The World Is BUT are We Ready for a New Pakistan?

hmmmmm

even arjun and jay are not here;)

INSIDETRACK ON WORLD NEWS
by international syndicated columnist & broadcaster Eric Margolis


THE MOTHER OF ALL BLUNDERS
Copyright: Eric S. Margolis, 2004
April 12, 2004

NEW YORK — How the many intelligent people in the Bush Administration can continue to make so many enormous blunders astounds and dismays. Two examples:

Australia is facing a tight electoral race between conservative John Howard, who eagerly sent troops to Iraq, and Labor Party challenger, Mark Latham, who, like Spain`s new prime minister, vows to bring his nation`s troops home from Iraq. A majority of Australians oppose the Iraq War.

US ambassador Tom Schieffer, a Texas pal of George Bush, warned Australians of `serious consequences` if they elect Latham. Now, Australians love America, but any worldly person knows, do not threaten Aussies. They will come out swinging. Schieffer should be fired.

Far worse, however, is the ham-handed US Iraq Proconsul, Paul Bremer. A neo-conservative ideologue, Bremer was responsible for two of the Bush Administration`s most disastrous mistakes in Iraq: disbanding Iraq`s Army, and firing tens of thousands of government bureaucrats because they were Ba`ath party members.

Any junior imperialist knows the first thing you do when you conquer someone`s country is to buy the loyalty of its existing armed forces, government and police. Otherwise you will have armies of angry, unemployed potential rebels roaming the streets — Iraq being Exhibit A.

Bremer`s third horrible blunder came this week. The US Proconsul, who is supposedly bringing the light of democracy to Iraq, shut down a tiny, 10,000 circulation Shia newspaper and arrested its editor for `spreading anti-American views` and calling Bremer rude names. The paper`s publisher was firebrand Shia mullah Muqtada el-Sadr, who has been calling on Iraqis to resist US occupation.

Bremer turned Sadr, a little-respected junior cleric with a limited following, into an overnight hero to restive Shias, and a new American villain.

Bremer`s latest imbecility caused Iraq`s Shia majority, which was simmering with anti-American passions, to explode into violence. Washington and US forces were caught totally by surprise, though warnings were aplenty. This writer, for example, said on CNN`s Paula Zahn show — exactly three days before the explosion of Shia rage — `the Shia and the US are on a collision course…their younger mullahs are calling for armed resistance…what we`ve seen so far(Sunni resistance) is only a foretaste of the violence to come.`

For months, Iraq`s Shia have heeded calls for patience from their spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. He tried to get Washington to agree to genuine democratic elections in January, 2005. But it`s painfully clear the US will not allow Iraq`s Shia majority(60%) to gain real political power, and intends to keep troops based there indefinitely.

The Bush Administration`s definition of `democracy` in Iraq means a puppet regime that goes through the motions of democracy, `invites` US troops to stay on, permits US business to exploit Iraq`s oil riches, and cooperates with Israel.

An interesting side note: Reza Pahlavi, pretender to Iran`s throne, opined to me recently in Washington that Iraq`s Ayatollah Sistani actually outranks all of Iran`s clergy, including leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and Iraq`s holy city of Najaf outranks Iran`s theological center, Qum.

Revelations of Washington`s plans to colonize Iraq, and Israel`s assassination of the Palestinian leader, Sheik Yassin, intensified pent-up Shia fury. Americans can thank Bremer and his bosses in the White House for opening this two-front war in Iraq and driving the Shia and Sunnis together.

The savage punishment of the rebellious city of Falluja — over 300 Iraqis killed — after the brutal killing of four US mercenaries there sharply recalls Israel`s ravaging of the rebellious West Bank town of Jenin.

As this column predicted a year ago, `liberated` Iraq has become a copy of the strife-torn Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza — writ large. Israeli military and intelligence experts are now advising US operations in Iraq. All who oppose US occupation are branded `terrorists.`

Iraq is not going to be `liberated` or taught democracy by means of US heavy tanks and helicopter gunships. Quite the contrary, what we have seen this week is the sowing by heavy-handed US occupation forces of a whole new crop of terrorist dragon`s teeth in the bloodstained soil of Iraq.

The only bright note for the Bush White House: if it can`t kill Osama bin Laden in time for November elections, then maybe pesky Mullah Muqtada will do.

