The Return of Musharraf

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/16577/the-return-of-musharraf-2/

Former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, is all set to return to Pakistan by March 24th, after the interim government takes over the reins of Pakistan. Listening to the numerous interviews being broadcast on Pakistani channels, one gets the impression that he fervently believes he will don his shining armor, mount his white steed and ride into the country to save it. But does he ever once pause in his righteous declarations to ask the question: Does Pakistan want him back or does he believe that Pakistan needs him back?

The Pakistan of today is a country rocked by tragedies on a daily basis. It is a nation cruelly divided along religious and sectarian lines. The rich and the poor are separated by an ever widening gap, and the middle class is slowly disappearing. Despite all of these tribulations, the people of Pakistan are resilient. They still look towards the future with optimism and courage. This one trait is repeatedly exploited, especially by eloquent, chest-thumping, yarn-spinning politicians.

When Musharraf left Pakistan,  it was considered a win for the democratic forces in the country, a country stunned and reeling by his draconian measures. At that time, all his actions seemed to be concentrated on securing maximum powers with the presidency and securing himself as the President. The NRO, the suspension of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, all contributed to events that led to his hurried departure before possible impeachment proceedings and in his wake he left behind a deeply divided and heavily armed people.

The government that followed proceeded to weakened the country further and now the people of Pakistan are, once more, ready to welcome as savior the person whom they sent into exile. Is this hopeless optimism  or is it surrendering to what may be considered the lesser evil?

For arguments sake let us not dwell in the past. Lets ignore the adage that those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. Let us put the NRO, Lal Masjid and the assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti aside and look at what Musharraf is promising now. Well, one thing we know for sure is that he promises to return to Pakistan within a week after the interim government takes charge and then he plans to participate in the upcoming elections.

Musharraf promises that,  given a team of citizens selected by him, he has the capability to put Pakistan on the path of progress within the year but he doesn’t outline any specific programs or the names of those he would wish to work with. When asked about his support in Pakistan, he invariable quotes the figures from his facebook page. He does not name potential allies, individual or parties. Either he has no plans or he is holding his cards close to his chest. But until the big reveal comes, at times, it seems that his entire campaign is held together with spit and prayers.

With all this ambiguity it is sometimes hard to put faith in a potential leader, especially someone who has been tried and been found wanting. But sometimes a political span becomes relative in its success or failure when compared to even worse situations. Sadly, Pakistan is at such a crossroads.

Musharraf does have his positive points. He seems to be unafraid of articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution which will ascertain his eligibility to be elected. He claims that he knows how to lead from the front and cites his performance in the army as proof. That is irrefutable. He says that he can bring Pakistan back on the path of prosperity without showing any specific plans and expects the masses to follow him. I have to commend his optimism and faith.

I, for one, am cautiously optimistic. He plans to give the people of Pakistan the option of a third party in the elections. He hopes that his return will give APML the boost that it needs to play with the big boys. That, in itself, will be positive development. I hope and pray that, even though he doesn’t admit it, he realizes that he did make a few mistakes when he held power. These mistakes should be key in formulating his new playbook. And even though we are used to giving everyone second--and sometimes third chances-- for once I hope that the one whom we chose as our saviour actually makes it his job to save Pakistan.

PPP Vs. Lyari

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/05/01/comment/editors-mail/ppp-vs-lyari/


So this time the raids in Lyari started, and to the surprise of everyone, they weren't the cosmetic raids like they have been traditionally. That immediately sent up all kinds of bells and whistles going in the thinking person's mind. And the thought process went something like this: Lyari is an area of PPP loyalists, its patrons (Zulfikar Mirza and the happy band of PPP biggies) are in power, the police and CID follow the orders of the government, so why is there an earnest attempt to actually bring order to Lyari?

Without sounding too much like a conspiracy theorist, I felt that there was something not right with that picture. The only thing that was making sense was that the PPP-backed element that was in iron-clad control of Lyari had somehow gotten on the wrong side of their lords and masters. Could it be the meeting between the banned outfit, People’s Amn Committee or PAC and PML-N? Nawaz’s people made the effort to go to Uzair Baloch’s house and conduct that meeting. Not only had there been a conversation, but the leaders of PAC had given the impression that maybe it was time for them to explore political options other than PPP.

The powerscape of Lyari was changing with the release Arshad Pappu. He was let go after 60, yes folks, 60 cases against him were dismissed.  There was talk of him teaming up with Katchi Raabta Committee and threatening the power of PAC. I guess when all the criminal elements were given refuge in the heart of Karachi amidst innocent fathers, mothers and children, it was never considered that their loyalty would be in question. They would have the run of the Lyari, have a free hand to torture and kill for their benefactors and serve PPP. They would not only create a zone in the heart of the city where bodies could drop and detractors tortured like nobody’s business but they would also preserve a huge vote-bank for PPP.

It seemed that as soon as the integrity of that vote-bank was threatened, the green light was given for this raid. Hit ‘em hard and teach ‘em a lesson. The strange thing was that something so clear to some of us was not being discussed by everyone. People were quick to jump on the “Hate MQM” bandwagon saying that the violence was MQM backed because they wanted to gain hold of Lyari. But that all changed with PAC member Zafar Baloch’s bombshell interview. According to him not only did PPP want them neutralised for leaning towards PML-N but specifically wanted him dead because he could provide priceless testimony against PPP. He claimed that PPP was not only responsible for the violence but also for provision of weapons to the gangs in Lyari.  Now Uzair and Zafar Baluch have been placed on Exit Control lists.The PAC has all the hounds of PPP in full pursuit of them.  The drop-scene of this fiasco promises to be intriguing. How will Dr Frankenstein deal with this out-of -control monster?

