Mushfiq Ahmad
Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Plato believed that philosophers should be kings. He believed that only those who had gone through extensive education could be good leaders. He proposed an elaborate scheme of education where the brightest youngsters were to receive education to become leaders.

His scheme never saw implementation, but history largely proves his point. The leaders who have added to the richness of civilisation have all been those who had vast knowledge about different aspects of human life.

Many such leaders emerged in the last century and left a lasting impression on the world, not only with the organisations and nations that they built but also with their prolific writings full of new ideas.

Vladimir Lenin was a revolutionary. He built a party and overthrew the Czar after a long struggle. But during this struggle, he also managed to write on capitalism and imperialism, philosophy, and literary criticism.

The imprint Lenin left on the world will never be erased. He changed the world forever. If not for him, the Das Kapital of Karl Marx would have been like Plato’s Republic. Although the system he built failed to continue, but it did force the capitalist world to alter itself.

Winston Churchill was not only an army officer and statesman but also artist and historian. He led Great Britain during the Second World War and spent a busy political life. But he managed to write several books and to paint. His works on history added a great deal to the richness of English literature.

Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the chief architects of India’s independence. Together with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he mobilised the Indian public for the country’s freedom from the British. This was a task that left little time. But since he had a penchant for writing, he wrote The Discovery of India when he was jailed in the Quit India Movement. In the book, he traces the history of India and writes about the effects of the mingling of outsiders with Indians.

From prison, where he had little to read, he wrote letters to his daughter Indira about the histories and cultures of different parts of the world. The collection titled, Glimpses of World History, is of such high standard that it was compared to the works of H G Wells.

Maulana Maudoodi continued writing even after founding the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1941. He went on to produce several dozen books, including his magnum opus, the six-volume Tafheemul Quran, despite his increasing political engagements.

Unfortunately, today’s world is devoid of such leadership. Everywhere, the quality of leaders has plummeted. The Western world doesn’t have any leader who can match the genius of Churchill. Barack Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, comes across as a dwarf in comparison to Churchill, who was given the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953, long after he had played the most important role in fighting the Nazi onslaught.

Russia, the homeland of Lenin, is today led by Vladimir Putin, who has more interest in the martial arts than world-changing ideas, and who is more concerned with his appearance than his country’s standing in the world.

Nehru’s India is led today by Sonia Gandhi whose only qualification for being the leader of the Indian National Congress is that she is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, who himself became prime minister just because he was the son of Indira Gandhi.

Maudoodi’s Jamaat-e-Islami is led by Munawar Hasan today, who is just a political orator, not a scholar.

This decline in the quality of leadership has occurred because the leaders of today have no great ideal to attain. They have set themselves limited goals. Great leaders are those who have great aspirations, which spur them to strive hard and provide the world with revolutionary ideas. For that they study world history, observe the contemporary world and then give their own ideas of what the world should be like. Plato sought to produce such leaders.

But today’s leaders are interested in winning elections only. For that they don’t have to study anything because their rivals are equally worthless. They raise hollow slogans of better life standard and manage to fool the masses.

But the world must not go on like this. It must change. We deserve better leaders who can make people realise their true potential and create new, better world.

The writer is a staffer at The News.

Email: mushfiqahmad1000@gmail.com

April 3, 2012
Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD
Exclusive Article

For over half of a century, the leaderless Pakistani nation is paying for its pains, anguish and insane rages of the few egomaniac and perverted rulers who could not THINK right nor lead the nation – the political gangsters and the laughing stalk of the wounded nation and perpetrators of violence and the typical “Right Men” syndrome in its most naked form. There are three major contending forces escalating conflicts to degenerate the future and cripple the freedom and integrity of Pakistan:

(1) the Generals, who have ruled the country for almost four decades and are not willing to relinquish their own strategic- political powerhouse, militarization of the nation;
(2) Feudal landlords transformed politicians, the systematic by-products of the military Generals are the selected few families – Bhutoos- Zardaris, Sharifs and Chaudris of Gujarat acting as accomplice to support the military-based indoctrination as and when required for all seasons;

(3) People, the besieged masses of Pakistan – the net participatory victims and reactionaries to all of the tragedies for over fifty years.

