The story unravels some…

2008 has started under a quiet shroud of uncertainty and a feeling that things could and should be better…….i think we have all had better starts…

The unrest is begining to simmering down in the streets of Karachi and normality is trying to creep back - most shops are open, petrol is available, the street are no longer deserted or scattered with as many burnt out vehicles and broken glass.  This is not to say that unrest has completly disappeared.  It seems to have shifted to the whispering streets and drawing rooms of Karachi in the form of a “who dunnit ?” mystery, in fact it has become an full blown international speculation.  Hillary Clinton has had her say, the British MI5, Wolf Blitzer has also managed to find/place himself with a critical email, US intelligence services have commented and even Baitullah Masood (the alleged Al-Qadea leader in Waziristan) has come out with his position – and none of it looks too good for Musharaff and the government.  

It all got propelled with the debate on how Benazir died – was it gunshots? was it shrapnel? or was it the ”lone lever”?  The lever story in recent days, and in particular today  is crumbling and I believe the government has now issued an apology over their theory (TBC).  Thanks to the  one thing that is continuously overlooked by various governments – to their detriment – our beloved internet.  It was bystander footage that was distributed through the internet (much like a lot of the information refuting the official 911 story) that the government position was finally made to look as ludicrous as it initially sounded.  In the footage it can be clearly seen that a gun was aimed, fired and a corresponding movement of Benazir’s head can be witnessed – to say she wasn’t shot no longer appears to be a feasible position. 

This is now important for a few reasons – firstly it shows that false information was deliberately circulated and raises the obvious question of why?  Secondly, the type of killing signifies the nature of the killer. A precision shot to the head appears to bear the trademarks of a military operation rather than one planned by Al-Qaeda, or a lever for that matter.  This obviously is not conclusive evidence, but this information doesn’t make the military government too comfortable.  As Hillary Clinton was also kind enough to point out  - “all of this in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.”  

But it doesn’t stop there.  The government also produced an admission of the assassination and recording of a conversation between Baitullah Massod and another cleric – allegedly discussing Benazir’s assassination.  This though has been denied by Baitullah Masood.  Ofcourse he would deny it , you say. Well maybe not.  It would be silly to deny it now – after having allegedly claimed responsibility for it a day earlier? Ok…let’s assume that he did want to kill Benazir and he did manage to kill her, what incentive would Al-Qaeda have to deny it?  They have every reason to accept responsibility (they apparently do claim responsibility for everything else – perhpahs barring the Tsunami) .  Such an admission would only reinforce thier “terror” agenda, wouldn’t it?  Instead, as per PPP spokesman Faratullah Babar, Baitullah Masood twice contacted Benazir after October 18th and told her that he was not an enemy of hers and was not targeting nor planned to target her.  He said “Identify your enemy, I am not your enemy” – something confirmed by [FATA] Senator [Mohammad] Saleh Shah, at the behest of PPP leader Safdar Abassi.   Masood also stated that his fight was restricted to Waziristan, in a defensive capacity and he did not have the resources to extend the fight to other areas.  The PPP leadership believed him and continues to do so – probably why Benazir’s letter to the government never pointed a finger at him in the first place.  

 British MI5 also feel that the ISI could be responsible for the killing, as reported in the Scotland on Sunday Newspaper. The PPP is calling for an independent international investigation (as they had after October 18th) something which is being rejected by Musharaf….dodgy.  What happens next is now going to be quite interesting.  All eyes are now on Musharaff and the government.   

The government is too busy juggling too many “balls-ups”.  A poor cover story is not enough of a screw up  to defend…they also are on the back foot trying to figure out when to hold elections.  The PPP is demanding that elections are held and on time (January 8th) while the government is trying to buy time – till sometime in February – probably to combat the sympathy  vote.  The final decision of the election commission is expected tomorrow…and yeah…Nawaz Sharif had made an emotional blunder, which he retracted thanks to the face saving request of Asif Zardari….

Times are such that i really don’t know what to think. Part of that is being in Pakistan - where things can get weird at the best of times! – but more so it is not knowing which course of action will turn out best for our country.  If the government is implicated – we could have foreign troops at our doorstep, trying to “secure our nuclear weapons” – get used to that phrase, I have an eerie feeling we are going to be hearing a lot more of it.  If the government is not implicated, then we are getting foreign troops in our country anyway! This is all thanks to a deal brokered between US Special Forces Command Adm Eric Oslon and  Musharaf, a day before the assassination of Benazir, which now allows American troops to come into Pakistan and support us on the Afghani border (look at a map: notice any other country we can help secure a border against? eerm… Iran perhaps?).  

So there we have it, Pakistan center stage – and the story unfolding, right now the pieces seem disjointed, but i have a sneaky feeling that they may be joined up into a nice neat package with a bow and message containing the words: “securing nuclear weapons” …..and then it will be too late.  Pakistan must awake to the bigger picture confronting it, and we as a nation need to find a way to navigate our way out of this internal issue, before it escalated into a full blown international spectacle….I pray that my take on the situation is a convoluted one……

27/12/07 onwards….

