Sharif was the prime minister of Pakistan–that is, until he overthrown, imprisoned, and eventually deported 8 years ago by General/President Musharraf. Sharif has been living abroad for the past seven years or so. Recently, he–like fellow exile Benazir Bhutto–has been positioning to get back into Pakistani Politics. Both Bhutto and Sharif sense that the General is losing power and popular support. And both are keen to take his place.
Last month, the Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that Sharif could return to Pakistan. This did not sit well with the General, who is already facing some serious dilemmas. First, Musharraf is facing external pressure from the West to (A) retire from the Military and (B) hold free and fair elections. Mush is also starting to catch shit at home because of his increased cooperation with America on anti-terrorism campaigns (for more info, see the Aug 29 blog post). Boy it is hard being the general these days… So the last thing Mush wants is some peppy political rival flying into Islamabad and creating a ruckus!
Anyway, so why the hell would I leave my true love Aung San Suu Kyi in the lurch to come see
Sharif? Because I was expecting an ASS KICKING! I figured the Mush-man would go personally to the airport and challenge Nawaz “The Sheriff” Sharif to one of those crazy Michael Jackson knife fights. Shit if I was going to miss that!
But alas, the General decided to fight Sharif politically and not physically, by arresting and RE-DEPORTING him. That’s right folks… Sharif was only in Islamabad for 4 hours… and he never left the airport! What a shitty trip! This also brings up one of the biggest questions amongst global travelers: does it count as going to a country if you never leave the airport? The Plaid answer is no. In fact, in my book you’ve only really “been” to a country if you have drank a local drink and loved a local woman, but I digress as always…
Anyway, So this airport stunt is sort of a big deal, because the Supreme Court said that Sharif could return, but the Executive-and-General said “get the fuck out”. By doing this, Musharraf is flagrantly ignoring an order that he–as President–is by law suppose to obey. Not such a good sign for Pakistan‘s democracy…
Or maybe it is. Maybe the population will not tolerate this breach of the law and will stand up. There are definitely a lot of pissed off Sharif supporters. Who knows! The moral of the story is to
keep watching Pakistan–shit is starting to get unstable.
Also, a funny note, here’s what the US Government had to say about the whole matter: In Washington, a White House spokesman described the deportation as an “internal matter” but noted that upcoming elections should be “free and fair.” Ummmm… yeah…right.What a bunch of goobers… Why would the US go out on a limb for a guy who is obviously NOT a great example of democracy at work? Because Mush the Man is their biggest and best-est ally in the ‘War on Terror’ man! You know this! The US will defend Mush to the end.
Plaid Avenger final analysis: Mush the Man is not going to deal with any competition from Sharif–the guy he kicked out. My money is still on Mush teaming up with Bhutto–and what a coincidence: she is still planning to come back, but has been much more patient about the terms under which she will do it. I think we are soon to see a Mush match made in heaven….because by allowing Bhutto to come in as the Prime Minister, and by simultaneously renouncing his army leadership role, Mush can still pull off staying in power as President and overseeing the transition back to democracy…in his own terms. He really is running out of options, so its a safe plaid bet.
We shall soon see if the Mush/Bhutto love connection bears fruit, but one thing is for sure: Sharif has been ‘stood up’ on the Paki prime minister prom night. Sorry dude! Go have some of the spiked punch and try to get a date for next year. And as always:
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Hello Plaid People! The Avenger here, having just escaped Burma after pissing on a statue of General Than Shwe. Only wish I had done it on the dude in person. Now I’m in Pakistan to meet up with the former Prime Minister. 
arresting and RE-DEPORTING him. That’s right folks… Sharif was only in 
coincidence: she is still planning to come back, but has been much more patient about the terms under which she will do it. I think we are soon to see a Mush match made in heaven….because by allowing Bhutto to come in as the Prime Minister, and by simultaneously renouncing his army leadership role, Mush can still pull off staying in power as President and overseeing the transition back to democracy…in his own terms. He really is running out of options, so its a safe plaid bet.
