Monday, January 11, 2010

REFLECTIONS ON A PEOPLE

By: Romesa Khalid
The writer is a member of the editorial team and opinion leader at Pakistan First.

Whether it is in political circles or household discussions, Pakistan has got to be one of the most sensitive topics being discussed at the moment. Where are we going? What is our future? How well off will we be in a few years? What do we need to do to keep up with the times?
The British Council decided to survey the youth of Pakistan to answer these questions and although I’m not a particular fan of foreign assessments of Pakistan, a cursory glance at the resulting report, called the ‘The Next Generation Report’ revealed some important discoveries. The report is a lengthy one but I will try to summarize the core of the youths’ thoughts as best as I can.

According to the survey:
Young Pakistanis believe firmly in the importance of education. However, only 50% of Pakistani children go to primary school. Only 25% go to secondary school and only about 5% receive any higher education.

Poor children and girls face the most obstacles in achieving an education. Cost keeps poor families from sending their children to school even to a free government school because they are still required to buy books and supplies. Boys are given preference over girls because girls, who are married off and move to other families, are no real investment when it comes to education.
In government schools, class sizes are much too large and the teachers lack the will to teach. According to one young man, “…the students are large in number and the staff is limited, so less attention is given to children. The duration of the period is 25 minutes and 15 minutes are consumed in taking attendance.” [These statistics should be food for thought that maybe we are irrelevantly wasting our energies by trying to change the political process. That it is actually the infrastructure and social strata of Pakistan that deserves most of the youths’ attention].
Consequently, only 25% of Pakistanis entering the labor market think they are qualified enough for the job.
Gender issues at work are still prevalent in Pakistani society. A fifth of men are unemployed. Many believe they have unstable jobs. 22% are permanent full-time employees. 36% are self employed. 80% of women are housewives, with only 6% working. [80% of women at home mean a lot of human resources are being wasted.]
Young Pakistanis in the workplace are worried about gender, ethnic and socioeconomic biases. They fear that jobs cannot be obtained without a recommendation.
Only 10% of those surveyed have confidence in the national government. Fear of injustice is rife. [Though I am hoping, with the turn of the judiciary, that might change].
Trust in police, local government and courts is low whereas the military is widely trusted. Only 4% believe that Pakistan has low levels of corruption.
Many feel that they have no mode to express themselves, or rally for change due to lack of civil liberties. Hence, most young Pakistanis do not identify themselves with any political party (only 2% are actually members of any political party). Only 39% voted in the last election.
Surprisingly, young Pakistanis do not differ with their parents on religious grounds with most holding the same religious values as their parents [Considering that our forefather’s religious paradigms have a history of being influenced by formal religious organizations and that culture is often intertwined with their religious traditions, this finding was not something that gave me much hope].
However, political and social issues are a cause for a huge generation gap. Young Pakistanis are more civic minded than their elders, believing firmly in the power of education that teaches “…a broad understanding of the world than to simply teach practical career skills.” (Next Generation Report, pg.19). [The difference between Pakistan and developed countries is that while Pakistani kindergartners are busy taking tuitions to learn their multiplication tables, kids in developed countries such as the USA are busy learning to say please and thank you. Civic sense must be taught at these tender ages, not to rowdy teenagers on motorbikes when it is already too late. This is an aspect of human psychology that developed countries have availed beautifully.]
Young people concede to the fact that terrorism is widespread in Pakistan but want the world to understand that most of the time it is Pakistanis that are victims of terrorism, not the other way around.
The next generation of Pakistan has virtually no trust in its leaders. They believe that they are the tools for change but that they are not receiving the opportunity to be that change. Despite all this, the survey also shows that majority of Pakistanis believe that Pakistan is the best country in the world. Is this simply a matter of national delusion and defense mechanism or is there something real and possible behind the thought that Pakistan is the best? Is collective action required to change Pakistan or is individual effort the key? Will it take a revolution or miracle to change the above statistics or will it simply be a matter of reflection and introspection?These are questions I would like to ask.

