Three Questions From Imran Khan

I have, as yet, three questions from Imran Khan that I hope will be asked from him in the upcoming episode of “Ikhtilaaf” with Wajahat S Khan. These questions are of prime concern of mine.

1) Once he becomes the premier, will he be able to bring the army under strong civilian-government control? Army is not/has never been under strong civilian control, we all know that!

 

 

2) Will he be able to cut down the defence budget and increase the education budget instead?

 

 

3) Based on his party’s name (Tehreek-e-Insaaf), does he agree that the true essence of justice is that everyone is accountable to the court? If he agrees to it then will he be looking forward to abolish the article 248 of the constitution which gives immunity to premier, president, federal ministers and governors?

It’s all about Pakistan’s Politics

My beautiful country, Pakistan. I always thought it to be more beautiful than ever, but it always became more worst than ever. I always wanted to see peace, it struck down at war internally; I wanted to see economic growth, instead I saw recession; I wanted to see character education, instead I saw immorality; I wanted to see political stability, the instability exacerbated to more; I wanted to see reduction in poverty level in all these years, but nothing.

The political situation in Pakistan is directly proportional to all the issues concerning Pakistan, may it be pertinent to economic, security, law and order, education, poverty, religion, social, and technological issues.

Each day I hear declarations coming from our political leaders repeating one thing over again, but sagaciously, and simultaneously deviously in different ways. Are we primitive enough not to conceive what our political leaders are up to – or may be we’re so much used to of being a part of this famous pac-man game in which pac-man nourishes itself by eating pac-dots. Pac-man is often stonewalled by ghosts in his mission. We can equate pac-man with Pakistan’s political leaders and those ghosts who stonewall pac-man can be equated with the amiable paragons of Pakistan. If you see from the eyes of pac-man – you’ll find ghosts as ghost; from an opposite view, it’ll be contrary. Pac-dots can be equated with the people of Pakistan — Pakistanis.

I often think, why we keep betting on the same betted horse who gives nothing but bringing dishonor again and again to the country. Every time we bet on the betted horse, we demonstrate ourselves as a matchless nation – a nation that makes itself fall behind by duping itself.

One of the salient feature of Pakistanis is they’re excellent in complying contrary to one of the famous phrase — “Two wrongs do not constitute a right.” Pakistanis always endeavor to find all necessary and possible means that could pave a way to satisfy their egos.

For instance, if I argue with any Musharraf’s supporter about missing person or Bajaur air-strike resulted in the loss of 100′s of innocents – most probably I’ll receive a reply that missing people is just a myth and Bajaur air-strike is nothing – a lot much worst is done by current government — yet again a contrariety to the phrase delineated above. Possibly, I’ll get some response that it was in the larger interest of country. Oh well, when a Pakistani is out of arguments and is not willing to accept the fundamental truth behind the argument, he/she always comes up with this statement. This phrase has grown over too much now. It’s not our fault that we can’t be flexible enough to accept right as right and wrong as wrong, it’s but miraculous that we can’t understand.

In another example, if I ask any MQM supporter what is your main reason of supporting MQM, give me just one supporting point? I, most probably will get this reply that MQM has done a lot for Karachi. That’s what I call Lakeer key Faqeer — the protagonist keeps the beaten path. If I ask a second question that goes like: what’s your stance about MQM carrying arms? And I know I’ll hear back that other political parties do also keep arms so as MQM — once again demonstrating contrary to the phrase “Two wrongs do not make a right.” Hence, these explanations are vernacular amongst Pakistanis.

In another example, if I ask any PML(N) supporter about his stance on killing of so many people of Karachi – call themselves Muhajirs. I certainly will get a reply that MQMers are terrorists and funded by India so they deserve it. That’s another top-drawer nonsensical reply I’ll get. So here we’re merely obsessed politically, forgetting the brutal killing of 100′s of innocents died in the past due to political grievances. In an opposite way, if I ask from MQM why they don’t like PML(N), I’ll get another vernacular response that Nawaz Sharif is a killer of so many Muhajirs and a corrupt person. But how come Altaf Hussain is a saint – this question will tickle my mind obviously. I won’t ask this question as I know it’d be futile to debate with the obsessed protagonists. But yeah, I sure would expose the hypocrisy while asking a crisscross question that why MQM is in alliance with PPP who’s also said to be the killers of so many Urdu speaking Muhajirs – claimed by MQM. To blot out the hypocrisy of MQM, I’ll get a reply that BB is dead so we’re now having anew relation with PPP, and particularly Zardari. Or may be I’ll get a reply which is often reiterated by our politicians as well that goes like: “Qoum key wasee tar mafad mein”– translated as: “In the larger interest of country.” Our (Pakistani) mind-set works this way, whether to admit or not.

While I see the whole political structure of Pakistan, I find that our political system isn’t steadfast. Our leaders say something and does the other thing. For instance, everyone political party talks about internal peace in the nation, yet all of them are arms-laden — not even following Pakistan Arms Ordinance of 1965. It doesn’t yet make a wee bit of sense that peace is actually possible when civilians — mostly uneducated — are arms-laden.

In another instance, we see MQM always talking a lot in against of feudal, but the same MQM demonstrated as a hands-on political party electing Zardari in the presidential elections. Oh, I forget to add it’s in the larger interest of nation.

