Monday, November 5, 2007

Musharaf Mounts a Coup Against Musharaf

Gen. Pervert... Oh Sorry! Pervez Musharaf has cancelled democracy in Pakistan, put journalists, Human Rights Activists, lawyers and secular political opponents in jail, dismissed irreverent judges and imposed a de facto martial law. All this, amidst almost complete silence apart from some timidly pronounced half-condemnations from the major western capitals, most of which are heavily involved in the current volatile situation.

One thing still torments me: how many medals are they on this uniform? I counted 16... I guess most of these decorations have been won by the General while sitting on his sofa playing some odd war games... Certainly not on the battle field.

3 comments:

Abdelilah Boukili said...

Hi Hisham,
Pervez Musharraf seems to be blowing hot and cold in the past days. He promised to step down as the head of the army if elected president. Once elected, he imposed martial law to keep as head of state and army chief. He keeps retracting from other decisions. He imposed house arrest on Benazir Bhutto only to lift it a short while after. He declared elections to be held in February to change his mind for January.

Pakistan seems to be living under the whims of Musharraf in the absence of democratic institutions. Musharraf’s rule of Pakistan is a striking example of what it means one-man-show politics. To be continued………

Abdelilah Boukili said...

There are other medals which you can't see on Musharraf's uniform. They're stuck on his back. Your comment reminds me of the "Dictator" ( which you must have seen)by Charlie Chaplin. In a scene Hitler wanted to decorated a general with a new medal. As the general was heavily decorated with medals at the front, Hitler made him turn to see if he should put one on his back!

Hisham said...

Great comment Abdelilah! It made me smile in approval. Your reading between the lines of Pakistan politics, I believe, is refreshingly accurate. The rise of fascism (because that is what that is) in the name of some obscure doctrinal struggle against terrorism is a real threat in our region of the world. If one thinks that what's happening in Pakistan at the moment is unacceptable, one should be equally disgusted by other regimes throughout the region who have been effectively imposing "emergency" rules on peoples lives.