In response to Ijaz Ul Haq’s venom against democratic government and foreign policy;

First appeared in The News.

This is with reference to Ijaz Ul Haq’s two-part article “Options for Pakistan” (December 24, 25). I agree with Mr Haq that “Pakistan has vital interests and serious stakes in Afghanistan”. Every state has regional interests, but we also have vital interests within Pakistan. These interests are under attack by the monsters called jehadis who were created by the writer’s father, General Ziaul Haq, while serving CIA interests.

There is a consensus among the entire nation that extremism nourished by the dictator is a serious threat to the country’s existence. Therefore, Mr Haq should keep his father’s ideological legacy of ‘strategic depth’ to himself. Of course we need to protect our strategic interests in the neighbouring states, but it is people’s representatives who have the right to determine what these interests are.

Mr Haq cannot be expected to understand the reasons why people love the Bhuttos even after their death. Had his dictator father understood it he would have refrained from killing, flogging and imprisoning innocent Pakistanis while serving US interests. It was Ziaul Haq who surrendered our sovereignty to the US in his greed for power and American dollars. Pakistan today bleeds because of the ‘jehad enterprise’ of which his father was the chief executive.

Amazingly Mr Haq is now objecting to the presence of Americans driving unregistered vehicles in Pakistan. Has he forgot that the slogan ‘Allah-America-Army’ was first raised when his good father was faithfully serving the Americans and recruiting Muslim youths for the American holy war? While criticising Musharraf he conveniently forgot that he remained faithful to him, who he has now termed an ‘American puppet’, as long as he was in power.

Ahmad Nadeem Gehla

First Published by Daily Times.

A study of transformation from military dictatorship to democracy around the world would reveal that there are two possible ways. Either it is achieved through a popular revolution or by negotiations between political forces and dictators. The former invariably demolishes the entire system and mostly involves bloodshed putting a new system in place while the later allows the change to happen within the prevailing system based upon certain negotiated terms.

These terms might not necessarily meet the international laws and judicial norms as it is always a middle path. The return of democracy in Pakistan after a long period of military dictatorship is a unique example of such ‘negotiated change’. The terms reached with the help of international power brokers and guarantors ensured withdrawal of politically motivated cases, return of exiled leadership and shedding of uniform by Pervez Musharaf in return for re-election. After assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the international and domestic pressure became so immense that Pervez Musharaf not only have to accept the condition of fair elections but also have to negotiate for an exit in return for protection from prosecution for unconstitutional actions. A civilian dictator might not get such a deal.

Another option available to political forces at that time was to over through dictatorship by a popular revolution. Let us not forgets that the world community would not allow a nuclear armed nation to reach the point of bloody revolution.  Especially, when there are more chances of falling in to a civil war hijacked by religious extremists than overthrowing a dictator.  Without a negotiated change, how popular a movement might, it is not possible to remove a military backed dictator without bloodshed. We have witnessed the return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from exile, who came back in violation of deal reached on guarantees of our ‘friends’ in Middle East and was sent back by next flight. Despite the promises of a million people’s reception by right wing parties, not a dozen were able to break the security arrangements and show up at airport to receive their leader. Even after Nawz Sharif was forcibly deported to Saudi Arabia, establishment successfully countered public reaction avoiding any law and order situation. Obviously, possibilities of overthrowing dictator’s thorough protests are not that bright.

Unable to fight the powerful military establishment which has far more guns and tanks on their disposal, negotiating was the only option available to Benazir Bhutto. Much debated and controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) promulgated by former dictator Pervez Musharaf paved way for return of Benazir Bhutto and later for Mian Nawaz Sharif, without the fear of being arrested or deported. The cases withdrawn against Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari under NRO were registered during regime of former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and remained unproved during lengthy trial and detention of Asif Ali Zardai for eleven years. Both Mian Nawaz Sharif and Saif ur Rehman, the former head of National Accountability Beauru appointed by him have repeatedly confessed that these cases were false and cooked on pressure of establishment which wanted to malign the name of Benazir Bhutto and her family. How big price it is to move towards a democratic process by withdrawing these fabricated cases?

This fact alone leaves no space for political leadership to avoid its responsibility of revoking these politically motivated cases through parliamentary legislation. Mr Shraif and MQM should have taken a bolder stand in parliament while they have repeatedly expressed in public that these cases are false. However, the political leadership is trying to avoid their responsibility to please the establishment, thus pushing the matter of NRO to superior judiciary to decide. Superior courts around the world avoid interfering in to political matters despite having jurisdiction over such issues under the ‘political question doctrine.’  The purpose of this self imposed restriction is to distinguish the role of judiciary from those of the legislature and the executive. Political questions include the ratification of constitutional amendments, conduct of foreign policy and administrative actions of governments. However there is no ridged rule and a court might choose to go ahead in case the ‘demands for a fair trial and criminal justice outweighed the political question doctrine’ as ruled by a US Federal Court in case of President Richards Nixon.

The exception set in Richard Nixon case is widely referred to and abused to neutralize the political rivals in dictatorships and developing democracies where establishments use superior judiciary as a tool to further their own agendas. The superior judiciary in Pakistan has been a victim of this power game by dictators and political leadership on cost of its integrity and reputation. Judiciary has lost a lot in terms of legitimacy of its decisions while playing power game, from the death sentence of ZA Bhutto being the worst and unrecoverable stigma on its face to providing cover to unconstitutional takeover of Pervez Musharaf. The same superior judiciary in offices today miserably failed to dispense justice to Asif Ali Zardari in eleven long years and convicted Mian Nawaz Sharif under establishment’s pressure. With restoration of Chief Justice and sacked judges through a popular movement, the judiciary has won its independence but its impartiality is still to be tested. Should judiciary once again be dragged to deliver political decisions while political leadership lacks the courage to take bold stand on its publically confessed mistakes of past?

It might not be out of context to mention that first Prime Minister of Pakistan from Sindh was assassinated in Punjab and those in establishment involved in cover up of his murder were blessed with huge estates. ZA Bhutto, the second Prime Minister from same province, was assassinated through a judicial verdict. The third and fourth Prime Ministers Muhammad Khan Junejo and Benazir Bhutto respectively, were unconstitutionally sacked and could not get justice from superior judiciary. Once again the superior judiciary is being dragged in to power game to remove President Zardari from the office for which he has been elected with overwhelming majority from four Provincial Assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate. The plan to extract a political decision on technical grounds to remove an elected President is not going to strengthen the institution of judiciary or democracy. Especially when the necessary link of ‘demands for a fair trial and criminal justice outweighed the political question doctrine’ as set in Richard Nixon’s case is missing in NRO after confessions of Mr. Sharif and Saif ur Rehman. Will court call Mr Sharif and record his statement while deciding the NRO, and if not, what would be the legitimacy of such decision?

Apart from the outcome of political circus to be staged in superior judiciary, those advising President Zardari to face courts have to realize the fact that he was in continuous imprisonment for eleven years.

His detention is longer than the period of life imprisonment in Pakistan. Even if convicted in cases against him the sentence would have been lesser than imprisonment already undergone by Mr Zardari. Although according to the judgments of superior judiciary under section 497 of CrPC, any person who is under detention for more than two years and whose trial is not concluded would become entitled to bail. The very same relief of bail was not extended to President Zardari for eleven long years by the superior judiciary. Under the Criminal Laws of Pakistan, if prosecution fails to bring sufficient evidence against accused for a reasonably long period of time, the accused has a right to request the court to drop charges.  Mr Zardari’s applications before superior courts for that relief also failed to earn him justice in eleven year. Should not people have reservations that Mr. Zardari will get justice this time from judiciary while even today most of the judges in chair are the same who were unable to dispense justice to him in past?

