Pakistan: How to Make Sense, Out of Nonsense?

General Musharaf, the self-made military President of Pakistan claims: ” Pakistan comes first not democracy.” (November 15, 2007 Press Conference). But if facts have meanings and honesty must take its place, all of his current hasty actions and priorities seem to be outcome of ignorance and arrogance. With political oppression as the agenda and terrorism as the means to dislodge all those who could raise voices of reason to question the self-engineered emergency and continued military domination over all domains of civilian lives.

In a nutshell, military presence is everywhere in public life except the army discipline to defend the national sovereignty and integrity. General Musharaf poses as a savior, but his actions make people believe, he is a habitual liar and an egoistic person imposing individual interest and greed over national preferences. Out of nowhere, just to prolong his military dictatorship, he introduced emergency rule while threatened by the Supreme Court of Pakistan that his longing for Presidential re-election will not come true. Ironically, to give credence to his ambitions, the issue was taken up by the Supreme Court judges, whether the General is a legitimate candidate for the office or not? General Musharraf sensed, it was going to be against his aims for self-glory. Quite advertently; he dismissed the most credible judges of the country, amongst them the Chief Justice of Pakistan Chaudhry Iftikhar. Now, how come the judges appointed under the military rule could deliver an impartial and just decision while the General has imposed an emergency rule, suspended the constitution, has removed and put the Chief Justice under house arrest and imprisoned all his outspoken opponents? Is it a democracy at work? Or is it another phase of Martial Law –” ” Law of the Jungle” to destabilize the country? It appears that the General and Pakistani nation are far apart in their perceptions and priorities and live in different time zones, being unable to see each other in their rational perspectives and real world role play.

On November 15, Stephen Graham (Associated Press), reported from Islamabad that Musharaf will quit the army on November 15, and the General claims, ” my first concern is Pakistan not democracy.” Supposedly, if Pakistan was his first concern, the national interest of Pakistani people should have been his first concern too? Not so, facts speak alarmingly a different language that the General and his political accomplices need a navigational change; otherwise, he will cause a disaster to the well being of ordinary folks and integrity of the country. Once Dr. Ali Shariati, the real pioneer of Islamic revolution in Iran wrote: “when people live in darkness, they lose sense of direction.” For too long, Pakistani nation has suffered under military dictatorships and the corrupt rule of Bhuttos and Zardaris and Sharifs and countless others – all escaped accountability at the discretion of the military rulers who used them as scapegoats to prolong their own greed for power. American President Bush describes the General as “trusted ally in the war against terrorism.” Truly so, General Musharaaf will commit any crimes against his own people to stay in power and to please his Master and “trusted ally” Commander Bush. Otherwise, General Musharaf could well be identified as a perpetual instigator of terrorism in his own country and consequently, his short and long-term survival appears to be under questioning if America will hold its support to a known agent of influence who has destroyed thousands and millions of people in Southwest Asia. Educated Pakistanis have been victimized because the military sees them as enemy number one for any planned democratic change to come to materialize on the real world landscape.

Over the decades under continued military dictatorships, Pakistan lost what it cannot regain, time and opportunities for change and development, its economic and political growth, its global image as an independent nation, its political institutions, and the wealth of original thinking of common citizens. The Generals have systematically deprived the intelligentsia not to THINK rationally except bread, butter and immediate survivability under the laws of jungle. If there was one institution to be pinpointed for all the intellectual deprivation, political sickness, killings and failures of the nation, the military Generals must be held accountable for their crimes in a court of law. But there is no law and no justice system to deliver justice under the current emergency –” no legitimate public system of governance. It is one of the serious crises of this century that Pakistanis must address and find workable options. If the General goes, Western allies of General Musharaf will not mourn his loss now, but has already poisoned the body of Pakistan with dangerous multiple conflicts to phase-out gradually on its own. American orchestrated myth of “Islamic terrorism” is the weapon being used to undo Pakistan and its future. Pakistani Generals are the hired agents to achieve this vital goal as reported by the New York Times. They appear to have made considerable headways.

Ms. Bhutto after being rehired has returned to play her role and she will be grateful for a new political life negotiated by America and Britain for their backdoor financial and political support. Musharaf could be toppled any time as the emerging events clearly indicate, and Ms. Bhutto could be phased-in as the ready-made plan for political engagements to determine the future, how to bury the remains of the besieged nation. Ms. Bhutto could conveniently be rewarded the post of Chief Minister of Sind and the rest could become object of international discussions including the UN Security Council, how to hold the Islamic funeral prayer to be organized by the allies for Global Peace and “Globalization” –” the US, Britain and India. For US and Britain it is already their routine practice to bury their allies in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistani Generals were not educated or trained in Islamic thoughts and values, nor competent enough to think rationally about the global conspiracy against the Muslim nation that fed them too well for so long and now they are the reason for its growing instability and final destruction. The nation and its core thinking has been crippled with critical foreign problems that it cannot find a way out of: “Islamic extremism”, American terrorism, British neo-colonialism, War in Afghanistan and adjacent North-West Frontier Province of Pakhtoon speaking and increased civilian militancy against the army rule in all parts of the country; once again, it is “divide and rule”. Who will gain out of this mess created by the Generals? Probably Pakistani Generals have already worked out favorable deals, like the Generals of Saddam Hussein.