Although i have not updated this blog for sometime due to a personal shift of paradigm  on the political landscape of Pakistan, it is not to say that i have not had my views on a variety of recent issues and turmoil! I did think though that it would be good to at least communicate my disbelief on the recent events that have transpired over the last day or so – with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.  Whatever one’s political and personal views are with respect to Benazir, it is sad to know that children have lost their mother in such a tragic manner.  I think that she was a strong willed woman who pursued her agenda aggressively and was willing to sacrifice her life accordingly.  As the media continuously points out – this although unfortunate, was not totally unexpected – something even Benazir herself conceded to and acknowledged on numerous occasions recently. 

What confuses me more than anything is the reaction of the people of Pakistan.  The rioting and looting, that the common man bears the brunt of , is rife.  Poor people burn each other’s cars and motorbikes without any rhyme or reason.  This behavior is totally irrational and only further irritates an already delicate situation.  I know people personally who were caught up on their way home, their cars stoned and burnt.  I couldn’t believe that mobs burnt banks, restaurants and even hospitals – yes hospitals! Ambulances were being shot at and indiscriminate firing is a regular occurrence on the streets since yesterday – what is going on?!  The streets even now are littered with burnt cars, buses and reminisces of a night of turmoil – i will try and get some pictures to post later… The army has now been called in, and been given “shoot to kill” orders and things seemed to now be calming down.  let’s hope that it continues to  provide a sufficient deterrent to would be rioters. After all no one really knows what goes through the mind of the people who are taking to the streets – apparently not much. 

I understand that this is an emotional time for some people, but emotions need to be kept in check.  The people of Pakistan are exceptionally emotional to the point where it usually overshadows most logic – this is true on a micro and macro level within this country.  It seems to be a national trait – and not a good one. I mean there is a essential place for emotion, but not at the complete expense of all reason and logic.   Emotion appears to be the key (and sometimes sole) factor that seems drives our decision making process, our behavior and permeates all aspects of our life – and in my view one of the main reasons we do not progress as a nation, like we should. Drama is our staple diet and will become our downfall unless we let sense prevail. 

Apart from the issues facing the PPP now, we as a nation have significant challenges to overcome now.  Speculations are being made as to the perpetrators.  Of course the international community (i.e. Americans) are obviously touting their old boogie man friend – Al-Qaeda (Ex-CIA head on CNN yesterday: “whatever we may think we need to start with the premise that Al Qaeda is behind this”!), internally though there seem to be alternative anti-government theories bubbling.  Personally i think there is not enough information – at this stage – for any conclusive analysis . What is true though is that various people (including the two above suspects) could benefit as a result and had enmity/differences with her.  Although internationally the fingers are being pointed at “Islamic extremists” it seems from the letter sent by Benazir after the incident in October her suspicions also seemed to lie more so within elements of the current government.  All of this means that the way forward is now very fragile.  There is a growing atmosphere of distrust amongst all. 

To further add to the confusion is the fact that we are receiving a variety of views in the last 24 hours as to the cause of the death. At first it was because of a bullet to the neck and head, next it was shrapnel from the explosion and the latest culprit appears to be the lever of her sunroof – yes – the lever.  The CIA thought pinning JFK’s murder on Lee Harvey Oswald was an accomplishment – well we have managed to shifted the blame to a lever! Beat that.  I am curious as to why all the “free media” is unable to speak to the actual doctor who could probably clarify some of this confusion.  Why does it matter? well the truth always matters…sometimes the insigificant is anything but….

All the while the politics continue….Nawaz Shareef announces a boycott of the elections – during his emotional visit to the hospital – DOH! I mean he could have waited to see what would happen…even the PPP in the height of turmoil have not managed to loose their political savvy - they refuse to commit to a boycott.  It’s not that i agree or disagree with the boycott.  The boycott decision is primarily dependant on your motives.  If power, regardless of partner and system are paramount then a boycott would be silly – if though an ideology prevents cooperation with an apparently illegitimate regime – then a boycott could be considered….i do get the feeling though that Nawaz Sharif misread the situation, and possibly felt that the PPP would follow his lead….i may be wrong…. The PML-Q – who are usually media whores - i mean they get around….are no where to be seen apart from a few brief appearances – where is Sheikh Rasheed when you need him?   oh yeah…  Altaf Hussain took the opportunity on a TV show to address the nation (from London) and made a lengthy and tearful (no joke) speech – much to the bemusement of the interviewer!  The whole political landscape is surreal.

I guess we now sit and wait – literally….everyone is pretty much on house arrest – unless you need cigarettes!The funeral took place today and it appears to have been a cathartic event – the street have calmed down – but that could also be the new army policy’s impact - These are difficult times for Pakistan……and again it is the poor man bearing the brunt of it – either through random violence or through the loss of his daily wages and meals - while we sit on the net and complain about it being boring ! At this stage all i can hope is that each subsequent day is better than the previous…..for us all. 

Lal Majid PR Activity

What is happening today in Pakistan is an extreemly sad and in my view an avoidable situation.  Muslims are being killed by Muslim, at the behest of non-muslims – this is nothing less than a civil war of sorts, and the backlash of this will be very serious.  So far 70 people (including childred) have been killed - and the operation which started at 4:30 in the morning still continues at noon today – obviously things are not going to the government’s plan.  I am still baffled as to why the government could not have waited things out further, and engaged in further dialogue to resolve the matter in a more civilized manner.  There seemed to be only one issue remaining on the table, that of arrests – which could have been addressed in a different manner. 

