Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 245
Somehow you always miss my point. Why should rule of law not be important to me? surely it is.

I am talking of effects and not what I feel. The effect is that at the end of the day, the 'Rule of Law Thesis' of NS did not matter. This happened because NS and his team had certain shortcomings in that, despite a very popular pulse of people of Pakistan including us all, proved an anti thesis in itself.What a betrayal.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 227
Zeemax,
It was NS the Lamb versus Zardari the Fox. In the final analysis NS is outfoxed by Zardari. In the politics of realism and practicalism, there is no space for emotions and sometimes even morals. The law of fishes applies.

aab to haqiqat wazay hai. Arguements ka kiya faida. Mera bhi dil khrab hua magar kiya kareiN, Jab chityaiN ChugH gaiN Khaith.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Zeemax, Majumdar and Romair,
In political terms Nawaz is a Romantic and not a Pragmatic and what MQM terms as Practicalism. His first fault was that he did not assess the ground realities.
1. Though he endeared the COD, he should have had second thoughts after the NRO which in fact was the death of COD. His love affair with COD blinded his judgement.
2. He knew that due to his proximity to OBL in the past, he had to do enough in practicalism to allay the perceptions of USA. He did not do it.
3. His team of think tanks did not war game the results of the elections. His Einsteins should have evaluated why he got no seats in Sindh. Now he must face the humiliation of having missed the boat. Perhaps his major pre occupation was Punjab and his own third term, and Zardari knew how to play his perceptions.
4. Knowing that he had wheeled dealed in the past (OBL, IJI, Hamid Gul Saga, Mehran Bank) to think that he was an idealist and stood for principals would be naive. He thought that the CJ issue is a foregone conclusion and used it as a veto to strengthen his power base. In the end he failed in both while Zardari knew where the fault line was.
5. He and his team are guilty of very serious errors of judgement now as they had been in the past.
6. Most, he did not enjoy the luxury of eavesdropping that Zardari had. His benefactors did it for him.

As an aside, I am beginning to believe that Aitezaz Ahsan is also planted and the Dharna in Islamabad has to be seen in this context.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Re: # 218
He did not learn.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond masadi and Matloob,
I agree fully and value your views. We will be soon entering the most treacherous and cantakerous phase of Pakistan's history. BB's death has created a very serious leadership void and NS despite all blessings proves a Bonga as ever. In the interim, this void is filled by Zardari who represents the Centcom connection, but for how long. See this.
"WASHINGTON — Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador to the United Nations, is facing angry questions from other senior Bush administration officials over what they describe as unauthorized contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/washington/26diplo.html?ref=asia

Zalmay Khalilzad played a distasteful role in the pseudo-triumphant return of Benazir Bhutto from notorious corruption-fueled exile… namely, the “old friend� was the one of the U.S. officials who convinced her to return on her ill-fated trip to take back Pakistan’s Parliament. We all know how that turned out.
http://www.registan.net/index.php/2008/08/26/he-just-cant-keep-his-hand-ou t-of-the-cookie-jar/

School Days Re: # 36
akcheema,
"have no political/widespread say in what happens in the society at large"

Then have no say in rediculing others when you do not even know them. They may be striving just as hard.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond O posted this on OTW.
Its a no trump hand for Nawaz. He has a singleton Ace of spade with three dukies. If the 10th move comes in his hand he is the winner. What is that move of Ace?

There are unresolved issues here to challange Zardari who has been cantakerous and treacherous. Nawaz as usual has been Ziddi and dumb.

The issues include his Forged Graduation from some non existant institute in London, which they now call a diploma (surely it is qouted in his bio data etc), constitutional indemity ( I dont know if it needs 51% or 2/3rd majority to pass, an accord he has dishonoured and NRO in light of the Shariah (who can condone whom)

School Days akcheema,
Please go and put the order right. I'll join you .

School Days Re: # 25
akcheema,

Please elaborate it.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond This man has caused most damage to political stability.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond arif,
Three factors are to be blamed.
First, The flawed policy of taxing all types of imports which is about 40% (including speed money)on the basic cost and freight cost of materials.
Two, Most instruements etc were made in Sialkot-Gujranwala zone. However due to heavey taxation including GST, most small scale manufacturing plants have closed down and shifted to imports from China. Even if they continue, they are no more competetive with the same items from China.
Thirdly, the ratio of speed money is increasing by the day.

To meet the challenges, th only option is to play around with quality.

Now, the plummeting dollar and high fuel cost adds to the production cost.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond rf,
The overheads are so high and the atmosphere very soffocating for those who want to work honestly. Back in 1998, we had shifted our manufacturing from USA to Pakistan, beacuse the family felt, it was time to pay back. Pay we did through massive losses and corruption. Serve, we could not because there is no space for honesty.

Why we shifted to China. Simply because the cost was about 40% of what it is in Pakistan, besides no taxes. Pakistan is the only country in the world that heavily taxes import of water treatment equipment. World over it is tax free commodity.

The journey was not by choice but under duress.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Masadi,
I could not agree more. Musharraf mentioned NS for this very reason in his speech. I have a feeling that the game began very long ago through a slanderous campaign to malign BB for Zardari's doings.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Bubba,
You have a very valid point about defang.

Musharraf\'s Resignation and Beyond Zeemax,
My views have been consistent and can be verified from my essays, interacts, ilogs and UP. In my essay on the army, which came under flak from HP and some called me an apologist, I laid out the conclusions. It was not my job to tell you what to do as a Pakistani. Now read that essay once again and it will make sense. In the meanwhile,let me enjoy my ganderis before they become cost prohibitive.

Hamid,
Sad to know about your Rs.$ Parity. It happened to me too.
I exchanged a few thousand dollars and put them in Bank, but the Rs lost its value. My company won a tender that I cannot execute because the Rs has plummetted and the facilitation fees tripelled. So its better, I loose 2% earnest money. Its just three months that I shifted the manufacturing from Gujranwala to China. Thanx God I made one right decision.

We are into the most interesting times.

School Days so we have another one from St. Pats