Death of Diversity: New Age Islam’s Selection, 14 May 2016
New Age
Islam Edit Bureau
14 May 2016
• Death of Diversity
By Irfan Husain
• Is India Intolerant?
By Mehr Tarar
• Rethinking Jirgas
By Ayaz Ahmed
• To Be or Not To Be
By Ashraf Jehangir Qazi
• A Nation Trump-Ed
By Saira Wasif
• The Panama Leaks Hysteria
By Dr Haider Shah
• Mr Vox Populi
By Syed Mansoor Hussain
Compiled By New Age Islam Edit Bureau
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Death Of Diversity
By Irfan Husain
May 14th, 2016
THE recent brutal murders of secular and atheist bloggers, gay rights activists, academics and writers in Bangladesh have shocked the world.
Outfits claiming to be affiliates of the militant Islamic State (IS) group have accepted responsibility. In Pakistan, too, several civil society members who opposed fundamentalism have been murdered in broad daylight. In both countries, few of the perpetrators have been arrested.
Other Muslim countries, too, have seen killings in the name of Islam; some have been the scene of ethnic and sectarian cleansing on a horrifying scale. So why can’t so many Muslims let people of different faiths, views and lifestyles live among them in peace? In a column in the Guardian recently, Elif Shafak, a Turkish writer, says:
“It is hard to be an Armenian in Turkey. Or a Kurd, or an Alevi, or gay, or a conscientious objector, or a Jew, or a woman, or somebody who just doesn’t happen to agree with what’s happening in the country… An ‘ideology of sameness’ dominates the land. That ideology is shaped by Turkish nationalism, Islamism and authoritarianism blended with machismo and patriarchy. The tension in politics permeates all aspects of daily life.”
In Pakistan, we could add Hindus, Christians and Ahmedis as well as Hazara Shias to Ms Shafak’s dismal list; except that life for them isn’t just ‘hard’, it’s often very short.
I suppose minorities in Pakistan should be grateful that we haven’t (yet) begun treating them as the IS does, but for those at the sharp end of our religious zeal, I doubt if this is much of a consolation.
Differences are something to celebrate, and not erase.
A few years ago, while flying from Colombo to Karachi, I found myself sitting next to a member of the Tableeghi Jamaat, the evangelical outfit that travels the world to convert people to Islam. This worthy, after insisting on praying in the aisle, thereby blocking it for the crew and other passengers, turned to me, no doubt thinking I was Sri Lankan, and said in English he would like to discuss religion with me. In Urdu, I told him to mind his own business and leave me in peace.
At Karachi airport, while we were waiting for our luggage, the call to prayer was made on the sound system. Needless to say, my neighbour ignored it and chatted on with his pals. I later learned that the Tableeghi Jamaat regularly travels to Sri Lanka to save Buddhist souls.
So why do so many Muslims have a problem with diversity? One of the most wonderful things about our world is that it is populated by such a vast collection of people of different ethnicities, languages, beliefs and lifestyles. Millions have no belief at all. We dress differently, eat different food, and have a bewildering array of customs.
For me, these differences are something to celebrate and enjoy, rather than wish to erase.
If people were privately disapproving of diverse traditions, skin colour and nationalities, there would be no problem. But far too many Muslims believe killing all those who are different is their religious duty. Thus, a poor Ahmedi shopkeeper was murdered in Glasgow because, according to his killer, he had somehow ‘disrespected Islam’.
By imposing the harsh, literal interpretation of religion exported and promoted by Saudi Arabia, we have turned Pakistan into a drab, monochromatic landscape where colour, laughter, dancing and music are frowned upon, if not entirely banned. And yet Islam in South Asia was once characterised by a life-enhancing Sufi tradition that is now under threat. More and more, we are following the example set by the Taliban.
It would seem that many Muslims are bent on isolating themselves from the rest of the world. Instead of building bridges, they are busy erecting walls. When they have moved to the West, they make little effort to imbibe the host culture, living in self-created physical and mental ghettos. Many opinion polls show the gulf between immigrant Muslim communities and the locals.
Given these attitudes, combined with a succession of terrorist attacks in which thousands have been killed in the West, we should not be surprised at the backlash that has developed.