Even after restoration of Judges, several questions are being raised about its performance even by leadership of the lawyer’s movement. While Mr. Sharaif and Altaf Hussain has advised President Zardari to face the courts, both leaders are reluctant to welcome the decision in Roedad Khan’s petition for ISI’s money politics and a judicial enquiry in to 12th May’s massacre respectively. There is a prescribed process for removal of elected President in constitution, if political leadership thinks that Mr. Zardari is either ineligible or unfit for the job, it should resort to constitutional remedy through impeachment motion. Once again, dragging judiciary in to power game would be an unpleasant and undesired burden for institution which still has to go through the test of impartiality and establish its lost credibility. While all other institutions have been deteriorated to core during long dictatorships, the only hope left for people is institution of judiciary, restored after long and tough struggle.

If political leadership once again falls in to establishment’s trap to extract political decision from court, the scars on national unity and institutional integrity might be deeper than we do afford as a nation state.

Sometimes we wake up and we don’t realize how quickly the time passes. The joke of the clock is that it keeps ticking like a time bomb waiting and rotting away. Testing our every move and action, life is a black comedy that makes our stomachs hurt. Bent over by pain, we put our hands up to let everyone know it will be okay. Part of the audience, we watch the actor’s put on a show. Despite it’s predictable ending, the dialogue in the play is rushed and wrong. In the end, we tell ourselves that the actors tried their best. The applause rings again and show goes on.

The actor’s waste their free time walking through forests of designer clothes and limousines. Lost and consumed by their insignificance, they wear these costumes to play the part. Looking to cover their major insecurities, they act like never before. The scene changes as the audience rises as applause rings deep into their chest. Following the end scene, they take there bows, as the audience whispers there disdain, it is irrelevant. For the the actor’s stand tall and proud like statues made of  lies and fears. So as they imagine what they want, and believe they are where they are. They keep acting out the part but at the end of day, the stage dissappears and the audience walks away. Now they are all alone left shivering cold on the well lit stage.

 Illusions supersede any reality. The illusion is the way the stage never disappears. Through their master orators they document pain like it’s a contest that there fighting. Though people can see through this idiocracy, they enjoy that figment instead of  reality. Quietly, the act extends like a virus into every innocent mind that thinks and breathes. The mind starts to play tricks like the flicker on 8 mm film, flashing lights of reality. When the lights disappear, people are faced with this unending feeling that this life is led for them and it is not life that they lead. The change occurred as these souls compromised their pursuit of truth for a life of dreams and fantasy. Ignorance tears bliss shreds as everyone now realizes how they have become so empty. When the people wake up from their deep sleep, they realize that those fast dreams were never meant to be. The destruction of the honest soul is now complete.  

What’s the use of trying to pick and choose, right and wrong became one a long time ago. Now the drought of soul beats down enfolding on our every move, as coffins fall from the skies. The saddest sounds resonate as the hopeless souls gather around as if it was some formality. They think to themselves can we ask for more suffering, as tears fall in sheer jealousy while the bodies scatter into the earth reminding everybody what it meant to be free. The spectacle is complete as they chant so freely, ” Take this weight away, take this weight away”.

The play continues…

On November 11, 2009, KH. Saad Rafiq came to the CCP office in Lahore for an in-depth and hard-hitting question and answer session to convey the views of PML-N on the issues regarding NRO, Accountability and Democracy.

The discussion was moderated by CCP governing body members Hamid Zaman and Rukhsana Imran Ali.

This closed door town-hall meeting created an understanding about Party dynamics and Party policies in regards to the nations problems.

Thoughts on Musharaf

Saad Rafiq started out by saying that there was no confusion regarding the status of former dictator Pervez Musharaf and he had to be held accountable for his action as a dictator. The main issue regarding the status of the dictator is the method through which one must try him. These two schools of thoughts are legislative and the other is revolution. The legislative method means that they have to go according to the parliments and supreme-court rulings. The revolutionary method would be to boycott elections and parliament. PML-N feels that despite importance of the issue, one must be patient in our resolve to try and get justice for the actions of Pervez Musharaf.

Policy on Balochistan and Swat Operations

Saad Rafiq explained that he felt that the PML-N had not done enough to resolve the issues in Balochistan. Explaining one reason was, that their representation in the area was wiped out in what they called the robbery by the newly established PML-Q party. In terms of strategic policy, the general view of the PML-N was that there should have been no operations and only dialogue. As the circumstances changed he said, that PML-N felt that the groups of militants can be engaged in dialouge should be dealt with in that manner. But operations against the militants who are perpetuating violence should continue. So there should be a balance between dialouge and operations. For now, PML-N and especially Nawaz Sharif is trying to develop a grassroots representation so that they can hold these dialouges in those areas.

On the Political establishment, jail and the current political landscape.

Explaining the dynamics of the Pakistan political scene, Saad rafiq explained the powerful establishment can only diminshed when the people starting taking harder stands. Rafiq explained PML-N was a creation of the establishment much like the peoples party. The establishment meaning the army and bureaucracy has to be minimized or controlled to give politicians a chance to grow.

Our association with the peoples party came to be when Nawaz Sharif came back from exile. PPP had a large history of opposition politics and the alliance with them was necessary. Zardari was seen as an unknown quantity. Our general assumption was that his time in jail had mellowed him out. The reality was that this was not true.

 Saad rafiq also referred back to his experience in jail where he said a change took place which has really brought promise to the landscape. His experience was that in the news we saw lums student protesting against establishment something that has never occurred.

The idea was that jail was supposed to teach people things. So the unknown quantity of Asif Zardari was backed, and  now the PPP under zardari has developed into a collection of his friends from jail and other places.

Accountability and structure in the PML-N

 When asked the question of  how the party dynamics work and how the members are kept accountable in a broader sense. Saad Rafiq responded by explaining that PML-N is going through a restructuring period in which they are creating commitees and other structures to further cater towards the public.

 On Accountability he sited the example of MPA Shamaila Raina was caught stealing a credit card. They developed a committee and went through with an inquiry. The inquiry found her guilty so then she was asked to resign. When she refused that option they were forced to kick her out.

Also, he explained generally speaking every politician puts there assets in family member names due to the uncertainty face in the world of politics. 

Conclusion:

Saad Rafiq by any nature is a nationalist, he does believe in Pakistan. He is an experienced politician but lacks the technical acumen for legislative work and policy making. He pointed out several very key issues, one is that politicians are the lower tear of governance in the country. Their power is limited by several external factors therefore they are forced to make compromises. 

PML-N is still a developing party that does not have a proper structure that can handle the requirement of modern day politics. It works for Pakistani politics as the overall structure is still adhoc and centralized. Though they have a several reputed representatives there centralized structure means that they are still understanding the art of administration. 

In the end, he outlined several very important things about the necessary growth of the civil society. Till the civic duties of citizens are mobilized there will be a huge gap in politics. He explained that developed countries which are full of think tanks and other civic measures, in this area Pakistan is lacking. The civil society will have to work towards that for politicians to be more effective.

