The snake charmer and her foes: Sherry makes good news, out of bad.
Published in Tehelka.
Former Ambassador Hussain Haqqani who got roasted in the memogate bonfire; had resigned at the peak of the flames that Mansoor Ijaz’s allegations ignited. After much back and forth, Mr. Haqqani intelligently stepped down. Mansoor Ijaz – who is apparently an influential Pakistani American Businessman and; seems to have effortless links in the corridors of power, also has some White House statesmen on his speed dial. This access has a record of not just getting him into places, but also being taken for rides, that he most certainly wills for.
Former Ambassador, Hussain Haqqani used to be one of Ijaz’s close high profile contacts, until ofcourse, he planned to stab his ‘friend’. To make things more dramatic Mansoor Ijaz who is known for fishy-tank history of going back on his words, consoled with Haqqani’s family, “I respect the decision of Pakistan’s prime minister to accept the resignation today of Amb. Husain Haqqani. As government proceeds in its inquiry, I stand ready to assist in any manner necessary. I wish Amb Haqqani and his family well.” Ofcourse the compassion in his speech practically speaks far from his deeds.
As Sami Shah guiltlessly points out in his Op-ed, “So why would an intelligent man like Haqqani entrust the message to the recipient of the lifetime achievement award for Flip-flopping. Perhaps, Haqqani is just a poor judge of character. He is, after all, also a close friend of President Zardari’s. It happens to the best of us.”
Meanwhile, Sherry Rehman, who made a picture perfect transition into the Ambassador position in less than 48 hours, has appropriately shifted the discourse towards a positive. As Huma Sattar, a blogger puts it “It is gratifying to look at a really bad news, turn into a really good news.” Sherry Rehman, the ‘Democracy’s Hero’ as she was once called, has the potential to transform Pakistan’s anxiety turn into confidence.
Sherry Rehman has been perhaps, one of the very few parliamentarians who have made impressive headways in their efforts to curb violence and discrimination against women, minority groups and other causes. During her permanent status in assembly, Sherry Rehman authored all five PPP bills tabled in the National Assembly: Women Empowerment Bill, Anti-Honor Killings Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, Affirmative Action Bill and Hudood Repeal Bill. She also moved two Bills for the Media: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Press Act, which prevents working journalists from being arrested under the 1999 Press Ordinance.
In her journalistic career, she was the first Pakistani to be recognized with an award for independent journalism by the UK House of Lords in its Muslim World Awards Ceremony in the year 2002. Her attempt to write a book also bagged her distinction when Shep Ethnic Textiles Book Award for ‘The Kashmiri Shawl’.
Among others, she was presented the International Peace Award for Democrats by the Human Rights Commission and the ‘The Freedom Award’ Pakistan by the Association of Television Journalists for her work for media independence in Pakistan.
It’s no wonder that Rehman was named among the “100 Most Influential Asians” by UAE magazine Ahlan.
Her journalistic, democratic and parliamentarian achievements are now sought to be instrumental in refining the relationship between US and Pakistan. Recent statements regarding her appointment from the State department of US audibly show signs of the confidence building that has picked up.
Her Pro-India and Open-to-co-operation stance has additionally been much appreciated by the international community. For starters, she believes “We should work on Siachin and Sircreek at-least and not take anything off the table later,” and gradually “move on to the workable plan on Kashmir.”
While Sherry Rehman prepares to soldier on, towards facing new challenges for the country, her best non-adherents come out with black flags to erupt new meaningless rhetoric; as always. The Sunni Tehreek (ST) to be the first, to express ‘serious concerns’ over the appointment of Sherry Rehman as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States (US).
Shahid Ghauri, who is the central leader of the Sunni Tehreek vehemently, said that Rehman was already following “policies of the US and the Jewish lobby as she tried to abolish the country’s blasphemy laws.”
In reflection to late 2010, when Rehman had submitted a private member bill suggesting amendments to the blasphemy law; “We are not satisfied with Sherry Rehman appointment because she is not fair with Islam or the country,” he added with vigor.
If reflected, it is an apt reminder of the former Ambassador’s last speech at a literary event where, Hussain Haqqani managed to press on his deepest feelings. “We as Pakistanis have to make up our mind. Are we going to live in a world where a few TV anchors will generate crises on the word of one man? Are we going to live in a society where people will constantly be afraid that the civilian leadership is conspiring against the army or the army is conspiring against the military leadership?”
While the nincompoop-religious mutineers leak their fanatical flatulence, headlines read between ‘Petition filed in LHC against Sherry’s appointment’ to ‘Pakistan Council of Dallas Fort Worth welcome Sherry Rehman as new Ambassador of Pakistan.’
Miller’s insight into the human side of a godhead
Published in Tehelka.
Kiran Nazish on the unexpected success of cricketer-turned-politician imran khan’s newest political show, and the responsibility it places on khan to come up with meaningful policies
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STANDING WHERE the Lahore resolution was passed in 1940, Imran Khan started off with the name of Allah Subhan aTa’la and proceeded with Iqbal, declaring his ‘ideological leader’ and dramatically shifting the alliance of many rival party supporters who were there to make fun of the Tehreek-e-Insaf and capture Imran’s disappointed face on their cameras. Captivating scores of hearts and hopes, Imran made strides into his speech, mostly criticising the leadership in power (PML-N and PPP), with statistical reason and not rhetoric. It wasn’t just a dozen youth who seemed to have converted their political religion on that ground; there were thousands who stopped bashing and hooting and quietly listened to Imran. At one point there was no other sound to be heard, except applause. That’s quite an unusual experience in such a gathering with Pakistani youth, who are usually trivialising of the other person’s religion and ideology. Top analysts and the media who were running slapstick comedy on television a day earlier to mock Imran, were astounded to watch more than two lakh people at Minto Park roar every time Khan lashed out at the monarchial leaderships. While many commentators remained tongue-tied and egotistical, others changed their stance and refined their conversation. @mosharrafzaidi tweeted ‘Folks trying to downplay Lahore, give it a rest. Heartwarming to see so many Pakistanis turning to politics peacefully and in celebration.’ Making his way into people’s hearts, Imran won the day. He deferentially highlighted (rival PPP’s founder) Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s leadership skills and his anti-imperialist ideology, dismissing (current PPP chief) Asif Ali Zardari’s presidency and his potential to lead, in contrast with PPP’s founding notion of service to the public. Soon they chanted, ‘Go Zardari go!’ Concerns about Tehreek’s hollow party infrastructure, no second-tier leadership and unpopular party policies ostensibly receded within the crowd, as Imran discussed more vital issues. Elaborating on the natural and labour resources of Pakistan, he said the economy can work without loans and a corrupt infrastructure. Something different about Imran was that he did not just factually point out where the current government was faltering, he gave solutions that he deemed could eradicate poverty, minimise disparity, develop good governance, improve foreign relations, untie the strings attached to the IMF and discard submission to colonial and regional powers. Making stringent demands on accountability from the current leaders, Imran stimulated emotions against the presidency and the provincial government; and also spoke about civil disobedience, infusing Habib Jalib’s poetry into the public bosom. It is unrealistic to make ambitious promises and it is impractical to accommodate everybody’s wishes and demands. Imran did not do that.
BUT THERE was hype over the Kashmir boot that Imran wrongly took. By endeavouring that the Indian Army should vacate Kashmir, he irresponsibly stabbed the current Indo-Pak peace talks. As he attempted to lighten the tone by giving examples of America’s failure in Afghanistan, he certainly did not make optimistic reason to his suggestions defining boundaries for India. In the past, Imran has shown to be pro-dialogue with India and has been anti-military. It is true that foreign policy is a backseat concern for the people at the moment, but making adversaries before friends may strangle Imran’s progress to be. Towards the end, Lahore resonated in this overcrowded Jalsa chanting non-political slogans like ‘We want change! We want Change!’ out of the sheer despondency that they have been facing from the leaders they tied, tested, voted for and suffered. Imran is not short of fans, and many of them apparently flew in from abroad while 50 of them came from Peshawar on foot ‘to show support for change’. The question however remains whether Imran would be able to keep his promises to his surviving and ornamental following or will he be the ‘last nail’ many critics are forecasting him to be. As a blogger Huma Sattar puts is “I think so many people are supporting him right now because we are dying for change, we are dying for someone other than the Zardaris and the pseudo-Bhuttos and so-called Sharifs but Khan has yet to come up with a strong economic policy, an iron clad foreign policy. Or if nothing else, actually describe how he plans to bring about this ‘change’ he claims he will. Something substantial; not just words.” Surely Imran’s mystery cards have started to work for him with the public, but whether his radical, retaliatory gung-ho will work in practical terms perhaps can be determined via a pragmatic plan as the election nears. Meanwhile, we may expect to watch a prolonged drama of gasps, chokes and stutters by those who call Imran ‘Not our competition.’ In the end, Imran’s calculated handling of the masses worked. October 30, 2011, could be a historical juncture in Pakistan’s internal politics and Imran made heads turn and tilt. He steadily defined his rivals and his strategy; and sent his message across to each recipient. Held a tough stance on his opponents, distinguished his enemies and used these tools to instill hope among the masses. Outlandish and unexpected; he is somehow an aide memoire of Zulfiqar Bhutto.