Although Donald Trump’s Islamophobic message is extreme, he is clearly speaking for millions of Americans when he says he wants to prevent Muslims from entering America.
Often, Muslims in the West complain that they are not allowed to build mosques by local authorities. But they are silent on the ban imposed by the Saudis on building churches or temples in their country.
Clearly, there is a double standard at work here: we reject divergent views, beliefs and lifestyles in Muslim countries while demanding acceptance on our terms in the West.
As we are discovering, things don’t work like this in the real world.
Source: dawn.com/news/1258146/death-of-diversity
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Is India Intolerant?
By Mehr Tarar
14-May-16
The very word tolerance speaks of an environment where myriad and contrasting ideas, viewpoints, social ethos, ideological narratives, cultural dynamics and religious distinctions exist. From the fundamental grouping of family to community to society to nation, the entire edifice of human interaction stands not merely on the similarities between individuals but on the distinct differences that set one apart from the other. The viable balance of appreciation of similarities in juxtaposition with acknowledgment of contrasting qualities is the ideal option of existence, but its attainment is, incidentally, in most cases, an elusive dream, or in some cases, a constant struggle. Coexistence of diversities acts as a strengthening factor for the dynamics of relationships, whereas the perpetual struggle to keep its mechanism in motion weakens the stability of an entire society.
The recent outrage in India over ‘growing intolerance’ is an indication of various sensibilities coexisting, yet in collision with one another. India being the world’s biggest democracy is rightfully proud of its secular constitution, its pluralism, and its multiple cultural, ideological and religious dynamics operating as an unwieldy but a workable whole.
A country that is deeply religious is held together by the separation of the state from religious institutions. That India’s pluralism is real, and it is vibrant and it works is manifested in the sound of temple bells, azaan from mosques, choir music from churches, and shabadkirtan from gurdawaras in a single neighbourhood. This may not be the case all over India, but the very fact that it exists, wherever it does, speaks of a pluralistic India, splendid in its glory, flawed, struggling, in conflict, but standing tall, proud, and persistent. That to me is India’s biggest strength, and that to me is what must be looked at with an open mind that goes beyond the sporadic or concerted efforts to mainstream that one dividing factor: intolerance.
I have seen Pakistan living through methodical intolerance in the context of the personal, social, legal, governmental, ideological and religious. The very code of religion that is to teach you humanity, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, and enlightenment is distorted to impart a system of indoctrination that focuses on looking at differences as anomalies. While the strength of your faith should inculcate a deep appreciation of the intangible that connects the individual to the Creator, it results in creating schisms of doubt and paranoia, distancing from other faiths, and anger towards the opposing narrative. Intolerance of any code of moral, social and religious code other than yours is the cancer that metastasises and gnaws on a nation’s foundational structure. Pakistan has suffered, and is still suffering from a systematic indoctrination based on intolerance on numerous levels, and the price has been too steep, too personal, too overwhelming. Too many lives have been destroyed, asroots of society steeped in intolerance and bigotry entangle individuals in bloodstained divisions and sects.
India exists amidst varied strands of indoctrination: of caste, ethnicity, region, political affiliation, sectarian loyalties and religious sensibilities. Despite its avowed adherence to secularism, there is no denying the power of all these factors in the formation of a community, a power structure. The Indian caste system, over centuries, has shifted, altered, been strengthened, enfeebled, questioned, and fought, but it still exists in the ongoing struggle that is the lives of many Dalits even today. Class divides exist and so do communal differences. A staggering number of the population still lives trying to earn enough to eat three times a day in a country that boasts of some of the richest men in the world.
But... India is moving forward. India may have many flaws but India is also involved in the process of stock-taking, assuming responsibility, making amends, changing course, eradication of issues, and planning ahead. India may not be ‘Incredible’ or ‘Shining’ but it is delightfully India: huge, expansive, enlightened yet traditional, secular yet personally religious, cynical yet compassionate, noisy yet revelling in its silence, chaotic yet focused, divided on unmarked personal lines yet united as a nation. So when some of the leaders of the ruling BJP divide people into Ramzaaade and ‘har***mzaade’, proclaim Hindustan is only for Hindus, call dissent anti-national and demonise its Muslim celebrities as ‘traitors’ who should move to Pakistan or Syria, or label tragedies like the Dadri lynching as ‘throwing stones at dogs’, it is a wake-up call not just to the governing powers but the aamaadmi (no pun intended).
