Adil Najam
I have written too many depressing posts recently. I want to make this one different. Actually, I want you to help me write this post.
I have quickly jotted down my list of wishes for Pakistan for 2008. New Year Wish Lists are supposed to be short and succinct. They need not be entirely achievable - they are, after all, “wish” lists.
Here is my wish list. Seven seems like a nice number for the list. But, please add to it if you wish. And, then, please let us all work together towards turning a few of them into reality!
#1. Human Dignity. Human rights are all about dignity. So is development. Indeed, development is nothing except human dignity. Dignity comes from one’s work and worth being respected by others. Dignity comes from all of the other things I mention in this list. It is the sense that one is a full and equal member of society and also that society recognizes this fact. I wish that no Pakistani - rich or poor, but especially the poor - would even be deprived of human dignity.
#2. Living Livelihoods and Wellbeing. Economic growth, bullish stock markets, tall skyscrapers, booming highways are impressive things. But what I wish for is decent livelihoods for all Pakistanis. Livelihoods that give them the material resources that can create a decent quality of life. Livelihoods that afford them the human development and well-being that should be everyone’s right.
#3. Peace. World peace will be nice too and I do pray for peace everywhere and for everyone. But let us start at least with peace within our hearts and within our society. An end to the culture of anger and the politics of violence that has beset us.
#4. Tolerance. I wish that each one of us will be secure enough in who we are that we would not feel threatened by those who are different. I wish that we will have enough confidence in our beliefs, our identities, our values that we will neither be threatened by nor will we threaten the beliefs, identities and values of those who differ from us.
#5. Justice. The root of my name, Adil, is ‘Adl’ (meaning justice). I take my name seriously. I take justice even more seriously. You cannot have a good society until you have a society that is ‘just’ in every dimension of that word. I wish 2008 will see the restoration of the Judiciary, but I wish for deeper manifestations of economic and social justice too. Ours was not a very just society even when these judges were in office and it will take much more than their restoration to achieve a just society. But their restoration is a necessary first step we must take.
#6. Democracy. Democracy is a very simple concept. It is the proposition that if any decision is going to effect me then I have the right to effect how that decision is made and by whom. Free and fair elections do not give you democracy by itself. But while elections are not a sufficient condition for democracy, they are usually a necessary condition. So, I wish for free and fair elections and an end to military rule. Equally important is an institutionalized respect for the Constitution. So, I wish for the restoration of the Constitution - ideally to its original 1973 content. Democracy cannot come without the freedom of speech and information. So, I wish for the unshackling of the media.
#7. Jurat-i-Tehkik. When Faiz Ahmed Faiz raised his hands in prayer one of teh things he asked for was “Jurat-i-Tehkik.” A literal translation would be something like “to dare to research.” I understand the intent to be the search for knowledge. To dare to know - to find - that which we do not know. To dare to find out that which might threaten the things which we think we know. My final wish is for this quest of knowledge, even if it overturns the dogmas that imprison our intellect. Without Jurat-i-Tehkik we can never truly progress; all we can do is to slip back to the recesses of the imagined glories of the past.
(Note: The links provided above are notional and not literal; they link to posts that are generally related to the issue highlight, but may not be direct discussions on the same).
Instead mush will talk about:
1) 3rd phase of Democracy
2) terror & al-Qaida/taliban
and Yeh Kya ho Raha Hai Pakistan Kay Sath
I wish
In his next speech to the nation,Mush says
“In the best interest of Pakistan I step aside.”
Pakistan First.
The only wish I have is ” Senses for the people of Pakistan “, who have made the decision to destroy themselves.
All your seven points are good. May Allah help Muslims to be more tolerant against our fellow human beings.
Reconciliation: Previous year has breached the trust among institutions, leadership and people of Pakistan. We have deposed judiciary or PCO judiciary. We have political parties who believe to come in power through establishment and others through people. The ruling alliance believes in solving the problems with excessive force while hardly believe in public sentiments. Hardly had been any efforts to solve these problems through dialogues. Inter provincial reconciliation is urgently required to incorporate the concerns of small provinces.
Poverty: We need to take it as a top priority. I feel that uprise against Musharraf and frustration among the people was mainly due to inflation as the people believed that macro economic indicators did not have any trickle down effect on their livelihoods. Double digit inflation in food items deprived many of the people to afford three meals a day.
I think you are aiming too high.
I only wish that the year 2008 is not as bad for Pakistan as the year 2007 has been.
sUraj sI ek chIz to hum sab dEkh chukE
sach much kI ab kOi saher dE yA allAh
From ordinary citizens’ point of view the year of 2007 was one of many other tragic years since the inception of Pakistan. A scheme to murder judiciary that started in March culminated with broad day light killing of Supreme Court in November at the hands of a military dictator. Keeping with its traditions Pakistan witnessed the most tragic of deaths when Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi at fateful Liaquat Bagh. But this is only a citizen’s perspective on year 2007 and we have been told since our birth that citizens of Pakistan are nothing but stupid. Recently our dictator with absolute wisdom brought us to our senses by saying that we are not even humans.
From our dear dictator’s point of view it was year of great successes with only few small failures such as July carnage in Karachi, sacking of 63 senior judges, October carnage in Karachi again and killing of BB in Rawalpindi. The successes included putting derailed democracy train back on tracks, getting rid of terrorist judiciary, imposition and lifting of emergency both in the interest of nation, delegation of power from General Musharraf to General (retd) Musharraf and last but not least solving BB’s murder case within 72 hours with irrefutable evidence of an audio tape and a press conference by nervous and agitated Brigadier (retd) Cheema. A country where we are still unable to indentify murderers of first prime minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan identifying BB’s murderers within 72 hours is no mean achievement by any standards. In order to appreciate these successes you need to be in ‘National Interest’ mode. Just the way our holy fathers claim that it is impossible for ordinary Muslims to understand and appreciate all the wisdom stored in holy Koran likewise ordinary citizens can never ever understand why military dictators are indispensible for Pakistan.
This is what you get when you have unrepresentative and mediocre people at the helm of affairs. BB with all her defects had something that can be said as hope for Pakistan. After her return she travelled all four corners of Pakistan and tried all her best to unite people divided by tin-pot dictators. What her murder told us that military establishment can not tolerate any political figure that can unite people and has ability to bring politics from drawing rooms to streets. Any political leader making people as a source of power and can negotiate intelligently towards his/her political goals can not be tolerated at any cost. Lets be sure that military establishment can go to any lengths to preserve this status quo even at the cost of killing millions of people or disintegrating Pakistan. Only way to save Pakistan is to get Pakistan rid of military dictators once and for all. This could one and only New Year’s resolution for all patriot Pakistanis if we want to save this beautiful country.
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