Street protests erupt in Pakistan after opposition leaders barred from office
Opposition supporters in Pakistan torched cars and stoned buildings today as thousands joined in a growing protest over the barring of two of their leaders from elected office.
Yesterday's supreme court ruling that Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, could not stand for parliament due to an old criminal conviction, and its disqualification of his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, who was head of the provincial government in Punjab, prompted hundreds of the prime minister's supporters to gather in Rawalpindi chanting slogans against the government.
While most demonstrators were peaceful, witnesses said some set up barricades of burning tyres and used rocks to smash the windows of stores and banks on a main shopping street.
A mob also torched four vehicles on the highway linking Islamabad to the Punjab, police said.
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Aahhh Pakistan how you fill me with glee.
How people fight to have their former corrupt overlords be able to steal from them again.
Maybe the people and Sharif's deserve each other?
Match made in hell?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
like over 60 years?
Can they?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
I doubt he has... but it normally takes politicians years to get so comfortable with being corrupt.
He has been forced from that path and people want him back.
The next lot will probably do the same thing, but at least they will take some time to learn how to be masters at corruption.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Yes, But that takes having people around who have principles.
And it does not mean that the end result will be good.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
People never change.
For instance im just gonna repeat "people never change".
Back in BLACK
However bad Sharif was in office, at the moment he is on the good side. The person who benefits from this is corruption extraordinaire Zardari.
Sharif has aligned himself with the lawyers movement and is campaigning to get an independent judiciary. He
may beis doing this for reasons of political opportunism but a blow agianst him is, for now, a blow against the people who are trying to bring about political progress in Pakistan. And it only makes Zardari stronger.The way I see it, Zardari is here to stay for now.
Have the other side with a slightly cleaner slate and when he falls on his own sword (or is pushed onto it), there is a chance for things getting better.
On the other hand giving the lawyers movement a short term "win" by allowing the Sharifs in through the door will mean that when he falls on his sword, the Sharifs will be there to sit on his thrown.
Short term pain for a potentially better future.
On the otehr hand let them in and hope that they show restraint in their own corruption, or they are taken to the next world before they get a chance to.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Musharaf II?
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
No - Musharaf actually had some decency in him.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
of decency in Musharaf?
Can't remember as his reign is over, but I was sort of impressed with him doing the "right thing" a few times. before he didn't.
Actually the biggest thing he almost managed was a framework for peace in Kashmir. Under his reign there was relative calm in Indian Occupied Kashmir too. Ofcourse he had to meddle in one thing too many (the Ifrikhar Chaudhry issue) which made everything come undone.
The biggest mistake he made was trying to organise the politics of the country. before then he was fine. He had a set of tight ropes and he was doing well on them.
Another big mistake (mistake not necessarily = bad) was "listening to the people" when there was a public outcry against his plans for 5 hydroelectric power stations which would have doubled the capacity in Pakistan and potentially stopped the current level of blackouts of the grid. Instead he folded on 4 of them and Zardari is about to pull the plug on the fifth one due to "popular support".
Half a decade later the people who were complaining about the projects are now complaining about the government not giving them enough electricity...
Short sightedness can be a big problem and IMO its endemic within the sight of the Pakistani people.
Musharaf also did a lot of bad too. The "missing people" being the biggest one.
THere are many people who see Musharaf as a stooge, the lowest of the low, but not me. I was impressed with some of his vision. Problem was that he was doing too much, power was too concentrated and then when one thing came undone, it was like a house of cards. and the successors, instead of building on the good, decide its a good idea to dig out and remove the solid foundations. Just like every others government before it.
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.