This article was first published on pak1stanfirst.com on January 6th, 2010

Friday, July 31, 2009

I Can't Understand Him

I just can't for the life of me understand President Zardari. For the past year and a half his PPP led government (PPP/PML-N/MQM/ANP) and its ministers (in newspapers, TV channels and current affair talk shows) have been accusing India of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan (from Mehsud to Bugti), stopping Pakistan's water, making dams on our rivers and what not with substantial evidence to prove it. Interior Minister Mr Rehman Malik has evidence of Indian involvement via Afghanistan in the in-camera sessions of National Assembly. Not to forget, Former President Musharraf also gave documentary evidence of Brahmdagh Bugti's presence in India on 12th July last year.

When all his colleagues and ministers are saying one thing, how can Mr. Zardari have the guts to come around with completely opposite statement?

The Nation newspaper reported that "India has stopped the Chenab River water, which has further aggravated the water availability problem in Pakistan hitting hard the upcoming crops. Sources said that the Kharif crop especially, cotton and sugarcane ready crops in the country would be badly affected due to water blockades, which at this stage need water most besides the upcoming Rabi crops would also be affected. Sources said that Indus Water Commission has apprised the federal government of this situation and a meeting has been called on Tuesday for reviewing the water reserves situation in the country. The meeting would also focus on exploring diplomatic solution of the issue. If the Chenab water blockade gets prolonged, then wheat production in the country would also be badly affected. Despite 23 million tons of record production of wheat, the government this year imported over 2 million tons of wheat. Water blockade would force Pakistan depending more on imported wheat. Earlier, the experts had estimated Pakistan facing 35 percent shortage of water during the upcoming Rabi crop."

(http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/15-Sep-2008/India-stops-Chenab-River-water-hitting-Kharif-crop)

On 5th October 2008 just after a few days, our water was blocked by India. (You know, the very friendly, brotherly neighbour who is not a threat at all).

BBC news reported the incident that embarrassed, shocked and angered Pakistanis all over the world. "Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says India has never been a threat to Pakistan, and that militants in Indian-administered Kashmir are terrorists."

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7653687.stm)

"I can assure you that Pakistan will not be the first country ever to use (nuclear weapons) and Zardari borrowed a quote from his late wife, who once said that there's a "little bit of India in every Pakistani and a little bit of Pakistan" in every Indian" and" I do not know whether it is the Indian or the Pakistani in me that is talking to you today," Zardari said, amid applause from his high-profile audience, which included diplomats, politicians and industrialists"

First of all, we’ve had many politicians bent on cheaply renting our identity and sovereignty in the past but to sell if off completely? Never.

Has any Indian minister or prime minister or president ever addressed us from New Delhi via satellite? I agree that PPP has always had a hands-off policy towards India. Should we change this to selling Pakistan's policy to India completely? No self-respecting Pakistani will stand for this.

(http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=f0efd648-9d6c-4138-961e-c93947dcd381&Headline)

On 13th December, 2008 The News reported, "LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets intruded into Pakistan’s airspace twice on Saturday, drifting some four kilometres inside the Kashmir and Lahore sectors"

(http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=18942)

On 30th December

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan said Tuesday that India had moved troops toward their shared border, following Islamabad's own redeployment of forces toward the frontier amid tensions over the Mumbai attacks."

(http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,473929,00.html)

On 24th January after witnessing the insult and defamation of Pakistan all over the world by India (the brotherly, friendly neighbour which was never a threat) and witnessing a potential military threat from India, Mr Zardari says something like this,"I do not consider India a military threat; the question is that India has the capability. Capability is what matters. [With regard to] intention I think we both have our good intentions."

"India is a reality, Pakistan is a reality, but Taliban are a threat, an international threat to our way of life. And at the moment, I'm focused on the Taliban. It's something that has been going on for a long time and of course went unchecked under the dictatorial rule of the last president."

Focussed on the Taliban. Right. Policies are not like Kodak cameras that you can focus or “unfocus” with the Americans behind the lens. Yes folks, the definition of military threat has been changed. It now excludes fighter planes of the IAF.

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/5625759/Pakistan-India-no-longer-a-military-threat.html)

On April 25th 2009 Gen. Petraeus said, "Asserting that a mere recognition of threat posed by the Taliban to the country is not enough, a top American military general today said the Pakistan Army should shift its "tradional focus" from India to internal extremists."

(http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/25-Apr-2009/Pak-faces-threat-from-Taliban-not-India-Petraeus)

On 30th April 2009, President Obama said "On the military side, you're starting to see some recognition just in the last few days that the obsession with India as the mortal threat to Pakistan has been misguided, and that their biggest threat right now comes internally,' Obama said at a prime time news conference Wednesday capping his 100th day in office."

