Adil Najam
The media is abuzz with petty pontifications about the likely meeting later today between Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and Mr. Nawaz Sharif.
By the time many readers read this, the talks may already have transpired and, then, the media will be abuzz about what they talked about. Here is hoping that what these two will talk about and whatever we will be talking about after their talks will not trivialize the historic existential threat that we are living through today.
There is much that these two have to talk about – the fate of the NRO, the fate of the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the fate of the 17th Amendment, the fate of Messers Zardari and Sharif, the fate of democracy in Pakistan. But more than all of this, what hangs in the balance today is the fate of a Pakistan at war.
Some 9000 Pakistanis have been killed by violent extremists this year alone. And the year is far from done. Pakistani territory has been snatched out of Pakistan’s control. Pakistani military is being attacked. If this is not a threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty, an attack on Pakistan itself, then what is?
Here is hoping that our leaders our getting together to speak with one voice and with great force on this existential threat to our sovereignty, to our future, and indeed to our present.
But to do so, they will both have to become as big as the moment. That, if that were to happen, would truly be news. All else remains, and will remain, mere chatter… not even worth hearing in the din of the war we cannot and must not ignore.
Perhaps AZ can convince NS to stop sitting on the fence on the South Waziristan offensive and openly and boldly come out in its favor… right now PML-N is in dubious company, with the JI and the PTI being the only other “major” (I cringe at using this term for them) parties opposed to the offensive, which is supported by every other party…
Nawaz: Aap konsa manjan use kertay hain, aap kai daant her waqt niklay rehtay hain, 17 ween tarmeem khatam ker kai kisi ad main kaam ker saktay hain?
Zardari: aap kai baal bhi boht shine maartay hain, kisi shampoo ad main aanay ka sochain,
They should be talking about the real issues:
1. Fighting terrorism and eradicating extermism
2. Winning hearts of people in FATA and Balochistan and establishing law and order there.
3. Improving governance and stoping dependency on foreign loans.
4. Improving taxation, labour laws and governance systems to eradicate corruption.
5. Strengthening law inforcement agencies.
Instead they will be discussing:
1. How the new aid will be distributed and how much will both parties get
2. How PMLN will continue friendly opposition and PPP will continue to ignore sugar and wheat stocking/smuggling.
3. How the members of both the parties will keep on looting and deceiving the nation.
” Yaroo Mujeh muaf karoo meiN Nashe meiN hooN ”
Zardari
” Je akaal naiN te Maujaan E maujaaN”
Nawaz Sharif.
im hoping ” Will you make fransheep with me”