Democracy in Pakistan: Keeping the faith

Everyone is criticising democracy and corrupt politicians. From the media to those who are part of the so-called corrupt government and people in the opposition, everyone wants sincere military generals to save the country from the corrupt politicians. I have heard some people argue that the people of Pakistan are not ready for democracy and only a dictator can handle this mo of illiterate and unorganised people. I agree with the !"!, Imran #han and Pir $ahi Pagaro. %he present government is corrupt. It is not following democratic norms. &overnance is not visi le. Prices are rising y the day. %housands daily circulate messages criticising the present government. 'nd as critics rile against the setup, I start praying for another general who would safeguard Pakistan. (et, I have to ask myself, even if the politicians are corrupt, how much of the countrys finances are they managing) President 'sif 'li *ardari and company only control +, per cent of the countrys finances. %he remaining -, per cent is with the military. %he . loody civilians/ might e corrupt, ut they at least deserve to e given their five years efore we start the accounta ility. 0e also look at 0estern democracies as case studies. 1ut interestingly, we dont study their histories. 2emocracy in the 0est ecame strong through an evolutionary process. 3ur . loody civilians/ have yet to learn. If we want to progress we will have to e

patient. 4ations are not made in hours and neither can democracy e strengthened and purified through military coups. $o 5ust efore I fall asleep, I decide to support the . loody civilians/ and their corrupt government. I might not e a le to see Pakistan as a strong nation while these corrupt people lead, ut I am sure, 67 years from now, my children will see it. PPP, P!8 and '4P might not e ideally democratic, ut they are part of a system that is going through evolution. 's a case in point, my mother did not let me uy clothes for myself while I lived at home. $ince moving to #arachi, I have started shopping for myself. $he scolds me for paying too much for what she calls ad 9uality clothes. I argue that she never gave me a chance to learn.

Corruption, democracy and politics

1y $adi9 $aleem %he :anadian prime minister has delayed parliamentary proceedings for three months to y-pass e;panding opposition criticism. %he <apanese prime minister has lost popularity within a couple of months of winning a general election. %he =$ president has not even completed a year in office ut his approval ratings are down and the media is critici>ing him for everything under the sun. %he 1ritish prime minister has faced a ma5or parliamentary corruption scandal and is at the lowest e of popularity. (et in none of these democracies is anyone predicting the end of the government or calling for .someone/ to save the country from its elected leaders.Pakistans uni9ue history of repeated e;tra-constitutional interventions has created a mindset that does not accept the notion of elected governments having a mandate to complete their terms, notwithstanding unpopular decisions or scandals and charges propagated y a hostile media. Ending corruption is a no le and popular cause that has, in the past, een used in Pakistan to undermine democracy. If Pakistani democracy is to survive, our 5udiciary must uphold legal action against the allegedly corrupt and the media must learn to critici>e the supposedly unpopular without undermining the democratic system or overturning the mandate given y the people in a general election. %he $upreme :ourt declared the 4ational ?econciliation 3rdinance @4?3A that came into effect on 3cto er ,, +77- ultra vires on grounds that it was discriminatory. %hat should restore the pending proceedings in various courts. 1ut these proceedings should

not ecome an e;cuse to overturn the mandate given y the people of Pakistan in the general elections of Fe ruary BC, +77C. %he people of Pakistan knew that they were voting for 4?3 eneficiaries and the mere fact of someone eing an 4?3 eneficiary cannot e held as 5ustification for demanding the ouster of anyone elected y the people or their representatives. 3nly conviction y a court of law for a specific criminal act or wrongdoing should result in the ouster or resignation of any official. Elected governments and leaders make mistakes. $candals emerge in the most advanced countries. %hose elected amid cheering ecome the o 5ect of criticism or ridicule everywhere. 1ut the desire to .correct the mistake of the electorate/ through media noise and ackroom maneuvers is not the way forward for a democratic system. %o avoid the pitfalls of the past, why not allow the law to take its course without rocking the oat of democracy this time) 8et the courts deal with corruption while allowing the elected e;ecutive and the parliament handle their respective spheres in accordance with the constitution. 3ne can understand the frustration of those implaca ly hostile to President 'sif *ardari and the PPP ut they, too, should understand that democracy re9uires patience and howsoever much you might hate the elected leaders it is important to wait for their mandate to e;pire. 0e face a uni9ue situation in Pakistan where we accuse people of corruption and we want to skin them even without charges eing proven against them. %his time round it would e useful if we look at how other democracies deal with corruption. 4one of them have purpose uilt politici>ed accounta ility ureaus and none use elimination of corruption as a slogan to eliminate political parties or leaders disliked y the ur an middle class of a particular region. 'cross our eastern order, in India, no government has een removed from office without an election whereas no elected government has ever completed its term in our country. Even when Indira &andhi imposed emergency rule and crossed the limits in the eyes of most Indians, her opponents and critics waited for the ne;t election to oust her. %here was media criticism ut no campaign for removing her. In !ay +77D, the speaker of the 1ritish Parliament resigned over his role in a scandal a out the e;aggerated e;pense claims of !em ers of Parliament. !ichael !artin is the first speaker to step down under pressure since a previous incum ent was forced out for taking ri es in BED,. 1ut throughout the !Ps e;pense claim scandal no one called for the resignation of all those charged with wrongdoing. Each case was treated individually and was re9uired to e proven individually. Prime !inister &ordon 1rown, highly unpopular and with approval ratings in opinion polls even less than those of President 'sif *ardari, continues in office and the 1ritish are waiting for the ne;t election.