Nawaz Sharif is a twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. In his both the term, we’ve witnessed an hostile opposition against the political parties who didn’t support him. Nawaz Sharif’s role in Kargil war is also controversial. The number of corruption charges against Nawaz Sharif is also well-known to many. Therefore, I believe he’s not a competent person to hold the office of Prime Minister, not even a member of Parliament.

Pakistan’s politics isn’t the politics of principle. Political leaders are merely running after the power, and we as a nation keep on trusting them. We always trust them that’s why we elect them over again and they again show their competency and excellency of looting the nation. What these leaders have given to us? Seriously, if we see our nation today, we’ll see a division of borders and thoughts amongst Pakistanis. The seeds of racism and hatred is sowed by our political leaders in Past and the current political leaders have watered the seeds of it – helping the plant of hatred, racism and division of thoughts to grow more. MQM majorly represents Urdu Speaking call themselves Muhajirs, PML(N) majorly represents Punjab province, ANP majorly represents NWFP province. MQM doesn’t like PML(N) and vice versa so automatically it creates a good enough hatred and sometimes racism amongst two provinces Sindh and Punjab. ANP doesn’t like MQM, although keeps on trying to patch up unlike PML(N). But while the political rivalry amongst MQM and ANP takes place which we often witness – then we see a good enough hatred from both sides – and often it leads to racism and discrimination within the nation. And moreover, the rate of education in our country paves a way for our political leaders to make use of uneducated people, utilizing the same ethnic, racial, and linguistic card. Is this all good what we see today? We’ve to understand this fact that these political leaders have given us nothing, instead created a fraction amongst.

Understanding Pakistan’s politics is very easy. Just don’t be self-centred about one’s city or locality; think from larger perspective — from an eye of P-a-k-i-s-t-a-n-i. Also don’t need to act contrary to the famous phrase delineated above as well “Two wrongs do not make a right”. Call wrong as wrong, and accept right as right. If you’re being given with the option to select a lesser evil from the lot of evils, reject all; Evil is always an evil — lesser or higher evil are merely the attributes of evilness. And last, but certainly not the least, use your own mind to discern the things – not the same mind that political leaders use.

Youm-e-Iftikhar — The victory of Justice

As the Aristotle said:

Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.

16th March 2009 — has become a red-letter day in the history of Pakistan. The day is marked with the great fortune for Pakistan when the Nation witnessed the Independence of Judiciary in the form of restoration of deposed Judges including the Chief Justice of Supreme Court — ousted during the dictatorial regime of General Pervez Musharraf on 3rd November 2007. After more than two long years and the interminable endeavors of Lawyers — resulted in the reinstatement of Judges — has made Pakistanis enthralled and turned their caprice to begin with a new future of nation with more devotion and optimism.

1400 years back, there was a society where rich and poor, friend or foe, Muslim or Non-Muslim, the rule and the ruled — all were treated equally. Each of them would count on Judiciary. The management was strong — and the Justice was satisfactory enough. Then a downfall of Justice occurred. Even during this downfall we saw some of the precedents which entails that the Justice on the land of Allah wasn’t yet obliterated completely. Once, when British used to rule over sub-continent, a dispute of some land arose between Muslims and Hindus. Hindus laid a claim that the land belonged to a temple while Muslims laid a claim that the land belonged to a Mosque. Both the groups were trying to be eminent in claims and prove their due rights. The British Judge was bewildered and confused to announce the final result so he asked both the groups if they could accept the testimony of a third person who’s known as pious amongst both the groups. The third person was a Muslim. The entire Muslim community urged him to help them win the case by giving a testimony in favor of them. The pious man would never do so. He briefly reviewed the case and gave a final proclamation in favor of Hindus.

That’s the Justice we need today and for the same Justice — today, we see Pakistan with a different aspect. Long before — 61 years back when this Nation got independence and till to-date — it has always fought for the Independence of Judiciary. Lawyers have given so much of the sacrifices to acquire the independence of this grand institution. Not only Lawyers, the civilians of Pakistan have sacrificed majorly and fought considerably for this great cause. The supporters during the Lawyers Movement were aimed by violence and vehemency, the brutality and cruelty, apprehended and jailed, and what not. Yet these things never derailed the aim of the supporters of this great cause, and they brave out such difficulties. At this phase, I feel like quoting Allama Iqbal — One of the verse from the conversation between Hazrat Jibrael AS and Ibless: Kar gaya sarmast mujh ko toot kar mera saboo — Which means: The loss I have suffered, has increased my passion more. I feel it’s the same example conformed to the Lawyers Movement. They were duped, they rose. They were suppressed, they rose. They were beaten yet they rose again. Their aim was one, their vision was clear, their demands were long promised, their support was bulky. The verge of loosing was never near to them — in fact it can never be. They had the blessings of “Justice” which always win ultimately. And finally they won. They set upped example — example of dedication to the truth and a valor.

The Nation has great hopes from them. The clouds of despair were rising above the country, the hopes were near to forlorn — but now people are greatly optimistic to see a spectacular change. Now this change can’t come overnight. But sure, the change is on it’s way now. It has started from 16th of March 2009. We’ll see this change in a time to come – InshaAllah.

As Allama Iqbal said:

Zamaney key andaaz badley gae;
Naya raag hai saaz badley gae

–

The Fashions of the age turn round,
From new tuned strings, new harmonies sound

The new tuned strings and the new harmonies that will sound will be good enough to live with – InshaAllah!!

Pakistan Zindabad!! Long live Islamic Republic of Pakistan!!