Sunday 28 August 2011

Lawbreakers

The situation in Karachi is hopeless. Our political players? Self-serving and ghastly. Our media: uncanny, right-wing and appalling. Our religious values continuously falling prey to confused beliefs. Our security apparatus? A big fat joke. And our rules of justice? Questionable at best.

So much for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. A piece of land we needed to call our own, which we then proceeded to divide up for each political party. However, we continued to be governed by the fear of insecurity which impelled us to nationhood. So, instead of focusing our energies and efforts to preserve what was rightfully ours, we decided to go after others’ territory. We meddled in Afghanistan, Nepal, China, Iran and India, among others, to ward off all potential evil-doers. Alas, what goes around comes around. Our own space began to shrink. It wasn’t just our political divisions pulling us apart but now even our assets, the Taliban, wanted their share of land. Our survival instinct transformed and took on a new shape. Lawlessness became the law, and justice was all about getting even.

And that’s how we turned into a perversion of the Quaid’s idea, where illegal actions bred with unlawful responses. When non-state actors took over much of the space in Swat a few years ago, our government allowed it to happen. When civilians were killed in broad daylight, the state responded with its own version of fear factor. An operation was launched soon after, which left many soldiers dead, some were shredded into little pieces and sent over to the army as a token of the terrorists’ ‘love’. In order to boost the morale of our soldiers, the perpetrators of these crimes were dealt with in a way they understood. Some were allegedly thrown-off helicopters, while others were brutally killed. Human rights groups described these as “extra-judicial” killings; an allegation which the state actors dismiss. Their retort: desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.

Notwithstanding the real lacunas in the criminal justice system and a weak prosecution, police officials in Punjab have taken matters into their own hands. It is believed that the political leadership has given law enforcers a free hand to break the law in order to maintain it. Many torture cells have allegedly been established by the city police in Punjab, while known felons usually fall prey to mysterious ‘encounters’. However, ask a government official and he will tell you with pride how this tactic has helped counter dacoits and kidnappers. Criminals that have not been brought to book in courts hence have been “reformed” by them.

While the Punjab police take criminals to task in that province, Rangers have been granted extraordinary powers to maintain law and order in Sindh. The provincial government has extended special powers to the Rangers for the next three months to eliminate no-go areas and crack down on target killers. They have been allowed to shoot down not only terrorists, but also those they may feel ‘intend’ to breed terrorism. How naïve have I been my entire life; believing that only God can judge intentions. Clearly, now our Rangers can too. To be fair, it seems that the Sindh government has little choice. More than a hundred people dead in the city, bodies found tortured and bullet-riddled in sacks – it’s about time to do something, right? Even if it isn’t the right thing to do. Will the Rangers’ newfound power give rise to more cases like Sarfaraz Shah or help nab criminals such as Ajmal Pahari, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has taken suo moto notice of the Karachi killings. The bench comprising five senior judges of the Supreme Court has sent notices to the president and the prime minister. The inspector General of Sindh has also been summoned and the hearing is to resume in Karachi from Monday. However, other than urging the IG and DG Rangers to do more; and taking note of what the government could have done to abate the violence in Karachi, what more is expected from the Supreme Court? What if it is discovered that the political parties along with the government, allowed innocent people to die in order to buy time to negotiate their own terms and gain political leverage? With the MQM leader Farooq Sattar and the ANP leader Afrasiab Khattak willing to become party to the case and assist the honourable court, perhaps someone can ask them why they continue to stick with the running government and allow innocent people to be killed on the streets of Karachi.

Pakistan is not the only country faced with a challenging law and order situation. The recent riots in London are a fine example of how things can go awry. The British government is not perfect but their handling of the crisis deserves a mention. The rioters were treated as criminals. Not friends. They weren’t invited to 10 Downing Street for a possible deal or negotiations. The police did not wait for super powers to arrest the looters. There was no need to look out for political affiliations. The judicial system supported the police and many were up all night for many nights to promulgate legislation. The crisis did cease but it required the requisite effort.

In Pakistan the cost of improving any situation requires either one to cease: the public’s patience or the government’s feigned ignorance. Many suffering in Kati Pahari, Qasba Colony and Lyari will never find their way to more peaceful quarters – safe areas are reserved for the elite only. More resilient sons of the soil will watch their fathers being shot dead in the country’s capital but still seek justice living in the same country. Unlike some who will make telephone calls to a rapt audience sitting approximately 4000 miles away. Or those who have a role in legislating Pakistan and a stake in Karachi but choose to stay away – physically in Dubai, emotionally in Alaska. It is depressing to know that most of us know the truth about Pakistan but we will allow others to lie us through. And the saddest part is that there is absolutely nothing I can write in this space to change your mind. Or, for that matter, your life.