Indian Prime !inister PF 4arasimha ?ao @BDDB-BDDEA faced a huge corruption scandal after leaving office. It was alleged that in <uly BDDG when ?aos government was facing a no-confidence motion ?ao, through a representative, offered money to !em ers of Parliament elonging to the <harkhand !ukti !orcha @<!!A. In BDDE a special court convicted ?ao ut he appealed to a higher court and remained on ail. In +77+ the decision of the special court was overturned y the Indian $upreme :ourt and oth ?ao and 1uta $ingh were cleared of the charges. In another case ?ao along with other fellow ministers was accused of forging documents to show that former Prime !inister FP $inghs son, '5eya $ingh, had a ank account in $t. #itts. In +77G ?ao was ac9uitted for lack of evidence. 2espite these charges 4arasimha ?ao did not spend one day in 5ail. He was a le to o tain ail on each occasion, allowed to appeal to the higher courts and when he died in +776 the :ongress-led government of his former finance minister and now Prime !inister !anmohan $ingh gave him a state funeral on grounds that he was never finally convicted. %hat, rather than the lynch-mo mentality advocated y some in our hyperactive media, represents the rule of law. 'nother former Indian Prime !inister ?a5iv &andhi faced a huge corruption scandal. ?a5iv &andhi and several of his close associates and friends were accused of receiving kick acks from $wedish company 1ofors '1 for winning a id to supply Indias military with B,, mm field howit>er guns that eventually proved so effective against the Pakistani military during the #argil war. %he scale of the kick acks was alleged to e of the tune of Indian ?sE6 million. ?a5iv &andhi and the :ongress Party lost the elections in BDCD to a com ined opposition, which used 1ofors as a slogan against the :ongress administration. 1ut the Indian courts waited for evidence and tried the case at a regular pace instead of 5oining the popular anti-corruption andwagon. ?a5iv &andhi died in BDDB and the 1ofors case continued for years ut none of his associates were ever arrested or put in 5ail. In Fe ruary +776 the 2elhi High :ourt 9uashed the charges of ri ery against ?a5iv &andhi. 0hile he was alive, even though the charges of corruption remained, ?a5iv was never arrested, never placed on the E;it :ontrol 8ist @E:8A and was accorded a full state funeral on his death. 'fter his death his wife and children continued to e accorded the privileges and security, which they were entitled to as the family of a former prime minister. 0hat we are witnessing in Pakistan is the result of the anti-politician and anti-democracy mindset cultivated among Pakistans middle class y &eneral *ia-ul-Ha9 and his successors. *ias use of corruption and immorality as the main planks with which to attack popular politicians and his constant reiteration that unless accounta ility @Ehtesa A takes place elections cannot take place are his ma5or legacy to Pakistani politics. This article first appeared in %he 4ews on 1 January 2010

Zardari is the Smartest of all the Politicians

:ontrary to the cacophonic attle cries and fore odings of pandemonium from his political adversaries, the peaceful manner with which he managed to deliver his annual ceremonial address to Pakistans parliament, is a testament to the ingenuity and de;terous wheeling dealing of the president of Pakistan, 'sif 'li *ardari. %his was the fourth time that his address was serene and listened with poise and visi le calm y the politicians, the parliamentarians, the senators and the visitors alike. %he dra and silent walk-out y the dissident political parties was a plus for the president as this tran9uil show of protest was in sharp contrast to the street despising and clamorous reviling 5argon y his opponents. He has een a le to rein in and woo ack the riotous and perennially re ellious !"! that wants to e counted as the national level party y e;panding its tentacles in every province. For the fourth time, despite their irrevoca le announcements to a andon the PPP, they once again, recanted, have given in efore the disarming smiles of 'sif 'li *ardari. 3f late they look and ehave like a pet cat. Each time there were loud and unam iguous pledges thrown out y the PPP stalwarts including the president himself and that inimita le compulsive pledge roker ?ehman !alik with regard to cur ing crime in #arachi. Each time the solemn commitments have een audaciously roken and watered down. Each time, the chum of !r. *ardari, the violent and presumptuous 2octor *ulfikar !ir>a never ceased throwing vicious and threatening gauntlets to !"!, a party like an indispensa le al atross around the neck of PPP and more pointedly that of maverick *ardari. !"!s slogan of waging a revolutionary epic war against the rapacious feudal lords, the ruthless $ardars of 1aluchistan, the ellicose easy-to- uy #hans of the 40FP, the mercantile ro er arons, and all the villains in every costumes and rands is losing its luster for this partys unpredicta le and sudden compromises with the PPP. I was amused y an ear to ear grin of 'sif 'li *ardari when he met with the !"! heavy weight the governor of $indh Ishratul I ad #han after the latest proclamation of the !"! that they were finally parting company with the PPP and would withdraw their support even in the national assem ly. 'll of sudden they were again with the PPP and their categorical separation from the PPP went up in the air and the !"! top notches making lame e;cuses and offering phony arguments for a docile and pro PPP conduct out and inside the parliament. *ardari has proven himself to e an e;orcist of unrivalled e;cellence and each time he carried the day to ridle the recalcitrant !"! y using his magic and political acumen. %here is a kind of disarray and strident panic among the opposition parties that keep lowing hot and cold at the same time, knowing not how to counter the uncon9uera le political moves and skills of *ardari. %he =nited Front that should have een uilt to