India is much, much more than these hate-mongers, these division-makers, these vote-seeking movers and shakers. India is you. Humanly flawed, yet wonderfully alive to all that is good and noble and farsighted. I cringe at the very unfair generalisation of my beloved homeland, Pakistan, and I protest out loud at the very negative, very uni-dimensional labelling of the very dynamic, very real and very human 190-million plus Pakistanis. No nation is the acts of a few. No nation is even the governmental structure that rules it. No nation is the sum total of its flaws. No nation can be labelled in singularity. And no nation is ‘terrorist’ or ‘intolerant’. The sensibilities of individuals are, at times, displayed in actions of a group, which in turn are open to question, and must be receptive to introspection, modification of behaviour and alteration of course. And that is the strength of a nation that is in competition with itself, is answerable to its own soul, and marches forward: flawed yet dynamic.
Be it mine or yours.
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/14-May-16/is-india-intolerant
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Rethinking Jirgas
By Ayaz Ahmed
May 14, 2016
The recent incident of murder (by burning alive) of a 16-year-old girl, on the orders given by a jirga, reflect the slow drift of our society towards the Dark Ages. This chilling story and the growing rate of female infanticide across the country clearly demonstrate that our society is ominously degenerating into pre-Islamic times.
According to the Abbottabad police, a 15-member jirga called by the Makol village councillor, Pervez, ordered for the deceased, Ambreen, to be set on fire – as punishment for allegedly helping her friend escape the village to marry of her free will. When the jirga ended after a six-hour meeting on April 28, the girl was taken from her home to an abandoned house, where she was drugged, killed and placed in the backseat of a parked van. The van was then doused with petrol and set ablaze.
The body was tied to the seat of the vehicle and burnt, so as to remove any evidence pertaining to her death. However, when the media covered the heart-rending incident, the police arrested 14 members of the jirga who were involved in her death. During the investigation, the accused confessed to comitting this terrible crime.
This is not the first killing in the name of honour. The history of this country is replete with such shocking stories. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), there were 988 incidents of honour killings in the country from February 1, 2004, to February 1, 2006. In nearly half the cases, the police did not register FIRs for the crime. Guns were the weapons of choice in these cases. Moreover, 1,276 people were killed between February 2014 and February 2016, and FIRs were not registered for nearly 400 of these cases. Most of the victims were shot to death. Most of these killings took place on the orders of jirgas.
Four years ago, a jirga of elders in the Kohistan district condemned four women and two men to death for staining the honour of their families, based on a video of them dancing together at a marriage party. In 2012, in Jacobabad, Sindh, a member of the National Assembly was found guilty of presiding over a jirga that decided to hand over five minor girls for marriage to a family to compensate for a murder.
The most shocking rape case on the order of a jirga was that of Mukhtaran Bibi. On June 22, 2002, a jirga sentenced Mukhtaran Bibi, a 30-year-old woman of the Gujjar tribe in village Meerwala of district Muzaffargarh, to be gang-raped in punishment for her younger brother’s alleged illicit affair with a girl from another tribe. The trial by jirga took place in the presence of several hundred local residents, and none of them took any action to prevent the rape. Mukhtaran Bibi later said that she had appealed to all those present for mercy, but no one dared object to the council’s verdict. After the judgement, the gang-rape was carried out by four men, and the victim was reportedly made to walk naked through the streets of her village before hundreds of onlookers.
It is the failure of the country that it has allowed feudal jirgas to operate since 1947. Such jirgas, constituted to rapidly resolve criminal cases, are not only unconstitutional, they are undemocratic. Local chieftains mostly head the jirgas and give their decisions in open disregard of the law of the country.
As observed in a slew of cases, jirgas are used to settle personal enmities. The rich capitalise on their considerable wealth and personal relations with the heads of the jirgas to get a verdict in their favour. The poor have to suffer injustice due to their weak financial, political and social positions. In a nutshell, the continued existence of jirgas to settle criminal cases is a stain on the face of our slow-moving judiciary.
