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.

If human lives were quantifiable.....

http://blogs.thenewstribe.com/blog/68482/if-human-lives-were-quantifiable/#.UO8krG_oR1d

If alien beings from outer space  were to travel to our neck of the woods and form an opinion about our priorities, they would surely conclude that the most worthless and expendable commodity is the human life.

A question like “what is a human life worth?” seems more of a philosophical query, inviting a vigorous debate, rather than a mathematical problem followed by a calculation and a dollar amount. But, believe it or not, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget puts the value of a human life in the range of $7 million to $9 million or around $8 million, if we are talking averages. I am not qualified enough to wade into the quagmire of economic parameters and channel my inner Adam Smith for an explanation but I will pose this question: If people were required to pay this amount for every life they were responsible for terminating, would they be so disregardful of their actions?

What is a human life worth? I posed this question to a friend of mine who is a very passionate pacifist and a humanitarian. She said, without any hesitation, that the worth of one human life is the same as the worth of all mankind. That is a mind blowing amount if we look at it numerically. It means that we would have to multiply $5 million by the number of people ever born and those that will ever be born. By these specific guidelines the human life is priceless.

Everyday we come across accounts of neglect, atrocity and pure greed which result in the loss of life. This is only if we are very lucky. Some among us actually experience these events first hand. We hear of hundreds burned in a preventable factory fires, scores killed in sectarian, bigoted violence, thousands of lives cancelled because their thought was different, they looked different, they were different...

One wonders how much fire alarms and proper fire safety measures would have cost in the ill-fated garment factories. If the factory owners were liable to pay for each life lost due to their greed and neglect, would they have been so careless with hazard-proofing their workplaces? What would it be worth to have a visible police force that actually serves and protects? Would it be outside the realm of imagination to ask for public servants that actually serve the public?

Maybe the problem is that there is no accountability for the elite class and no one to pay heed, let alone take any action, in response to the pleas and cries of the working class. How else could a society explain the ruthless beating of a young man just because he denied a “begum sahib” some baked goods. How could the murder of a Swedish missionary, working only for the well-being of the needy, be justified?  Most of these are not spur of the moment emotionally fueled incidences. Rather they are planned and dramatic measures to instill fear and discourage any others who might want to stand up to an oppressive elite. But if these “untouchables” had to pay  for every person they roughed up or, worse still, killed, would they be so gung-ho about it?

Entire sub-nationalities are staked out to be massacred. Religious sects are marked for death because they have a different ideology and mass murder is validated and justified by closed-minded men with personal agendas. And then there are those who take up the savage war-cry , without any question or thought as to the cogency or the repercussions of their actions, and cut down lives with the abandon of an unholy crusader high on crack. The Grim Reaper would cringe in fear and loathing at such wanton waste because even he has rules. Nobody pays for these innumerable lost lives: lost in the name of profit, in the name of power and the most vile category for justifying gratuitous killings--in the name of God.
 
It has been said that those who stop fearing God, fear nothing else. Maybe that is the problem. God has become nothing more that a word, an abstract idea that can justify all misguided agendas. Everyone believes that they wield the sword of the Almighty, but whose side is Allah really on?

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”.

The Dilemma Of Lyari

Lyari. The name has become synonymous with notoriety and violence. This is one of the few neighborhoods of the world, that has achieved fame of this level, without a PR team, without any celebrity sightings or soft white sand beaches and tourist spots. Instead it’s claim to fame has been the kind that majority of Lyari  residents would rather have done without. But in Pakistan, who cares what the majority wants. It is the need of the privileged few that always surpasses the need of the many!

Gang wars are the special of the day. Violence erupts on the street without warning and whoever falls prey is just collateral damage.  The brunt of these attacks is always borne by the innocent bystander, the man on his way to work, the child on his way to school.The government in power, which incidentally was supported overwhelmingly by the citizens of Lyari, has made a great show of raiding the area several times to clean it up but have been less than successful. The seriousness of these raids can be determined by the name given to them by the people: cosmetic raids. These so-called raids are nothing more than the government and police officials standing outside the limits of Lyari and posturing and posing in front of media and camera crews.

At one time Lyari was known for its street schools. There were more than a hundred of these schools on street corners where kids and adults were taught, for a nominal charge, by college students in their free time. Not only did this provide education but also gave the college students an income to continue their education. Now only five of these schools remain. They are not able to have regular classes because of the random eruption of violence and volunteers are few. To add insult to injury,children, some as young as five years old, are being recruited by gangs. Their toys are being replaced by handguns. There have been incidences where these children have tried to leave the gangs only to meet with unfortunate circumstances.  

