Troubling Issues
and the War within
By Shireen M Mazari
The sun has
finally come out after days of a wet bleakness that
shrouded everything. Developments within the country
seemed to match this dreary woefulness. However,
there is little to be cheerful about even with the
emergence of the sun. Issues troubling us presently
have been declared sub judice, and since one is
condemnatory of judgments being passed before due
process, one cannot do the same oneself.
However, in the few instances when some of us had
the chance to witness hearings before Chief Justice
Iftikhar Chaudhry, it was clear that the police
and bureaucracy were brought down to earth and civil
society was the better for it — especially
in terms of public interest judgments. In the aftermath
of that terrible low point in our brief democratic
political history, the storming of the Supreme Court,
hope of legal redress for the ordinary person was
gradually beginning to revive again.
As for what happens now and in the future, we will
have to simply wait and see — but there is
a heaviness that abounds. There is also an irony
in hearing the same voices supporting the independence
of the judiciary that had instigated the storming
of the Supreme Court in an earlier democratic dispensation.
When genuine commitment gets entangled with opportunism,
cynicism tends to win the day.
Meanwhile, what one is seeing only too clearly is
the sheer violence and abuse ingrained in our police.
The ugliness of police violence once again reared
its head in Lahore when a lawyers' procession was
charged upon by baton wielding police. Lawyers had
taken out processions in other cities also and the
law enforcers had managed to keep the peace without
violence. Lahore was another story altogether and
the sight, on television, of policemen not only
using their legally-allotted (one assumes) and threatening
batons, but also pelting the processionists with
stones which they picked up as they advanced menacingly
towards the crowd. Once again the law enforcers,
and protectors of civil society, were breaking the
law — for that is what pelting with stones
is — and lashing out at protesting but unarmed
members of civil society. What message does this
send out about our society — surely not one
of a positive soft image?
It is not as if we do not have enough enemies outside
seeking to harm us. We have the continuing efforts
by the US Congress to tie aid with conditionalities
that impinge on our internal functioning. We have
the continuing diatribes from Afghanistan and NATO
about us not doing enough in the war on terror —
although what they mean by enough is inexplicable.
We also have growing proof of Indian involvement
in acts of terrorism in Balochistan. If all this
was not enough, we now face a looming indirect threat
as a result of US covert efforts to destabilize
the Iranian regime through Iranian Balochistan and
a threat of US/Israeli military adventurism against
Iran.
The massive array of striking forces in the Gulf
in itself poses a threat — especially of accidental
war or an accidental mishap. It has happened before
— specifically in the case of Iran Air flight
655 which was shot down on July 3, 1988, by a US
naval warship. A National Geographic documentary
on this event showed how the US warship had been
four miles inside of Iranian territorial waters
when it shot down the Iran Air civilian airplane,
resulting in 290 deaths. Nor did the US take to
task those responsible for this criminal act. With
such a reckless approach to human life and scant
regard for international law, the chances of another
accident waiting to happen now cannot be ruled out.
Added to all this, we also have to face an irrationally
hostile Western media aided and abetted by our own
disgruntled/hostile elements. The latest salvo fired
in this context is the case of the CNN airing "Divide
Pakistan" advertisements — and then having
aired them long enough, denying any culpability!
The fact is that someone calling himself Syed Jamaluddin
is hawking his book "Divide Pakistan to Eliminate
Terrorism" on Amazon.com and has been buying
time on CNN — 15 minute spots — to advertise
the book by charging Pakistan with global terrorism
and suggesting the only solution is to split the
country into four parts!
It may sound too farfetched to be taken seriously,
but given the lack of knowledge about the world
amongst the US political elite, such nonsense could
be believable and add to the damage already being
done to Pakistan in the US Congress. After all,
it was not too long ago that the US Armed Forces
Journal printed an article by Ralph Peters, where
it was recommended that all powerful Muslim states
be divided — including Pakistan. Interestingly,
the division suggested by this so-called Jamaluddin
is not dissimilar to the one suggested by the Ralph
Peters article, "Blood Borders"! Another
interesting point to ponder over is the money available
to this Jamaluddin since a 30-second prime time
spot on CNN costs at least $20,000. So who is providing
the funding for these damaging anti-Pakistan ads
on CNN and why did CNN allow itself to be used in
this fashion?
The point is that we have enough enemies outside
and we need to develop consensus and move towards
a national resurgence from within to deal with these
external challenges and threats. Instead, we are
unable to affect the compromises necessary for national
reconciliation and national healing. It is no wonder
civil society is becoming increasingly despairing
and cynical. It seems we are destined to move in
an ever-repetitive cycle of repetitive events at
the national level.
After all, before the country was immersed in the
judicial issue, it was being confronted with the
PIA tragedy — for that is what the EU ban
is. After all, here was an airline that was a leader
in the field and built up airlines like Singapore,
Alia and Emirates, and look to where it has sunk
decades later. Much as one would like to accuse
the EU of discrimination, the fact is that PIA's
old fleet of 737s and Airbuses are in a shabby condition
and no attention is paid to safety or cleanliness.
How many times have we experienced broken seats
and seat belts, gaps in the light sidings and dirty
floors?
Whatever the issue — no matter how big or
small — we are certainly proving to be our
own worst enemies. Our faith in ourselves is eroding
even as we wait for someone else to turn the tide
for us. This will not happen and this is certainly
no way to nurture our future generations in. It
is time for each one of us to restore our faith
in ourselves and our nation — no one can simply
stand by and watch cynically anymore.
(The writer is director general of the Institute
of Strategic Studies in Islamabad. Courtesy The
News)
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