Pak Army seeking to topple govt: reports

[ajtr]

Question remains if these malicious acts are going to create an increasing demand of independence from the Balochis at least. I think the International community will take a re-look at the way they distribute aid if at all. They might give direct aid to the Balochis and not through pak govt.

India can just stir the hornets nest by making an offer of aid directly to Balochis and of an amount greater than the one given to pak. I know they would refuse but then it would create a stir. Pak will cry and say india is creating trouble in balochistan but india can counter saying they just want to help the effected people directly.

Yusuf,KP province has already started raising voice with donor countries to by-pass center and give aid to provinces affected by floods..This is better idea. instead of directly paying to the islamabad it must be made sure by countries that aid is directly given to affected provinces and districts.otherwise there are always chances of aid being diverted by elietes of punjab and the pak army.

K-P govt bypasses centre to seek international aid​

ISLAMABAD: In what appeared to be an 'obvious' sign of mistrust within, the provincial government of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa on Friday held a conference of international donors to seek financial assistance for reconstruction after the worst flooding in history.
The federal government was completely bypassed in the process – a fact that speaks of the extent of differences between the federation and the provinces on how to go ahead with rehabilitation plans in areas hit by the catastrophe.
This is the first time in the history of the country that a provincial government approached the multilateral donors directly with a request for financial aid.
However, provincial authorities justified themselves at a news conference later, that the recently enacted 18th constitutional amendment had empowered provinces to seek assistance from outside the country without involving the federal government.
"It is our prerogative"¦the amendment has given us constitutional powers to undertake this initiative," Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the media.
As many as 26 representatives of various multilateral donor agencies and ambassadors of various countries stationed in Islamabad participated in the conference that was held at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa House, the camp office of the provincial government in Islambad.
Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti chaired the conference and told donors the province will be in need of close to $3 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation endeavours.
He was quoted as telling the ambassadors and representatives of relief agencies that there is a need for Rs25 billion to undertake rescue operations and provide victims with food, shelter and healthcare.
Although Mian Iftikhar termed the event 'successful', he did not mention how much money was pledged. Hoti expressed fears al Qaeda-linked terrorists would be the ultimate beneficiary if government has to abandon flood victims because of scarce funding.
"The gains so far made in our war on terror may be lost if this crisis is not handled properly," one of the participants told The Express Tribune.
According to reports, federal authorities were informed of the conference and an invitation was also issued to them.
"But ultimately it was an unwilling agreement," a top official of the Awami National Party (ANP) said. "The provincial government has been pushing the federal authorities to hold this conference immediately"¦but they appeared reluctant," he added. "That's why we decided to move ahead ourselves."
The ANP leader said the idea behind holding the conference at this stage was that governments in the US and most European countries would be initiating their annual budget making process in a couple of month.
"We want our assistance to be part of their budgets. Had we waited for the federal government to complete its assessment, it would have been too late," the official said.
"And we cannot afford that delay"¦it is a desperate time for us as well as for millions of people in need for help from outside Pakistan," he remarked.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2010.

 

[Yusuf]

Just proves Ajtr that we are not off the mark in our thinking.

 

[ajtr]

Just proves Ajtr that we are not off the mark in our thinking.

We may be or may not be off mark one thing is sure that pakistan is too predictable.

 

[Param]

I wonder where Zardari would go after a coup. Would it be Saudi Arabia like Nawaz or some western country?

 

[Yusuf]

Saudis hate zardari. he will go to UK or France.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

As long as the US aid faucet is on full blast there will be no coup, once WOT is over it best for any leaders to exit with their profits alive.

 

[Logan]

If at all there is a coup and the army takes over,i wonder how much the rate of terrorist infiltration will increase along LOC.I hope everyone is considering that point....

 

[anoop_mig25]

why do not Pakistan accept army controlled government like MYANMAR . it would be better for them as well us as we would be able to directly dill them. also Pakistan army has good image in their country so why for democracy at all. why do-not they have some Marshall law like constitution

 

[ajtr]

Counterterrorism Blog: The Militant Myth

In recent conversations with senior Pakistani commanders, the military still considers the civilian government to be out-of-touch with reality. So why does an unpopular President continue to hold power? As one commander said to me in private, "We are waiting for the civilians to create a mess inside Pakistan so that the military will look like the better option for governance." As Pakistan's history has previously shown, in civilian chaos and confusion may come military might.

 

[ajtr]

Pakistan in political crisis amid allegations of flooding aid corruption​

The embattled government of President Asif Ali Zardari slipped further into crisis after its largest coalition partner called for a military coup to tackle corruption and failures over flooding.

Altaf Hussain, the leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), said the political establishment's lacklustre response to the severe flooding should provoke an uprising.
He called on "patriotic generals to initiate martial-law-like steps against federal politicians" and legal proceedings against those "who save their crops and divert floods towards the localities as well as villages of the poor".In a country where most leading politicans are also titled hereditary landlords, he called for a French Revolution-style redistribution of land between the classes in response to unprecedented destruction.
More than 15 million people have been affected and are at risk of diseases from contaminated water. The rising waters have killed more than 1,500 people.
Mr Hussain, who is exiled in Britain, spoke to supporters in Karachi via telephone. His comments represented a threat to Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, whose Pakistan People's Party relies on the 25 MQM members of the National Assembly for a majority.
While Pakistan's military has been praised for its decisive and rapid response to the flooding emergency, Mr Zardari and Mr Gilani's government has been roundly criticised for being slow to react and mounting a poorly orchestrated civilian campaign.
Nadeem Ahmad, the former general who heads Pakistan's civilian relief effort, is said to be "deeply unhappy" over political interference by prominent figures in the PPP to ensure their supporters are at the front of the queue for aid.
Officials at Gen Nadeem's National Disaster Management Authority said their efforts had been undermined by politicians diverting helicopters and demanding food or medicine for their constituencies at the expense of others.
Mr Hussain is widely viewed as a political opportunist. Members of his party in Pakistan have unsavoury reputations for ties to political violence. But his political movement has shown an astute sense of the balance of power, having been aligned with most of the governments of the past 10 years.
On Monday attention focused on the southern province of Sindh, where tens of thousands of people have fled a surge of water as monsoon rains course along the Indus.
Mr Zardari took control of the PPP after the assassination of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, in 2007. He became president a year later, but has been dogged by low approval ratings and corruption allegations.
Analysts said there was little stomach among the generals or the wider population for a return to military rule only two years after the restoration of democracy.
However, a change of government through a confidence vote after defections from the ruling bloc has become likely. As president, Mr Zardari would not lose his fixed-term position even if the PPP government fell. But if the opposition took over it would be likely to initiate impreachment proceedings that could drive the leadership into exile.
Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst, said the MQM comments were significant as the first direct call for the military to step in amid growing public anger. "There's no coup around the corner but it strengthens the role of the military in politics," he said.
Mr Zardari's decision to fly to France, where his family owns a chateau, and Britain as the flooding crisis unfolded cemented his image as being out of touch.
His government was already mired in a deep economic crisis and struggling to tackle militants along the border with Afghanistan even before the floods. Farahnaz Ispahani, an adviser to Mr Zardari, said Mr Hussain's comments were intended for his party faithful.