Sunday 14 August 2011

An ailing Pakistan

Pakistan was formed by a leader suffering from tuberculosis, who died shortly after his dream was realised. Sixty-four years later, the body politic continues to suffer from this ancient scourge. At war with itself, Pakistan today resembles a patient who seeks a fast and easy cure; without putting in the requisite effort. Plagued by terrorism, ethnic and religious rivalry, managed by an ineffectual government, itself answerable to a corpulent military; Pakistan faces enemies within and without.

We are unable to differentiate between aid and aggression, believing our sovereignty to be questioned when asked to take difficult decisions. With over 18 billion dollars in US funding over the past 10 years, the government has had to choose where to allot such largesse. Buy more F-17s or build schools? Create nuclear energy or bombs? Nation building, Pakistani style, involves pumping iron – literally – into the military structure. No food? No electricity? No hope? At least we have guns.

The fault, as Cassius famously said, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves. When frustrated mobs take to the streets in violent protest, Pakistanis demand to see soldiers in tanks keeping the streets safe. When these same soldiers refuse to return to their barracks, we declaim the military brass and talk about democracy. If, then, Pakistan is a patient with multiple complaints, our vastly differing demands on the military and its involvement in the affairs of state reveal an almost schizophrenic desire to have everything at once, and not at all.

We want water, and dams, with no environmental cost. We want to grow enough crops to feed and clothe ourselves, and still have plenty left to export. We want prices to fall, without paying taxes. We want education and jobs for all. We want electricity, but our nukes are dearer. We want the freedom to practice our faith, provided we dictate the interpretation that suits our religious circles (most do not even agree on one adaptation). We want peace, but we’ll keep our weapons, just in case. We want to be a global power, but we’ll settle for notoriety.

Pakistan’s military fever has broken in spells, with democracy returning to the country. Democratus interruptus. It is true that our civilian and political institutions lack capacity and competence, but contrary to what the military believes, incompetence does not legitimise a coup. Nor vice versa. Politicians are driven by a desire for power rather than civic service.

Just imagine. Sixty-four years of living in denial. We are still a country struggling to define a cohesive identity. Rather than being merely Pakistani, the state consists of a vast number of ethnic and religious groupings, which remain in constant conflict with each other. These groups are a by-product of our prevailing illness. The ailment has led to not just malnourishment – only about a half of Pakistan’s total population has access to adequate nutritional intake – but has also led to more than half of us Pakistanis to remain illiterate. We lay the blame of that squarely on the infamous “corruption” syndrome.

However, is President Asif Ali Zardari really the only corrupt person in Pakistan? Will removing him rid Pakistan of corruption? Again, short term cure, if any at all. Moreover, is the world really against us and is it without reason? Was 9/11 a conspiracy to give the US an excuse to be able to corner and counter Pakistan? Is that because Pakistan is the only Islamic nuclear power in the world? Notwithstanding international conspiracies, we also have a cure for our cricket malady. Remove the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board: Ijaz Butt. Really now! Pakistan couldn’t win the world cup only because Butt is heading the PCB?

Denial again. We fail to understand that corruption has become our national character, and it’s common to take advantage of one’s position or throw away money to get favours. A rickshaw driver breaks the red signal light without fear of being caught by a traffic constable. He is confident that he will never see the inside of a lock-up or get a challan issued because he will bribe himself out. Even the self-righteous journalists know that they can evade any uncomfortable situation by flashing their ‘Press’ card. So, why blame President Zardari or his lackeys for corruption. Depravity runs our system. This is precisely why we have a black economy overshadowing our GDP.

Similarly, we reject the idea of how we are causing our own people to die. Everyone in the country – from the common man, to seasoned journalists to renowned analysts – are convinced that this war has come to us post 9/11. They conveniently forget to mention that a majority of terrorist attacks in the world including Indonesia, Kenya, Spain, London and Madrid were planned and operated from Pakistan. The fact that the Pakistani tribal areas prove to be a breeding ground for aspiring militants travelling from all across the world is usually ignored and mostly denied.

What is even more worrisome is that it’s no longer just our ‘enemy’, the US is questioning our policy on terrorists. Our eternal friend China too, is beginning to have its doubts.

These are just two examples of disavowal: the mother of all illnesses. Sixty-four years of poor health are enough to indicate that our own prescribed medication is not working. However, it is entirely possible, albeit painful, to reverse the crash course we are currently on. Just as a person suffering from a serious illness must alter their lifestyle or face the consequences, the Pakistani state must implement fundamental changes, which may not yield results until much later. This Independence Day, we must clearly demonstrate a respect for Pakistan’s own needs beyond short-term diagnosis that neglects the real cause of our illness.