Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Bhutto's widower acquitted in 1996 murder case

The Associated Press

Latest comment posted at 10:28 PM EDT 24/03/08

Had been charged in 2002 with role in death of retired judge and son ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. ** Anand from Toronto, Canada writes: Brilliant! Zardari acquitted....Supreme Court judges reinstated...talks with militants in the works..Musharraf on his way down...Now to wait for the flowers of Democracy to bloom. Spring couldn't come early enough...
  2. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Lack of evidence? That is not difficult to get.

    Too bad Musharraf did not turn to his Washington friends Douglas Feith, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and David Frum who came up with fabricated WMD evidence to get the US into war in Iraq for the sake of Israel.

    Or maybe the royalties from Musharraf's books were not enough to cover the forger's fees.
  3. Inner Eye from Canada writes: Will Pakistan's politics stabilise? I think not. Appointing Mr. Gilani as prime minister is a very cunning step from Zardari and Mosharraf. Gilani is a shia. Hatred among sunni (majority) and shia (minority) is at its peak in Pakistan. Mr. Gilani will become unpopular within no time because majority sunnis will never like a shia prime minister (after an arranged sunni shia riot in future, who knows). That will clear the way for Zardari to become the prime minister. And Mosharraf ( and Army) will have more opportunity to play fishy games in troubled water.

    Democracy and Islam are not compatible - it is a proven fact. Any Islamic county can only survive under authoritation rulers/dictators. Pakistan will be much better off under an army Dictator. Musharraf's day is over, but I am sure, someone in army is smiling and worming up. Wait for couple of years to see the results.
  4. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Inner Eye

    Pakistan has traditionally done well with Shia at the top. The founder Jinnah was a shia, and the people revere him. Shia brains and Sunni brawn go well together. The problem occurs with Sunni brains and Shia brawn.

    Yes, Democracy and Islam are not compatible. Neither Socrates nor Mohammed believed in equality but they affirmed universality of man. Socrates was done in by Democracy, and Corporate Democracy will be done in by Mohammedan Islam.

  5. Fauzia Muk from Canada writes: Dear Inner Eye from Canada.. Would you please give us a break and stop making your negatve judgments about how Pakistani people should not have democracy or they are not compatible with democratic values.

    And please don't worry about shia sunni differences. Pakistanis have been getting along pretty so far and will continue to do so despite western conspiracies which have succeeded in Iraq only due to foreign intervention.

    Jinnah was shia, Benazir Bhutto was also referred to as shia. It is not even an issue if Gillani is also a shia. The battle is between democracy and dictatorship, rule of law and establishment, and sovereignity and submission.
  6. Joe Gopher from Canada writes: Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:
    Pakistan has traditionally done well with Shia at the top. The founder Jinnah was a shia, and the people revere him. Shia brains and Sunni brawn go well together. The problem occurs with Sunni brains and Shia brawn.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Wow!
  7. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Fauzia Muk: AOA

    You are right. It is not sunni vs shia, neither in Pakistan nor in Iraq.

    But we can not stop the Westerners from thinking in sectarian terms. These guys killed 120,000,000 of their own in 31 years (1914-45) in essentially sectarian violence that pitted Fascist Catholic Axis powers vs the Protestant Allies.

    But if you tell them that it was so they refuse to accept that it was a sectarian and relitious war. They refuse that the Jews were exterminated for religious reason. And that by Sieg Heil Nazis meant Holy Victory.

    Jesus said, it is easy to see a splinter in others' eyes than beam in your own. Leave them alone.

    The precondition for Democracy, the rule of the Demos (top 5-10%), is slavery that Islam does not promote, so Democracy will never take hold in Pakistan.

    As the West loses its semi-colonies worldwide, Democracy is dying here as well. Less than 22% participated in Ontario elections. Tomorrow, with more have-nots, it will be even less.
  8. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Correction

    ...... As the West loses its semi-colonies worldwide, "Liberal Bourgeois" Democracy is dying here as well. Less than 22% participated in Ontario elections. Tomorrow, with more have-nots, it will be even less. So are we going back to Athenian Democracy, one that does not tolerate free speech and will murder its thinkers, moralists, and prophets, like Socrates?
  9. Zahid Hak from Toronto, Canada writes: Please stop talking about Shia & Sunni issues. They are all Muslims. Stop talking about the negativity. Pakistan is on its road to Democarcy, lets enjoy it. People who always talk about the negative things about Pakistan. Sorry to say they have nothing better to do.
    People be positive and have faith in the system and in yourself.
  10. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Zahid Hak:

    You can not stop the Westerners from talking about sects. Sectarianism is in their DNA. They are programmed to think in denominational terms.

    Although Shia and Sunni go to each other's mosques to pray, you will rarely find a Catholic attend a Protestant Mass.

    While Shia and Sunni have had troubled history 1300 years ago, there have rarely been Shia-Sunni wars. In the West this was commonplace. The WWII was essentially a war between Catholics Axis vs Protestant Allies. They murdered 80,000,000 of their own in 4 years and they admit killing 6,000,000 Jews.

    Even centres of learning are sectarian. Every undergraduate college at the University of Toronto is associated with a Christian sect.

    So these Westerners will look at Muslims with sectarian glasses. They can not do otherwise. We just have to live with it and bear it. But the tragedy is that they plan their missions on sectarian basis, and thus fail, as it is happening in Iraq.
  11. ** Anand from Toronto, Canada writes: When the political system has time and again failed, when the army has had to time and again come in to clean up things (thereby creating dictators, not the Army's first choice) , when militancy is on the rise, nothing much positive has come out of the country why is it a negative when people talk about it? In order to have faith in a system and be positive about it shouldn't the system first be respected by the politicians who are responsible for it? It is naiive to say "they (people) have nothing better to do," when commenting on a situation that affects more than just a country.

