Adil Najam
I have been traveling nearly non-stop over the last month, and events in Pakistan are headline news everywhere. More than that everyone is asking questions about Pakistan. An immigration official in Baku, Azerbaijan, asked me (2 weeks before the emergency) how long Musharraf will survive? A hotel receptionist in Musqat, Oman, asked more politely if “all is well in your country?” (one week before the emergency). In Pakistan (just days before the emergency) the question was more like “What is America planning for Pakistan?” A shop-keeper in Trondheim, Norway, asked (one day before the emergency) wondered if “Benazir will solve Pakistan’s problems?” And my driver in Cairo, Egypt, asked yesterday “Has Musharraf gone mad?”
You have to be impressed by how much ordinary people around the world know about Pakistan. But also sad that this is what they are thinking when they think Pakistan.
I do not think I have been able to respond to any of them satisfactorily. Politics in Pakistan is way too complex, even for us Pakistanis.
But to each I have said, in different ways, that the real story in Pakistan is not about Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The real story is about Pakistanis demanding democracy. The reason the general has had to use ever increasing pressure and more draconian measures is precisely because the people who want democracy are just not giving up. As we have said before, here is a democratic society trapped in an undemocratic state. This is a moment to be proud of Pakistanis. The failure here is not of Pakistan. It is of Gen. Pervez Musharraf (and he wrote his own indictment in his ’emergency’ speech).
And this is what is most heartening. In response to a journalists question yesterday, I elaborated on something I have been saying already (here, here and here):
…this is a moment of great pride for Pakistanis. How can you not be proud of your people when ordinary citizens – lawyers, journalists, students – come out on he streets ready to be beaten up and put in jail… knowing that they will be crushed and yet demanding democracy…. this is NOT Pakistan’s failure… this is a moment of success for Pakistan’s people… the reason that the military government has been forced to apply ever greater force and every more draconian measures is simply because the democracy forces in the country (the lawyers, the students and journalists… unfortunately not the politicians as much) are simply unwilling to bow down. In the past people used to stop demanding democracy at much less pressure than this. Now they are resisting pressure and they keep demanding democracy and freedom.
Even as I travel (still on the road) and check email on unreliable connections and unfamiliar computers, I find my inbox and the comments on ATP innundated with information about what ordinary citizens are doing. This is most heartening.
The pictures say it all and I will let the pictures do the talking here. But as I look at teh pictures, some points do pop into the head about who is protesting here and who is not. Maybe our readers can comment more on this:
- Note carefully who is protesting for freedom, human dignity and democracy. These are ordinary people. Lawyers. Students. Journalists.
- Note carefully who they represent. These are amongst the most so-called ‘secular’ and ‘liberal’ classes in society. The people who were supposed to be Gen. Musharraf natural constituency. Musharraf has lost the support of the very people who were supposed to be (but never really were) most aligned to him. [Readers, please spare us your diatribes and fatwas about what ‘secular’ and ‘liberal’ means. Despite the propaganda from some, neither of those terms means anti-religious or un-Islamic… There is a huge literature on this, so please read it. But, for Allah’s sake, not on Wikipedia!!].
- Note also the solidarity being shown by Pakistanis within and outside Pakistan. While there are obviously those who do support the general, the opposition to the emergency is more widespread than anything one can remember. One can scarcely think of any political act that has united our otherwise divided society they way the general opposition to the Emergency has.
- More importantly, please note who is NOT in the pictures. Who is not on the streets protesting.
- Political activists and political leaders are not on the streets. They make statements, but half-heartedly. This is not a movement led by politicians. In fact, it is not even clear whether the politicians are smart enough to just follow the people on the streets. Really conspicuous by their absence are the ‘political workers’. The Million who greeted Benazir, or were supposedly stopped from greeting Nawaz Sharif, or routinely come out for the MMA, are nowhere to be seen. Their leaders have failed to mobilize them, or maybe not tried to do so at all.
- The one exception to the above may be Imran Khan, but I have long felt that at his core he is more of a civil society actor than a political leader in the true sense; his stance, his style, and even his vote bank seems to suggest the same.
- Also conspicuous by their absence are the religious parties, the MMA. Beyond statements they do not have much to contribute here. Their words and boasts onpeople’s will and democracy are large but their actions no different from the secular parties.
- Finally, and probably most importantly, missing from the streets and from protests are the religious extremists (not to be confused with the religious parties which are religious but, mostly, not extremists). The folks who were killing and terrorizing and blowing up ordinary Pakistanis in Swat, in Islamabad, and elsewhere seem not too worried about the Emergency and not to unhappy at the death of democracy. They may even like it that way. This is important because supposedly the Emergency was imposed to curtail them and their activities. However, they seem to be neither affected not interested in the Emergency or the opposition to it.
While the shape of things will obviously evolve, it does seem that a new politics is taking shape in Pakistan. A people-centered politics that might just sideline the mainstream political parties as well as the extremists. It is way too early to say that this will happen. It is quite probable that it will not. But one can certainly not be faulted for hoping that it just might.