Pigeons without wings
Published in Tehelka.
A lot changed after this opening of window for Pakistani journalism and journalist. Especially with political cartoonists, TV channels and generally the mainstream media; which previously was rather mythically centric, under-informative, and extremely biased towards the pro-government portrayal of the picture. This gave way to many journalists and artist to test their potential in the newly emerged electronic media and its by products. In a country where media recently found its voice, many groundbreaking, challenging and tough; intriguing and compelling voices came out, in the form of television and radio shows, print and online news papers and blogs, political cartoons, art, poetry and even music. The shows were instant hit among the liberal elite as the drive to bring transparency and accountability strengthened. But today after various bans, censorship impositions and torturing of activist, artists, journalists; many forthright speakers feel they had miscalculated.
It is a bad idea for an activists or journalist to do anything which has anything to do with the military, as PEMRA has a history of halting broadcasts and closing media outlets. According to a section, publication or broadcast of “anything which defames or brings into ridicule the head of state, or members of the armed forces, or executive, legislative or judicial organs of the state,” as well as any broadcasts deemed to be “false or baseless” can bring jail terms of up to three years, fines of up to 10 million rupees (US$165,000), and license cancellation.
Perversely, PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) sometimes strictly banns outfits that discredit the army while does not take significant action against the fascist “analysts” like Zaid Hamid who vocally supported extremist ideologies with his emphasized hearsay and conjecture, catalyzed by anti-Indian and pro army emotions. Contrarily, cantankerous journalists who pull no punches but are armed with serious facts are the ones who are at a greater threat of being silenced. What thrives is the sensational media which is apparently not bantered by the PEMRA, having no real content but apparently are fed on conspiracy theories, lambasting people just for the sake of scandalous v/s good TV.
One such documentary program by TV journalist S. Wajahat Khan called ‘We are soldiers’ was banned by the army as it alongside gave a section to the Indian side of a military conflict. They were told to edit out the Indian side of the event and only show the Pakistani side of the event. “Not only edit it, but re-edit with a clarification that this is the correct version and then re-air it” says Wajahat Khan. Since it was not a balanced version, Wajahat refused to do so; backed by his channel DAWN NEWS who decided to let the army ban the show, as they could not air a version which was not up to the channels principals as far as fair and balanced journalism is concerned. It is the trail of this sort of blazer that leads to many journalists in Pakistan exiting the country and working in foreign countries if not entirely quitting as journalists.
All (and not most) media organizations in Pakistan are wary of the fight and decline many ideas and reportage by journalists, especially which have to do with war-torn areas like Waziristan, Balochistan and the Frontiers.
Reporting hits a wall if it’s about the military which according to Reporters Without Border makes Pakistan one of the most dangerous in the world. According to Freedom House, Pakistan ranks 61 on the scale of 100 in terms of ‘freedom of speech’ in the world. Since political and crime journalists, lawyers and artists continue to face threats, they as a result increasingly self censor if not entirely switch genres, beats, or dimensions of their roles.
With media industry being rather new in Pakistan, its systems and structures are much undeveloped. While some other mechanisms like biases and political inclinations, are very highly developed. What is scary for a journalist is not being able to deal with that or worse, be on the inside of that machine.
Censorship tells us more about the culprit than it does uncensored. So rightfully the adage goes: one must never believe anything, unless officially denied. Laal’s song “Jhoot ka uncha sar” has recently been banned – taken off air and shelved. Inspired by Habib Jalib’s revolutionary poetry, Laal’s new video seems like an antidote to the social hypocrisy in which the society has inadvertently indulged. The video – directed by Taimur Rehman (vocalist & co-founder of the band); is highly impactful and leaves one pondering for hours. It raises questions about the mentally dysfunctional society; depicting the lies that we tell ourselves so habitually that they have become our second nature.
It’s not hard to tell why this video could have been banned. As it highlights seemingly organized fissures in the system used in instances of political cartoons to utilize symbolism; that laughably point out the ironies in the state system. Taimur says, “We live right amid these ironies, but are we asking the questions that we are supposed to ask? Yes that’s the important part.”
Earlier in May 2011 the slain journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad’s – who was killed for the same reasons of divulging facts; was also banned within Pakistan. Hamza Ameer, the late journalist’s brother-in-law says “The book was banned in Pakistan as sources told me they were deliberately (ordered to be) made inaccessible at the book stores.” When Hamza got in touch with the publishers and distributors in UK he was rendered speechless to find out that the book was “also restricted at the airport by the custom.” Although the ban was recently withdrawn, but a constant threat of censorship remains unbolted, for all outspoken journalists, musicians and civilians.
According to Freedom House, Freedom on the Internet Report 2011, Pakistan’s Press freedom status on ‘not free’. It is not unusual for authorities to pay for favorable press coverage, a practice that is exacerbated by the low salary levels of many journalists.
“This kind of pressure doesn’t really discourage us in any way at all” Taimur says “Even if we are entirely banned on local channels we can always continue our music to be shared with online viewers, YouTube, international media and so on. It might dent our popularity for a little while but it certainly won’t have any impact on us, in changing what and why we are doing it.” However Taimur Rahman is still pondering over how he would go about the release for Laal’s next video Dehshatgardi Murdabad.
Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind
This report was published as Top Story in the Indian monthly, Hard News, September 2011 Issue.
If the world calls Pakistan the global exporter of terrorism, then who is to blame? It is indeed, also terrorism’s worst-hit target, but it needs to do yet more, to match the competition of an elaborated terror network.
How a country is recognised or known around the world is largely influenced by a singular process or culture that is dominant within it, which becomes not only the constitutive but also the definitive characteristic of that country. Even as globalisation facilitates global terrorism, terrorism itself will put the brakes on globalisation, if not dealt with in time. This is a serious concern for the whole world.
Pakistan today stands accused of globalising terrorism, even as about 35,000 Pakistan is (mostly civilians) have lost their lives in various terror acts orchestrated by Islamic terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban since 9/11. These sacrifices, however, have done no good to the country’s image or to its economy as the country has failed to accomplish peace. Worse, Pakistan is seen as a betrayer, a manipulator and a failure in the decade-long war against terrorism. Indeed, this image sadly feeds on the fact that large parts of the country have fallen victim to fascist, extremist outfits.
Although Pakistan as a State has not been entirely dishonest in the fight against terrorism, it does include segments that sympathise with the extremists. Moreover, Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) proposed and made many deals between the army and the Pakistani Taliban by calling the militants “Good Taliban”.
This nexus was exposed in April 2004, when the army negotiated a deal with a tribal militant leader, Naik Mohammad, granted him amnesty and the right to possess weapons. However, the militant attacks did not stop. In 2005, the Pakistani military made another agreement with leading Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, offering him about $20 million “to surrender”, but sadly learnt that generosity and trust do not work with Mehsud’s militia. Again, in September 2006 the army signed yet another deal with the militants — the Waziristan Agreement.
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These deals were meant to serve as “strategic asset” to make India behave itself in Kabul— apparently the reason why Pakistan had a soft corner for the “Good Taliban”. But all that Pakistan actually reaped was the chaos it had created for itself; these proposals and deals have instead strengthened the vicious war-mongers. Indeed, it’s utterly stupid to strengthen one enemy to keep another at bay.
In fact, of the 35,000-odd lives that Pakistan has sacrificed in this war, many are those that were lost due to internal failures, if not entirely because of cooperation with the extremists.
Anyone who challenges the complex religious, economic and social ills that divide Pakistan today is killed by the Taliban. Despite the threats of blasts and assassinations, scores of people and activists in Pakistan continue to fight for freedom. Sadly, freedom would remain a distant dream unless they realise and manage the content of their discourse and perceptive judgement. As Pakistan desperately seeks peace, it is essential to look back at every step it has taken towards this hell fire.
Terrorism and corruption were the reasons why Pervez Musharraf’s government was brought down, but things only worsened under the new Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) regime. However much the people despise military rule, the fact is that the country has seen its worst under the so-called elected governments. Democracy has always failed in Pakistan and is now at its darkest eclipse as thousands of citizens fall prey to the hidden agendas of a few.
During different military and democratic governments, it is the dual policy on terrorism that has been the real reason behind Pakistan’s accelerating failure. Snapping out of this bind would be the best first step. The government must find a way to deal with it instead of deliberately feeding conspiracy theories to confuse public perception.
