Recently I got the opportunity to attend Khudi’s annual Festival of Ideas in Lahore. Khudi is a progressive youth organization working for countering extremist mindset and for raising awareness about democracy. I had been following this organization on social media over the past few years and I grew to admire the remarkable work they are doing. Khudi works on various themes ranging from peace building, rights of minorities, gender issues and civic and political education. This time I applied for the annual Festival of Ideas and was luckily selected among limited number of delegates from across the country. I occasioned a remarkable hospitality upon my arrival and the organizers cordially welcomed the participants. In the matter of few minutes I started feeling like a part of the event wholeheartedly. The developments of the first day of the three-day event clearly indicated that I was among a very well organized community and a team of devoted folks who were working continuously for the better service and management of every activity.
The orientation session started with a lecture of a leading intellectual and public figure Mr Javed Jabbar, who delivered a beautifully crafted lecture on the idea of Pakistan and the issues that we are confronting in the contemporary age. Mr Jabbar spoke in detail about our identity crisis and ways to face the challenges posed by it. By the end of this interactive lecture followed by very interesting questions & answers session, I had realized that the event is not going to betray any of the high ideals and anticipation which it portrayed; a 10 out of 10 from my side. After that we had a brilliant Mushaira, a session of poetry, featuring young zealous poets expressing their inner feelings through their splendid verses on romantic themes. As the Mushaira moved forward and veteran poets took the stage, I was fascinated to see that the notion of romanticism of the young poets was replaced by grave issues of life, suffering, death and the existential quests. Reference: Khudi Festival of Ideas: Learning for a Way Forward by M. Fahad Ur Rehman Nov - 13 - 2013 http://www.laaltain.com/khudi-festival-of-ideas-learning-for-a-way-forward/
Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Mian Ifthikhar Hussain of the Awami National Party (ANP) delivered the keynote speech on counter-militancy and Talibanisation. He discussed the government’s policy of dialogue with the Taliban. About the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) contribution, he said, “[PTI chief Imran] Khan so far has not taken a step for the dialogue. His party’s government has approached none of the 53 factions of the Taliban.” “If ordinary people can point out where the Taliban are hiding, how can the government be unaware of where to find them?” he questioned. He said the narrative on militancy and extremism needed to changed. “If it doesn’t, the sacrifices of 850 ANP workers will go in vain,” he said. Speaking at a panel discussion, Haider Farooqi Maududi said, “The exploitation of religion for political purposes has made Pakistan hell.” He said “Pakistan had not emerged from a religious conflict but a political one.” He called for separation of religion from state matters. Other speakers in the panel Tanveer Jahan, Tahir Wadood Malik and Sulaiman Mandran agreed with him. At a panel discussion titled Democratic Transition: Hopes and Fears Tahir Mehdi, Fahd Husain and Taimur Rehman said democracy is not only a form of governance but also a way of life. “To bring true democratic change, a democratic culture has to be established at all levels, including in our homes and workplaces,” the speakers said. REFERENCE: Youth forum: ‘Democracy, too, is a way of life’ October 27, 2013 http://tribune.com.pk/story/622977/youth-forum-democracy-too-is-a-way-of-life/
In another panel discussion, Haider Farooq Maududi, the son of founder of Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana Abu al Ala Moududi said, “The misuse of religion has made Pakistan a hell”. He said “Pakistan was not result of a religious conflict but that of a political one.” He also explained why there was a need to separate religion from state matters. The other speakers including Tanveer Jahan, Tahir Wadood Malik and Sulaiman Mandran agreed. Earlier, a panel discussion titled ‘democratic transition: hopes and fears’, which consisted of Tahir Mehdi, Fahd Husain and Dr Taimur Rehman stressed that democracy was not only a form of governance but it’s a code and a way of life. “To bring a true democratic change, the democratic culture has to be established at all levels including homes and workplaces,” they were of the view. Towards the end the audience was divided into four committees to discuss various regional and international conflicts that Pakistan faces. The committees discussed in detail civil-military, Pak-India, and Pak-US relations, along with issue of militancy. Reference: Youngsters share ideas at festival October 27, 2013 ARSHAD BHATTI http://www.nation.com.pk/lahore/27-Oct-2013/youngsters-share-ideas-at-festival
Journalist and discussion moderator Mubasher Bukhari said the Pakistani press faced great pressure to censor facts from stories that challenged the established narrative. “In all my years as a journalist, I have been under pressure to censor reports, whether from political or religious parties or the establishment,” he said. Journalists often practised self-censorship, he said. This particularly applied to blasphemy cases, which often went unreported. “With such practices in place there is no space left for counter narratives,” he said. And self-censorship was not just restricted to the press, he said. “Forget media reports, even governments exercise self-censorship by not releasing reports on sensitive issues in their entirety,” he said. Lawyer Yasser Latif Hamdani advocated a separation of the state and religion. “If we want to see Pakistan as a progressive state, we have to separate state from religion,” he said. Islam’s privileged status in the Constitution meant that it was always at the centre of public discourse. Even viewed in the legal paradigm, he said, one had little room to exercise religious and individual freedoms. In a society bent on establishing a single religious practice, there was no tolerance for alternative discourse, he said.
Distorted history textbooks further strengthened the resolve not to tolerate differing views, he added. History books were not written to establish facts and context, he said, but to establish people’s roles as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. “Why must we have a history that identifies characters as heroes or villains?” Research analyst Amir Mughal said Pakistani society was content to avoid issues by pretending they don’t exist. “Every topic deemed sensitive or controversial is brushed under the carpet by our government,” he said. Society’s natural response had been programmed such that anything varying from the established norms and narratives was either banned or censored. He questioned the ban on YouTube. But the media was not blameless, he said. “The media is quick to criticise civilian governments, but what about the security establishment?” he asked. The media also played a part in the assassination of Salmaan Taseer. “Nowadays, the easiest thing for anyone to do is to label liberals or secular people as traitors,” he said. REFERENCE: Censorship in public discourse: ‘Dogma has bred denial, killed dissent’ Published: October 28, 2013 http://tribune.com.pk/story/623371/censorship-in-public-discourse-dogma-has-bred-denial-killed-dissent/
“We are looking at a modern world through a pre-modern lens,” said lawyer and columnist Saroop Ijaz, speaking at the third session – titled ‘Pakistan on the global stage: hopes and fears’ on the last day of the Khudi Festival of Ideas. Ijaz said when seen in a global perspective, it seemed that “Pakistani history” taught people to be xenophobic. He stressed the need for alternative narratives, but acknowledged that these would make people uncomfortable. “When what you have believed for so many years is challenged, there is bound to be a certain degree of discomfort,” he said. This was the reason that there were such contrasting views on Malala Yousafzai within the country, he said. “Malala’s narrative makes us uncomfortable because it does not conform to what we have in mind as the role of a 15-year-old girl in Pakistan,” he said. Ijaz also called for greater discourse between those termed conservatives and those called liberals in Pakistan. “At some stage, liberals and seculars will need to come out of their comfort zone and engage with conservative ideologies, which are far more popular than their own,” he added. Former Radio Pakistan director general Murtaza Solangi said Pakistan’s current woes were in large part due to the deficiencies of the education system, which discouraged critical thinking. “We are not standing at a sensitive juncture in history, we are in fact in an existential crisis,” he said. The focus on parliamentarians’ fake degrees, he said, was misplaced. “I find this not to be the issue. The real issue is the presence of [people getting] genuine degrees without any knowledge,” he said. Solangi said that the country’s political institutions had performed better in the last few years. “Confusion is the first step to wisdom. That is when you start seeking and that is when single narratives are challenged,” said Dr Daanish Mustafa, who teaches at the geography department at King’s College, London. He called for greater investment in various disciplines, particularly the performing arts, so as to encourage cultural diversity and create alternative narratives. These alternative narratives needed to be taken to a broader audience in order to challenge the old narrative. Dr Mustafa said he was hopeful that the country would move forward. “All is not lost. I don’t see suicidal tendencies in the young. They are hopeful,” he said. Writer and activist Dr Mubarak Haider said Pakistan could either change itself, or the world would change it. The latter, he said, seemed more probable. “The Muslim Ummah and specifically the Pakistani nation is narcissistic, and the more you try to tell them that the more they deny it,” he said. Dr Haider said the country had no global partner. “Even countries like Saudi Arabia do not completely stand by us. We are isolated as a nation on a global platform,” he said. Because of insecurities about religion, Pakistan seemed always to be preoccupied with trying to defend the faith. The country’s supreme governing body, he said, was not parliament but the Council of Islamic Ideology. He said: “Why are we so frightened that something may happen to our religion? Why do we feel so threatened?”