race against the chronic ad governance, unparalleled corruption, anti-5udiciary demeanor, colossal lawlessness, the power outages, the #arachi revenge killing, the mishandling of the ?aymond 2avis case, the ineffectual response to the persistent drone attacks and so on, remains a far cry. %he PPP government is unmoved, unconcerned and rather putting up a studied silence on high profile murders including that of &E3 reporter 0ali #han 1a ar and the minority federal minister $ha a> 1hatti. Even it is delivering no progress on their prominent leader $alman %aseers cold looded murder. 2espite an incessant and an all em racing turmoil in Pakistan, the PPPs main penchant seems to e to hang on to the power y pleasing the coalition partners and somehow complete its five year tenure. 'll conspicuous cases of corruption ad5udicated y the superior courts have een put in a lim o ecause of the administrations non compliance of the follow up actions. !ost of these corruption cases involve the close friends and family mem ers of the prime minister, the president and other luminaries of the ruling party. %he government is still in place ecause *ardari possesses the e;traordinary and spectacular faculties to outsmart his political rivals. %he separation of <=I and the mysteriously neutral conduct of the second largest partyI the P!84 has not een a le to make any dents in the PPP/s hold on power. 2iscerni ly, the P!84 is a paranoia victim of the army resurgence in power that is favora le to PPP. %he P!84s docility and mere loud talk without any anti government move for the people of Pakistan is a huge savior, y default, for the sitting PPP government. Perhaps they do not want to kick the hornets nest so aggressively lest their Pun5a government suffers the conse9uences. It is a sort of a tacit, unholy and unwritten 9uid pro 9uo that serves the respective parties interests ut not that the country or the people of Pakistan. *ardari has managed to keep political outfits and politicians pegged to their respective places so as not to pounce upon the government with damaging uproars or rallies. %here is no way that the politicians from the opposition can whip up a vigorous street agitation or in-house protests to shake up the felonious government. %he opposition ranks are all in disarray and paraly>ed for any coordinated or orchestrated campaigning aimed at the ouster of the government through street agitations or via constitutional means. *ardari has the unmatched traits of pulling his tricks and punches with da>>ling accuracy and profound effectiveness at the right time 2oes it not speak for the sagacity and ama>ing political skills of *ardari that the army despite a surfeit of provocations and right or wrong prete;ts, has y its own volition, remained unconcerned even without uttering a despising or disapproving statement against the PPP government) He has also succeeded in keeping the army at ay although there has always een a lurking possi ility of takeover y the military due to total

governmental malfunctioning and corruption mayhem let loose y the PPP regime without any fear of eing knocked out of the power arena. $o let us un raid and denounce the tri e of politicians starting from Imran #han, to !aulana Fa>alur ?ehman, to 4awa> $harif to, :h. $hu5aat Hussain to 'ltaf Hussain for receiving relentless attering and discredita le defeats at the hands of a person who was and still eing considered a novice in the corridors of politics and an individual notorious for his insatia le malfeasance y illions of earth inha itants. 4othing succeeds like success. I am therefore, in favor of raising a anner and lofty monument for *ardari to honor him for scoring victory after victory y smacking and stampeding the legions of politicians who are also no angels and frankly are chips of the same loc. It would hardly make any difference whether *ardari or 4awa> $harif or anyone else gra s power unless &od lowers down from heavens some angels to set the all em racing rot in order and stem the surging tide of decay and degeneration eating into the vitals of our eloved Pakistan.

A Failed Pakistan: Politicians, Military and Media Guilty

' Failed PakistanJ Politicians, !ilitary and !edia &uiltyK -2r. ' dul ?uff LLLLLLLLLLLL %oday, as the 'merican lords directly control the nation, Pakistan is one of failed Islamic nations, occupied y 4'%3 terror syndicate and is one of the most desta ili>ed, most corrupt, resistant to Islami>ation and hence most unsafe state terror nations and cause for this pathetic plight is Pakistani leaders, military, elites and the hopeless core media themselves that 5ust ironically trumpet =$ victory in murdering Pakistanis with their latest drones. %his assorted mufti-gang of temporary !uslims has made enough wealth at home and a road and also impoverished the ill-fated Islamic nation. %hey all know founder <innah is not going to come ack to take stock of the Islamic nation he had left ehind with high hopes.... %he military regime in Islama ad has ruined this Islamic nation and replaced it y a western type terrocracy infected y corrupt drunkards and criminal elements, ut what is the most cruel aspect is neither the leaders nor the people are keen to make it an Islamic nation fearing western onslaught. In act people do not think they are offered any have choices. %he net result is Islama ad is the most favored heaven for 4'%3 terror syndicate led y =$'-=# terror twins . 0hosoever makes attempt to enter the 0hite House as its custodian should remem er the plight of some !uslims nations that have een desta ili>ed y the occupying 4'%3 forces. &en. !usharraf laid the foundation for the 4'%3 occupation of Islama ad and the present regime has e;panded the scope of their terror operations. 4ow the =$-=# masters are pushing him to stage a come ack in Pakistan as a political leaders. *ardariMs

