A look at the opposition by Shafqat Mahmood

Fazlur Rehman obviously has qualities that the government finds useful. He collaborated with it to pass the seventeenth amendment, which gave General Musharraf the right to keep his army rank while being president. This set the Pakistani democracy back many years but he does not care. He has also persistently sabotaged Qazi Hussain Ahmad's attempts to put street pressure on the government. This has reduced at least one headache for the government.

His latest gambit is awe inspiring even by his usually low standards. He threatened the government to resign from the assemblies on the women's protection bill thinking that his 'bharak' or war cry would frighten it from moving forward. When Musharraf called his bluff, he sank more quickly than the soapy foam in the polluted Lahore canal. By his brazen and completely unashamed explanations, he has embarrassed his opposition colleagues and many in his party. Some like Hafiz Hussain Ahmad are shedding real tears for a change but is Fazl moved? No, he keeps making fake anti government statements and enjoying whatever benefits he can get.Read Complete Article