Monday, November 27, 2017

Did Maryam and Nawaz Sharif Orchestrate the TLY Dharna at Faizabad?

The 22-day long Faizabad Dharna anti-Ahmedi protest disrupted all aspects of life in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It was too well planned and organized to be called "spontaneous". Protesters were provided with food and all other supplies they needed to sustain it for over three weeks. The question is: Who was behind this protest? Was it just the Tehrik Labbaik Ya Rasoollullah (TLY) activist mullahs seen on TV screens yelling out abuses at others? Was it the military or its intelligence agencies? Or was it politicians? Let's try and answer these questions.

Faizabad Interchange Near Islamabad
The Context:

It's important to understand the recent context to see who might have been behind these protests. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been up in arms against the military and the judiciary since he was removed from office by the Pakistan Supreme Court in August this year. The point person leading this campaign on his behalf is his daughter Maryam Nawaz. The purpose of this effort is to bring about open confrontation with the military. In the end, Nawaz and Maryam hope to prove that they are victims of a conspiracy by the military and the judiciary against democracy.

Sequence of Events:

A few weeks ago, people linked to the PMLN social media wing, managed by Maryam Nawaz, tweeted a picture of General Javed Qamar Bajwa’s father’s grave allegedly located in an Ahmadi cemetery.

The ruling PMLN propaganda against General Bajwa's faith was followed by Maryam Nawaz's husband Captain Safdar's hateful anti-Ahmadi speech in parliament in which he demanded a “ban on recruitment of Qadianis [Ahmadis] in the armed forces." This drew a sharp response from Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor who said the following in a tweet:“When we put on the uniform we are a Pakistani soldier only, irrespective of our religion, irrespective of our province and irrespective of our clan,”

Controversial Amendment:

Law Minister Zahid Hamid introduced  Election Act, 2017 in which the words in Form-A “I solemnly swear” had been replaced with “I believe”. Sections 7B and 7C of the Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002, which relate to the status of Ahmadis, had also been omitted in the Election Act, 2017.

This caused a firestorm among the rightwing religious groups which, contrary to the advice of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, was exploited by Maryam and Nawaz Sharif to ignite protests leading up to the Faizabad Dharna.

Maryam's Intransigence:

Faizabad dharna participants demanded the resignation of Law Minister Zahid Hamid as a condition for ending their protest. Maryam Nawaz, through her close confidant and minister Maryam Auranzeb, strongly opposed the resignation demand. At the same time, there are reports that traders and merchants close to Maryam and Nawaz Sharif continued to feed and sustain the protest at Faizabad.

Instead of reaching a deal with the dharna participants, the federal government resorted to the use of force that failed to disperse the protest.  In fact, the government action resulted in nationwide expansion of the protests.  Then the federal government called the Army to bring about a confrontation between the military and the protesters.

Pakistan Army's Role: 

To its credit, the Pakistan Army understood the game being plated by Nawaz Sharif and his daughter. Instead of using force against the protesters, the Army chief General Bajwa brokered a deal that forced the government to fire its Law Minister Zahid Hamid that brought an end to the protests.

Summary:

The Faizabad dharna was orchestrated by Maryam and Nawaz Sharif to create chaos and force military intervention. It started a few weeks ago when people linked to the PMLN social media wing tweeted a picture of General Bajwa’s father’s grave allegedly located in an Ahmadi cemetery. Then Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law Captain Safdar Awan made a hateful anti-Ahmadi speech in parliament to whip up anti-Army hysteria. Then came the 22-day long Faizabad dharna. Maryam and Nawaz Sharif were seeking to use the Army against this dharna and force a military takeover of the government to justify their claims of victimhood to gain public sympathy. Fortunately, the Army thwarted this conspiracy and brought the protest to a peaceful end.

Here's a discussion on this subject:

https://youtu.be/XJxDlalyfK0




 Related Links:

Haq's Musings

Nawaz Sharif Disqualification

Rising Tide of Intolerance Threatens Pakistan

Pakistan Opposition Indicts But Still Supports Nawaz Sharif

US Reported Alleges Nawaz Sharif Harassed Her

Civil-Military Ties in Pakistan

Pak Media Cheers as Right-Wing Judges Pursue Musharraf

Pakistan Army: Chief Backer and Guarantor of CPEC

14 comments:

Khalid S. said...

Did Capt Safdar contact TLY Faizabad Dharna leaders before dharna and encouraged it?

Watch this: https://youtu.be/O29Dml95n6Q

Anonymous said...

Before the government had cracked down on the Islamabad protesters who had blocked the Faizabad Interchange, Captain (r) Safdar had sided with participants of the sit-in protest.

"If it was up to me, I would have joined the dharna protests too," he had said while speaking to SAMAA TV exclusively.

Captain (r) Safdar has been quite vocal in raising his voice against the Ahmadi community in Pakistan. He had delivered a scathing speech in parliament last year, condemning the community as enemies of Pakistan.

https://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/2017/11/flashback-when-captain-r-safdar-had-sided-with-islamabad-protesters/

Ahmed F. said...

If it is that simple, and so clear in black and white, then why is Nawaz Sharif a free man? Why have they not arrested him? The disruption was huge and massive. So was they disruption caused by Imran Khan's dharna. The country is descending into anarchy and chaos. And that is very sad. Stay tuned for more dharnas.

Riaz Haq said...

Ahmed: "If it is that simple, and so clear in black and white, then why is Nawaz Sharif a free man? Why have they not arrested him?"

It's all part of the political game being played right now and my hope is that it will eventually become clear in black and white to most if not all. Shahbaz Sharif already sees it clearly. He's strongly opposed to Nawaz and Maryam's politics of confrontation with the judiciary and the military. Just wait and watch. I think Nawaz Sharif's and his princess's days are numbered. They're running out of time and tactics.

