Rafia Zakaria, an attorney living in the United States and ANAA Board member, writes in daily times that this current competition between Ms Bhutto and General Musharraf to appease and seduce the United States is a lurid illustration of the new depths of servility to which Pakistani leaders are willing to descend to rule Pakistan.She further adds that the Musharraf Administration has capitalised on the market for terrorists and created a one-stop shop for the United States — and it helps tremendously that the shop has a single manager/proprietor.
This time, as Rafia points out, Benazir has even offered up AQ Khan in a bid to wrest the status of “most favoured ruler” from President General Pervez Musharraf.
23rd Feb 2004, Benazir Bhutto was alleging General Musharraf behind the nuclear cover up (click here) .
She further writes that Caught in this vortex of competing self-serving liberalisms are the people of Pakistan. And they are likely to pay a heavy price. Rafia hits the nail right that the result of their political game is that liberalism is treated not as an ideology that promotes respect for human rights and the rule of law, but merely as an aspect of a power game for rulers that have all but liberal intentions.
This time, as Rafia points out, Benazir has even offered up AQ Khan in a bid to wrest the status of “most favoured ruler” from President General Pervez Musharraf.
23rd Feb 2004, Benazir Bhutto was alleging General Musharraf behind the nuclear cover up (click here) .
She further writes that Caught in this vortex of competing self-serving liberalisms are the people of Pakistan. And they are likely to pay a heavy price. Rafia hits the nail right that the result of their political game is that liberalism is treated not as an ideology that promotes respect for human rights and the rule of law, but merely as an aspect of a power game for rulers that have all but liberal intentions.
In other words, the association of liberalism as an ideology with either General Musharraf who has overtly and blatantly violated the rule of law or Ms Bhutto who stands accused of corruption charges makes the true principles of liberalism little less than a farce in the eyes of the Pakistani public. She writes that carefully strategising on the pandering of political leaders like General Musharraf and Ms Bhutto, the inflammatory and hate-filled rhetoric of the extremists becomes the only ideological alternative for all those who do not like American interference in Pakistan’s affairs.
If liberalism is to take hold in Pakistan, it must be an anti-imperialist liberalism that gives immediate priority to Pakistan’s national sovereignty and refuses to allow foreign powers to merely use Pakistan as a convenient tool for their own agendas. full article
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