Though Saad Rafiq did not try to play himself off as an angel, he skimmed through many questions without directly answering them at times. His responses did receive some positive feedback, one thing I believe that irked a lot of people was the relationship  and support Nawaz Sharif the Party Head. Many people feel that the distance and slow-paced politics which nawaz sharif plays is holding back PML-N in many ways.

 I suppose in the end, it was also not that comforting for him to be in a room of passionate civil society members who wanted answers. The end result for me at least is that, politicians alone are not the saviors. The root cause for distress lies buried in the heart of the establishment and till that is stopped these establishment parties will continue to succeed.

Non-territorial Settlement: Towards a Second Partition

Mohan Krishen Teng

Engagement with Pakistan, which the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has commended to the Indian People as “a way forward” to establish a relationship of peace, is in real terms a prescription for the second Partition of India. The composite dialogue between the two countries and the long Track Two negotiations held behind the scenes for over a decade now, have centered round the quest for a settlement on Jammu & Kashmir, which is acceptable to the Muslims of Pakistan and the Muslims of Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Prime Minister’s claim to have formulated proposals envisaging a non-territorial solution on Jammu & Kashmir, which does not involve any territorial adjustments and which would be acceptable to Pakistan and the Muslims of Jammu & Kashmir, is deceptively simple. A Muslim sphere of interest In essence, Dr. Manmohan Singh’s approach underlines the recognition of Jammu & Kashmir as a separate sphere of Muslim interest in the Republic of India. The proposed non-territorial settlement seems to essentially envisage the inclusion of Jammu & Kashmir in the territories of India, but at the same time exclude it from the secular political organization of India. The approach further envisages the exclusion the state of Jammu & Kashmir from the territories of Pakistan, while at the same time including it in the political organization of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The methods and means of balancing the act of the inclusion of Jammu & Kashmir in the territories of India and its exclusion from the Indian political organization and the exclusion of the state from the territories of Pakistan with its inclusion into the political organization of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, are spelt out in the proposals made by General Musharraf, the then President of Pakistan. Gen. Musharraf, by no means a friend of India, had the opportunity of a lifetime, perhaps one he never expected to come his way, to accept the formula of a non-territorial settlement on Jammu & Kashmir which virtually opens the way for the Second Partition of India. Cabinet Mission Part II Musharraf accepted the formula of a non-territorial solution on Jammu & Kashmir exactly the way the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, had accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan. The principles underlying the non-territorial concept as envisaged by Manmohan Singh are identical with the principles which underlined the Cabinet Mission Plan. The Cabinet Mission Plan underlined the recognition of a separate sphere of influence with a separate political organization, constituted of the Muslim majority provinces of British India, within a broad structure of a future confederation of India. Ironically, British historians of the Partition of India later made the startling revelation that the Cabinet Mission Plan was originally conceived by the senior Muslim leadership of the Indian National Congress! When the Muslim League accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan, Jinnah exclaimed that he had accepted the Plan because it recognized the principle of Pakistan. History proved Jinnah right. The Cabinet Mission Plan led straight to the Partition of India in 1947. Musharraf had no reason to be dissatisfied with the non-territorial solution of Jammu & Kashmir. Like Mohammad Ali Jinnah, he was wise enough to understand where the recognition of Jammu & Kashmir into a separate Muslim sphere of interest in India would lead to. India, he must have felt, was the one country where History would repeat itself. The Cabinet Mission Plan was a prescription for the complete balkanization of India. The British officials and men, who were close witnesses of the events in India those days, wrote later that had the Cabinet Mission Plan been implemented, India would have broken into several fragments. The Government of Pakistan must be fully aware that the de jure recognition of Jammu & Kashmir into a separate Muslim sphere of influence in India would disrupt the Sanskrit content of the northern frontier of India, and shift the battlefront from the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir to the Shivalik plains situated to the east of river Ravi. Incomplete final settlement Neither the Prime Minister of India, nor the Indian Foreign Office, have provided the people of India a clear exposition on the content and contours of the non-territorial settlement on Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Prime Minister has publicly only stressed the necessity to render the Line of Control irrelevant as the basis of their perspective. The Indian Prime Minister has also unambiguously stated that some sort of final settlement had already been arrived at between India and Pakistan during the rule of Pervez Musharraf, which could not be given a practical shape because of the internal instability in Pakistan. However, a clear exposition of the terms and conditionalities of the proposed settlement on Jammu & Kashmir was made by former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. The broad structure of the proposals he made underlined: – Demarcation of the Muslim majority regions of the state including those situated to the west of river Chenab from the Hindu majority areas situated mainly to the east of river Chenab. – Dissolution of the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir. – The demilitarization of the State. – Self-rule. – Joint management of the State by India and Pakistan. Gen. Musharraf left no one in doubt about the fact that the proposals he made formed the broad framework of the negotiations which took place between the two countries, almost up to the time Musharraf was forced to step down from office. Whether the new successor Government in Pakistan accepted to continue negotiations with the Indian Government on the basis of the Musharraf Plan, is not yet clear. It is, however, clear that the Indian Government did not abandon its commitment to implement the proposals Musharraf had made. Integration with Pakistan in 10 years An overall assessment of Musharraf Plan leaves no one in doubt about its import. The plan is an ingenious road map to bring about the unification of Jammu & Kashmir with Pakistan within a period of ten years. Musharraf Plan has specified ten years, after which the whole process would be subject to review. The demarcation of the Muslim majority regions of the state and their reorganization into five Muslim majority zones, and the reorganization of the two and a half districts of Jammu, Kathua and Udhampur into a Hindu majority zone, is aimed to confine the Hindu and Sikh population of the State, nearly four million, towards the east of river Chenab. The dissolution of the Line of Control through the stratagem of creating a porous border and joint management is actually aimed to integrate the five Muslim majority zones of the State with the occupied territories of POK. These occupied territories have been used by Pakistan as a springboard of Jihad against India The demilitarization of the State, which forms the most prominent part of the Musharraf Plan, is aimed at the withdrawal of the Indian security forces from the Muslim majority zones of the state, and their replacement by the militarized separatist forces which have been fighting against India for the last two decades. Deceptive self-rule The most deceptive of the conditionalities envisaged by the Musharraf Plan is the implementation of self-rule in the State. Self-rule underlines the transfer of power in the state to Muslim separatist regimes through the instrumentalities of multiple legislative bodies constituted to fortify Muslim demographic domains. The last, and in fact the least conspicuous part of the Musharraf Plan underlines the transfer of the de facto control over the State to the Government of Pakistan, which after the period of ten years, would be followed by the transfer of de jure control over the State. When the army of the Sikh monarch, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, chased the Durrani Afghans across the river Attock in the north-west of India and fought its way up to Daulat Beg Ouldi in the north of Ladakh, the Sikhs closed the routes of invasion into India from the north. The dissolution of the Line of Control will only shift the battlefront with Pakistan to the Shivalik plains of Jammu situated to the east of river Ravi.