Well, I think it would be inaccurate to say that the political parties are not on the streets. They’ve attempted to stop Benazir several times. The thing is that the government is not afraid of the protests by the normal population. The PML(Q) cannot be expected to come out, since it is part and parcel of Musharraf’s government. That leaves the MQM; well, why would a terrorist organization participate in a political protest.
Usman,
I agree with you completely that Musharraf was a godsend and was probably the best leader we had. And last five years were better than all earlier five-year periods. But you have to understand that people are not proptesting against those five years or things done in those five years. They are portesting what he’s done now. And I stand by those protesters as I think it is in the long term interest of Pakistan that any unlawful, prejudicial, barbaric and anti-social acts by anyone especially the rulers should be condemned, protested agianst and revolted against. As for the fact that only few ppl have have taken to streets is not indication of approval or acceptance, it could be that people are thingking what you are thinking that Musharraf was so good all this time and has done such wonderful things for Pakistan so it not fair or worth protesting against his recent measures. I personally think that this thinking requires correction. Think of the future and think in long terms. Try to see the implications of his measures in 20 years time and on your children’s future.
There are a few things that we, as students of history, should understand.
1. Never, in any society, everyone is so sensitive and active to come on the road. There is always a minority that thinks deeper, that is more sensitive and that takes the lead for the rest. e.g., not all 300 million Americans came out to protest against Iraq war.
2. A common citizen would only start voicing concern once you give him/ her room to do so. On the one hand you keep the “final punches” in your hand, you batton-charge, fire gas-shells on protesters, round up each and every of your opponent into jail and on the other your say “Look, no one is protesting!” Chances are that you may be erring in your reading. I hope all have watched the “monks” protesting in Burma (Myanmar) recently and how they have been quieted down.
3. 40 out of 60 years of army rule in Pakistan has been changing our mindsets into dictatorial (something happening to us unknowingly) that accounts for the belligerent behaviors in our society, thus making transition towards a dialog-oriented society more difficult. This has to stop, if we want to live as a civilized nation.
4. General Musharraf’s behavior is terms of taking continuous U-turns ((a) 1999: I will leave in three years and will keep working on 7-point agenda. (b) 2002: I will take off my uniform by December 2004. (c) 2007: I will take off uniform on November 15, 2007 if I am elected President. (d) I will abide by all judicial decisions. (e) Emergency will not be imposed in Pakistan. (f) No corrupt politician will be allowed in Pakistan…) is setting a dangerous trend that there is no law in Pakistan. In fact his most recent actions are making a mockery of our country throughout the world e.g., the President extends Army Chief’s tenure; the Army Chief imposes emergency in Pakistan and then hands over power to President to lift emergency; civilians can be tried in army courts… what is this nonsense?
There is no doubt that Pakistani politicians have not had an admirable past but that is not a justification of usurping the civil rights of the nation.
These are only a few points that immediately came to my mind after reading the lead post and then the followup. There is no doubt that our politics is complex, but the awareness level of masses is also higher, far higher than past. It
Usman, there are reasons why majority of the population is not on the streets.
One, the people are suffering from an economic paralysis. Folks are so hard up financially that no one wants to give a day’s wage and go out and protest. The core of the society is struggling hard to make end’s meet.
Two, there is an absence of democratic traditions in Pakistan and therefore protesting is generally confined to a few interest groups. Even though coming out on the streets and protesting against Emergency, Musharraf will be absolutely justified, Pakistanis don’t protest because most of the population is unaware of how to protest!
Three, because of lack of democratic cognizance, mobilization of public opinion is not well regulated. Major political parties have been either hibernating or their leaders have been missing in action. The only one visible now is Benazir Bhutto and it appears that she’s only interested in ‘capturing’ the Prime Minister’s house overnight! Public opinion has never been a discipline phenomenon in Pakistan primarily because of censorships, severe issues of freedom of speech and expression and, of course, intermittent martial laws.
And, lastly, demonstrations and protests usually turn violent. It is highly likely that someone going out on the street to protest may come back home bruised and battered or may never come back!
So, to assert that you cannot see many people on the streets protesting will be absurd and fallacious. One would urge people living in Pakistan to come out and rock Mushy’s boat a little bit!
I too am an ordinary pakistani however living in karachi i see ppl in groups mostly belonging to the elite class protesting in the elite corridors of the city , the reason not many have been able to come out is due to two reasons : a) MQM ruling and threatening the civil society with even a hint of protest ; b) Lack of leadership in the country.
On the other hand aruguing on the justification of this so called national interest driven emergency , there is no room for sanity here to be associated with the general , a power freak obsessed with crushing EVERYTHING that comes in his way be it judiciary, civil society or Armed forces, all he cares for is his staying in power and associating it with the old anthem of Sab Say Pehlay Pakistan.
Finally Kudos to Imran Khan to do something tangible that will have him backing over the years , on a bitter note however IJT (islami Jamiat Talba) the student wing of Jamaat Islami did what their parent body is used to practice, ditch your frients and manipulate all that comes in your way.