A nation on self destruction mode – to what end (By Tahir Ali)

These days the Muslim Ummah is outraged by the blasphemous movie prepared by an American and are agitating against this gruesome act. Pakistan is no exception. In fact, we as a nation have always topped the list of those who react violently to such provocations and, in the process, attempt to destroy our own country. Is this the right way to demonstrate our love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), would the perpetrators of such a heinous act be brought to justice by our violence and what could be the implications of the course we choose to adopt, are the questions we need to ponder. Debate on the subject, both in the press and electronic media, must aim at educating, rather than agitating, the masses.

Let there be no doubt in anybody’s mind that no true Muslim would hesitate to give his life for preserving the sanctity of our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). We love him more than any of our worldly wants. It is how this love may manifest, needs to be debated. What we are doing these days by coming out on the streets and destroying whatever comes in the way, is the easiest but surely not the right way to demonstrate our love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the best of human beings. To me, though difficult but the most appropriate way would be to emulate his personality, not by rituals but in essence, and follow his teachings to the core. Are we as a nation or as individuals doing that? The answer is in the negative and that is the reason powers that be are paying little heed to the violent demonstrations, construing them as acts committed for venting out of personal frustrations.

Unfortunately, our greatest problem as a nation is our hypocrisy and selective application of religion, as it suits our personal agendas. To quote an example, Allah Almighty says in the Quran, “And make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including sinews of war, to strike terror into the hearts of enemies of Allah and your enemies and others besides them whom you know not but Allah does know”. That be the commandment, it must be clear to us that we as a nation won’t be able to assert unless we are strong enough to do so, both as a Pakistani and as part of ‘Islamic Ummah’. Are our day to day undertakings and present behaviour directed at strengthening the country? In this regard, I may also give the example of the Jews who, though a few million, have become so strong that they can enforce on the West whatever they want.  

There are mainly two types of leaders. First category is of those who play on public perception to elevate themselves. They, at best, are mediocre leaders and ultimately are of no consequence. While the other category comprises leaders who come up with their own vision, steer the nation towards the right direction and make a difference in the long run. Unfortunately, we only have leaders of the first category. In the obtaining scenario also, they are exploiting the public sentiment for fulfilment of personal agendas, oblivious of the consequences and implications of such adventurism.

We also need to understand that the religious clergy thrive in the environment of lack of governance, lawlessness, poverty, deprivation, and disillusionment. Handing over the platform to them at this stage for leading the masses, albeit agitated, is a sure recipe for disaster. Since, we refuse to learn any lessons from the past, let me remind the nation and our leaders that ongoing agitation is presenting spectre of the PNA movement in the late seventies, which culminated into takeover by Zia, the consequences of which we are suffering till today. Do we want the history to repeat itself?

Our violent reactions in the past to blasphemous acts perpetrated in the Western countries have hardly stopped them from repeating such acts, but in the process they have found out one of our major vulnerabilities. Now, they can initiate instability in Pakistan at will, whenever they want. We may not rule out the possibility of use of this vulnerability by the USA in future to station a large number of their marines in Islamabad, after the expansion of their embassy into virtually a base, and Karachi where construction of a large consulate building is already in progress.

As the indicators are, our violent agitation and destruction of own infrastructure is unlikely to affect the maker of the blasphemous video, his sponsors or the country where the act has been committed. In fact, as we have turned ourselves into a nation on auto self-destruction mode, the perpetrators have achieved their objective. If nothing else, they have reinforced the perception in the Western world that we are an intolerant and extremist nation.

As such, while we may continue to peacefully demonstrate our outrage, the long term solution lies in gaining strength as a ‘Muslim Ummah’ and adhering to Islamic tenets - the only way to ensure respect for sentiments of the Muslims by others.  

No more Holy Cows (My article published in The NEWS on 14th September 2012)

At last, the Court Martial proceedings in NLC case are about to commence against three retired General officers who have been reinstated for the purpose. Though all agree that the case be brought to its logical conclusion, the development has received mixed response about the adopted course. Some critics continue to cause aspersions on the way the case is being handled, have apprehensions about the outcome and are demanding that the case be investigated by concerned civil agencies. The majority of people, however, have appreciated the step and consider it a good omen for the country’s future. To these people, it’s a new beginning – no more holy cows.