With more than 4,000 Pakistan is killed in 225 suicide attacks in the last two years, it’s high time people came out of the ‘Conspiracy Indulgence Syndrome’. They need to clear their minds of the unquestioned belief that American, Indian and Israeli forces are out to get them. Those who have a soft corner for the religious extremists need to realise that the 225 suicide attacks did not target ‘irreligious’ spaces such as dance parties or cinemas; in fact, they attacked innocent religion-abiding people at the mosques, hospitals, schools, markets, graveyards, funerals, religious processions etc. In fact, they did not refrain from targeting innocent people even in the holy month of Ramzan.
Among the suicide bombers, there were no Indians, Americans or Israelis. Each one of them was a practising Muslim who either belonged to Pakistan or was trained here.
Adding grist to the mill of conspiracy theories floated by the government and mainstream media is the growing anti-Pakistan sentiment around the globe. What the people are not told is that this sentiment was consolidated over a long time, and with much experience. Indeed, several major terror acts in the recent past have seen Pakistani involvement at some level.
There was unprecedented shock and anger among Pakistanis when the Mumbai attack took place. Admittedly, most, if not all, Pakistan is were in constant and prolonged denial that the perpetrators could in any way be even remotely associated with their country. It took them a long time to process the information that the planners and executors were connected with Pakistan.
Indeed, Pakistan as a nation was grieved by 26/11, and it couldn’t be told whether the shock was greater than the grief. For six decades Pakistan is have believed that they mean no harm to India, and have only blamed their neighbour for all the ills, disputes and rivalry. What happened in Mumbai ran contrary to this belief, and many of those who were in favour of Indo-Pak friendship bowed their heads in shame.
So when and how did Pakistan get so deeply involved? What made it so convenient for extremist groups to dwell here? If the world calls Pakistan the global exporter of terrorism, then whose fault is it?
It’s not just the current government that is to blame. Pakistan has a two-and-a-half-decade-long history of producing, maintaining and utilising terrorist outfits, going back to 1979 when the General Zia regime collaborated with some Rightwing Jihadist groups to defeat the Russian forces in Afghanistan. It was then that an enormous Jihad factory was established with Rightwing parties that motivated, recruited and transported the Mujahideen. Once Russia was beaten back, these forces that had been unleashed became available to be used by the army to fight its battles elsewhere. Mujahideen were sent to Kashmir, Bosnia, Chechnya and other conflict zones. They came out with different names every time, seemingly apart from each other, but were nonetheless operating with a single motive.
What makes it worse for Pakistan today is that it is not just producing terrorism, but is, in fact, also its worst hit target. It would, however, be unfair not to recognise and support those forces within Pakistan that have been determined to fight terrorism from the very beginning. No doubt, the country has been suffering from a great ideological divide. So where some say, “Hazrat-e-Osama Shaheed”, others say, “Good riddance”.
Pakistan has been self-destructive for inexplicable reasons. There is economic corruption and regional dislike too; Sindis don’t like the Punjabis, nobody likes the Balochis. Everybody hates the frontiers that are dominated by fundamentalist and pro-Taliban groups.
If Pakistan honestly wants to come out of this overwhelming oblivion, it needs to identify all that has been responsible for dragging the country into this morass. The State, including the army, needs to establish a unitary policy and give priority to the people over its perceived fears. Global terrorism aside,Pakistan’s inner foundations are weakening and it’s indeed high time the country took due notice. The political and military leaders of Pakistan need to take the people along with them in fighting terrorism and other forms of extremism.
Pakistani footprints in major terror acts
December 5, 1986: Pan American plane hijacked from Karachi by five Palestinians and few Pakistanis.
June 25, 1993: CIA headquaters attacked, killing two CIA officials. Accused Ajmal Kansi arrested.
August 7, 1998: Attacks on American Consulate in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 212. Alleged conspirator, Ahmed Khulfaan, caught in Pakistan on July 25, 2004.
October 13, 2000: USS Cole attacked in Yemen, killing 17 US soldiers. An alleged conspirator arrested in Karachi on April 27, 2003.
May 8, 2002: Attack outside Sheraton Hotel, Karachi, killing 11 French engineers working with Pakistan Navy and two Pakistanis. Accused Mufti Mohd Sabir arrested in Karachi on September 8, 2005.
October 12, 2002: Suicide attack in Bali, killing 202. Alleged mastermind Umar Patek arrested from Abottabad, Pakistan, on January 25, 2011 and now in Indonesian custody
July 7, 2005: Four suicide attacks on London tubes, killing 56. Three of the suicide attackers were Pakistanis. The non-Pakistani planner of these attacks was arrested from Peshawar on January 20, 2009
Moreover, major Al Qaeda leaders and operatives have been arrested or killed in Pakistan. It can be argued, of course, that these successful counter-terror operations wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of Pakistan’s military and intelligence apparatus. However, as they were discovered in Pakistan, what is equally evident is that it had been possible for them to hide themselves or train their cadres here. Examples range from Abu Azad, who was arrested from Faisalabad in 2002, to Abu Faraj en Libbi — Al Qaeda number 2 — who was arrested in Mardan in 2005, to the arrest of Umar Patek from Abottabad in 2011, not to forget the historical killing of Osama bin Laden in the same city. Pakistani footprints can almost always be found in any terrorist act, whether it takes place in Mumbai, Kenya, Tanzania, Yemen, Indonesia, USA or the UK. Sadly, Pakistan is do not like to think about those facts that reflect how their country is being used by terrorists as a launch pad. A proof of this denial is their reaction to the Mumbai attack.
Kiran Nazish is a freelance journalist, interactive reporter and social activist based in Pakistan
India’s Good News from Pakistan
This article was earlier published in Hard News - India Current Affairs Monthly
Concerns on both sides of LoC have remained the same for six decades. The real and more refreshing intrigue is, whether, amid all the storm that the Birkin-laden ‘best face’ of Pakistan washed in the Indian media, was it really worth the soak and will the feel good factors last?
While India and Pakistan announced new ‘Confidence Building Measures’ (CBMs) for Jammu and Kashmir, Hina Rabbani Khar made sure her message of a changed Pakistani mindset got across and understood by her counterparts in India. This effort to initiate a new chapter in ties looks more successful than it may have been perceived earlier.
Both sides acknowledged the difficulties — India conveyed its displeasure on Khar’s meetings with Kashmiri separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Farooq. To decelerate the irritation, Khar refrained from mentioning Kashmirat the brief media interaction. In a gauzily scripted plan, it was left for India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna to mention Pakistan’s core concern. He said: “On Jammu and Kashmir, we will continue discussions to find a peaceful solution by narrowing divergences and building convergences.”
Will this convergence be effective enough to capture the political and diplomatic imagination of the two countries? Will this new feeling help in resolving key issues that have sparked three wars between them over the past six decades? After a rather disciplined undertone to the flurry of Khar’s visit, officials in Pakistan, who were nervous prior to the feedback, felt delighted at howIndiamade a ‘good’ deal out of it. It is clear thatIndiaappreciates good news coming from Pakistan. If it comes in the form of a modern-looking, European brand-dashing ambassador, it’s much better it seems. Like someone I heard saying, “The thinking goes, a Birkin is better than a ballistic missile.”
The visit enticed colossal media coverage (it was really about Khar, her good looks and super-expensive designer assets); we saw how the body language of both countries drastically uplifted. As I see it, this is an incredible sense of ‘friendligence’ from both sides of LoC.
We saw Khar’s interviews with CNN-IBN and ANI — an opportunity to normalise any fire-thirsty dialogue. She logically made strides into each discussion with realistic feedback and India took it positively. So far, so good! Yes, India-Pak talks didn’t break any new ground, but they weren’t the awkward blow that the Qureshi-Krishna talks had been.
These talks have restored a good atmosphere to the peace process, and with Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh inviting Khar for a State visit, we might see more developments very soon. What we achieved was a successful inaugural tour as the two foreign ministers announced modest, but very welcome, agreements regarding the sulkily borderline region
of Kashmir.
There was a handsome increase in borderline exchange as they vowed to double the number of days of cross-border trade between the two parts of Kashmir. For Kashmiris, who want to cross the border for family visits, tourism and religious purposes, they promised to allow, expand and expedite travel permits. Considering that two out of three wars have been over Kashmir, even these small steps could help chip away at the instinctive suspicions of each other and relax the atmosphere.
Before this visit, some doubted the meeting would even happen after three explosions ripped through Mumbai, killing 24 people. Even though the suspicion for these attacks had fallen on ‘Indian terrorists’, if India wanted, it was easy to shoot questions to Pakistan and maybe relate it to the blasts. But no,India didn’t do that. Not to forget Manmohan Singh’s efforts to engage with Pakistan despite its failure to prosecute those responsible for the 2008 horrors in Mumbai.
This would be a first time in history: the people of both countries can feel a sense of fair interaction and a true, honest effort to move forward. There is more to talk about: working on the water dispute, expanded indulgence in massive trade opportunities and their joint stake in a stable Afghanistan.