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To read previous columns by Mr. Margolis: Click here
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Eric Margolis
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In your neutrality, please provide SOME examples of major economic commitments being put into Pakistan. This year, FDI is half what it was last year. Thanks

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The problem is that YOU moderate muslims have become a nation of the mute! Extremist forces are now running the show in your society. The past two decades have witnessed Pakistan steering a course strewn with blood, bones, and bodies of innocent victims - all of which can be attributed solely to religious bigotry. Your entire political system is diseased by these religious identities........ahhhh what is the use saying all this.........Pakistan is not ready for anything Mubashir and this country is not going to move forward (atleast not in our life time) Period!
LONG LIVE MUSHARRAF AND GOD BLESS USA!!

Musharraf has made some bold and correct decisions, like becoming a US ally, going through with a peace process without making Kashmir the biggest issue, going against fundamentalist groups in Wana etc. However, he has also made some major blunders. The referendum was a huge blunder. Sidelining opposition parties was also a blunder.

The people of Pakistan cannot create a new Pakistan without the support of the Government. Freedom of speech for the individual should be revered and strongly implemented. If the people are restricted, whether directly or indirectly to speak against the policies of the government and the military, there will be no real progress among the people. I believe the people in general have become apathetic to progress because they have been hammered again and again over the years that you cannot freely stand up and say anything against the military or the ruling government.

Second, the people of Pakistan have also become apathetic to our law and order institutions. Particularly in Karachi, the growing consensus among people is that if you don`t have connections or the money to bail you out of trouble, the police and the law cannot do anything for you. This is something that needs to be changed. When people believe in the effectiveness of the law of the country, thats when corruption will be reduced, adherence to the law will increase and progress would come about. Musharraf and his government should take the lead in showing us that the law and order institutions reign supreme and not the military or the ruling government.

Do not condemn noble freedom fighters who are willing to sacrifice all for their goals!!

Obviously, only a truly dedicated and heroic person would blow themselves up in a place of worship.

Do not mock their sincerity with your tedious emphasis on reason and irrelevant appeals to common-sense. Once there is a ``just cause``, everything is permissible: murder of children on buses, mass killings, suicide bombings, grenades thrown at meetings of elected officials.

Instead you should try to understand and appreciate the ``root cause``. Without sympathy and understanding for those who blow themselves up, you will get nowhere. All those who condemn them are avoiding the real issue that drives people to kill themselves and others. They are hypocriites, lovers of life and without principles.

You say:

``Preempting criticism, I would refer to Prime Minister Jamali’s recent speech at National Defense College where he said that Pakistan was becoming “irrelevant” to the masses.``

What Pakistani leaders - now enlightened, somewhat - are saying is that: The antiquated and intolerance based ideology in which Pakistan originated and has been increasingly identified with has no place in relationship to masses` aspirations. Of course, the masses do not include Mullah-terrorists and their supporters.

``Musharraf and the political government are faced with the challenge of steering the nation into a progressive future: a future where no youth would fall trap to extremism and blow himself in a mosque. Musharraf and Jamali get lashes from the domestic politicians for doing just that while the world pats their back. Only time will prove who takes the lead but for now, I must say that the world appears prepared but we are not for a new – and better – Pakistan.``

Take it from me my friend, mushy is not steering pakistan to any progressive state, it is being pushed in that direction by the yanks, and mushy is not doing it for the good of people of pakistan, but to preserve the pak military, remebering what happened to sadams army.

But it is heartening to note that you have hit up on the truth rather in a convoluted manner. The pakistanis are not ready for the change, a theme I had been harping on for so many years. Pakistanis are in general jihadic people, they have a country created for islam, and jihad is the principal and central element of islam.

The dawn of any hope for pakistan is the day when people stop talking about jinnahs dream, the day the intelectuals of pakistan accept that TNT is a corrosive ideology that criminalised pakistan. The day the pakistanis accept the priciple of partitition based on the idea that muslims cannot live with hindus was faulty, consign the proponents of that to the trash heap of history. Then say that pakistan exist due to a set of unfortunate circumstances , and work for the future of its people.

That is the only way forward by ignoring the cry `` pakistan ka matlab kya``, or may be answering it by telling that pakistan is a ba$tard country. Without rediculing and resituating the ideology of pak creation there is no hope for pakistan.

Go and smash a few photos.

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According to studies by Agri. Development Bank and the institute named after the renowend former World Bank employee and Pakistan`s former finance minister Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Center, the percentage of those below the poverty line in Pakistan before Musharaf took power was 32% (year 1998-99).

The forecast for year 2003-04 is 44%.

This shows that under Musharaf poverty has increased by 12 percent.

I was surprised to read these statistics. Are these figures correct?