In my view the government in its eagerness to please it’s western masters started declaring what a tremendous job they were doing in fighting  ”extreemism” and that there were some “heavy weight and foreign” terrorists in the mosque – yet they did not disclose who.  Obviously this must have earned them brownie points with Bush and gang  After making such big claims to show what a good partner they were in the war on terror, i do not think the US left the government with any options but to use brutal force and as usual, our government complied without a squeak. It was nauseating to hear  Gordon Brown, who seems to have stepped up the sabre rattling based on a few questionable incidents in the UK e.g. attempted suicide bombing in Scotland – where now the suicide bomber needs someone to hold his hand, so he decided to bring a passenger on the mission (anyone notice the news where a suicide note was also found in the burning car?! these terrorists should change thier operational manual – these notes are found everywhere!), speaking to Musharaf to pat him on the back and throw him a bone for all the good work he was doing in killing his fellow Pakistanis.  Today the oppononets of Islam need not even get thier hands dirty.

The situation is really a culmination of lies and misinformation.  The story goes that Osama orchestrated the twin towers using his dial up connection in a cave in Afghanistan and that if the rest of the world does not wake up they will all also be under threat: “Today everyone knows what it is like to be an Israeli “- Benjamin Netanyahu, shortly after 911. Even those who perpetuate the story don’t believe it…there are too many loose ends and not a single shred of evidence has been presetented to date.  Some people may feel that these opinions are based on the fact that i am a muslim and therefore have to defend this stance – I would recommend anyone who buys the official story to have a look at  the following links (both of which are done by non-muslim Americans):

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=7866929448192753501&hl=en

and also read: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/lieofthecentury.html 

The point is that the official story is hardly conclusive – to put it mildly. So this drama set the stage for the war on terror and subsequent invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Countries like ours became more committed to the cause than the “victims” and made it thier duty to carry the torch of “freedom / enlightened moderation”.  Today we see that this continues….and Lal Masjid is just a PR activity for us to show how committed we are to the objectives of our masters.  Good boys.

 The problem is not complex, yet it needs people who are willing to confront falsehood and speak the truth.  As George Orwell Said: “Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act” – something which is very applicable today.  We have to realise that Pakistan is not the US, UK or Europe…it is a muslim nation whose population believes in and holds the tenants and teachings of islam close to thier heart.  You cannot impose western thinking, standards and practices on this nation, and trying to take islam out of the equation is a futile activity – the people will not tolerate it.  Some might…but they don’t matter.  When the people feel that they are being threatened, that thier beliefs are under attack they will react to defend those views – especially if they see there is no political or judicial recourse for them.  The Lal masjid incident is a symptom of this backlash, and will just be one of the many examples if we are not careful.  Leaders of Muslim nations need to take strong steps to assuring the Muslims of the nations that they are not operating as foreign agents against thier own population and that they will address any situation based on facts rather than the potential reaction of the west.  Don’t get me wrong – i do not condone the methodolgy employed by those at the Lal Masjid, but i can understand where thier frustration stems from. I do not condone kidnappings or violence in any manner – whether is is state driven or otherwise – but the state has a duty to handle domestic matters in a manner which is most appropriate based on our own paradigms.  To me it appears that we have a trigger happy regieme in power, because it wants to stay in power and one way to do that is to obtain the blessings of the US.  

The debate in Pakistan should not be about secularism or an islamic state.  It should be focused on the type of islamic state we want.  For those who say that under such rule women would not get thier rights and there would be opression and lack of education – they need to stop getting thier information from Fox News.  Islam has a very sophisticated and fair social, political, judical, economic  and personal system that we need to take pains to understand and then implement.  There is no use saying that this is an unworkable system because those who are trying to implement it are doing it inappropriately or without a more rounded understanding.  The fault does not lie in Islam, but in the Muslims.  The muslim world, even today has a wealth of very knoweldgeable , well rounded and forward thinking scholars and we should be working with such people to resolve our national problems – not trying to sideline anyone who talks about islam and then wagging our tail for instructions from the west.

I can only hope that what is happening today will not be repeated and that we will find a route for our nation that is appropriate based on our own philisophy rather than trying to shoe horn someone else’s ideology.  I hope people will wake up and understand that we do not have a threat from terrorism – unless we now marginalize and attack these people so much that it becomes so.  It is like me saying that you are voilent, and as a result i am going to hit you (doctrine of pre-emptive strike as per the neo cons), and when i hit you and you retaliate i then turn around and say ” see I told you he was voilent”.  It is a self fulfilling prophecy.  Don’t be fooled by this “war on terror”. Lal Masjid is just a continuation of the deception started on September 11th and is a game being played with us all.

The Silent Majority

The new voter lists are out, and I implore anyone who is in Pakistan (or able to vote overseas) to go and check if they are on the electoral register to ensure that they can participate in the up coming elections.  If you look at the voting statistics – only 30% of our population votes! That means that political parties are all trying to serenade a handful of voters (many of whom have to vote under duress due to the feudal system and other anomolies).  If people take thier voting responsibility seriously – there is an opportunity to mobilize the silent majority and make a difference.  We need to reclaim our country, and the first step to doing that is making your voice heard on election day. 

Please go to www.ecp.gov.pk to find out where and how to check if you are on the list – if not – you just need to submit a form and you will be registered.  You only have till July 3rd 2007, so go today and take your friends and family!

The Rushdie Bait….