Rashid A. said...

Pakistani General distributing cash to Faizabad Dharna protesters.

Without comment.



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42149535

Riaz Haq said...

Rashid: "Pakistani General distributing cash to Faizabad Dharna protesters"

Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and their pals paid them to come for dharna and the army paid them to leave dharna.

Ahmad F. said...

So who lost and who won? The nation lost its image in the global media and its economy lost and its people lost since they were badly inconvenienced.

The only winners are those who did the dharna.

Riaz Haq said...

Ahmad: "So who lost and who won? The nation lost its image in the global media and its economy lost and its people lost since they were badly inconvenienced."

The Army thwarted Nawaz Sharif's efforts to sow chaos and force military takeover to claim victimhood and martyrdom.

Shahbaz Sharif saw through what his brother and niece were up to. He opposed and continues to oppose their politics of confrontation with the judiciary and the military.

In the end, Pakistan won. Democracy survived. And the economy will thrive with return to security and stability.

Ahmad F. said...

I wish it was that simple and transparent.

A thrice-elected prime minister whose government has a majority in parliament will act against the best interests of the country just to claim martyrdom!

Democracy has survived. And the army is on the side of democracy.

This has nothing to do with NS trying to improve ties with India and restrain the military to keep its activities to the military sphere.

Now I have heard everything.

Riaz Haq said...

Ahmad: "A thrice-elected prime minister whose government has a majority in parliament will act against the best interests of the country just to claim martyrdom! "

Nawaz Sharif is a highly corrupt and most self-serving politician who has been disqualified by the Supreme Court.

Instead of accepting the court's verdict as any serious democrat would, he's crying "democracy in danger".

And he's attacking the courts and the military.

Even his loyal brother Shahbaz is not supporting his selfish bid to destabilize the country and destroy democracy in the process.

Nawaz Sharif is the most selfish leader Pakistan has ever seen. I hope and pray that he gets what he deserves.

Riaz Haq said...

LIVE UPDATES: Khadim Hussain Rizvi announces end of protests across Pakistan

https://www.samaa.tv/pakistan/2017/11/live-updates-rizvi-announces-end-of-protests-across-pakistan/


The situation would not have deteriorated this much if I was involved in the negotiation process, Captain Safdar said.

Captain Safdar, in his statement, said that the government should not have gone to this extent for ending the sit in protests.

qasim said...

Who was behind dharna.leave it.who was disrupting the situation.who was trying to stage confrontation between army and the people?that was ns sharif.though he was disqualidied heading a meeting at raiwind palace when operation was launched against protesters.It is a question how 8000 police and fc cannot control the 2000 protesters.Thanks to Pak Army which reaslized the situation and end the dharna with peaceful way

qasim said...

Who was behind dharna.leave it.who was disrupting the situation.who was trying to stage confrontation between army and the people?that was ns sharif.though he was disqualidied heading a meeting at raiwind palace when operation was launched against protesters.It is a question how 8000 police and fc cannot control the 2000 protesters.Thanks to Pak Army which reaslized the situation and end the dharna with peaceful way

Riaz Haq said...

Judiciary shoring up ‘rule of law’ in #Pakistan. #NawazSharif disqualified based on JIT findings, #SharifFamily being investigated by #NAB after #PanamaPapers Leak

http://gulfnews.com/opinion/thinkers/shoring-up-the-rule-of-law-in-pakistan-1.2178550

For ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, defiance towards the judiciary may well seem like a road to an eventual political rehabilitation, but the writing on the wall is clear: His rule has definitively ended

By Farhan Bokhari, Special to Gulf News
Published: 17:01 February 24, 2018

A decision by Pakistan’s Supreme Court last week, to remove former prime minister Nawaz Sharif as head of the ruling party, must trigger further optimism for a nation where democracy is still taking root.

The ruling not only knocked out Sharif as leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a party created in his name, but the verdict also presented a powerful ray of hope for rule of law to finally take shape.

In Pakistan’s 70-year history, the citizens have become split into two categories on matters of law: Those who are law abiding and those who not only trample upon the law, but consider it their right to do so. Such reckless behaviour has fuelled what has widely come to be known as Pakistan’s crisis of governance, whose ill effects have seeped into every-day life.

It is no secret that Sharif, since his ouster last July, following a Supreme Court verdict, has repeatedly questioned that ruling. For him, being forced out on a Supreme Court verdict was blatantly unfair and struck at the heart of Pakistan’s democratic evolution. Some of his closest supporters even joined hands to publicly claim that the former prime minister became a victim of a grand conspiracy, possibly aimed at weakening the country’s democratic fabric.

Yet, beyond such rhetoric lies the powerful reality of the need to finally play by the rules.

The case against the former prime minister was triggered following revelations of large-scale unaccounted offshore wealth belonging to three of his children, which formed part of the so-called ‘Panama leaks’ — a comprehensive set of documents that was leaked from the offices of a Panama-based law firm. The revelations finally blew the lid off the dark world of secrecy that shrouded the Panama-based offshore bank accounts of the rich and wealthy the world over. For years, critics had pointed towards safe havens such as Panama where banks have zealously guarded the identity of their clients and their sources of wealth, irrespective of where those assets came from.

The global fallout from this saga put many to shame and brought about the downfall of figures like the Icelandic prime minister at the time. But Sharif chose to distance himself from the controversy by arguing that the wealth in his children’s name was legitimately earned from his family’s offshore businesses.

The outcome of the case, following a long-drawn trial in the country’s apex court, finally saw Sharif’s departure as prime minister last year. For the politically uninitiated, there are two aspects to the case that are excessively troubling.