Mubashir Butt, how should we explain this?

yes. these figures are correct thou the government still says it`s below 40% - 37% is what they claim it to be. now, the way poverty is defined is - to put it at the least - hilarious: a family of five making two dollars (Rs. 114) a day is not poor. below that is poor. my god, just imagine if a family can live in 3,420 rupees per month.

itnay kay to bachon kay pampers aa jaatay hein!

now, committing to economic growth is different from the trickle down effect to the masses. there we would need to develop a mechanism to ensure it happens; something for the government to do which ironically and tragically doesnt seem much interested to develop.

our political history is littered with the false promises and then backing out. do we still remember the tall claims by the then finance minsiter, SARTAJ AZIZ in Nawaz-II, that ``economy is about to take the turn and will take off soon.`` later this man was made the foreign minister and now is the vice chancellor of the Beaconhouse National University. these contradictions will continue till the fear of accountability is not there, which is not!!!

# 5 Arjun_m

you quoted abdur rasheed ghazi saying that osama is our hero and that poll would reveal that bush is our enemy. frankly, you cant label one`s comments as the psyche of the whole nation. we all have extremists in all societies of the world - no matter how strong systems there could be. the great gandhi once said that ``mullah and pandit think the same and so does sufi and sadhu; one divides but the other joins.`` AND you quoted a MULLAH here...try searching for sufis too :)

# 6 Rozaiba

USAID is pouring in 100 million USD for the education sector reforms only via Education Sector Reforms Assistance (ESRA) and Ministry of Education (MoE). yet another 40 million USD are administered via Natinal Democratic Institute and Internation Republican Institute for the political reforms and training. some 10 million USD are for the time are reserved for direct help to the small scale educational enterprises. now touching the econimic commitments, US recently increased the taxtile quota from Pakistan by 3.7% which is expected to bring a boost in our economy by around 65 million USD and frankly, what else could we export other than garments etc. EU`s increase in, yet again, taxtiles is expected to bring around 49 million Euros rise. Europeans are also actively donating in the educational sector too. one scandanavian mission is extremely actively involved in madrassah uplift.

# 8 pmishra2

the issue is not the individuals here; the issue is the state and it`s policies and the people running the show. ``freedom fighting`` is not the only way of achieving the ``goals.`` search and you`ll find many. the support that these ``freedom fighters`` were getting in 2000 was around 89 million USD from the people behind the curtain, if i may quote a journanlist here! children are dying hungry and women becoming prostitues because of poverty and we are waging jihad in other lands.

# 9 Inquirer

i agree with you in principle but the historic phenomena are impossible to reverse and what jamali said at ndc had a background of state`s failing to provide ANYTHING to its inhabitants (note: i am not using the word citizens here). the feeling is that people who live in the state of pakistan are the subjects; not the citizens.

# 10 arjun_m

i cannot brush aside this story in daily times; there could be some substance to that but it would be interesting if this becomes the starting point of banning hizbul too as an act of CBM towards india. in that case, i am the biggest advocate of that...and hey partner - trust me - that a majority of people in pakistan never endorsed the kashmir policy from the very beginning.

# 11 jay

yes. pakistanis are NOT ready for the new pakistan. also true that what musharraf`s been doing, it`s mainly because of the international pressure otherwise this very same great general said on kohala bridge on february 5, 2000 that a certain kashmiri song (kario band-e-jiggar) brings ``tears to my eyes`` and aslo waved his fist as a gesture of solidarity with kashmiri people. but what`s the starting point here? allow me to subtly disagree with you here to start ``ridiculing`` the pakistan`s ideology - frankly, i`ve never believed that religion could play a part in forming a seperate state etc - but such a frontal strategy will bring back a frontal lash. rather a covert and indirect approach of educating the people`s mindset could bring them to such a point where they could start thinking of jihad in SOCIAL terms rather than the bombs and guns. the synthesis of the indian (not pakistani) independence movement painfully reveals how gandhi was ignored both by congress and the mulsim league. at one point gandhi agreed to have either of the prime minister of president from a minority community i.e. muslims. mirraculously jinnah agreed too but nehru didnt. the personal chemistry of jinnah and nehru was based on hatred for eachother. jinnah was more blunt and non diplomatic saying that ``we shall have india divided or we shall have india destroyed.`` in both cases, it was destruction. gandhi said that ``india will only be divided over my dead body`` and THEY killed him soon after. nehru was more subtle and polite - the way he was - in telling gandhi that he wont accept jinnah either as the pm or the president. but now comrad, done is done and historic process cant be reversed. pakistan will have to understand today or tomorrow that an air of hatred will only breed hatred from all sides. getting rid of it is better today than tomorrow.

Pakistan has always been butt-ready when it came to changing directions under US orders!

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