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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Aug 18, 2008 9:56:00 GMT -5
So long, it's been good to know ya...
Mike
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Post by Aesthetic_Ascetic on Aug 18, 2008 11:10:03 GMT -5
Good riddance...
Had to stay up all night for this...
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Post by paulschlimm on Aug 18, 2008 12:09:49 GMT -5
AA,
Any read on what happens next? Good to see you post again, my friend.
Paul
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Post by Aesthetic_Ascetic on Aug 18, 2008 12:40:11 GMT -5
Hi Paul...
The next few days are of interest for four reasons...
1) Musharraf's future... rumors were rife that he was willing to resign provided he's given immunity, not made to face trial and not made to go into exile... there were statements made by US, UK and Saudi officials that hinted at their disapproval of any attempts to put him on trial, and I'm sure they were hints that registered with the new government... the Army under the new chief may not have acted to save Musharraf because they saw the writing on the wall and they don't want to be associated with him anymore, but they will certainly do all they can to make sure he isn't prosecuted... they have a history of making sure none of their officers, even when retired, is put before a court of law, since they consider themselves beyond the law... there are also rumors of a Saudi air force plane present in Islamabad to take him away to exile in Saudi Arabia... that would be very, very ironic, considering how the man he removed in his coup was exiled to Saudi Arabia... as someone who has been called a "Bloody Civvie" (the choice term of endearment for civilians used by the military) far too many times by military brats, even by relatives who are army officers, I would love to see a military dictator tried for high treason and hanged, but deep down I know the army will never allow that to be...
2) Repeal of the president's right to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections, which made the president a major figure in politics instead of being a toothless figurehead like he/she is supposed to be in a parliamentary system... this was introduced into the constitution by Musharraf's successor in the holy fraternity of our country's military rulers (incidentally, he blew up in mid-air on August 17, 1988...)... in 1997, in a rare show of unity, the current coalition partners (who were bitter foes then) mustered the required 2/3rds majority in parliament to strip the president of this right, which has accounted for some four governments... Musharraf brought the act back, so he had the right to get rid of this government, but he knew that would've created a major backlash, even from his supporters... the coalition now has the numbers for the 2/3rds majority and do away with this once and for all...
3) The new president, hopefully someone who is just a figurehead... it is quite certain that it will be a Pashtun or a Baloch... who exactly no one knows yet...
4) The restoration of the deposed judges... the ruling party has its own reservations about them, but I think they will have to move towards some solution....
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Post by AlanC on Aug 18, 2008 12:48:01 GMT -5
Thanks Umar. We were just joking that we get our "news" from the Soundhole. Maybe it wasn't that far fetched.
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