Nasim Ahmed

It was a typical gangland attack. A bus carrying passengers from Karachi to Swabi is stopped on the way near Nawabshah. Half a dozen gun-toting assailants enter the bus and, without asking any questions, open fire killing passengers indiscriminately. Seven die on the spot and many more are critically injured.

After accomplishing their deadly mission they flee on motorbikes chanting slogans in favour of the Sindhu Desh Liberation Army.

This was reprisal killing at its most blatant. It is said that the assassins spilled innocent blood to avenge the killing of 12 innocent people in an attack on an Awami Tehrik rally in Karachi a week earlier. The "Save Sindh" rally was passing through the Lea Market area when unknown hooligans opened fire, killing 12 people and fatally wounding more than 30. The assault has been blamed on the MQM. Enraged by the outrageous attack, the Awami Tehreek called for a wheel jam strike to protest against the killing the next day, which resulted in further violence and arson. The Nawabshah massacre occurred a few days later.

Welcome to the killing fields of Karachi - a city which is forever thirsting for the blood of its sons.

The cycle of murderous violence in the city never seems to stop. Indeed, the megalopolis has become a metaphor for the Roman amphitheatre where gladiators fought to the death. In Karachi, it looks like a free for all with everybody killing everybody. There is ethnic killing. There is sectarian killing. There is target killing. There is random killing and there is blind killing. Dead bodies with torture marks all over, stuffed in sacks, are a common sight. Criminal gangs backed by power political groups indulge in open loot and killing without any fear of being called to account.

A few weeks back, Lyari was the scene of pitched battles between the police and armed gangs holed up in the area. It was like the fighting in Beirut in the early 80s between armed groups which went on for months and years on end. For several days, Lyari looked like a war zone. Heavy weapons, including rocket launchers and grenades, were freely used to keep the police at bay. Even after fighting for several days, the law and order forces could not enter many areas of Lyari. And in the end the operation had to be abandoned without achieving the objective for which it was started - ridding the area of criminal elements.

Needless to say, the cauldron of violence in Karachi has been kept on the boil by the criminal gangs which hold the city to ransom. The gun, drug, land and extortion mafias ruling the city brook no opposition to their criminal activities and will go to any length to intimidate, blackmail and kill common people. This is the defining feature of life in Karachi today.

According to the annual report of Amnesty International, around 2,000 innocent people were killed in Karachi during Jan-Dec 2011. The report says the city remained "gripped by a wave of killings sparked by rival gangs associated with different ethnic and political groups." The AI's report also criticizes the civilian government for failing to ensure security to the people and paying scant attention to promote the human rights of its citizens. Pointing out that authorities were frequently unwilling, or unable, to protect women, ethnic and religious minorities, journalists and other vulnerable groups from abuses, and bring the perpetrators to justice. The AI report also says that "promises by federal and provincial authorities aimed at improving the rule of law" in the city were never given practical shape.

Speaking to the media, Mustafa Qadri, Pakistan researcher at Amnesty International, said: "2011 was a difficult year for human rights in Pakistan reflected in a string of high profile killings from Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti to journalist Saleem Shahzad and reporter Wali Khan Babar. The judge who sentenced Mumtaz Qadri for killing Taseer has gone into hiding and no one has been prosecuted for killing Bhatti or Shahzad while police and the courts are fearful of investigating the possible link of a major political party to Babar's killing. The people from Karachi to FATA are stuck in a worsening spiral of violence as demonstrated by killings and other abuses in the Khyber agency and Lyari town in Karachi recently and so many other places."


There is a general breakdown of law and order in the country which is typified by the all-enveloping terror in Karachi. The city is a microcosm of Pakistan: what is happening here reflects the process of creeping deterioration and degeneration that currently holds the country in its grip. From Gilgit-Baltistan to FATA to Balochistan to Karachi the state does not seem to exist. Criminals of all description- militants, terrorists, sectarian extremists, serial and target killers, drug barons, etc. - have a free run of the country.

Karachi's problem stems from its dangerous ethnic mix exacerbated by increasing social and economic inequalities and a ruthless power struggle among various political groups using gangsters as their strong arm against rivals. All criminals have their political patrons and that is the reason why they are never called to account.

Karachi's problem is, basically, political and it can only be solved politically by the major stakeholders of the city sitting together to hammer out a new socio-political contract which accommodates the legitimate rights of all ethnic groups. The bulk of the Muhajir, Pathan, Punjabi, Sindhi and Baloch population comprise of daily wage earners, factory labourers and daily wage earners. And it is a tragedy that it is they who suffer the loss of life and income most when the scheming politicians fight for their turf.

It is imperative that that this deadly political game which has cost thousands of innocent lives is brought to an end through a new accord among all the stakeholders in the power game. The first step towards this objective should be to de-weaponise the city as soon as possible. The megacity bristles with arms, both legal and illegal.

It is pertinent to recall here that immoderate politicians like Zulfikar Mirza have done their bit to turn Karachi into the tinder box it is today. In one of his intemperate outbursts recently, he admitted having issued three lac weapon licences to his supporters. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of illegal weapons are supposed to be in the possession of criminals as well as common people fearful for their security.

If Karachi is to find peace, the government should declare a state of emergency and impose a curfew, if needed, in order to confiscate all weapons, legal or illegal, in a well-coordinated combing operation by the law and order agencies. Licensed arms can later be returned but after the operation anyone found in possession of illegal weapons should be awarded deterrent punishment. Violence will automatically wind down in a weapons-free Karachi.

-cuttingedge

Faheem Amir

After Balochistan, now Sindh is in turmoil, where many innocent people are being killed ruthlessly. Last week saw two very tragic incidents of bloodletting in two different cities of Sindh, Karachi and Nawabshah.

In Karachi, more than 11 people were killed and dozens wounded when gunmen attacked a “Love Sindh rally called by the Awami Tehreek (AT), on May 22, against the Mohajir Sooba campaign.

The most tragic thing is that when the rally participants staged a sit-in protest against the attack, the gunmen returned and fired at the demonstrators again. The law enforcement agencies, which allegedly disappeared from their duty just before the attack began, arrived after the attack and, in spite of protecting the people and arresting the culprits, also fired at the protestors.

The banned People's Aman Committee and other Sindhi nationalist groups also joined the Awami Tehreek's rally. A strike was observed in Sindh against this incident, on May 23.

The PML-N and the PTI also supported the strike and condemned the killings of the people. The PML-N's support to this strike prompted our Federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, to claim that Nawaz Sharif was conspiring with the Sindhi nationalists against the PPP. Our venal politicians like to play their politics on the very dead bodies of innocent people.
Many people think that the MQM is behind this attack, because it is giving latent support to the Mohajir province campaign. This gory incident also recalls the massacre of May 12, 2007, in Karachi. On that tragic day’s processions, which were going towards Karachi airport to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, were attacked and many people lost their lives. It is very sad that the incident still begs investigation. Hitherto, no perpetrator has been arrested. Many people believe that the same perpetrators of May 12, 2007, tragedy have attacked the “Love Sindh” rally.
The discovery of the dumped body of Muzaffar Bhutto, Secretary General of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz, on May 22, has also fired up the Sindhi nationalists. The method of Muzaffar Bhutto's killing resembles the killing methods, which are in operation since long in Balochistan. The Sindhi nationalists are also accusing the PPP of collaboration with the MQM against them.

On the other hand, the MQM is denying this accusation by saying that it is a peace-loving national political party.

Then, on May 25, unknown gunmen shot dead seven passengers on a Swabi-bound bus on the National Highway and wounded three others.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sardar Khan Chandio said that the Sindhu Desh Liberation Army, a separatist Sindhi nationalist group, had claimed responsibility for the attack. Pamphlets of the outfit claiming responsibility for the killings in revenge for Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) leader Muzaffar Bhutto's killing were found at the site of the attack.

According to witnesses, the attackers had been raising slogans that they had taken revenge for an attack on the Awami Tehreek rally in Karachi. Other witnesses said that the assailants had claimed that the attack was revenge for the murder of JSMM leader, Muzaffar Bhutto, whose body was found from Hyderabad after 15 months of his disappearance.

