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Monday, 15 August 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Monday, 8 August 2011
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Mind games
No media pundit could have foreseen Pakistan’s current political face. It’s downright ugly. Almost like a beast with brains. I am amazed, appalled and flabbergasted – all in one – by the political games currently being played by our parties in power and also by those who are waiting on the sidelines.
Really, what gives? The MQM is, once again, back in the political fold. They may revert with a strong ‘no’ to this statement of mine, but as Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad made his way back to Karachi on a special chartered plane belonging to President Asif Ali Zardari, the writing was on the wall. Obviously, the wall chalking that had appeared after the MQM jilted the government disappeared without a trace. Interestingly, so did Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Apparently, Karachi is too small for two doctors to reside in simultaneously. Especially, as one breathes fire against the other’s party each time. Well, the fire has been temporarily extinguished, the volatile city has its old governor back and rising tempers have finally been managed. I wonder if it was Chaudhry Shujaat’s magic touch or someone else’s brains at work, that the desired results have been achieved.
Speaking of desires, it seems optimum results have also been achieved in New Delhi. Our country’s youngest newly appointed foreign minister has done exactly what was required of her: nothing. The idea is to keep talking with India, but not reach a breakthrough. A woman in a designer suit, with her hair impeccably in place, her eyes shielded by Roberto Cavalli glasses and a Hermes Birkin bag to boot can only raise eyebrows in serious circles, but makes for great content in Indian tabloids. If the motive is only talking and managing ties with India, while we fight it out with the US and figure out our long term plan in Afghanistan, perhaps the best option would have been Chaudhry Shujaat. Imagine a mumbling Shujaat telling India’s External Affair Minister S M Krishna “mittipaaojee, mittipaao, roti shotikhao!” (Bury the hatchet, let’s party!)
Coming back to Ms Khar, she did all the right things when in India. She didn’t let her dupatta or her tongue slip; she talked peace with her Indian counterpart and reiterated her efforts by praying for approximately 25 minutes at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s shrine in Ajmer. If she had pleaded to the holier-than-thou powers in Rawalpindi too, results could come faster.
Talking of peace, what is up with the flailing ties between the executive and the judiciary? Admittedly, the Supreme Court is giving the government a tough time since the Musharraf-engineered NRO was declared null and void. However, with the Hajj scam exposing the PPP’s Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and our dear prime minister’s son, Abdul Qadir Gilani – it seems the government is in for a real spin. But the Zardari clan likes to play. Recreation is a must for a government that hardly spends time strategising on how to deal with the problems of its people. I know we don’t have a Thomas Edison in this political fraternity of ours but if they can’t invent light, at least they can think of ways to keep it running for longer hours. Or how about them at least trying to come up with solutions to broaden our tax base? How absolutely wonderful would it be if the newspaper headlines read: “PPP, allies decide to take GST forward.” But no. There’s no time for all that.
There is however, plenty of time to team up with the coalition partners to take on the judiciary. And when the likes of Chaudhry Shujaat attends such a meeting at the presidency, the whole Moonis Elahi and the NICL case with the twists and turns of Zafar Qureshi begin to make sense. Even the worst of games, if played well, can be highly entertaining. So the government keeps us entertained. It covers its legal bases with the help of former law minister Babar Awan and derives its strength (in numbers) from its partners. Unfortunately, partnerships don’t come for free. But fortunately enough for the government, it has what it takes for keeping its friends in need to remain on their side. It’s quite a simple formula: offer your players new ministries. Confused? Don’t be.
Even though the cabinet has been reshuffled and downsized, the 18th Amendment offers a great opportunity to carve out new ministries to keep everyone happy and interested. These new ministers will be adjusted in ministries that will be formed by integrating those ministerial departments that have been left with the federation after the devolution process. These include – among others – health, education, labour and manpower. Bloody brilliant.
Since the reluctant restoration of the chief justice in March 2009, a judiciary-government tussle has ensued. However, this time, the government has decided to go for the kill. It has rejected the order of the Supreme Court to re-appoint Sohail Ahmed as establishment secretary. Ahmad was awarded with the status of an officer on special duty after only 20 days of performing his duties. His removal appears no different than his two precursors but it has made quite an impact. Ahmed issued – in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders on Tuesday – a notification to bring back Hussain Asghar as director, FIA. Asghar was removed from the aforementioned position by the government, apparently in a bid to slow the Hajj scam investigation.
A government already mastered in the art of delay has been fast enough to act in its defence. This time the government has decided to play with “legitimate constitutional authority” and there’s also talk of all ‘organs of the state not crossing the red line’. Déjà vu. The government behaved exactly in this manner during the Swiss case probe. Then, the president had immunity. This time, he has the support of his allies. But with Shahbaz Sharif calling for a long march to rid the current government for “declaring war on the judiciary”, and the SCBA considering all options including reviving the lawyers movement, this game is about to get really interesting. Will it be backdoor diplomacy or street power? We know from past experience that when the PML-N walks the street, the government is ‘made’ to recede. What it will be ‘dictated’ to do this time round remains to be seen.