Apparently, even as the violence in Lyari is dominating the news desks, it is not considered prudent by the government to send in the Rangers for a quick resolution! Is curbing “lawlessness” in non-violent MQM dominated areas so important that the Rangers are focused there rather than where they are needed most?

All political parties have an agenda and it is those agendas that make them appealing to different people. But when these political parties blatantly defy the laws of not only their country but of God, it is up to the people to hold them accountable. It does not help that as soon as questionable events happen, we throw blame at everyone except the political parties that we follow. Loyalty is admirable but blind faith is ignorance. Stand up to what is wrong and make your voice heard. There are more of us then there are of them. As a wise man once said: “ All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing”.

Siachen: Hell At 20,000 Feet

On the morning of April 7th, Pakistan woke up to the news of a terrible tragedy. At around 6:00 AM Pakistan Standard time, the Pakistani base at Gyari, near the disputed Siachen Glacier was struck by an avalanche. It buried an area of roughly a kilometer wide trapping 138 soldiers and civilians under 70 feet of snow.

Across the world, six Peruvian miners were trapped in a mine collapse. Their President was on site. He was fully knowledgeable of the rescue efforts. He was also in contact with the trapped miners talking to them, encouraging them, giving them hope.  Meanwhile, our President diligently went about the demanding job of thoroughly enjoying his vacation and documenting it with photographs of all of his teeth displayed in wide smiles like a trophy president.  But then that begs the question: What contest in hell did we win to get this trophy?

Do we even know why our troops were there? According to historical data, the Siachen glacier was not divided in the Simla agreement because UN officials presumed, mistakenly, there would be no dispute between India and Pakistan over such a harsh and barren region.The conflict started when American maps started showing the entire 5,000 km of the glacier as part of Pakistan and Pakistan started believing it. They proceeded to profit from it by issuing permits for mountaineering expeditions. This caught the attention of the Indian Government and started a conflict in 1984 which has lasted to this day.

Siachen, the name, ironically meaning a bed of wild roses, is the highest battleground on earth. Both, India and Pakistan, maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a terrible cost. During this time approximately 8,000 lives have been lost. Only a fraction of them have been combat related. The rest of the deaths have been due to  frostbite, altitude sickness, heart failure, inadequate cold weather equipment, avalanches and landslides. According to The News, the cost to maintain this conflict has been estimated at upwards of Rs. 50 million per day for Pakistan.

Who will be the first to realize that this a senseless war, being fought over a piece of god-forsaken land. The human toll is enough for governments to take notice.  One Pakistani soldier dies every three to four days. But what of those they leave behind. Entire families depend on one person. As a soldier dies, a family is condemned. If the government could peacefully resolve Siachen and reallocate the money, these soldiers would not die needlessly in a frozen wasteland leaving behind families to fend for themselves in an unforgiving world.  There are no houses for these families, no college-funds for the fatherless children. Only a bleak and uncertain future. So the toll is two-fold. Not only does the country lose valuable assets when soldiers die, their children, the next generation of future doctors, educators, engineers are also sentenced to hopelessness and uncertainty. Some of these families never recover. They are barely getting by in a soldier's salary, without it they have nothing. What could the future possibly hold for these children except a downward spiral into oblivion? In some of these cases the only salvation and sense of purpose these children find might be among the ranks of radical organizations like the Taliban, who can exploit their anger and resentment.

Alongside everything, the military presence on the glacier is destroying the environment.  While most of the glaciers on the Karakoram side have expanded in the past years, Siachen has reduced in size by 30 percent. Experts claim that half of that is due to troop movements. The waste that is being generated by these troops and dumped into the glacier has been estimated at more than 2000 pounds per day. The garbage consists of human waste, plastic and metal which is further poisoning the ecosystem. The indigenous wildlife is being threatened. The melting water from this glacier feeds many  rivers, Indus among them. These waters are being poisoned by toxins generated by the garbage and leaching into the rivers. So, we are basically fighting over a giant melting ice cube where nobody wanted to live in the first place.

But as usual, inflated egos get in the way of logical  reasoning. How long will it take for governments to realize that there is no military solution to this problem. That much should be obvious after almost thirty years of stalemate. Bilateral talks are the way to a resolution but egos need to be checked at the door.  Make it a demilitarized zone. Bring our boys back home. Reallocate those thousands of dollars from the destructiveness of  war to projects of peace and progress. Use that money to feed and educate our people rather than put our bravest in harms way.

According to Indian Foreign Minister, Ranjan Mathai, when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered his help to Pakistan, Zardari thanked Manmohan Singh for his offer and said that he would check if there was any requirement, he would revert. (http://www.aajkikhabar.com/en/news/manmohan-zardari-meet-2012-talks-on-for-avalanche-tragedy/692655.html ) Maybe that was the point where our president could have taken the first step towards a non-military resolution instead of sounding totally oblivious to a great tragedy. I hope he had a great time during his vacation while our troops died as a result of senseless policies.