The girls accused in so-called honour cases are easy prey for the jirgas on account of social norms, family restrictions and transportation issues. They cannot escape the clutches of the jirgas, when the death sentence is announced. The families of such ill-fated girls often succumb to the pressure exerted by the local notables. On the other hand, the accused men can easily escape and resettle.
The question is: why have we had the undemocratic jirga system in some areas of the country since our independence? The answer lies in the criminal and dismal failure of country’s sluggish governance, outmoded criminal laws and crisis-ridden judiciary. The people hardly trust the torpid judicial system of the country, which is why they refer even serious cases to these ignorant jirgas. The uneducated, poor and disenfranchised rural population has no other option but to consult the parallel judicial system.
The media reports only a small fraction of the serious cases handled by the jirgas. Since tribal and rural areas across the country are largely inaccessible to the media, a large number of incidents go unreported. Women face severe ordeals in our rural areas due to the jirga system, which even the women of Sub-Saharan Africa do not face.
In all jirga-related cases in the rural areas, the police play a central role. The police in feudal areas are the personal employees of local influential leaders, and are at the beck and call of these local leaders. The police blatantly avoid registering FIRs in criminal cases, and rush to inform the leaders of jirgas about such cases. Sometimes, the police help chase fleeing couples, so as to hand them over to the jirga for burning or shooting.
The local influentials and the heads of jirgas should bear in mind that there is no honour in killing innocent girls. Islam strictly forbade killing girls for socioeconomic reasons 1,400 years ago. The law of the country also does not permit anyone to comit murder.
All the successive governments in the country have shown indifference by failing to abolish the jirga system and reform the unworkable judicial system. The so-called democratic leaders will continue to let the Jirgas function because they depend heavily on local leaders to buy votes on the eve of ‘democratic’ elections. If we do not reform the dysfunctional judiciary and stop jirgas from dealing with serious cases, more girls will be set on fire in the future – in the name of ‘honour’.
Ayaz Ahmed is an independent researcher, blogger, columnist based in Karachi.
Source: thenews.com.pk/print/119829-Rethinking-jirgas
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To Be or Not To Be
By Ashraf Jehangir Qazi
May 14th, 2016
THANK GOD for small mercies! David Cameron forgot to include Pakistan among his “fantastically corrupt” countries. Nevertheless, the Panama Papers may prove to be the proverbial last straw that breaks the camel’s back of leadership corruption in Pakistan. Or it may not.
The COAS has pronounced on the issue and taken action in his military backyard. He avoided meeting the prime minister until recently and then, reportedly, only to warn him to quickly clean up his own mess. The ‘united opposition’ has formulated several questions for the prime minister to answer if and when he comes to parliament. So far he has chosen to ‘fight fire with fire’ in a transparent effort to avoid accountability. One of the opposition parties is possibly even more corrupt than the ruling party. This, of course, should provide no cover to a sitting prime minister.
An anti-corruption summit has been held in London. Did our prime minister fear he would cut too pathetic and ridiculous a figure if he attended? He has not been too busy battling the demons of corruption at home. Or was he too disgusted by Cameron’s proposal to ban foreign ‘dirty money’ from acquiring properties in the UK by requiring upfront the names of the ‘beneficial owners’ of these properties?
Some of our print and media pundits suggest we should accept the ‘fantastic corruption’ of our elected leaders as the political norm from which there is no escape. So like the Biblical ‘Gideon swine’, are we supposed to rush towards the cliffs of political extinction?
Mid-century, 2050, is less than 34 years away. The population of Pakistan by then will be between 350 and 400 million. We already face a calamitous convergence of several lethal trends. Apart from the population bomb, these relate to climate, pollution, disease, water, food insecurity, law and order, education, basic rights, essential entitlements, family supporting jobs, nuclear doctrines and deployments, no-war no-peace and zero-sum regional strategies, obsolete budgetary allocations, medieval and nihilist mindsets interpreting divine injunctions, etc.
It cannot be that our Constitution cannot provide remedies to its subversion by crooked leaders.
None of these fatal developments seem to worry the country’s elected enemies. Unsurprisingly, a foreign acquaintance ominously observed: “When you Pakistanis finally lose your beautiful country none of you will have the right to mourn your loss because you never gave it a chance.”
