The Old Pakistan is Dead, Long Live New Pakistan

Not a bad article and certainly not as confrontional as threatened in the preface. However, would disagree with the premise that the ideological basis for Pakistan does not exist. What we must acknowledge is that the dynamics of nationhood now require a reasssesment of the mechanics and framework of how this right is exercised. Times and circumstances mean that Pakistan must reflect the ethos of our people and not just the oligarchies that continue to dominate our country.

Re: Bibhuti Mishra (Jun-13-98)

(“...Sohail Rabbani`s ideas are 55 years old...”)

Though I was not aware that my ideas have been proposed by others as long ago as that, it does not surprise me at all. The way I see it, this is the writing on the wall (that the Subcontinent shall be ‘re-arranged’) and the only reasonable historical outcome.

My basic concern is for the betterment of the quality of life of the one billion people who languish under the yoke of the imperialist systems run by their native masters. Militarism of the Subcontinent is the consequence of the Cold War set-up which continues to prevail in South Asia. The two rival state system (the ‘bi-polar model’) focuses on mutual antagonism and war-like activities. This has to change and only then can South Asia get away from militaristic activities and towards progress.


(“...he did not dare to ...announce ...[t]he solution ... is to unite India and Pakistan as well as Bangladesh and Afghanistan in a Federation of states...”)

You misconstrue my thesis. Not only am I NOT in favor of amalgamating the existing states into one gigantic monolith, I am an advocate of further de-centralization. The federal states under the umbrella of Islamabad and New Delhi are also too big to be manageable. I want to see a dismantling of BOTH these federal state structures. In my humble view the ideal de-centralized model will be that of multiple independent city-states or, at the very most, smaller regional states carved along ethno-linguistic lines. This would make it more viable to have accountability because revenue collection and expenditure will be at the local level.

These 30 or forty daughter states could be involved in a loose regional economic co-operatrive. It would actually be nice if many of them could even entertain a monetary union, but that is a long way away. Only this way can it ever be possible to de-militarize South Asia and have open borders and free trade and commerce between the various independent regions.

...SR

Isn`t Pakistan God`s way of mocking the logicians?
In that respect it has some comic relief for the
Almighty, thereby justifying it`s existence!

And, of course, it was critical in giving a great
many singers, pop, folk, and otherwise, their much-needed breaks. ``Dil Dil UCAR`` just doesn`t
cut it, does it? Ask Roona Laila, Muhammad Ali
Shehkee, and Vital Signs why Pakistan is a good
thing! And what about the latent
vigor which can only be tapped by ``Har ghaRee tayyar kamraan haiN hum! dhaiN dhaiN``...? Others may argue that the real reason for the two-nation
theory was to double the chance of a sub-continental team winning the Cricket World Cup
and the Olympic Gold Medal in Hockey! The list goes on and hopefully forms the equivalent of
Harper`s Index in the Daily Khayanat.

On an equally tangential thread, I must admit that
whenever I see Altaf bhai in action, he reminds me
of the scene from Airplane with the cab-meter
running in thousands of dollars! Mamoolee QeeRay-MakoRay!

It`s not what your country can do for you, but:
halankeh is say farq to paRta naheeN!

Dr. Rabbani: More! More! More!

Excellent article. When do we get more?

Dr. Rabbani, a recent development in China lends more credibility to your prediction of
a confederation or a ``Union of Central Asian Republics``, from the Oxus to the Indus. Wei
Jingsheng, of the Tinnamen Square massacre
fame, was escorted out of Beijing last week
and onto the JFK airport. If history repeats
itself, the beginning of the end of breakup of the Soviet Union started when Solzhynitsen
was escorted out of Moscow in the 1970s and
onto the JFK airport. He gained international
notoriety and became a rallying cry for the forces of ``freedom`` within and without the former Soviet Union. The release of Wei
Jensheng is a harbinger of things to come for the breakup of the Peoples Republic of China.
It may take a few years for the caesarean
birth of a septulets of ``stans``, but a seed has been planted and conception may take a
decade or so. Right on schedule for the year
2025!

What a fresh perspective ... Stepping out of the box to connect the dots!! ``United
(Union of?) Central Asian Republics`` ... UCAR... a loose confederation of
republics from the Oxus to the Indus, with a strong center. Similar to USA. Similar
to EC. Tying the knot in a marriage till death do them part. Based upon economic
interests. With each ``community`` of republics controlling its` own destiny. With
administrative, financial and operational accountability. Similar to USA. Similar to
EC. I agree that it`s a matter time before such a noble proposition happens. The
signs of discontent are everywhere. With the demise of the ``Soviet Union`` fresh in
mind, it will happen sooner than later ... than we can imagine. The writing is on the
wall. I predict that by the year 2025, Mr. Rabbani`s dream of ``UCAR``, or
something like that, will come true. It`s going to take a few martyrs no doubt. Just
ten years ago, who would have imagined the breakup of Soviet Union? But it did.
The momentum is smoldering ready to burst into fire. We need a visionary leader
to throw a Molotov cocktail into that smoldering fire :)-