These two tragic incidents force every thinking and educated Pakistani to ask the following questions:-

What are the real problems of Sindh? Can these problems be solved politically and peace be restored in Sindh? Is there any hope for Karachi? Who is behind the recent violence and bloodletting in this unfortunate city? Why are the political parties not playing a constructive role? Where are the security agencies to preserve peace in this violence-riddled city? Is Karachi turning into a centre of anti-state forces, which are hatching conspiracies against the very stability of Pakistan? Is a Mohajar province a first step to establish Jinnahpur? Is Karachi going to become the number one problem of our country?

Although, there are many socio-political problems in Sindh, but a sense of deprivation, exploitation and lust for political power has turned the people of various ethnic groups against each other. There are also many foreign forces, which are fanning communal and ethnic riots to destabilise Pakistan. It is the duty of our political leadership to remove the ill feelings of deprivation and exploitation among the people by introducing friendly policies and a system based on equality.

Karachi is confronted with various kinds of violence, like sectarian violence, ethnic violence, political violence and social violence. These various kinds of violence make the Karachi problem very difficult to understand and handle.
But, the power-game, which is being played between the PPP, the MQM, the ANP and other religious parties, like the Sunni Tehreek and Jamaat-e-Islami, has converted the city of light into the city of death and darkness.
There is not an iota of doubt that three major political parties, the PPP, the MQM and the ANP, are playing bloody games to protect their interests in Karachi. The MQM wants to keep its hold on the city while the ANP also wants to have its share in power. The MQM is afraid of Pakhtun immigration from other parts of the country as it is creating demographic imbalance in the city, which goes against the interests of the MQM. So, both the parties are using violence against each other. Many analysts believe that the root cause of Karachi's problems is ethnic cleavage. But the PPP is also playing its tricky game in Karachi, which shows that there are also other causes which are bleeding the metropolis. The PPP is not taking a hard stand against any party because both the parties are its allies in the federal and provincial governments. The PPP also wants to see the MQM weak and the fight between the two parties serves the interests of the PPP in Karachi.
Another political factor in the shape of the MQM-Haqiqi is also playing out in Karachi. Many members of the MQM-Haqiqi now have joined the Sunni Tehreek.

Many gangsters, the land mafia, narcotics dealers, dacoits and other miscreants have also taken refuge in the vast city. They are playing havoc with peace. They have the support of all the major three political parties and police force.

It is said that the banned Aman Committee, the ANP and the Sunni Tehreek have captured many areas from the MQM in Karachi.

It is allegedly said that after the induction of many Haqiqi members, the Sunni Tehreek now has gotten control over the Federal B Area, including Karimabad and Ayesha Manzil. Saddar and Zainab Market are said to be in the Aman Committee's control, while the ANP is enjoying power in Sohrab Goth, SITE Area and Nazimabad, etc.

All these political and religious parties are fighting against each other to protect their own partisan interests.

Many people in Karachi have freedom to accumulate and use weapons. The individuals and groups have the freedom to get, develop, and use arsenals of weapons without the fear of punitive state action. As long as individuals and groups feel that they have the freedom to accumulate and use weapons, Karachi will be as lawless as the tribal areas are. This weaponisation of the city cannot happen without the support of political and security forces.
Karachi does not have a functional police force. Its personnel are now heavily infiltrated by party cadres, largely affiliated to the MQM, but also other parties. The Karachi police is no longer an organisation fit to maintain peace in the city.

Then there is an administrative problem in Karachi. The city is too big to be controlled under a weak police. The entire city has been divided under Sector commanders by the MQM. These Sector commanders are the real lords of the city. Police and other security agencies are helpless against these lords.
Many conspiracy theories are also in the air. Some believe that Taliban and al-Qaeda members have infiltrated among the Pakhtuns and they are disturbing peace and order in Karachi. The MQM supports this theory while the Pukhtuns refute it. PM Gillani and Rehman Malik are also of the view that the Taliban are behind the killings in Karachi. Some say Israel, India and the US are playing their nefarious games as well, as they want to destabilise Pakistan. Some analysts believe that our military agencies are playing their games in Karachi to incapacitate the democratic government and re-capture political power in Pakistan.

The slogan and rally in favour of the Mohajr province in Karachi shows that a new game is being played to incite the feelings of hatred among the Sindhi nationalists and the Mohajr.

Shahab Usto writes: “It must be answered: why a mohajir province? Is it for 'identity' or socio-economic and political assertion? The proposed 'decapitation' of Sindh is fraught with disaster. With its industrial south, agrarian north, logistically significant east and resource-rich central-west, neither is the province divisible geographically, nor can its people, who have lived here for centuries, be rent asunder socio-politically. Yes, the country would surely slide into an irretrievable abyss".

These are some problems, which are wreaking havoc in Karachi. But the big question is how to solve these problems?

Many analysts believe that the MQM is now playing its old game of ethnicity in Karachi and the Mohajir province is a first step towards the creation of Jinnahpur. To dispel these ideas, it is the duty of the MQM that it should give a definitive statement on the issue of the Mohajr province. All the political and religious parties should keep their partisan interests aside and work for the stability of Sindh.

Every effort must be made to investigate satisfactorily the real causes of the Karachi rally incident, Nawabshah bus ambush and the death of Muzaffar Bhutto. Unless the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are brought to justice, Sindh would remain in the danger of ethnic bloodshed in the days ahead.

-Cuttingedge

Faheem Amir


Pakistan is bleeding. Sectarian violance, attacks against minorities, terror attacks, bomb blasts, US drone attacks and targeted killings have shaken the entire edifice of Pakistan.

There is no hope of peace on the horizon. More bloody days are coming, which will derail Pakistan towards utter chaos and destruction. It augurs very bad for the poor people of Pakistan, especially minorities, who are being killed without any reason. Many experts are saying that Pakistan is fated to bleed itself to death due to the poor policies formed by the corrupt, incompetent and unpatriotic political, and religious and leaders. Our venal leaders have created religious extremist parties to protect their own partisan interests. It is very tragic that these cruel leaders are still protecting the extremist groups, the groups which are killing innocent people callously. Islam, a religion of peace and brotherhood, is being misused, who are creating bad blood among the people of Pakistan. These leaders have divided Pakistani society along religious, ethnic, cast, economic, and sectarian lines, the lines which cannot be easily removed. The gulf is widening alarmingly in these testing times and the very existence of Pakistan is in jeopardy.

On the other hand, our leaders are enjoying their corruption. They are plundering the country. They are not willing to give protection to the poor people by crushing the extremists and other hidden elements who are involved in an unending spate of terrorist attacks in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the ethnic cleansing in Balochistan, the sectarian killings in Sindh, the killings and destruction of the properties of the minorities in the Punjab. They are giving protection to bandits, extortionists and murderers in Karachi and the Punjab. They are in intoxicated by power which make them utterly and callously unmindful of the tragedies that strike the poor Pakistani people on a daily basis.

Almost all the leaders are responsible for the tragic plight of the country and its people. They are not willing to break the present status quo. They are endeavouring their level best to keep the poor people shackled in a class-riddled system, a system which is formed to give them power and prestige.

Raoof Hasan writes in Pakistan Today: "Whether Nero played the fiddle or not while Rome burnt, the dictum truly applies to people who occupy the seats of power in Pakistan. The country has been bleeding bit-by-bit, but it has made scant impact on the rulers' inexhaustible infatuation with power. Pakistan appears to be in the grip of an endless mayhem, but its rulers remain engrossed in discovering ever-new methods to skin the country of its resources. Even more frighteningly, they remain busy in manipulating the institutions of the state to run away with the next elections. Be it the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) or NADRA, all these institutions are being used as pawns by the manipulative rulers in the greater game of strengthening and prolonging their vice-like grip on the seat of power. In this evil pursuit, all the political mafias are together. They are together to block the advent of change - a change that may bring relief to the poor and the downtrodden, the sick and the needy, the illiterate and the deprived, the underprivileged and the disenfranchised, the grief-stricken and the fear-afflicted, the exploited and the abused. They are together in keeping the people captive within the parameters of their evil machinations. Their heartlessness is reflected in the devious schemes they formulate and the demeaning methods that they intend to employ in buying the entire election protocol".

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is killing innocent Shias in Pakistan freely. Around 300 Shias have been killed in a series of attacks during the last three months.
Last week about 65 people were killed and many injured in bomb blasts in Karachi.