effort to outwit the 'mericans y ooking !usharraf in 1ena>ir murder- and not for his e;cess in Pakistan including 8al !os9ue massacre - will not ring any relief to the pathetic masses who keep voting the notorious leaders to power who purse 'merican terror agenda in the region. %hanks to a perpetually faulty leadership since its creation in BD6- to protect !uslims and uphold Islamic faith, Pakistan has egun killing them and ecome a disgrace to Islamic world, although the regime and its core media feel proud of this crude fact. For none of the faults of people, other than electing and trusting government after government, Pakistan has een limping for years now owing to 4'%3 occupation cum drone terrorism, domestic strife, economic failure, etc while the elected government makes all efforts to make the stay of 'merican occupiers safe and terror-productive and also to promote leaders private interests and corporate enefits. Pakistani elite and core media 5ust lindly promote state terrorism and operate against Islamic faith, contri uting to the desta ili>ation and decay of society at the ehest of western strategist nuts. 0hen a government of Islamic nation works against the !uslims it only makes mockery of Islam. Insanity is the world used for descri ing the act of those who feel proud a out their nation getting destroyed y foreign invaders. It is perfect shame that Pakistani leaders think eing safe so long as foreigners control their minds and occupy their lands, killing people with newer drones. Pakistani leaders, controlled y western powers, have lost their moral capacity to govern the Islamic nation called Pakistan and are leading the people to nowhere, if not directly to the hell. In order to uild a prosperous Pakistan where the rights of the people are secured and protected, where less-privileged and underprivileged sections are specially protected, where the people are positively encouraged to make a constructive contri ution to national development N the government also has to play constructive role. :oncern for peoples welfare and steps to fully implement the pro5ects can e the inputs to uild nation to promote real democracy. =nfortunately, Pakistani leaders are not known to have the a ility to think positively for the people and Islam. 1y throwing small ones to Pakistani leaders, =$' has now occupied Islamic Pakistan. 'merica egan its desta ili>ation work in Pakistan systematically, first, y attacking the innocent people the areas necessary for the future energy routes, then, y desta ili>ing >ones that clamor for Islami>ation. 3 viously, the 4'%3 invaded 'f-Pak not to promote Islam or assist !uslims to live like !uslims. Pakistani regime helps the foreign terrorists in democracy uniforms to kill the !uslims. 3n instructions from their 'merican osses, the elected government of core Pakistanis played into their dirty hands and successfully .halted the advance/ of the Islamic sections of Pakistan striving for the esta lishment of $hari a in $wat and $outh 0a>iristan in a crude treacherous manner, ut also self-rule was granted to &ilgit-1altistan. %his is indeed a disgrace on Islama ad which has, in recent years, ecome an easy heaven for the 4'%3 terror syndicate led y =$'-=# terror twins, promoting all epidemic of anti-Islamic practices, while =$-=# em assies throw cocktail parties at nights to select Pakistani stooges of imperialism who come there to make merry out of the sufferings of ordinary Pakistanis in the company of western civili>ed criminals.

Hence, the people of Pakistan keep suffering. Pakistani leaders ehave 5ust like their counterparts in non-Islamic as well as anti-Islamic nations. %his is in fact mis ehavior towards the people who have elected them to govern, ut the leaders 5ust mis ehave y their misgovernance. !uslim leaders have prime duty to fellow !uslims, not like a oss to slaves, ut a !uslim to his fellow !uslims especially the voters. India is no model for Pakistan or any other !uslim nation in the world, not even 1angladesh which feels shy of its religious identity, though the leaders use Islam for political and personal purposes. Pakistani premier $.(. ?. &ilani said on B,th <an that the government had made a conscious effort for pursuing policies that help people, strengthen institutions, and contri ute to the growth and development of democracy in the country. &ilani said that the governments policy of reconciliation had helped repeal the authoritarian B-th 'mendment while the BCth 'mendment made the parliament sovereign and restored the powers of Prime !inister, for the first time in the history of Pakistan a president willingly surrendering his powers to the Prime !inister and parliament. %he 'mendment, he says, has promoted genuine federalism and provincial autonomy, and paved the way for good governance in the country. &ilani said that during last three years the governments focus was on preserving and promoting democracy where an inclusive, plural, and participatory model of governance could take roots for the greater good of the people. &ilani said that since coming into power the government faced several challenges, such as terrorism, religious e;tremism, deposed 5udiciary, a errations in the constitution, economic crisis, unprecedented floods, energy shortages and other desta ili>ing events, including the insurgency in F'%' and 1alochistan. &ilani says Pakistani economy is eing revived and Pakistans economy had already made a moderate recovery in +7B7, helped y supportive monetary and fiscal policies. How far people have enefited form this remains to e seen. However, the *ardari-&ilani regime has totally failed to resolve any of these issues or to improve living conditions of people which is the top priority of any elected government. 1ut &ilani refuses to mention the 4'%3 occupation as the chief cause of all pro lems Islama ad is facing for years now. %he government responded to these challenges not with political will of respecting the sentiments of voters ut with terror colla oration with occupation 4'%3 terror syndicate. %he government has opted for a process of mutual ad5ustment with fellow political parties fostering a sem lance of harmony only to stay in power to pursue cooperate and 4'%3 interests - and not for the cause of poor and deprived. 8ike cricket owlers offer $IOes and Fours 5ust for fun and keep the audience in good humors, the rulers share the pleasures of power with those who matter, leaving the voters in darkness. 'fter all, vote is a privilege given to people and y voting they are in fact upholding democracy. 1eyond that people have no credi le control over the leaders and parties. 3f course, in BD6- and immediacy after that new Pakistan had no choices when it faced e;istential threat and insult from an arrogant India. 1ut !usharraf cannot pretend to e naive or innocent, like Indian terror P!, when he caved in to =$ demand to let it state terrorists pass through Pakistani territories to cross over to 'fghanistan to catch one