All I want to say is that Muslims have to stop taking the bait – we get controversial issues dangled in our face, with the sole intention of obtaining video “gems” of the proverbial angry Muslims behaving illogically and in an intolerant manner.  The whole situation is choreographed to demonstrate this point to the rest of the world.  I mean really – salman Rushdie is hardly a literary giant – can anyone name any other book he has written apart from the Satanic verses? i am sure he has -but i don’t even remember him getting a Pulitzer or anything worthy of notice - yet he leapfrogs to a knighthood! Is this to show that freedom of speech and expression are so highly regarded in the west? yeah, as long as the speech is acceptable by the prevailing government position (ask David Irving!).  Rushdie is an idiot – a puppet – a wanna be whiteman, ….who thinks that by offending Muslims he will be given sanctuary – which on the face of it he has…but i am sure they still call him a paki!!

It is a total farce…but worse than that – I wish we did not take the bait.  We must focus on energies on regaining our own nations and then we can protest against such issues in a more effective and dignified manner – but as long as our governments are in the pockets of the western powers – a few people chanting and burning effigies only plays into the hands of the puppet masters.  I mean it achieves nothing from our perspective and everything from those who want to show Muslims as irrational thugs.  Don’t bite!  

Catch up

yes..it’s been long… a bit too long since i wrote an entry – but that doesn’t mean that nothing has been going on.  Quite the opposite really, the political landscape of Pakistan has been taking unpredictable twists and turns, with people still glued to their seats for the eventual outcome.  The General has allegedly squeezed the Chief Justice into considering resignation – with the assistance of the top brass (including “the real heavies”), based on charges of alleged misuse of office – yeah..like standing in his way! Apart from the alleged misappropriation of government privileges (a norm), coincidentally the judge was a thorn in the Steel Mill Privatization issue – can’t imagine Shaukat Aziz took much of a fancy to him.  Additionally, he was making uncomfortable noises about various missing persons cases (linked to the so called “war on terror”).  Would he also have stood in the way of a change in the constitution should the General demand so ? - most likely. 

It could have all been tidied up nicely had the Chief Justice (CJ) not stood his ground and caved into the good ole carrot and stick routine.  Luckily – at least for the integrity of the Justice system – the CJ didn’t.  He stood his ground, and encountered various tactics to make him comply, including house arrest (for all intents and purposes) and having his communication barred.  The media then came into play…highlighting the events made people take notice and all of a sudden this was a serious issue.  A scenario that probably transpires many times within a day – with mutual cooperation. 

This also prompted police lead attacks on Geo’s tv station, and the government tired to distance itself by just blaming the proverbial lone gunman – the clichés are eerie. The general hastily addresses the nation on the same show that was previously attacked..to promise investigations and once again chanted the mantra of “enlightened moderation” – and blamed the boogie man. 

Obviously all of this has implications for the political movement.  It gives the us (pro democracy movement) an appropriate opportunity to highlight the a core issues with this country by way of an identifiable and public incident – lack of  institutionalization and therefore independence.  Dictators (or anyone) should not be able to throw their weight around without institutional checks and balances – in fact the issue of the dictator is probably most problematic! 

Now, as we all know the politics of Pakistan is not about issues – it is about positioning for power and emotions.  The government coalition parties automatically took a negative stance against the CJ, lawyers and opposition parties – they never seemed to examine the merits of the situation.  This set the mood for the tragic event that transpired on May 12th where over 40 people died and numerous others hurt – without any subsequent investigation.  Like i have said before…life is cheap here.  Just to shed a bit of light on what actually happened that day – the CJ announced his trip to Karachi (he was making appearances at the invitation of various bar councils around the country) – this was followed by a statement by MQM – one of the key coalition partners of the current government - that they would not allow this to happen, and staged a rally of their own on the same day at the same place.  Despite the large numbers of rangers and police presence, they were impotent – told to stand down for all intents and purposes.  There was a predictably confrontation, instigated by MQM gunmen between the government stooges and opposition parties resulting in the mayhem.  During these unfortunate incidents, a number of our party members were also injured – which prompted a strong stance against the MQM’s tactics of violence aimed at subduing the public into compliance.  Our position is that terrorism is terrorism – in whatever form is comes – state sponsored or not.  This is the same game played by the west in their definition of terrorism – Israeli war planes killing innocent civilians is not termed terrorism, nor is carpet bombing of Afghanis, but fiery sermons by Shiekh Hamza are sufficient to land him behind bars.  Now the double standard is becoming even more obvious when the UK government is giving shelter to Altaf Hussain, who has a number of outstanding cases for murder and terrorism against him, and is regularly enticing the people of his party by telephonic broadcasts from the comfort of his UK offices.  The stance taken by PTI was one based on principle – a person should not be subjected to violence regardless of their political (or other) views.  The filing of the case against Altaf Hussain has already commenced in the UK, and should no doubt raise a number of uncomfortable questions for the government of both UK and Pakistan. It is high time that the politics of Pakistan were de-weaponized so the mothers, daughters and wives of the nation do not loose sleep over the safety of their family member due to views that do not sit well with the establishment.