The Daily Times writes: "The day we think that we have had enough of killing, another bomb blast kills more people. There is no guarantee of peace or harmony, not now when the country is witnessing genocide of Shias across its length and breadth. Since January, this blast in Karachi was the third attack on Shias. The pattern has been identical, bombing a markets or a residential area to ensure indiscriminate bloodshed. The Alamdar Road, Kinari Road and now the Abbas Town bomb blasts killed women, children and men of every age. So far 100 people have been reported killed and many more injured... An inquiry report has been hurriedly put together by the law enforcement agencies and the day ended with a promise to bring the culprits to justice. An identical pattern of addressing terrorists' attacks, without leaving any hope for the survivors or the rest of us to at least believe that tomorrow will be a better day. How long are we going to continue with this cold, indifferent attitude? When would it dawn on us that our security is under threat and that we need a comprehensive, all-encompassing and collective effort to remove the threat? When would we stop evading the reality that we are under siege from the terrorists? The United Nation's anti-genocide envoy has listed Pakistan among the countries with a 'dangerous escalation in ethnic and religious tension'. The recurring targeted attacks on Shias reflect the failure of the state to protect its people, especially the vulnerable class. So far, besides some cosmetic actions and a few token arrests, no consequential step has been taken against the criminals who are not only known but have been brandishing their deeds openly. These unusual circumstances require extraordinary actions by the state. Our legal system and the corresponding judicial process has in fact been an escape hatch for the terrorists. They have been set free for lack of evidence and a witness protection mechanism.
Why can't we, as has been done by all those countries that had terrorist threats, redo the legal system and if need be suspend the fundamental rights given in the constitution, to try and punish the culprits. What would be catastrophic if the state agencies do not get their act together is a possible sectarian civil war. Can we take the tolerance and restraint of Shias so far for granted? What if they too decide to confront the situation with as much force as is being applied against them? Even international intervention is possible.

The United Nations member states, in 2005, have adopted the principle called R2P, which holds states responsible for shielding their own population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and related crimes against humanity and requires the international community to step in if this obligation is not met. So if domestically we fail to make laws and take practical steps to eliminate crimes against humanity, internationally there is enough room to remind us that we are going wrong in our strategy to protect the vulnerable and punish the criminals. It is time to apply wisdom. How will elections take place in such a hostile atmosphere? The security apparatus of the country including the intelligence agencies must act now and fast. Their slack and incoherent attitude has already made the enemies powerful. The caretaker setup would have to be on guard to keep the law enforcement agencies functioning. The responsibility is indeed high on them as it is on the outgoing government".

The Associated Press also quotes: "The violence against Shiites has ignited a national debate - and political arguments - about a burgeoning militancy in Pakistan...The unrelenting attacks also have focused the nation's attention on freedoms that Pakistani politicians give extremists groups, staggering corruption within the police and prison systems and the murky and protracted relationship between militant groups and Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies."

"The government doesn't have the will to go after them and the security agencies are littered with sympathizers who give them space to operate," Hazara Democratic Party chief Abdul Khaliq Hazara, told The Associated Press in a recent interview in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan where some of the most ferocious anti-Shiite attacks have occurred..."I have a firm belief that our security agencies have not yet decided to end all extremists groups," said Hazara. "They still want those (militants) that they think they can control and will need either in India or Afghanistan," he said referring to allegations that Pakistan uses militants as proxies against hostile India to the east and Afghanistan to the west. The army has a history of supporting militant Islamists using them as proxies to fight in Kashmir, a region divided between Pakistan and India and claimed by both in its entirety. Pakistan is repeatedly criticized by the United States and Afghanistan for not doing enough to deny Afghan insurgents sanctuary in the tribal regions that border Afghanistan. Angry at the criticism, Pakistani army officials say they have lost more than 4,000 soldiers - more than NATO and the US combined - fighting militants.

Yet, police officials in Balochistan and the capital, Islamabad, told the AP that Pakistan's intelligence agency had ordered them to release militant leaders who had been arrested. The militants were not necessarily affiliated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said the officials, who asked not to be identified because they feared losing their jobs. Even the judiciary has queried Pakistan's security agencies for information about their alleged ties to militants. Today, the SSP operates in Pakistan's Punjab province under a new name, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. It runs scores of religious schools unencumbered by government restrictions. The schools churn out students, who graduate with a loathing of Shiite Muslims, a willingness to be foot soldiers for other Sunni militant groups and ambitions of making Pakistan a radical Sunni state. Zahid Hussain, whose books plot the rise of militancy in Pakistan, linked the latest round of sectarian carnage in Balochistan to lashkars, or tribal militias, established with the support of Pakistan's intelligence agencies to crush a burgeoning secessionist movement. The militias, Hussain said, draw heavily from local religious schools or madrassas, which are heavily financed by donations from Gulf and Arab countries and are run by hard-line clerics with close ties to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. "That provides a deadly and unholy nexus (between) forces fighting the Baloch separatists and those waging war against the Shia community," Hussain wrote in a recent column. It also implicates Pakistan's intelligence agencies, even if indirectly, in the carnage - an allegation they deny. In a column assailing the Punjab government's "dangerous liaisons" with militants in its province, Hussain said: "Pity the nation where the blood of innocents comes cheap and murderers live under state patronage."

The venal leaders of Pakistan, except Imran Khan, are reluctant to criticise the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi because of the fear of being killed by the militants of this group.

They are cowards, selfish, and unpatriotic who just want to protect their own partisan interests. These inept leaders have not learned a lesson from the separation of East Pakistan. They should learn lessons from history. Allama Iqbal has aptly said:" Nations are born in the hearts of poets; they prosper and die in the hands of politicians".

http://www.weeklycuttingedge.com/economy03.htm

By: Dr Haider Mehdi | March 21, 2013 . 3

Those of us who have been involved academically and diligently studying political behaviour of the traditional Pakistani political actors know quite well that what these politicians say and what they do in actuality are altogether two different things. Rhetoric, public statements, speeches, slogans and symbolic nationalist sentimental narratives are solely for public consumption and for the purpose of public diplomacy.

There are always contradictions between what is politically said by those politicians and what is meant to be achieved. Motives are generally concealed and real intentions are camouflaged and masqueraded. It is now an established fact that the main objective of the contemporary ruling elite in Pakistan has always been to seek political power and use it for their vested interests - both politically and economically.

Asif Ali Zardari ascended to the presidency some five years ago by skilful manipulative trajectory of the political system that was in itself the creation of a massive culmination and coming together of vested interest entities, that of Benazir’s quest for power and Musharraf’s lust for the continuation of his dictatorial rule over this nation. The NRO, the foundation of this so-called democratic regime, was the product of this mindset and the so-called project for democracy has been a charade jointly organised by those decadent minds, who do not have the slightest idea of what democracy is all about.

Added to this entire impersonation of democracy has been the President’s personal talent of “muk-muka” capabilities and skilful manipulation of the existing political system. Indeed, the Pakistani nation has painfully and tragically experienced five years of this sham democracy.

The latest bad news is that President Zardari is wholeheartedly pursuing his manipulative skills to trick the nation once again. Today’s article sheds some light on what is happening and how he is forming his future political game plan.

Let us start with a simple yet vital and pertinent question: why was not the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline accord signed, let us say, four or five years ago? Would that have been contrary to Pakistan’s national interests in some way? And why has this agreement been made now when the tenure of this government is completed?

The PPP-led government’s apologists will tell you that signing a gas pipeline agreement with Tehran four years ago would have certainly invoked US economic and political sanctions against Pakistan. Hence, it was politically justified not to irk the US and face sanctions.

But has the American political stand on the IP gas pipeline project changed in the last four weeks? The fact of the matter is that the US stance on this issue has not changed one bit, neither will it change in the foreseeable future. Then on what foreign policy considerations has the President made the recent accord with Iran? (Iran’s position on this accord is simply honest, honourable and in Pakistan’s national interests - that is not the issue.)

The rational and logical answer to this question is simple: it is a set-up to ensure that any future government in Pakistan, caretaker, elected or not, fails. The President is fully aware of the US and its allies’ hostile, aggressive and non-compromising stance on the IP gas pipeline issue, and any future government in Pakistan will have to face US sanctions immediately leading to a major financial and political crisis.

