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Muslim Affairs Page
Answer
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Name
Hasan
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Profession
Question
Do opposition parties in Pakistan have real weight? Can opposition leaders topple Musharraf one day?
Answer
The opposition in Pakistani has enough strength to stop Musharraf if the Pakistani parties could unite themselves on one unified agenda . This agenda should seek peaceful constitutional change for Pakistanis. But the fact is that the opposition are divided among themselves and some of them are trying to make a deal with the ruling party for sharing power. Unfortunately, they cannot play an effective role as opposition.
Name
Adel Zayed
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Profession
Question
I've heard a lot that Bhutto and Nawaz are not trustworthy leaders who committed corruption, is this true? And who are the opposition figures that can bring about change in Pakistan?
Answer
There is no single party that can defeat Musharraf in the election. They will have to unite themselves in order to succeed in the elections, but they are not united at all.
As for the corruption, these two governments were weak in bringing about a clean and efficient administration while they were in power. And that's why they failed twice.
They could not give the people a clean and honest administration, so people cannot expect any miracles from them. In this situation now, there is a need for a third force that can be a collective opposition of the country.
In other words, there is a need for a government of national unity, but I don't see any prospect for that for the time being. As some of these parties are not sure about their participation in the elections, and are fighting among themselves on this field.
Name
cavat
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Profession
sale and marketing
Question
How is economy going in Pakistan nowadays?
Answer
Well, the economy is in bad shape and the rate of the economic growth is reported by the officials as between 7 and 8 percent annually. The rising prices of goods have mad the lives of the common man miserable now.
At the same time, unemployment among the educated is very high. The privatization of steel mill has raised the controversy in the country and the supreme court had quashed the deal. PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication) and KESC (Karachi Electric Supply Corporation) were sold to foreign parties at a very low price, causing widespread discontent among the people, because these organizations were making good profits.
The government also wanted to sell Pakistan's state oil but there has been a great public opposition. In short, the government privatization policy has failed.
Name
Raheel
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Profession
Question
Why have two failed rulers, Bhutto and Shariff, been allowed back in with a view to run for prime minister again when their records are so poor?
Answer
It's upon diplomatic pressure from friendly countries, like USA and Saudi Arabia. But in case of Nawaz Sharif, the apex court of Pakistan had allowed him to come back to the country. Even otherwise all political opposition parties have been demanding their return to save their mother countries.
Moreover, the constitution of Pakistan does not allow any authority to exile any citizen of the country.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Question
Do you think there can be a real alliance between Nawaz Shairf and Bhutto?
Answer
I don't think so, because Bhutto is keen to share power with general Musharraf in an attempt to fight what she calls forces of religious extremism that she sees posing a threat to democracy. In fact, she is trying to implement the US agenda in order to get the support of Bush. This way she has been undermining general Musharraf's hold on power.
This is why she had said that she would allow US to bomb Taliban stronghold inside Pakistan, and allow Americans to interrogate doctor Abdul-Qadeer Khan.
While general Musharraf is not prepared to go to second extent to please the Americans. He is of the view that it's the sovereign right of Pakistan to deal with these problems.
Name
Aisha Wadood
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Profession
Question
Who is now representing the real leader of opposition in Pakistan in your opinion?
Answer
I think there is no single individual who can be called the undisputed leader of the opposition in Pakistan now.
However, there has emerged a collective leadership consisting mainly of Muslim League-N, Jamaat-e-Islami, Tahriq-e-Insaf of Imran Khan, that are the most effective spokesmen of the opposition with no record of political or financial corruption.
Name
Abdallah
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Profession
Question
I believe that whatever the opposition - Sharif & Butto - is planning to do will not have an effect on Musharraf because of his firm hold over the military and western support; Do you think that this statement is valid enough?
Thank you for your time.
Answer
Yes, This is a very realistic statement. But as I said earlier, Musharraf has shown his willingness to compromise with opposition parties, especially the moderate elements, but so far he has had no luck. This is rather worrying.
Name
Qulli
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Profession
Question
How do you see the future of Pakistan amid this political chaos?
Answer
I think that Pakistan has a bright future, and the present conflict which we see is a sign of political consciousness of the masses. The opposition in Pakistan is very strong, giving hard times to the government.
In addition, the media in Pakistan is very independent and outspoken. This shows that the people are engaged in the popular struggle for democracy.
And the fact that Musharraf had to take off his uniform and his promise to lift emergency demonstrates that he has shown flexibility and accommodation to the popular demand. This is democracy.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Question
The session has ended. We would like to thank Prof. Shameem Akhtar for taking the time to answer your questions, and all those who participated in the dialogue.
We apologize for not being able to answer all the questions due to time limitation.