REFERENCE: Pakistan on global stage: ‘We’re taught to be xenophobic’ By Aroosa Shaukat Published: October 28, 2013 http://tribune.com.pk/story/623369/pakistan-on-global-stage-were-taught-to-be-xenophobic/
The current state of the country is not the fault of ‘maulvis’, but of a “secular class” of political and military leaders, said writer and politician Ayaz Amir in his concluding address at the Second Khudi Festival of Ideas on Sunday. “[The maulvis] have never been so powerful that they could bring the country to this state,” Amir said. From the dismal state of education to social unrest, the “secular class” was largely to blame, he said, addressing a gathering of some 300 young people from across the country who participated in the festival. Amir, who was a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz before throwing his support behind the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ahead of the May general elections, lamented the quality of leadership in the country since the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. “One after the other, we have been getting worse and worse leaders and that has been Pakistan’s ill fate,” he said. The current prime minister, he said, looked like “a nervous young student” at his recent press briefing alongside US President Barrack Obama at the White House. “Why is our leadership so insecure? Why do they lack the confidence to speak in front of the world?” Amir said unless the nation got the right leadership, it would get nowhere. “Those in a command position can either lead the nation in the right direction or lead it to its destruction. Unfortunately, we lack the leaders to steer it in the right direction,” he said. REFERENCE: Khudi Festival of Ideas: ‘Secular class to blame for our fate, not maulvis’ By Our Correspondent Published: October 28, 2013 http://tribune.com.pk/story/623373/khudi-festival-of-ideas-secular-class-to-blame-for-our-fate-not-maulvis/
The Final Solution (German: Die Endlösung) was Nazi Germany's plan and execution of the systematic genocide of European Jews during World War II, resulting in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust. According to historians at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “The Nazis frequently used euphemistic language to disguise the true nature of their crimes. They used the term “Final Solution” to refer to their plan to annihilate the Jewish people.” Heinrich Himmler was the chief architect of the plan, and the German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler termed it "the final solution of the Jewish question" (German: die Endlösung der Judenfrage). REFERENCE: Final Solution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution
Gen Kayani’s speech at PMA Kakul on August 14 repays a close study. The war against religious extremism was our war, he said. This was the kernel of his remarks. It would have helped if this clarity had come much earlier...but better late than never. Extremism gone wild and threatening to become virulent is our most serious problem, dwarfing all others, including our economic woes. Indeed it is no exaggeration to say that this derangement of the Pakistani mind, expressed in extremism, threatens the foundations of the state. We survived the loss of East Pakistan. Germany has survived the loss of territory. Russia is still Russia despite the breakup of the Soviet Union. But Pakistan will not remain Pakistan if the havoc being wrought in the name of religion and by religious extremism is allowed to go unchecked. Pakistan was created in the name of religion. Is it to be undone in the name of religion? And we are still caught up in the debate whether this is our war or not. If this is not our war there never will be a war we can call our own. Imran Khan wouldn’t be able to survive a day in Hakimullah Mehsud’s Islamic Emirate. So what is he talking about? When the misuse of mosque loudspeakers becomes a national pastime, and the spewing of hatred against different sects an everyday occurrence; when a poor Christian girl such as Aasia Bibi in Sheikhupura is held on a blasphemy charge, setting off a train of events leading ultimately to the murder of governor Salmaan Taseer at the hands of one of his guards, and the guard is hailed as a hero of the faith, and lawyers shower him with rose petals when he appears before a magistrate; when someone in Bahawalpur is held on a blasphemy charge and after being sprung from police lockup is set on fire by an enraged mob; when another poor Christian girl is held on a blasphemy charge near Islamabad; and the Muslim community, which should be moved to outrage at such outrages, chooses to remain silent and do nothing; and when, in a comic interlude, the highest security agencies use clerical windbags to whip up the froth of a false nationalism; then be not surprised if religious radicalisation keeps receiving shots in the arm, and extremism as an ideological force turns into a more poisonous brew. When the next bunch of Shias is murdered we read it as a newspaper item and shrug our shoulders and carry on as usual. And the call to prayers is sounded and it makes not the slightest difference to our collective conduct. REFERENCE: The scope and tapestry of religious extremism Ayaz Amir Friday, August 24, 2012 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=128017&Cat=9
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 1
ISLAMABAD: A cleric who handed over a young Christian girl to police on blasphemy charges after she burned papers containing Quranic verses said Friday what she did was a “conspiracy” to insult Muslims. Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, the imam of the mosque in the Islamabad suburb of Mehrabad, insisted he had saved the girl, Rimsha, from mob violence by handing her to police but said the incident arose because Muslims had not stopped local Christians’ “anti-Islam activities” earlier. Rimsha was arrested and remanded in custody for a fortnight last Thursday after being accused of burning pages from a children’s religious instruction book, which were inscribed with verses from the Muslim holy text. The youngster reportedly has Down’s Syndrome and her treatment has prompted outrage from rights groups and concern from Western governments, but Chishti insisted she was fully aware of what she was doing. “The girl who burnt the Holy Quran has no mental illness and is a normal girl,” Chishti told AFP. “She did it knowingly, this is a conspiracy and not a mistake. She confessed what she did.” Chishti claimed the local Christian community had previously caused antagonism by playing music in services at their makeshift church during Muslim prayer time and said burning the pages was deliberate. “They committed this crime to insult us further. This happened because we did not stop their anti-Islam activities before,” he said. “Last Christmas, they played musical instruments and there was vulgarity in the streets during our prayers time. I warned them but they did not stop.” During his sermon at Friday prayers Chishti told worshippers it was “time for Muslims to wake up” and protect the Holy Quran. Mehrabad is home to around 500 Christian families but many fled after the page-burning, fearing a repeat of a 2009 incident in Gojra, in which young Muslim radicals burned Christian houses, killing seven, after a rumour that a page from the Holy Quran had been desecrated during a wedding. REFERENCE: Imam accuses Christian girl of 'conspiracy' By AFP Published: August 24, 2012 http://tribune.com.pk/story/425690/imam-claims-he-saved-blasphemy-accused-christian-girl-from-violence/
Pakistani Muslims desecrated Holy Quran and Hadith Books in 2010 in Faisalabad Punjab