There were other fiascos as well, that followed the events of May 12.  Journalists were sent bullets in envelopes as a warning from MQM - to again persuade them from reporting in an unbiased manner….a move that again backfired on the government.Now it seems that elections are imminent.  The government is running from pillar to post to safeguard their positions of power – at whatever cost.  They have started the predictable saber rattling of “the threat of terrorism”…no doubt trying to tell us that only they (with the help of the west ofcourse) can save Pakistan from this impending tragedy.   They want us to think that the real problem of our country is what the west wants it to be – or rather what the west wants us to think – religious extremism.  This is not the case.  Our country’s problems are more basic: people are only concerned about food (slowly becoming unattainable due to rising inflation), shelter, medical services, education, water, electricity – and of course safety. Meanwhile the government is too busy selling off national assets (steel mill, Pakistan State Oil, Banks etc) to fill up their coffers enabling them to manipulate statistics and say that the country is experiencing economic growth – something the common man would vehemently dispute.  The government is busy building new islands, while they cannot manage the existing (lack of ) infrastructure – no reliable water or electricity supply and they talk about prosperity.  Dispute this, and they will tell you how mobile phone penetration as grown – i mean what kind of indicator is that?! someone needs to tell these statsiticans that you can’t eat a phone. 

Times are interesting in Pakistan today.  We are at a critical juncture – how the people react will set the scene for the future of our land.  We are quick running out of chances, and I only hope that Pakistan is able to navigate these turbulent times for the betterment of our nation – and we must remember our nation is not the elite (as they would like to believe)- it is the masses – the poor, and unless they tell us that things are better – no amount of statistical gymnastics can convince me otherwise.

From London to Lyari

I have been meaning to update this blog for a few days now but just have not had the chance. My last week or so has been spent in lyari helping organize and then attending a large “public meeting” or protest against the current dictatorial regime and for democratic rule in Pakistan. Rather than dwelling on the event itself I would like to focus on my experiences over the last week or so.

Basically Lyari can be considered as the first town within Karachi. Along with this claim to fame, it is also probably amongst the most notorious areas of Karachi rife with gangs and underworld dealings. In a nutshell, it is the pre-Gulliani harlem of Karachi – only worse. The stories of Lyari were many but I tried not to let them influence my experience of the locality. Going into Lyari, on the first night of many, at about midnight, to meet the locals and start the organization for the public meeting (to be held later the following week) I was quite taken aback by the hustle and bustle on the broken streets. At every corner there were tea shops, with youths playing carom board, sipping tea, smoking cigarettes and hanging about….the reason for this vibrant gathering at this time of night was pretty obvious….no one had any work to get up for. It seemed a waste…a whole generation wailing away their time over tea and Caram…but I suspected this was nothing new. Generations in Lyari had bought the promises of “Paris” only to be repaid by worsening conditions by each successive year. Lyari was where the common man was – atleast from a political perspective – everyone wanted a piece of it – until elections were over at least…..it was a critical marketing gambit.

Behind the vibrant streets was a whole other ecosphere….based on hashish, prostitution, smuggled gasoline and many other financially lucrative engagements. This was all done under the watchful and involved eye of the local police who for all intents and purposes directed and managed the local underworld affairs. This lucrative black economy had also escalated in a gang turf war and blood was being spilt as a result on regular basis….things that the locals were pretty immune to.

All of this sounded rather intimidating, but in reality was not quite like that. Yes, all these activities existed and there was a lot of crime but this was the result of other problems. This was not out of choice…people had to earn a living somehow….it had become a dog eat dog scenario because no alternatives were present. There was no employment, there were no schools, I was hard pressed to find any medical related building and there certainly was no proper hygiene and sanitation. If people were to survive they had to do so on their own instinct and capabilities. Such a scenario dictates that even those who do not want to engage in illegal activities are left with a choice of indulgence or extinction….

Speaking to the people was again an eye opener. Whom ever I met and wherever I went not once did I feel threatened, or uncomfortable – despite being obviously an outsider – the first evening I happened to be wearing a pair of baggy Jeans and a t-shirt – appropriate dress for the ghetto ..no? It was just by chance this had happened…I was out somewhere and had to go directly to lyari…and therefore was not able to change into a more discreet kurta shalwar. Regardless even despite this fashion faux pas, I felt no discomfort in walking the streets at well after midnight. Granted I was also there with other people who were known in the neighborhood…but at times I did venture away from the group….the point being that the people were just people…they were no different than those you would meet on the streets of new york or London or Karachi…they wanted what people want…the only difference was their circumstances happened to be considerable worse than in which most of us find ourselves…apart from that…no difference.

I sat with the group till late in the night eating fresh, hot kebabs with nan and sipping tea….none of which the locals would let any of us pay for. Despite the fact that they had so little, this did not seem to impact their hospitality in any manner…I have spent time with much wealthier people who have had much less hospitality to offer.

I sat there reflecting that these are the real people of Pakistan – the vibrancy i often mention – the masses – the engine of our nation. I am sure just like Lyari there numerous such communities who are deprived of basic amenities and opportunities. We talk about the economic improvement of Pakistan, based on some financial gymnastics by government accountants – all of which is meaningless unless the people of the streets reinforce this opinion. The marginal population sitting in drawing rooms of defence and other affluent areas can pass as many opinions and comments about how great things are – they probably are for them – infact I don’t think they have every been that bad for them…I think we would be hard pressed to find anyone in these localities who have had to give the increased price of onions or oil have caused any sleepless nights. Poor education – so what ? London is only 8 hours away… Telling people that things are better when their daily experiences are testament to the opposite is an exercise in delusion.