Not only that, it is common knowledge that the President is Washington-London’s “man” in Islamabad. He might be calculating in foresight that once the future government in Islamabad collapses, the President’s patrons in Washington might once again organise his comeback to political power, or at least arrange a Bilawal Bhutto-led PPP government to take over in the country.

The same scenario is applicable to the Gwadar Port accord with a Chinese company. The President is fully aware of the expected US reaction and how the agreement can and will cause political instability in the country, most specifically in Balochistan. And yet, he has not hesitated in going ahead with these agreements at the end of the tenure of the government (both of these agreements should have been made four years ago when the PPP came into power). Meaning that, it is a set-up to make sure that any future government in Islamabad faces immediate and critical hurdles in putting the country back on track to political and economic stability.

“Don’t believe the hype. In reality, democracy is going into reverse…....(in) Asia….....democratic meltdowns have become depressingly common,” wrote K. Kurlantzick, author of the book entitled Democracy in Retreat, in a recent article. He further states: “One of the most comprehensive studies of global democracy, Bertelsmann Foundation’s Transformation Index, has declared that ‘the overall quality of democracy has deteriorated’ throughout the developing world. The index found that the number of ‘defective’ and ‘highly defective’ democracies…....was up to 52 in 2012.”

Perhaps, Pakistan under PPP-PML-N “muk-muka” political dispensation is at the top of the list of failing democracies in the present-day world. Is it not ironic that after five years of so-called democracy in this country, wholehearted support for a military takeover is gaining popularity? In the recent aftermath of the Abbas Town massacre in Karachi, hundreds of thousands of lamenting and chest-beating men, women and children chanted that democracy was worthless and they wanted a military takeover and stability above all else.

It is obvious that populist and far-right parties, the PPP and PML-N under its traditional political leadership with little commitment to democratic norms, gained popularity after Musharraf’s rule. However, in the last five years, they have made a mockery of democratic ideals.

Imagine the pre-poll rigging and other atrocious political conduct of the ruling parties: just days ahead of the end of its tenure, the ruling PPP in Sindh Assembly “passed several laws raising the perks and privileges even for outgoing parliamentarians…....effective retrospectively from July 2001,” reported the national media.

In Islamabad, the banks and central government offices remained open on Saturday (a day ahead of the dissolution of the National Assembly and the PPP’s central government) distributing perks and benefits to the government’s favourites and members of all parties.

The media has reported the following: MNAs and MPAs had crores of rupees backdated medical bills (mostly fake) reimbursed, unused funds meant to be used for development work in their constituencies were released to MNAs and MPAs in cash; in Sindh, there were scores of promotions for bureaucrats backdated to 2009, thousands of contractual staff were made permanent, 17,000 employees were to be inducted into LESCO, and so on and so forth.
In Punjab province, the PML-N-led government has hurriedly completed several projects at massive public expense. Urban-rural divide and public priorities have been ignored. Added to this is the PML-N leadership’s drive to infuse fresh life in promoting traditional political culture and exacerbating the excesses of the contemporary political system by adopting a strategy of “electables” to win the forthcoming general elections. It seems that the PML-N leadership is politically committed and content with the status quo to prevail.

This nation is being set up for a modern authoritarian rule of the few “haves” over the majority of impoverished “have-nots.” The sad and troubling attempt at maintaining and perpetuating a regressive democratic system in Pakistan is not something that someone else can fix - it is you who have to do it.
Wake up! Join with passionate determination of those who are leading the political movement for a fundamental change in this country. Your existence and that of future generations is at stake. The choice is yours. The President did not tell you this, or did he?

The writer is UAE-based academic, policy analyst, conflict resolution expert and author of several books on Pakistan and foreign policy issues. He holds a doctorate and a masters degree from Columbia University in New York. Email: hl_mehdi@hotmail.com

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...t-did-not-tell

March 25, 2013
Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD

Pakistan is at critical crossroads. Its moral, intellectual and socio-economic and political capacity and lifelines are undermined by its own wicked rulers. If there were any educated, honest and intelligent political leaders of vision and integrity, they would worry about its present and future and try to pursue a navigational Change. Could the think people of Pakistan reverse the course of junk history and make a new beginning based on the ideology and values of the concept of Pakistan? Could the new generations of educated, honest and intelligent Pakistanis initiate new political system and institutions, produce proactive visionary leadership to extend intellectual security and help to protect the integrity and security of the besieged nation?

Crises made Pakistan’s history. The first time political power was ever transferred to civilian rule was on the Independence Day - 14 August 1947 by the British colonial Viceroy to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the 1st Governor General of Pakistan.. What happened afterwards is a history full of intrigues, wickedness, in-house conspiracies and bloody tragedies to shame the Pakistani nation. Whenever an opportunity arose for peaceful transfer of power, it was foiled by the traitors - both military and their complacent civilians. Some might allege that Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman was a traitor but what about ZA Bhutto? In principle, Sheikh Mujib ur Rehman’s Awami Party won the majority seats in the Pakistan National Assembly during the 1971 elections, why was the power not transferred to him. It was ZA Bhutto, the self-centered and power hungry man, not Sheikh Mujib. There are credible statements that he never wanted separation of the East Pakistan into Bangladesh. ZA Bhutto in collision with General Yahaya Khan conspired for a military action against those who had won a fair election in One Pakistan. ZA Bhutto was likewise a traitor too who took over the reign of power illegally after Pakistan was defeated by India in December 1971. This was his plan implemented to defeat and disgrace the Muslim nation. Bhutto and Yahya Khan were the people who stabbed the body and soul of Pakistan. There was evidence that ZA Bhutto wanted to grab power lot earlier during the Ayub Khan presidency. He wanted to see Pakistan defeated under Ayub Khan when India attacked on West Pakistan in 1965 because of war in Kashmir. Those running the politics are nothing other than filthy creed of the dead past. The stunning contrasts and internal conflicts generate extreme uncertainty and massive insecurity to the common folks looking for law and order, individual safety and a secure future. It is all because there are wrong people operating the political governance.

How to Change the history - to disconnect with the junk past and to make a new beginning is an issue that is not addressed by the traditional political apparatus in this war-torn nation. They all appear eager to hold new elections and use intrigues and backdoor conspiracies to define the power-sharing and political governance. You won’t find a single frontline politicians having vision, honesty of purpose and integrity to be respected by the masses. Change would mean life, stability and a promising future if at all it is envisaged by the new educated generation of intelligent and creative people. Nation-building and individual change and development framework have lot in common. Those living in darkness could well appreciate the sight of light and power of seeing and those deaf by nature could well dream and adore when they hear the sound breaking self denied silence. Change is constant part of human life built-in as the full meaning and purpose of life. Nations likewise the individual go through the process of change, leaving past to history and embarking on anew future for change and adaptability to futuristic challenges. The Western industrialized nations have accomplished this aim effectively. Where would the Change come from if there is no systematic mechanism to facilitate political change? If change and new political imagination were ever part of Pakistan’s political systems (if there are any), how dare the Generals stole fifty years of the national lifelines? Global history tells us wherever absolute military rule overwhelms the country it destroys all its natural thinking hubs, morals and intellectual powerhouses. This is what happened to the Europeans before and after the WW II and this is what America is experiencing and this is what caused the former USSR to collapse. Pakistani politics nurtures under the powerful shadow of the military Generals, not on its own national institutions breeding freedom, human rights, vision, integrity and any glimpse of a different future. America and Britain both share vital strategic interests with Pakistani military establishments. The “War on Terror” is the net outcome of this strategic pursuit to keep the imperial domination over the former subjects- the subservient Pakistan. The US politicians and British comrades in arms used the 9/11 pretext to wage a bogus war on terror against the Muslim world.

