Pakistan Opposition Considers Candidate for PM after Election Victory

The party of Pakistan's late former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, met Friday to discuss their choice for the next prime minister after securing victory in Monday's polls.

Party officials say a top contender for the post is PPP Vice President Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Friday's meeting ended without an announcement and party officials say discussions will continue over the next few days.

On Thursday, the PPP and the other big winner in general elections, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party, said they would work together to form a government of national consensus.

Ms. Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, now the head of the PPP, says he wants to form a broad government, but one excluding the main party that backs President Pervez Musharraf. That party came in a distant third in the balloting.

In a move that might spell trouble for Mr. Musharraf, the PPP and Mr. Sharif's party could - with support from smaller parties - gain the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to impeach the president.

In an opinion editorial in The Washington Post newspaper Friday, President Musharraf said he is ready to work with the new parliament to address key issues affecting Pakistan.

The president has said he hopes for a "harmonious coalition" following the defeat of his political allies in Monday's parliamentary elections. Some opposition leaders have called his resignation, which he has brushed off.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

source: www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-22-voa23.cfm

Only the Khilafah will end colonialist exploitation

The current development in Pakistan calls for a total change in the entire socio-political fabric and the establishment of Islamic system of social justice is urgently needed. This can only be achieved by launching a mass movement and by staking and sacrificing all that the aspirants of Islamic revival have got at their disposal. The system of politico-socio-economic justice can be summed up as the system of Caliphate and about which the thinker and visualizer of Pakistan said:

This in fact was the real purpose of establishing Pakistan and only this can ensure her existence and stability. It is because of deviation from this very cause that the Muslim nation of Pakistan got divided into different regional, ethnic and linguistic nationalities. Thus breaking our vow with Allah and on account of our disloyalty, divine punishment whipped us. Even now if we do not move towards the real objective of Pakistan, divine punishment could whip us again any time and would whip us more severely. Hence for the defence of Pakistan while it is also imperative that we strengthen our defence forces and procure, as much as we can, all kinds of weaponry and armament and do not abandon our atomic program, as well as sign formal defence pacts with friendly countries, especially China, and continue efforts for reconciliation and understanding with India, Pakistan’s real defence, however depends on our introducing and establishing in the country the system of Caliphate in its totality so as to qualify for Allah’s help and protection as Ayah 38 of Surah Al-Hajj says “verily God will defend those who believe”

Bhutto dikorban untuk dijadikan alasan US aktif di Pakistan?

Seantareo dunya shock dengan trajedi pembunuhan Bhutto kelmarin Khamis Dec27. Trajedi yg memang sukar untuk tidak dijangkakan melihat pada pra-persistiwa yg mengorban lebih dari 140 orang pada Oct19 selepas kepulangan Bhutto dari buangan.

Pembunuhan Bhutto mungkin suatu episod dramatik dari wayang catur yang sedang dimainkan US menjelang PRU Pakistan minggu mendatang, Jan8.

Move US dalam proses rekonsilasi Musharaf-Bhutto pasca-Dec27 tidak lagi menarik untuk dilihat selepas ini. Authoritarian Musharaf telah dikendur sejak bulan lalu. Beliau telah akur kepada desakan US dalam 2 perkara - lepas jawatan ketua tentera, dan awal bulan ini menarik balik perintah darurat. Oposisi Bhutto pula telah dilenyapkan selepas beliau dijerat pulang untuk di sembelih sempena musim korban.

Tidak mungkinkah Bhutto telah dijerat pulang sebagai unta korban demi untuk dijadikan alasan bagi US aktif di Pakistan? Jangan bawadeh, jika itu yang benarnya. Malang buat 2 Bhutto - bapak dan kemudian anaknya.

Lebih malang, tim salafi jihadist gaya suicide bomber mudah dijadikan kuda kepang dalam program dominasi US.

Lebih2 lagi malang buat Pakistan karena US akan masuk-aktif di wilayah perbatasan Pakis/Afganis-tan pasca-PRU dengan alasan counterterrorism, biar siapa pun yang menang PRU samada Musharaf maupun buah catur ke 3 Sharif.

Yang menang sebenarnya bukan buah catur, tentunya!, tapi pemainnya yang main catur sorang2. Tidakkah wayang telah tammat, sebelum ianya bermula?

LATEST DEVELOPMENT: Friday 02/08/08: The parliamentary elections in Pakistan are scheduled for February 18, 2008, less than two weeks away. But attendance at rallies has plummeted. People openly admit fear is keeping them from participating. And politicians voice concern about their own safety. Fear grips Pakistan as election approaches here

Friday 02/08/08: On the Afghanistan side: The United States and Britain, the nations with the most troops fighting in Afghanistan, made a renewed push Thursday to portray the war as winnable and worthy of international support despite a so-far-unsuccessful struggle to get more allies to commit frontline forces. On a visit here with her British counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice emphasized the improvements that Afghanistan has seen since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the radical Taliban regime. And Defense Secretary Robert Gates, at a meeting of NATO allies in Lithuania, said that despite fissures in the alliance over sharing burdens in Afghanistan, "I don't think there is a crisis." The dual diplomatic efforts by two of President Bush's top advisers demonstrated the importance of Afghanistan's future in the struggle against Islamic extremism as well as the depth of the administration's concern that the mission of stabilizing this country is in danger of stalling or even deteriorating. A chief worry is the reluctance of some key NATO allies to provide more military resources, including combat troops, at a time when the Taliban has stiffened its resistance, particularly in southern Afghanistan. Some Europeans argue that the United States puts too much emphasis on the military aspects of helping Afghanistan.