It is not just the violence that is plaguing Lyari. Highly addictive substances like Gutka and Mainpuri tobacco are being sold openly despite being banned by the government. But since, in Lyari, the sellers of this cancerous poison hold the favor of the power- that-be, the ban is enforced selectively.  The only effect this ban has had in Lyari is that the price of these chewable tobaccos has doubled. Elsewhere these are sold in secrecy but in Lyari they are sold in full view and without fear.

Will the men, women and children of Lyari ever get a break or are they condemned for generations to come. They are being held hostage with no one making the commitment to save them. Rehman Malik made a joke at the expense of the very people who brought his party into power, rhyming “Katchi” with “Machi”. A statement which was neither intelligent nor funny. This is how much respect the constituents have from their leaders. It boggles the mind trying to figure out how it is possible that a government that has an entire police force at its command is unable to bring peace to a single neighborhood. A neighborhood in the heart of Karachi.  These people are the lifeblood of the ruling PPP party. Benazir Bhutto referred to them as her “ladlay” (beloved). Bilawal Bhutto, the crown prince of PPP, is slated to be the next representative of Lyari. And yet the law and order situation here rivals that of Hell! If PPP is treating their beloveds in this manner then what hope does the rest of the country have!  

WE WERE DESTINED FOR GREATNESS!

A man and his brother killed and a woman injured. They were attacked by armed gunmen who wanted them dead because of a difference in political belief.  Is human life worth so little that it can be snuffed out over a difference of political opinion. Do we hate each other so much that we can justify murder?   

What happened to us? We fought for our freedom against insurmountable odds. We stood up against the British Empire and we won. At that time when countries were being carved out of the world on ethnicities, we stood together, shoulder to shoulder. Sindhis, Baluchis, Pathans, Muhajirs, and Punjabis and fought hard to demand a nation on the basis of our beliefs, as Muslims.  Why, now, are we fighting just as hard to break our country apart?

Is each group so dissatisfied with the state of affairs that they are willing to pull apart from what they fought so hard for, a mere 60 years ago? The separatists in Baluchistan want their own nation because the army has laid siege to their villages and cut off their supplies. According to a report by UNICEF, the Bugti and Marri children are among the most malnourished in the world. The Sindhi separatists want their own nation because their resources are being looted, they are denied growth and development. FATA has always been out of the range of the Constitution. Muhajirs want to preserve the integrity of the country, but they yearn for a province of their own as they feel that they need to fight for their rights. The Punjabis seem to be biding their time. Under these circumstances, who wouldn’t feel powerless and marginalized?

But tearing our country apart is not the answer. What we seem to forget is that we -- the common people -- have all the power. During these hard times, we have seen leaders emerge who hold the confidence of their people. If there are people that the Baluchis, Sindhis or Pathans consider competent enough to lead them out of disaster, then elect them to positions of power. Take a lesson from the Muhajir playbook. Elect your representative to power and then hold them accountable.  Don’t do away with the federal government, but make your provincial governments stronger. If they fail you, find new leaders.

We are a strong and proud people. We are passionate about what we want. We have leaders among us. How long are we going to keep making the same mistakes, electing the same heartless souls to power again and again,only to push us further into misery? We should all rise up and stand together once again, and fight the corruption and hatred that is eating us from the inside. We should vote according to who will work for us. We make the mistake of voting for political parties because of a warped sense of loyalty.That is where we go wrong.  Let them compete for our vote rather than us competing for their handouts. If the party you have been voting for through generations is not fulfilling its promises, don’t vote for them. Vote for a person who is sincere, even if he belongs to a different party. Then we will have a progressive society where the voters are empowered.

One strong country. A country where the voters have the power and the government is the public servant. This is the goal towards which we should strive. The people who make decisions that affect the life of the common man on the street should be from the streets. What do the privileged elite know of our pain? Have they ever gone hungry? Have they ever looked for a job? Have they ever worried about where the next meal will come from?

Let us come together as a nation and not as the tattered fragments of one. Let us burn our old animosities and prejudices and rise together as one, stronger than ever. Then, and only then, will we be noticed. It is time we stop being the victims and become game-changers and king-makers.