I tend to be with the latter group as the country can no more afford to nurture holy cows, may they be from any premier institution. Same is necessitated because in the last few years, military establishment’s status as a centre of gravity has diluted and the Judiciary, media and the political elite have also emerged as major power centres, are individually vying to take the centre-stage and, as such, any preferential treatment to a single one would up-set the entire equilibrium, disturbing the delicate balance. To elaborate my viewpoint, I have briefly discussed each in the succeeding paragraphs.

In Pakistan’s peculiar environment, the military establishment still remains a major entity and people place a lot of hope in this institution. It must continue to perform, deliver and hold ruthless accountability for failings, both professional and moral. Only then its leadership would be able to meet the expectations of the masses and wield influence, directly or indirectly, on those bent upon undermining the country’s institutions. Same is also imperative to counter the ongoing unprecedented propaganda unleashed against the military establishment by parties with vested interests, using a segment of anchor-persons / journalists. In nutshell, military must stand tall on moral and professional grounds. Commencement of Court Martial proceedings in NLC case would surely enhance its image, though a lot would depend on the out-come.

As we flash back the unprecedented movement for restoration of the CJ, speeches of the eminent lawyers, promises and the generated hope, one thought that all our worries would be over with the onset of ‘independent judiciary’. Unfortunately, this was not to be. In spite of the fact that the Judiciary, under the leadership of the incumbent CJ, gave some land-mark decisions, the people continue to suffer due to lack of governance, and justice. As a result, disillusionment is slowly setting in, a manifestation of which can be seen in the recent comments by Asma Jehangir, Kurd, Aitzaz Ahsen, etc, the stalwarts of independent judiciary movement. In my view, greatest damage has been done by the way Arsalan Iftikhar’s case, perceived to be a holy cow, has been handled by the judiciary and, connected with it, unchecked media campaign by PPP jialas. If judiciary is to regain its ascendency, an imperative for the country to survive, justice must be seen as done in Arsalan Iftikhar’s case.

Media, in the last few years, has emerged as a major power centre to reckon with and has many laurels to its credit. However, as compared to the other power centres which are institutionalized, the media remains rudder-less and consequently, a few anchor-persons have become holy cows who feel that they are beyond the institutions, the government and even the state. They have gained mastery over twisting facts in pursuance of self-conceived or externally motivated agendas for certain personal gains. Just to quote a few examples of a self-righteous anchor-person; he urged General Musharraf to take action on Lal Masjid in front of other colleagues and once the operation was undertaken, became its greatest critic. On memo-gate, he openly sided with Haqqani and condemned Mansoor Ijaz, for reasons known to many, but after the findings of the judicial commission, never bothered to admit that he was wrong. He is the main exponent of Army / ISI bashing campaign, commencement of which unfortunately coincided with the US-Pakistan Army stand-off in the aftermath of 2^nd May 2011 and Salala incidents. Any keen observer would note discrepancies in his arguments but he still thrives, has become the holiest of all cows, and untouchable. Probably, President Zardari, the grand master, is the only one who knows the art to tame such anchor-persons. For others who choose to pursue principled journalism, self-accountability, where required, is the best course to adopt. A strict code of conduct would surely be in order to prevent misuse of this powerful instrument.

And finally the political leadership, whose lack of commitment to ‘accountability’ can be gauged from their inability to achieve consensus on the new accountability bill. Resultantly, in spite of vibrant media and pro-active judiciary, corruption in the government machinery is rampant, destroying the national economy like a termite. With investigation agencies under their fold, the top political elite have become holy cows who cannot be touched.

To sum up, things cannot continue the way they are. If this trend is to be reversed, the majority of masses must stop considering corruption as a ‘non-issue’ and holy cows must remain no more in political elite, judiciary, military establishment and the media – all must be treated equally as per law of the land.