The US and its allies are planning a conference in Bonn in December 2011, and hope to rally international support for a broad regional strategy that includes a peace deal for Afghanistan, trade agreements and ambitious energy projects. India and Pakistan need to make the most of it. The payoff could be huge if the leaders of these two sibling-nations assemble their valour and dodge their differences to take a stride forward. Like Khar said, “We’d like to break from history, not be burdened by it.
Libya: Remembering life amidst war
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 4th, 2011.
Photo credit: Maimuna Aghliw
Hamed Karim has been standing in front of a wall in Benghazi for hours now, staring at the portraits and pictures that cover it. The people in these photos are Libyan rebel fighters and civilians, who were killed or abducted in the rebellion against Muammar Qaddafi’s dictatorial regime. Among hundreds of these framed faces, four images belong to Hamed’s brothers and three to his close friends. As a tear slides down Hamed’s cheek, over 650 kilometres to the west the capital of Tripoli is rocked by explosions as Nato jets bomb Qaddafi’s Bab al-Aziziya compound.
Photo credit: Maimuna Aghliw
By the time you read this, Qaddafi’s tottering regime may have fallen, and the colonel himself may be dead or in custody or still in hiding. But however the endgame pans out, it will be left to the Libyan people to count the price they paid.
Accurate figures are impossible to get from a war zone, and depending on who you ask, anything from 3,000 to 13,000 lives have been lost. Many times that number opted to flee the country towards Europe, Egypt and Tunisia, with estimates as high as 100,000 — even more if you factor in the immigrant workers who fled the conflict.
“Schools have been closed since February,” says Maimoona, a second year student at the University of Misrata, who managed to escape Libya during the war. Along with other Libyans, Maimoona and few of her family members managed to take a 17-hour boat out of Misrata, to Tobruk.
“It was terrifying, and we didn’t know if we’d be able to make it out. Qaddafi’s forces were shooting any boats they’d catch sight of.” Of the thousands who took to the sea, many were reportedly killed by patrolling loyalist forces. Since Nato joined the war, “things became better”, she says.
Photo credit: Maimuna Aghliw
For those who stayed behind, survival was difficult. Food stocks were available in Misrata, but were sold at such inflated rates that most people could not afford to buy. But, at least in mostly middle-class Misrata, no one went hungry. In the nearby small towns, populated mostly by low-income families, having enough to eat was a luxury. With business and markets completely shut down, daily-wage earners were the worst hit. It was the network of family and tribal ties that saved them from starvation. “Libyans treat each other like family and are very generous when it comes to sharing food and supplies with those who can’t afford the inflated rates,” says Maimoona. “So as long as you have an extended family which can afford to buy food, you don’t go hungry.”
The real problem was the uncertainty. “Everyone was affected by the war in one way or the other,” says Maimoona. Many of her friends from university were kidnapped by Qaddafi’s army while many others joined the rebel forces against Qaddafi’s. “My friend’s uncle was abducted in February and no one ever heard back from him. Some of the arrested people were taken to prison from the battlefield, and kept in isolated conditions. But some (very few) managed to flee.”
The lucky ones who managed to escape tell tales of containers being used as makeshift prisons-cum-torture cells. A few prisoners were released after being brutally tortured, in order to serve as a warning for others. It clearly had the opposite effect.
“The people couldn’t watch their loved ones being tortured and killed, and joined the rebel armies to ensure Qaddafi’s defeat,” says Maimoona.
Maimoona’s brother, an X-ray technician at Misrata Hospital stayed back to help the wounded. “He knew he was not safe, he didn’t know whether he would live through these times, but he wanted to be there in the fight. He wanted to make sure the hospital didn’t lose staff-strength and that no one died due to a lack of staff. So he stayed back to work on, from body to body.” In a wavering voice, she adds, “He wanted to do his part.”
Maimoona and others who escaped Libya, had to struggle to be able to speak to their families in Misrata. Most of the phone lines were down, and those that did work were tapped by the government. “Only journalists were allowed any form of communication. They had satellite phones and the internet.”
Initially, Qaddafi tried controlling people’s minds and the flow of information by giving false reports. “He constantly lied on national radio and television” about the intrusion of external forces and enemy attacks. Alaa, a Libyan based in Qatar, who was in touch with her family in Zawwiya and Tripoli, explains her shock when she woke one February morning and saw Qaddafi giving a speech blaming ‘anti-state forces’ for causing trouble.
Photo credit: Maimuna Aghliw
“My uncle had been kidnapped a night before from his own house, by Qaddafi’s army. Qaddafi would tell these lies, but no Libyan would believe him.” Alaa’s father, who speaks to Al-Jazeera regularly about events in Libya, was also under constant threat by the government. Earlier one of Alaa’s other uncles was also killed by the same forces.
Even though the game seems to be up, the possible consequences of Qaddafi’s defeat send chills down the spines of those whose loved ones are missing. “Qaddafi’s forces still have the prisoners and no one else knows where they are hidden,” says Hamza Malik who has been sending updates from Libya via Twitter and Facebook. “I don’t know what he will do to the thousands of prisoners if he becomes desperate.” Indeed, Qaddafi’s unpredictability is in itself a cause for concern. “Qaddafi was always delusional beyond belief,” warns Malik, “and one has to be careful of what steps he may take, as his narcissistic attitude could lead to more lives being lost.” For the rebels, only his capture or death will bring closure. “We will chase Qaddafi from hole to hole,” one injured fighter told the BBC.
As Benghazi was liberated, Libyan political analyst Ana El Gomati struck a note of caution. “There is an immense level of hope, but also a healthy amount of scepticism in the air which means it will be necessary to proceed with caution for the process of nation building to be a successful endeavour. I have attended the funeral prayer of a martyr and with the same people kissed the head of a baby born during the revolution, and so life continues in this incredible city.”
The hard task of rebuilding this war-torn land is a challenge for the immediate future. For the moment, the overwhelming emotion here is relief. Hamza Malik captures the feeling of millions of Libyans when he says, “We will celebrate this Eid as free men, inshaAllah.”
When Karachi bleeds
Published in Tehelka.
RECENTLY, A joke in Karachi has been mass-floating through text messages ‘Dost, ghar pe hai, ya bori main?’ (Brother, you at home or in a jute bag?) The bori depicts a new extortionists’ trend in Karachi where kidnapped victims are tortured, killed and thrown in different part of the cities in these boris. However, one must not be fooled by their sense of humour; the fear that keeps Karachiites up all night is much deeper. They live a life between gunshots, sirens, bomb blasts, shutdowns, strikes, target murders to mass killings, each followed by absolutely no authoritative control. Had there been control, 1,500 lives could have been saved in the first half of this year.
The once city of lights, the financial and cultural hub, is now the capital of combustions, where a bloodbath is becoming a technique to communicate political sentiments. Karachi is a sanctuary for immigrants. From those who migrated from India after Partition to those who shifted here to seek jobs, business, education, social amenities or simply a larger life. Karachi is a conurbation for people all over the country from diverse cultures, language and religions – Sindhi, Balochi, Afghan, Pathan, Punjabis and Mohajirs (immigrants from India). Ironically, this radiant diversity has also become its darkest curse; when both military dictators and civilian politicians have conveniently and unrelentingly fed their short-sighted personal interests by abusing this miscellany’s social environment. They collectively propagated and exaggerated racial fissures in Karachi’s jumbled polity to meet their own selfish, short-sighted and exploitative aims.
The number of deaths symbolises target killings (not militant attacks) and are far more brutal than those by the Taliban or other extremist outlets. The government’s extraordinary incompetence and its lack of will to deal with the situation speak alarmingly of its possible involvement. Watching the bloodshed of the innocent with such ineptitude portrays exemplary misgovernance, especially by the law enforcement agencies that seem efficiently ineffective. Sadly, the sufferers are innocent citizens who have spent their lives sunk in poverty, fighting lack of education and struggling for opportunities to better lives. Additionally, they leniently faced daily abuse and torture by the police, militant groups and other externalities. But their tolerance seems to have taken them to the wrong side of the fence. Of the 490 abducted in August a survivor Ikram, who closely escaped death, revealed the abductors beat him with sticks and belts and tried to suffocate him to death. Ikram was lucky to escape whereas most victims end up dead in jute bags, with broken limbs, gouged eyes and chopped heads.
Criminal gangs in a turf war can’t pull off this magnitude of violence without allowance from the controlling authorities. The police and soldiers have not been proactive and instead have been reactive. The police and their security outlets seem to be so ungripping of the situation because of their devout political affiliations. There has been prolonged debate on how the police is ignorant and has dealt with severe conditions with a laidback attitude.