Prof MK Teng is a retired Professor and Head of the Political Science Department of Kashmir University; he has authored many books, including a seminal work on Article 370

‘We will not allow a State within State’ was the Pakistan Govt rhetoric during the Lal Masjid Siege and the consequent massacre it carried out. Today, the same justification is used by the current regime to declare War on its own citizens, an american war which has created 100,000 refugees with more expected and increasing number of casualties. But there is another ‘State within State’ being created in Pakistan…

Some news bites

ISLAMABAD – Once again, 4 American nationals were caught red-handed by Capital Police in the wee hours of Tuesday when they were carrying weapons publicly. However, they managed to secure release and continue their journey to a mysterious destination, sources informed.  Source

Interior Ministry officials told the body that 284 “special Americans”, including US diplomats, were residing in 414 houses in Islamabad. Source

The provincial chief of the Jamat-e-Islami party, Saraj-ul-Haq, said that the Pakistani operation against militants, which is being conducted ‘with the consent of America’, should be stopped as it only fulfills the aims of the enemy.
“Now this is sure, that all the blasts, either carried out on Faisal Mosque or Khyber Bazaar, are carried out by Blackwater,” he said.  Source

ISLAMABAD – FOUR American citizens were caught red-handed by Capital Police in the early hours of Tuesday for photographing sensitive buildings. All four were dressed in traditional Afghan outfits and were found to be in possession of illegal weapons and explosives. Source

KARACHI – The foreigners affiliated with the notorious private military contractor Blackwater, whose security company Blackwater was later renamed as Xe Services LLC, arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday through a PIA flight, sources told TheNation.
“Of the 274 passengers, who boarded Pakistan’s national flag carrier-PIA, flight PK-786 from Heathrow Airport UK, 202 were foreigners but they were fluently speaking Urdu language,” disclosed the sources.
The officials on duty at Shaheed Benazir International Airport Islamabad said, “We had instructions to allow the foreigners entry without custom procedure.” Source

The growing size of America’s presence in Pakistan is now staggering. The size of its proposed embassy in Islamabad, the presence of a large consulate in Peshawar, the huge number of FBI centres and now the presence of DynCorp and Blackwater clearly point to a large and unaccountable US state within a state. So much for accusing those in FATA and NWFP of creating a state within a state.

Narsimaha Rao government was a blemish on Congress which was led by leaders like Gandhi,Patel, Rajendra Parsad and Nehru. As a result in 1996 elections congress and Narsimaha Rao were trounced. Congress getting only 140 seats against BJP ’s 161. Thus BJP’s leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited by President to form the government but after two weeks Vajpayee resigned as unlike Narsimaha Rao he did not indulge in malpractice of purchasing MPS to continue in power, as Vajpayee was a rational leader and a veteran who had been MP since 1950’s and was a man of principles. Till next elections of 1998 this country was ruled or misruled by hotchpotch of political parties and called United Front or by any such name under H.D Deve Gowda’s Prime Ministership.

In 1998 elections Congress seats in Parliament touched the lowest. Congress got only 114 seats against its rival the other National Party BJP. As with a number of allies, BJP as leader of National Democratic Front (NDA) formed the government under the Prime Ministership of Vajpayee from March 1998. This was a stable government which could and certainly did a lot for the nation.

The first test of capability and boldness came when Pakistan tested successfully medium range missile called Gauri after a terrorist Muslim invader who had destroyed many temples in north India and killed thousand of innocent Indians in his March from Khyber Pass to north west and central India devastating everything that came in the way. Vaypayee government got ready to give more than a befitting reply to Pakistan’s aggressive attitude and celebrations. Thus just after two months in May 1998 India tested not one but five nuclear devices in Rajasthan from where in 1974 India under Indira Gandhi’s government had tested first ever nuclear device. India showed boldness to the entire world, particularly to Pakistan and India’s Home Minister L K Advani and Defence Minister George Fernandes warned Pakistan and even China for any aggressive action in Kashmir or north east of India.

Inspite of nuclear test by both Pakistan and India, Vajpayee remained cool and farsighted. In early 1999 Prime Minister Vaypayee visited Lahore.

This was a historic visit as PM Vajpayee initiated first ever Bus service from Delhi to Lahore. It was also a historic visit as both India and Pakistan had tested their nuclear bombs and it was feared the Kashmir dispute may not escalate into a full fledged war even with nuclear weapons. Vajpayee’s speech was like applying ointment on Indo-Pak wounds and Prime Minister Vaypayee’s coolness and aptitude as a seasoned politician and former Foreign Minister in Morarji Desai government did wonders. Both India and Pakistan realized the havoc that a nuclear war would cause. It will be worthwhile to quote from his speech, as under:
“I have brought one message from India. There can be no greater legacy that we can leave behind than to do away with mistrust, to abjure and eliminate conflict, to erect an edifice of durable peace, amity, harmony and cooperation. I am confident that through our combined efforts we will succeed in doing so, no matter how hard we have to work in achieving it.”

In appreciation of work and conduct as a politician, as well as his intelligence and remarkable honesty above a few lines are example from Atal Bihari Vaypayee’s speech. Howsoever Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif liked and tried for maintaining cordial and friendly relations as never before, opening a new chapter in the honesty of Indo-Pak good neighborly relations but events like military coup by Musharaf, deposition of lawfully and democratically elected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and above all Pakistan Army’s aggression in Kargil area of Kashmir brought hostilities and mistrust.

Kargil area of Indian Kashmir is crucial for the protection of Ladakh. It is also important because Kargil hill tops under Indian control protect the Leh Srinagar highway. Pakistan thought that once these tops of Kargil were occupied by their forces it will be virtually impossible, in their view, for India to dislodge their forces and reoccupy it. But they were mistaken: they had forgotten the Indian Army’s courage and determination as evidenced in surrender of 90,000 Pakistanis soldiers with generals on the defeat of East Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh as well as defeat of Pakistani Army in 1965 and India’s occupation of Haji Pir. But Pakistan’s high command felt that as they have nuclear power matching with India, Government of India under BJP will hesitate to dislodge their forces from Kagil heights , fearing nuclear war. But that was not to be as Prime Minister Vaypayee was not like Charan Singh or Morarji Desai. He was a man with iron determination.

In May 1999 Indian Army was alerted by Kashmiri shepherds about unknown Pakistan’s soldier and Pathans. Kargil war was Musharaf’s war against India as Chief of Pakistan Army. But as Pakistani Army was mauled and given crushing defeat by Indian Soldiers though Pakistan had initially occupied all the tops of the Kargil hills and it appeared to Pakistani Army and Musharaf that Indian Army will not dislodge the Pakistani Army. But as after fierce fighting by Indian Army aided by Indian Air Force, Pakistan and Musharaf’s army was given humiliating defeat, Musharaf hit upon the idea to put the blame of defeat on Pakistan’s PM Nawaz Sharif. So he staged a military coup in Oct ‘99 and dislodged Nawaz sharif and himself became the President of Pakistan. Pakistan had lost more than 2000 soldiers in comparison India lost about 500 valiant soldiers from all over India including Nagaland, Orissa and Karnataka besides majority being from northern Army.

It was Vajpayee’s first victory, a great victory as PM which washed off humiliation of Indian Army defeat in 1962 China war. While China had intruded into north east of India exploring vast area and leaving the conquered territory of India at their own will, the Pakistan Army in Kargil war was crushed and India captured with fierce fighting all the hills of Kargil area including Tiger hill.

The Pakistani nation need your honest response for the poll about Musharaf trial.
Write your views in the comments.
Thank you

PML-N gave the PPP 48 to stop ‘malicious campaign’ is the headline of the DAWN news (http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/09-pml-n-gives-48-hour-ultimatum-to-ppp–szh-07)

What PML-N is calling a ‘malicious campaign’ is airing of fresh acquisitions regarding the Karachi Operation and who took what during the formation of the IJI.  They are asking people not to come and say what they think is true. Instead of responding the alligations with the facts they just want to dust it under the carpet.