The painstaking truth is that things are better…but only for those who were in good shape to begin with…the division of wealth (measured by the Gini index) is increasing in Paksitan, not decreasing. Income in real terms has declined not increased, inflation is on the rise, there is no hope for the masses to rise above any position their father every enjoyed by utilizing the public education system….break out of the ghetto…that is a fantasy in Pakistan. Let’s not even talk about medical treatment…life is cheap here…death is common place and the resources available to save lives are limited…and therefore concentrated amongst the few….take a walk thru Jinnah Hospital and see if you don’t come out with more ailments than with you went in with….

Anyway, Lyari was a good experience. It showed me that perceptions are just that…perceptions. In reality the people of pakistan are frustrated, people are disillusioned, people are fast running out of hope…..the masses are turning to any means for survival…and they cannot be blamed for these decisions. The government and media is too busy patting itself on the back about the superficial balance sheet improvements as a result of a few loan restructuring exercercises….if we have learnt one thing….accounting is not always (usually) representative of value of wealth…look no further than enron….. My only hope is that the people of Lyari and the like become the litmus test for progress rather than some meaningless accounting practices which have no consideration for the engine of Pakistan – the common man.

As a footnote: the Public Meeting (Jalsa) was well attended and the message well received….the bottom line….things have to change and each of us has to do what we can to be a part of that…whether in defence, Lyari or London…..

Street Campaign begins….

Today was quite an interesting and thought provoking day, and I hope to encounter more days like this…days with activity. I had already been introduced to the key members of the Karachi chapter of the Party in Lahore but since my return we had not been able to have a meaningful reunion.

As some of you may know Tareek-i-insaaf today started their street campaign, encouraged by the public, against the undemocratic rule of Pakistan. The agenda is simple and clear….free and fair elections need to be held in Pakistan. The current government has no legitimate right to stay in power, it is a military dictatorship which is only stifling the common man and international interest of our nation. It needs to be replaced with a democratic voice. I don’t mean democracy like the Iraqi democracy. We mean elections…not selections.

That is the agenda, and the street campaign started out today in Sahiwal – a small city (or perhaps a town) in Punjab. The good news is that it was strongly opposed by the government, and banners and posters were torn down and party workers jailed. Good news?….yes…because it only goes to prove that freedom and dissent – however peaceful is not to be tolerated against the government….and that the government is concerned. A law or clause 144 was imposed on Sahiwal. What is clause 144? Basically it states that a public gathering of more than 5 people is illegal, and this clause can be imposed on an area for a given period, if the government so wishes. Unbelievable. Sounds like a police state to me. Anyway…..the fact that there was resistance by the government to quell the activites of the Party in a small town like Sahiwal I personally think should be taken as an encouraging sign.

So given this backdrop of activity, a press conference was held today in Karachi which I was also able to attend. The objective was to denounce the government action against the peaceful campaign in Sahiwal and to inform that such actions would not disrupt the agenda and time line for the continued campaign. Additionally it would be in the benefit of all, if the opposition parties also joined in this one point agenda, but in the absence of such a coalition Terek-e-insaaf would go it alone…the public sentiment demands it.

If the government felt the heat from such a small spark of public sentiment, it should be interesting to see what happens when the campaign is taken to larger cities. I have to say though, that this campaign and associated government obstacles were given due media coverage, without which a lot of these issues would not have come to the attention of many people. My only hope is that our media is not also manhandled into compliance, as is the case in the US. With an unbiased and fair media, and coverage….the field is somewhat leveled.

Anyway, that was the jist of the activities and the messages. Personally I do agree with this one point agenda approach. It is a pre-requisite to any further progress. In the absence of free and fair elections, we are all held at the mercy of the General and his foreign commanders. We must reclaim our country, and once we have the opportunity to do that can the discussion and discourse progress onto what each party will do with that opportunity….therefore it is in everyone’s interest to support this essential pre-requisite…all other points and differences till then are irrelevant.

After the press conference I went to the Karachi office of the party. Here I was able to meet even more people and newer faces, from a variety of backgrounds…again something that is appealing to me personally. Variety is the spice of life…as corny as that sounds…I personally do enjoy varied interactions. It was interesting to hear the opinions and thoughts of “hardened” party supporter and “workers”. Workers is a term I use loosely…we are all workers…workers for the party …but more accurately for the people….but there is a section of the party membership which is more directly involved in the day to day activities of organization and management….and has experience/scars of elections and the like….they are the ones I am categorizing as “workers”….I agree, a better term needs to be found.

The discussions seemed to primarily revolve around the activities in Sahiwal and also the Passing of the Women’s right bill and subsequent threats of resignation from Parlimement by some opposition ministers.

Regarding the women’s rights bill…like many of you I too am new to all of this, so let me explain what I understand so far. Hudood Ordinance was set up by General Zia under the guise of Islamic shariah. The Ordinance covered a number of points, including prohibition, theft and the like and their associated punishments. There was one aspect of the Ordinance related to zina (sex between two unmarried people), which also for some reason included rape. Therefore in order for a rape case to be proved the same burden of proof was required i.e. specified number of witnesses. Regardless, the case of rape is different (and should have been treated differently) …here when the victim would demand justice against her perpetrators, if no witnesses could be found…….the case of rape would be dropped and she would be charged with zina! (since she already admitted to the sexual “encounter”). Obviously this was totally wrong and had to be changed. I must point out that I do not disagree with the Islamic laws….what I do disagree with is their abuse, and this was a clear case of abuse or misuse. Obviously in almost all zina cases no witnesses can be provided, and in Islamic history any punishment related to zina that have been carried out have been as a result of willful confessions.