This coming from a man who has made the brunt of his foreign policy an effort to “Talibanise” Pakistan and defends Pakistani intelligence’s allegations of weapon double-dealing with lame internet scam stories.

(http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=je4su1fieei&title=Obama_tells_Pakistan_obsession_with_India_as_mortal_threat_misguided)

On 5th May Robert Gibbs was saying, "The trilateral summit is an initiative of Obama, who wants to establish his own channel of direct communication with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the prime focus of his foreign policy."

"I think he (Obama) will reiterate what he said to you guys last week," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said when asked whether Obama will make it clear to Pakistan that "there's no threat from India."

Mr Obama, guard your own doors and not those of the whole world. CIA/Mossad/RAW are the biggest threat to this world. First secure your own borders, your own economy, and then tell others about threats. The only solution to GWOT is that USA & NATO forces leave Afghanistan.

If the next attack - according to you - will come from mountains in the north-west Pakistan and Afghanistan, then secure yourself first. If you are afraid of robbers, lock the doors of your house like any sensible citizen instead of going robber (read "terrorist")-hunting through the whole town! September 11th was a security lapse and you must admit that the people at Risk Assessment must have been asleep that day. If every other country is responsible for their own security, then so are you.

On 29th June 2009

"HYDERABAD: Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has asked Pakistan to remove the perception that it faced a threat from India.“India was never a threat to

Pakistan. It is their [Pakistan’s] own perception which they have to remove. India would be happy if Pakistan fights terrorists on its western border with

Afghanistan and also on the eastern side,” Gen. Kapoor told journalists on the sidelines of the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy at

Dundigal here on Saturday."

Is he stupid enough to think everyone will buy the same rubbish or he is in contact with Zardari & Obama? Was IAF jets incursion also a wrong perception?

On July 7th 2009 David Miliband says

"The enemy that Pakistan faces is a domestic terrorist, not a large and successful neighbour India, which has got far better things to do in the world of commerce and politics than end up in a standoff with Pakistan."

"At the same time, he was quick to point out: 'But remember, 61 years, India is the world's largest and most successful -- the largest democracy and the success story of the region."

Before submitting mindlessly into friendship with India, Zardari must realise whether the efforts and actions are being reciprocated by our neighbour. If yes, then the
calls for friendship are justified. If not, then Zardari must realise that India has no intention of maintaining peace despite the futile dialogues in its name.

In reality, India is blockading our water supply, thus hindering our trade and supporting insurgencies inside our territory. There is no fear of war, true. But that is
only because both of us are nuclear powers with second strike capabilities. However, war is forthcoming in the form of insurgencies and supply of ammunition to
"Taliban". Peace and friendship are great things, but the Pakistani nation refuses to sacrifice its national AND personal interests in its name.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Party At My Country!

Sometimes the psyche of Pakistanis is hard to understand. You would think 62 years is enough time to learn a lesson yet, once again, we are defying the norms.

It saddens me to see average, quite decent Pakistanis still arguing over their political parties as if they themselves helped to create them. For 62 years these parties have proven their incompetence and lack of commitment to the Pakistani people yet we still fight tooth and nail for them. We still vote for the same tested and failed parties and actually have expectations from them. We still wave their flags and paste them on our cars. We still praise their founders and lay down our lives for them. We curse friends and relatives over them.

Why are we like this?

The messy mosaic of political parties and their race for political domination has divided us further and deeper with each passing year. We have the Muslim Leagues rooting behind the Punjabis, we have the PPP crying about the Sindhis, we have the MQM glorifying the Muhajirs and we have the Balochistan National Party fighting for the Balochis.

Isn’t there any party out there working simply for the Pakistani? Why do we not see through these efforts to divide and destabilise Pakistan? Pakistan belongs to the Balochis, the Sindhis, the Punjabis and the Pathans. It belongs to the young, the old, the rich, the poor. At least, it should. While a certain amount of provincial autonomy is necessary to keep Pakistan stable, these parties have begun to demand complete statehood altogether. It’s as if no one has learned from 1971.

The ruling elite cashes in on our communal sentiments to further their own gains. While some of their actions are genuine efforts to develop Pakistan, too many times they have sacrificed this cause in favour of personal gains.