3sama and recover the 0!2 he supposedly possessed, Perhaps, !usharraf would not have foreseen the future scenario when the 4'%3 terror syndicate would occupy Pakistan, killing !uslims with drones. However, over years of close relationship, Pakistan must have noticed that =$' could use its poisonous tentacles against any !uslim nation. Pathetic state of governance in Pakistan and ignorance and negligence of pro lems of common people, the ma5ority of voters, have shown *ardari in poor light. :uriously enough, the *ardari leadership stood aside, all aloof and disinterested, caring not the least to give the ship a clear direction and destination. It left governance to go to the dogs while according all the primacy to politics. In the process, it has forfeited much of the pu lic goodwill that heralded its electoral win and is now mired in a groundswell of pu lic scorn and chagrin. 3wing to deli erate, faulty polices, Pakistani ship was visi ly adrift aimlessly. 's the citi>enry screamed out despairingly that the PPP-led government is not giving even a sem lance of governance and never ever had this nation felt such an a sence of an administration as starkly as was it e;periencing over these times, the party leadership remained unfa>ed, unshaken and unmoved. %he PPPMs precariousness springs out from its lack of parliamentary ma5ority and its dependence on !"! to survive and stay in power at Islama ad. %he relief it has got is transient and fragile, which may perish at any time. For the first thing, after e;tracting concessions it wanted the !"!Ms appetite has unargua ly whetted for more. Political leaders are not 9uite impressed y the suffering the peopleI nor do they worry a out foreign occupation. %wice prime minister @BDD7-DG andBDD--DDA and twice chief minister of Pun5a , PakistanMs principal political leader 4awa> $harif, EB says he is not very keen to capture presidency and is waiting in the wings, ut *ardari makes sure he does not replace him very easily. $harif is head of Pakistan !uslim 8eague and spent B7 years in e;ile in $audi 'ra ia after failing to e;ile :hief of $taff &en !usharraf, who then assumed the presidency. $harif ordered PakistanMs nuclear tests in BDDC in response to IndiaMs tests. =$' does not promote him now as he is virulently anti-'merican. $harif also has close links with <amaat-e-Islami @<IA, an influential Islamic revivalist movement that developed an ideology ased on the modern revolutionary view of Islam in the contemporary world. %he <amaati envisions a state ruled y Islamic law and opposes 0esterni>ation -- including capitalism, socialism, ank interest, irth control and 0estern social mores. It en5oys an unknown measure of army support. <I sympathi>ers among those in charge of nuclear weapons security is a ma5or, rather unnecessary, concern in =$ and allied terror intelligence wings. %he escalating :I' drone war has itself created a hell in Pakistan and growing hatred for =$ imperialism in occupied Islama ad and mounting political tensions within the country. It has ecome a routine for the &$% nations to call those who are their target for other reasons and who oppose them as terrorists. 's in all such :I' drone attacks, the victims are descri ed as .militants,/ ut this has not een independently verified. 3ften, such reports have proven false, with evidence emerging that among those killed y the

drone missiles are unarmed villagers, including women and children. :lassified ca les released y 0iki8eaks last month revealed that small units of =$ $pecial Forces troops are already secretly operating inside Pakistan alongside the Pakistani military. =ntil now, the :I' missile campaign has een focused on 4orth 0a>iristan, further to the south, killing tri al !uslims in the >one, mainly to clear the energy routes for India. 4'%3 is trying to e;pand the terror war >one to other parts of Pakistan y creating the necessary terror gimmicks. %he =$ has continuously linked a successful outcome to the conflict in 'fghanistan with eliminating the a ility of the %ali an and 'l "aeda to operate in remote regions across the order in Pakistan. %his a ma5or =$ myth, deli erately spread around to make the terrori>ed world elieve that there is PinsurgencyP. People of Pakistan have een as much ill-fated population as their country itself is crisisprone nation. =$' keeps Pakistan oiling y using its puppetry remotes alternatively. %he current desta ili>ation stage is the outcome of the faulty foreign policy of Pakistan for decades now, depending too much on western osses in order to shield itself from the Indian menace and manipulations. %oday, =$' is seen aiding the Indian greed. 1ut for :hina, it looks now, Pakistan ruled y greedy politicians who have legs fi;ed in =$' and =#, would have een evaporated long ago. 1y ignoring popular sentiments against terror wars, the =$' has employed terror methods to kill !uslims y using oth counter-insurgency/ and .counter-terrorism/ to fool the world. 'fter using .counter-insurgency/, the Pentagon is now trying to shift from .counter-insurgency/ to .counter-terrorism/ once again, saying that such a move is a more cost-effective, and less troop-intensive, terror strategy. %he fact is the image of .counter-terrorism/ is more playa le with 'mericans than awkward .counterinsurgency/. However, ultimately, all that 0ashington @rather the 4eoconservative terror nutsA wants is genocides of !uslims and consumption of their dead odies and drinking of their still hot lood. Perhaps, many apprehend, Pakistan is gradually slipping under military rule for the fifth time since independence, al eit still in civilian gar . !usharraf is trying to make his reappearance in Pakistan politics now as a politician in democracy suits, and Pentagon friend #ayani, already the countryMs most powerful man, is slowly eing pushed to fill the political vacuum. %o head off a $harif presidency following the ne;t elections, a thinly disguised military takeover appears to have taken place. 3f course, directionless Pakistan political theater has shown that military rule is far etter than so-called democratic set up which directly promote rampant corruption and foreign occupation and drone culture. Had indeed it taken its responsi ility of governing the state seriously from the outset, many say, Pakistan would have carried through even tough painful reforms necessarily entailed y the messy conditions the country is in for so long and y now their fruits would have een flowing in to the citi>enry to its own political advantage as well. 1ut it failed adly. It 5ust wasted those precious years in politicking, making more profits, leaving it not much of a grace period now. 1ut the leadership is not very much concerned