Bilal Baloch, who recently conducted field research on Policing in Karachi says, “Ignorance is the wrong word. To say it is ignorance is to take the blame away from those who are pretty much deliberately responsible for letting them loose, instead of controlling the situation. It won’t be harsh — as a matter of fact – and many agree; to denigrate the police especially in this case. Considering the popularity that corruptive cultures like bribery, dis-positioning of civil liberties, and providing protection to politicians – blatantly degrading the rights of people, it is no doubt the police is not performing its duties to protect citizens. Their incompetence or mal-performance rather, is yet an “they are more abusive than the actual criminals,” explains Baloch.
The provincial authorities launched a crackdown in the 9 most stringent areas. However, little is expected of these search operations in terms of yielding positive results. While political parties are giving cover to militants who have managed to get absorbed into the militant wings of the political parties, the identification of the culprits in challenging, let alone their prosecution.
An argument supports the view that this spate of violence has been organized in the run up to population census and the consequent electorate delimitation for elections in the city. Harris Khalique, a columnist and a social policy consultant, explains, “The Muttahida Qaumi Movement in Karachi constitutes 41 per cent of the population. Its stalwarts continue to want a bigger share in everything than what they actually represent. The Awami National Party is a secular Pashtun nationalist group supported by mafias who freely dominate illegal trade, land-grabbing and transport. The leftist-liberal Pakistan People’s Party, currently in-charge of the state, wishes to consolidate its presence and power by using expedient methods.” He emphasises the need of an intensive method to crackdown on militancy, which should work as independent of political bias as possible. No one can be the sole proprietor of Karachi. Khalique believes the census and the delimitation would bring about fundamental changes if they are allowed to happen. agree, to denigrate the police in this case. Considering the popularity that corruptive cultures like bribery, dispositioning of civil liberties, providing protection to politicians and blatantly degrading the rights of people enjoy, there is no doubt the police is not performing its duty of protecting citizens. Their incompetence or malperformance, rather, is more abusive than the criminals,” explains Baloch. After about 1,000 deaths, the provincial authorities launched a crackdown in the nine most stringent areas. However, little is expected of these operations. While political parties are giving cover to militants who have managed to get absorbed into the militant wings of the political parties, the identification of the culprits is challenging, let alone their prosecution.
THESE OPERATIVE failures are paramount examples of Pakistan’s own rotative malfunction as a state. Even though optimism is rare, the best method seems to be public involvement. Victims and spectator citizens should reclaim their city, their security and their right to live. For change to come, Karachi must ‘build a popular movement, a seemingly impossible task given our history of apathy, fear, and lack of political will,’ says Sabeen Mehmood, a social activist. Karachi needs to ‘overcome the dastardly effects of decades of military rule and make the transition from protest to resistance. Activism has to be sold like a product and has to be made alluring to people of privilege. I don’t think we have the luxury of time. Band-aid solutions won’t help either. We need to focus our strategies around deweaponisation and not on bringing in the army,’ she adds.
Zeenia Shaukat, a research analyst and social activist says, “If Karachi is to stop bleeding, the citizens have to reflect on how they want to address the issue. If they continue to seek recourse from vested interest protectionist groups or call the military for help, this is no lasting solution. They did so in the past and it has exaggerated the situation. Karachi’s citizens will have to get united and give out a clear message to the state that this nonsense is intolerable.” This has to be done politically but this is the only solution. The state must withdraw its support to the murderers and extortionists and protect citizens. Sabahat Ashraf, a political analyst recommends, “Direct civil action is needed at the centres of power.” It may be the best method for citizens who are risking business, livelihoods and lives. Karachi can only be saved by its people.
What’s stopping you from screaming?
This blog was earlier published in Dawn.com
Edhi Centre: One of the ‘many’ bodies at the ‘Sard khana’ was screaming so loudly that it shook me, “Why can’t you speak out for me?” I took a step back, and looked away. Another one almost nudged me “Are you okay with all my friends laying down here all across the room?” Still shaken, the next one screeched in my head “Have you gotten so used to watching bloodshed, that you don’t care anymore?”
I ran away gasping for air, taking long breaths the whole while to calm myself down. Suddenly from somewhere inside me, I heard a whispered, “Why are you okay with being silent?”
The disgrace
Millions of citizens of Karachi are suffering from the conflict between political parties and gang mafias. A war between, land mafia, drug mafia, bhatta mafia and others, who feed on corruption have wounded life across the city. At least 490 people have been killed in target killings in the first half of this year, 11 killed last Sunday.
Following Wednesday’s killing of 17 people including ex-MP Waja Karim Dad, violence has further escalated – bodies are literally being thrown in jute bags across the city. Many officials and analysts say more will continue.
Police say many of those killed were kidnapped first. Victims displayed signs of severe torture. 315 people were killed in July alone; those who are not killed, have to endure the loss of a loved one – their lives have been consumed by a vicious cycle of grief. The most alarming thing however, is how the citizens of Karachi are reacting to it. While deprived neighborhoods like Liyari are suffering due to the violence that has taken place between criminal gangs who are armed dealers in drugs and extortion rackets. Why are we just watching innocent people die?
We know the power of our politicians, shutting down entire cities in the blink of an eye. Now they seem to be ‘less strong than the mafia’? Hence, should we believe that the government’s ‘deep concerns’ are useless, if they can’t seem to bring a stop to this rot? We have watched and heard of meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion over Sindh and the Federal Government, but when Karachi actually was on red alert, no police were to be found on the streets.
The real disgrace
More than 1,400 people have been killed in Karachi since January, and the numbers keep ridiculously escalating. Why don’t we protest? Mohsin Sayeed, Fashion journalist and social activist says “its apathy”.
He argued it was not the fear of the citizens but their selfishness towards the Karachi killings. “As long as it is not happening in their own house, they’re fine with it”
Mohsin, with many others came out at the Karachi Press Club to protest the killings, disgusted by those who couldn’t make it there to demonstrate support, only to show up to a lawn exhibition later in the evening.
Mohsin says, “People are the culprits. Look at Anna Hazare in India. Didn’t he gather 30,000 people in one city and 20,000 in the other? Isn’t their government considering them? Why then do we feel, we won’t heard?”
Our problem is that we think it won’t make any difference. But Nabiha Chaudry, a student who has been keenly active in protests at the Press Club for years says “These protest will make a difference. I have seen a significant change over the past 3 years, with students from NED making huge waves through their protests”
People need to know that they NEED to come out. This madness will go on, because nobody cares. If you step out to shop for Eid, and hit lawn sales, but find it ‘unsafe’ to come out and protest, you should know who you are kidding.
People are cozy by indulging in cyber discussion, boldly speaking their minds out, RSVP-ing events. But when it comes to stepping out and holding a screaming banner, they hide behind their doors, resorting to excuses like ‘security, fear, uncertainty’.
Maybe our anticipation is as dead as it was in 2008, when the death toll was 777, or in 2010 when it was 1339. This year, it is at its highest, a catastrophic 1495 and still counting. Are you sure, that this time the fire won’t reach your own house?
Pakistan and Iran, swinging back in partnership
A version of this report was earlier published in The Friday Times.
‘Iran hopes gas pipeline to Pakistan becomes operational by 2013,’ ‘Pakistan proposes currency swap to Iran,’ and ‘Iran’s top leaders tell Pakistan that US is the real enemy’.
Such and consecutive similar headlines make both US and India nervous on various aspects, while Pakistan and Iran ‘resolve to strengthen ties in all spheres.’
President Asif Ali Zardari paid a second visit to Tehran last weekend (mid July) within the span of three weeks. Various speculations have come out as to what may have motivated Zardari to pay two official visits to Tehran so frequently and on the Presidential level. According to most Pakistani officials these visits to Iran are meant to strengthen bilateral ties. They say that the initiative is to accelerate consultation with countries in the region for peace and stability at a time when tension was developing in some parts. These visits include discussion on how to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan and fight militancy. Apart from the economic reasons, most experts believe that the recent pace Pakistan has taken on its relationship with countries in the region, especially Iran is way too swift.
It’s important to note that these recent developments between Iran and Pakistan are refreshing, since their fluctuating and mostly uncertain relationship since the 90’s. On the other hand when Pakistan’s foreign policy has always played a mediating role between US and Iran, just like it has done so between Iran and Saudi Arabia why is the media presuming too many links of Pak-Iran developments with the unfolding political crises between Pakistan and US. There is a lot in the print that refers to this advancement as a counter strategy after US violated Pak sovereignty in the Osama raid and later abandoning Pakistan on the monetary front by freezing $800 million worth of military aid to Islamabad. Is it these factors that precluded the emergence of a full-fledged strategic partnership between Iran and Pakistan or is it really the economic factor?
Nevertheless, these new developments could make US nervous, and in essence this new snug bonding between Pak and Iran can hurt US interests in the region while it still has its presence in Afghanistan and has not been in very good terms with Iran.