So….a revision of the clause was understandably proposed. There were some disagreements with respect to the phrasing of the new clause. As a result some members of parliament said that they would give their resignation if the new clause was passed and was proved to be against the Quran and Sunnah. Now so far so good…but what I do not understand is this…the clause has passed, and the threat of those resignations has not materialized…but the whole debate continues on if and when these resignations will occur. Not once have I seen any evaluation of the clause itself and if it is in fact against the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah…I mean if there is to be a debate, should that not be the first point…subsequent to which the issue of resignations becomes important? I would think so. The point being that so many debates are raging in the media today with respect to these resignations, but they seem to be totally based on emotions and pre-determined alliances….the debate on the clause itself is silent….i still do not know if it is against the Quran and sunnah…..

Why not resign over the issue of American occupation by proxy? ….now that is an issue that doesn’t even require debate!

Carrying on with my day….i had a number of discussions with the various people and was assigned the duty to organize the party for the Defence Area (where I live). A challenge that seems quite enticing. I agreed….like I said…whatever I can do… I managed to get a list of the key party members in my area and decided to call them when I got home.

The list was not long and I managed to get through to almost all of them, I have a couple of meetings set up for day after tomorrow. I was able to meet one key member of the party this evening. He was a gentleman who had previously ran in elections on behalf of the party from Defence, let’s call him Mr.exD(efense) – as I said in the beginning, I do not want to disclose any names – those who can/want….deduce what you like like. He was now not that involved due to his personal commitments, but still felt strongly about the party and their objectives. Meeting him was quite interesting. His conversation was full of realistic and practical advice and information and as a result could have been taken to be discouraging at times by someone with less optimism than me! Regardless, it was invaluable. I prefer to be uncomfortable in reality than blissful in delusion. It wasn’t all discouraging by any means anyway….but obviously there are obstacles to what needs to be done to change the state of affairs in Pakistan. We all know that, we cannot ignore that…only if we are fully aware of the rude reality can we deal with it. The support of Mr.exD was also open ended…he said he would help introduce me to his contact base in Defense and offered to help in anyway he could. I thanked him and hope to meet him later this week…….

You know what…. I still hear a lot of negative (albeit realistic) points of views generally, but it only makes this all the more exciting to be honest. I mean ….anti (current) establishmentarian ….shake the status quo….this sounds like fun!

It is interesting to note of politics of Pakistan, and probably the overriding factor in the Pakistani gene as a whole …emotions. That seems to be one aspect of our people that rules over all others, broadly speaking. Little or no thought into what they think and why is usually given. If you ask someone why they support a given party the answer is usually nothing to do with the policies or the aims of that party – most wouldn’t even know – but everything to do with the perceived leadership (or in some cases the leadership of their deceased founders!) or their traditional alliances with that party – even if that party for all intents and purposes is totally new. New Labour….we learnt that trick a long time ago!

Speak of the devil….Phony Tony arrived in Paksitan this evening…

More Rumination

The purpose of this blog is not to engage in yet more pseudo-literary diarrhea, and I realize this is a bit early in the game to start with a critique of what I have already written, but I thought it important to clarify some points that i raised in my inital entry titled “Rationalization” (probably best to read that entry first, although not essential) – sort of set the agenda and explain things in a bit more detail…..be warned, though, it is possible you have not read the last of my musings…..

I guess my previous entries; at least the first one gave a bit of an insight into the logical progression of events. I do realize that it may be a case of looking at things through “rose tinted glasses”. I understand that I have taken an optimistic stance on our potential and our people. This is not a deliberate attitude, but a genuine one, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating….am I wrong ?is my faith in our nation and people misplaced? Basically that is my working hypothesis…we have the potential to be a formidable nation… Ok…anyway, enough of the utopia. ..

I do realize that there are a lot of ground realities to be dealt with. I do not expect that people will easily accept change. It has been said – I will have to dig up the exact reference to allocate the kudos – that any change is vehemently resisted by the people who will loose as a result of change, but only mildly supported by those who will gain – Machiavelli I think….anyway I think the point, whomever made it, is a good one to keep in mind.

We have a system established since the inception of Pakistan and a mindset inherited probably from times of British Rule. The system favors the few and the mindset is one of apathy. Those who loose out to the current system are kept on such a fine line between subsistence and fear that nothing changes. Basically if the masses were dying of starvation and were even poorer than they are today – we would have a better chance of a revolutionary change – because these people would have no choice but to demand it – to survive. That fortunately (I guess) is not the case…most of the people in Pakistan are surviving – barely, but are surviving. Therefore they are faced with a choice…..try and get a better deal by challenging the system, and risk what little they have now, or just accept their fate. It is little surprise that most opt for the second option. Necessity dictates it. We must be under no illusion though….if the trends continue, we may have no choice but to deal with a justified revolt of the people or more accurately the poor….why not resolve the situation before necessity also dictates such action…..

