Naked ambitions of naked Pakistani politicians

Pakistan’s money hungry President Asif Ali Zardari has pulled Pakistan into a crisis. His naked ambition has taken the country into the verge of being a failed state. This violent Muslim country elected a new government 13 months ago amid hopes that democracy could rise from the ashes of military rule and the assassination of Zardari’s wife Benazir Bhutto. But Pakistan’s troubles have worsened.

Since in democracy, more than 70 bombings have killed hundreds. The International Monetary Fund was forced to bail out the economy. And neither offensives nor peace deals have quelled the menace of Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Dreams of a national unity government are in tatters. The president is on a collision course with the main opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, who has mobilised massive support to demand the promised reinstatement of judges sacked by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The government banned protests and rounded up more than 1,000 activists into prison vans — a crackdown that the US-based Human Rights Watch says imperils the country’s nascent democracy. Pakistani politics has been always been around the cercle of – a desire for power grab, desire to play brinkmanship, to play games with one another. The Bhuttos, landed aristocrats from Sindh, and the Sharifs, industrialists from Punjab who became fantastically rich in the 1980s, spent decades bickering and ousting each other until signing a charter of democracy in 2006. The document pledged to restore democracy, avoid confrontation and abolish the political role of the military, which has ruled Pakistan for around half of its 62-year existence. Papering over their enmity — Zardari spent 11 years in jail under Sharif administrations — they formed a coalition after February 2008 elections. But Sharif walked out last August, furious that the president had reneged on three written promises to reinstate around 60 judges, including supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, fired in 2007.

The problem was exacerbated by the president’s ties to Washington, where lawmakers are likely to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to 7.5 billion dollars over the next five years. The problem with Zardari is that he feels more powerful because he believes he has American support. US President Barack Obama has declared Pakistan a central front in the war against Islamist militants. There have been more than 30 suspected US drone attacks since August 2008, sparking domestic resentment against a complicit government. Sharif, on the other hand, raised alarm bells in the West during the 1990s for seeking to introduce sharia law while prime minister. Washington has courted Pakistan’s army chief of staff Ashfaq Kayani, eyeing the military as indispensable in its “war on terror” but has publicly stated it does not expect an armed takeover.

The Army chief Kayani has had several meetings with Zardari as political leaders, under British and US pressure, have scrambled to find a compromise to head off the crisis. What is certain is that Zardari’s rule has never been more shaken. One thing is for sure, three main players – Zardari, Sharif and Kayani do not want nation’s gain. There are here for personel gain. One will come up top and explote the nation. Jo jita wahi sikandar!

Political turmoil in Thailand: What’s next?

Thailand is facing serious political turbulences for the last few weeks. Anti-government demonstrators, demanding resignation of the Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, have seized the Government House in Bangkok and battled with the security forces in other parts of the country. Several labor unions and transport workers’ associations also joined the protest. However, resignation of Prime Minister will not put an end to the problem; it will start a new game altogether.

Kingdom of Thailand has a diverse geographic configuration that features flat plains, mountains, tropical rainforests and amazing beaches. The politics and governments of the country too, have shown an assortment of systems blended with interventions of the religion, monarchy and the military. Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, it experienced governments dominated by the elite rich or the military powers.

Despite almost regular military interventions, Thailand saw a steady economic growth and a financial boom in the 1980s that continued in the 1990s in full pace. The country nonetheless was severely struck with what became known as Asian Financial Crisis of 1997. Inflations caused Thai Baht valuation fall from 25 to 56 against the US Dollar. Unlike some other neighboring countries, Thailand gained momentum and came back to path of growth within a short time. Internal disturbance however made it difficult to maintain a steady growth. The saga still continues.

The Kingdom experienced its last military coup on September 19, 2006 following mass anti-government protests against the than Premier Thaksin Shinawatra over several high stake corruption allegations. The capital of the country practically became ‘human sea’ before the Army stepped with the blessings of the Monarchy. Thaksin Shinawatra was away and remained there for sometimes. Army Chief vowed to have a fair election and kept his words. Situation took an interesting turn when Thaksin Shinawatra backed People’s Power Party won the majority of seats in the December 2007 general election. Thaksin soon came back to face corruption cases, but only for few months; he fled to the UK last month and asked for political asylum there.