They address us in terms of “Sindhis” or “Punjabis” or “Pathans”, etc over and over again in a war of psychology. Never do they address us simply as Pakistanis. We must not let this underestimation of our unity become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If Pakistanis are to resist fragmentation of their state, they must work under the flag of unity. Leave behind these petty, blind political allegiances. The educated need to understand that the break-up of Pakistan is in the interests of many foreign powers. The illiterate, lower classes don’t care about the technicalities. They believe what their tribal leaders tell them and that is the propaganda to be countered. We need a positivity movement led by the youth. Who else?

When The Quaid said unity, faith, discipline, he meant it. We must prove that we understand.

Romesa Khalid

Monday, July 13, 2009

The US President: Employee of the Elite

The stark contrast between US President Barack Obama’s speech in Egypt and the actions of the United States is easy for anyone to see. Obama ultimately protects the elite interests of America. These interests require Obama to: work against the unity of the Ummah, ensure Israel’s security, continue the subordination of Iraq and interfere in the affairs of the Muslim lands through the support of agents like Mubarak in Egypt and Zardari in Pakistan. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى expose Obama for what he truly is and may He defeat the plot of the disbelievers. Ameen.
On June 4th 2009, US President Barack Obama gave a speech at Cairo University in Egypt. The speech was advertised to be a “historic address to the Muslim world”. However, the fact that he referred to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – a tyrant known for brutally suppressing the Ummah – as “a force for stability and good in the region” exposes the wide gap between what he said and the reality of US foreign policy towards the Ummah.

Obama: Rhetoric versus Reality
RasulAllah صلى الله عليه وسلم advised the Ummah to be aware of falling into the same trap more than once. He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The believer is never stung from the same hole twice.” [Bukhari]
Obama is not the first politician to come from the Capitalist nations offering sweet words to the Muslims of Egypt. For example, Napoleon stated the following after he invaded Egypt: “Cadis, Sheiks, Imams, Chorbadgys, you will be told that I came to destroy your religion; do not believe it. Let your answer be that I come to re-establish your rights and punish your usurpers, and that I have more respect than the Mamelukes for your God, his Prophet, and the Koran.” However, the historical record shows that Napoleon’s real interests were to colonize Egypt to secure French interests against the British.
On Iraq, Obama stated that “Iraq was a war of choice”, but he did not admit that it was a war based on lies. Instead he defended George Bush’s actions by stating: “Iraqi people are ultimately better off without the tyranny of Saddam Hussein”. More importantly, he is maintaining the same policy as Bush on Iraq as he continues to work with Defense Secretary Robert Gates who was selected by Bush. He has also failed to prosecute those in charge under Bush who were responsible for the crimes in Iraq and Guantanamo. Furthermore, he is refusing to disclose the photos that document America’s atrocities in Iraq.
On Palestine, he stated that “it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland” and that “the only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security”. However, we must remember that Bush stated “I said that Palestinians should not have to live in poverty and occupation and I laid out a new vision for the future – two democratic states, Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security.” Again, Obama is maintaining Bush’s policy for Palestine – which is giving most of the land of Palestine to Israel. With that in mind, it is important to recognize that for Obama the main issue of concern is Israel’s security as he stated “the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security“. This of course echoes what he stated in January 2009 (after the Gaza Massacre) “America is committed to Israel’s security. And we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against legitimate threats“.
On Afghanistan/Pakistan, he stated: “Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there.” This statement is proven false by the fact America already maintains military bases in 63 countries and has built an embassy in Iraq that is the size of 80 football fields. Under Obama, America has changed its approach on dealing with the resistance in Afghanistan. Unlike Bush (who fought the Muslims in Afghanistan in isolation) Obama intends to establish a friendly regime in Afghanistan with the assistance of Pakistan. For the Muslims of Pakistan, this means that America will interfere in the affairs of the Ummah under the guise of “foreign investment”. This is in addition to the continued bombing of Pakistan – that has claimed, as of April 2009, over 687 civilians – and the displacement of 2.5 million people at the hands of America’s agent Zardari.

