State of Pakistan

DAWN

Saturday, 26 Dec, 2009

By Yousuf Nazar

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the NRO and the way it has been decided to enforce it leaves no doubt in my mind that the establishment is once again out to get the PPP and bring back its favourite civilians to power.

Familiar forces are once again trying to seize the initiative they lost after a decade-long military rule which gave us the ‘war on terror’ and has brought us to a state where Pakistan is bracketed with Afghanistan and is considered one of the hottest spots in the world that can explode anytime.

Never mind the blunders of the masters of ‘strategic lack of depth’ and architects of the policies that have turned Pakistan into a client state of America with few friends; they seem to have decided to strike back again.

Now faced with the question of how to justify this attempt to take back power, they seem to have decided to divert the public’s attention to an easy target and a handy dog to whip; the government of Asif Zardari. It is even speculated that the very reason why the establishment facilitated the entry of Zardari into the corridors of power was because he was considered so vulnerable that getting rid of him would be a piece of cake. Read more »

Published in Daily DAWN

By Yousuf Nazar

December 5, 2009

The Americans blame the extremists and terrorists for Pakistan’s current woes. So do Pakistan’s liberals.—File photo 

Pakistan’s so-called Islamic parties and groups never get tired of blaming America for all the country’s problems. The military has traditionally blamed the politicians. The Americans blame the extremists and terrorists for Pakistan’s current woes. So do Pakistan’s liberals.

In the context of the recent past and Pakistan’s history, Pakistan’s biggest tragedy and the principal reason for its break-up was and has been the axis of trouble between America, Pakistan’s army, and the religious parties.

Until and unless the axis is broken, neither the reconstruction of the Pakistani state nor the so-called democratisation of Pakistan will bring peace or prosperity to the latter’s 170 million people, nearly eighty per cent whom live below the poverty line of $2 a day. Read more »