With a very brief silence, in mid 2008, Bangkok again became loud in the streets from protests demanding the resignation Shamak Sundaravej led government. The protesters say that Shamak led administration is only a puppet government, actually ruled by Thaksin himself.

A rather arrogant stance of Sundaravej to stay in power despite all the protests paved the way for further violence on the streets of Bangkok which later spread across the country. The unrests and disobedience are intensifying, so much so that the country at a time became virtually standstill with three regional airports and 35 train routs closed down. Amidst the crisis, a ray of hope emerged from the Army Chief General Anupong Paochinda who vowed not to seize power and see political problems be solved through political means.

On September 2, state of emergency was declared in Bangkok in response to the growing magnitude of civil unrest. The government vows a return to normalcy as soon as situation becomes stable. On September 4, The special cabinet of the ruling party agreed in principle to hold a referendum to seek public opinion on whether they want the government to continue administering the country or not.

Resignation of Samak Sundaravej led government seems to be the only solution to this problem but the question is, what next? There is strong possibility that People’s Power Party will again form government with its allies if an election takes place. This is because the party has quite a strong support base all over the country; not to mention it is funded by the rich elites including telecommunication Tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra himself. To its support, it has not done anything terrible to be ousted within a year of winning the last election. Another point that puts the ruling party in a safer position is that, the protests on September 2006 brought millions of people in Bangkok but this time around, there are only thousands. Moreover the general public is getting frustrated about the continuous unrest as it hampers their economical wellbeing and social comfort.

On the contrary, if there is an election and People’s Power Party fails to win, it will sure put pressure on the next government to earn its due; meaning unrest will hit the streets again. Worst comes worst, the Army generals might step in anytime with the excuse that political parties failed to solve the problem – politically.

In any case, Thailand is heading towards a bigger turmoil unless the anti-government protesters give the ruling party another chance to prove themselves that they are not puppets  by Thaksin and has the ability to pace up the economical paddle.

-Mohammad Yousuf
-Subhan Choudhury

Afghanistan in 2007: Drugs, Taliban & Corruption VS. Living Standard, Communication, Infant mortality

Six years after the US invasion in Afghanistan, the country is far from being a secured land. Presence of security forces including foreign peacekeepers, across the country, has not yet ensured a peaceful livelihood. Two-thirds of the Afghan population still lives on fewer than $2 US dollars a day. A recent survey, carried out by the US based Asia Foundation revealed that, 46% of the Afghan population believe that the security remains one of the biggest problems in the country.

 

However, the living standard of Afghan people took an upward turn since 2004 and is much superior than the life under Taliban regime. Communication is one of those sectors those were enhanced and made Afghan peoples’ life easier. For instance, Afghans had to cross the border and travel to Pakistan, just to make a phone call to relatives living abroad; now, over 2 million Afghans have their cellular phones and can contact relatives and friends in every corner of the world. The county has progressed in the health sector as well. Johns Hopkins University reported that Infant mortality rate of the country declined from 165 per 1,000 live births in 2001 to about 135 per 1,000 in 2006. This means that about 40,000 fewer infants are dying each year compared to during Taliban rule. Infrastructure development has recently got momentum as well. In 2006, US based Black & Veatch and the Louis Berger Group, won contracts worth $1.4 billion to rebuild roads, power lines and water supply systems of Afghanistan. Nevertheless, in the meantime, Taliban militants adopted new tactics from Iraqi insurgents and changed the pattern of their suicide attacks. In the first 10 months of 2007, Taliban militants conducted 193 suicides bombings; a 20% increase from last year.

 

The question is why the livelihood of Afghan people is not secured yet? What are the major roadblocks? The answer should not be restricted to “The Talibans”. Though the newspaper headlines still are scary, foreign forces in 2007, suffered less than one combat death a week. When Russia invaded Afghanistan in the 1980s, they lost 1572 dead a year, about five times higher than the US led foreign soldiers. Taliban are actually only a name in the list that illustrates the major roadblocks for development and a secured land; not even the first one. The major and ‘top of the list’ roadblocks are poppies, corruption and Pushtun tribal politics. Actually, these three factors merge and produce the Taliban.