a out anything, e;cept ma5ority in parliament. 3f course, the ruling party talks only a out fighting terrorism and, at the ehest of =$', orders the killing of !uslims. Pakistan has clearly forgotten its original mandate as an Islamic nation in 'sia and now anti-Islamism has percolated into every sphere of Islama ad. %his is indeed a great tragedyK If, in spite of all ill-effects of orrowed capitalism, imperialist terrorism, Islama ad is still adamant to change its foreign and domestic policies, only some miracles alone can save Pakistan. 'nd, certainly, that cannot e =$' or its 4'%3 terror syndicates having anti-Islamic goals in the worldK =$' has only lost 5ust a uilding in $ept-BB self-inflicted tragedy y enacting the sky smoke scenario, ut the foolish Islamic world has lost three nations, property worth trillions of =$ dollars and, most importantly, millions of innocent !uslims. 1ut =$' is still occupying Pakistan. *ardari-&ilani gang is e;tra happy ecause people are weaker than themselves. =nlike in Iran where the the 0est is hell ent upon desta ili>ing an elected government, the :I' is not engineering any uprising in Pakistan y employing the opposition leaders who are also =$ agents in Islamic dress. If at all <innah returns to Pakistan, the regime in Islama ad would put him ehind the ars accusing him of an Islamic terrorist or, alternatively, ask the occupying =$ terrorists to fire a special drone against him. %here ends an Islamic state. Islamic rulers, military, media war lords and elites are fond of foreign li9uor. Islam has een reduced as a 5oke y oth !uslims and anti-!uslims in concerted effort and only anti-Islamic hypocrisy remains ---------QRS TUV .W 2r. ' dul ?uff, $pecialist on $tate %errorismI :hancellor-Founder of :entor for International 'ffairs@:I'AI :hronicler of Freedom movements @Palestine, #ashmir, Ira9, 'fghanistan, Pakistan, Oin5iang, :hechnya, etcAI Former university %eacher, :olumnist, 'nalyst in International 'ffairsI %errorism is caused y anti-Islamic forces. Fake democracies like =$' and India have >ero tolerance to any criticism of their anti-!uslim and other aggressive practices. 'nti!uslimism and anti-Islamism are more dangerous than PterrorismP. 'nti-Islamic forces X terrorists are using criminal elements for terrori>ing the world and they are harming genuine interests of ordinary !uslims. =nfortunately, we have many hypocrites among !uslims. @a dulruffY5nuZyahoo.com[DB-DDEBCECG7DA

!n"ilaa#$e$Pakistan: %e&olt if you are confused

After 'hatti: (he decay of )ustice

*ot e&eryone +ho dies tragically is a ,shaheed-

.earn to #e (ali#an: K is for Kalashniko&

Imagine that you learnt the alpha et and num ers with images of #alashnikovs and tanks instead of apples and oranges. 2uring the mid to late BDC7s, a =$'I2 funded pro5ect printed millions of te;t ooks in Peshawar. %he funds came from $audi 'ra ia and the ooks were distri uted amongst school children in 'fghanistan and in new madrassas across Pakistan. %hese te;t ooks were prepared to indoctrinate. $pecialists from the 'fghanistan :entre at the =niversity of 4e raska 3maha received nearly \E7 million to develop a curriculum, which glorified 5ihad, cele rated martyrdom and dehumanised invaders. 1y the mid-BDC7s, the 'fghan mu5ahedeen were leeding the $oviet =nion, hastening her economic collapse ...

/o+ to run the economy 0for dummies1

'nyone can run the economy. 'sk any lawmaker and hell point out e;actly what is wrong with the economy, what is needed to fi; it and what conspiracy has prevented a solution from eing implemented. 1ut the economy is still alive and kicking and the country has not defaulted on its sovereign de t 5ust yet. %he following is a collection of winning arguments that have een presented y legislators. It is important to note here that even monkeys have een known to run an economy 9uite efficiently. Im sure we can do etter. Heres what they saidJ B. Eat less sugar N ' legislator ...

Forget Aafia, +e-ll keep Da&is

3n !onday, 0aseem, the rother of one of the men ?aymond 2avis has een accused of murdering, announced that he was open to an e;change involving 2r 'afia $iddi9ui and 2avis. 8ater, 'afias sister 2r Fau>ia and mother seconded the idea. %hey are not alone. :alls to e;change 'afia for 2avis emerged soon after the 'merican was arrested. %o me, these do not make much sense as oth cases are completely different cases. 'afia was tried and sentenced to CE years in a =$ prison on seven charges. 2avis, on the other hand, has een accused of shooting two Pakistani citi>ens ...

Pakistan does not need a re&olution

%his spirit of revolt witnessed in %unisia, Egypt, <ordan, 1ahrain and 8i ya is eing termed a new era of democracy, li eralisation and freedom. It is spreading like wildfire. $ome people are asking whether this fire will ever reach Pakistan. 3ne can only wonder what they are talking a out. %he conditions that provoked the uprising in %unisia are not at all identical to Pakistan. People here are discontented due to unemployment, poverty, inflation and widespread corruption. 1ut in Pakistan we have a free press N the most free media in the Islamic world, a democratic government that works in fits and ...

