Sada-e-Watan Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Sarah Macdonald
Zafar Hussain
ABC Broadcast an Exclusive live Interview of Syed Zafar Hussain
ABC Radio broadcasted exclusive live Interview of Syed Zafar Hussain, the Editor-in-Chief of Sada-e-Watan Sydney. The interview was broadcasted in the popular Breakfast Show of MS. Sarah Macdonald on Thursday, 3rd January 2008 at 9.15am. Presenter of the morning show Sarah Macdonald started the talk by introducing Syed Zafar Hussain to the listeners of ABC.
Sarah Macdonald: Thank you for your time Mr. Syed Zafar Hussain, we came to know that according to Australian time late night President Musharraf addressed on TV. Could you please be able to give us the details of this speech?
Zafar Hussain: Yesterday night President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation live on TV which I watched here in Sydney via the satellite dish. President Pervez Musharraf announced to invite a British team of Scotland Yard to assist the Government’s investigators in conducting the probe into the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. President Pervez Musharraf said Scotland Yard has been requested to send its investigation team to Pakistan and they are coming to Islamabad this week.
Sarah Macdonald: What was the reaction of the Benazir party on Musharraf’s announcement about British Investigators?
Zafar Hussain: PPP Cochairman Mr. Asif Ali Zardari has rejected the involvement of Scotland Yard in the investigation into Benazir Bhutto’s killing, and demanded that a UN Commission probe the matter. Asif Zardari said in an angry reaction that the government of Pakistan today remembered Scotland Yard for the probe and he questioned this at the press conference in Sind. He also asked why the government did not get help from the foreign investigating team when Benazir Bhutto was attacked for the first time in Karachi. Mr. Zardari wishes to conduct investigations by UN Commission like they did for the Prime Minister of Lebanon. As you already know, France and the European Union also offered for investigations but Pakistan Peoples Party did not support or accept the offer.
Sarah Macdonald: Did you think that the Government of Pakistan is serious regarding the investigation of targeting the killing of Benazir because they did not save any evidence and cleaned the crime scene with water?
Zafar Hussain: I agree with you that the fire brigade unit of Rawalpindi cleaned the crime scene of Liaqat Bagh and the Pakistani investigators were not properly active, but the Ministry of Interior announced the huge cash amount for the information about the killer. I think when President Musharraf addressed the nation immediately after the shocking news if he announced that time for seeking assistance from the Scotland Yard then the situation could be different. However, I think Musharraf could not make an announcement about foreign expert team without the willingness of the British Government.
Sarah Macdonald: Did President Musharraf talk about the new date of the general election in Pakistan?
Zafar Hussain: Three hours before the speech of President Musharraf, the election commission of Pakistan announced to postpone the elections of 2008 for a period of 40 days. Now these elections will be held on Monday, February 18, 2008 instead of January 8 2008. PPP condemns election postponement but decided to take part. President Musharraf did not mention the election or the new date of the election.
Sarah Macdonald: Mr. Zafar Hussain, now after Benazir, her husband is the chairman of the PPP. Do you think that PPP will still win the election?
Zafar Hussain: I strongly believe that PPP will win the election and form the government. When General Zia was President of Pakistan then people of Pakistan voted for PPP and Benazir Bhutto because they loved her father Z. A. Bhutto and now people will vote PPP because they love Benazir Bhutto and they hope from PPP for better work for the country and democracy.
Sarah Macdonald: Do you think Asif Zardari will control the political situation of Pakistan?
Zafar Hussain: I think he will hold and control the party & countries political crisis but Zardari's reputation is not like Benazir's and in the past a circle of people were openly calling him Mr. Ten percent.
Sarah Macdonald: Do you think that after wining the election PPP and Musharraf can work together?
Zafar Hussain: The answer to that will be clear after the polls but in the present situation Zardari is blaming Secret agencies of the govt for killing Benazir. He is also saying to Musharraf that he is trying to become Pakistani Gorbachauf. How can they work together in these circumstances?
Sarah Macdonald: What is the feeling of the Australian Pakistani community regarding the general election and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto?
Zafar Hussain: The Pakistani community living in Australia could not believe the sad news of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and could never expect this tragic news. Australian Pakistani’s are still in shock. Our newspaper Sada-e-Watan Sydney conducted a survey of the local Pakistani community and according to the results of the survey, the majority of Pakistanis believed that Peoples Party will win the election but were not sure what would happen next.
Sarah
Macdonald
Presenter, 702 ABC Sydney
Sarah Macdonald grew up in Sydney and studied Psychology at university, although she has never actually practiced. After university, she spent a year in India, a place she would return to many years later.
After completing a cadetship at ABC Radio News, Sarah worked as Triple J's political correspondent in Canberra. With the departure of Angela Catterns to "grown up ABC" Sarah took over the reins of the Triple J Morning Show.
Sarah has also worked in television on programs such as "Recovery", "Race Around the World" and "Two Shot." Returning to India, where her husband was working as an ABC foreign correspondent, Sarah wrote the book "Holy Cow" about her experiences living there.