 

The opium and heroin produced from the poppy crops in Afghanistan generate three billion dollars a year. The warlords use much of these funds to buy politicians, tribal leaders and thousands of gunmen. And about half of this figure goes to the farmers growing the poppies. This brings instant riches, because poppies yield 30 times more income than traditional food. In addition, Corruption in Afghanistan works as an ancient custom, hand in hand with poverty and violence. Tribal leaders and politicians of the country take for granted that they can be bought, or at least rented, if the price is right.

 

Taliban’s ‘believe system’ is corrupt itself, making things worst. The ‘Taliban way of life’ actually represents religious conservatism. Taliban way has no tradeoff or relations with the modern thinking. Thus the Taliban denounce education for women, and many other pillar of modern life. The Taliban fighters, nevertheless, like the expensive gadgets, such as SUVs and satellite phones very much but do not allow any other devices inside their households. Even by Afghan standards, Taliban represent extremist militants. Till today, the Taliban fighters believe that they are on a mission from the creator. They carryout this mission by using drug money. One wonders, what they will answer to their creator about their fund, if ever asked. But, for the time being, this source will keep things going for a while.

 

The solution lays in hitting on the source of fund. To eliminate Taliban militancy from the country, the highly profitable drug business has to be destroyed. In addition, the corruption has to be washed off and a diplomatic approach needs to be taken to deal the Pushtun problems.

 

It is true that, over the last 20 years, Afghanistan’s infrastructure suffered severe damages; its institutional devastation was equally harsh. Moreover, the country suffers some of the harshest climatic conditions and most difficult terrain on earth, of which, much is laced with millions of unmarked landmines. On the positive note, Afghanistan possesses 36 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, 3.6 billion barrels of petroleum and up to 1,325 million barrels of natural gas liquids along with huge amounts of gold, copper, coal, iron ore. If utilized properly, these natural resources can boost up Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts and can generate revenue to develop its infrastructure.

 

Economic opportunities, however, can be utilized, only if the drug problems and Pushtun politics are removed from the path. If the drug money does not reach the Talibans, they will automatically shift their mission to something else. They have to.

Pakistan bombing – What, Why, Who and other issues

The incident – ‘What’:
Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto arrived in her motherland on 18^th October, after eight years of exile. She was welcomed by millions of people at the airport. Unfortunately, a bomb attack turned Bhutto’s jubilant homecoming parade into a scene of carnage. The streets, packed with hundreds of thousands of her jubilant supporters, quickly became a scene of bloodshed. The campaign bus was heavily scorched and dented. Sources confirmed that a sole attacker first threw a grenade at the rally to break through the security cordon. Then he detonated the suicide jacket containing around 15 kgs of RDX explosive as he approached towards the bullet proof truck in which Benazir Bhutto was traveling. Impact? – 138 people dead and counting while over 480 others were injured. Bhutto said she also heard shots fired — possibly indicating multiple attackers. She said streetlights were not working and cell phone access was down at the time of the attack.

It was no surprise that Bhutto would be welcomed with suicide attacks upon her arrival. Many Islamic extremist groups are enraged by a recently brokered US backed power-sharing deal between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto. In times, such groups expressed their will of carrying out attacks against Bhutto due to her support for the United States, against which they are fighting in Afghanistan. Few days back, a spokesperson of Pro-Taliban militants told a member of Pakistan parliament that “we don’t accept President General Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto because they only protect the interests of the US”.

Benazir Bhutto herself had written a letter to General Musharraf couple of weeks ago, mentioning name of three people who wanted her to be dead.

‘Why’ and ‘Who’?
Benazir Bhutto played no hide and seek and suspects that Islamic militants are involved in the blasts, but has simultaneously blamed some elements within General Musharraf’s government of perhaps staging the attacks in collaboration. She said “I am not accusing the government. I am accusing certain individuals who abuse their positions, who abuse their powers”. The names she refused to say in the public are supposedly -Ijaz Shah, the head of the civilian spy agency Intelligence Bureau and her two old political rivals, the chief ministers of Punjab and Sindh provinces.