PPP-s agenda: (oeing the party line

"uick N how many people have een thrown out of government this month for refusing to toe the party line) Its getting to a point where its hard to keep track. If you stop considering those individuals who have een sidelined ecause their views are too controversial, the num er of disgruntled Pakistan Peoples Party @PPPA mem ers is even higher. 0eve heard it over and over again N political parties need to have an agenda, and party workers need to stick to their groups principles. %his is not only done to legislate effectively, ut is also an important way for a political ...

Fau2ia 3aha#: %emo&ed for ha&ing an opinion4

%he Pakistan Peoples Party government is facing pressure from all fronts. %he core issue seems to e the ?aymond 2avis case and the pressure from the =$ to release him on diplomatic grounds, paired with the pressure from the local media and a large segment of society that he should pay for his actions. 1ut another thing the PPP is facing is em arrassment. %he cause of this em arrassment is a seeming lack of a ility to control what some call loose cannons or are they simply people who have an opinion of their own N an opinion that does not necessarily toe ...

A moral argument for a#ortion

' ortion. 'n eight lettered word that can ruin any well-heeled kitty party or friends night out. I should know, since I have successfully rought conversations to a screeching halt @or the oppositeA on oth occasions. I often wonder what it is a out that word which awakens the morality rigade. %hose arguing against a ortion often claim .Its a living thingK/ lithely ignoring my scathing looks of dis elief. $cience and logic seem to take a ack seat in this argument. How a out some facts to ack up emotion) %he power is hers Im pro-choice, in case there was any dou t. If there is anything in life ...

(raditional remedies: 5ld is not al+ays gold

:ainopho ia is the irrational or e;aggerated fear of newness. If our nation had a national disease, this would most likely e it ecause we seem to e carrying the ma;im .old is gold/ to unnatural heights. !ost Pakistanis have an undue fondness for traditions and cultural practices N practices that are often detrimental to them. 3ur o session with rasmo-rivaa5 keeps us from relin9uishing old ideas and replacing them with new and etter ones.2octors anging their heads against a wall, attempting to convince their patients to let go of their cherished @and altogether fallaciousA eliefs on healthcare. %he thandagaram myth %here is a widespread ...

Should Muslims cele#rate 6alentine-s Day4

%he internet has een inundated with emails, Face ook posts and videos encouraging people to oycott Falentines 2ay and claiming that Islam prohi its the holiday. 3ne video made y a group of young oys 9uotes historical references to prove that F-2ay is un-Islamic. I received a te;t message that said .$peak against the kuffar and oycott Falentines 2ayK/ ' student in one of the classes that I teach saidJ .:ele rating Falentines 2ay is gunnah.. 0hile another saidJ .2o you know the 'mericans came up with this event to mess with us) %heyre trying to take !uslims away from their faith y showing them such cele rations./ Perhaps these ...

Dissent is not undemocratic: A case for change

%he events in Egypt have created a stir and caused 'ra rulers to assess their respective roles. President 3 ama is withdrawing 'merican support for President !u araks teetering regime and Prime !inister &ilani is sending a special plane to airlift his stranded compatriots out of :airo. 2reaming a out revolution !any Pakistanis have developed a voyeuristic fascination with uprisings in other countries. 1ut others feel that talk a out a similar movement erupting locally is irksome and the product of a disconnect with the complicated reality. %hose who elieve that Pakistanis are wasting time y fantasising a out street protests feel that too many have een influenced ...

3hy do &oters elect the same politicians4

$witch on any %F channel, open up a newspaper or log on to a social network and you will see our parliamentarians and their electorate continuously drawing ire of the ur aneducated elite. Participants engaging in intellectual discourse on talk shows raise 9uestioning eye rows over the wisdom possessed y the electorate, and criticise voters decision of re-electing the same allegedly tainted politician. %his made me wonderI why do voters elect the same politicians every time) 'fter some introspection, I came to the conclusion that the one of contention is the socio-economic im alance prevailing in our society. %his is a attle etween the haves ...

Diplomatic criminal: 3ill %aymond Da&is go unpunished4

3n <anuary +-, when 'merican national ?aymond 2avis was arrested for shooting and killing two Pakistani civilians on a usy road in 8ahore, he identified himself as a diplomat. Following this lead, the media initially du ed 2avis as a diplomatI he was then called a consular employee and finally, some reports claimed he was a civilian visiting Pakistan on a usiness visa. %he =$ $tate 2epartment has not divulged much information regarding his identity. 3n the day of the incident, 'ssistant $ecretary of $tate Philip < :rowley refused to discuss 2avis identity and only referred to him an employee at the ...

Smells like re&olution, #ut not in Pakistan

I recently visited Egypt with friends. 3ur trip started in 8u;or @once known as the city of %he esA where we ga>ed in awe at some of the wonders of the ancient world. 0e munched on falafels, sipped on mint tea, smoked shisha, and sailed along the 4ile. 0e drove along the $inai coast, snorkelled in the ?ed $ea, and sun athed in $harm el $heikh. In the metropolis of :airo we shopped at the #han el #halili market, visited the Egyptian !useum, and made difficult dinner choices from an array of international cuisines. 0e had a fantastic time N good ...

