The More things change the more they remain the same.

Once again the circle of life has come back 360 degrees to the point of Marshall Law/State of Emergency. It used to be every 20 or so years 1958, 1978, 1998 but this time it has come around rather quick for the comfort of the politicians in 2007, even though it ever went away since 1998.

Musharraf is expected to Address the nation tonight even though, no official reason has been given so far. The Western media (CNN later reported that Marshall Law has declared) is again quick to give it a terrorrism related spin which they later took off their sites and and now is speculating about the Concerns of 'Lawlessness and and political instability' but we know fully well that it's an old trick out of one of his infamous hats to extend his own Rule. The Chief justice has aparently been arrested and the media suspended.

Ah.... what else is new... seems like Pakistan has a way of digging themselves a hole time and again. It;s throughly depressing to see this happen specially with a figure head who has time and again denied such intentions.This jsut goes to show how easy it is to use the military muscle and use it to your advantage when a military ruler is in power... A democratic government would have had to go through major hurdles to impose anything like this. All a dictator has to do is ask his troops to move in and take control of everything.

Then again it's not all that depressing knowing Pakistan's history.. knowing fully well that more the things change, more they remain the same. Pakistan has seen this far too often and the life has still continued. People here have found a way to disconnect themselves from the political drama and carry on with their normal lives... Sure, every slightest political move is discussed in details on every corner of every street, cafe, barber's, taxis, work and any other imaginable place where 2 people can congrigate ( as it's bound to happen tonight as Kamal Haider, the reporter for Al-Jazeera describes it a s a 'black day')but... It seems that people are unflatered by all these going ons... after all who would want to raise a voice infront of a man with a gun????

Beyond the Attacks

Riddle is certianly the right word to define Pakistan's political circumstances - as suggested by Jayshree Bajoria in her article in Council on Foreign relations website. Pakistan has the most diverse group of situations all jumbled into absolute caos. It's hard to believe that the country is still able to function with all these shortcomings and with the presence of many potentially dangerous elements that could spin the situation out of control at any given moment.

The existance of anti west, stubborn groups that are willing to go violent is hard enough for western powers to swollow. Add to it, the existance of neuclear capability of any sort alongwith corrupt admisitration, makes any western leader shiver in their dreams.

And if that's not enough, there's political instability in shape of corrupt political parties who have all had some share of power at least once and will do anything to get it back - hostile neighbours (not just India) that would take any oppertunity to undermine whatever stability pakistan does have - Military dictatorship, that west seems to have come into terms with but thinks it's not bearing fruits any more - and the world renowned secret services that are out of control.

More recently an independent private digital media and rejuvinated judiciary and Courts0 have also entered the mix to make it even more complicated and out of control.

Even though most western newspapers and magazines focus on the War on Terror and any violent attempt is attributed to the Islamists, Taliban or Al-Qaeda (NewsWeek)- like Attacks on Benazir Bhutto (BBC News) that clearly have footprints of internal power struggle than Al-Qaeda. Benazir also endorsed this in her letter to President naming people that are either part of the government, had a hand in setting up corruption cases against her, or the ex-ISI cheif who she's had a personal vandetta with for a while. Even though the war on terror has a very little direct impact internally yet it does have indirect implications. In the war on terror general public opinion inclines more towards anti western sentiment for supposedly dragging pakistan into this war by indirect threats than the sympathy towards western need to engage in this war.

ISI & Terrorism as per CFR-US

Below is the viewpoint of the Council of Foreign Relations about Pakistan's ISI. It is very relevent within the sphere of - Pakistani politics - especially after the twin blasts in the Benazir Bhutto's homecoming procession - the global(Bush's) war on terrorism - and India and Afghanistan's claims of ISI's involvement.

ISI's Background and the viewpoint of The Council Of Foreign Relations-US

Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has long faced accusations of meddling in the affairs of its neighbors. A range of officials inside and outside Pakistan have stepped up suggestions of links between the ISI and terrorist groups in recent years. In autumn 2006, a leaked report by a British Defense Ministry think tank charged, “Indirectly Pakistan (through the ISI) has been supporting terrorism and extremism—whether in London on 7/7, or in Afghanistan, or Iraq.” ...

Thur-Oct 11th ki Khabrein

Bhutto sticks to Pakistan return (Al-Jazeera)
The former prime minister rejects a call by Pervez Musharraf to delay her return. Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister of Pakistan, is set to return to the country next week despite Pervez Musharraf, the president, calling for her to wait until the legality of his re-election is decided...

India PM meets IAEA head as nuclear deal clock ticks (Reuters)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog head, Mohamed ElBaradei, made a strong pitch for the India-U.S. nuclear deal on Wednesday saying it was essential for India's economic growth, despite concerns a domestic row could scupper the pact...

Musharraf tells Benazir to delay return (The Hindu)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has asked former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto to delay her return to Pakistan from a self-imposed exile till the Supreme Court decides on petitions challenging his re-election...

Thousands protest Western-style stores in India (Reuters)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - More than 20,000 traders, farmers and shopkeepers protested on Wednesday against the entry of private retail giants like Wal-Mart into India which they say would destroy millions of livelihoods...

US to continue cooperation with Pakistan: Townsend (The News Pakistan)
WASHINGTON: The White House reiterated that Pakistan''s president, Pervez Musharraf, had been a helpful ally in fighting terrorism and Pakistan offered...

Benazir, Zardari, Sherpao file petitions for withdrawal of references (The News Pakistan)
ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her spouse Asif Ali Zardari and federal minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao have filed petitions in Acc...

New York Times's Background on Nawaz Sharif

NYT: Nawaz Sharif, 57, from one of the richest business families in Lahore, was twice prime minister in the 1990s. He came to power in 1990 with close links to military and intelligence agencies but gained popularity and won a large majority for a second term in 1997.

Yet he clamped down on the news media, civil liberties and the Supreme Court, and faced accusations of gross mismanagement and corruption.

The enmity between him and General Musharraf stretches back to October 1999, when Mr. Sharif was prime minister and General Musharraf his chief of army staff, and Mr. Sharif ordered the general’s dismissal.

As General Musharraf was returning from a trip to Sri Lanka, Mr. Sharif signed the dismissal order and refused to allow his plane to land. Senior military officers overruled the order as the plane was running low on fuel, and General Musharraf swiftly carried out a coup and imprisoned Mr. Sharif and his brothers on charges of hijacking a plane, terrorism and corruption.

Mr. Sharif was sentenced to life imprisonment but the following year General Musharraf arranged for Mr. Sharif, his brother, and their families to live in exile for 10 years in Saudi Arabia.