After the blast, Bhutto said, “the attack was more an attack on the unity and integrity of the country than on any individual or any one political party”. This statement signifies that she will not point fingers against her ally General Musharraf but will negotiate with Musharraf to promote democracy in a possible power-sharing deal.

There are strong chances that Islamist supporters of late military ruler Zia-ul-Haq are behind the blasts. Zia-ul-Haq overthrew Bhutto’s father, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, in 1977 and had him hanged two years later.

Authorities say the suicide bombing bore the hallmarks of a warlord and the al-Qaeda terror network. The Pakistani government formed a four-member police team to probe into the two blasts. Already, police took three people in for questioning. Investigators also quizzed seven militants in jails in Karachi for possible information on the blasts. Bhutto supporters, meanwhile, said they were not yet even sure if the probe could be trusted.

There is also a possibility that some third terrorist forum has emerged to dispirit the political process in Pakistan. The United States, which has backed the proposed power-sharing deal between key ‘war on terror’ friends Musharraf and the Oxford and Harvard educated Bhutto, has offered its assistance in the investigation.

Riot hit Pakistan:
As expected, major Pakistani cities observed riot after the bombing. Rioters held rallies and blocked roads by setting ablaze tyres in several cities across southern Pakistan. Dozens of stick-wielding young men forced traders to close shops in Karachi’s Liari district. When the riot police took stand on the area, they were welcomed with stones from the rioters. Hundreds of people took to the streets chanting anti-government slogans after attending the funeral of four victims of the bombing. Some districts of Sindh province observed a general strike on 20^th after Bhutto’s call for three days of mourning.

Bad but not worst:
-It was just a good luck to Benazir Bhutto, who escaped the attack. Her death would have incited much destructive violence in the country. – Over the years, the military government maintained a negative attitude towards political parties and political leaders. On 18 October, the Pakistan People’s Party demonstrated its organisational capacity to mobilise its activists from all over the country for a focused political activity.

The coming days:
In the months to come, Pakistani politics will be still less clearly defined in its alignments. Military ruler Musharraf’s popularity has slumped since he tried to sack the court’s chief justice in March this year while Islamic militants have paid him back for a bloody raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in July with 22 suicide bombings since then. This bombing will bring public support in favor of Musharraf. He will in turn take hasty steps to cut hands of his enemies. Things will go nasty.

The election process itself, marred by violence in ethnically and politically divided Pakistan, could now be at risk amid the current wave of violence and unrest.

Peace and calmness are distant from settling in Pakistan.

 

Updates:

The Pakistan government said, it has no plan to remove Intelligence Bureau Director General Brigadier (Retd) Ejaz Shah on demand of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto, it has been learnt.

Benazir Bhutto urged Pakistan to enlist international experts to help find those behind last week’s suicide attack which turned the former premier’s homecoming parade into bloody carnage.

Investigators probing the attack on former premier Benazir Bhutto’s motorcade now feel that the twin blasts were carried out by two suicide bombers, even though the Pakistan’s Interior Minister maintained that only one bomber was involved.

Bhutto eyes major stake in caretaker governments.

 

Myanmar: ‘Humanity’ and ‘Business’ are two separate issues

Despite global annoyance over Myanmar’s bloody crackdown on the Buddhist monks and dissents, multinational firms are still competing and racing to grab contracts on the country’s rich natural resources. This move by the multinationals is actually throwing an economic lifeline to the military regime which is otherwise facing a serious threat from the general people.

Multinational firms from China, South Korea, India and Thailand are looking to exploit the energy resources of Myanmar. US based energy giant Chevron, French oil group Total and China’s top oil producer, China National Petroleum Corporation are among the companies giving much needed income to the Myanmar’s autocratic government. Currently, France’s Total and Malaysian Petroliam Nasional Bhd, pump gas from fields off Myanmar’s coast through a pipeline to Thailand, which takes 90 % of Myanmar’s total gas output. Recently, Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora was in Yangon, for signing contracts between Indian ONGC Videsh and Myanmar’s military rulers to explore three offshore blocks.

