It is intriguing that a former Prime Minister of Pakistan should be camping in the US at a time when all the eyes in the world are turned towards President Musharraf’s struggling regime, that happens to be America’s (or to be more precise President Bush’s) front line partner in the ‘war against terror’.
Some analysts have suggested that Ms Benazir Bhutto (now in New York), long suspected of having behind-the-scenes contacts with General Musharraf, may be emerging in an even stronger position to strike a deal with him, says The Australian.
Ms Bhutto, first woman leader in a Muslim country in the modern world, was pushed into exile after General Musharraf’s military coup and has been living in Dubai and London for the past eight years. “She is believed to be anxious to return home to take advantage of the crisis.”
Meanwhile President Musharraf continues to play with fire…The General has decided to appoint a Pakistani Hindu as an interim Chief Justice in place of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary. The former has been camping in India seeking (understandably) spiritual solace and would take the oath of office on his return (to Pakistan).
The Australian quotes an expert on Pakistan: “With the sense of the big moment at hand, Bhutto is making her moves fast and furious. Bhutto is seeking to inject herself right into the middle of the political storm in Pakistan. Musharraf and the army have to swallow the bitter pill of conceding a lot more to Bhutto now than they would have had to a few months ago.
“Pakistan’s polished (present) Prime Minister, former top Wall Street banker Shaukat Aziz, was in the crosshairs last night with reports that Pervez Musharraf will make him the fall guy, as the President tries to find a way out of the Chief Justice crisis.
“Bhutto, meanwhile, has to balance the attractions of returning to power … against the dangers of sharing it with the army, on an unequal basis.”
Ms Benazir Bhutto, educated at Harvard University and Oxford, was Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-1990 and 1993-1996). Her rich and influential father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was also Pakistan’s civilian President and was later hanged after a coup by General Zia-ul-Haq, whose rule over the country (from 1977 to 1988) is the longest to date in the history of Pakistan.
Even Pakistan media has begun to take more interest in Benazir’s statements from America. The Pakistan Times reports from New York: “Ms Benazir Bhutto, Chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, said here Saturday that the Taliban must be defeated in Pakistan this year or the country risks falling under the sway of extremists much as Afghanistan did before Sept. 11, 2001.
“Ms Bhutto also cautioned, what she phrased as; ‘the judicial crisis gripping Pakistan’, which she viewed; ‘could spin out of control and underscores the importance of restoring civilian rule’.
” ‘They (the Taliban) have actually established a stronghold in the tribal areas of Pakistan. My fear is that if these forces are not stopped in 2007, they are going to try to take on the state of Pakistan itself,’ the Pakistan Peoples Party Chief was quoted by a foreign news agency as saying in an interview.”
Now about the Pakistan’s Chief Justice-designate. An Indian newspaper reports that: “Pakistan’s acting Chief Justice-designate Rana Bhagwandas, a central figure in the political maelstrom unleashed after the ouster of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, has been located at a spiritual retreat in Uttar Pradesh (north India).
“Sources in the Lucknow police confirmed that Justice Bhagwandasalso visited the Asuda Das Ashram on the occasion of Cheti Chand, the most important event in the ethnic Sindhi community’s religious calendar.
“Authorities in New Delhi had expected that Justice Bhagwandas would travel to Lahore on Monday by Pakistan International Airlines flight 271 or 273. However, airport sources confirmed that he did not board either flight. PIA does not operate flights from New Delhi to Pakistan on Tuesdays, so Justice Bhagwandas is likely to be in India till at least Wednesday — the day before his leave of absence ends.”
Another Indian newspaper says: “…the (Pakistani) judge had come to Lucknow for the sermons of Neelu Bhagwan, a 50-year-old woman preacher whose ashram attracts devotees, mostly Sindhis, from all over the world. (Justice) Bhagwandas is a Sindhi.”
Incidentally, Benazir Bhutto is also a Sindhi. Justice Bhagwandas is Hindu Sindhi, whereas Benazir is Muslim Sindhi.
I may also point out that the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament Mr L.K. Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister of India, is also Hindu Sindhi.
Finally, if you are interested in reading my post written almost a year ago – “India and Pakistan Will Have Open Borders in Next Five Years” – you have to visit the old TMV site…please click here… You have to be patient and scroll down a little before you hit my post.
Excerpts from my post: “This is not a Nostradamus prophecy, but my intuitive belief…and the happenings on the ground in India and Pakistan have confirmed my hunch further during the past two/three years. Whatever the sceptics, or think-tanks, have to say is being challenged practically every day by the realities on the ground.
“For outsiders it is difficult to understand the shared heritage and culture of India and Pakistan, who until 1947 were one country. An average Pakistani loves good life, including his/her tipple, despite the repressive religious climate created artificially by the rulers.
“However,the best indicator of the similarity between the two peoples/culture is that they have same swear words!!! “
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.