2011: The PUC chairman questioned that why the blasphemy law was not implemented when on 12th Rabbiul Awwal of this Islamic year (in 2010), some 750 copies of the holy Quran and several books of Hadith and Tafseer were set on fire by unidentified people at late Allama Ziaul Haq Qasmi’s residence in Faisalabad and a footage of this incident was also present. “After the incident, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Fazal Karim sought registration of an FIR under 295-C against Zahid Qasmi, son of late Qasmi. Both the sides, sects ‘Deobandi’ and ‘Barelvi’, requested police seeking FIRs against each other, but the issue was resolved later,” he recalled and questioned why such a settlement was not counted as blasphemy or profanity, the channel reported. REFERENCE Sentiments were exploited against Salmaan Taseer: Ashrafi * Pakistan Ulema Council chairman says whosoever declared it was justified to kill Taseer should come on media to prove his claim before nation Daily Times Monitor Sunday, January 09, 2011 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C01%5C09%5Cstory_9-1-2011_pg7_18
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 2
2009: `Rioters were led by masked men from Jhang` ISLAMABAD The government on Sunday asked Minister for Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti to work in coordination with the government of Punjab to unmask the elements behind the Gojra violence, well-placed sources told Dawn. They said the government had received information that a group of armed `miscreants`, with masked faces had come from Jhang and led the violence against Christians on the pretext of desecration of the Holy Quran. The sources said a mob went on rampage after some youths had delivered provocative speeches and set on fire some houses and places of worship. `The minority minister has been asked to work closely with the provincial government and expose the people responsible for the tragic incident.` They said the government believed that the incident had been planned to trigger riots between Christians and Muslims and the government was not ruling out involvement of an external hand. President Asif Ali Zardari has also asked Mr Bhatti to proceed to Gojra and stay there till the situation calms down and affected people return to their homes. President`s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president had taken a serious notice of the Gojra incident and he was concerned about the violence as well as the wrong signals it had sent about the country and its people to the international community. Recently in Kasur, houses of Christians had been torched and the latest incident has forced the government to handle the situation with firmness. The president said in a statement that under no circumstances could anyone be allowed to take law into his hand to settle real or perceived grievances. `It is the responsibility of the state to protect citizens under attack from a handful of vengeful and armed groups in the name of religion,` he said. President Zardari appealed to all sections of society to make concerted and combined efforts to repair the social fabric that has often been shredded by some individuals and some organised groups behind the facade of religious sensitivities. REFERENCE: `Rioters were led by masked men from Jhang` By Syed Irfan Raza http://archives.dawn.com/archives/35571
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 4
2009: Seven burnt alive in Gojra violence TOBA TEK SINGH, Aug 1 Seven people were burnt alive and 18 others injured in Gojra on Saturday after fresh violence erupted in the town over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran three days ago. More than 50 houses were set on fire and a place of worship belonging to a minority community was damaged by an angry mob. According to sources, most of the houses were burnt by a group of youths who had their faces covered with veils. They threw petrol bombs and fired indiscriminately. The minority community announced that it would not retrieve bodies and bury them until Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the area and gave assurance of protection to life and property.A complete strike was observed in Gojra town on the call of the Anjuman Tajiran in protest against the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran.
Contingents of Rangers were dispatched to the troubled area on the orders of the federal government. Religious parties held a public meeting in Malkanwala Chowk, after which hundreds of angry people took out a procession, which marched to a residential area populated mainly by non-Muslims. Some members of the minority community retaliated with gunshot fires. Ten people were injured. Police failed to stop the enraged demonstrators from entering the colony in the afternoon and set ablaze over 50 houses. Most of the residents fled, but seven of them were trapped in their houses and burnt to death. They were identified as Hameed Maseeh, 50, Asia Bibi, 20, Asifa Bibi, 19, Imamia Bibi, 22, Musa, 7, Akhlas Maseeh, 40, and Parveen, 50.
The protesters later burnt old tyres on the railway track and blocked traffic for several hours. They also blocked the Gojra-Samundri bypass. Police used teargas and fired into the air to disperse the protesters. The mob pelted a police party with stones. Gojra TMO Rana Ahmad Nawaz, Kamalia DSP Akbar Niazi, Sub-Inspector Mukhtar Ahmad and ASI Tariq Mahmood were injured. Constable Usman Khan sustained a bullet wound. Shabbir Ahmad, a leader of the Labour Qaumi Movement, told reporters that he and his friends rescued a number of people trapped in their houses. The IG suspended Gojra DSP Raja Ghulam Abbas over police failure to control the violence. Minorities Alliance leaders Atif Jamil Pagaan and Ashfaq Fateh held police responsible for the riots and demanded registration of a case against negligent officials. JUDICIAL INQUIRY The LHC chief justice, on the request of the Punjab chief minister, appointed District and Sessions Judge Mahmood Maqbool Bajwa to conduct a judicial probe into the clashes. REFERENCE: Seven burnt alive in Gojra violence By Tariq Saeed http://archives.dawn.com/archives/35151
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 5
2009 Christians` homes burnt over `desecration` TOBA TEK SINGH, July 31 A mob burnt 75 houses of Christians over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Azafi Abadi at Chak 95-JB on Gojra-Faisalabad Road, 32 kilometres from here, late on Thursday, Christian leaders said. Christian leaders Atif Jamil Pagaan and Ashfaq Fateh told a press conference that 75 houses were burnt and two churches ransacked by the residents of a neighboring village over reports that Mukhtar Maseeh, Talib Maseeh and his son Imran Maseeh had desecrated the papers inscribed with Holy Quran verses at a wedding ceremony. Dawn learnt from sources that 50 houses were damaged when the mob in a frenzy of rage held a jury where Talib Maseeh was asked to offer apology over the incident. Talib, however, denied the incident and refused to offer apology. In the ensuing developments, hundreds of the people attacked Azafi Basti.
Before the arrival of the mob, the residents had fled which gave a walkover to the mob which put on fire 50 houses. The ablaze also burnt a few cattle. District Police Officer (DPO) Inkisar Khan fielded MPA Bilal Asghar Warraich and Maulana Noor Ahmad to calm down the mob. The DPO also suspended the Gojra Sadar station house officer at the demand of the mob. The mob blocked Gojra-Faisalabad Road to block the entrance of fire brigades to the village. Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti and Punjab Minorities and Human Rights Minister Kamran Michael visited the locality on Friday and urged both sides to remain peaceful. They said the Christians would be compensated for their loss. Minority MPAs Rafiq Pervaiz and Khalil Tahir Sandhu also visited the village. DPO Inkisar Khan said a case has been registered under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code against Mukhtar Maseeh, Talib Maseeh and Imran Maseeh without any arrest.
