The Death of Another Bhutto...

Having written often about Pakistani politics, I feel compelled to write about the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Rest assured that I will neither provide a eulogy for the murdered Bhutto, nor an account praising her assassins. Neither will I lament the state of Pakistan’s political system, or the increase of Islamic terrorism in the country.

Benazir Bhutto, for me, was not the pro-democracy alternative to Musharraf that the USA felt she was. Rather, she was a reminder of the corrupt and hypocritical ‘democratic’ regimes of the 1990s. It is surprising to me that, upon her return to Pakistan, the West – at least, her political supporters in the West – completely overlooked her actions during her two tenures as Prime Minister. Having said that, I must mention the fact that she was quite courageous to return to Pakistan and to campaign vociferously for change in the country. Benazir - however much I disliked her political conduct - was a fascinating and bold woman.

What worries me now, as someone who has written papers in support of Musharraf for quite some time, is the impact on his legitimacy and status. With elections scheduled for January 8th, this assassination has put the former Army Chief and current President in a precarious situation. Any instability in the country, as a result of Bhutto’s assassination, is bound to be blamed on the inability of the Musharraf government to control the country. Having imposed Emergency rule once, and having received much criticism for it, Musharraf cannot afford to reinstate such measures to ensure calm; and yet, if peace does not prevail around the country – and in particular areas such as Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore – Musharraf will be criticised.

Furthermore, Nawaz Sharif – another former Prime Minister who has returned from exile – has decided to boycott the 8 January elections. Although this had been his initial reaction to the elections when they were announced, he was persuaded by Bhutto to participate. I was surprised that he did so – given that his faction of the Muslim League was slated to win the most seats in recent polls. Also, with the PPP divided (even though they will be bolstered by Bhutto’s ‘martyrdom) and Musharraf’s Muslim League under criticism, Sharif and his Islamist allies would have probably gained much support during these elections.

So what will happen on 8 January? Well – I guess the first question that needs to be asked is, will the elections occur on that date or will they be postponed? I don’t think Musharraf can afford to postpone these elections; but if he doesn’t and Sharif sticks to his boycott, then the elections will be a complete farce, and whoever wins – whether it is Musharraf’s Muslim League or the various Islamist parties under the flag of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal – will not enjoy proper legitimacy. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next few days.

More updates on Pakistan once they come (into my head and in the papers) – for now, off to bed.

Dammit - I Forgot My Anniversary

my Selfistan anniversary that is...I just remembered that I started RFS last November...

What an Idiot...


Happy Anniversary to RFS and the Selfistani (i.e. Me) and to all the readers of RFS -whoever and wherever you are...



That's it for now...ciao, adios, au revoir...and remember...to be born again, first you must die...

Glisten

sitting here broken

blinking through the haze

wondering what happened

why it's all this way

all we did was laugh and sing

running in the sunshine

picking pretty flowers

making our bouquets

enveloped in your warmth i felt

invincible and strong

now its cold and dark in here

why is it you're gone

they said we were good you know

we had that certain vibe

but everything that glistens is not gold

and we did not survive

i miss you so, you know i do

and i know you miss me too

i'm here for you, forever boy

i love you, yes i do

hakka noodles

Oh So Tired....

I have this fear - that I'll sleep through my exam. Seriously, I set 4 alarms and am so worried that I barely get any sleep throughout the night. I think it has to do with the fact that I almost slept through one during High School, but I'm not sure. Now that no-one's at home when I wake up if I have an afternoon exam (I wake up late because I study until late - I'm an owl for those of you who haven't caught on/read earlier posts), the fear's worse.

So I went to 'bed' at around 1.30am last nite - I had to be out of the house by 10am - and didn't get to 'sleep' until 3am. Then I finally dozed-off and although I'd set my alarm for 7am, was up at 6am.

So - After the exam I was exhausted, obviously - and decided to come straight home. And I got onto the wrong bus...sad...

k..end of story - back to paper

lame story? ya..but it's exam time - so that's what u get.

Ahh It's That Time of Year Again

Call me pessimistic, unhappy or even a grinch for that matter - but i hate christmas carols - i hate them with a vengeance.

They're good on Christmas eve or Christmas day if you like singing songs about sleighs and snowflakes, but come on, everywhere and everyday is a bit much.

And Christmas has turned into a completely materialistic festival - like Valentine's day, or Hallowe'en etc etc...it's all about getting the biggest and the most presents...


Bah humbug....


back to my paper and studying for exams...