Pervez Musharraf Vs. George Orwell

#99 Shishapa

Perhaps mian Hamidm2 considers the honorable Congressman Eatallofus Towns (to whom he CLAIMS having sent a check) the American equivalent of Peer Syed Saheb, Ajmeri Baba, and Pandit Maharaj - combined into one!

Unless it is an actual case of Hamidm2 and his money having soon been parted!

(Or faarted - as the case may be.)

#96 Hamidm2 sahib,

The Hamidm2 - Manto duo (or perhaps the Hamidm2, Manto, Sarwari threesome) keeps trying to (futilely) build up the vamp who is responsible for 99% of the troubles which beset the subcontinent today. As usual, inspite of their hardest efforts - the baby fails to fly out - it comes out an absolute dud every time - because it defies all known rules of common sense and gravity!

Rest assured that I have not the slightest intention of letting any of these offensive acts of cowardice escape without the well-merited punishment!

It will get its just desserts!

Roza or no Roza!

There is absolutely no mercy - nor there ever will be any - for those who indulge in underhanded sneaky tactics of covering up for pure evil.

Initialed MAJ!

My feelings on the Kashmiris have been detailed elsewhere.

Manto...first you called amhedis muslims...then your missus said something remotely unflattering about the paki army...looks like you`all are going to jail..

Military sacrosanct, says Durrani
Says criticism of armed forces not allowed; nationalists to be brought into mainstream

By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

KARACHI: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani on Sunday said the government would not allow any criticism on the armed forces of Pakistan, as the institutions responsible for the country’s defence are beyond any criticism.

In a threatening tone, the minister made it clear that the government would not tolerate any criticism on the solidarity of Pakistan and the institutions responsible for defending the country’s geographical boundaries. “According to the Constitution any criticism on the solidarity of Pakistan and its armed forces is not allowed,” he said while speaking at an Iftar-dinner hosted by him here.

#93 Harimau

[sadly the Nagas are abandoning their headhunting ways and becoming Christians in droves]

My dear, a Christian is any day better than a headhunter - especially if you ask those heads - I mean especially if you had asked the those heads while they were still connected to the rest of their bodies!

In all seriousness - by and large, Christians make model citizens all over India. If anybody wishes to convert to Christianity from their headnunting religion, or from Hinduism or from whatever - there is no need to shed any tears, in my opinion - especially if you claim to believe what Hinduism is supposed to be about and believe that it is not merely a label!

Ref hamidm2 #91

[......... like the unification of taiwan with china, the unification of kashmir with pakistan is fait accompli and there is no need to get all uptight about it - it will happen when it will happen ..........]

As I read the words ``like the unification of taiwan with china, the unification of....``, a shiver ran down my spine. I thought you were predicting the nightmare scenario where 150-million raving lunatics in Pakistan and another 140 million Followers of the True Faith from Bangladesh would be joining the industrious code coolies as these breakaway nations re-unite with India!

I have a weak heart so be careful how you phrase your words.

Ref hamidm2 #86

[Re: # 83

arjun,

...... you don`t have to wait until 2011 to convert - according to the bbc you can do it now :...]

One can do pretty much what one pleases in India. If you look at the Northeast states of Nagaland, sadly the Nagas are abandoning their headhunting ways and becoming Christians in droves or flocks or whatever it is groups of sheep are called. In Arunachal Pradesh, etc., missionaries are active and in some of those places, the Christian population is the single largest plurality.

The news item you described was shown on TV by Indian news channels. Nobody called for a wheel-jam, a general strike, fatwas against Christians, stonings to death or any of those quaint things that happen on the other side of the border. The whole thing was rather tame and civilized though I found the business of total immersion baptism a bit strange; after all, it wasn`t the Ganges or the Narmada but an ordinary public fountain. Those who object to the Ganges or the Narmada might at least request Jordan (if you remember your history/legend/historical legend, Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan by San Juan Battista) but then travel arrangement might get too complex. I do expect that these new Christians, who renounced their Hindu religion to go to a casteless religion, will now turn up at the public trough asking for reservations on the basis that they are ``Dalit Christians`` and the Masanamuthus and Sudalaikkannus populating India (and Chowk) will support them.