For the past several decades, Pakistan has been beset by a never-ending series of national scandals, outrages and catastrophes. The Panama political and moral misdemeanours would normally be enough to chase away any political leader from any office of public trust. But not in Pakistan! After brief displays of indignation and letting off political steam all is swept under the carpet in variations on ‘national reconciliation’.
Little wonder a prime minister so morally wounded can transform himself into a political pit bull with complete confidence he will again triumph over all ethical and legal norms of political leadership. A defeated people will once again be shown their place. Today’s Pakistan is a standing insult to Quaid-i-Azam, Allama Iqbal and the Pakistan Movement.
We talk of ‘zero tolerance’ by which we mean ‘zero tolerance for policies of zero tolerance’ towards tax evasion, corruption and other economic crimes. The COAS has made clear his stance. He refused an extension of his tenure thereby denying the prime minister an opportunity to play with the issue. He will now be judged by his actions until he retires in November.
What can the COAS actually do within the parameters of the Constitution? A constitution’s credibility is premised on the willingness of the executive (and those wielding real power) to respect the judiciary’s decisions, opinions and orders. This is a prerequisite of any functioning democracy. But it has been observed in the breach by our political leaders and by the security and intelligence agencies of our civilian and military establishment. Accordingly, a degree of judicial activism has become a sine qua non for credible democracy and better governance in Pakistan.
It cannot be that our Constitution cannot provide remedies to its subversion by crooked leaders and crony legal experts. Moreover, military intervention provides no lasting remedy. Our experience demonstrates military rule is ultimately as stupid and disastrous as ‘elected’ civilian rule has been cynical and venal. Both have been major impediments to good governance, national unity and national security. What can be done?
Under no circumstances can an accused prime minister be allowed to even partially determine the terms and modalities of an independent and credible investigation into whether or not recent revelations disqualify him from holding any office of public trust and national responsibility. Constitutionally, our parliament is competent to impeach an elected prime minister for grave misdemeanours. But sadly, it is happy being a mockery of itself, for a consideration.
Any refusal to completely cooperate with an independent and credible investigation that does not merely report to the government is mala fide. The prime minister, however, is right to point out that the cast of corrupt political characters in Pakistan is vast, and he should not be singled out. But, as with Rouseff in Brazil, he is the sitting prime minister and should, accordingly, be immediately and separately investigated. The rest of the suspects should be investigated as expeditiously as possible.
Early elections, preferably with the technical assistance of the UN to ensure public credibility and acceptance, are probably unavoidable. Those under investigation should not be allowed to contest them unless and until they are cleared by the Election Commission on the basis of the results of their respective investigations.
There will be questions of law, practicality and equity. These must be constitutionally resolved in a manner acceptable to the judiciary even if there are no perfect solutions. The Constitution may lend itself to an interpretation that, in the prevailing circumstances, finds room for the implementation of accountability processes on an expedited basis. The military may legitimately facilitate such processes under judicial oversight. But it must not overstep its role. It does not have the answers, which only responsible governance can provide. Sincerity and wisdom is the key.
PS: The Supreme Court has stipulated conditions which could complicate the situation, possibly beyond political resolution, because of the dysfunctional nature of the current parliament.
Ashraf Jehangir Qazi is a former ambassador to the US, India and China and head of UN missions in Iraq and Sudan.
Source: dawn.com/news/1258143/to-be-or-not-to-be
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A Nation Trump-ed
By Saira Wasif
14-May-16
In a world propelled by fear and movements borne out of hatred and bigotry I find the notion of equality a distant and unapproachable thought. The semantics of religion does not connote segregation on the basis of colour or social standing, but man, flawed as he is, has his own inner god to appease and satiate. That manipulates and creates a biased, discriminatory route and social awkwardness for underdogs that threatens peace and harmony in the worst possible ways.