The Reality of the US Presidency
When reviewing the gap between Obama’s flowery speech and the reality on the ground, one may wonder why such a discrepancy exists. The reality is that Obama was allowed to become president for a reason. The U.S., like other Capitalist States, is controlled by businessmen and the owners of the major corporations. As a consequence, Obama must defend the interests of these elites, who are the ultimate power brokers of society – if not, he will be replaced. For example, Obama, just as Bush before him, funnelled billions to the ultra-rich through the banks, while failing to write-down the mortgages of ordinary American citizens. Commenting specifically on Obama’s bailout plan, Michael Hudson (a former Wall Street economist) stated “what you’ve done is given $12 trillion to the richest one percent-or ten percent of the population, and you’ve indebted the economy and the government to them for the next hundred years”. Therefore, Obama, like every president before him, is ensuring that American policy will serve the interests of the elite.

US Interests: Contrary to the Interests of the Ummah
As the US Presidency is dominated by the elite, understanding elite interests is critical to understand the realgoals of the US foreign policy towards the Ummah.
The elite of America have firmly embraced the secular aqeedah (doctrine), which separates between “church and state”. They believe that religion has no role when it comes to drafting laws that regulate the affairs of society. Instead, they believe that humans are capable of determining such issues and are therefore free to legislate. Naturally, they establish their systems based on this viewpoint on life, including the economic system (i.e. Capitalism) as well as the political system (i.e. democracy). Although the Capitalists do not ban worship outright, they vehemently oppose the idea that Allah سبحانه وتعالى should have any say in organizing society and therefore restrict all acts of worship to rituals between the individual and the Creator.
The Capitalist elite do not limit themselves to protecting their system, but work to dominate other nations. For example, between 16th and 19th century, Italy, England, France, and other European nations embarked on campaigns to colonize the Muslim world, to steal our resources and force the Ummah to adopt their way of life. Since America upholds the same secular aqeedah as these other nations, it now also seeks to colonize and subjugate the Ummah – as is clear from its actions in Iraq, its support for Israel and, most importantly, its imposition of ruthless tyrants, like Mubarak, Zardari, and Karzai, across the Muslim world. The objective to dominate the Muslim Ummah was expressed in the “Carter Doctrine” in 1980 when then US President Jimmy Carter stated in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force”. According to Michael Klare, a professor and political analyst, Obama reaffirmed this doctrine in 2007 when he stated: “…my plan provides for an over-the-horizon force that could prevent chaos in the wider region, and allows for a limited number of troops to remain in Iraq to fight al Qaeda and other terrorists.”
With this understanding, it is clear that the objectives of American foreign policy run counter to those of the Ummah. The Capitalists believe that they have more right to our resources than we do. They believe that the Ummah should be divided into tiny states that can be continually dominated by America’s political and military might.
As openly proclaimed in the Carter Doctrine, America wants to dominate the lands of the Ummah to extract our resources. However, the bigger issue for the Capitalists is that the Ummah believes that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has the sole right to rule. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed in numerous ayat:
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إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ
“The rule (Hukm) is for none but Allah.” [Yusuf, 12:40]

فَاحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ
“And rule between them by all that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their vain desires away from the truth which came to you.” [Maaida, 5:48]

فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىَ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيمًا
“And no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they refer to your judgment in all disputes between them then find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [An-Nisaa, 4:65]

The Capitalists therefore view the Islamic aqeedah as something that must be eradicated. They even have labelled this as a “battle for the hearts and minds”. If Capitalists fail to defeat Islam – and fail they will, by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى leave – those who believe in Islam and call to Islam will ultimately challenge their rule and offer an alternative political and economic system, the Khilafah State, that will, by Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى leave, outpace their system by leaps and bounds. This is because the Khilafah State is based on the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, which contains the rules and systems that came from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, the Creator of the universe. Consequently, the American Capitalists will work day and night to ensure that the Muslim Ummah is subjugated by their foreign policy. As Allah سبحانه وتعالى has revealed:
وَقَدْ مَكَرُواْ مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِندَ اللّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ
“And they had planned their plan, but with Allah is [recorded] their plan, even if their plan had been [sufficient] to do away with the mountains.” [Ibrahim, 14:46]