Local ulema and traders demanded the arrest of the accused and announced a complete strike on Saturday (today). Former MNA M Hamza condemned the violence against Christians as well as the alleged desecration act. In a press statement, he demanded a judicial probe into the incident. Labour Party leader Tariq Mahmood, National Workers` Party Punjab Secretary Rana Azam, Labour Qaumi Movement`s Shabbir Ahmad and Kissan Committee President Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad condemned the violence. INTERFAITH LEAGUE Expressing his anguish over the violence perpetrated by communal forces against Christian minorities, Interfaith League chairman Sajid Ishaq says it is condemnable to make religion a basis for committing violent acts against humanity. He said that nation was trying to build a peaceful and stable society in Pakistan and such attacks hindered any progress in this regard. He demanded that the thugs who carried out the attacks should be strictly punished so that no one could dare again to commit such a crime. REFERENCE: Christians` homes burnt over `desecration` By Tariq Saeed http://archives.dawn.com/archives/137123
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 7
2009: Rampant bigotry Dawn Editorial The frenzied mob that hit a Christian settlement near Gojra on two consecutive days last week proves how easy it is to lose all sense of reason. Masked young men, egged on by religious leaders and actively supported by locals angry over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by some members of the Christian community, performed a veritable dance of death in the neighbourhood. They torched houses, smashed businesses and brought routine life to a screeching halt through their seemingly unstoppable violence — until seven Christians were burnt alive and the Rangers called in. On both days the entire area around the targeted settlement was the site of arson, interspersed with stone-throwing, baton-wielding and gunfire.
It is not for the first time that an alleged act of blasphemy has triggered such brutal aggression. Nor, sadly, will it be the last if bigoted mindsets persist. Only weeks ago, Christian houses in Kasur were burnt down because the majority community there was able to allege blasphemy to exact retribution in an otherwise purely secular feud. Yet it seems little is changing to avoid the repetition of such incidents. In fact, while Gojra burnt the local administration made only half-hearted efforts to douse the fires. That is why the Christians there insisted on senior officials being booked for murder as a precondition to ending their protests. They, after all, had a duty to protect citizens no matter what their religion. Are we not supposed to be a democratic society that treats all its members, regardless of faith, equitably?
Unfortunately, the fact that we have blasphemy laws suggests that we are not. These laws have become a ticket in the hands of the majority to persecute and victimise the minority communities if they don`t easily submit to their inferior status in society. In not being blind to the faith of each individual, the state is supporting bias and bigotry against non-Muslims. The narrow-minded who spew venom through their sermons against religious minorities are only the loudest and most abominable symbols of such discrimination and their growing following is an unmistakable sign of the frightening future that we are heading towards. A state held hostage by its own bigots cannot guarantee protection for religious minorities in its jurisdiction. For that to happen, the state will have to ensure that all forms of religious discrimination, including faith-based laws that victimise even innocent civilians, are done away with. REFERENCE: Rampant bigotry Dawn Editorial http://archives.dawn.com/archives/150364
General Zia, Pakistan & Mistreatment with Minorities - Part 8
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that it was a criminal negligence to bring changes in the documents like Objectives Resolution as former president General (retd) Zia ul Haq tampered with the Constitution in 1985 however, the sitting parliament had done a good job by undoing this tampering. At one point Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry observed that the word ‘freely’ was omitted from the Objectives Resolution in 1985 by a dictator, which was an act of criminal negligence, but the then parliament surprisingly didn’t take notice of it. He said the Constitution is a sacred document and no person can tamper with it. The chief justice said credit must go to the present parliament, which after 25 years took notice of the brazen act of removing the word relating to the minorities’ rights, and restored the word ‘freely’ in the Objectives Resolution, which had always been part of the Constitution. The chief justice further said that the court is protecting the fundamental rights of the minorities and the government after the Gojra incident has provided full protection to the minorities. “We are bound to protect their rights as a nation but there are some individual who create trouble.” - DAILY TIMES - ISLAMABAD: Heading a 17-member larger bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry termed as criminal negligence the deletion of a word about the rights of minorities from the Objectives Resolution during the regime of General Ziaul Haq in 1985. Ziaul Haq had omitted the word “freely” from the Objectives Resolution, which was made substantive part of the 1973 Constitution under the Revival of Constitutional Order No. 14. The clause of Objectives Resolution before deletion of the word ‘freely’ read, “Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to ‘freely’ profess and practice their religions and develop their culture.” DAILY DAWN - ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Tuesday praised the parliament for undoing a wrong done by the legislature in 1985 (through a constitutional amendment) when it removed the word ‘freely’ from a clause of the Objectives Resolution that upheld the minorities’ right to practise their religion. The word “freely” was deleted from the Objectives Resolution when parliament passed the 8th Amendment after indemnifying all orders introduced through the President’s Order No 14 of 1985 and actions, including the July 1977 military takeover by Gen Zia-ul-Haq and extending discretion of dissolving the National Assembly, by invoking Article 58(2)b of the Constitution. After the passage of the 18th Amendment, the Objectives Resolution now reads: “Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities freely to profess and practise their religions and develop their culture.” The CJ said: “Credit goes to the sitting parliament that they reinserted the word back to the Objectives Resolution.” He said that nobody realised the blunder right from 1985 till the 18th Amendment was passed, even though the Objectives Resolution was a preamble to the Constitution even at the time when RCO (Revival of Constitution Order) was promulgated. REFERENCES: CJ lauds parliament for correcting historic wrong By Nasir Iqbal Wednesday, 09 Jun, 2010 http://archives.dawn.com/archives/32657 - CJP raps change in Objectives Resolution * Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry says deletion of clause on rights of minorities was ‘criminal negligence’ * Appreciates incumbent parliament for taking notice of removal of clause by Gen Zia’s govt in 1985 By Masood Rehman Wednesday, June 09, 2010 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=201069\story_9-6-2010_pg1_1 CJ lauds parliament for undoing changes in Objectives Resolution Wednesday, June 09, 2010 Says minorities’ rights have to be protected; Hamid says parliament should have no role in judges’ appointment By Sohail Khan http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=29367&Cat=13&dt=6/10/2010
