Pakistan's President Musharraf resigns

This, according to NDTV.com, is the full text of Musharraf's speech:

Today is a day of an important decision for me.

Proceedings began with recitation from the Holy Quran at 13.10 pm. President Pervez Musharraf said the nation is aware of the crisis it is going through. He said:

When I assumed charge nine years ago the country was about to be branded a failed state and a terrorist state. I assumed charge with the aim of rescuing the country. In the last nine years I have tried my best to serve the country to the best of my ability during confrontation with India, 9/11 and its aftermath and the devastating earthquake.

In all these crises we stood up thanks to the grace of God and saved Pakistan from the crises. In handling the problems the sole aim was the wellbeing of the people and the safety and security of Pakistan. I have taken part in two wars, which Pakistan fought (The coalition government) They deceived the people. Never did they realize that they may win against me but how adversely the country was affected did not concern them. Economic decline and energy crisis we are experiencing is being attributed to my policies. I would like to put some facts before the nation, especially the economy. The economy was doing well, in fact very well before December 2007. The GDP growth was 7 per cent. Revenue collection had reached $1 trillion. The KSE index was around 15,000 points. All these indicators are of eight months ago. Pakistan’s economy was poised to take off. How did the economic problem start all of a sudden? Why has the stock exchange lost 5,000 points? Why has the rupee lost almost 30 per cent of its value?

Surely, the present economic crisis is owing to rising oil prices and similar other developments on a global basis. But it is wholly incorrect to put blame on these global factors alone. It is our own failures during the last 8 months.

We were producing 14,000 MW in June 2007 but are now producing just about 10,000 MW. Why? In a nutshell, the people are being fooled. Let us now look forward to find solutions to take the country out of the woods. During the past nine years, we addressed all sectors and accelerated development in the country. In these 9 years, we constructed several roads and bypasses and worked on several other developmental projects. You can see for yourself how much we have done including all the dams that have been constructed (such as the Mirani Dam). Several canals are also being constructed. These developments will help irrigate 3 million acre fields in the country.

There was massive industrialisation during the last nine years. There was a lot done for higher education. Nice universities from different foreign countries had agreed to set up campuses in the country.

In the health sector primary and secondary healthcare was given priority. Safe drinking water was a sector that was addressed on priority and 6000 water purification plants were set up. Women were given political empowerment and now you see a lot more women in the assemblies. Honour killing was discouraged and Hudood Ordinance laws were revamped. The minorities were given opportunities and culture and heritage was given due importance.

We incorporated the essence of democracy into the system through a highly progressive Local Bodies system. Anyone harming it will harm Pakistan. We held two successful general elections.

We introduced Pakistan’s true image all over the world, which proves the success of our policies.

I’m proud of all the achievements. If you look at the donors’ conference, we were given 6.5 billion dollars in donations when we needed 5 billion. I'll come to the current economic scenario now. From the beginning, I wanted to create a reconciliatory atmosphere in Pakistan’s politics on a personal and institutional level. I talked about the three-phase transition to democracy in Pakistan. The third phase was achieved last year when I doffed my uniform and held free and fair elections in Pakistan. After the elections, people had hopes from their leaders in the government. Pakistanis have been looking forward toward prosperity and stability in the political atmosphere.

It is unfortunate my appeals to strive for reconciliation and a resolution of economic issues facing the people went unheeded. Some sections of the political forces chose confrontation rather than reconciliation. The President’s office was accused of conspiring against the new democratic setup. You should remember it was I who held free and fair elections. Look at the PM’s election the coalition setup in Sindh. The opposition cooperated with the govt. in getting the budget passed. I have publicly announced my support to the govt. I have offered the govt. my services. Unfortunately the coalition govt. thinks me a problem and wants to impeach. What are they scared of and why do they want to do this?

Impeachment and chargesheet is the right of the Parliament. But I am confident that no charge can be proved against me. All my actions were for the good of the people and the country. All my major decisions were the consent of all concerned and all stake holders, e.g. services, bureaucracy, civil society, etc. I am not at all worried about the Chargesheet because nothing can be proved. But the larger issue is what is it going to cost Pakistan its economy, political and social order, honour and prestige of the highest office of the state. Such are the considerations upper-most in my mind.

Whether I’m impeached or not, the country’s stability will be compromised. The office of the President will also be insulted. Pakistan is my love; now and always, my life is for Pakistan. I have defended and will continue to defend Pakistan. I want to be able to bring Pakistan out of the current crisis so I think perhaps should do something. But I also do not want to do something that may generate uncertainty in the country. I also want to save the Parliament from horse-trading. Even if the impeachment is defeated, the relations between the President’s office and the coalition government will not heal. Institutions will be endangered. Therefore, with this situation in view and having consulted my legal and political advisors, I have decided to resign from my post.

I have decided to resign from the office of President and my resignation will be handed over to the Speaker of the National Assembly. I want the people to be the judges and let them decide my fate. I am a human being and may have committed follies.

[ category:

Politics abroad

]

Pakistan's nightmare

Submitted by Jenny Hume on September 11, 2008 - 8:49am.

Pakistan's nightmare seems to have no end. Another terrorist bombing in the north, this time grenades thrown into a mosque full of mouners.

These people who do this have no respect for human life whatsoever.