Opposition of Elite: Nothing New
Given that we have this understanding revealed to us from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, we should use it today when analyzing the actions of foreign powers towards the Muslim Ummah. We must see past the sweet words and superficial aspects of people – such as their middle names, where they grew up, etc – and look at their actions. When we do so, we realize that the US is working diligently to colonize the Ummah and is imposing fitnah (i.e. policies to make us leave Islam) upon us through various styles and means. Some of it includes the torture we have seen in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. However, they are also willing to bribe people with cash or medical treatment (e.g. Israel makes the terminally ill people in Gaza choose between life-saving medical treatment and collaboration with Israel). It also involves recruiting agents and spies among the Muslim political class to act as proxies for their designs against the Ummah.
As Muslims, it is our obligation to warn the Ummah from being seduced by this type of rhetoric. We must show the facts as mentioned above to those that incline to such speeches. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى help this Ummah to see the Haqq (truth) clearly from the Batil (falsehood). May Allah سبحانه وتعالى help us to be loyal to Him and His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم alone.

وَاللّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.” [Yusuf, 12:21]

Published on www.haqeeqat.org on Monday July 13th, 2009

Thursday, July 9, 2009

THE FUTURE OF PAKISTAN?

If the youth of Pakistan is the future of Pakistan, then the future doesn’t look very promising to me. Let’s analyse the people on whom Pakistan’s future depends, shall we?

I think we can safely place the age range of the youth as 18 to 30 years. Maybe we should even lower it to 25, hence considering the students of Pakistan.

At every gathering I attend, some uncle or the other is always ranting on about how the youth needs to mobilise, how they need to take active part in politics, how they need to do this, do that, and on and on.

Enter uncle’s son. Baggy jeans twice the size of his legs, pants nearly falling to the floor with beta dear barely managing to cling on to them, sunglasses in the darkest of rooms, bling the calibre of a rich bride’s dowry. I am left marvelling at the potential chaos my country could be thrown into should young people like him snatch the wheel of our political fleet, God forbid. Beta dear then swaggers over to the sofa and plops down with his Guitar Hero and strums away on some rowdy, heavy metal beat. Actually, he might not be so bad a military strategist. Noise pollution like that would send any terrorist running back to where he came from.

But it would be unfair to point all fingers at this poor young man only. People like him exist all over the country. Whether I’m at school, or university or a wedding or even a religious event, I am struck by the irony of the future of Pakistan and its holders.

How are these strong young men expected to pick up a gun against enemies, if their idea of picking up girls is blowing smoke rings into their faces during final exams? Not that I condone picking up girls, mind you, but it is the principle of things that bothers me. How are these young men and women supposed to lead the nation in international affairs if they blindly follow anyone who can incite their emotions enough? They were so easily manipulated into contributing sweat and tears to the Lawyer’s Movement but where is the youth now that the CJ has been restored and injustice continues unabated?

How, and this is the thing that bothers me most, will Pakistani youths help attain salvation, gain independence from American aid, work up the country’s economy, bring peace to its Northern areas, educate the lower class and bridge the gap between rich and poor if most of them spend all day on Facebook taking quizzes designed by pre-teens with too much time on their hands? Are these 20 something year olds really getting all excited about the initials of the person they will marry, the Bollywood actress they resemble most and the number of times they will fall in love??

Do they really have the gall to project deep philosophies as their Facebook statuses and think they can save the world from the comfort of their bedroom? Do they think its encouraging hearing them discuss Brangelina and Ash Rai as if they are personal friends whose love life is a matter of concern for humanity?

How in the world do you expect me to believe that they can conserve their own sense of reality, let alone a whole nation?

Us Pakistanis, even us young ones who aren’t supposed to be senile yet, have big opinions on everything. Yet, no knowledge about the opinion at hand. We have only one problem but this problem is the trunk of the tree that has come to symbolise our country’s tragedy. Our problem is that we are not free-thinking individuals, despite how many of us brag about our liberal atheistic beliefs or fake British accents. Our free-thinking is defined by whatever Western media gives us the green-light to believe. We talk about New York rave parties as if we have been born and raised Yankees and as if New York is the universal yardstick for progress and enlightenment.

And it’s funny and sad but we always end up adopting negative Western notions but we never learn how to be polite, hard working and civic like they are. So we kind of deserve everything we are getting. God is just. We haven’t proven that we deserve anything better yet. And if the youth and future of Pakistan continue their immature, sometimes baffling, antics, we might never come around to deserving it.