LAHORE: Sitting with the blue-eyed guys of living dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf — embracing the MQM is not the first summersault by the ‘champions of democracy,’ PML-N has a history of U-turns on its stance. Noteworthy is a clause of the declaration of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) held in London that was organised and financed by the PML-N that reads that no political party would interact with the MQM. This ‘socio-political boycott’ of the MQM was motivated, pressed and got approved with the personal interest of the N-League leadership. The reason given to the participants was that the party is the opening batsman of the dictator and had damaged the democratic norms, institutions and the political forces. The PML-N leadership has been repeatedly saying that it would not compromise on the democratic norms and tolerate any person or group who remained part of the Musharraf administration, but its took a U-turn when it adopted a person, Zahid Hamid, who was law minister of PCO of November 3, 2007, that imposed emergency in the country that is being dubbed as ‘second martial law’ by Mian Nawaz Sharif. It does not stop here, as PML-N chief took in his folds Rana Nazir Ahmad of Gujranwala, who was an active leader of PML-Q during Musharraf regime. The former minister of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal Gujjar is the recent entry in the party ranks. The story of U-turns goes back to general elections of 2008 when APDM decided to boycott the polls. The APDM was a political alliance consisting of thirty-two parties opposed to the military rule of Pervez Musharraf. Its noteworthy members included Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and Awami National Party. All legislators of APDM resigned from their National Assembly and the regional assemblies seats when Musharraf’s nomination papers for the presidential election were accepted. REFERENCE: A tale of N-League somersaults By Raja Riaz Friday, July 08, 2011 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C07%5C08%5Cstory_8-7-2011_pg7_15
The major stakeholders of this political alliance, PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, decided not to contest the election. Nawaz Sharif endorsed the decision but on his return to country, his party participated in the polls. During those days he shifted his stance many times but finally took part in the process and as a result Shahbaz Sharif became the chief minister of the biggest federating unit, Punjab, with the help of the PPP. Since the inception of Punjab Assembly, the N-League had been opposing taking PML-Q legislators in its folds, but the situation is different — the PML-N accepted them but in a different way. They were asked to become turncoats as a new group – Unification Block – was formed and its members became the pillar to save the Punjab government. There’s a major change in the PML-N policy, as it had always expressed opposition to destabilising the government and had called for letting the assemblies complete their tenure. The Sharifs of Punjab were very vocal on the point that completion of constitutional tenure3 is a must for strengthening the democratic norms. They refused to become a part of any movement aimed at dislodging the government, but their recent move is aimed at toppling the democratic setup. The grand alliance in the offing, led by Sharifs of Punjab, is based on one-point agenda – getting rid of Asif Ali Zardari-led PPP administration, another change in its stance. REFERENCE: A tale of N-League somersaults By Raja Riaz Friday, July 08, 2011 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\07\08\story_8-7-2011_pg7_15
Mushahid Ullah (PML - N) & Waseem Akhter (MQM) fight in Mazrat K Sath
Scuffle on Lal Masjid Operation between MQM AND PML-N and bitter Truth: KARACHI, July 10: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has praised the government, President Gen Pervez Musharraf and armed forces, particularly the Special Services Group, for successfully completing the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa operation.In a statement issued from London on Tuesday night, Mr Hussain also appreciated efforts made by ulema for resolving the crisis peacefully. Commending the way the crisis was handled, he said the government demonstrated unprecedented patience over the past four months and tried to resolve the issue through protracted negotiations and peaceful means. However, the government did not receive any positive response from hundreds of armed militants. He said these terrorists had jeopardised national security and integrity of the country and their activities should not be allowed to be repeated anywhere in the country. He offered his heartfelt condolences to families of the army officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. He also prayed for speedy recovery of those injured in the operation. REFERENCE: Altaf praises army for successful operation By Our Staff Reporter July 11, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/07/11/top8.htm
On the spirit of this prayer I would like to request both the countries, India and Pakistan, to stop sowing the seeds of hatred and start sowing the seeds of love. (Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founder Leader of MQM)
Keynote Speech by Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder & Leader at the conference - India and the World: A Blueprint for Partnership and GrowthTranslation provided by Dean Ali
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The Management of Hindustan Times
Distinguished Guests and Honourable Speakers
As Salam'O'Alaikum - Namastay - Sat Sri Akal and Good Afternoon
On behalf of my party and on my own behalf, I congratulate Hindustan Times for the Leadership Initiative series of lectures. I sincerely hope it develops into a successful forum to further the search for global peace and prosperity. I am indeed honoured and privileged to be invited to share the stage with some of the most eminent leaders of my generation and to offer my humble views before such a distinguished audience. It also happens to be my first address in the land of my forefathers and I am, therefore, particularly mindful of the historical opportunity to try and place my views on partnership with this great country for a better world.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
There are more than 190 countries in the world today. They all communicate with one another directly or indirectly. In this age of Information Technology it is not possible to conceal facts for any length of time. Common folks are in a better position to assess facts from fiction. India has made giant strides in the field of IT and is recognised as the world’s largest democracy. Soon after independence India got rid of the prevailing feudal system thereby strengthening the democratic institutions. The development of this democratic process not only kept the armed forces at bay but also provided a boost to education among the masses. General education brought about a Middle Class, which started to play its crucial role in Politics as well as in Business. The democratic process in India proved the linchpin for its industrial advancement, particularly in the field of IT. It is forecasted that in the coming 15 to 20 years India will become one of strong economy in the world, if the rate of progress continues. For a country’s partnership and growth it is essential that the economy move in the right direction.
Before I proceed to take up the topic of the day, I would like to take the liberty of briefing you about the emergence, philosophy and the political journey of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) so far. We are the third largest political party in Pakistan. We stand for equal rights and opportunities for all irrespective of colour, creed, caste, sect, gender, ethnicity or religion. We strive tirelessly for tolerance, religious or otherwise and oppose fanaticism, terrorism and violence in all their manifestations. MQM is committed to the introduction of an entrepreneurial free market economy, good governance and independent judiciary capable of dispensing justice, transparent accountability, free Press and participation of women in all spheres of life. Our immediate political objective is to change the corrupt medieval feudal-military political system of Pakistan. We are, therefore, the only genuine party of the lower and middle classes, totally devoid of feudal lords and army Generals. The support that we enjoy from the people of Pakistan has been amply demonstrated in our performance during consecutive elections of 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2002. Having started in March 1984 as a Mohajir Quami Movement out of the frustration of Mohajirs in Sindh, our track record today encourages even the Sindhi-speaking people from the rural areas of Sindh, who were led to believe by the Pakistan establishment that we would end up usurping their rights, are joining us in large numbers.