Military operation in North Waziristan? ( My article published in the NEWS on 5 Sep 2012)

Leon Panetta’s disclosure, for reasons best known to him, that Pakistan Army was planning an operation in Waziristan, followed by General Kayani’s 14 August speech in which he, probably for the first time, openly acknowledged that ‘war on terror’ is also Pakistan’s war, has stirred debate on likely military operation in North Waziristan and its implications thereof. After going through various articles on the subject, one gets the impression that only the military establishment is responsible for the present mess and it is time to redeem. While this argument may carry some weight, the issue is much more complicated for easy understanding.

Let me first start with the public perception which emanates from the belief that Pakistan is ‘an ideological state’ and since the Islamic concept of nationalism advocates the concept of ‘ummah’, majority of the masses, especially in the rural areas, who remain under the influence of religious clergy, consider Taliban’s struggle as legitimate. They fail to comprehend as to why ‘Mujahideen’ of yester years are now called ‘terrorists’. To date, neither the media nor the politicians have picked up the courage to change this mind-set and educate the masses.

Despite being a pluralist organization, the intake in military comes from the same background, Islam is still a major motivation and soldiers need to be convinced that the operations they undertake against their own people, or perceived to be such, are justified.

In such environment, General Kayani’s remarks on 14 August that ‘war on terror is also our war’ must be appreciated as a bold step, setting right direction for the Army, if not for the nation. However, these remarks in no way imply that the military would undertake operation in North Waziristan on USA’s dictation. In my view, certain considerations would dictate whether the operation should be undertaken or not and if the decision is in affirmative, certain pre-requisites must be met before embarking on this venture.

Considerations; (1) Is the Pakistani public in favor of such an operation? (2) In spite of the general perception in Pakistan that foreign forces are presently occupying Afghanistan, the worldwide view is that they are UN mandated and supported by a legitimate Afghan government. That be the case, are local militants within their right to undertake terrorist activities in Afghanistan? (3) If the local Taliban do not accept Pakistan Government’s writ and go across to Afghanistan to hit the NATO/Afghan forces, how should the Pakistan Government respond to any counter action by them? Should we put our country at stake for those who do not even accept government’s writ? (4) A friendly and stable Afghanistan is surely in Pakistan’s interest. This being the objective, are the local militants part of the solution or part of the problem? (5) Notwithstanding emotional outbursts which some of our leaders display, is the nation prepared to face the consequences of local militants’ continued declared interference into the internal affairs of Afghanistan? If not, how to stop them? (6) Negative international perception about Pakistan with regard to ongoing militancy. (7) And finally, internal fall out of any such operation and its ramifications.

If as a conclusion to above considerations, an operation is deemed necessary, the same be undertaken after meeting certain pre-requisites, especially in view of our past experiences. While considering the external factor, we must never forget that in the eighties, Pakistan fought along-side USA and together we were instrumental in ousting the Soviets from Afghanistan. After achieving their objectives, however, USA left us in the lurch to face the consequences. Similarly, not very long time back, our forces undertook operations in Swat and South Waziristan and since the border on Afghan side was not sealed, the terrorists not only went across but since then are conducting terrorist activities against Pakistan, with impunity, from their safe-havens in Afghanistan, if not under the patronage of NATO/Afghan forces but certainly from areas presently controlled by them.  

In this backdrop, it would be natural for the Pakistani leadership to be apprehensive about USA’s intent behind compelling us to undertake operation in North Waziristan. We must never preclude the possibility that the USA only wants us to attack the militants so that the weakened militants could be pressurized by them into negotiations for extracting a better deal, which may not be in Pakistan’s best interests. Besides, the backlash, if also sponsored by hostile intelligence agencies, would be crippling for Pakistan. As such, Pakistan Army must not undertake this operation unless the border across is sealed by ISAF/US forces and guarantees are given that the retreating militants would not be given safe passage to be used against Pakistan in the future. Also, Pakistan must be included as a party in any future negotiations, overt or covert, with the Taliban.  

