“The army has lost some of its standing, but the common man still has respect for it”

Join us on Friday, February 3, 2012, at 6:30pm: In the third episode of The Chat Room we discuss Musharraf’s desire to remain in Pakistani politics and the realities that hinder his return.

Pervez Musharraf oscillated between two possible scenarios for a couple of weeks before finally delaying his imminent return to Pakistan at the end of January. Newsline provides a photo gallery and links to articles in our archives describing the former president’s fortunes over the years.

Is any party interested in analysing the merits and demerits of the commissionerate versus the local government system, or do they only want a system that serves their own interests?

See what everyone else was reading on Newsline last month and catch up on what you missed.

And it shows Musharraf loves to talk just as much as ever before — he’s just a bit rusty at it.

Frosty CIA-ISI relations are unlikely to thaw anytime soon, especially after the unilateral raid on bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad and repeated US demands on Pakistan to crack down on the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan.

Allegations of a secret deal inked by Musharraf show him to be shedding crocodile tears over the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. This definitely won’t help the general’s plans for a comeback.

“The most barbaric and inhumane practices are being propagated in the name of religion in Pakistan,” says Iqbal Haider.

The free flow of weapons into Pakistan since the 1980s led to a tremendous increase in violence and continues to date, despite a subsequent attempt to de-weaponise the country.