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November 7: Discussing the Political Situation in Pakistan

2007-11-07 · John · watch on YouTube · World affairs · news analysis

Answering Hank's request, John recounts Pakistan's politics from 1988 to Musharraf's 2007 crackdown while eating 24 Peeps pumpkins, arguing Musharraf fuelled Pakistan's radicalization and cheering the protesting lawyers.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; Hank's request to discuss Pakistan while eating something that isn't food; 24 Peeps pumpkins

  • ★★ Answering Hank's request, John discusses Pakistan while attempting to eat 24 Peeps pumpkins, joking that Peeps are not food since they have no nutrition. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Peeps
  • ★ The description says the next Scavenger Hunt clue will arrive once the current one has been solved. — 00:00:00 · Nerdfighter Scavenger Hunt

00:00:33 — Pakistan 1988-2007: Bhutto and Sharif, Musharraf's 1999 takeover, the US alliance, radicalization, the judiciary, the exiles' return and the emergency crackdown

  • ★★ John says that in 1988 Pakistan held its first free election in a decade, won by Benazir Bhutto. — 00:00:33
  • ★★ John says the prime ministership of Pakistan then went back and forth between Bhutto and Sharif. — 00:00:33
  • ★★ John says that in 1999 Sharif's government was seen as corrupt and there were rumours of a military takeover, which had happened many times before in Pakistan. (hedged) — 00:00:33
  • ★★★ John recounts that Sharif fired army chief Musharraf while he was abroad and barred his plane from landing at Karachi; the army seized the airport and the plane landed with minutes of fuel left. (playful) — 00:01:02
  • ★★ John says Musharraf thus became Pakistan's Prime Minister in 1999, just after Pakistan had made itself a nuclear power, which angered America. — 00:01:42 · United States
    • number check: 1999 — doubtful
  • ★ John likens an unelected general becoming head of government to 1970s South America and says US-Pakistan relations were bad. (playful) — 00:01:42 · United States
  • ★★ John says that right after September 11, 2001 Musharraf became a US friend, and grants that he has been fairly cooperative on terrorism to an extent. — 00:01:42 · United States
  • ★★★ John argues that Pakistan's radicalization would never have happened without Musharraf. — 00:01:42
  • ★★★ As evidence, John recalls that radical Islamic parties won about 6% in the late-1990s free elections, while analysts now say they could win up to 40%. (hedged) — 00:02:25
  • ★★ John says a quasi-independent judiciary kept Pakistan from full dictatorship; in early 2007 Musharraf asked the Supreme Court's leader to resign, he refused, which symbolized Musharraf's weakening. (hedged) — 00:02:25
  • ★★ John says that with Musharraf weakened and elections in the air, exiles Bhutto and Sharif saw a chance to return and restore democracy, or at least become the new dictator. (playful) — 00:02:25
  • ★★ John says Sharif flew in from Saudi Arabia last month and was met at the airport by the army, who told him to go back to Saudi Arabia or consider dying in jail. (playful) — 00:02:54
  • ★★ John says Bhutto returned from Dubai and was allowed in, but was almost assassinated on her way home. — 00:03:16
  • ★★★ John says Musharraf put most of the Supreme Court and other top judges under house arrest, suspended the Constitution and severely curtailed press freedom. — 00:03:16

00:03:42 — Pakistan's lawyers protest first; 'go lawyers'; sign-off

  • ★★★ John says Pakistan's lawyers were the first to protest and, joking that the world is screwed up when lawyers hold the moral high ground, cheers them on. (playful) — 00:03:42

Humor (significant)

  • Hank asked for something that isn't food; John insists Peeps pumpkins qualify. — 00:00:00 > «If they're food, how come they don't contain any nutrition?»
  • John retells Musharraf's coup as a casual phone call from a circling plane. — 00:01:02 > «hey guys, can you take over the airport in Karachi for me? And they're like, yeah!»
  • After Sharif is told to leave or die in jail, John delivers a line he has been saving. — 00:02:54 > «Sharif, needless to say, don't like it.»
  • Pakistan's lawyers are the first to protest the suspended Constitution. — 00:03:42 > «Hank, how screwed up is the world when lawyers hold the moral high ground?»

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  • Nov — «In your video yesterday, you asked if I would discuss the political situation in Pakistan while eating something that isn't food.»

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