America is a land of opportunity and for expatriates to leave their homeland in search of a new beginning cements the fact that America is the “land of the brave and home of the free.” Ironically, the freedom that defines the appeal of the United States of America to people all over the world is now under fire. Increased terrorist attacks in Europe, and the active threat their organisations pose to the US have jumpstarted a censure revolution against Muslims in general and Islam in particular. This torrential tide has been lucrative for many but its biggest beneficiary has been the US presidential race. The remarkable momentum that was gained in voicing an open aversion to Islam has set in motion a trigger-happy crusade. It is nothing but a pure destructive force fuelling the underlying unabashed anger and fear, which has the ability to wash away decades of bridge-building among communities that are fundamentally opposite to one another in many respects. When and how did we leave behind the founding principles, allowing shameful propaganda to spearhead our campaigns in a bid to gain a hefty electoral vote? Times are changing, and so are the tactics.
With the Republican nomination process almost to a close and the emergence of Donald Trump as the only victor prevailing, trepidation looms over Muslim communities as they await whatever new attack he has in store for them. This presidential election has turned into a bitter amalgam of nonsensical quips and ridiculous claims. When it boils down to the issue of blaming religion, it has been reduced to a bad script of a marginal comedy that has left us agape and confused as we witness the amount of hate propaganda that has been spewed against a group that is already fighting a cold war under the star-spangled banner to prove its peaceful religious presence. One cannot blame an African American for another’s crime and every Caucasian cannot be associated to Ku Klux Klan. Likewise, all Muslims are not terrorists, and to brand them as one is a step taken too liberally, too far. History and statistics have shown that twice as many people have lost their lives to white-black clashes, rallies stemming from anti-government agendas and from gun-related massacres as compared to violence generated by Muslims.
What is horrifically remarkable is that Mr Trump has hoarded a vast majority under one persecution streamer, and while he chants that “All lives matter”, he wants to hang the family members of all Muslim culprits to erase any sign of jihadism from the face of this nation. Was Timothy McVeigh’s family also given a death sentence for that man’s crimes? Were mafia dons like Al Capone or serial killers like Charles Manson penalised along with their families? Then what drives Mr Trump to voice his angry tirade at the families of the so-called jihadists and wipe them out in the process? He has been called a ‘loose cannon’ and the person who incites violence at his rallies and gives fuel to controversies, and is exactly what his conservative opponents paint him as.
Muslims have been an internal cog of the American machine. From doctors to the brave soldiers in armed forces, they have been contributing to the economy like any hardworking individual doing his best for his country. The wave of hatred that has been seen pouring forth from people is not only frightening but pretty intimidating. Mr Trump has successfully provoked the Islamophobia sentiment and made it a cult movement. Now more than ever, people fear the sight of a Hijab-covered girl/woman and retort to vindictive and derogatory remarks, and in some instances, assault.
If his nomination path is any indication, then under Mr Trump’s presidency things will go from bad to worse. Public will get to have a general sneak peak in the accusation-propelled contest that is about to ensue between him and Hillary Clinton. Mr Trump lacks a political background but he has been a high-profile, long-time donor of the political arena, thus signalling the fact that he not only knows how to manipulate party big-wigs but also manoeuvre his way by donating and making deals. Senator Clinton is no saint but Mr Trump is a billionaire mogul with a sharp tongue and a penchant for alienating races.
Humanity has come very far since the time of its forefathers. Threats and contentions are more deadly and pronounced. The legitimacy of peaceful existence among varied religious communities and their subsequent committed motivation to this sovereignty is under question. In the aftermath of all this instability leaders who retort to hateful speech and move to antagonise pressure points among the masses are unfit choices to run as the commander-in-chief. Nothing is lost yet but a four-year Trump run in the Oval Office will take America back centuries, if not eons. Believe that.
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/14-May-16/a-nation-trump-ed
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The Panama Leaks Hysteria
By Dr Haider Shah
14-May-16
Before I sat down to write this piece, an editorial of The New York Times caught my attention as it was titled “Time to Put the Squeeze on Pakistan.” Referring to the America’s frustrating experience of fixing Afghanistan, Pakistan was accused of playing double games in the region. “It remains a duplicitous and dangerous partner for the United States and Afghanistan, despite $33 billion in American aid and repeated attempts to reset relations on a more constructive course”, laments the editorial. Referring to the continued operations of the Haqqani network the editorial contends that a military campaign against the Taliban in the tribal area was launched by the Pakistani military under American pressure, but the Haqqani networkcontinued to enjoy safety in Pakistan. The editorial blames Pakistan army of helpingintegration of the members of the Haqqani group into the Taliban leadership. The newspaper recognises the importance of Pakistan in brokering peace in Afghanistan but makes it clear that aid to Pakistan would remain linked with Pakistan’s role in peace talks.