Finian Cunningham (“9/11 Paved the Way for America’s Permanent Wars of Aggression” - Global Research: 9/11/2011) explains some of the pertinent facts: Whether 9/11 was an inside job or an amazing terrorist success, the fact is that either way the atrocity is intimately linked with US state terrorism…..that Al Qaeda, Mujahideen or Jihadis - whatever they are labeled - are the Frankenstein creation of US and British military intelligence to fight the proxy war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. The 9/11 tragedy - if we see it as such - is thus a form of blowback where the terrorist dogs of dirty war come back to bite the hand that feeds them. …..So even if we believe that the “war on terror” is genuine - albeit crassly misguided - the fact is that it would not be occurring if it were not for the state terrorism that emanates from Washington and London in pursuit of imperialist intrigues…… Leaving aside that 9/11 may have been an inside job to facilitate strategic permanent war, even if the official narrative were true, it still gets down to the US and British playing with fire. These governments create terrorists, fund terrorists, train terrorists and use terrorists. Either way, the facts emerge: the US and its allied puppets have absolutely no regard for democratic freedom, international law or human rights.

There is ample tangible evidence to prove that the US led war in Afghanistan has continuing strategies to undermine the integrity of Pakistan. Professor James Petras (“Legal Imperialism” and International Law: Legal Foundations for War Crimes, Debt Collection and Colonization: Global Research: 12/3/2012) helps us to understand the prevalent context of a modern infant Empire dreaming of global strategic domination and control:

By now we are familiar with imperial states using their military power to attack, destroy and occupy independent countries…….…Empire-building throughout history is the result of conquest - the use or threat of superior military force. The US global empire is no exception. Where compliant rulers ‘invite’ or ‘submit’ to imperial domination, such acts of treason on the part of ‘puppet’ or ‘client’ rulers usually precipitate popular rebellions, which are then suppressed by joint imperial and collaborator armies. They cite imperial legal doctrine to justify their intervention to repress a subject people in revolt.
The spill-over impacts of the war in Afghanistan and strategic developments in the region shaping Pakistan’s future appear to be the same blueprint as was used by the US and its allies in March 2003 of Iraq invasion. This week is the 10th anniversary of that terrible aggression and crimes against innocent people. In her critical insights unto Iraq’s bloody ordeal, Felicity Arbuthnot (“Iraq: Destroying a Country: War Crimes and Atrocities.” Part II Global Research: 11/8/2010), describes the scope of horrifying human tragedies inflicted on the Iraqi population which perhaps Pakistani nation is going through over several years:

The Independent’s Robert Fisk (“The Shaming of America”, 24th October 2010) commented: “As usual, the Arabs knew. They knew all about the mass torture, the promiscuous shooting of civilians, the outrageous use of air power against family homes, vicious American and British mercenaries, the cemeteries of the innocent dead. All of Iraq knew because they were the victims.”

“We found people wandering like ghosts through the ruins... looking for the bodies of relatives, trying to recover some of their possessions from destroyed homes... We moved from house to house, discovering families dead in their beds, or cut down in living rooms or in the kitchen... It became clear that we were witnessing the aftermath of a massacre, the cold-blooded butchery of helpless and defenseless civilians.”

In wars, when an aggressor sees the defeat coming, it resorts to mass killings of the civilian population to avenge the fear of the unknown. To pursue its policy of global domination, now American strategists sponsor death squads in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The aim is to terrorize the masses by drone attacks and death squads and destroy their habitats thus creating more reactionary terrorism through its paid political agents - the ruling elite. Its ultimate goal is to make Pakistan a crippled nation totally incapacitated for any useful role in global affairs. The cruelty of the American led bogus war on terrorism has transformed Pakistan into a non-productive beggar nation, solely looking to military and economic aid for all of its operations. The army Generals and their by-products - the ruling Bhutto family-PPP Zardari, and in-waiting Nawaz Sharif (Muslim League-N), have infected the body politics of Pakistan with corruption and political tyranny, drained out all of the positive thinking and creative energies of the nation for change, development and a promising future. The traitors are inside, not elsewhere. If the law and justice system is still in tact, these political thugs and indicted criminals should not be allowed to hold offices of public responsibility but be held accountable in a court of law. The besieged nation MUST see itself in the mirror and learn from the dead past, to change the future course of history and to articulate a new beginning - a new political system under the new educated generation of honest, intelligent and visionary leadership to strive for a promising future.

The military Generals, Bhuttos, Zardari, Sharifs and Chaudries could never have come into political governance unless the whole nation had lost the sense of PURPOSE of the creation of Pakistan and MEANING of the Foundation of Pakistan. Are there any concerned and proactive young people to safeguard the national interests of the present and future generations of Muslim Pakistan?

To all concerned and educated Pakistanis, it is becoming crystal clear that the so called politicians are the wrong people, with wrong thinking and doing the wrong things. The so called American financed democracy has no relationship to the living masses of Pakistan. With almost half of a century of lost time and opportunities under the dictatorship of various army Generals, dismantled public institutions, devastated social and economic affairs, disjointed trades and commerce, political surge of terrorism and dead leadership, how could a nation be able to conduct business as usual?
The masses wish if Pakistan could be returned to its originality - foundation of Islamic ideology and practices for peace and unity of the divided nation. The corruption knows no bound. Under military dictators, Pakistan has lost precious time and opportunities to regain honor (“Ezat”) while the Generals were used to lead coercive politics devoid of reason and responsibility - the nation continues to live in tormenting uneasiness and being crippled by the cruel acts of death and destruction across Pakistan. Shamefully those wicked instigators who target and kill the minorities and make feuds with other sectors of the society are the criminals bent on destabilizing and destroying the essence of vision and integrity on which Pakistan was built in 1947. If the nation is fractured and feels insecure- the traitors are inside- the few political names- feudal lords, palaces erected with stolen wealth of the nation and hired killers organizing political campaigns who will make their way to foreign lands once their ambitions are met. A concerned school teacher in Islamabad asks the grade 10 students - what is the meaning of Pakistan? Who is the most popular leader of Pakistan to win the next election? The classroom sounds deafening silence.

(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations)

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/213597/

Miangul Abdullah

Domestic violence plus separatists’ pressure, Pakistan is plunging into a perfect storm of threats on the two fronts—internal and external. The internal threats are economic stagnation, growing poverty and inequality, lawlessness, the pervasive corruption, regional conflicts, ethnic divides, sectarian killings and clash of institutions. The external threats are the imposed conflicts with the ever ready enemies to destabilize the country by organizing themselves against Pakistan on Eastern and Western fronts.

A close look into the prevailing situation makes all too clear that Pakistan is passing through one of the most troublesome periods of instability in its history. The rising extremism, failing economy, political instability and chronic underdevelopment are intensifying feelings of hatred among the masses against injustices meted out to them in almost every field of public activity, which are resulting into unprecedented political, economic and social disorder.
The country seems to be on a downward course due to the fact that its leadership is not adequately addressing either internal violence or the needs of the people. The governments’ policies are self-serving and far from meeting needs or expectations of people, due to which there arises problems on all levels of national development.

The internal wrangling always mired efforts of dysfunctional civilian governments to control the situation. The elites give preference to their interests over population and help institutionalize deep-rooted patronage networks, widespread corruption and significant structural distortions in tax collections etc. And it is because of their willingness to exploit ethno-sectarian divides for political gain that caused further violence and instability.
Thus the government reforms are impeded by strong organizational resistance, which continues to exert pressure all time. As a result corruption, service politics, nepotism and favoritism, power brokers, entrenched feudal interests, and a marked civil-military imbalance continue to hold influence at the cost of public interest.

The external threats have also taken its toll no less than the internal wrangling when both combine to affect the structural reforms. Due to its involvement in the war against terror, Pakistan faces challenges virtually in every aspect of its external relations.

As regards the fluctuating relations with India, there can hardly be traced any period where one can assess that both Islamabad and New Delhi have shown enough maturity to decide the major issues between them in better interest of the people of the two countries. The Indo-Pak border, which is secured by the two countries through nuclear weapons, is one of the most tense borders on the planet. Cross border violence causes escalating the prospect of full-scale war between the two sides.

Besides, the role which the two countries have to play in Afghanistan is another episode that causes escalation in the fluctuating relations between Pakistan and India. Actually Pakistan has different perception and national interests on Afghan security and stability, which further escalate its relations with the United States and causes cross border violence.

To weigh all factors we can conclude that the increasing security concern causes diversion of massive amounts of resources for defence purposes, living a little room for internal problems to be resolved. Pakistan currently invest a major portion of its resources in the name of security as the anti-state forces are combining themselves on all fronts to weaken the country by dividing people along political, ethnic and religious lines besides fueling the flames to turn the already volatile conditions into a major flare-up.

