A live-blog on the election results from Pakistan.
update, the morning: The morning - here - shows that PPP is within sight of a 2/3rd majority in the NA. The ANP will form a govt. in NWFP. In Baluchistan, PML-Q has most votes but between PPP and Independents and BNP there are enough votes to form a govt.
One: Musharraf got voted out everywhere. PML-Q, as I wrote earlier, was the only party that ran a campaign on their “record” and its major figures, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Sheikh Rashid, Wasi Zafar etc., were main characters in the Musharraf soap-operatic democracy. They are all out on the national scene. I think that the recent economic pains - lack of flour in the market, rising costs of water and electricity - had a lot to do with PLM-Q’s defeat.
Two: PPP is the only national party in the country.
Three: GO ANP in NWFP!! Our State Side Analysts will have to come up with a new storyline.
That was fun, very informative. Meanwhile, US forces are playing whack-a-mole (”We’re now in a sit-and-wait mode until someone else pops up.”) with al Qaeda in Pakistani territory.
With all due respect to Aitzaz Ahsan, Turkey’s got a more than adequate homegrown supply of asshole generals. They hardly need to be contemplating imports.
Still, here’s hoping there’s a plane to somewhere. If not a short trip to a well-appointed cell.