticism of his policies by the judiciary has left him deeply unpopular and weakened. Ironically, Musharraf's suspension of the constitution, replacement the nation's chief judge and blacking out the independent media that refused to support him will only generate an environment that will foster greater support for militancy.
The imposition of a state of emergency is a last ditch attempt by Musharraf to cling on to power. Even after the desperate intervention of his close allies of the US and UK governments to save his regime by securing a marriage of convenience with the disgraced former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf's position has proven to be untenable. Clearly the deep concern expressed by the US and UK governments at the imposition of emergency rule is not that democracy has been further set back in Pakistan but rather that Musharraf's decision is likely to constitute the point of no return for his ailing premiership. Indeed, the mute responses from the US and UK governments indicate that they realise their loyal partner in their war on Islam was left with few options other than to stage another coup d'etat.
The Muslims of Pakistan can no longer allow the current cycle of failure to continue and must now take the opportunity to bring about not only a change of leadership but a change of system. The Khilafat system is the only hope remaining for Pakistan to bring about a national reconciliation in which the desire for Islam, representative governance and the respect for the rule of law are combined within a political system that unifies the people upon the basis upon which Pakistan was created-Islam. Furthermore, only the Khilafat system can rid Pakistan of the plaque of western interference which has played a key part in the failed politics of the past 60 years and bring about a true era of independence.
BENAZIR AND NAWAZ CANNOT RESOLVE PAKISTAN's TURMOIL
26 November 2007
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/is...rmoil.html
The bombing of military installations in Rawalpindi on Saturday, which killed 35, is a reminder to all who care about Pakistan that the country is facing a crisis that goes beyond simply the antics of a beleaguered dictator trying to cling on to power.
It comes as part of a disturbing elevation in the cycle of violence between government forces and popular militants groups that are assisting the Taliban in its battle to liberate Afghanistan from occupation forces. While these clashes had been restricted to the tribal areas, they are now spreading into the major cities such as Rawalpindi.
Musharraf's pursuit of America's war on terror may have earned his military billions of dollars in aid, but the cost to the Pakistan cannot be measured in monetary terms. Pakistan is now a fractured nation heading towards disintegration with society polarised by the clash between rising popular Islamic movements and a die hard secular elite comprising of land owners, business leaders and military personnel.
The unpopularity of Musharraf and the politicised role of the military had become a serious problem for America and the West due to the existence of a political vacuum in the country. This posed a potential danger to the status quo in the event that Musharraf's regime should fall and open the door for Islamic parties to seize power.
This is why America and Britain organised the return of Benazir Bhutto in order to bolster the secular political class in the wake of an Islamic challenge. However, both Benazir and Nawaz, who returned to Pakistan on Sunday following Musharraf ‘s trip to Saudi Arabia, far from being the saviours of Pakistan, represent a return to the failed democratic politics of the past which has brought nothing but misery and stagnation to Pakistan. Both leaders have been charged with corruption and have a track record of putting the interests of America ahead of that of the nation.
Benazir's last government was arguably the most corrupt in Pakistan's history with billions of dollars of public funds embezzled by her family and cronies. Likewise, Nawas Sheriff's withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the Kargil heights after the intervention of President Clinton was a betrayal of the Muslims of Kashmir and India as it facilitated the re-election of the fascist, Vajpay BJP government.
Consequently, both leaders have nothing to offer Pakistan but their track record of treachery, corruption and cronyist politics. More importantly, the situation in Pakistan and the world has changed drastically necessitating a new type of governance characterised by strength and conviction and an ideology that can bring about a national reconciliation. The type of divisive politics that Benazir and Nawaz offer belongs in the past and could only weaken Pakistan even further.
Islam and its Shariah are inseparable from Pakistan and the rise of political Islam is nothing more than a natural expression of the will of the nation. However, through western interference and the treachery of the secular ruling elite, Pakistan is not being allowed to develop its own political identity, which will only lead to further instability and violence. Today, Pakistan must release herself from the shackles of stagnation and subservience to the West and bring in a new dawn of Islam through the establishment of the Khilafah on the method of the Khulafa Rashideen. Such a Khilafah will be characterised by the high moral standards of Islam and an accountable leadership that will respect the independence of the judiciary. Most importantly, the Khilafah will implement policies internally and externally based upon the interests of its citizens and Islam and not upon those of foreign powers.
MUSHARRAF's FALSE ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/resources/is...ments.html
The few remaining "die-hard" Musharraf supporters point to Pakistan's improved economic performance under Musharraf's rule as a defence against his critics and opponents.
Indeed, in 2006 the IMF's Executive Board stated in their report that "Pakistan's recent economic performance has been impressive." The international club of bankers and financiers based their assessment on economic growth of 8%, record levels of net capital inflow from foreign direct investment and the large reduction in the government's debt to GDP ratio. However, these figures conceal a false economy.
Under the tutelage of the IMF, and following a western economic model, the strong economic growth has been fuelled by increasing the supply of money in the economy - particularly private credit, which has risen by an astounding average annual rate of 25% over the last five years. Usurious credit is not only prohibited for a country founded upon Islam, it has also been incredibly damaging for the economy and the country's poverty stricken citizens. The credit has fuelled inflation, which officially stands at 10% but in actual fact is many times greater as evidenced by the rise in the price of staple foods like flour and cooking oil. These large increases in the price of basic foods has probably done more to raise the numbers living in poverty than the 8% growth in lowering the numbers with access to basic needs via the trickle down effect.
Meanwhile, the large foreign inflow of capital has come as a result of selling off the country's valuable and most prized assets through privatisation. The most recent government divestitures included the vital energy resources of electricity and strategically important telecommunication companies. Privatisation of public assets like energy that belong to the Ummah is another violation of the Shariah. Moreover, it leaves the country vulnerable to foreign powers in meeting its vitally important energy needs and dependent upon foreign exchange reserves.
Finally, the significant reduction in the government-debt to GDP ratio from 80% in 2001/02 to 60% in 2004/05 is the direct result of the substantial payoff from America and the Paris Club to Pakistan for supporting the America's war in Afghanistan and its subsequent disastrous War on Terror. This alliance between President Musharaff and Bush has been catastrophic! It has violated the bond of brotherhood between Muslims; compromised Pakistan's security; undermined Pakistan's military; and drained the economy's scarce resources. As a result, the majority of Pakistan's citizens have not benefited from the substantial reduction in the debt burden but have rather suffered as the gulf between the rich and the poor has widened. Indeed, Musharraf has ensured loyalty from the military by turning it in to the new feudal class, with lavish gifts of land and shares in military owned companies.
Far from making Pakistan economically secure and independent of the colonial western nations and their financial institutions, Musharraf has weakened Pakistan's economic and strategic position in the region. The Muslims of Pakistan must now take the opportunity to rid Pakistan of its most traitorous ruler in history and look for to a new horizon of economic development under Islam. A future Khilafah state, based on Islamic values, will align its political and economic objectives with the Shariah. The false economy based on financial growth will be replaced by economic activity in the real economy with money supply tied to the gold and silver standards. Active redistribution will take place from the public resources like energy, which will be managed by the state, to eradicate poverty and raise living standards. International treaties will be negotiated that benefit the citizens without compromising the interests of the Ummah while at the same time taking the mercy of the call of Islam to other nations.