Romesa Khalid
July 7th 2009

First published on July 7th 2009, on www.pak1stanfirst.com

Monday, June 29, 2009

THE ROLE OF PAKISTAN IN UNITING AND LEADING THE MUSLIM UMMAH

It is an irrefutable fact that Pakistan and Islam can never be isolated from each other. One was created for the protection and promotion of the other. The British tactic was always to instil territorial nationalism in the Muslim world and thus drive them apart. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the great twentieth century Muslim poet-philosopher, confronted this attempt with his enlightened Islamic philosophy which emphasised how important it was for Muslims to unite and revert to the teachings of Islam which came with “legal concepts”, “civic significance”, and “religious ideals” that could not be separated from a social order. According to his Two-Nation Theory, Pakistan was the only way by which these ideals could be realised. Thus, it was essentially on the basis of Islamic philosophy and as a hallmark of Islam that Pakistan came into being.

President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto revived Iqbals’ notion of an Islamic Common wealth of Nations in the shape of the Islamic summit in Lahore where Muslim world leaders gathered and established an agenda of “determination of Muslim statesmen to promote solidarity among Muslim countries, to respect each other’s independence and territorial integrity, to refrain from interference in each other’s internal affairs and to resolve their differences through peaceful means in a fraternal spirit”.

38 states participated. Resolutions calling for the vacation of occupied Arab territories by Israel, restitution of the rights of the Palestinians, and promoting and safeguarding the political and economic rights of Muslim and third world countries were adopted. It helped in the reconciliation of Pakistan and Bangladesh and proved its potential as a promoter of great peace and stability. Muslims leaders in the conference also deliberated on trade relations. Bhutto said, “It is not spiritual but economic strength we have lacked so far…Muslim countries are so placed as to be able to play a most constructive and rewarding role for co-operation among themselves…their economies are such that they are able to supplement one another’s development effort.”

The summit proved that Pakistan was a genuine “Muslim ideological state” that was not restricted by geography, caste, colour or creed. It could potentially function as the uniting force between all Muslim countries because of the strong communal and spiritual bonds they share.

Pakistan’s geopolitical position also contributes immensely to its importance as a leading Muslim state. We are surrounded by some key state actors in the Muslim world like Iran and Afghanistan and have an influential relationship with Saudi Arabia. Now that we are caught in the War on Terror our ulemas should take the opportunity to distinguish between true Islamic principles and extremist brands by which they are now being abused. Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman stated that those “fighting in the name of Sharia must first abide by Islamic rules”. Such clerical statements should be made public internationally in order to explain to the Muslim world that the offensive against the TTP is justified because they are fighting with unIslamic means. That is the only way we can make the international Muslim community realise who the aggressors really are so they can stand united with us against this conspiring Anglo-American bloc.

It is high time for Pakistan to host another Islamic Summit, the most crucial one in history, despite our internal situation. We must revert back to the timeless principles of unity and progress that Iqbal emphasised. If we can do so internationally, we will be successful in uniting and leading the Muslim ummah. Pakistan is a means of positive change in the Muslim world, not an end. General Hamid Gul said that Pakistan is an unfinished revolution.

The time is now for its completion.
First published at www.risethemag.com on June 28th, 2009.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

YEH CUP YAHIN AYAA

This World Cup win for Pakistan could not have been better or come at a better time. The excitement on the faces of our players and people alike was priceless, unmistakeable and very much needed. Lord’s cricket stadium became a sea of green emblems. The total elation spoke exactly how much more valuable this success is for us than for any other team.

Like I said, we have been under immense pressure for the past two years especially. Pressure and strife. But today was our day, even the Sri Lankans knew it far before Mohammed Aamir took that crucial wicket and got the ball rolling in our court. Our day and our moment.

The streets of Pakistan and UK alike were flooded by ecstatic Pakistanis who had forgotten everything but the image of their well-loved team members performing a victory lap with the much desired trophy. No electricity, no money, just sheer happiness and a sense of pride.

A young man e-mailed me about the semi-final win and said “at least this is one front we have conquered’. I told him we will conquer all fronts one step at a time. We will. All we needed was one psychological boost and Allah provided us with this one. Younis Khan had said there was a lot of fighting in Pakistan, and they would be very happy of if they won this cup. Congrats, Younis all our prayers have been answered. You go now and bask in this moment and continue to represent the Islamic republic of Pakistan as well as you do now. Treat your ‘boys’. They are all our heroes.

I guess it’s official; cricket runs in our blood. Today we learned that it also gets our blood running.