Reliable sources point out that 22 or so Iraqi Generals were flown out of Baghdad by America after the downfall of Saddam’s regime. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are the excuse to invade this country as and when it is necessary. There are real world critical anxieties and uncertainties that Pakistanis share within themselves without finding any rational explanations. In a treacherous political crisis engineered by the enemies of Pakistan, who will drive most benefits? Is it India? Is it the US Government? Could there be another form of neo-colonial arrangement in waiting for Pakistanis?

There are no plausible answers to find any sense out of military run political nonsense. One wonders, what are Pakistanis waiting for at this life-threatening juncture of their nationhood? Foreigners are more like conflict observers and entertainment spectators for their interests and strategic priorities and could never be instrumental for constructive change and sustainable development. Do conscientious Pakistanis expect foreigners to solve their own problems? Were the so-called National Assembly and Senate or Provincial Assemblies of any worthwhile reference point to question the military atrocities against their own masses? Musharaf is a problem to Pakistanis, not to America or British colonialist. They view him as a “trusted ally” – a comrade in arms to promote freedom and democracy and he repeats the same phrases like a well trained parrot. After all for the same ideal America and Britain went to dismember Iraq and Afghanistan, and now trying to cut and paste the same formula against Iran, and could well use it on Pakistan, if and when they wish to do so, nobody can and will stop them. Musharaf and his accomplices could easily be flown out to the US, no problem for America.

Pakistan has been identified as “the most dangerous country in the world” because that was the plan to be implemented, and General Musharaf and Benzair Bhutto have helped America and Britain to pursue this strategic goal. The US and British policy makers see Islamic Pakistan as a problem, whereas educated Pakistanis see General Musharaf, Ms. Bhutto and so many other fake politicians aligned with them, and America and Britain as the core of problem. There cannot be any equilibrium in these divergent perspectives and no patchwork could articulate any workable political solutions. Either Pakistani masses must have their rights and freedom to restore the public institutions dismantled by the military dictators and form a civilian government of their choice and safeguard their national interests, or the US led bullying partners should be recognized as the legitimate government of the people of Pakistan. The global system of governance is in shackles and thinking people of the West are increasingly aware that any accidental revulsion could fail to foresee the future whether struggle for freedom and justice will flourish or neo-colonialism will dominate Pakistan for sometime to come. Nobody seems to learn from the living history. General Franco wanted to unite the Spaniards, but led to 36 years of civil war. General Pino Chat wanted to protect Chile from extreme revolutionaries; his army and secret police gangs killed millions to keep the General in power. General Musharaaf promised to hold accountability trials of the corrupt politicians, ultimately in the process, he became part of the institutionalized corruption. He wanted to promote democracy but installed military commanders all over the civilian affairs. If he was honest, he could not have imposed emergency rule and suspended the civilian liberties and fire the Chief Justice and other judges of the Supreme Court. He holds no respectful standing for his role to be appraised by the informed Pakistanis. All the recent developments point out that another coup d’ detat could be in progress to replace him.

But another military coup is not going to help Pakistan to solve any problems except to create more and weaken its role and stability for future. Now, General Musharaf contends that his “first concern is Pakistan” – is that true? If General Musharaf had any consideration for Pakistan or its deprived people, he should have listened to voices of reason (as numerous proposals were offered to him for planned political change), and evolved legal and political capacity- building for systematic change. Undoubtedly, stupid military Generals are responsible for the strangulation of the Muslim nation. Change for any promising future will not grow out of military coups but the creative thoughts and innovative plans of the educated Pakistanis (more living overseas) to ensure safety of the country and its future viability. But under Musharaf’s regime, there is no proactive plan or devised system of political change and transfer of power to an elected civilian rule. The military ruler (fearful of the politically active and enlightened Pakistanis living abroad), decreed that they couldn’t participate in elections; that was the status quo of educated Pakistanis by birth during the previous national election. Whenever some body asked the emotion ridden masses of Pakistan, who is their enemy? They used to look around to neighboring India and then elsewhere. Now, they know for sure, the enemy is within – General Musharaf and all those who enjoin memberships in the bogus National and Provincial Assemblies.

The question is, how to get rid of the ignorant and arrogant Generals and other perpetrators of injustice? Pakistani Generals enjoy a rich history of miscalculations of the public interest and their own professional failures and defeats, whereas, the US and Britain never won any major conflicts in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. The colonialism ended as historical change but in disgrace for the British Empire without any choice. For their political aims and strategic hegemony, both would continue to control and manipulate Pakistan for their national interests. But Pakistani people are determined and unified as ONE force, not to allow the foreign powers to exploit them thru the ancient formula of “divide and rule.” General Musharaf and Ms Bhutto are nothing more than seasonal frogs often making ugly sounds in a rainy day and vanish on their own after a short life span. Muslim people of Pakistan are ONE. How do you divide ONE? Even though America and Britain claim to be superpowers but they do not have the knowledge, intellectual foresight and power to divide ONE arithmetically.