What you think about pakistan's progress in 2006. positive and negative both aspects. What we gain and what we lost.
here i am posting article of Nasim Zehra )famous kashmir writer and journalist) which she wrote in khaleej times.

THROUGHOUT 2006, President General Pervez Musharraf led the call for ‘moderation’ in Pakistani politics and society.

In the closing weeks of 2006 he also shepherded State institutions and the parliament to take concrete steps like the passage of the Women’s Protection Bill (WPB) and the introduction of an additional Bill to end illegal, unconstitutional and un-Islamic practices against women including domestic violence. A long overdue revision of the school curriculum took place to broaden historical and cultural horizons and to remove the language handicap the Urdu medium students face, which impedes their academic and professional development.

While credible democracy is still missing, on the ideological plane there is an overall spirit of tolerance and inclusion that the Musharraf-controlled state and official politics is displaying. These are almost revolutionary steps coming from a state and political class that through acts of commission and omission has, for almost quarter of a century, beginning with its participation in the US-led eighties ‘international jihad’ against the Soviet Union, tolerated and promoted intolerance and violence in society.

Pakistan’s State institutions, encouraged by global politics of the eighties and nineties, actively violated the Constitution, undermined internal security, and trashed the founding vision seeking to promote the finest values of Islam and humanism — justice, freedom and excellence. Instead, a dark stifling shadow was cast over the Pakistani state and society.

Many exceptional efforts resisted state pressures but in Pakistan the collective and institutionalised spirit of inquiry, of commitment to social justice, of academic excellence was maimed. And for too long. It was a shadow that killed the spirit of art and culture, it numbed the sensitivities and it promoted fear and conspiracy.

Why did mostly the fearful, the crooked and the conspiratorial fill our public space? Many in Pakistan consistently harped on these questions. They spelt out the dangers of sectarianism, bigotry and organised violence to people and politics. They demanded change. No less than a cancer was sown in society.

Logically, therefore, this 2006 turnaround was long overdue. Logical requirements however don’t easily become items on political agendas. It took this government half a decade of vacillation on if and how to remove from the various aspects of state-controlled private and public life, the deviations from the essence of Quranic teachings and from the Constitution. Finally, multiple triggers — domestic, political, media support and foreign pressure, as well as Musharraf’s personal orientation — prompted the 2006 ideological turn around.

Significantly, military rulers have been responsible for introducing Constitutional changes and promulgating ordinances that introduce fundamental changes in the position of women. Ayub Khan introduced the Family Laws Ordinance granting additional rights to women, while Zia legalised and institutionalised injustice against women. The difference between the Ayub and Zia moves, and Musharraf’s moves is that Musharraf, though a military president, initiated the WPB that enjoyed the support of the parliamentary members, Constitutional institutions like the Council of Islamic Ideology(CII), national and regional parties including the ANP, the PPP and the MQM, which enjoy popular support, the Executive, and the media.

The WPB therefore went through the parliamentary process and also enjoys considerable popular political support. Through this move Musharraf started to tangibly root out Zia’s legacy of distortion of religion and patriotism he had initiated for the overlapping causes of personal survival and the security agenda devised by his regime.

Musharraf’s regime also appears to be actively withdrawing from religo-political groups the authority of defining and determining national security and national ideology. Until now the state had merely looked while the values of tolerance and co-existence became subservient to group and clique notions of religiosity.

On anti-terrorism, Musharraf’s articulation has been faulty. As the head of state his call can only be to ask for citizens’ adherence to law; to the state’s commitment to enforcement of law; to the promotion of values and vision as enshrined in the words of the Founding Father and in the Constitution. The rest he must leave to the political class, which alone fires up the popular imagination. That class alone can win hearts and minds and effectively defuse hate and anger. Does this have staying power?

While in 2006 the lifting of the long and dark shadow has begun yet the effort has at best initiated a vulnerable revolution; one that can be undermined by negative pressures generated by other unresolved questions. An invincible revolution requires government’s engagement with the three challenges woven into the tapestry of Pakistan’s contemporary power and politics. A holistic engagement requires responding ably and most importantly simultaneously, to the three connected challenges of ‘credible democracy’, internal security and ideological reorientation.

While the government has taken significant steps to promote ideological reorientation it remains weak on credible democracy and on anti-terrorism policy, which is at the heart of internal security. Credible democracy security requires holding of fair and free elections and internal security requires fighting terrorism using transparent methods.

It’s also important to remember that no anti-terrorism policy can really succeed without credible democracy, which allows more space to mainstream political parties. In the Pakistani tool-kit of anti-terrorism, the crucial missing factor is an alternative political vision that can capture the hearts and minds of the people.

Yet, for it to take roots the frame works, discourse, the narratives and contestations should all promote a tolerant ‘way of being’. More importantly, Pakistan’s 60-year-long history and Musharraf’s seven years specifically; clearly underscore that credibly functioning state institutions and political system together constitute the enabling environment in which judicious politics will prosper.

Interestingly the media, the state, the government’s allies — including the PML-Q and the MQM, the mainstream opposition party PPP and civil society groups are all promoting the alternative tolerant discourse. Yet the unresolved question of democracy, human rights and anti-terrorism policy sharply divides these groups with the opposition parties, the media and the civil society. As things stand these issues trump the common denominator of a tolerant political world view. Hence the common space of ideological reorientation is insufficient to earn the government sustained and widespread support.

To make the 2006 moves invincible, the government will have to move simultaneously, credibly and imaginatively along the democratic and the internal security paths.

((((Nasim Zehra is a fellow of Harvard University Asia Center, Cambridge, Mass. and Adjunct professor at SAIS Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC. )))) Recently she gave back medals to pak Government and followed Ahmed faraz.

well u started a topic i was really looking forward.Dont't know y,but inspite of the fact am not a pessimsit,yet i find it a very bleak year in sense of flourishing & progress.

Crime ratio became greater,communal riots played havoc with law n order.

Terrorist acts like explosion of Gass pipe lines near Dera Murad Jamali & Sui,Peshawar bomb blast,tragedy of Nashtar park & Bajor,suicide attack on punjab Regiment were extremely sad events.

Hudood ordinance,Women protection bill remained burning issues and this drama ended in the triumph of Gov.

Opposition's histrionic continued hollow threats of running a succesful campaign against Gov.

Killing of Bughti along with other 24 men, violence against Denmark & pope 's statement trampled the peace.

Infaltion,heavy rain and absense of proper drainage system disturbed the routine life largely.

Failed to resettle earthquake victims.

wasn't all this enough?but another issue of moon sighting appeared on the scene.imagine world is going on moon and here, wat to talk of going on it,even sighting it became an irksome work.

On international level again many challenges were waiting for us

India never let the bird fly and dilated the impression that pak still providing support to banned organizations and is invloved in Mumbai blasts.

Afghanistan accused pak of cross border terrorism.

President Bush paid a visit to Pak,India,to Pak for recreation,toIndia for some serious business.

Gen Musharaf moved away for US,inaugrated his controversial book,
discussed co operation in social sector,trade,investment,education etc.

still hoping next year will bring much prosperity

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i dont want merely to possess a faith,i want a faith that possesses me.

@ Saira,

Good post.
Almost all the burning issues of year 2006 are being mentioned in it.

Regards,

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My ALLAH it is enough for my respect that I m "Your" person & it is enough for my pride that "You" are my GOD."You" are exactly the way I desire.Thus please mould me the way "You" desire.

Well Its bleak one...As 9/11 changed the world and many countries are facing its repercusions including pakistan. War on terror produced many terrorists on the same time.
There are failures as well as success for our country in 2006.

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BAN