Why then, you may well ask, are we a part of the Government, which perpetuates army rule by undermining democracy and its institutions. We have paid a heavy price for pursuing our political objectives in a country where democracy is controlled. Given the circumstances, which prevail, our desire to serve the helpless, deprived and exploited peoples of Pakistan have indeed led us into political arrangements which we are neither comfortable in nor would deem desirable in better circumstances. The choice before us in Pakistan today is not Musharraf or democracy but between army and even more army. The very religious parties created by the army facilitate to see through constitutional changes which debilitate democratic processes in the long term and on the very next day take to the streets try to make the world believe that they are the vanguard of the fight to restore democracy. To place our politics in context, I would also like to briefly touch upon the loot and plunder of the wealth and resources of Sindh and Balochistan, including the denial of their legitimate share from the federal revenues and ever so increasingly their due share of water, the consequences in terms of the stark poverty in the rural areas and the severe environmental damage are there to be seen in both the provinces.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The scenario is so depressing that leadership of the day openly admits that the country would fall apart if the army did not run its affairs. What does it tell you? To me it signifies a telling blow to the very idea of Pakistan, a homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent, and the two-nation theory, which continues to wreck untold miseries on the people of this region for the past five decades. Muslims are fighting and killing each other on the basis of tribal and linguistic affinity, sectarian strife is worse than ever before. Mosques and madarssas are but flourishing businesses. The less educated the Pesh Imam, the more popular and affluent he is likely to be. The advocates of Jihad, a medieval concept to tame the infidel, are wantonly killing followers of the faith as they leave places of worship. Perhaps the idea of Pakistan was dead at its inception, when the majority of Muslims chose to stay back after partition, a truism reiterated in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. If you need further evidence look at the plight of 300,000 Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh for three decades in their passage to the chosen land. Unwanted by both Bangladesh and Pakistan, led by an unknown destiny.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The rights of the people who migrated to Pakistan from Muslim Minority Provinces of the Subcontinent was usurped and they had to face highhandedness and injustices. We formed the Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM) against these injustices. To crush our Movement, baseless accusations were made and we were termed “traitors”. We were targeted through State oppression. In 1993, during the Army Operation against the MQM, General Elections were held. The Army imposed a ban on the MQM to contest these elections from a few constituencies to allow the army’s created group to win the elections and to demonstrate to the world that the people of urban centres of Sindh do not support the MQM. On this illegal and unconstitutional ban, the MQM decided to boycott the General Elections in protest. On our appeal, the people of Sindh successfully boycotted the General Elections also witnessed by the international observers. As a result, the entire election process became dubious and then the high army officials requested us to take part in the provincial assembly elections. With assurances of free and fair participation in the elections – on a 48-hour notice, we participated in the provincial elections and the people overwhelmingly bestowed their mandate in favour of the MQM. If the charges of terrorism levelled against the MQM had been true then the people of Sindh would have supported the army operation against the MQM and in the presence of army they would not have effectively boycotted the elections and would not have given their mandate to the MQM. However, the people’s mandate was not respected and the State operation continued unabated against the MQM – and we were even not allowed to peacefully protest against this operation within the country.
No one can prove that we have pleaded anybody else’s case except our own at international fora including the UN. We did, however, seek moral, political and diplomatic support from the countries, which stand for democracy and human rights. My representatives have met officials of the United States and many European countries because we were pushed against the wall and forced by our own government to take our case worldwide because they remained arrogant and hell-bent on not providing rights and oppressed us militarily instead of sincerely and meaningfully negotiating with us in accordance with the democratic norms.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
May I now revert to the topic of the Seminar and with your permission to make references to our party wherever appropriate.
The title of the conference “ India and the World: A Blueprint for Partnership and Growth” has a welcome optimistic connotation. The themes of the future for the people of South Asia are indeed partnership and growth. Obviously, the first requirement for either to happen is that peace and normalcy must prevail. For much too long, Pakistan and India have been at odds. If we look around, we see unrest in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, Afghanistan is still looking for peace.
India and Pakistan, being the two largest in the region, need to demonstrate magnanimity and the necessary political wisdom and desire to truly seek peace. If this be so, it should be possible to pursue a meaningful, sincere and a composite dialogue with an open mind. I wish to take this opportunity to place on record the sincere appreciation of the MQM, and my own, of the recent initiatives by successive Prime Ministers of India, President General Pervez Musharraf and all those who may have been involved or contributed to the same. It is imperative that the current ambience be maintained to enable the process to evolve gradually. We see the approach in first tackling the issue of creation of processes necessary for carrying on the dialogue as a wise one. It is quite clear that the necessary architecture is now slowly but surely falling in place in a manner, which would impart continuity and stability to the dialogue process itself. It is also heartening that a wide-range of outstanding issues is being simultaneously addressed at several levels.
I would appeal in particular to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters to show, at this crucial juncture, the necessary sagacity to allow the Indo-Pak dialogue to proceed on the basis of mutual adjustment and agreement. It should be clear to all concerned that there can be no military solution to any of the contentious issues, let alone the issue of Kashmir. Neither for that matter can resort to militancy and extremism. The mindless loss of lives, endless human rights violations and continuing depletion of developmental resources to deal with civil strife cannot be justified under any circumstances. As a representative of a persecuted minority forced to live in exile and to grieve the loss of colleagues and supporters day after day through extra-judicial processes, I can well understand the agony of the Kashmiris. Over 17,000 Mohajirs have been killed including leaders, supporters and their relatives during army and state operations. Thousands of Mohajir families have been rendered destitute because either their breadwinners were extra-judicially executed, arbitrarily arrested or forced into hiding or exile. My 66 years old brother Mr. Nasir Hussain and his son 28 years old Arif Hussain, were unlawfully arrested in the presence of their entire neighbourhood. They were brutally tortured for three days and on 9th December 1995 and then extra-judicially executed. Both were non-political citizens of Pakistan.
The total number of casualties in the four wars, including Kargil, was in excess of thirteen thousand. Most estimates suggest that already more than fifty thousand lives have been lost in Jammu and Kashmir alone causing misery and grief to family members, distorting the normal pattern of life and virtually destroying the local economy. Who benefits from all this? Can the people of Pakistan and India afford it? Can they countenance the diversion of these resources from their own development programmes, health programmes and education? Definitely not. Two million students are being taught currently in about fifty thousand madrassas run by right-wing religious parties totally outside Government supervision to promote a medieval ideology leading to the generation of 15 to 20 thousand new militants every year, year after year. Who will detoxify the society? How will they be reintegrated into the mainstream? I pay tributes to the Muslim leaders and intellectuals of India for maintaining moderation and not pushing the Muslims towards fanaticism and Jihad.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Confidence Building Measures contemplated to bring the people of both countries closer must be implemented vigorously. Let there be free people to people contact, let there also be cultural and social contacts, sporting contacts, political contacts, economic contacts, diplomatic contacts and if considered prudent by both countries, even military-to-military contacts to further peace and harmony. Presently, “People to People” ostensibly appears to be “Punjab to Punjab” contact. Sindh is also part of the region and therefore, her people equally deserve to freely interact with the people of adjoining states of India. However, denial to reopen the Khokrapar Munabao border and Ferry Service between Karachi and Bombay is nothing but stifling the rights of the people of Sindh. The people of Sindh are forced to take an expensive route via Islamabad to obtain visas and then Lahore to catch the train or the bus. It is now incumbent on the governments of India and Pakistan to re-open the Visa Office in Karachi, which would further better the relationship.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I have recently aired a few thoughts on “Realism and Practicalism” copies of which are in this hall. I will appreciate your comments on it. The spirit and essence of it is that we must accept the ground reality without blinkers. The reality today is that India and Pakistan are at loggerheads and as a result the region is in turmoil. Dialogue between India and Pakistan should be pursued in diversity and should not be a hostage to Kashmir issue only. Practicalism seeks ways for common or agreed grounds.