An in-depth study of the factors involved behind the fiasco in broader context shows that the anti-state violence and sectarian intolerance is increasing with the growing demands of the society and consistent failure of the government to meet the needs of people over a period of decades. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening and there exists nothing in reality to plug the gap except official rhetoric without any real-world performance.
That’s why despite robust military operation and improved counterinsurgency efforts, there seems a little success and the gains are likely ephemeral because the root causes of militancy remain unaddressed that is political instability, lack of administrative control and economic stagnation, all poses a major threat to the future stability of the country.

Every government that came into power tried to approach the problems with selective attempts to address public grievances, which could not work to alter the fate of people. Instead these threats kept on increasing and left governments with a little breathing space to accomplish the much desired objectives of peace and progress, besides they led to the fear of disintegration along political, ethnic and religious lines, which poses a danger to everyone and may turn into a huge collapse to the unity of Pakistan.
Actually the efforts of governments were always faltered and many reform programs ended up remaining rhetoric due to political opportunism with the government making only superficial attempts to rectify many of its deep-rooted structural problems. The government of course spent money, but it has placed too much emphasis on allocating resources with little emphasis on ensuring a meaningful outcome.

What is in fact needed is a comprehensive strategy to invest on people through public welfare activities, besides urgent planning for ending the ever increasing crisis in order to bring peace and stability.

Therefore, the need is to devise a national policy that could bring peace in the country. And the same would be possible with open mindedness, which can be expected when the country’s political leadership comes up with some consensus decisions and strategy to deal with militancy that has severely affected the national economy and caused huge losses to human lives.
Now there should be a major shift in policies to tackle the situation like this. The leaders must focus on investing in its peoples welfare to address their core grievances.

They should give priority to internal needs over dealing with external threats by devoting themselves to the welfare and future of the people. As such there must be a better planned and well managed stabilization strategy to address the causes of extremism, which would need a large scale reforms.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/40/

S.R.H. Hashmi

In an excellent move, the Chief Election Commissioner, Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim and his team visited Balochistan, with a view to persuading all Baluchistan parties to participate in the forthcoming elections. He had made an open offer to them all to meet him and apprise him of their grievances.

It is also pleasing to note that Akhtar Mengal, head of Balochistan National Party (Mengal) has already arrived in Pakistan from Dubai and is all set to participate in the elections. Let us hope our other Baloch brothers also adopt this path and try to resolve the dispute through the power of their vote: it is definitely worth trying and in the changed circumstances, could prove to be a worthwhile move.

People of Balochistan have been ignored for a very long time, not that those living in other provinces are having a wonderful time. In Balochistan, I think huge territory and remoteness of certain locations from main centres of population, plus absence of infra-structure compounded people's misery. The insincerity of most of the elected representatives, nearly all of whom held influential positions added another dimension to the problem because despite considerable allocations made for the province, the benefits did not filter through to the masses, increasing their sense of deprivation and thus alienating them even further from the mainstream. Such an environment naturally provides fertile ground for separatist movements to finance and support which, our enemies stepped in a big way, and if we are not careful, Balochistan could separate from us in Bangladesh style, for which we will have only ourselves to blame.

And of course there is the movement to create Greater Pashtonistan, by merging our tribal areas with Afghanistan which never accepted the Durand Line and firmly believe that we are illegally occupying Afghan territory.

While separation of East Pakistan was a great tragedy, further dismemberment of whatever remains of Pakistan will be an immensely bigger one as it will ultimately result in us being deprived of our nuclear weapons which provide us the only deterrent against the much bigger and ambitious India, and our condition could become comparable to present-day Palestinians living completely dominated, humiliated, pushed and threatened by Israel, which role in our case could be played by India.

We know the United States and its pack of hunting dogs have embarked on their map-change mission in the Muslim world. In the present round, the first was Iraq which they have devastated thoroughly. It was very well known even at the time that the invaders were using special squads to create Shia-Sunni rift in Iraq where the two communities had been living together in peace. Their favourite ploy was to attack Sunni mosques and Shia Imambargahs in succession, creating the impression that the other side did it. We now know through the leaked reports that creation of Shia-Sunni hatred was a project planned and implemented with the involvement of highest levels of US military, in pursuance of the famous divide-and-rule policy.

However, the US and its gang learnt a lot from Iraq operation which proved very costly to them in terms of US dollars as well as human lives, with nearly five thousand US and British troops dead and thousands more disabled mentally and/or physically, adding to the high social, medical and other costs which have already taken the bill to a few trillion dollars.

So, they have now devised an economy package which they are applying to Syria with minimal financial costs and no human losses to their country, with the result that there are no protests from their citizens like we saw against Iraq invasion. Also, these mischievous characters present these to their countrymen as 'humanitarian' missions, undertaken to free the people from oppression, and their manipulative media helps them in projecting that image.
So, the gullible people believe that their government is on to a good thing. How much they value human life and liberty can be gauged by the fact that even after it was established that Iraq invasion was launched on deliberately exaggerated reports, there is no move to try George Bush and Tony Blair for mass murders and war crimes, while Saddam Hussein was sent to the gallows.
But for Syria, we can't blame just the Westerners because some of our Sunni states like Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan are part of it, which are providing the finance and are cooperating with the Americans in implementing their anti-Muslim agenda, not realizing that they would be the next targets. According to a recent report, the Arab summit in Doha passed a resolution which affirms the right of every state to offer Syrians all means of self-defence, including military, to support the resistance of the Syrian people and the Free Syrian Army which now has a lot of thugs, scoundrels and foreign agents fighting alongside it.

With Syria nearly conquered, Iran is next and so is Pakistan. As a matter of fact, work against Iran and Pakistan has already been started and has reached a fairly advanced stage, with India and Israel being part of the Western gang. Unfortunately, Afghan government officials are also not being very helpful.

We need visionary leadership to take us out of the mess that we find ourselves in. So, the next few weeks are very crucial for us. We have to ensure that the rotten lot amongst our leaders, which has brought us to this sorry state, does not succeed in reaching assemblies again. These politicians are in business only to milk the country and to further augment their assets built in Western countries.

They are not too bothered as to what happens to the country because most of them have safe havens abroad to move to, leaving unfortunate people like us to suffer the terrible fate here. While Election Commission is trying to do what it can, there is pressure on it to let the people with tainted past sail through the scrutiny process. I was really surprised when I heard a retired justice say that only court could decide the Sadiq and Ameen status of candidates. He claimed that the ECP's job was just to hold free, fair and transparent elections. It did not occur to him that one can not hold clean (transparent) elections with lot of filthy candidates participating in it.

I do admit it would be difficult to be able to certify many people in Pakistan as Sadiq and Ameen. A simple answer would be that the candidates should be taken as Sadiq and Ameen unless their challengers prove them otherwise or through their past conduct, they have proved themselves to be ineligible to be considered to be Sadiq and Ameen. Quite obviously, the persons submitting fake degrees, those claiming eligibility through false statements about their nationality, explicit or implicit, not meeting their legal obligations or committing other frauds could not be regarded as Sadiq and Ameen Also, if facts come to light later which prove that they lied on these or other material issues, they should be disqualified instantly and asked to refund to the state the remuneration and monetary value of other facilities availed by them. I know we can't find many angels in Pakistan but that does not mean we should open the gates to all the devils, thugs and scoundrels. There is a whole range between the angel and the devil to choose from.

Pakistan is facing multiple, formidable problems which have only multiplied during the last five years rule by an inept government, and its loyal opposition, which had the most populous province of Pakistan at its disposal.
It is imperative that we rise above petty considerations and choose capable, honest and sincere leaders who could take us out of the mess that we are in, and put us on the right course.