Children worshipping with their fathers and murdered in cold blood by their fellow Muslims. It is not a good look for Islam that is for sure. Not even in Northern Ireland did the IRA throw bombs into worshippers in churches as I recall. No doubt the name of Allah the Great was invoked as the grenades were thrown. Just what do these people hope to achieve with this sort of act? It is hardly going to endear them to their fellow Muslims and countrymen.

If the aim is to punish Pakistan for its attempts to deal with the perpetrators of these acts and force it not to support the US in its war against terror, then it would seem to me they are going about it in a pretty strange way . A few heart and minds lost today, fellows.

Here on this site if children die accidentally in the wars in the ME there is a shout of US the terrorist, but hardly a word when this sort of act is committed by the other side, the real terrorists, deliberately targeting children. And yes, I know about the rogue elements in the US army who lost it at times. But it was not deliberate policy of the US army to kill children, or any civilians for that matter.

Iraq would not have become anywhere near the mess it did had this sort of act not been carried out by warring sects in the country. Even there children in mosques are not safe from terrorist acts by those of their own faith. The schisms in Islam certainly run deep. Overlay that with tribal and family loyaties you get a very potent mix and the sanctity of human life soon becomes a total irrelevancy. As we see today in Pakistan.

Makes one wonder a bit about all this multiculturalism stuff.

Pressure from within and without

Submitted by Jenny Hume on September 3, 2008 - 9:18pm.

This is probably a more appropraite thread for comment on the deaths of those women in Baluchistan.

It seems that pressure from the international community coupled with that from outraged Pakistanis is having an effect. If it leads to conviction of the people involved then others might think twice before they beat shoot and bury alive women in their community who only want some say over their own happiness.

If we follow the thinking that we should never speak out against incidents of this kind because of problems that need dealing with in our own backyard, then nothing will ever change.

Every voice counts, including yours and mine. Silence is for the lambs.

Terror Free Tomorrow, survey support for al-Qaeda

Submitted by John Pratt on August 20, 2008 - 10:02am.

So what makes some Pakistanis say they support al-Qaeda when they don’t in the voting booth? The answer seems to be that they, like nearly all Pakistanis, are angry. They’re angry at President Pervez Musharraf for his heavy-handed authoritarian rule, and angry at the United States for a host of real and perceived sins, including (until very recently) the Bush administration’s strong backing of the Musharraf regime. Declaring solidarity with al-Qaeda or the Taliban is a way for Pakistanis to express this anger. If there is a difference between those who sympathize with bin Laden and those who do not, it is that bin Laden supporters feel their resentment more intensely.
Our polls show that the anger Muslims around the world feel towards the United States is not primarily directed at our people or values—even those who say they support bin Laden don’t, for the most part, “hate us for our freedoms,” as President Bush has claimed. Rather, what drives Islamic public opinion is a pervasive perception that the United States and the West are hostile towards Islam. This perception, right or wrong, is fed by a variety of American actions, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the overarching global war on terror. These actions are seen as profoundly disrespectful and humiliating because they amount to America forcing its will on the Muslim world.

If this survey is correct the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been counter productive. Most Muslims resent America forcing its will on the Muslim world.

In just the same way, we would resent Muslim leaders forcing their will on us.

Respect for each other and soft options are the way to end the war on terror .

Terror Free Tomorrow seem to be on the right track.

With friends like this who needs enemies?

Submitted by John Pratt on August 19, 2008 - 5:01pm.

Suspicions between the American and Pakistani intelligence agencies and their militaries are deepening, and relations between the countries are at their lowest point since Mr. Musharraf pledged to ally Pakistan with the United States after the 9/11 attacks.
Among the greatest concerns, senior American officials say, is the durability of new controls over Pakistan’s nuclear program. Though Pakistan has been through far more abrupt political transitions than this one — through assassinations, a mysterious plane crash and coups — this is the first since it amassed a large nuclear arsenal.
Another central concern is the war in Afghanistan, which has been fueled by Taliban and Qaeda fighters who have used Pakistan as a rear base to carry out increasingly lethal and sophisticated attacks across the border.

Bush is a President who has never read How to win friends and influence people.

He is leaving office with a trail of destroyed relationships behind him in the Middle East, in Europe and in Pakistan. The next US President will certainly have to be one who can win friends and influence people.

Nice speech

Submitted by peter hindrup on August 19, 2008 - 12:45pm.

The yanks sure can pick 'em!

Now we have a definitely not friendly to the US, nuclear armed state that may well throw its weight behind the Muslim world.

Bush, his idiots and their supporters have much to answer for.

Outsider's view

Submitted by D Markham on August 19, 2008 - 11:53am.

It is always risky to comment on the language used by people who, while English speakers, have different speech patterns to our own. However, the sentence 'I am not at all worried... because nothing can be proved' is an interesting one, n'est-ce pas? In the old days, when I used to defend young yobs in Magistrates' courts, none of them would have ever said this publicly (even if they thought it) because even they realised that it gives the impression that there is something to be proved if only the evidence can be found.

The whole tenor of the speech seems to be that someone has convinced him to leave. Call me a cynic, but I wait to see what the future holds for Musharraf. One wonders what promises have been made - the praise from Rice in particular seems fulsome, in the proper sense of the word.

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