We as a nation shy away from History. “Miti Pao G” style is the best technique we have found to avoid escalation of the conflict.  It does avoid the conflicts but  facts are never found, issues are never resolved and myths are developed around it; plus it allows people to re-surface them when time suits.  That’s what we are doing here, we are avoiding not resolving issues.

Why don’t they ask the Govt. to release the documents? It is not the issue of one party against other, it is issue of one Govt. Agency taking matters in their hand and politicians playing in their hand. This is issue of many people who have suffered voilence over the years in Karachi.

In all this our media has and will play vital role. Till now they have been keeping bygones be bygones, it is their duty to not to let this be our national chracter in future.

Our history is full of turns and suspecious acts requiring detailed discussion and investigation. For example  10 years have passed from the Musharaf’s overtake there has been no detailed documentary. No one is investigated the timeline and claims of either party.

More than enough time has passed when about 30 people were killed on day Cheif Justice was going to address in the Karachi. No one has arranged discussion, reviewed the footage, talked to the suspects, interviewed the victims.

Why?  might be afraid from reprisal. But who is not?

Till now our Columns are filled with the That-Minister, That-General, That-time; even the most popular columists rely on the prefaces, stories extracted from history, exagerated and un-colabrated truths, camouflaged in the sufi-ism. These are examples of lazy jounalism.

It is time that they stop having daramatic talk shows and start doing investigative reporting.

Many will say what difference will it make, will any one will be proscecuted? I think no, no one will be proscecuted.

This is not get any one to jail, but trying to get the facts straight. Such programs will make it difficult for the Govt., politicians and agencies to cover up the truths. Most importantly it will be vital to destroy the Conspiracy Theorists livelihood and popularity.

Courtesy: Globeistan, August 21st, 2009

By B. R. Gowani

Rome was burning

While Nero was playing the fiddle

Some truth and some not…

Rome was burning, that is true

but no music was playing then

though he knew the lyre and was a singer

Like other Roman Emperors,

Nero was cruel and merciless

During his heinous reign

Christians were thrown to the dogs

In 64 CE

When 25% of Rome burnt to ashes

And 50% was badly damaged

Nero could not have been fiddling;

There were no fiddles then.

Musharraf’s policies set Pakistan on fire

True it continues to rage on …

Not yet under control

He is playing the tabla and singing songs in England,

where it appears he’ll be the Queen’s guest for a while

If he returns to Pakistan

And the judiciary proves stronger;

Then shed no tears for him

For the military will ship him out for medical treatment.

Rest assured no one can touch him,

He is of the military elite

And no such fate as Z. A. Bhutto can be allowed.

B. R. Gowani can be reached brgowani@hotmail.com

–

Source – http://globeistan.com/?p=3857

A very good column by Haroon Rasheed about weakness of Pervaiz Musharraf.

There should be a neutral trail …. ideal situation is hanging musharaf

پاکستان کی تاریخ میں پہلی بار کسی مارشل لا لگانے والے کو عدالت میں طلب کیا گیا ۔ عوام کی حمایت اور بدلتے ہوے وقت کے ساتھ عدلیہ اللہ کے فضل وکرم سے اتنی طاقتور ہو چکی ہے کہ وہ ایک آمر کو عدالت میں طلب کر سکے۔ ماضی میں بھی ججوں پر دبائو پڑے مگر وہ سب اس دبائو میں آ کر قانون کو پس پشت ڈالنے کی روایت قائم کر چکے

مشرف کے عدالت میں پنگا لینے کے بعد صرف ایک شخص کی بدولت یہ ممکن ہو سکا کہ وکیل سڑکوں پر آ گئے، اور عوام ان کے پیچھے پیچھے ، ان سب کے دلوں میں ایک ہی امنگ تھی کی شاید ایسا کرنے سے پاکستان میں عدل کا بول بالا ہو جائے۔ اس عدل و انصاف کی روایت کو شروع کرنے والا انسان ہیرو ہے اور وہ ہے جسٹس افتحار محمد چودھری میں افتحار محمد چودھری کو نہیں جانتا، پھر بھی

میں اس کے لیے دل میں عزت رکھتا ہوں کیوں کہ اس نے جو کیا وہ کوئی اور ہوتا تو شاید نہ کرتا، بڑے بڑے جرنیل بک جاتے ہیں، بڑی بڑی حکومتوں کے سربراہ امریکہ کے آگے سر جھکا دیتے ہیں۔

آپ مجھے مسلم لیگ ن کا حمایتی سمجھیں یا جو مرضی مگر میں اتنا جانتا ہوں کہ ماضی میں نہ جھکنے والی ایک اور شخصیت بھی تھی اور وہ تھا نواز شریف، جو امریکہ کے آگے نہ جھکا اور اس نے ایٹمی دھماکہ کر دیا۔

یہ دونوں شخصیات افتحار محمد چودھری اور جناب نواز شریف صاحب اگر ماضی میں کوئی غلطی یا بدعنوانی کر چکے ہیں یا نہیں میں اس بات کو نہیں جانتا، یا موجودہ حالات میں نواز شریف حکومت کے ہر غلط صحیح اقدام کی حمایت کر رہے ہیں یہ بات بھی میں نہیں جانتا، مگرنہ جھکنے والی خاصیت ان دونوں میں ہے ضرور جسکا انہوںنے مظاہرہ بھی کیا

خیر بات ہو رہی تھی مشرف کی عدالت میں طلبی کی، ان دنوں سپریم کورٹ کافی مضبوط بھی ہے اور اسکے ساتھ عوام کی حمایت بھی، مگر دوسری طرف مشرف بھی بین الاقوامی سربراھان کی اس ضمانت پر کہ مشرف کا احتساب نہیں ہو گا، پاکستان چھوڑ کر گیا تھا۔ موجودہ حکومت بھی مشرف کو کسی بھی عدالتی کاروائی سے بچانے کی ہر ممکن کوشش کرے گی، مگر حکومت کے ایسے اقدامات جن کا سپریم کورٹ کے ساتھ ٹکرائو ہو ملک میں ایک بار پھر بحران کو جنم دے سکتے ہیں، اور یہی ہماری دشمن قوتیں چاہتی ہیں

افتحار محمد چودھری صاحب کو بھی ذاتی جذبات سے ہٹ کر قانون کے مطابق فیصلے کرنے ہوں گے اور اگر انہوںنے کسی سیاسی جماعت کا ساتھ دے کر قانون سے ہٹ کر فیصلہ کیا تو وہ پاکستانی عوام کی حمایت کھو دیں گے، نہ صرف وہ بلکہ عوام کا آنے والے تمام ججوں سے اعتماد بھی ختم ہو جائے گا۔

اور اگر ایک بار مشرف کے ساتھ قانون کے مطابق انصاف ہو گیا تو امید ہے آئندہ کے لیے پاکستان مارشل لا جیسی لعنت سے محفوظ ہو جائے گا

This is the story of Vandalism by Army Officers in IDP camps. I will put down my thoughts about this but first the Story.

Story of Brutality?

People might have appreciated the army’s role in combating terrorism but everybody knows its a mess that they created themselves, and, they were actually forced to kill this monster primarily due to international pressure and secondly because it had assumed a frankenstein-ian proportion. Army’s performance in handling terrorists starting from intelligence gathering to eliminating them has been at best marginal. International media/leaders raised serious questions about their ability to deal with a security crises.