Altogether, nine foreign oil companies are involved in 16 oil and gas blocks of the country. These petroleum corporations offer economic support to the country’s repressive junta, and in some cases are complicit in human rights abuses. According to the US legal director of Earth Rights International, “They are funding the dictatorship”. “The oil and gas companies have been one of the major industries keeping the regime in power”. Co-coordinator of the Alternative ASEAN Network, Debbie Stothard said “All these profits go to the regime”. He added “these companies don’t care about human rights and what is going on in Yangon”.

Japan’s Nippon Oil Corp, South Korea’s Daewoo International, Malaysia’s state-run Petronas and two Indian power giants, Gail India and Oil and Natural Gas Corp, are also racing for new billion-dollar contracts. Japan’s Nippon Oil said, there would be no change in its Myanmar operations following the crackdown on demonstrations. It said that it sees the political situation and energy business as separate matters.

Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged his country’s businesses, including Total, to freeze their investments in the impoverished nation, which has been ruled by the military since 1962. Total has a 31% stake in Myanmar’s major Yadana project, which would carry gas from fields in the Andaman Sea to power plants in Thailand. Total has not yet made any public announcement on the issue.

One more time, these blood eating multinationals have proved that ‘Humanity’ and ‘Business’ are actually two separate issues.

Thailand moves forward with the new referendum

Voters in Thailand approved the new constitutional referendum proposed by the military-backed government which seized power in September, 2006. Exit polls showed that 70% of the votes were posted in favor of the draft constitution, which would replace a 1997 constitution.

A diverse group of opponents has been campaigning against the basic law, warning it will only empower the nation’s bureaucracy and the military at the expense of elected leaders. On 18th August, opposition leaders of the ‘Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship’ released 1,000 red balloons in Bangkok urging voters to reject the draft charter.

An estimated 45 million Thais were eligible to vote. About 60% of Thailand’s voters turned out on 19th August – anything less than a 50 percent voter turnout would have been interpreted as a condemnation of last year’s coup. Earlier, the government has deployed 15,000 troops to increase security for the country’s first-ever referendum at 810 polling stations in the trouble-torn deep South. All the nation’s security forces have been enlisted to campaign for the charter. TV stations, all under government or military control, have run a steady stream of adverts reminding people to vote; it worked.

The ousted democratic government and this military installed government, both had / have trouble in tackling the Muslim Insurgences of the South. The area has witnessed more than 2,300 slayings since January, 2004, when Muslim militants stormed an army arms depot and stole 300 war weapons, signaling an escalation in the separatist struggle that has simmered on and off in the area for the past five decades. The three provinces are already under “emergency decree,” allowing authorities to detain suspects without charges for up to a month. Most Muslim organizations in the area have said they will support the new constitution, Thailand’s 18th since the overthrow of the absolute monarchy in 1932. Nearly 80 per cent of the 2 million people living in the three southernmost provinces profess to be Muslims, making the Thai Buddhists of the deep South a minority community in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. The three-province area, which borders Malaysia, comprised an independent Islamic sultanate known as Pattani for hundreds of years before being conquered by Bangkok in 1786. The area came under direct rule of the Bangkok bureaucracy in 1902.

This new constitution gives the military too many liberties and leaves the country vulnerable to a future of military coups too similar to its pastn. a rejection of the charter could re-ignite political tensions, delaying elections and injecting fresh uncertainty into Thailand’s wobbly economy.

On recent development, a 300-strong paramilitary ranger task force detained 18 insurgent suspects and seized weapons on Friday, during a raid in Sungai Padi district of Thailand’s far southern province Narathiwat. The raid was a follow-up operation after a clash between authorities and militants in the area on Aug. 10, Thai News Agency reported. The rangers also confiscated ammunition, radio transceivers, 20 mobile phones, and remote control circuitry. All detainees will be questioned by the police and undergo forensic tests.

While ousted Premier’s football Club Manchester City beats mighty Man United in England on 19th, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, received a prestigious military award from Singapore Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean. The Meritorious Service Medal was awarded to Sonthi in recognition of his contributions toward enhancing the strong ties between the Singapore and Thai Armies.

• A total of 45,671,531 eligible voters throughout the country had been urged to cast their ballots in Thailand’s first-ever national referendum during the given eight-hour polling.