Internally, the experience shows that successful military operations in Swat and South Waziristan were not backed by the required political process for seeking permanent solution. The Army still is deployed and committed in these areas. As such, any future military operation must be preceded by shaping of environment for which the political leadership must take full ownership and media should be effectively used to educate the masses. Well planned covert operations must be undertaken to isolate the militants from the locals, though a difficult proposition till the time locals carry the impression that militants are waging ‘jihad’ against foreign forces in Afghanistan. Speedy rehabilitation and initiation of political process after successful military operation are imperatives for a permanent solution, which must be planned in advance. The political leadership must also be fully prepared to deal with any internal fall out of such an operation.

And finally, in the prevailing regional environment, sincerity of purpose is of prime essence. Both Pakistan and USA must learn from the past mistakes, recognize the threat in its larger context, formulate a comprehensive threat response and then appropriately deal with the rogue elements. Double games by USA or Pakistan or both have neither served their interests in the past nor they would in the future – threat is too grave to play around.

The untouchable

Call it a coincidence, but messing with an untouchable in Pakistan has become an omen for governments to fall. Musharraf had to abdicate the presidency for challenging his dubious progression in life from becoming a doctor, induction in the Health Department, re-designation into FIA and elevations, thereof.

The same untouchable now owns a business of Rs 900 million, amassed in less than five years. Recently, he was accused of accepting millions as bribes from a real-estate tycoon, who happens to be close to the government circles - perhaps a wrong move.

As the media started to discuss the allegations, the CJ took suo-moto action by forming a bench of three judges, including him-self. This action was taken on the plea that the accusations on the untouchable were a conspiracy and image of judiciary was at stake, despite the fact that there was no complainant, no defendant, not even FIR. Thanks to legal advice by many, the CJ delinked himself from the case. The remaining bench hurriedly passed on the bucket to the AG and ruled that on the basis of the business tycoon’s written statement in the court “reputation of judiciary stood cleared”, completely ignoring what he had said in the press conference the same day. No sooner the two member bench got rid of the case, the entire episode was again termed as a ‘conspiracy’ against the judiciary, for which someone must pay a heavy price. 

On 19 June 2012, a three bench court disqualified PM Gilani in the contempt case with effect from 26 April 2012, notwithstanding the fact that in the initial judgement on 26 April 2012, the seven member bench had not specifically mentioned about the PM’s disqualification and Speaker’s ruling on the subject, being a constitutional matter, required detailed deliberations. On the other hand, the untouchable’s case is still moving at a snail’s pace by using well known tactics common in our judicial system. The investigations have been taken back from NAB and assigned to a one-man commission – former IG Sohaib Suddle. Why just a one-man’s commission and why Suddle, is anybody’s guess.  

In a country like Pakistan with rampant corruption and diminishing rule of law, judicial activism may be necessary but it must never turn into judicial dictatorship, though a possibility. After all, CJ has a cabinet of SC judges, just like Army Chief’s Corps commanders, has lower judicial hierarchy to support him just as military chain of command, and black coats just as soldiers with only one exception that the latter cannot beat policemen, media persons and judges with impunity. In that sense, CJ in Pakistan is much more powerful than the COAS, and, as such, temptation to be the ‘boss’ and call the shots is natural, at least through indirect control over the executive composed of politicians who falter frequently and remain prone to judicial scrutiny. Such inclinations, however, must be curbed as authority without responsibility is a sure recipe for disaster.  

May be, Gilani’s ouster was justified but can the country sustain frequent sacking of the governments? We as a nation must be clear that interventions by the President or the military establishment (as was the case earlier) or by Judiciary (this time) have never served / would not serve the cause of democracy. The country has suffered a lot due to direct and indirect rule by the military and now that it has decided to stay clear, any attempts by the judiciary to fill the vacuum would be disastrous and may ultimately lead to Pakistan’s Balkanization. 

Judiciary has shown enough muscle but if it still feels that it must immortalize itself, same can be done by earnestly investigating the untouchable’s dubious progression, instead of passing on the bucket, find out details of how he amassed Rs 900 million (or so) worth of business, what do his tax returns show about the source of income, did he receive alleged financial favours from the real-estate tycoon and if found guilty, try him with the speed with which the former PM was disposed off by the three member bench – shortest way for the Judiciary to reach the highest pedestal of moral ascendency.