Given that Chief Justice was removed by army (missing persons case being central issue) and then restored under public pressure against the army’s will. Army gave tacit approval because it:

i) wanted to shed Musharraf legacy
ii) had no choice

Chief Justice is of course fully cognizant of these dynamics and even if a law of this nature exists. Its good time to open the rationale of such a provision. Justice must be secured for All, offenders be taken to task with their careers getting hit which they deserve. And, alongside, even if offenders fabricate allegations of inefficiency or abusive language (which they almost certainly will), nothing would justify use of physical force and its a fit case to maximize public embarrassment for army and leverage for some steps towards fundamental change in the relationship between civil and military bureaucracy. We can’t behave as if democracy is a temporary interruption between a military system of governance for this country. Dictators in waiting have to be suitably discouraged, repeatedly reminded of their right place and kept on back foot at all times.

Mr.AlI Anan Qamar a 35th common DMG officer currently at the disposal of ERU and working as Camp Incharge Sheikh Yaseen IDP Camp, Mardan was vandalized, brutally beaten, physically and verbally abused by army officers and jawans, while performing his official duties yesterday 8th july 2009.

The ERU members are privy to the sequence of this shameful event. His report is as follows:

Today on 08-07-09, at about 11:00AM, I was sitting in my office at Skeikh Yasin Camp, when Lt Haider of 32 cavalry came to my office. Apparently he was in on angry mood and told me that Major Asad 32 cavalry was not happy with me. He mentioned as list of things which Major Asad wanted to be done through me. I responded and if he had any complaints against me, he better report it to the DCO and Commissioner Mardan.

He threatened me with dire consequences. I then proceeded to the Rub Hall, where an army JCO came and asked me to report about the tents which the army had provided to the camp. I responded that I will hand over a report to some officer like a captain or a major. The JCO misbehaved with me there, in front of many witnesses including two doctors for ERU who had brought in Atta for the IDPs. The JCO too accused me of abusing the army and refused to move, but later some civilians finally managed to take him away from the Rub Hall.

About half an hour later, while I was standing in a container along with Wajid of SRSP, that I saw army jawans fully armed beating up the IDPs. Then Major Asad and Lt Haider rushed towards one with 35/40 troops fully armed and Major Asad said, “Pick him up”.

The jawan of army led by Major Asad and Lt Haider started beating me up mercilessly with fists, shoes and butts of gun and abused me continuously. I was thrown on the ground and beaten. Then they picked me up from my hands and legs and dragged me towards the military vehicle parked outside.

The jawans beat me continuously under the directions of Major Asad and forced me to sit on the floor of the vehicle with my head down. I was then alternately asked to stand on the seat of the vehicle with my hands raised. The beating continued, the abuses continued. The IDPs were rounded up and made to look at my beating the message was given that this is your ACO, and we the army are throwing him out. We have taken over..

I was then thrown on the ground and then dragged on to as to the main Charsadda Road. There my shirt was ripped open and I was asked to lie on the road. Then amidst the continuous beating, Major Asad stopped a rickshaw and I was put in the rickshaw. Lt Haider come to me and said, now you know what the army is and beat me more.

In this whole ordeal I have sustained injuries on the chin and head, bruises on the face, which will be shown in the medicolegal certificate. Prior to the incident they raided my office and took away the record of the camp. Lt Haider took away my two mobiles telephones 1 Nokia communicator with Ufone Sim 0334-4119821 and 2 Sony Erricson 03004132534. The Lt Haider also took away my wallet with some cash in it and ID Cards, Aim Cards, Driving Lenience and Service Card. That cash amounted to R.S 3000-4000/-

I charge Major Asad and Lt Haider for physically assaulting me, causing injuries on my chin and other parts of the body and obstructing me form tha discharge of my official duty, snatching my purse and mobiles. I can also identify the other accused if they are produced before me.

The accused also gave beating to my gun man Qayyum, Mr. Wajid from SRSP and some others who were accompanying me at that time.

08-07-09

Signed by Ali Anan Qamar

[Source: http://pkpolitics.com/2009/07/11/vandalism-by-pak-army-officers/]

Dawn Report

What I Think!

This story scared my in many ways, not because the content of incident or anything. I know our police has many many more such examples by Police, Feudal and Bureaucracy. Things which make me fear with all this are;

Situation of People on Ground

It reminds me the situation of 1971, thought I have not been present in that era but still, I can imagine the situation on ground. It recalls me the shouts of General Niazi “I don’t want  the people, I want the LAND”. Then the general behavior of nation “Dog and Bengalis are not allowed!”. Going forward shouts of exploiters,”I can smell the Kenaf (Patsan ) from the roads of Islamabad”. But that time, people in power where the Military and then we witness the Historical operation against Majority Province which lead us to the disintegration of the Nation.

We again have a massive operation on ground, now apparently we have civilian setup, but we know who are the masters of these puppets. At least in the operation theaters army is under full command. After the mess created by Musharaf, and the level of defame Arm forces received, it was expected that they would have learned the lesson and there must be some positive change in the behavior. But with this example it shows hardly any improvement.

I am not in any intention to comment against the morale of army force in this war. But let me say that this all the mess has also been done by they same military establishment, first in the era of Zia-ul-Haq and then Mr. Musharaf. We are yet to know the real stories behind. Specially In the Era of Musharaf. Being a Pakistan, I must say that this war if could not avoided, but it could be kept away from our own soils through the correct political vision and strategy. But that dictator made our own people fighting with us and hence destroyed the social fabric of the society.

Coming to current operation specially Swat, it was the necessary to deal common people living there with utmost affection and care. We still don’t actually what happened on the ground how much “collateral damage” has been done. At least these IDP’s must have been handled with care, not repeating the old blunders. But horrified me, and took me to the 1971 operation. God knows how much operation this nation has to face more!

I Hope! I Pray!

I hope that this story is not having any substance, I hope that our Army Forces have learnt enough lessons. I pray that even it has happened it must not have been effected the any of single IDP.I hope and I pray that it wont be the repetition of 1971. I hope we can avoid God forbade, more disintegration. This country has been the miracle and gift of God, We have to guard This by all the mean we have and its people.

I would like to have follow up and real situation specifically to this camp and this incident, if someone has other version.

This is the story of involvement of top officials both from Pakistan & France in this deal. Its the story about kickbacks and commissions. It is believed that this has not been done by any Al-Qaeda or terrorist organizations, but by the officials from Pakistan  Army & intelligence in combination of former minister Mr. Asif Ali Zardari ( Current President ).

[ Story From Express news 20th June 2009 Link Here ]

Same story has been published in Daily News as follows.