Really, what gives? The MQM is, once again, back in the political fold. They may revert with a strong ‘no’ to this statement of mine, but as Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad made his way back to Karachi on a special chartered plane belonging to President Asif Ali Zardari, the writing was on the wall. Obviously, the wall chalking that had appeared after the MQM jilted the government disappeared without a trace. Interestingly, so did Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. Apparently, Karachi is too small for two doctors to reside in simultaneously. Especially, as one breathes fire against the other’s party each time. Well, the fire has been temporarily extinguished, the volatile city has its old governor back and rising tempers have finally been managed. I wonder if it was Chaudhry Shujaat’s magic touch or someone else’s brains at work, that the desired results have been achieved.
Speaking of desires, it seems optimum results have also been achieved in New Delhi. Our country’s youngest newly appointed foreign minister has done exactly what was required of her: nothing. The idea is to keep talking with India, but not reach a breakthrough. A woman in a designer suit, with her hair impeccably in place, her eyes shielded by Roberto Cavalli glasses and a Hermes Birkin bag to boot can only raise eyebrows in serious circles, but makes for great content in Indian tabloids. If the motive is only talking and managing ties with India, while we fight it out with the US and figure out our long term plan in Afghanistan, perhaps the best option would have been Chaudhry Shujaat. Imagine a mumbling Shujaat telling India’s External Affair Minister S M Krishna “mittipaaojee, mittipaao, roti shotikhao!” (Bury the hatchet, let’s party!)
Coming back to Ms Khar, she did all the right things when in India. She didn’t let her dupatta or her tongue slip; she talked peace with her Indian counterpart and reiterated her efforts by praying for approximately 25 minutes at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s shrine in Ajmer. If she had pleaded to the holier-than-thou powers in Rawalpindi too, results could come faster.
Talking of peace, what is up with the flailing ties between the executive and the judiciary? Admittedly, the Supreme Court is giving the government a tough time since the Musharraf-engineered NRO was declared null and void. However, with the Hajj scam exposing the PPP’s Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and our dear prime minister’s son, Abdul Qadir Gilani – it seems the government is in for a real spin. But the Zardari clan likes to play. Recreation is a must for a government that hardly spends time strategising on how to deal with the problems of its people. I know we don’t have a Thomas Edison in this political fraternity of ours but if they can’t invent light, at least they can think of ways to keep it running for longer hours. Or how about them at least trying to come up with solutions to broaden our tax base? How absolutely wonderful would it be if the newspaper headlines read: “PPP, allies decide to take GST forward.” But no. There’s no time for all that.
There is however, plenty of time to team up with the coalition partners to take on the judiciary. And when the likes of Chaudhry Shujaat attends such a meeting at the presidency, the whole Moonis Elahi and the NICL case with the twists and turns of Zafar Qureshi begin to make sense. Even the worst of games, if played well, can be highly entertaining. So the government keeps us entertained. It covers its legal bases with the help of former law minister Babar Awan and derives its strength (in numbers) from its partners. Unfortunately, partnerships don’t come for free. But fortunately enough for the government, it has what it takes for keeping its friends in need to remain on their side. It’s quite a simple formula: offer your players new ministries. Confused? Don’t be.
Even though the cabinet has been reshuffled and downsized, the 18th Amendment offers a great opportunity to carve out new ministries to keep everyone happy and interested. These new ministers will be adjusted in ministries that will be formed by integrating those ministerial departments that have been left with the federation after the devolution process. These include – among others – health, education, labour and manpower. Bloody brilliant.
Since the reluctant restoration of the chief justice in March 2009, a judiciary-government tussle has ensued. However, this time, the government has decided to go for the kill. It has rejected the order of the Supreme Court to re-appoint Sohail Ahmed as establishment secretary. Ahmad was awarded with the status of an officer on special duty after only 20 days of performing his duties. His removal appears no different than his two precursors but it has made quite an impact. Ahmed issued – in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders on Tuesday – a notification to bring back Hussain Asghar as director, FIA. Asghar was removed from the aforementioned position by the government, apparently in a bid to slow the Hajj scam investigation.
A government already mastered in the art of delay has been fast enough to act in its defence. This time the government has decided to play with “legitimate constitutional authority” and there’s also talk of all ‘organs of the state not crossing the red line’. Déjà vu. The government behaved exactly in this manner during the Swiss case probe. Then, the president had immunity. This time, he has the support of his allies. But with Shahbaz Sharif calling for a long march to rid the current government for “declaring war on the judiciary”, and the SCBA considering all options including reviving the lawyers movement, this game is about to get really interesting. Will it be backdoor diplomacy or street power? We know from past experience that when the PML-N walks the street, the government is ‘made’ to recede. What it will be ‘dictated’ to do this time round remains to be seen.
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