Adil Najam
These are distressing times. But this is not a time to be depressed.
This is a time, as Owais reminds us in his last post, to reaffirm our hopes for the future. True defeat would be to give up on those hopes. I have put up the splash image (on the front page) that I have to reassert and to remind ourselves that ultimately Pakistan will be what we make of it. Emergency or no emergency, no one can snatch our Pakistaniat from us. Not until we ourselves surrender it!
Back in May, at a moment of similar desperation, I had written a post where I had sought “solace in the one place where I always find it. In poetry. Especially in Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry.” The video clip I had used there is worth repeating here.
I had written then – and it seems even more pertinent today to repeat it:
Here is Faiz – in his own words, in his own voice. The second half has the same poem masterfully sung by Nayarra Noor. Enjoy this rare find of kalam i Faiz, ba zaban i Faiz. But more than that, think about what he is saying and how it relates to what is happening today.
What I had to say (including about US role) I said at length in an NPR Radio show today (or here). But what Faiz has to say is far more profound.
The words of Faiz certainly cut deeper than anything I can say. They are an invitation to action. But they are also an invitation to thought. An invitation to responsibility. An invitation to continuing the struggle no matter what. An invitation to keep moving onwards despite the odds. An invitation to celebrate the spirit of defiance of those who will not give up.
I had ended that post by reaffirming ATP’s committment “to celebrating all the diverse trials and tribulations of being Pakistan … the mundane as well as the profound; the sad as well as the gleeful; the immediate as well as the long-term.” It is time, today, to repeat that commitment.
This is our commitment to Pakistaniat. We love Pakistan not because everything is right in it. But despite that which is clearly not right. And with a commitment to make right that which has gone astray. Ameen.
Some well intention folks are STILL trying to figure out whether the
Most people are tired of the political leadership of BB / NS
Why is it that all these dissatisfied people do not make new political parties or support alternate leaderships?
I fail to understand why Aitzaaz Ahsan continues to support PPP and Benazir and why Imran Khan is not able to broaden the base of his political party?
All those making load comments of Musharraf bashing – have you taken part in elections? have you worked with a political party ? have you supported any alternate leaders?
By not participating in the politcal process, and sitting around commenting on the players, all these comments look quite silly.
I think overseas Pakistanis should be able to cast their votes via embassies. Also, whoever has the spark of patriotism / nationalism / Musharraf bashing etc, please go do something – not sit around and exchange views.
The crowds sitting around in a stadium over a game do not count. They can clap and they can boo and they can cheer. But they cannot change the game.
Go be a player guys , and if you want to be a cheering crowd, then go watch a cricket match or something better.
I for one support Tehkrik i Insaaf. and i will support another party in field if it takes a better postion than Imran.
br,
jnzi
BREAKING NEWS:
Huge rally in Islamabad dominated by students:
http://free-pakistan.blogspot.com/2007/11/huge-rally-in-islamabad-dominated-by.html
It’s amazing how we keep blaming army chief and USA for every wrong, and never discuss those who facilitate them, i think these army dictators have been used by people “in” or “outside” the country for their own purposes, all of these dictators seems to be sincere at some times, from Ayub to Musharaf, there were some hints of honesty when they first addressed the nation, i personally feel its their teams who manipulate their powers, use it for their own beniffit and in the end let them down, everybody talks of democracy, whether there’s musharaf or no musharaf, all we have got is nawaz sharif, benazir bhuto, altaf hussain, pervez elahi, fazl ur rahman, etc. Each of them have helped some dictator at some time or other, they are all buggers.
“Now, there is a real possibility that the army will be forced to fire upon its own citizens, and not just in South Waziristan, but in Lahore and Karachi.”
A Pakistani soldier is a very well disciplined soldier. He will not hesitate to shoot his own father if his commander asks him to do.
Are the citizens of Lahore and Karachi different than those in Waziristan and Queta? In the name of “Democracy” all citizens of Pakistan will get the treatment.
Only a national army does not fire on its own citizen. A national army is an army which belongs to the nation. In Pakistan it is opposite; here NATION belongs to ARMY!
This is what I am saying Sada, we go to such extremes when opposing someone that we fail to see the reality. Wasn’t it Mussharraf who opened the media up when he was chief executive. The country where minister were more unreachable than kings were questioned and even rediculed by common people. Musharraf gave the system of local government democracy that gave the chance to a common man to become part of the government and change things in his or her area, and lot of them did made the change. Goto Karachi, the place where one road completion use to be the achievement of goverment now has a signal less corridor from Gulshan to defense. So many parks have come up. What was the Stock Exchange in 90′s and what it is now. There is new police in Lahore who got excellent record for behaviour. So many new universities were sanctioned, banking sector got a boom. You can find many positives only if you want to. IMHO, you cant stick “evil” on this goverment.
I was in Pakistan last Eid, a traffic police guy was trying to manage the traffic leaving his children on Eid day. Not a singal person was listening to him. What rule of law are we asking for when we ourself break law whenever we get the chance.
I am not trying to prove wrong right. the wrong is wrong, but you can’t say right wrong also. Pakistan has a political situation, politicians should handle it wisely. If they want to remove Musharraf, they should remove him by politics, not creating a friction. That will only prolong his stay.
Shireen M Mazari in The News
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=79228
”….It is interesting to note that in terms of Pakistan the US has always praised its leaders with whom it evolved beneficial equations rather than the nation as a whole. Saddam was seen as a dangerous “tyrant” but it is Pakistan as a whole that is seen as “dangerous” or being overwhelmed by extremists. Interestingly, the US Centcom chief visited Pakistan a day before the declaration of ‘emergency’ and a few days earlier the Jordanian king had also visited. Was support for US policy on Iran an issue for discussion?…”
Nasim Zehra in The News
http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=79232
”….What next? The only way forward towards a democratic, secure and stable Pakistan is to adopt the following seven steps immediately: 1. Immediate restoration of the Constitution. 2. Immediate reinstatement of all the judges of the Supreme Court and High Court judges. 3. Reopening of all independent TV channels. 4. Dissolution of all the assemblies as per schedule in November and setting up of a credible non-controversial interim government. 5. A general amnesty and return of all political leaders including Baloch leaders to Pakistan. 6. Holding of an All-Parties Conference with all mainstream political leaders on a two-point agenda; to agree on a code of conduct to hold fair and free and to agree on a political cum security strategy to end growing internal violence and terrorism. 7. Holding of general elections no later than February 2007. ”