Claims denial of commission led to 11 engineers massacre; Balladur, Sarkozy reject charge
CHERBOURG, France: A probe into the 2002 killing of 11 French engineers in Pakistan is focusing on France’s failure to pay a commission for the sale of submarines to Pakistan, a lawyer for the victims’ families said on Thursday.
The lawyer, Olivier Morice, said former president Jacques Chirac and former prime minister Edouard Balladur had been mentioned in the decision to halt the payments.Morice spoke after two French anti-terrorist investigating magistrates had met with families of the engineers killed in the attack.
A car packed with explosives was driven into a minibus carrying the Frenchmen, all engineers working for a French state firm, DCN, which was building submarines for Pakistan. The 11 engineers and three Pakistanis were killed.
Investigators had been looking into an al-Qaeda link to the attack. But Morice told AFP: “The al-Qaeda track has been totally abandoned. The motive for the attack appears linked to the non-payment of commissions.”
He said the payments were stopped when Chirac became president in 1995 because he wanted to stop part of the money financing the campaign of Balladur, who was his political rival on the French right at the time.
Magali Drouet, the daughter of one of the men killed, quoted one of the anti-terrorist judges, Marc Trevidic, as telling the families that this theory was ‘cruelly logical’. She added according to this scenario, the attack was carried out because the special payments were not made by France to Asif Ali Zardari, who is now Pakistan’s president but was a minister at the time.
High-ranking politicians would likely be called in to testify, said Morice. Details of the payments emerged in 2008 as part of an investigation into French arms sales. Police seized documents from the French firm, now known as DCNS, which discussed the companies used to pay fees in connection with arms sales.
One unsigned document spoke of Pakistan intelligence services using Islamist militants. It claimed that the Karachi attack was carried out with complicity of rogue elements in the Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
The document, which has been added to the case file, said those who employed the Islamist group had financial aims. It involved obtaining the payment of unpaid commissions linked to the sale of French submarines to Pakistan in 1994, it said.
A French investigator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that ‘new elements’ had been found in the inquiry, but declined to give details. Balladur, head of the French government before Chirac became president, said Thursday that he knew of nothing improper in the submarine deals. “There were indeed agreements made with the Pakistani government,” he told French television. “To my knowledge, all of it was perfectly regular. I have nothing else to add.”
Two alleged members of al-Qaeda-linked group Harkatul Mujahideen al-Aalmi were found guilty by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan in 2003 over the Karachi attack. But the Sindh High Court last month acquitted the pair, saying in an order that the prosecution has failed to prove the case against the appellants beyond any reasonable doubt.
President Nicolas Sarkozy was Balladur’s campaign manager in the ballot and was also budget minister when the lucrative sales contract for the French Agosta submarines was signed.
Sarkozy rejected the magistrates’ suspicions. “Listen, this is ridiculous,” he told reporters at a news conference after an EU summit in Brussels. “This is grotesque … We have to respect the grief of the families. Who would ever believe such a tale?” he added.

Source: Daily News 20th June 2009

My Opinion

Well I don’t know about the authenticity of this story, but what really concerns me here is the fact that the issue of this much importance had been put under carpet.

Adding insult to injury, The proposed culprits has been released by the court later due the lack and non-seriousness of facts against them.

Even if there is nothing in this story, still I wonder, how this incident could be happened, and went to the darks of history same as other cases.

We also need to keep the point in notice, that after this incident, Military has been directly involved in power, I wonder what made them incapable to bring those culprits  to the Justice? Are they just expert in just taking over their own country?

This story also named Asif Ali Zardari being one of the beneficiary in this deal. People will start pointed finger against him, but who will be punishing those who facilitated him to acquire the supreme post of the country through NRO etc?

Coming soon a cracking post on how Pakistan’s future can be secured!

I have registered a new blog at wordpress.  From now on I will be blogging on the following :-

“http://meripehchaanpakistan.wordpress.com“

There will be some changes coming there time to time to make it more Pakistan oriented. 

Thank you very much

“Main Nay Kaha” is a satirical poem by the famous leftist poet Habib Jalib called “Musheer” (Advisor). Jalib wrote it in response to a conversation he had with Hafiz Jalandari during the time of Ayub Khan’s dictatorship. It remains just as fresh and valid today.

Translation:

I said this to him
These hundred million
Are the epitome of ignorance
Their conscience has gone to sleep
Every ray of hope
Is lost in the darkness
This news is true
They are the living dead
Completely mindless
A disease of life
And you hold in your hands
The cure for their ills

You are the light of God
Wisdom and knowledge personified
The nation is with you
It is only through your grace
That the nation can be saved
You are the light of a new morning
After you there is only night
The few who speak out
Are all mischief makers
You should tear out their tongues
You should throttle their throats

Those proud of their eloquence
Their tongues are completely silent
There is calm in the land
There is an unexampled difference
Between yesterday and today
Only at their own expense
Are people in prison, under your rule

China
China is our friend
We’d give our lives for her
But the system that they have
Steer well clear of that
From far away say “salaam”
These hundred million asses
That are named the masses
Could surely never become rulers
You are the truth; they’re an illusion
My prayer is that
You remain President forever

Taken from www.aryoneworld.net

 Updated :   Wednesday  March  18 , 2009  6:57:48 PM

 

Someone now should tell that Maulana Madini who told Musharaf in a recent conference in India that people stand shoulder to shoulder in India with Muslims.

Departure of A "HERO"

Fatima Bhutto (http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com)

Pakistan has become a very unusual place. In Lahore, the heart of Pakistani cricket, the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in broad daylight by masked gunmen carrying guns and rocket launchers, because you never know when a rocket launcher will come in handy during an urban attack. The government had been warned of a potential terror threat but, true to form, ignored it. After killing eight people, mostly policemen, and wounding several others including the foreign cricketers, the gunmen ambled leisurely away. They were caught on CCTV camera calmly mounting their motorcycles and surveying the scene before deciding they had other places to be. 

Immediately the cacophony of ludicrous claims hit the media. “The attack is to ruin our [the ruling party’s] image,” bellowed Raja Riaz, a Pakistan People’s Party hack. Er, no. “The motive was to damage the state of Pakistan and end cricket here,” said Imran Khan, head of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Er, no. The Pakistan cricket team are perfectly capable of ruining the state of cricket in the country on their own; masked gunmen are not required, thank you very much. Incidentally, on Monday night local police attacked the offices of Khan’s party brandishing Kalashnikovs and pistols. It’s probably not a coincidence that Khan has been openly critical of the Zardari government.

It’s fear. That’s what it is. It’s the state of a nation at war with itself. When vigilantes armed with sophisticated weaponry can attack a team of cricket guests (and there are no guests more esteemed in south Asia) in the middle of the afternoon, what they’re telling you is that no one is above the reach of the terror that has taken over Pakistan. It’s startling how adept this government has been at losing control of law and order, leasing out Pakistan’s stability for an increased role in the war on terror in preparation for the troop surge in Afghanistan, and generally running the country to rot.

“Droned” is a verb we use now in Pakistan. It turns out, interestingly enough, that those US predator drones that have been killing Pakistani citizens almost weekly have been taking off from and landing within our own country. Secret airbases in Balochistan – what did we ever do before Google Earth?

The PPP-led government, hailed as being “democratic”, capitulated to the Pakistan Taliban’s demands for sharia law in the Swat Valley in February. There was no vote, no referendum, nothing. The government, tired of fighting those pesky militants who’ve been burning down Sufi shrines and local girls’ schools, just declared that a part of the country would be ruled no longer by federal law, but by a myopically interpreted and Taliban-approved “Islamic” code. And verily it shall be.

We’ve just had senate “elections”. Of course, there are no actual elections involved: the ruling party puts forward winners and they end up in parliament. On Monday, in a shock move, President Asif Ali Zardari’s former attorney, who defended the erstwhile criminal on corruption and murder charges, was made chairman of the senate. What a gas!

Meanwhile, with Delhi still beating war drums over the November Mumbai attacks, our former dictator/president Pervez Musharraf travelled to India recently, and there he warned our neighbours of an all-out war should they strike Pakistan. He also let us know that he is ready to return to the call of political duty. Outsiders might be confused at this change in the situation – what’s he doing there? Didn’t he resign in August? Here’s the beauty of it all: Musharraf’s re-emergence has many middle-class Pakistanis excited and hopeful. Is he back?! A series of op-eds in a local English newspaper (not highly censored because no one reads them) was titled “Why I miss Musharraf”. When a dictator tickles your fancy, you know something has gone very, very wrong.