Foreign Policy Analyst Ali K. Chisti highlights “The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran due to which Iran has recently come on a stand off where India supposedly close to Iran has refused Iran payments worth over a billion dollar. More specifically on President’s recent trip to Iran, one should remember that our relationship with Iran is more of economic based rather than strategic. We need cheap energy and Iran is the easiest route. As for the US, it officially opposes it but privately had told Pakistan that it understands Pakistan’s need and looks away.”
Apart from the fact that it could be the cold attitude of US towards both Pakistan and Iran, that may have driven the countries together, it should be remembered that Pakistan shares colossal cultural, religious similarities and regional advantage with Iran.
The countries have abundant rationales for establishing a dependable framework for closer bilateral relations. Especially the economic and security considerations could be the major driving force. These may have not been realized so intensely in the past due to Pakistan’s close ties with the US, while US and Iran have always been on conflicting grounds. What Ali K. Chisti earlier mentioned could be a verification of the fact that since US has planned to look away from Pakistan’s relations with Iran, the President felt more confident in making these frequent visits.
The genuine significance:
Current Affair analyst and TV show host, Farrukh Khan Pitafi, highlighted several aspects to DAWN Blogs, “Pakistan Iran border is often allegedly used for human and drug smuggling. The Iranians are also seriously concerned about the never ending Baluchistan conflict. Iran also believes that Jundullah terrorists might still be hiding within Pakistan. Similarly efforts are being made to find a regional solution to Afghanistan in a post US withdrawal scenario. Pakistan is also energy hungry and wants to import gas and electricity from Tehran. And finally it is also being claimed that President Zardari is also helping in easing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, especially after the latter sent its forces to Bahrain.
Only the last two have the potential to annoy the administration in Washington and that too marginally. It is common knowledge that any business transactions with Tehran is not viewed too kindly in the US and seen essentially as an attempt to bolster an isolated regime. Also many think that if Iran and Saudi Arabia mend fences the American leverage in the region is compromised. Having said that it must be pointed out that no matter how hostile Pak US relations appear on the face value, Islamabad and to an extent Riyadh, will not make any policy decisions without consulting their American friends.”
What really makes these meeting significant for Pakistan and Iran in practicality is the concrete economic and energy plan. While the President has been stressing the need of a comprehensive strategic and economic partnership between the two countries, Pakistan’s economic diplomacy is in high gear as Pakistan has offered Iran a currency swap agreement. Looking at how Pakistan is already in a dialogue process with Turkey, China and Sri Lanka on currency swap agreements, economic experts agree that these currency swap agreements, specifically with Turkey and Iran will significantly enhance the utility of the relationship between these countries.
Ex President of Pak Chamber of Commerce, Tauseef Zaman, said that the currency swap will significantly improve the foreign reserve. “This agreement with Iran will help facilitate our Forex resources, it will help Pakistan with the international payments as well as the petroleum payments which are due and are being paid in US dollars,” He further added “also with the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, the payments are made in Iranian currency instead of US and Rupees, again our foreign reserves would be facilitated with this interaction. We need to regularize the old process and that would be a great benefit to the economy.”
It’s uncertain how the two countries will follow on other plans like; (a) working out ways to curb smuggling like drugs and human trafficking and (b) establishing an integrated border management regime between Pakistan and Iran; but the progressive efforts to intensify consultations and take pragmatic steps to counter militancy by joining hands on economic grounds look like a step in the right direction.
Good to know both countries realized their vital interests in establishing peace and stability in the region. It seems Pakistan has finally understood that only a local solution can bring peace and stability in the region. Hope this bold initiative taken by Pakistan to unite the political forces of the region against extremism turns to be worthwhile.
Speech Enslavement – Manipulating words to instigate ignorance
This piece was exclusive done for PTH.
The war on human mind; Conspiracy or not – who should decide?
“The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.” – Philip K. Dick
We have been watching the so called democratic governments around the world, using words to enchain millions of minds and turn people into their obedient machines without a will and without any thoughtfulness in their actions beyond the lies are they are fed to, by their leaders – read role model, for many. What really makes words a bigger threat to freedom, justice, and truth than bullets is how they manipulate minds of the masses into submission. I call it speech enslavement, – they use words to bring people to compliance.
I’d like to mention a rather relative expression here that we all have so often heard of and most of us even despise; “conspiracy theory”. What is conspiracy theory really? Have we ever considered how often we have watched leaders user this term to shrug off things and how many times have this been an alternative answer to rather off beating questions? The term “conspiracy theory” has thrown in more to the obliteration and enslavement of people in Pakistan than the oligarchical Establishment’s assassinations of reformers like Hakeem Saeed, Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Saleem Shahzad and other truth-telling speech a’meliorators. The stigma surrounding ideas and topics that are collectively referred to as “conspiracy theories” thwarts away the possible critical thinking among the masses avoiding to reveal the exact intentions of their biased leaders and the policies ratified by their governments.
The say that matters like 9/11 truth or the Kerry Lugar Bill are out of bounds and don’t belong in proper political discussion is an attack on free speech and justice. It is actually very simple to understand. Whenever an idea or opinion is demarcated as crazy, paranoid, or cynical by ‘politically privileged’ and the Establishment it means they are afraid and have something to hide. From President Musharaf to Zardari and PM Gilani, everyone has warned us publically to stay away from conspiracy theories on severe national occasions. Why is there any need to limiting the thought process? Who is to decide which theory is a conspiracy, unless the both sides of the coin are really properly examined?
We have long watched words shape a people’s destiny for good or evil, hide ugly truths from the people, and protect the powerful from retribution. There are numerous examples when certain terms are used to kill the free debate of ideas and ban critical opinion from mainstream discussion. Most modern rebellions are brought about with words and ideas. Our government manipulating the truth against an open and measurable debate is no exception.
Unlike the Chinese and Soviet communists who got rid of their political enemies by killing them by the truckload, today we see a differential strategy of collectivist tyranny on the masses within and abroad, by the west. Right now we are suffering from the worst form of speech enslavement, where freedom of speech is not just manipulated, it happens to be the chief ‘instrument’ of enslavement. A slow, gradual, step-by-step process of governments relying mainly on propaganda, censorship, mental brainwashing, political harassment, cleansing of history in the people’s minds, subversive advertising, psychological conditioning, and perception management techniques. That’s why I call it speech enslavement.
Instead of banging heads and crushing skulls through the front door like the Soviets and Chinese did when their stubborn enemies resisted their draconian policies, the totalitarian revolutionaries came through the back door, silently, secretly, like petty thieves, without causing too much of an alarm. Evidently so, large portion of our population has been slumbering throughout the past six decades, undeterred by the screaming of “conspiracy theorists” who are raising the fear that tyrants and thieves have broken into the house and seek to burn it down to the ground.
Freedom of speech is threatened by words, not guns. Words like “conspiracy theorists” and “domestic terrorist” stop critical thought from naturally maturing into an informed opinion about history and future.
Such words are words of darkness, evil, tyranny, and ignorance. They not only dilapidate free thought but also vilify freedom fighters (Salman Taseer), journalists who ask ‘un-rhetorical’ questions (Omer Cheema), politically awakened individuals (Saba Dashtyaar), law abiding citizens (Mukhtara Mai), true parliamentarians (Marvi Memon), and patriots who support the principles of freedom (Saleem Shahzad).
Why would you ‘Hangout’ at Google+
This article was earlier published at Dawn.com
With 4.4 million Pakistanis logged into Facebook, how many of them will be willing to take on well with the new Google+?
Friday was a happening day on the web. Something made a lot of people curious and excited. For many, something got better. Google’s brand new social media network called Google+ opened its Beta doors to users all over the world. The response was so overwhelming that Vic Gundotra, Google’s VP Engineering said, “We’ve shut down invite mechanism for the night. Insane demand. We need to do this carefully, and in a controlled way. Thank you all for your interest!”
I was one of the few who made it in, and so far I can tell, Google+ is off to a good start, far better than Google’s previous efforts, Google Wave and Google Buzz. From privacy to flexibility and design, Google+ seems to ‘get it’
As Matt Warman, the Consumer Technology Editor at Daily Telegraph (UK) said to me for DAWN, “Google+ is much more than a new version of Buzz – it’s the beginnings of integrating social networking into every service that Google offers. So search, documents, email and all Google’s major ideas are, from now on, going to have a social element.” The web is buzzing with questions and remarks on whether Facebook and Twitter will be at loss with Google+, but it’ll be an over-estimator to state anything like that at this point. Especially when we see how Social Media is getting more collaborative than separate-ive.
“It’s early days – Facebook doesn’t need to feel threatened yet, but Google+ is soon going to offer games and all the ‘time-wasting’ options that have made the world’s biggest social network so successful. When it all comes together – when Circles, for instance, is mainstream – then Google+ has the makings of a step change in Google’s place in the web,“ adds Matt Warman.