The country has abundant mineral resources which need to be exploited and is not short of manpower either. Moreover, if we get capable, sincere leadership, even Overseas Pakistanis could help us out in a big way. But the first step has to be taken by us, which is to vote wisely at the coming elections. And mind you, we would not get another chance. We are in a do or die situation now.

http://www.thefrontierpost.com/category/40/

By Shabbir Ahmad Khan


Both empires and states fail or collapse. Examples include the Roman, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Mughal and British empires. From the recent past, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Sudan are the best examples. Professor Norman Davies, in his book Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations recounts the history of 15 European states which disappeared. Professor Robert Rotberg, in his book When States fail: Causes and Consequences provides empirical description on a state’s failure. Similarly, the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine publishes a list of failed states each year, on which Pakistan ranks 13. Pakistan’s score is just 13 points below that of the most failed state in the world, Somalia, and just five points below that of Afghanistan, which is at number seven on the list.

Why do empires and states fail or fall? There are a number of factors for state decline, including social, economic and political. The most common factor is global; it includes intervention by external political agents or forces. In such situations, the empires or states first fail to cope with the new challenges and later collapse. There is a new challenge before Pakistan, which no state in history has ever faced. Today, the world community is unified against religious extremism of any kind and a nuclear Pakistan is heavily convulsed by internal violence linked to religious extremism. After World War II, colonial powers gave independence to many nations, including Pakistan, with a clear rationale or prime motive. At a very critical juncture in history, if states lose their rationale, they lose their right to survive. Pakistan is passing through a critical juncture of her history. If she loses her rationale, she loses her right to exist.
Two questions are important to answer the above-mentioned query. Who creates states and what is their rationale — i.e., the cause of their birth?
More than 140 states got independence after the two world wars. The winners of the wars designed the world map by decolonising nations. The process of giving self-rule to new states was intentional and purposeful. British rulers, in congruence with the US, wanted to split India for their long-term interests in the region. In my opinion, Pakistan — the same way as the state of Israel — was created as an independent state to guard Western interests in the region. In both times of war and peace in history, Pakistan proved herself as the guardian of vested interests of Western powers. In return, Pakistan also got the liberty to do a number of things, including attaining nuclear capability. Throughout history, Pakistan changed herself with the changing demands of the West to fulfill her utility and her indispensability.

Thus, a militant, extremist, rigid and nuclear Pakistan was in the larger interests of Western powers, particularly to contain the Soviets and its allies, i.e., India. Now, the Western world has changed its policy towards the region where Pakistan is located and has demonetised its political currency by putting immense pressure on the country to change her course accordingly. But Pakistan seems reluctant.

Is a nuclear Pakistan, with its extremist image, acceptable to the world? The answer to this question is simple: no. In the 21st century, an ideological nation in possession of nukes and facing extremism has no place. We have two options: a) start behaving like a nuclear power by modernising our political and social institutions in order to become partners of global forces instead of becoming their rivals or b) keep insisting on the old course declaring extremism as a tactical weapon and wait to join the club of African nations like Guinea or Somalia. We have to choose between a modern, progressive, secular and stronger nuclear power or a conflict-ridden, tribal and conservative society with extremist leanings. Ideology is no more relevant in modern global politics. History tells us that nations or states collapse only when they refuse to change and insist on being foisted to the moorings of a decadent and eroded social and political order.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2013.

Blood shedding and demagoguery are at its peak in Pakistan nowadays. Militants are killing innocent people without any fear and hesitation. The TTP and other terrorist organisations are wreaking mayhem across the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Karachi, and certain areas of the Punjab.

They have declared war against the state and our government, security agencies, including the army and police, have utterly failed to crush these anti-state elements. The policy of protecting "good Taliban" and "crushing bad Taliban" has proved very costly for Pakistan and its poor people. So far more than 40,000 people have lost their lives in the war on terror and number of killings are rapidly increasing every day.

The recent suicide attack on the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Abdul Majeed Khan which killed around 12 people, including four security personnel, shows clearly that nobody is safe from these terrorists in Pakistan. The FC Commandant Abdul Majeed Khan survived this deadly attack, which took place near the US consulate and the army check post. Around 35 innocent people wounded.

On August 4, 2010, the militants killed Sifwat Ghayur, the former FC commandant, in a suicide attack outside the FC headquarters. This time the FC Commandant Abdul Majeed Khan has a narrow escape.

On 31 March, two people were killed and six injured in Bannu as a roadside bomb exploded near an election rally.

"Former member of the dissolved Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Adnan Wazir received injuries, while two others died in the remote-controlled bomb blast near militancy hotbed North Waziristan. Adnan Wazir's convoy was hit near Noor Wali, 20 kilometres north of Bannu district. It was a remote-controlled blast and the target was the former MPA's convoy near Janikhel area," said Bannu police chief Nisar Tanoli.

The TTP has claimed responsibility for this attack. Talking to the media offices, the TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said: "He (Adnan Wazir) has affiliation with Awami National Party and that is why he was the target. It was the beginning of what we promised - attacks on the ANP. We claim responsibility for the attack. We are against the ANP and Adnan Wazir was a part of the ANP government for five years. We have directed our associates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to target ANP election rallies and all its leaders". On March 30, a policeman was killed and five others were injured in Mardan.
"Police signalled two people riding a motorcycle to stop. One of them opened fire on police instead. Police retaliated and one of the injured bombers blew himself up after falling from the motorcycle. The other suicide bomber was chased and shot dead in the Katlang area. Additional Sub-Inspector Khushdal Khan died and two policemen were injured," the police official told the media. Separately, a bomb blast damaged a non-governmental organisation office in Peshawar, on the same day.

Many thinkers believe that the Taliban have inflicted the first blow to the election campaign in Pakistan. Keeping in view the failure of our civil and military authorities to crush this impending threat, we can easily predict that bloody days are coming in the near future.

The Daily Times writes: "The inability of civil and military authorities to strategise a plan that could be formulated into a cohesive policy to combat terrorism on its multiple, complex levels, and the practice of stop-gap measures seem to be incredulous keeping in the view the constant threat of terrorism on any given day. No substantial counter-terrorism policy has been implemented, which could be instrumental in prevention, and the eventual cessation of terror-related chaos in a country, reeling under the effects of spillover of war on terror and its multi-faceted consequences. The apparent lack of co-ordination between different intelligence agencies, the paucity of trust between various law-enforcement agencies, the incapacity of police to work in a systematic manner on city-to-city basis, and the courts' reluctance to give verdicts in terrorism cases, all these factors have become an amalgamation of what would only be termed an almost complete breakdown of law and order in areas that need round-the-clock vigilance to keep the militants at bay... The attacks on the FC and other security agencies are retaliatory actions in a blatant attempt to seek 'vengeance' for the attempts to eradicate militancy in the tribal regions of Pakistan, and the relentlessness of the same has become a horror story for the people of these areas, and in the perpetuation of fear all over Pakistan. This latest attack is another indication of the failure of the ANP government as well the central government to impose even a semblance of order in the terror-afflicted region. The caretaker cabinet's apprehension that the threat of terrorism will be the biggest sword hanging in the province as the election 2013 approaches is very valid, but the fear of sabotage has come at a time when all that is done will be nothing more than an exercise in 'too little too late'. But keeping in consideration the very real menace of terrorism as a top priority, some comprehensive programme has to be implemented before the elections, thereby ensuring the safety of campaign rallies of different political parties, and the Election Day gathering of huge numbers of people at polling stations. The failure to do so would bring about consequences that would be too horrific to be borne in a country that as soon as emerges from the aftermath of one terrorist disaster is hit by another one. The coming days would be conducive for militants looking to unleash more terror, targeting assembled groups of people in the wake of preparation for the elections, and it is imperative that all such ambitions be quashed in time. It is time for the intelligence agencies to work in unison with the law-enforcement bodies and civilian administrations. Any lapse to do so would prove too costly for a terror-worn Pakistan today, catapulting it into more chaos".

On the other hand, all our corrupt, venal and incompetent political and religious leaders are showing their demagoguery during poll rallies. They are feeling no shame to use catchy slogans and religion for gaining their own partisan interests. All these leaders have deceived the people again and again. The PPP leadership is still using the words like Roti, Kapra aur Makan (Bread, Clothes and Shelter), Shaheed Benazir and Shaheed ZA Bhutto's mission, after its very dismal performance in the government. Everybody knows that the PPP has not solved even a single problem of the people during its five-years rule but its leadership is still greedy for getting power yet again.
The PML-N has also failed the people of the Punjab, but its leader Nawaz Sharif thinks he can change the fate of people by becoming the prime minister the third time.