#91 by hamidm2

Listen H₂ – the light-gas, actually you are as much, if not more, one of the “homies” of Allah as the Zee.

You share the same damn characteristics of liking all the wrong things – like liking the TB-infested vamp Jinnah, like liking his prejudice against Hindus, like liking his screwed up sense of Muslim supremacy and like liking his apartheid of making a distinction among people based on whether they are Muslims or not!

You have the same crappy attitudes, the same crappy perverted “Muslim” prejudices and the whole crappy shebang that goes with it!

With one important exception!

Unlike the Zee and the Boomer and the Truly and even wolf Naqshi – who are open with their Islamic prejudice, you are trying to cover your modesty by giving the airs of a liberal!

You are no darn liberal – you are as much of a fraudulent liberal as the Manto is and as the dead man Jinnah was!

For anybody who truly believes in “all men are created equal” will NEVER turn around and malign Hindus with such pleasure to the point of ultimate self-arousal, as you do!

And like all the dishonest Pakistanis, you try to use very limited cover to hide your “modesty” - like Draupadi trying to cover herself after her husband (like your Jinnah) had gambled it all – and lost it all – such a moron!

There is no Krishna for your rescue, you fat cat!

The nakedness of your hypocrisy shows to everybody more plainly than the green fraud the Mushy keeps stuffing into the rears of the Pakistani awaam on a day in and day out basis. And for your information, the closest the Kashmiris will ever come to “unification” with the land of the Pure will be when courtesy of the Indians, Kashmiri apple or some other fruitcake gets stuffed into the same location!

Which the Pakistanis have no choice but to “enjoy” – just like they enjoy the painful experiences from the Mushy presently!

Re: # 92

bj,

.....calm down !...... and don`t you dare insult mr jinnah - if i catch you i will have to spank you and send you to bed without any bhaji ! ..........

............ look, i don`t understand why you indians get so upset when someone mentions kashmir - it is not as if i am suggesting that the pak army should march into srinagar (i would, if i thought they were capable of pulling it off) ............ so take it easy - who knows, in forty fifty years when you are being chopped up for biryani by some muslim butcher in madras and i am chasing virgins in heaven, the people of india and pakistan might decide that kashmir is not really worth the trouble .......... till then we should at least try and be civil ...........

......... by the way, if somone kidnapped sadna and took her to sri lanka, would you help rescue her?........just curious ........

Re: # 96

May be it is time for Pakistanis to get help from Peer Syed Saheb and Ajmeri Baba to
snatch Kashmir from Hindus.
I mean everything seems to have failed so why not try them? They have helped millions.

#88 by hamidm2 on October 15, 2006 7:32am PT

It`s not a challenge if you agree to do more of what you do...that would be like me accepting the challenge to eat more often at mortons or drink more fosters...


zeemax or any one of allah`s homies need to take the challenge..he`s said 2010 is when he expects Kashmir to benaga Pakiland...if he really believes it, he should agree to renounce islam and declare mohd was just an arab fart if what he believes doesn`t come true...2010 isn`t that far off..time flies faster than people think...It`s more than 5 years since capt clueless made his most idiotic comments...

Re: # 90

arjun,

.... even though i am not one of al-lah`s homies - as a matter of fact i wouldn`t be caught dead in his neighborhood - i share zeemax`s kashmir aspirations ...... however, i am a little bit more realistic and patient and am willing to wait till about 2060, by which time i should be quite dead and past the point of really caring ......... like the unification of taiwan with china, the unification of kashmir with pakistan is fait accompli and there is no need to get all uptight about it - it will happen when it will happen ..........

Burpinder....

The problem with Sadna bibi is that she made an absolute fool out of herself and is now trying to desperately save face. If she resorts to abuse against me, my compatriots and my country, she will get the same treatment again and again...