    P.S. If one person is having sleepless nights it's Gen. Kayani. The General must be poring over the various scenarios that is bound to hit the country once the party is over. I wonder how long the anti-Musharraf alliance is going to last once he is out of the picture? I guess it's time to be positive now?
  12. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    ** Anand: Greetings

    I suggest you review the posts of a month ago when it was doom and gloom.

    Nehru and Patel gave Pakistan 3 months to survive.

    Pakistan is the trend setter and flag bearer on the sub-continent. You can not make predictions about it.

    First to ally with Americans - India 50 years later
    First to ally with China - India not yet
    First to liberalize its economy - India 40 years later
    First to distance from Soviets - India 50 years later
    First to stress small business - Big Business India yet to do so
    First to open free trade with Middle East - not Muslim India handicapped

    In one way you are right. Western Democracy will not take root in Pakistan who will also be the first to dump "Democracy" for Meritocracy, essentially the Islamic political system. Maybe, 100 years later India will finally learn that it had been wrong after all, and will follow Pakistan as it always had in the past.
  13. ** Anand from Toronto, Canada writes: Syed, greetings. By now you must have realized that I have stopped refuting your posts as we respectfully agree to disagree. Mosts posts on here can only speak of what they know in their lifetimes with some history thrown in. But, more importantly there is a common sense approach as to why Pakistan is what it is today. If people kill themselves in Pakistan's cities on a routine basis it is called terrorism. When the Taliban can easily infiltrate and take shelfter in Pakistan then it is called harboring terrorists. When the spouse of a Prime Minister demands 10% for all industrial contracts it is called corruption at the highest level. When the same spouse is thrown into prison for corruption practices it is called upholding the law. And when all charges are dropped against the said spouse as soon as he becomes leader of his late wife's party it is called comic-relief. You are fully convinced of Pakistan's glory. So be it. But, despite its sixty years of existence there is nothing much to substantiate your prophecies. India like every other country in the world has its weaknesses but at least its pluralistic society doesn't sink to the levels of killing themselves or using religion to futher their agenda. It sure has a religious party a la Republican party but despite its shortcomings there is a palpable general level of prosperity permeating its middle class today and hopefully will eventually percolate to the lesser class. It does not matter when a nation and its people aligned with the US or the progressive economic ideas. What matters is have the lessons been learnt? Pakistan unfortunately, hurling from one corrupt party to another throughtout its existence has not. India has. Since opening its economy twenty years ago it has something to stand on. Let me humbly say, someday Pakistan will realize its folly of having departed from India and will want to come back to the fold. Believe you me, India will accept it with open arms.
  14. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    ** Anand:

    Trend setters make mistakes. The followers have the luxury not to make them.

    Cheers

    ps
    The only time in my life when I had to bribe someone was in India, and in Iran - both times to extend my visas. Reality is a more powerful teacher than newspaper articles that you quote.
  15. ** Anand from Toronto, Canada writes: Syed,

    Unfortunately, Pakistan has foregone the luxury of your quote. If only they would stop making the same mistakes of electing the same corrupt politicians?

    I have not quoted from a single newspaper. I guess India and Iran are pretty much doomed now?
  16. Catherine Medernach from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Democracy in Pakistan - what a concept. Is that before or after they toss out bin Laden and his fellow terrorists?
  17. Inner Eye from Canada writes: Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    "Pakistan has traditionally done well with Shia at the top. The founder Jinnah was a shia, and the people revere him. Shia brains and Sunni brawn go well together. The problem occurs with Sunni brains and Shia brawn."

    Now I undestand, why you donot like democracy. Because, you wish 85% of sunni in Pakistan to be ruled by 15% shia. And that is not possible within a working democracy. Look What happened in Iraq, when minority sunnis tried to rule majority shia, result was total destruction. Your statement proved how deeply the secterian divisions rooted within you.

    I have first hand experiance of witnessing shia and sunni issue in eastern part of saudi arabia. They may share same mosque, but I do not believe the difference is reconciliable (the way minority shias are ruled by majority sunnis there, reminded me of South African apartheid).

    We all know, how shia sunni division started 1400 years ago. I am sure nobody will say, CIA had any role to start that division. And please do not try to establish myths as history.
  18. Tim Richards from Calgary, Canada writes: This is great,
    Today he has been acquitted of corruption charges , tomorrow all the corruption charges and soon this nobody will be a President.
    Like I read in these posts before, he had to have the maximum benefit from Benazir's death.
    This is the democracy people of pakistan have been asking for decades.
  19. Duane Freemantle from writes: That is a great method. Release the judges, get an acquittal for a crime. Don't you just love democracy in its finest? Actually, this acquittal has nothing to do with democracy. However, one can not avoid looking at this acquittal with scepticism.
  20. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Inner Eye:

    " .... We all know, how shia sunni division started 1400 years ago. I am sure nobody will say, CIA had any role to start that division. And please do not try to establish myths as history...."

    Who cares how it got started. Today what matters is what are their strengths and weaknesses, and do they complement each other.

    The main difference is that in addition to three pillars of Islams, the Unity of Allah, the Prophethood of Mohammed, and the Final Judgment, the Shia have two additional ones - Justice and Righteous Leadership.

    That is why a Shia is taught the principles of leadership from cradle to grave. The Sunnis are not. It is their choice.

    In France, cadres go to les grandes ecoles. In US, to Management schools. Corporations are not democractic. Merit counts.

    Islam, Sunni or Shia, believes in Meritocracy, not Democracy, the rule of the herd.

    Shia brains and Shia brawn - a perfect combination for Islamic regime. One can not argue with success.

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to top