$i;ty-three years worth of disparities. I find it an illogical argument that for the ma5ority of this country an important life-changing issue such as education will remain secondary to clothing, housing and nutrition. 0hy must the underprivileged e responsi le for changing their own fortunes) How come there is $hining India, with the youth from middle class :alcutta, Hydera ad, and even the smaller su ur s of 2elhi and 1om ay, doing well in sectors such as I%, oth at home and a road) How come the youth in these countries and cities have more opportunities than us) I pin that down to the fact ...

PPP destined to complete its term

First, the <amiat =lema-e-Islam-Fa>al @<=I-FA withdrew support from the government. %hen the !uttahida "aumi !ovement @!"!A pulled out and we counted the minutes, waiting for Prime !inisters &ilanis government to collapse. %he 3il and &as ?egulation 'uthoritys @3&?'A intimation of an increase in petroleum prices in the 4ew (ear came as no surprise to economists watching the steady rise in glo al petroleum prices, though ever the opportunist opposition parties rallied to condemn the governments move. :ommentators had een predicting an increase since the middle of 2ecem er, while the formula for calculating oil prices is widely known. $hould we have repeated the mistake ...

7conomic policies: (hink short term, stay happy

0eak governments cannot make strong policies. 0e saw an e;ample of this when Prime !inister (ousaf ?a>a &ilani gave in to political pressure and reversed the decision to increase petroleum prices N despite the fact that oil prices are soaring in the international market. %he move received praise from oth, political and usiness leaders. %he !uttahida "aumi !ovement @!"!A re5oined the government while the Pakistan !uslim 8eague-4awa> @P!8-4A also supported the decision N all without any consideration for the long term economic implications of the move. 2uring the episode leaders made a volley of statements that I have done my est ...

Sympathy for the dictator: /o+ Musharraf lost a fan

8ets face it. !edia fraternities hate e;-President &eneral Perve> !usharraf. (es, they do and for o vious reasons actually. Ironic really as &eneral !usharraf did sow the magic eans of free media that later grew to ecome a monstrous self-defeating eanstalk. It shouldnt come across as a revelation when I say that supporting &eneral $aha is considered somewhat ta oo in the media community N it is pretty much like venturing on a cross-country road-trip in Fietnam holding an enormous 'merican flag. 1ut me) 1eing a staunch enthusiast of his rule, I refused to let one cra>y-speech and a unch of my colleagues prickly ...

Democracy undressed

%he proliferation of different types of social media from Face ook to (ou%u e is raising deep 9uestions a out pu lic discussion, and the workings of democracy itself. It is not so much the content that is released y 0iki8eaks that is of concern or indeed of any great surprise, since they merely confirmed what many suspected.

Democracy looks like a sham %he great concern is how foreign policy is eing conducted ehind closed doors, in secret corridors of power where only an elite few are privy and a le to influence foreign policy. Foreign policy constructions in democracies particularly like those of the =$ and E= is trou les me, ecause you clearly have rational democratic pu lics, ut you have incoherent, simplistic and, 9uite frankly, appalling policies in the international arena which make you ask the following 9uestionsJ

BA 2o people in todays democracies actually have any say in how their country should conduct themselves in foreign affairs) +A How much input is there from democratic institutions, civil society and citi>ens in the formulation of foreign policy) Think-tank elite: monopolising foreign policy In the =$, foreign policy seems to e an affair for the think tank elite. Policy recommendations to the =$ government are made y some very 9uestiona le and ideologically worrying think-tanks which do not seem to em ody the principles of accounta ility and transparency. %here is also of course the touchy su 5ect of militaryindustrial comple; in 'merica and how much of an influence it has on foreign policy. Indeed, it is perhaps the construction of foreign policy which still needs to e li erated and democratised, since it still seems to e the preserve of an elite shady cohort of thinktanks, and a priesthood of policy makers who enforce foreign policy orthodo;y, to the e;tent that democracies in the E= and =$ have little say in this most crucial of policy discussions. 0hy do these li eral democracies, which in all respects are societies which place great worth on lofty ideals like human e9uality, so latantly etray their own values when interacting with the international community) Pakistan: A tale of un-democracy %he most depressing story is the Pakistani one, where all types of policy discussion let alone foreign policy are completely removed from the democratic process. Foreign policy in Pakistan is conducted in a most autocratic manner under the auspices of the army, security agencies with the ro ust cooperation of political parties who claim to e guardians of democracy. %he people of Pakistan are duly left in the dark whilst politicians sink deeper into an a yss of corruption, ravaged y their malicious 9uests for power. %he 0iki8eaks may have had many revelations ut for me the greatest lesson was the a solutely terri le state of democracies around the world when it came to foreign policy corruption. It seems to me that glo ally we are still stuck in a pre-modern era, where values of accounta ility, transparency, e9uality, rule of law and human rights do not apply to human eings of other nationalities. Human rights dont matter It is perhaps the notion that human rights are only for ones own citi>ens and merely a eautiful piece of rhetoric to woo others with, which is most distur ing.

Foreign policy construction should move away from the corrupting influence of generals, ideologues and rought out in the open sunshine of the pu lic sphere where citi>ens can decide for themselves how their country should conduct itself. Peace today re9uires not more government meetings and cooperation etween intelligence agencies, since we have had plenty of such stupefying and vacuous confidence uilding measures, ut re9uires an open meeting of minds, cultures, creeds and a renewal of trust. %he 0iki8eaks episode has taught us of the corrupting influence of unchecked power, and the dangers of mi;ing the awesome power of government with the sinister spectre of secrecy.