According to a Presentation done by CIO Pakistan there are about 1.9 million Twitter users and 2 to 2.8 million unique visitors from Pakistan on Facebook who generate about 600 million page views. With this capacity if more than 4.4 million Pakistanis are logged into Facebook, how many of them will really be willing to take on well with the rather new Google+?
Badar Khushnood, Google’s Country representative of Pakistan, mentioned while we were discussing scope of social media and blogging in Pakistan with a tech group, that Google+ has indeed a huge potential. With about 22 million Internet users, Badar says Pakistan is one of the leading thorough followers of Google products, e.g: most web publishers here use Google AdSence and other products for their online presence and promotions. The best holder for Google+ would be its capability to Integrate. With all your Mail, Photo, Documents and Google Reader etc in one place, you don’t have to jump into another medium to share it. Google+ is already integrated into the navigation bar at the top right of Google products; letting you monitor all your Google+ events (updates, messages, etc.) while you directly share content with friends without ever having to jump around all over the web.
Badar Khushnood pointed out a tremendous feature called Take Out, which enables you to create your backup in transferable data anytime you want. This data can be downloaded or transferred to any other social medium in case you’d want to switch to another network or go back to your old. So if you don’t like it here, you can take all your friends, photos, contacts and messages back to another network.
What you’ll love most about Google+ is that it could differentiate itself swiftly by making itself the destination for virtual hangouts. This group video chat feature can incredibly cater diverse business and informal social video experiences and could easily evolve in many ways. It crosses the boundaries and limitations that Skype users had to face and has built in smart sensors that enhance your video chat experience.
Rabia Garib, Editor in Chief of CIO Pakistan puts it right; “The concept of not having to network within one site, and open the entire web to it, makes more sense. The downside, however, is that the content may not get as much attention as it does on Facebook’s singular location. But just like “let’s Google it” has become synonymous for search, “let’s Facebook it” has become synonymous for sharing content with a network. Google+ and Facebook could operate in tandem. I doubt they will be able to ‘steal’ each others users.”
While most experts find optimism in Google+’s capacity to amalgamate options and other Google products together in one place, making it a port for all your communications to take off from, I find Circles the most rocking and sundry, where I can distribute my customized communication business and friendship-wise!
The pen cedes to the bullet in war zones of Pakistan
This report was earlier published in Tehelka – India’s Leading Activist Magazine.
According to Islamic teachings, pen is mightier than the sword. Today we see a vulgar reflection of this teaching in Pakistan. As much as the pen is meant to enlighten, it may also slice your throat. Journalists are relentlessly agonized in Pakistan when they speak too much. While there have been journalists who have been killed in bomb blasts in markets, processions and funerals across the country, caught in the wrong place and wrong time, the last three years, with 17 journalists killed, we have seen an evident rise against target killings of journalists in Pakistan. As mentioned in Reporters Without Borders press freedom index 2010, more journalists are killed here than in any other place in the world, making Pakistan rank 151st out of 178.
The murder of a veteran journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad Pakistan Bureau Chief of Asia Times Online (Hong Kong) whose tortured-to-death bruised body was found dumped into a canal on 30th May 2011, has jolted. His murderer remains highly debated, as most figures point at the ISI (referring to the email Shahzad had sent to Human Rights Watch), while Saleem’s recent work has great potential to annoy al-Qaeda and it’s accomplices within the army. As much as this mystery has intertwined the recent public dialogue in Pakistan, and perhaps around the world, the discovery of Saleem’s body and the delay in its identification adds to the complications of the case. If figured out, this mystery can also lead us to the brutal killers of Saleem Shahzad.
Saleem Shahzad’s mysterious discovery:
My best sources tell, Saleem Shahzad’s body was found by the staff of the Rasul Barrage, in Mandi Bahauddin district, (some 200 km from Islamabad) who informed the police on 30th May around 10:00 am. His car was found by the Sarae Alamgir police at the Rasul Road near Father`s Colony along upper Jhelum canal. The site where his dead body was found is nearly 10 kms away from the site of his car. Sarae Alamgir, that registered a case of finding an unknown vehicle, is a tehsil of Gujrat district while Rasul Barrage is a part of Mandi Bahauddin district.
My source says that police conducted the autopsy on 30th May at Civil hospital MB. The body was then handed over to Edhi centre where the staff said they bathed the dead body at 11:00 pm and left it till morning for identification. On May 31st, they made announcements in MB city for the identification of the body. After waiting till 1:30 pm they buried it at 2:45 pm, in the Qandawala graveyard of the city. A news report was also published in Express newspaper, dated 31st May (Gujranwala edition).
On 31st May, after approval from the area magistrate for the exhumation (digging up the grave) which is not a simple practice in Pakistan, the body was finally taken again (this time with the family) to the hospital for autopsy.
The police got the news of an unknown dead body recovered from Rasul Barrage but did not bother to connect the dots (from an unknown car to the unidentified dead body) and registered a case of finding an unknown car. The Mandi Bahauddin police was as negligible. Had the police been efficient on 30th May, Saleem’s body would not have been in Mandi Bahauddin till 31st May 11:30 pm.
On 1st June the slain Saleem Shahzad was flown to his origin city, Karachi for funeral where 100s of mourners, both family and journalists grieved over his undeserved demise. Reporters Without Borders, has reportedly sent a joint letter with the International Federation of Journalists to Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani calling for immediate action over Shahzad’s disappearance.
Tortured but not silenced:
Since the year 2000, over 70 journalists have been killed, a staggering 2,000-plus have been injured, arrested or kidnapped. Umer Cheema an investigative reporter from The News, was one of them. After being attacked to kill by a car in Dec 2004, he was kidnapped on September 4th 2010 by around 12 men wearing commando fatigues, with “No fear” inscribed on their shirts. The thugs stripped him naked, put his face-down on the floor, tied his hands behind his back, lashed his naked body with a long piece of leather and a wooden rod, and addressed him with filthy and foul language, adding “This is the consequence of writing against the government.”
The half hour physical torture left Cheema in excruciating pain. They shaved his head and eyebrows and took his naked picture in different humiliating poses. Six hours later, he was dumped 120 kilometers outside Islamabad with a warning: “If you tell the media about this, you’ll be abducted again—and won’t ever be returned. And your nude pictures will be put on YouTube.”
Umar Cheema, however did not stop. He bravely writes against the government, revealing many faces of corruption within it. This month he has been declared winner (among two others including Julius Assange) of the prestigious British, Martha Gellhorn Award for brave reporting. Paying tributes to Cheema, the award committee said: “Umar Cheema’s work in exposing official corruption is simply astonishing. He has been harassed and tortured, yet he keeps going. This is journalism at its most compelling and courageous.”
What threatens journalism in Pakistan, more than any other place in the world?
Pakistan is a country plagued by natural disasters, endemic political corruption, religious fundamentalism and is claimed by many to be the central headquarters of Islamist terrorism. As many new opportunities as this significance brings for journalists in Pakistan, it also brings along the outnumbered challenges and many a times in the form of threats. As the country is struggling to fight terrorism, militancy with a highly incompetent security system, journalists get botched in-between. Cases of interrogations, indirect and direct threats by the state and agencies and casualty killings have been rising, as Pakistan’s fight with extremism gets tougher and more complicated. Many journalists have also been killed in blasts while on a reporting assignments. Attacks on the media and press clubs in the tribal areas, in Baluchistan and sometimes in the big cities have reportedly risen significantly over the years.
Danger zones for Journalists:
The most sensitive spots however, in this nuclear power house are Baluchistan, FATA, North and South Waziristan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa strip - a.k.a the War Zone, where journalists are attacked by both state (The Govt/agencies) and anti-state elements (militants/terrorists).
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates over 1,000 people, mostly political opponents of the government and Baluch nationalists, have gone missing over the last 10 years for the crime of speaking against the government. According to Malik Siraj Akbar (visiting journalist with ICIJ, and editor of The Baloch Hal, Balochistan’s first online English newspaper), around 170 Baloch political activists, lawyers, writers have been killed for speaking.
FATA: 10 out 13 press clubs; are operating effectively in FATA. Wana Press Club (South Waziristan Agency) was destroyed by militants in 2007, while the security situation has forced the Bara Press Club (Khyber Agency) to stay closed for three years. The military is using another one as a base. Most journalists adjust to this by moving to ‘comparatively’ safer areas.
Most reporters in N-Waziristan have moved to Bannu and Peshawar, while those in S-Waziristan shifted to Dera Ismail Khan, as reported by Safdar Dawar, president of the Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) in Miranshah, North Waziristan. Kohat and Hangu, happen to be safe spots for Orakzai Agency journalists. Since 2005, 10 journalists have been killed in the tribal areas, most recent was Nasrullah Khan Afridi of Khyber Agency. He had previously survived several attacks on his house in Peshawar, was killed on May 10th in the Peshawar Cantonment area by a remote-controlled bomb hidden in his car.
