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.
“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. ”
Is it an argument that there is a possibility of some problems after Mushrraf so he should let to do all atrocities which he is right now doing against the whole civil society, judiciary and media in Pakistan? He is doing all this just for personal survival and his previous record is evident in that case. As far lawyers and their profession is concerned, I know one thing this is what lawyers do all over the world and system should work largely well. No one expect absolute correctness from democracy and its institutions. But, in Pakistan Mushrraf regime has crossed all limitations and then civil society stood up against him. You have rightly mentioned that what extra ordinary courts have done other than despenssing justice as it is the constitutional duty imposed upon judiciary. I agree absolutely but here comes Mushrraf with objection that look do what i say and refrain from any thing what i dont like! In case of Guntanamo bay, US courts should have taken steps and they are gradually moving towards that as Pakistani court have done it gradually and they were not just against the Mushrraf from the outset. We all know that so many sad and unjust things are going around all over the world but it should not serve as an argument to perpetuate self-serving regimes in our countries. If we cannot make big differences then we should do our best to bring about small chyanges which are within our reach. If our hands cannot reach to Bush, should we just sit down pwersuming that we cannot even challenge Mush where our hands can reach and the change can help few people!