Sunday, June 10, 2007

"Pakistan's Dictator" - New York Times Gets it Right

I am extremely encouraged that increasingly the American press, led by the New York Times, is getting it right. In another editorial today titled "Pakistan's Dictator", the paper forcefully calls on the Bush administration to support an orderly transition to democratic, constitutional rule in Pakistan rather than blindly standing behind the singularly disastrous and dictatorial government of General Musharraf. With its short sighted policy focused on a myopic view of the war on terror, America is squandering a golden opportunity to stand with the people and their democratic aspirations in a strategic Muslim country. The movement against military dictatorship and for the rule of law is being led by lawyers, journalists and members of the liberal civil society and is refreshingly free of religious sloganeering or hate mongering. This is the kind of grassroots democratic spirit that the administration has been purporting to support since 9/11 but America is busy doing severe damage to its reputation and little remaining credibility in Pakistan by clinging to a dubious ally.

I would encourage all those who are able to write to the New York Times to write and express approval of the newspaper's stance supporting the restoration of a rule of law-based democratic government in Pakistan. Instructions of where and how to send the letter here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fawad,

Greetings, this is JJ and Aamir's friend Imran Nasrullah from Singapore, just stumbled upon your blog and have bookmarked it. What a great read.

This is fantistic that you have started this, have been having similar discussions repeatedly with people that we must pen what we think, we owe it to ourselves and to our future.

There is so much that is good about our homeland and so much that is wrong, but we must catalogue it as the history books (dont know if you have seen a recent textbook) is not much of a record.

read with great intrest your comments on the May 12th fiasco and of course the continuing CJ saga....much to write about.

You have inspired me and I too will start putting down some thots.

keep posting!

Imran
the Intrepid desi!

Fawad Zakariya said...

Imran,

Good to hear from you. Hope all is well. Didn't know you were in Singapore now.

Thanks for your kind comments on the blog. I started this a year and a half ago to finally start putting thoughts down and making them a bit more systematic (even if it is irregular). I highly encourage you to do the same. Hopefully we will connect in person soon.

Anonymous said...

Hello Fawad:
Could you please update your blogroll and replace my earlier blog address with www.razarumi.com
thanks
Raza

Fawad Zakariya said...

Raza: now its done.

The Pakistani Spectator said...

very nice writeup, I am here first time and hooked.