Shaukat Aziz is no doubt a clever person. He was an ordinary employee in Citibank in Dubai where he made friends in the royal family. He went to America and became a banker to a group of global kingmakers. PML-N Senator (and then-finance minister) Ishaq Dar brought him to Pakistan where he started advising the government on economic issues. Mr Aziz’s aim was to become governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and Ishaq Dar was about to do just that when the PML-N government fell.
However, Mr Aziz immediately contacted a relative of Pervez Musharraf and managed to speak to the army chief. The result was that he soon became finance minister and later prime minster. In fact, Mr Aziz played his cards so well that after Musharraf’s fall from power, he left the country and is now leading a lavish lifestyle abroad. People blame General Musharraf or the Chaudhry brothers for most of the ills of the previous government, conveniently forgetting Shaukat Aziz’s doings. And the irony is that he is still giving advice to poor countries on how to run and improve their economies.
Now, I have to say, I have seen a very different Shaukat Aziz in a meeting right before he left his post as prime minister. He told me he was under pressure about what to do with the Lal Masjid issue and the suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan. But what I want to mention is three predictions he made at the time, all of which I disagreed with, but which came true.
He said that Musharraf will get all his sins white-washed but the Akbar Bugti murder would be his undoing and that certain evidence in that matter, if and when disclosed, could make life difficult for him. “It will be a difficult time for Musharraf and then the army will have to choose one; Musharraf or Balochistan,” he had said.
The second thing he had said was that Nawaz Sharif will be able to return home but America and Saudi Arabia will not let him speak freely and that if the PPP and the PML-Q formed a government in the future, Sharif will be “periodically active, periodically inactive.”
And the third was that a third power is using the bench and the bar for its own interests. Ultimately the judges will get restored but the lawyers will not let them work, creating a crisis where the bench and bar will lock horns with one another. “Both will have an end similar to ours,” he said.
The first two points have already become true. And now the lawyers and the judiciary are pitched against each other, so much so that an honest and principled district and sessions judge, Zawar Ahmed Shaikh, has been sent on forced leave.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2010.
Terrorism and Pakistani nation.
Yesterday I was sitting with some Tajik officials and one of them asked me weather I know where the Wazirabad is? I told him it is about 30 KM from my village. I asked him does he has some friend living in Wazirabad? He started smiling and said that the suicide Bomber who attacked the Khujand Police Station last month was trained in a Madrissa in Wazirabad.
I have noted that every where the investigation of any terrorist activity ends up in Pakistan.
My nation is blaming the whole world for their problems. They can not even have the common sense to understand the problems faced by the world. Millions of law abiding Citizens of Pakistan travelling to different countries suffer because of the activities of Those Jehadists. I can not understand what type of service those Mullas are doing to Islam, Pakistan, or to their children?
In my opinion those Mullas are the real enemies of Pakistan, Islam, and my children. They are working against my nation and against my children and because of their activities economic Problems are increasing day by day.
Nation should stand firm against those people and should stop making heroes of Afia Sidiqque, Lal Masjid Bunch and thousands like them. Killing innocents will definitely bring AZAB to those Mullas and Supporting those Criminals will destroy Pakistan.
Tajikistan is a country where every religion enjoys liberty, Beard is well respected and taken as a symbol of honesty unlike in Pakistan where to me Beard has become a symbol of Terrorism.
Mostly Journalist of Pakistan are followers of Rich & Land lord politicians, They don’t discuss those who are sincere with Pakistan, Like Meraj Muhammed, Asgher Khan Serdar Mazari, and Mr Faisal Muhammed,
Faisal Muhammed who is a central Deputy” Sec” general of PML (Zia) disclosed this all story in 15th November 2006,
see the article of Mr Nazir Laghari (Jung) & other Indian news paper’s.
Mr Jawed Keep this in your mind’
The big politician always give a small remarks….Like Shuket Aziz
Dear Brother (Tajikistan)
I don,t know what kind of priorities peoples like you have in their minds whlie writing on public fourms, but I know if we want to save our nataion our country we must have to save Islam in Pakistan. The people you call TERRORISTS (Lal Masjid Bunch) are the real heros of Islam. You people don’t even know the meanings of extremeizm. Extremeizm is not what the people murdered in Lal masjid did, Extremeizm is what the Musharaf and his alies did with them.We need to understand that on which side we are, one side is of the enimies of Muslims and the other is of the true muslims of Chachina, Bosina, Palstin, Afaghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir and Pakistan.No doubt there are some people who are misrepresanting Islam for their own intrests but you can not blame those who sacrified their lives for Islam. Please think seriously about it.
Allah bless all Muslims!!!
The rise & success of Shaukat Aziz from a good banker to Finance Minister & subsequently as Prime Minister lies in his ability to speak cautiously and never uttering a single word out of necessity. He knows how to protect his interest and has always been loyal to his Masters. He never ever gossip even about those who dislike him & never burns the bridge. I highly doubt that he made these predictions; he may have commented on these happenstances, however not in a manner of predictions. Those who know him can testify that he has few trusted friends but 1000 of acquaintance with whom he never confides. So, Mr. Chaudhry I question the credibility of your story because it smells – as you waited too long!