#86 by hamidm2 on October 15, 2006 6:35am PT

Yes...people convert all the time in India...hard for pakis to comprehend, isn`t it?

Is Zeemax willing to take the Kashmir-challenge...


If Indian Kashmir is part of Pakistan on 1st Jan, 2011, I`ll convert to Islam...

If it hasn`t beanegaed Pakistan, he`ll eat ham and drink a fosters beer every friday of the year...

Re: # 87

arjun mian,

i don`t know about zeemax - him being a muslim who actually believes in islam and all that - but i will take your challenge starting next friday and continue long after kashmir has banegaed pakistan, with one or two changes - can i replace fosters with bass ale and plain old ham with proscuitto ?

Summary: Mushy`s book reinforces the fact that Pakiland is a quasi-terrorist state and if given an option, it would elect a pro-islamic terrorist government...and the only thing standing between this outcome and reality is...drum roll..mushy...


Is terror Pakistan’s state brand?

By Babar Sattar

‘A RISING tide lifts all boats’, we were told recently at an International Trade Council meeting in Geneva. Building a good national brand and image facilitates economic development and thus the intense focus of countries to market themselves in a manner that is attractive to governments, businesses and intermediaries across the globe. ‘Incredible India’ is the brand being popularised by our neighbour, to establish its credentials not just as the ‘largest democracy of the world’ but as a magical place that offers extraordinary cultural and business opportunities. Through ‘Italy – Life in I Style’, the Italian government is trying to make the brand ‘Made in Italy’ synonymous to quality as well as style.

These days, individuals, firms, cities, regions, countries, and even continents all market themselves professionally, often through aggressive ”sales techniques”. Indeed, having a bad reputation or none at all is a serious handicap for a state seeking to remain competitive in the international arena. A state with a negative brand faces difficulties in attracting world’s economic and political attention. Image and reputation are thus becoming essential part of a state`s strategic equity. We talk about a state`s personality in the same way we discuss the products we consume, describing it as friendly, credible, pleasant or unreliable, hazardous or dangerous. A brand reflects a customer`s idea about a product. A state’s brand is a total sum of the outside world`s ideas about a particular country.

Globalisation and the media revolution have made each state more aware of itself, its image and reputation or its brand. What is Pakistan’s brand ? Here, General Musharraf has produced In the Line of Fire which brags about the fact that Pakistan’s president holds ‘the world’s most dangerous job’. The book brings a renewed focus on Pakistan as a hotbed of terrorist activity. One wonders why the general needed to produce a 352-page memoir focusing largely on his fight with terrorism in Pakistan and beyond at a time when seldom a minute goes by that the country is not mentioned in the context of the war on terror by the world media. Even as the Musharraf regime was gloating over its effort in foiling a major terror plot to blow up planes using liquid bombs a couple of months back, political analysts on international networks continued to take jibes at Pakistan for somehow being linked to all terror plots/plotters.

‘In the Line of Fire’ is a continuation of Musharraf regime’s long-standing branding and marketing strategy for himself and for Pakistan. The title itself underscores the status of Pakistan as part of the problem of terrorism confronting the ‘civilised world’, and Gen Musharraf as the solitary warrior combating the scourge of terror. Pakistan is widely perceived in the West as a quasi-terrorist state where a truly representative system would rein-in a Taliban-style fundamentalist government. And the general is seen as the last glimmer of hope standing between Pakistan and Talibanisation, whose fall would remove the last obstacle preventing extremism from taking charge of Pakistan.

Jon Stewart was only reflecting this widely shared US perception when he asked Gen Musharraf on his Daily Show who -- President Bush or Osama Bin Laden -- was likely to be elected to the Mayor’s Office in Karachi if those were the two candidates competing in an election. How Pakistan has come to be branded as a problem state by the US and the western world is not simply an inadvertent consequence of the events taking place since 9/11. It is partly a by-product of Gen Musharraf’s self-promotion campaign in the US that positions him as the only liberal force in Pakistan capable of halting Pakistan’s drift into obscurantism.