Central to the issue for progress of Pakistan, apart from national sovereignty (obviously!) is that of social welfare. The state is obligated, under Islamic principles to provide food, shelter, clothing, health and education to its citizens….why is that ignored? That is a far more important Islamic issue for us to be addressing than any other I can think of…

The way to provide or serve the people is through institutions….basically to do anything you need money..its not that we are short of money…it is just in the wrong hands (our parallel economy far exceeds our white economy), and what is in the
”right” hands is mismanaged or misspent. This is not to say no one is spending money in the right manner…I am talking about the general state of affairs – no pun intended.

As such we need to be in a position to collect tax revenues…everyone should be paying taxes! Today in Pakistan the bulk of the tax revenues is from indirect taxation…(taxes on consumer products e.g. oil, sugar, etc). Indirect taxation is paid by all…at the same rate…regardless of income…so the poor assume a greater tax burden than the rich…insane! If direct taxation is a concern of yours, then you just aren’t earning enough to avoid it! Only the foolish pay.

So we all agree…without money we cannot do much. A government’s revenues come from taxes…as far as I am aware…so if we are not collecting taxes properly…why are we wondering why we are broke? What other revenue stream is going to cover the tax shortfall of so many people? Loans from the World Bank ,IMF, USA et al.? Interest rate – low….deal….p.s. your soul included.

The only way is by having proper institutions – especially the judiciary – which ensures that the law is applied equally and fairly to all! Tax laws which are based on strong principles of distribution of wealth…and appropriate application of tax policies for the benefit of the majority at the expense of the few – who can afford it. This needs to be coupled with proper compliance and procurement procedures and transparency to ensure funds collected are not funds that end up in Swiss accounts or multiple foreign properties. A minimum wage needs to be introduced – what do you think the waiter, thinks when he sees you and few of your friends blow his monthly salary on an average meal? Ok… let’s start with government institutions at least. I mean…try living on Rs.10,000 a month…try it with a couple of dependants…let’s see how far you get.

Only certainty….death and taxes….i wish!

“General Chaos”

What is happening in Pakistan today is probably unprecedented in recent history, except in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, where puppet regimes rule over a sovereign people through force. Such is the case today in Pakistan, without the messy requirement of an invasion, we just surrendered and gave up our country without as much as a verbal protest.

The actions undertaken by the Army, under the direction of General Pervaiz Musharaf, or rather more accurately under Bush, against the people of Bajur under the false banner of terrorism is an human rights atrocity. The same kind of atrocity that Saddam Hussain has been given the death sentence for allegedly committing – he denies it, but Gereral Musharaf proudly brandishes his actions. The fact that military action was taken directly by the Americans, but the blame gladly assumed by our own General makes the state of affairs even sadder. Although I understand the rise of false flag operations in the political landscape of today, the usual approach to such an operation is that the party being blamed for conducting an action, which it hasn’t, does not then go into public and accept the false charge. This is especially so, when nothing is to be gained politically, economically or otherwise. In this case there is everything to lose, yet our General has no qualms about dancing to the American beat to the extent of total disregard for even basic logic.

What we are seeing in Pakistan today are the seeds of civil war – which needs to be contained. “Divide and conquer” The Army is turning against their own population e.g. Waziristan, under the guise of terrorism. I am still baffled how our “leaders” can be duped by an ideology and approach that has found defeat in it’s own nation of origin, as proved in the recent elections of the United States. The people of the United States have woken up, despite the biased media and constant saber rattling of “terrorism”. Having suffered 911, which still has too many unanswered questions to allow anyone to conclude with any certainty as to the perpetrators, the American people and politicians are becoming aware of the self-fulfilling strategy being applied globally in this “ongoing war on terrorism”. It is nothing more than a war for petrodollars and the security of Israel, it has nothing to do with WMD’s, or freedom, liberty or democracy. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. Knowing that the whole campaign is based on ulterior motives, and that there is no such threat of terrorism, unless it is self-created, why is “our” commander in chief so eager to wage war on his own people? Perhaps a pat on the back from Bush is sufficient reward.

The actions at Bajur have resulted in a retaliatory action by the people against the Army – a first in Pakistan’s history. A suicide bomber entered the Army Barracks and blew himself up in a attempt to settle the score for the deaths of numerous civilians, many of whom were children. This prompted a prayer in the senate for those whose lives were lost in this attack – but any attempts to lead a similar prayer for the lives lost in Bajur was met with resistance in the form of microphones in the Senate being disabled. In essence any dissention against the General, even within the legal rights of the constitution are not to be tolerated. It may offend our American masters.

Any leader must realize that he is in power because of the people, rather than inspite of the people – as is the case in Pakistan. The public was going along with the government since its inception due to promises of free and fair elections, economic prosperity and a leadership driven by national interest and principled decision making. The promise of such things, with some superficial economic improvements (for the rich), maintained some sort of status quo. People are now waking up to the fact that the promises were a mirage used to delude us, and we are now being ruled by someone who’s only driving principle is American commandments.

Today Bajur, tomorrow somewhere closer. Would we have this same approach if this action had been carried out in our own neighborhoods or cities? There is nothing stopping these actions coming to our own doorsteps unless we take a strong stance against such actions against any of our countrymen. We should be under no illusions – we are today at the mercy of the Americans and should not require any further proof our occupation than what we have seen leading up to recent activities. The occupation may not be a physical one, but is an even more potent intellectual and political one. A people can only begin to fight for their freedom once they realize they are occupied. My only hope is that we all begin to awake to this fact and regain control of our own domestic affairs. Enlightened moderation…this action was neither enlightened, nor moderate.