None of the first two entities were factors in the thinking hub of the Pakistan movement for freedom – a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent and the politically-intellectually enriched people’s democratic movement for the creation for an independent Pakistan. Dating back to the colonial era, the military institutions were planned and organized to ensure the loyalty and mastery to the British imperialism over its subjects – the people of occupied British India. Under the colonial scheme of things, the people were denied of rights, human dignity and entitlement of citizenship except being subjects of the British Raj. To the role and imperatives of the military institutional indoctrination in Pakistan, not much have changed in the overall symbolic “Pakistani military” absorbing into an Islam force to protect the ideology of the nation. The obvious impression of a secular indoctrinated institution exclusively operational on its own as a powerful entity and making its own policies and orientations regardless of the interests and aspirations of the masses of Pakistan. If a General cuts short political lifelines of any of its stooges when they become a liability, he will assume the power to be a law man – absolute authoritarianism. The military coups and interventions degenerate the moral, intellectual and positive Thinking of the society and run the risk of continued decadence and corruption in all major endeavors of national affairs. Pakistan and its people are the victim of this prolonged, cruel and unending tragedy. It clarifies that the Generals and their accomplice so called feudal politicians versus the common masses live in different worlds of perceptions and realities – and in conflicting time zones, not being able to see the prevalent realties of the national affairs to come to understand its essence and urgency for change and reformation. The global community sees them with mistrust and discord, not viable entities of the international system. The irrational system of governance propelled by the few does not offer any rational context to political change and reformation unless there is another bloody outburst challenging the insanity with more vigorous form of tragic insanity. Nobody THINKS of Pakistan, its national interests or the interests of the people- the logical legitimacy factor to the embodiment of Islamic Pakistan. More than forty years of time and opportunities have been stolen from the precious lifeline of the nation of Muslim Pakistan; yet, nobody was ever charged with crime nor punished for their treachery and monstrous actions against the freedom and integrity of Pakistan. East Pakistan now Bangladesh, was lost and surrendered to India because of the plan by the then military-political rulers of the nation in 1971. ZA Bhutto- General Yahaya Khan were the chief conspirators to dismember Pakistan. The traitors were rewarded not punished by the nation.

Pakistan embodies multiple self-inflicted tragedies unknown in modern history. Leaders create leaders but there were none since the military took over the reigns time and again, stupid and unthinking people will come to occupy the highest offices, negating the very essence of Islam principles and moral values of the society. Power politics in Pakistan has become an outcome of institutionalized corruption, conspiracies, killings, and treachery to the national interests. The Generals, Politicians and Assemblies are all the outcome of this flourishing industry. Since its freedom, the power was transferred only once peacefully by the British colonial authority on August 14, 1947; otherwise, there is no evidence of peaceful transfer of power to any legitimate leader-party in Pakistan. All the time, there were backdoor conspiracies, killings and trades-in between the few families and the Generals. What happened to East Pakistan, a similar situation is evolving in Baluchistan, and all the major actors appear to be same as were at the time in 1971. The first two contending forces are acting on behalf of the foreign masters to further disintegrate Pakistan, and they are well paid and escorted by the ruthless forces of foreign intervention and spying networks. Even if Pakistan is further ruptured, their dividends-pensions and salaries are guaranteed by the colonial master. Who would know better to calculate the benefits than General Musharaf and his immediate colleagues? To the common folks, the issue is how to avert the emerging catastrophic disasters- internals and externals and gain sense of physical and intellectual security for the future. In this struggle, those who were supposed to be defending the nation, are acting like scorpions and wild beasts ready to kill their own people under the guise of “terrorism” and “talaban militancy” but ignore all the challenges to the nation’s existence and do nothing to protect the nation. Killing their own people proves loyalty to the colonial masters and adds lot of cash dollars to the bank balance. They are playing “wait and see game’ as they did more than forty years ago. Recalls, in May 2011, the US launched a planned attack at Abbotabad and claims to have killed Osama bin Laden. Immediately after the operation, the then American CIA chief Panetta (now Secretary of Defense) and General Petraus thanked the Pakistani General Kiyani, ISI chief General Pashs and President Zardari for their cooperation. The Pakistani rulers pretended as if they were not aware of the Bin Laden killing. The media reported realities on the ground clearly indicated that they had knowledge and their participation was crucial to the US belligerent action. The Pakistani forces cordoned off the area few hours in advance while the US attack was in progress at Abbotabad compound. The Pakistani Generals and Zardari lied to the nation and got away with it. If they had any sense of responsibility and shame, they would have resigned right away. In November 2011, the US led NATO forces attacked on the Pak-Afghan border post and killed 24 Pakistani sleeping army personnel. Now, three months later, the US announced this week that it was a normal operation against retaliation and does not acknowledge any mistake or need to apologize from the Pakistanis. The facts on the ground speak a different language of naked aggression by the US led forces. Were the Pakistani Generals not capable to challenge the cruelty of the foreign forces? The US drone attacks continue to kill civilians in the Pakistan’s Waziristan and Pukhtoon frontier regions. Every other day, killings of innocent civilian men, women and children take the global headlines and funeral processions of the charred and defaced bodies. Are these Generals not capable to protect the Pakistani civilians against the foreign onslaught? What good are the Pakistan armed forces if they cannot offer credible sense of security to the nation? Looking critically, this is nothing new to the role of the Pakistani Generals and their dishonesty to the nation. General Musharaf, the previous dictator consumed 11 years of the nation’s life and did all that what the current General are preoccupied in shaping their interests and priorities. Musharaf was rewarded by the US Master and lives happily in a $1.4 million London mansion under the 24/7 protection of the British security. The American and British leaders view Pakistani Generals and their accomplice politicians as monkeys and donkeys good for logistical purposes when and if needed – the hired slaves who work for the foreign Masters but not educated and trained to THINK on their own for the Muslim nation. Strangely, when such people lack leadership qualities, courage and role-play and are proven incompetent, who appoints them to hold the nation’s highest offices of responsibility? The Generals and Bhuttos- Zardaris are not the resources to serve Pakistan or safeguard its political-strategic interests but the concerned educated and intellectuals of the new generation are the precious asset of the Pakistani nation to serve its interests for anew future.