"Last time we carried out nuclear explosions. Now we will carry out economic explosions," Sharif pledged before the crowd in Mansehra.

During his address, Nawaz promised that if his party was elected a third time, he would build a motorway from Lahore to Karachi. "I am not fond of power, I only want to see my country progressing and my people prosper". "Give a vote for Quaid-e-Azam not for Wazeer-e-Azam".

On March 31, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) Chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, stressed that Pakistan must be acknowledged as one of the region's most significant states.

Addressing a rally held under the title 'Islam Zindabad Conference' at Minar-e-Pakistan, Fazl said "No one has the right to strip us of our independence."
A News report says: "Spelling out his party's manifesto, Maulana stressed on judicious utilization of the country's resources." "We want to pull people out of the mire of humiliation and coercion," he stressed, adding at the same time that he accepts the legitimate rights of a landlord. He promised to transform the country into a welfare state where labourers will be given their rightful status in the society. "We don't need to buy gas from any other country," the JUI-F chief argued, saying the problem of load-shedding can be resolved through sensible decision making.

The MQM's Dr. Farooq Sattar has claimed that the next Sindh chief minister would be from the MQM. On March 31, Sattar said that "only people of Sindh could save Pakistan as its provincial assembly was the first to adopt a resolution in favour of the new country". He also said that the MQM did not just belong to Karachi but it is a party of Pakistan. Everybody knows that the MQM uses every method, including violence, to keep its hold on Karachi.
Syed Munawar Hasan, Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), has said: "There is a dire need to call a spade a spade now and boldly unveil the dishonest politicians and their corruption". On March 31, addressing the participants of "Umeed-e-Pakistan Youth Convention", Syed Munawar said that people should use the power of votes to get rid of corrupt parties. JI did not take part in the previous elections.

History shows that all these political parties and their leaders have failed the people of Pakistan again and again. The people of Pakistan now have a golden chance to get rid of corrupt leaders by using the power of their votes. The PTI has a golden chance to get power, as its leader Imran Khan has not yet been tested in politics. The PTI's leader Imran Khan has vowed to bring a sweeping change in the country by establishing peace and establishing justice. Time will tell about the fate of Imran and Pakistan.

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Poverty is like a disease which besides treatment needs the commitment and the determination of the individual to get rid of it. We have to take measures to raise the aspirations of the poor to motivate them to wriggle out of poverty.

Security is a perennial concern in Pakistan. Insecurity and violence have been shown to lower economic prosperity, and may have adverse consequences for aspiration levels. It is highly improbable that one moves out of poverty without aspiring to do so.

Understanding what leads rural Pakistanis to aspire or fail to aspire is especially important given that Pakistan has an extremely young population that will need to find employment in the coming years For rural populations highly dependent on agriculture, the consequences of high fertility include increasingly smaller average farm sizes, as family land assets become further divided. As Pakistan's working-age population grows, it is vitally important to understand what drives individuals to aspire to improve their outcomes and invest in their future.

A recent report by the Internal Food Policy Research Institute reveals that very large numbers of rural Pakistanis feel they lack access to basic services and institutions that might influence aspirations. These include security, justice, and social safety nets, among others. Further, women and the poor feel they have even less access to these services than do men and the better-off. Most respondents also live in communities lacking important infrastructure that has been shown in other contexts to boost economic growth. Individuals also generally feel that they have little control over what happens in their lives.

The report has additionally identified characteristics that predict aspirations levels: women have lower aspirations than men; the uneducated have lower aspirations than those with some education; the middle-aged (25-45) have lower aspirations than the young (age 18-25); and agricultural wage labourers have lower aspirations than rural non-farm workers.

Further, various internal factors are strongly correlated with aspiration levels, including an internal locus of control, high self esteem, religiosity, trust, envy, and a sense of poverty being due to external factors. This suggests some particular groups that are most at risk for aspiration failures, and that might be specifically targeted by policies aimed at raising aspirations.

This report has also identified a number of potential policy levers associated with higher aspirations in rural Pakistan: holding organized meetings of village residents, improving the justice system, upgrading road surfaces (from mud to other types), expanding communication and transport links with other localities, and providing training of some type through NGOs. This is suggestive evidence that good policy can create and cultivate the institutional conditions that permit and encourage individuals to aspire. The report additionally investigates some of the possible economic decisions that may be affected by aspirations, and finds that higher aspirations are associated with higher crop yields, less pre- and post-harvest loss, more savings, more cash loans (likely indicating greater access to and use of credit), and a greater propensity to operate a nonagricultural enterprise.

The aspirations of Pakistanis are also at an especially critical juncture given the country's deteriorating security situation, two major floods in the last 2.5 years, and an increasing likelihood of such extreme weather events due to climate change. The recent flooding has only heightened perennial concerns in Pakistan about a lack of basic necessities such as education, health, security, mobility, and access to information. Without these basic necessities, aspiration levels may be exceptionally low. It is critically important to understand what policies raise aspirations, and which can ensure that aspiration levels remain high. With this knowledge, resources can be targeted to leverage individuals' desires for a better life to improve actual outcomes for rural Pakistanis.

Corruption and a poor justice system have also been shown to lower economic growth and may similarly have adverse consequences for aspiration levels.
Thus, a sufficient condition for the perpetuation of poverty is a general failure of the poor to aspire. Aspirations may relate to income, wealth, educational attainment, social status, or any other area one considers important. When an individual's aspirations are high relative to the average level in his district, his aspiration level is considered to be high. Conversely, when an individual's aspirations are low relative to the average level in his district, his aspiration level is considered to be low. Understanding what leads to high or low aspirations among the poor, and understanding how aspirations (as well as certain cognitive biases that help determine them) affect behavior provides useful information for effective, pro-poor policy formulation.

Exposure to media and information can provide important knowledge that helps increase productivity and improve rural livelihoods. For example, people can learn about prices, commodity demand, weather expectations, job, or farming techniques. This information can make them more productive and better able to adapt to changing conditions. Second, people can learn about the standards of living of similar people in different cities. This might inspire them to work harder in order to achieve a better life, and can even promote migration. In both of these ways, exposure to media and information has the potential to positively impact aspiration levels.

Parents are one of the most important influences on their children and can serve as role models, mentors, and support systems. As such, parents are likely to be at the center of one's aspirations window. Individuals whose parents have significant levels of achievement may be relatively more likely to have high aspirations. Conversely, low parental achievements may anchor an individual's aspirations at low levels. We collected data on an important aspect of parental achievement: the highest level of education obtained by each parent.

Another important aspect of an individual's aspirations window is the set of neighbors, friends, and acquaintances with whom he/she is likely to interact. With more interactions, an individual is more likely to encounter a person with very high aspirations. An important factor conditioning the number of people with whom an individual interacts is her perceived degree of mobility. Mobile individuals who feel the confidence and freedom to leave their village will likely meet more people with high aspirations.

Locus of control is a psychological concept measuring "a generalized attitude, belief, or expectancy regarding the nature of the causal relationship between one's own behaviour and its consequence," and it is likely to influence an individual's behaviours and productive investments. Individuals with a strong internal locus of control believe that outcomes in their life are due to their own actions and effort, while those with a strong external locus of control have a more fatalistic view of the world.

Closely linked to an individual's locus of control is his/her perception of the causes of poverty. Poverty may be associated with a fatalistic worldview. If poor individuals believe they are poor for reasons beyond their control, then they may not be motivated to make costly but ultimately beneficial investments to reduce their own poverty.

Attitudes to change have sizeable linkages with poverty; adaptability and eagerness to learn new techniques can lead directly to greater resilience and productivity.

The impact of self-esteem on behaviour is a subject of great interest to social psychologists. Self-esteem may also have beneficial economic impact if it leads to more investment in education, harder work, more ambition, higher aspirations, and more efficient collaboration with others.

Envy may consume energy and prevent beneficial cooperation and collaboration with others. Religiosity has been blamed for extremism and violence. However, it can also be associated with acts of generosity and with pious behaviour. Understanding the climate of religiosity in an area can be important for designing policies that approximate to the worldviews and preconceptions of the people. Higher aspiration levels are also associated with higher savings and use of credit (normalized as a share of expenditures) and a greater likelihood of operating a non-agricultural enterprise.

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