Farrukh Khan Pitafi’s Official Website « May 12

May 12 - Who stole the show?

May 12 seems to me a cursed day. Last year witnessed the bloodshed of uncountable innocents. Today we are witnessing the blood of democracy being spilled. Some say that the President must be very happy. With due respect I do not think so. While democracy is indeed undergoing serious turbulence, but that doesn’t mean it is the end of it. Democracy as we have seen during the times of the Martial Law has its ways to survive and so does dissent. If yesterday a dictator wearing uniform equipped with the powers of emergency could not weather the storm will he do so now? In my humble view then it was Musharraf who lost on February 18, it was Musharraf who lost on May 12 2007 by exposing his true colors and it is Musharraf who has lost today. You do not understand? Just consider this.
Musharraf last year lost whatever good will he had. When you call the human rights abuses by your allies as the display of the people’s power, you may not know it but everyone understand you are losing marbles. He was perhaps the only generalissimo who had to withdraw his martial law in the shortest span of time. No because of any change of heart but because he could not sustain the pressure both from within and without. Benazir Bhutto was one person who used her lobbying skills to force Musharraf to not only end emergency but also to doff the uniform. Someone did not like her this role and hence executed her.
If he is surviving thus far it is because he has very strong foreign allies. These allies rush to London to intervene when there is a chance that Nawaz Sharif and Zardari will attain synergy to confront Musharraf. The dictators in Washington are supporting the dictator in Islamabad. But one needs to remember that every dictatorship has an end. The dictators in Washington are soon to be ejected from their power cockpits. Our retired general is now facing a clear deadline. He will now fret the month of November when the United States votes to change its leadership. After that all the delayed tragedies that he thinks to have cheated out will start materializing. And as for his cronies, there is one question one needs ask: What will happen to you once he is gone?
Sheikh Rashid is just celebrating a bit too prematurely. He thinks that his prophecies have been fulfilled. Not quite sir. Sheikh sahib if you remember you had claimed that you’ll be a minister in the cabinet that ensued the interim set up and in this very space I had challenged that what to talk of the cabinet I do not see you even in the parliament. Let me tell you what will become of your predictions. You say you don’t see the coalition completing its term. I don’t see you living that long. You predict about the return to the government and distribution of meal in shoes, I don’t know about others but that might be true about the rightful owners of Lal Haveli whose rights you have so effectually usurped. I can be wrong about your life, but I assure you that you’ll never return to the parliament or government. As for the current set up let me tell you it will survive now, after the budget and even after the US elections. I have learned something form history too.