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.
Democracy is just a fraud. Please tell me which party of Pakistan execises democracy. You have bibi in PPP, molans in MMA ect. Have you ever seen new faces in these parties?? Have you ever thought that if these parties done exercise democracy themselves then how come they will exxercise while in power?? Regarding laywers, when the verdict came against them they protested cuz they only wanted there hagimony to prevail. This tells about Pakistani laywers and how law abiding citizens they are. Please use brains now brawns. Give strong argument and solutions, it is very easy to cricise. The wolrd doesnt like a nuclear emerging Pakistan.
Yes the brave and able among us struggle, but we struggle against what? We are united at least in our thoughts against this emergency and eventually against the lost cause i.e. Mr. Musharaf, but what options do we have? Democracy? Are we all on the same boat to go all the way or are we just clearing path for the next beast to eat us alive as a nation i.e. our beloved politicians (all of them). Can we not bring a revaluation, can we not sacrifice our today for a better tomorrow.
I know it all sounds a bit too ambitious, maybe a bit unrealistic as well, but isn’t this sad that even the thought of a revolutionary change a better and united Pakistan is termed an unachievable dream?
The lawyers are filling the jails, even the students are joining in, and it won’t be long that the politicians jump on the bandwagon and pretend to lead us, and it is not long the gullible nation that we are trust them, before being kick in the rear side again.
Many of us stay in the safety of our houses, behind walls, we don’t know what is happening outside, but we call those who are struggling fools, are we that dead? As one of the commentator on GEO was saying the nation has no belonging, there is no nationalism left in us, there is no hope for a better tomorrow.
As I struggle to put these streams of frustration, helplessness, and depression on paper the words Hum Dekhain Gai ring in my head. As I listen Muhje Roko..ke mein hoin azad..ab koi nahi hai saath…….meri yeh arzo ab khabi mein na rokon tum bhe kuch sooch lo dil ko na karo…..yeh hai meri zameen…..muhje is par yakeen….mujhe roko ke mere lab hai azad par koi nahi saath….I pray that we bring something out of this struggle of ours, we bring prosperity and unity to this shattered nation of ours…we bring peace or at least put our nation on the right track towards a Pakistan it was dreamt to be.
Our pathatic private media who only knows one thing “surheeyan banana”, old tradtion among the jornalist community of Pakistan. Please understand the situation we are faceing a facist Mullah who is promoting a false image of Islam and traitors of Pakistan in the form of ARD. Pakistan is a soveriegn country and Mushy knows that it is about time to get the francastine of Mullah out of Pakistan along with its religion of hatered (not Islam). We have a bad habit of only cricising and when asked solutions we look upone each others faces. If anyone of you are criticising then please dare enough to give a propler solution. Qoman hangamon sa nahee soch sa bantee haaan.
For the person who asked. the picturs in this video are of korray and beheadings during the Zia era.
The forces for change are being let loose all over the world. The Pakistani Awam
will also start to mobilize in large numbers, if they see a viable alternative to the current crop of incompetent, opportunistic and corrupt politicians.
Unfortunately, at this juncture, they must settle for the second best. Imran Khan may not be the perfect solution, but is definitely a better alternative to BB, NS or Mush. But the Pakistani Awam is not willing to stick its neck, unless they see both the viability and possibility, of an alternative system.
And with time and struggle, as the alternative and the possibility for change are more visible, than the Pakistani Awam will start to come all out and there will be a rising. But for that to happen, what is needed is credible and trustworthy individuals of impeccable character who will not settle for the half-baked truth or Band-Aid solutions.
What is needed in Pakistan at this juncture is widespread organization and mobilization not only around a particular liberal or religious issues but a movement for a complete overhaul of the present System.
We can only be hopeful that that day will come soon. This is no time for siesta, this time for change. “Allah helps those who help themselves.”
Pakistan Army has to be the servant of the PAKISTANI inhabitants
The PAKISTANII ´s are not to be serving Pakistan Army and definately not a dictator and his generals
Well said, Javaid Aziz sahib. I completely agree with your sentiments.
It is no time for poetry.
It is time for action and sacrifice.
Aqil Sajjad has framed the issue very well.
We need to decide which side we are on.
Are we with the Constitution (and the Flag)
or we are in the same “petition maintainablity” discussion?
Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah showed us the light against a
Dictator who won temporarily(her symbol was the candle wick
lamp called Laltain).
As young students, distributing these Lailtains we would get our noses bloodied by the force of the Dictator.
It is very clear in the Guardian as stated by Ch. Shujaat that Martial Law was the only way.(”Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, said a friendly supreme court judge leaked the information to the government last Wednesday.
“He said the verdict may be unanimous, so we had no choice,” said Mr Hussain. “The debate was whether to impose emergency before or after [the court ruling].”)
If an Army man violates his oath then he should be punished.
Do we have the guts to stand up and hold our Flag high and punish the Army man who desecrated it?
So it is time to sacrifice and stand up and read the Constitution———-not Poetry!