  The Suan Dusit Poll said it surveyed 20,237 voters around the country and found that 67.94 percent of the surveyed voters endorsed the draft while the remaining 32.06 percent voted against the draft.

  In Bangkok, 75.49 percent of voters accepted the charter while only 24.51 percent rejected it.

  In other provinces apart from Bangkok, 67.56 percent of voters voted yes while 32.44 percent voted no.

  In the northern and northeastern regions, considered as the strongholds of the former ruling party Thai Rak Thai and its founder, ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, some 65.58 and 57.07 percent “Yes” votes were counted respectively, according to the poll.

  Another exit poll carried out by Ramkhamhaeng University found that 60.19 percent of 17,346 voters nationwide it surveyed approved the draft constitution, while the other 39.81 percent voted against it.

Armed Groups Emerging In Southern Nepal

Even after former Maoist rebels gave up their arms and joined the political process, the violence is not likely to stop. Reports suggest that another armed group emerged in Southern Nepal this week.

The newly formed group is calling itself Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha-Second (JTMM-Second). The JTMM-Second is a splinter faction of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha, which is led by Jaya Krishna Goit. A member of the CPN-Maoist, Goit had formed his group, JTMM-G, following a dispute with the CPN-Maoist leadership in 2004. The newly armed group has been formed under the leadership of Bisfot Singh, a former rebel.

Singh told media persons that he decided to form a new group, as the JTMM-G failed to address the issues of the Madheshee people in Southern Nepal. Eight ‘military’ commanders of the JTMM-Goit announced the formation of the JTMM (Second).

The ‘military’ commanders accused the JTMM-Goit of being unable in bringing independence to Southern Nepal. They also said they would work for the welfare of the Madheshee people.There are many other armed groups operating under various names in Southern Nepal. These include the major groups; JTMM, led by Jwala Singh and National Defense Army (NDA), led by a Hindu priest, among others.

Although there the government does not provide official statistics, unofficial reports say such armed groups have killed about 100 persons in Nepal to date.

Laos’s coup defendants plead not guilty

Ten people accused of plotting to overthrow the communist government of Laos were pleaded not guilty by an US court. Last week, a grand jury accused Vang Pao, a 77 year old ex-general in the Royal Army of Laos and nine other members of California’s Hmong community. Among the charged, was Harrison Jack, a former Army Ranger who worked with Hmong fighters during the Vietnam War.

The charges created a fear among California’s Hmong community, which includes thousands who fled following the 1975 takeover of Laos by the communists. On 18 June, a crowd of up to 1,500 people who feel that the US government has not done enough to stop the harassment of Hmong in Laos, demonstrated outside the federal courthouse in Sacramento and demanded a fair trail.

All 10 are charged with conspiring to violate the Neutrality Act against a nation with which the US is at peace; conspiracy to kill, kidnap and maim; conspiracy to possess firearms and destructive devices; and conspiracy to export munitions without a State Department license. The indictment says that alleged conspirators were meeting with a person they believed was a weapons broker but who actually was an undercover federal agent at a Thai restaurant in Sacramento last February. According to the indictment, after the meeting, they examined a truckload of weapons that contained samples of AK-47s, M-16s, C-4 explosives, anti-tank rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and Claymore mines.

Judges have refused to set bail during previous hearings, saying the defendants could be a flight risk or pose a danger to society. Federal prosecutors say the defendants intended to buy nearly $10 million worth of weapons. Earlier this year, Jack, a former California National Guard officer, sent an e-mail to friends suggesting the Lao government was planning mass killings of Hmong remaining in the country. That apparently was the origin of the alleged 10’ planning to overthrow the government

The Hmong, a mountain people, helped US forces during the Vietnam War. Those who stayed behind after Laos fell to the communists have been subject to severe persecution. Many have fled to Thailand, where they live in refugee camps. Those who came to the US are concentrated in California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Vang Pao was confident of broad support in Laos for a coup, including from former military officers. He foresaw gathering 1,284 battle-ready troops and another 10,000 unarmed opposition party members. His plan included bombing government buildings, shooting down military aircraft and shutting down transport links. Martial law would have led to the establishment of a temporary government, giving way to elections after two years.