When we talk of Kashmir there are several procedural and allied issues which crop up. Is it a bilateral issue? Do the people of Kashmir come into the equation? I have a habit of speaking freely without mincing my words. I intend continuing to do so and gladly invite my critics to correct me on the credibility and the plausibility of my views, objectively, in India, Pakistan and internationally. To deal with Kashmir, there has to be a basis or options on which the talks could take place. What could those options be? Is the recently talked about “Chenab Formula” an option? Is “Dixon Plan” on option? Could formalisation of the Line of Control be an option? Are there any more options that we may not know about? We also talk about the UN Resolutions, could they be enforced? If it was enforceable, why has it not been enforced in the past? What have Tashkent and Simla Agreements and the Lahore Declaration yielded? Practicalism and Pragmatism call for acceptance of what is in existence or has been in existence instead of arbitrary new ideas. I understand that the people of Kashmir are also aspiring for independence, even for this option, negotiation has to take place. Negotiation is the primary condition for all options. The Line of Control could well be used as the basis to begin negotiations by virtue of being a ground reality, which has existed for the past three decades. I am saying, use this as a basis or option to begin talks until such a time that a practicable alternative option is found. What is wrong with it? If both countries resolve that crossing this line would be considered as aggression, doesn’t it in lay man’s terms amount to an international border? If not, what is an international border? And, if this is not an option, then what options are we left with, another war? We have fought three wars over Kashmir, the governments may have achieved political victories and defeats, but what did the people achieve? Body bags of the soldiers and civilians, more widows and orphans, more taxes, contribution to war funds, poverty and backwardness. And, if we remain intransigent and squander this opportunity, the cost to be paid in the long term could be horrid.
Before I go further I would like to quote the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (1181), “Where there is hatred, let me sow love…”
On the spirit of this prayer I would like to request both the countries, India and Pakistan, to stop sowing the seeds of hatred and start sowing the seeds of love.
My plea is to let good sense and logic prevail and to let our peoples prosper. Let us divert critically required funds from defence to social and economic sectors. Our children need education; our villages need clean drinking water, electricity, medical care, everywhere there is a crying need for employment, better civic amenities and transport facilities etcetera. Let common sense prevail over arrogance and political expediencies. Let us arm our children with education, health and hygiene than nuclear bombs and missile. I applaud President General Pervez Musharraf for making a bold and courageous statement discarding plebiscite as an option. I had always maintained that it was never a practicable or implementable option. For the past 57 years, the leaders of Pakistan had not only misled the nation but also failed them by keeping them illiterate, impoverished, hungry, thirsty and without health facilities under the rubric of Kashmir to benefit one province to the detriment of other provinces.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The United States of America, now the unipolar power of the world and her western allies have historically supported the dictatorial and monarchical rulers in the developing world for their short term gains and opposed the moderate, liberal and enlightened Middle Class, as their sustained foreign policy. Their policies and mindsets have always been Election centric. They failed to calculate long-term repercussions of their foreign policies. These authoritarian and monarchical rulers deliberately promoted religious, sectarian, ethno-linguistic fanaticisms on the strength of the unbridled support of the west to protract their rules. Oppressed their people and produced Osama-bin-Laden, Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussain. And, now to rein in these forces, the US and her allies had to wage a global war against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a result of these wars, thousands of innocent people are being killed and millions of people are facing the wrath for no fault of theirs but their rulers. Inflictions of atrocities are resulting in psycho reactionary actions amongst millions. It is now essential for the United States of America and her western allies to review their policies, they should now support and nurture the moderate, enlightened and liberal Middle Class who are capable of dismantling the religious, sectarian and ethno-linguistic fanaticisms and established genuine democracies which would be mutually beneficial for their people and the West. In case of Pakistan, the historical and sustained support to Feudal-Mullah-Military alliance by the United States and West has already proved negative and has permeated rampant corruption, bad governance, denial of rights to the smaller provinces, illiteracy, impoverishment, unemployment, frustration amongst general populace and above all the religious, sectarian and ethno-linguistic fanaticism and violence.
South Asian countries in general and India and Pakistan in particular need do no more than draw lessons from Europe, whose post-war history is roughly the same length as our two nations. The European Union, which emerged out of the dictates of the economic well being of its people and the desire to fully actualise their individual potential in a collective manner, is a live demonstration of the possibilities that can be envisaged by the dynamic minds of visionary leaders. We should yearn for the day when we have a Common Union, perhaps even a Common currency while maintaining our sovereignties and dignities intact. We have the SAARC more in form than in content due to the rancour, which has blinded us. South Asia remains one of the most unintegrated regions of the world. We are looking forward to the implementation of the SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Agreement) in January 2006 as outlined in the SAARC declaration of January 2004 in Islamabad. The creation of a free trade zone along with some degree of economic integration of SAARC countries could turn the region into a huge regional economic market, second only to China in terms of size. If futuristically developed along with a network of roads and railway connections to South East Asia and Central Asia, the future of our succeeding generations would indeed be bright. Restrictions on bilateral trade have forced both countries to import goods from third countries, which could have been traded far more economically, and efficiently from each other. Indo-Pak trade would ensure cheaper raw material, low transportation, less insurance costs etc. resulting in potential for quality products at competitive prices for consumers in both countries and larger markets for manufacturers.
Having resolved the external issues South Asian countries in general need to put their houses in order. They should stop discriminations on the basis of ethnicity, religion or descent. I request the Government of Pakistan to recognise and indemnify all the religious and ethno-linguistic and national minorities and treat them equally to foster a sense or ethno-linguistic pluralism and nationalism. All the Governments in the past have deliberately strengthened ethno-linguistic particularism in Pakistan under the rubrics of numerical majority and power. In democracy, only the numbers should not count. A state becomes successful only when it is truly able to accommodate the aspirations and the needs of its minorities. Pakistan should genuinely strive to devolve power to the provinces making them fully autonomous, reserving for the Federal administration only Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency. If the Federation of the United States of America can remain stronger by having fully autonomous states then why should one assume that Federation of Pakistan would weaken if the provinces have fully autonomous status?