SAFRON (Ministry of States and Frontier Regions) Minister Eng. Shoukatullah Khan, while condemning Nasrullah’s murder, discussed reporters’ safety with PM Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari. The government did not fully pursue the cases and brought no trials and prosecutions. Such impunity has encouraged the growing rate of journalistic killings this year.
How to find hope, if ever possible:
Shahzad’s killing has once again thrust Pakistan into the spotlight, reminding the world that it is among the most dangerous places on earth to be a journalist – and a place where many such murders go unsolved. Interior Minister Rehman Malik recently authorized journalists to carry weapons, but this will not solve any part of the problem unless the state realizes that journalists need to be given full freedom in the line of ‘their duty’. Unless the state quits barging in their authority over journalists to protect their image, we will continue to watch voices succumb to be silences forever.
“The only way to control this, is to create independent investigation inquiries that are able to release their reports within a month or two. No one should be above the law and everyone should be accountable, be it the army, the intelligence, the government or the foreigners.” Says Saad Sarfaraz Shiekh, a freelance journalist.
International journalist forums and organization can also contribute to counter this dilemma by helping to create a media-friendly environment. Introducing a system where the government is held directly responsible for the protection of journalists.
Shahzad’s brutal killing, has brought about a collective outrage on the streets, even by those who used to mince their words. At-least 11 protests were seen at different locations in Pakistan, apart from global condemnations from association and leaderships. The only way to stop this rot, is a collective struggle by journalists demanding freedom of speech.
Our silence is audible in their blood
This article was earlier published in The Daily Times.
Another version published at Pak Tea House.
I was just praying secretly that the last day of May passes without another bad news; the month that commenced with a historically significant US-op that ended up divulging Pakistan military’s greatest weaknesses leading to Osama’s final defeat. In-evidently followed by 8 attacks, most on military and others on US, NATO and Saudi reps and disposals. My internal fear grew when Mrs. Saleem Shahzad’s called my father; worried that he is still untraceable after being missing for 2 days. Hours later Shahzad’s brother in law was taken with the Police to identify his body found near his car some 250 kilometers (165 miles) from Islamabad.
Little did I know that my harmless wish for this month to end in peace would counter-attack at a spot that was close to my heart. This wasn’t the first time his life had been under threat, his coherent reporting put his life at stake many times before, including when he was captured by Taliban from Afghanistan border many years ago.
“The hallmark of his work is his uncompromising impartiality and unblinking courage to follow a story to its conclusion, no matter the dangers or sacrifices involved.” –Tony Allison, editor, Asia Times Online. His intrepid reporting gave insight on the realities of the Pak-Afghan disorder. He was one of Pakistan’s best investigative journalists and provided inimitable insights on militancy and its associations. The consequences of these disclosures are evident in the 15 torture marks on his body as the post mortem report quotes: He died due to injury close to his heart.
Quickly the news broke and there was an outburst of speculations. My grievance got deeper and my rage got warmer. It’s distressing when very reasonable journalists, bloggers and citizen journalists call this incident the ‘paralysis of journalism’. Is this what we make of a sacrifice? Is this all we learn from someone who puts his life on stake to tell us the truth? Some tweeters swore they will avenge his blood and find the murderers. Yes we will surely avenge his blood, just as much as we avenged the blood of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti. Yes we will find and punish his murderers just as much as we did in the cases of other journalists killed this year? Or did we inadvertently loose account of Ilyas Nizzar (Darwanth), Zaman Ibrahim (Daily Extra News), Wali Khan Babar (Geo) and Nasrullah Khan Afridi (PTV). No wonder Independent Journalists’ Association considers Pakistan as one of the deadliest countries for journalists. And why not, in this heated land, ‘truth’ increasingly becomes the most intimidating threat to the dismantlers.
We tend to recognize heroes when they have already left us. A humongous crowd of friends and family gathered at the hospital till way past mid night and I’m sure there’d be vigils and peaceful protests outside press clubs, but where were we for the 48 hours he had been taken away. Who protested for him? Which Govt rep ordered interrogation, which security department executed search for him? Sorry the CJP was too busy breaking his ‘bread of bahali’ with his counterparts, so it’s unworthy to question his role.
The media, print and broadcast was mute about on his disappearance and so were we. Are we always waiting for a shock to shake us? How many more will be silenced before we realize that it’s enough. We, as citizens need to clearly understand that the government, the intelligence, the military and the judiciary are answerable to us. Not the other way around. They are here to serve us, not to enslave and massacre us. We have long ignored the disappearance of countless Baloch journalists and activists, many of whom ended up dead. If anyone needs to value truth tellers, freedom fighters who fight with their pen, it is us, the civilians. Apparently the violence and treason by our own care takers hasn’t shaken us enough to take our anger out from these mind churning discussions to the channelized efforts on streets.
We did nothing for the 70+ journalist killed since the year 2000 because, oh! actually we forgot to follow-up. We are professionals at ‘moving on’. If we continue to be so abhorrently ignorant, we may lose the few voices left within us. There are two kinds of journalists; those who write and those who unveil. We need to fight for those who take responsibility and audaciously continue to give their services in the line of fire.
I brush a tear as I think about his 3 very young children who lost a father and his very dedicated strong wife who has been with him through this rather tense journey of revealing truth and transparency. He gave an invaluable service to the nation; it is for us to renovate his efforts and join together in a collective effort to seek and protect truth.
Obama gets Osama, & gives no answers.
The man who triggered a multi-billion dollar industry of ‘terrorism’, was wanted and hunted for a decade, was rumored dead at-least 8 times before he actually became target of a 40 min fight with smart US Naval forces, at his posh mansion in the garrison city of Abbotabad only 3 blocks away from the police station and a few miles from Kakool.
Osama bin Laden’s, hide-and-seek championship ends in 2011 as he was declared dead on 1st of May, the same day Hitler –another global bully, was declared dead in 1945.
My friend who is NYU professor shocked and concerned asked me on our Skype chat “How do they explain his presence in a capital near military base?’. Evidently it was a greater shock for him, than it was for me. In Pakistan we are very gallant when it comes to processing information, especially those tricky, knotty and complex ones. We quickly shrug ‘Yeh tou hona hi tha’ (this had to happen) without questioning the authenticity, reason and/or consequence.
So when US took the sole credit for this historic achievement, we kept silent showing no participation, for at-least those crucial hours that shaped global opinion largely covered by media. As the news and views went into their initial records, the questions of Pakistan’s involvement in Osama’s hiding bounced back, as a hard slap. But then, we don’t mind getting beaten up too. We shrug again “ab kya kar saktay hain’ (not that we can do anything about it) and continue to live a mindlessly ridiculous life.
Obama’s me, myself and America coated speech deliberately ignored Pakistan’s involvement and her decade long struggle in fighting this war, where its people sacrificed their nail scissors, in the call of this combat. For the 3000 Americans killed, 36000 Pakistanis died, and around 1 M Afghanis & Iraqis. I’d add with a wrinkled nose, this immodesty is quite distasteful even for US standards. It leaves a smell of a rotten fish called ingratitude, lingering behind. But then, who are we fooling. It’s not just a missing point in Obama’s speech as he wrapped up indicatively pointing out, that the fight must go on.
US media published a few different images of Osama, which were immediately recognized as ‘photo-shopped’ while no DNA test verification has been released. With lack of evidence and the body so abruptly buried at sea, it raises bona fide questions against US for an unproven declaration. The answers to these questions we will find in days, months and years to come. For now we know that Pakistan-US relation swiftly change, with an exchange of mistrust on both sides and both for valid reasons.
How successful this operation will really be for US in the long term is an empty box that lacks any valid achievements. The most US will get from it will be an invisible thing called satisfaction, a morale boost maybe for US forces and an excuse that the decade long struggle didn’t go futile. Where Osama’s death could be a gift for Obama in the form of a second term, his death in no way de-accelerates any unrest that currently shakes the world. Osama’s death is rather insignificant as a new Arab world is coming to rise.
Coming back to Pakistan where terrorism grows its arms and legs, there is ample reason for Pakistan not to feel relief. Osama may have been killed but his disciples are still alive, wide spread and fuming. Militant groups either directly or indirectly trained and inspired by Osama’s Al-Qaeda have warned not to settle over this.
Clearly when Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Nazaryati took to the streets in Quetta, with portraits of Ladin, protesting against this US operation, it is a warning for Pakistan, whose people will continue to become easy target of this soon-to-be accelerated conflict between 2 forces, who are apathetic to Pakistani civilian interest. Such promises have already been made by Pakistani Taliban.
One fact that haunts me at this particular moment is that whenever in history people will study about Osama bin Laden, they’ll know that this global-nuisance was finished ‘by US’ and ‘in Pakistani.’
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