So, the mood in Pakistan is one of confusion. How did we come to this? How do we get out?

On the eve of spring, it is the same problems that blight the country’s poor – there is no electricity, there is no potable water, and food inflation continues to rise. The newspapers warned us this week that “load shedding” in the summer will be some 15 hours long, which is not that bad considering the fact that we’re sitting in darkness for 12 hours a day now. Pakistan has long missed its millennium target goals of eradicating polio, largely because we can’t keep the electricity going long enough for the vaccines to be properly refrigerated, so they keep going bad. And we’re a nuclear country, a grossly corrupt one at that.

The press censorship continues unabated with future threats of an absolute blackout on any criticisms of the government safely enclosed within the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act that the parliament is currently sitting on. The bill, which imposes jail sentences from three months (for having an email account not registered in your real name) to the death penalty, and criminalises the acts of “spoofing”, “spamming” and “character assassinating”, will apply to the width and breadth of the country and to any person, regardless of nationality or citizenship. It will crack down on all objectionable – the definition of what is objectionable is typically vague – messages sent via, but not limited to, “electrical, digital, analogue, magnetic, optical, biochemical, electrochemical, electromechanical, electromagnetic, radio electric, and wireless technology”. So any subversive content found on cell phones, computers, or toasters will soon be illegal. Your head should be spinning by now.

Pakistan is in a dire situation. Religious extremism, violence and a faltering economy have made the state of affairs here decidedly grim. Joe Biden and John Kerry see American dollars as the only way of helping Pakistan stave off extremism; but Yankee aid donations and senatorial money will not help us now. It is estimated that President Zardari and his late wife, Benazir Bhutto, stole between $2bn and $3bn from the country’s treasury during their two previous stints in power. Now Zardari has claimed his personal wealth to be somewhere in the ballpark of $1.8bn. Nawaz Sharif, leading coalition partner and head of the Pakistan Muslim League, declared his fortune to be not as grand, at only $1.4bn. You do the maths.

Departure of A "HERO"

Fatima Bhutto (http://pakistankakhudahafiz.wordpress.com)

Pakistan has become a very unusual place. In Lahore, the heart of Pakistani cricket, the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in broad daylight by masked gunmen carrying guns and rocket launchers, because you never know when a rocket launcher will come in handy during an urban attack. The government had been warned of a potential terror threat but, true to form, ignored it. After killing eight people, mostly policemen, and wounding several others including the foreign cricketers, the gunmen ambled leisurely away. They were caught on CCTV camera calmly mounting their motorcycles and surveying the scene before deciding they had other places to be. 

Immediately the cacophony of ludicrous claims hit the media. “The attack is to ruin our [the ruling party’s] image,” bellowed Raja Riaz, a Pakistan People’s Party hack. Er, no. “The motive was to damage the state of Pakistan and end cricket here,” said Imran Khan, head of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Er, no. The Pakistan cricket team are perfectly capable of ruining the state of cricket in the country on their own; masked gunmen are not required, thank you very much. Incidentally, on Monday night local police attacked the offices of Khan’s party brandishing Kalashnikovs and pistols. It’s probably not a coincidence that Khan has been openly critical of the Zardari government.

It’s fear. That’s what it is. It’s the state of a nation at war with itself. When vigilantes armed with sophisticated weaponry can attack a team of cricket guests (and there are no guests more esteemed in south Asia) in the middle of the afternoon, what they’re telling you is that no one is above the reach of the terror that has taken over Pakistan. It’s startling how adept this government has been at losing control of law and order, leasing out Pakistan’s stability for an increased role in the war on terror in preparation for the troop surge in Afghanistan, and generally running the country to rot.

“Droned” is a verb we use now in Pakistan. It turns out, interestingly enough, that those US predator drones that have been killing Pakistani citizens almost weekly have been taking off from and landing within our own country. Secret airbases in Balochistan – what did we ever do before Google Earth?

The PPP-led government, hailed as being “democratic”, capitulated to the Pakistan Taliban’s demands for sharia law in the Swat Valley in February. There was no vote, no referendum, nothing. The government, tired of fighting those pesky militants who’ve been burning down Sufi shrines and local girls’ schools, just declared that a part of the country would be ruled no longer by federal law, but by a myopically interpreted and Taliban-approved “Islamic” code. And verily it shall be.

We’ve just had senate “elections”. Of course, there are no actual elections involved: the ruling party puts forward winners and they end up in parliament. On Monday, in a shock move, President Asif Ali Zardari’s former attorney, who defended the erstwhile criminal on corruption and murder charges, was made chairman of the senate. What a gas!

Meanwhile, with Delhi still beating war drums over the November Mumbai attacks, our former dictator/president Pervez Musharraf travelled to India recently, and there he warned our neighbours of an all-out war should they strike Pakistan. He also let us know that he is ready to return to the call of political duty. Outsiders might be confused at this change in the situation – what’s he doing there? Didn’t he resign in August? Here’s the beauty of it all: Musharraf’s re-emergence has many middle-class Pakistanis excited and hopeful. Is he back?! A series of op-eds in a local English newspaper (not highly censored because no one reads them) was titled “Why I miss Musharraf”. When a dictator tickles your fancy, you know something has gone very, very wrong.

So, the mood in Pakistan is one of confusion. How did we come to this? How do we get out?

On the eve of spring, it is the same problems that blight the country’s poor – there is no electricity, there is no potable water, and food inflation continues to rise. The newspapers warned us this week that “load shedding” in the summer will be some 15 hours long, which is not that bad considering the fact that we’re sitting in darkness for 12 hours a day now. Pakistan has long missed its millennium target goals of eradicating polio, largely because we can’t keep the electricity going long enough for the vaccines to be properly refrigerated, so they keep going bad. And we’re a nuclear country, a grossly corrupt one at that.

The press censorship continues unabated with future threats of an absolute blackout on any criticisms of the government safely enclosed within the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act that the parliament is currently sitting on. The bill, which imposes jail sentences from three months (for having an email account not registered in your real name) to the death penalty, and criminalises the acts of “spoofing”, “spamming” and “character assassinating”, will apply to the width and breadth of the country and to any person, regardless of nationality or citizenship. It will crack down on all objectionable – the definition of what is objectionable is typically vague – messages sent via, but not limited to, “electrical, digital, analogue, magnetic, optical, biochemical, electrochemical, electromechanical, electromagnetic, radio electric, and wireless technology”. So any subversive content found on cell phones, computers, or toasters will soon be illegal. Your head should be spinning by now.

Pakistan is in a dire situation. Religious extremism, violence and a faltering economy have made the state of affairs here decidedly grim. Joe Biden and John Kerry see American dollars as the only way of helping Pakistan stave off extremism; but Yankee aid donations and senatorial money will not help us now. It is estimated that President Zardari and his late wife, Benazir Bhutto, stole between $2bn and $3bn from the country’s treasury during their two previous stints in power. Now Zardari has claimed his personal wealth to be somewhere in the ballpark of $1.8bn. Nawaz Sharif, leading coalition partner and head of the Pakistan Muslim League, declared his fortune to be not as grand, at only $1.4bn. You do the maths.