Already our relations with Afghanistan have nosedived after some initial enthusiasm. The pacifist Ashraf Ghani has also begun accusing Pakistan of hobnobbing with the Afghan Taliban to destabilise Afghanistan. The Afghan Torkham border is feeling the heat of worsening relations as it remains shut for three consecutive days over border management issue. Though Nawaz Sharif government, as was largely expected, tried repairing Pak-India relations but events like Pathankot and RAW agent stories released by the ISPR have effectively snatched the initiative away from the office of the prime minster. Iran has also been accused by our military spokespersons of helping Indian intelligence network. Interestingly,Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Raheel Sharif met the Iranian president to complain about Iranian involvement. Two years, COAS Sharif visited the US as well and met some civilian officials. Such tasks in other countries are performed by defence and foreign ministers. Pakistan surprises everyone in many ways.
Pakistan’s relations with its former half Bangladesh have gone sour as Hasina Wajid’s government has opened guillotine centres to benefit from populist nationalist sentiment in the country. The only country in the region that Pakistan can claim to be friends with is China, which is investing about $46 billion in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. But in the globalised world affairs it is a very risky business to put all your eggs in one basket, especially when most other key players in the international affairs are unhappy with you.
Pakistan is faced with dire challenges on various fronts. The country needs stability and statesmanship in order to address these challenges. But we have chosen to rock the boat in the midst of whirlpools around us. Sensation is to electronic media what water is to fish. And when it comes to Pakistani electronic media it likes to keep flogging sensational news for a long time even if the news had long expired due to incessant beating. A few years ago, it was the ‘Memogate’ story that held the media captive for months. Now there is no reprieve from the Panama leaks. No doubt, the Panama leaks story drew massive attention all over the world but the hysteria that we are gripped with is unique to us.
Asking difficult questions and keeping government on its toes is the job of the opposition. Asking the head of the government for a transparent account of the business dealings is a legitimate demand. But creating an anarchic situation is something that a democratic system that has yet to mature can hardly afford. The obsession of electronic media with issues like the Panama leaks is understandable. On the British TV channels,on average, there is only one political talk show every day. In Pakistan each channel runs a large number of talk shows every day. Capabilities are limited while demand for stuffing these shows with some content is always pressing. Consequently, if they get hold of a sensational news item then they keep milking it as it is a readymade topic that requires least amount of hard work. Day and night the same line-up of analysts comprising a few retired generals or air marshals and a few politicians can be seen discussing issues of security, economics, trade and, given a chance, even literature. One can figure out exactly what each participant is going to say in such talk shows. These days whichever channel one turns to one cannot escape the endless debates on the Panama leaks.
Once there was much furore over the Mehran bank and ISI funding case. What happened in the end? As two retired generals were found guilty no politician ever asked for implementation of the court’s judgment. I would have high regard for the leaders of opposition that are in forefront of Panama leaks campaign if they had launched a similar campaign for enforcement of Mehran bank case judgment. Digging graveyards of the bygone era can obscure the gravity of the challenges we face today. On practical grounds neither General Pervez Musharraf can be hanged for the offence of ‘high treason’, nor can we bring any money back from offshore accounts. Instead of wasting our energies on endless pursuits its better we focus on the present and the future. “Guzashta ra salat, aaenda ra ehtiat”(forgive the past, be more careful for the future) perhaps is a sensible approach for dealing with the Panama leaks issue.
The writer teaches public policy in the UK and is the founding member of the Rationalist Society of Pakistan. He can be reached at hashah9@yahoo.com
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/14-May-16/the-panama-leaks-hysteria
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Mr Vox Populi
By Syed Mansoor Hussain
14-May-16
No, it is not going to happen. Mian Nawaz Sharif, prime minister (PM) of Pakistan is not going to resign. He is not going to resign for any reason presently known to mankind in general, and the people of Pakistan in particular. Even if he loses the next election he will probably have to be forcibly removed by his successor. Most likely, somebody will convince him that as PM he has to visit another Central Asian country, and on that pretext get him out of the PM house and on to his Raiwind Palace. And no Khan Sahib, you are not going to become the PM under almost any possible scenario. So as I have suggested before, and I will repeat again that at least for this year nothing politically important is going to happen except for the appointment or not of a new chief of army staff.