Mainstream political forces, including the MQM, equipped with liberal and progressive ideological underpinnings have the capability of transforming Pakistan into a democratic and progressive state at peace with itself and its neighbours. They can deliver good governance, an independent judiciary and freedom of the media. The purpose of this conference is to discuss and prepare a “Road Map” for the economic, strategic and political future of India in relation to the world and the regional countries. To attain this objective we should find out the “Key” to achieve positive results, which is peace in the South Asia region. The region is the first gate to be opened for, and then we should proceed to open the second gate, which is the World. The word “Peace” is catalyst to positivism, success, prosperity, harmony, better economy, better understanding and relations with their neighbours. If the regional countries have peace and better relations then it would ultimately draw the remaining world towards the region. The peace is the only and only “Key” through which India could have improved and long-lasting relations with the world but for this peace has to be established in the region first. The benefits that could be drawn by the South Asian Countries including Pakistan through peace could never be achieved through the use of nuclear weapons, atom bombs, chemical and biological weapons and a massive army. India and Pakistan have considered each other as enemies since independence but now to achieve the sacred objective of peace, better and long-lasting relations, both countries have to engage in a meaningful and sincere dialogue and cease all hostilities against each other. Finally, I think South Asia needs to have a comprehensive human rights code that protects the people from unbridled state power. Freedom from poverty, hunger, illiteracy and provision of basic services be part of the human rights of the people of the sub-continent and our governments should be promoting an environment in which the people of the sub-continent achieve what people of other regions have achieved through peace and co-operation. REFERENCES: Altaf Hussain Visits India: His Keynote Speech by Dean Ali November 08, 2004 00:18 http://www.chowk.com/Views/Altaf-Hussain-Visits-India-His-Keynote-Speechhttp://www.mqm.org/English-News/Nov-2004/ah-speech-india-061104.htmhttp://www.mqm.org/news-2004/nov/ah-india-speech-061104-urdu.htm INDIA VISIT http://www.mqm.org/English-News/Oct-2004/indiavisit-november2004.htm
WITH apologies to Euripides for quoting him again: “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.” No other explanation holds for the events of May 12 when Pakistan’s once-upon-a-time City of Lights was handed over, with the utmost of deliberation, to the forces of darkness and anarchy. There is nothing surprising in avowed criminals spreading lawlessness, nothing surprising in a mafia carrying out a murder, mafias after all being in the business of murder. But here was something completely different: the supposed guardians of order themselves perpetrating disorder, gifting for 24 hours and more the city of Jinnah to elements dedicated to violence and intimidation---elements whose trademark has been the political use of terror. Not just the abdication of authority but much worse: for perhaps the first time in our none-too-happy history a provincial government, with encouragement from afar, not only turning a blind eye to anarchy but actively encouraging it. If this is not madness, what is? Why the paralysis of Karachi, the gifting of it to killing and mayhem? Why the miraculous disappearance of the so-called law-enforcing agencies, the police and the Rangers? Only so that the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, should not travel down the Sharea Faisal and arrive at the High Court to address the Karachi Bar. Our city and who dare enter it against our wishes?
This was going one better than the Nazis. They set fire to the Reichstag in 1934 so as to find a pretext to crush their opponents. But they set fire to one building, however important, not the whole of Berlin. Here an entire city, Pakistan’s largest, its financial and commercial hub, its only seaport, paralysed – hundreds of buses, trucks and containers hijacked in the previous 24 hours to block not just the major arteries but also minor roads – all because Justice Chaudhry should not be able to get out of Karachi airport and those wishing to welcome him should not be able to go to the airport. Justice Chaudhry and the lawyers accompanying him were not allowed to step out of the airport. Yet Gen Musharraf feels no qualms about holding them, rather than himself, responsible for what happened in Karachi that day. The Nazis had their gauleiters. Karachi has its sector commanders. This was the day of the sector commanders. With roads blocked, movement was difficult if not impossible. But people were willing to brave all obstacles and make it to the airport. At several points they were set upon and ambushed, all with the greatest deliberation. Fortytwo dead are the accounted for victims of this slaughter although the real toll could be higher. Many more were injured.
At the Jinnah Hospital which I visited the next day I saw people lying with gunshot wounds – all poor, most of them day-labourers, in pain and dazed at what had befallen them. The sector commanders were trying to show their strength. What they have exposed instead is their weakness, their terror at the thought of Justice Chaudhry coming in triumphal procession down the Sharea Faisal. One man striking terror into the hearts of a multitude: the wages not of strength but abject cowardice. Gen Musharraf outdid himself that evening, declaring before the rent-a-crowd gathered in front of the houses of parliament in Islamabad that it was the power of the people which had manifested itself in Karachi and that anyone daring to stand in its way would be crushed. As a British paper has commented, not a twinge of shame, not a touch of remorse, just loud talk and a swaggering attitude and this on the day Karachi was visited by death and anarchy. We’ve heard of riots being incited against Muslims in India by Hindu extremists to achieve some dark political purpose. In Karachi no compunction was shown in shedding Muslim blood in order to score a political point that defies sense and understanding.
And as if to emphasise the ‘strategic’ nexus behind these events, at a hastily-convened meeting of the Q League in Islamabad, Gen Musharraf exhorted his assembled supporters (for the most dispirited because of the killings in Karachi) not to leave the MQM alone in its hour of trial and distress. This was less exhortation than a cry from the heart. Not a word about healing Karachi’s wounds, not a word of regret about the madness that had tipped Karachi into anarchy, just a long harangue about coming to the aid of the MQM. Even from that gathering of the meek and the docile murmurs arose against the MQM, only to be brushed aside, the order of the day being “support the MQM”. There was also anger at the media, presumably for showing the emperor and his cohorts without their clothes. The media is being watched was the second order of the day. It better behave or it would be dealt with sternly. This seems to be the season of sternness. The Chief Justice was dealt with sternly and we know what has come of that. Karachi has been dealt with sternly and we know the grim fruits of that. There are other indicators in the wind: the firing on the house of Munir Malik, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (two days before the CJ’s arrival in Karachi). Now the tragic killing of Hammad Raza, Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court.
Hammad, virtually staff officer to the CJ, was reportedly under pressure to give evidence against him. By all accounts an upright officer, it is being said that he wasn’t coming around. The government says he died in the course of an attempted robbery – an explanation few people in the country are willing to buy. His wife says it was a targeted killing. Allah knoweth best. All we can be sure of is that strange things are afoot in this season of sternness. Hand it to Gen Musharraf though for making no bones about his ambition. His third order of the day at that same Q League meeting was not to be upset by ‘temporary’ troubles and instead concentrate on ‘my reelection’ which would benefit the Q League’s election prospects. A preview, no doubt, of the free and fair elections towards which we are supposedly heading. Elections under Musharraf, elections in Karachi under the aegis of its sector commanders: there were few takers for these ideas before, fewer still after the events of May 12.
Army chiefs have presided over our biggest disasters: foolish, unnecessary wars, even the country’s dismemberment. Ayub Khan and Yahya Khan are the true fathers of Bangladesh. If the people of Bangladeshi had any gratitude, they would raise statues in their honour. But the army command allowing itself to be perceived in the colours of ethnicity – and I choose my words most carefully here – is a first, never happening before. Are our self-appointed saviours, whose time as all the signs suggest, is clearly up, totally oblivious of the grave consequences of their actions? Karachi-specific ethnicity was a bad enough phenomenon. Nothing, however, can be more sinister than playing the ethnic card from the centre. This is one game of poker best avoided. There also should be some limits to personal ambition. Self-preservation is a powerful feeling and up to an extent understandable, but it shouldn’t be stretched to the point where it drags everything down with it. This is going to be a long, hot summer. Pray God some sense prevails. Pakistan was not created for men of limited ability to play around with its destiny. Pakistan a failed state? By no means. Its failures have been the failures of its leaders. But we may have turned a corner and in that sense left the past behind because the one sentiment being voiced across the country is, “Enough is enough”. The yearning for change is visible. More than that, as the popular response to the judicial crisis shows, the struggle for change is being joined by wider sections of the people. REFERENCE: The day of the sector commanders By Ayaz Amir May 18, 2007 Friday Jamadi-ul-Awwal 01, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/weekly/ayaz/20070518.htm