The role of effective strategising and posturing can never be underestimated in politics, and Gen Musharraf has undoubtedly established himself as a PR guru. Unfortunately he has marketed himself in a manner that he continues to look good so long as his country remains the ‘world’s most dangerous place’. Musharraf’s political and marketing strategy is based on an apt understanding of US interests and goals in the region and the amoral hierarchy of such interests. Winning the war on terror is America’s top priority that trumps all other goals, including strengthening and exporting democracy as a long-standing political goal or opposing the denial of civil liberties by national governments as a humanitarian goal.

The US has learnt from recent history that in today’s highly polarised world democracy is not synonymous with capitalist, liberal, pro-western governments. And Iran and Venezuela are the cases in point. The last thing US wishes Pakistan to produce is a homegrown Ahmedinejad or Chavez. Thus, so long as the US continues to believe that a genuine democracy might bring into power a populist anti-US government in Pakistan, which is likely to impede the US war on terror in Afghanistan and around the globe, Musharraf regime will continue to be seen as the only force in Pakistan capable of being a US ally during its war against terror.

But it is not the fear of emergence of a populist anti-US government alone that accounts for America’s unqualified support for the general. The US is cognisant of Pakistan army’s superiority over all other state institutions and has long maintained direct institutional links with the military even at the cost of undermining representative institutions in Pakistan. The US understands that even during democratic interludes, Pakistan’s security policy (including the nuclear policy) as well as foreign policy vis-à-vis important countries such as India, China, Iran, Afghanistan and the US, fell within the exclusive domain of the military.

The US needs Pakistan army to do its bidding in the war on terror. Giving up the longstanding policy of expediency and support for Musharraf in favour of a principled pro-democracy policy towards Pakistan offers no immediate dividends. The US is also aware of Pakistan military’s decisive influence over all aspects of national life and realises that as long as it wishes to be in business with Pakistan, it will need to work with Pakistan army and the army chief. And Gen Musharraf knows that the US would not disturb this power equation. He also knows that the moment a new army chief is sworn in, there will be another viable option for the US to do business with. Little wonder, the general views the loss of his uniform as an irreparable damage to his bargaining position with domestic politicians as well as the US.

The warm Musharraf-US relationship is likely to continue as long as the US maintains its current approach in pursuing its war on terror continues. Any attempt to reform societies by force and planting there alien brands of democracy that can produce predictable pro-US regimes in Muslim countries will not produce lasting results if the deep-rooted causes of violence and extremism are ignored.

What is also bewildering is why our mainstream political parties led by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif do not seem to understand the fundamentals of the US-Musharraf relationship, how it aids the immediate-term interests of the US and the Musharraf regime and why it is unlikely to change despite their exhibition of unreserved loyalty to the US. No amount of lobbying or pleading will convince the Bush administration about the need for offering patronage to civilian political forces in Pakistan so long as the institutional balance within the country stays titled strongly in favour of the military. The mainstream political parties need to fight their political battles within the country and not in Washington, and if Chavez and Ahmedinejad have one worthy lesson to offer, it is that no amount of external assistance is a replacement for genuine public support.

Pakistan must start investing in the development of a national brand that reflects the genius of its people and projects the country as an engine of economic growth for the region and the world. But a marketing strategy in itself is worth nothing if there is no genuinely decent product to sell. We need to fight the forces of obscurantism and despotism within the country that have caused the world to view Pakistan as a sanctuary for terror. As a nation we are not religious extremists secretly chanting prayers for Osama bin Laden and as a polity we are not eagerly awaiting our first opportunity to vote a Taliban-style religious government into power. Unfortunately the world is unlikely to realise any of this while reading In the Line of Fire.

#80 by zeemax on October 15, 2006 0:58am PT



Hahaha ... Kashmir Banega Pakistan ... do it quickly please.


Take the Kashmir-challenge...

If Indian Kashmir is part of Pakistan on 1st Jan, 2011, I`ll convert to Islam...

If it hasn`t beanegaed Pakistan, you`ll eat ham and drink a fosters beer every friday of the year...

deal?