Much is being said about the offshore accounts and leaks thereof, and how all that can excite and incite the people of Pakistan to rise up against the PM. Vox Populi (voice of the people) is being mentioned again and again as something threatening the rule of the PM and of his party. To test that perception I decided to have a chat with a representative of the aforementioned Vox Populi. Mr Populi as I will call the person I discussed this matter with seems quite representative of the average Pakistani. He heads a family of four living on about four dollars a day, educated enough to read an Urdu newspaper and sign his own name. The latter of course qualifies him to be considered an educated Pakistani. And yes, he is also a Punjabi who vacillates in his political support between Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the PM’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Mr Populi started the discussion with me by enquiring in all seriousness what the big deal was about ‘pajama/pyjamaleaks’ and if the PM had a pajama that leaked why could he not change it? At this I started to explain to him that these leaks were about a country called Panama that was almost exactly half the world away and had a population less than one of the localites in Karachi. This information completely befuddled Mr Populi who could not comprehend why something leaking in faraway Panama could possibly be of any importance to people in Pakistan. At this point I considered briefly trying and explaining the concept of ‘offshore’ accounts and hiding money that was illegally acquired. But one look at Mr Populi convinced me that explaining the concept of offshore accounts would be a tough row to hoe. So I abandoned that idea and thought it best to talk about the massive corruption that many of our politicians and bureaucrats and evidently even some army types are being accused of.
Before I proceed any further I must repeat once again somethings I have said often enough in the past. First that the PM and his family are pure as the driven snow, and second that the PM’s entire family has been blessed with this God-given gift that they all can create large amounts of wealth from thin air. As far as the brave members of our armed forces are concerned, they are mostly men of exemplary probity. Bureaucrats and politicians or what are often lovingly referred to as ‘bloody civilians’ are a different matter, the Sharifs being excluded of course. Why are the Sharifs (PMs family) excluded, you ask? Well, they have spent so much time in the Holy Land that holiness has completely infused their beings. And it has been reported that on occasion a halo can be seen hovering over the PM’s head especially when light shines on him from a certain direction. That this is probably an optical illusion is most likely but believers must believe.
So coming back to corruption, I told Mr Populi that a former minister is being held in custody for massive corruption, and according to his accusers he is richer than the world’s reported richest men. Here I must admit that even I wondered what this person was doing in Pakistan when he was worth more than Bill Gates. Then of course there was the recent report of a bureaucrat in Quetta that had almost seven hundred million rupees worth of stuff in his home that was discovered maybe a day before it was all going abroad — to Panama? This timing suggests a disgruntled co-conspirator or what in the old country is called a ‘whistle blower’ or in the vernacular a ‘dirty rat’.Any way, Mr Populi could not even comprehend the magnitude of such corruption. But Mr Populi did have strong opinions about the sort of corruption that he was most concerned about.
Mr Populi worried about the ‘metre reader’ that often over-read his electricity usage, and expected some money to give a correct reading. Mr Populi was worried about the milk he bought for his children that contained virtually no milk in it, or the policemen at the picket lines who primarily extorted money from passing motorcyclists. And yes Mr Populi was worried about the rising price of essential commodities, and the sellers making an excessive profit on the back of ordinary people. But as far as the ‘Panama leaks’ are concerned Mr Populi had no understanding what that was all about. The question then is why is the PM and his cronies prolonging the Panama leaks problem even though neither the ordinary people of Pakistan care about it and nor is anybody ever going to be able to prove any criminality. The answer is simple. The PM and his government want to distract the attention of ordinary people from the real scandal. The real scandal is that this government is completely incompetent and incapable when it comes to fixing the one issue on which they won the last election. And that is load shedding.
Syed Mansoor Hussain is a former editor of the Journal of Association of Pakistani descent Physicians
Source: dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/14-May-16/mr-vox-populi
URL: https://newageislam.com/pakistan-press/death-diversity-new-age-islam’s/d/107292