Pakistani General Election

[Devonian]

Now there is a British link to these elections and it's very bad news

There has been some re-polling going on in some constituencies due to complaints of vote rigging. Then today this happened

tribune.com.pk/story/551359/imran-holds-altaf-hussain-responsible-for-murder-of-pti-leader-in-karachi/

A senior member of the PTI has been murdered. Imran Khan has held the leader of the MQM Altaf Hussain responsible. Altaf Hussain lives in Britain and Imran Khan is saying the British Government is also responsible.

[Richard Allen]

Am I the only one on here that thinks that Pakistan is better off with a relatively benign military dictatorship as opposed to what masquerades as democratic government?

[Sibboleth]

I'm not sure if Pakistan has ever had such a thing as a 'relatively benign military dictatorship'.

[iainbhx]

May 19, 2013 18:11:02 GMT Richard Allen said:

Am I the only one on here that thinks that Pakistan is better off with a relatively benign military dictatorship as opposed to what masquerades as democratic government?

Having just reflected on the military dictatorships Pakistan has had, when they have a relatively benign one then I'll answer the question.

[Richard Allen]

I can only assume that you two don't consider Musharaf to have been a military dictator.

[iainbhx]

May 19, 2013 20:01:21 GMT Richard Allen said:

I can only assume that you two don't consider Musharaf to have been a military dictator.

Obviously, General Musharraf is a difficult case, he did eventually get elected and his rule wasn't as loathsome as his competitors, but he wasn't exactly benign. Not considering his tendency to lock Justices up, the nuclear proliferation issues and what half the ISI were up to.

[Richard Allen]

May 19, 2013 20:11:53 GMT iainbhx said:

May 19, 2013 20:01:21 GMT Richard Allen said:

I can only assume that you two don't consider Musharaf to have been a military dictator.

Obviously, General Musharraf is a difficult case, he did eventually get elected and his rule wasn't as loathsome as his competitors, but he wasn't exactly benign. Not considering his tendency to lock Justices up, the nuclear proliferation issues and what half the ISI were up to.

Certainly not benign but nowhere near as horrible as most military dictatorships and in many ways a considerable improvement on the democratically elected government that he overthrew.

[Devonian]

After that rather tragic story from Pakistan here's a hilarious story from the same election

tribune.com.pk/story/552106/not-taking-the-hint-voted-out-of-parliament-ex-mps-refuse-to-leave-lodges/

Apparently the Pakistan government provides accommodation for the Members of the National Assembly, most in 'Parliament Lodges'  and more in the 'MNA Hostel'. It seems that of the 171 MNAs not re-elected this year only 30 have actually left their suites. The remaining 141 are illegally squatting in their former suites.

A senior CDA [Capital Development Authority] official asking not to be named revealed that the
situation parallels the post-2008 election scenario. “After the 2008
general elections, we faced a similar situation, when despite the
passage of several deadlines, former MNAs did not vacate the
accommodations.

It forced us to halt power and water supplies to their suites,” the
officer said, adding that the authority would resort to the same tactic
if former MNAs did not adhere to the deadline.

Unbelievable

[erlend]

Quite believable I am afraid.

[Richard Allen]

May 21, 2013 10:06:40 GMT erlend said:

Quite believable I am afraid.

Indeed. With a few honourable exceptions the entire Pakistani political class are corrupt to a quite staggering degree. Nothing that happens there is particularly surprising.

[erlend]

I suspect it goes a long way beyong the political classes. Or even the rich. Possibly automatic in a society where a lot of people are poor (think 18th century England, that was a cesspit for politics even if much of our current clean heritage descends from it).