Do the Pakistani Generals and the PPP accomplice have any sense of honesty, accountability or justifiable explanation to offer to the nation? The Osama bin laden episode and the killing of 24 Pakistani army men clearly indicate their failure to prove their competence and professional duty to safeguard the nation. What if India and Israel would have come-in as did the US intruders to attack the nuclear installations? Would they be ignorant of such an unthinkable intrusion into Pakistan’s sovereignty? The rulers are the absolute power in Pakistan. There is no democracy, no political accountability and there is no political system based on any known legitimacy. The Pakistani rulers have acquired indifference to the public interest and insanity and they are victim of their own obsession. Pakistan needs a new political system of governance to be articulated by the new educated and proactive visionary generation of the people. Zardari and the Generals belong to the dead past, and cannot be a hope for the future. Pakistanis breathe different air in a vicious encirclement of subjugation with a terrible sense of helplessness lacking political imagination and new ideas for the future making. The present rulers deserve a powerful lightning jolt or perhaps to face firing squad because the rational legal accountability process would not do justice to their perpetuated crimes against the nation. One cannot ignore the facts that some vital segments of the Pakistani nation must have been complacent in these schemes of things institutionalizing corruption and cruel politics. Could the Generals, Bhuttos, Sahrifs and Zardari have stolen time and resources alone without the large participation of bribed people from within the society? Shall we define it as a “zalam and muzloom quom” for our discussion purposes?

America is a big game player in Pakistan and its security apparatus. The aid gimmick has kept Pakistan interdependent on the policy making of the US administration and a nation being viewed more liability than an asset to the American geo-political interests in that region. The US leaders allege Pakistani rulers (civilians and military) as “double dealers” paid, bribed but act contrary to the American dictates. The imagery that floats across the globe that Pakistani Generals and politicians are in the paid US basket and survive on its active support to rule Pakistan. The beggar nation that continues to be living at the mercy of the so called US aid money and foods, often defined as conspiracy to fighting proxy wars in Afghanistan and elsewhere. All that can go wrong have gone wrong with the system of Pakistani governance. Every one selling others, every one making cash dollars by trading-in the interests of the Muslim nation. It is business “as usual” and nobody seems to raise any eyebrows anymore in a culture of nuisance, filthy corruption, and non-Islamic governance claiming to be Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Nobody knows where Islam exists or operative in Pakistan. It is certainly not part of the governance as it stands now. All political parties are fun seekers, engaged in reactionary exercises and in show business. None seem to have the political, moral and intellectual capacity, vision and leadership to stand for Islamic Pakistan.

All contemporary politicians are stage actors pretending to be doing public good to serve the interests of the people. Men who are universally hated and feared claim to have achieved success at the cost of wrong thinking, ruthlessness, and treason against the nation. Their so called fantasy of success can never flourish except leading to degeneration, viciousness and self-destruction.

In July 2007, the New York Times published front page article that “Pakistani Generals are paid to do the job.” That was General Musharaf and comrades, exposing the insanity of the “war on terrorism” that Pakistan embraced and the Generals made millions. After the Raymond Davis case, this latest episode left no doubt that indeed Pakistani Generals and Zardari gang are paid by the US Government to do the job. The terms of reference clearly shows that the US intelligence network and the political leadership have full control over all the major affairs of governance in Pakistan. Zardari and the Pakistani Generals are the stooges of the US managed political chessboard. Do these sadistic monsters have a future?? Andrew Gavin Marshall “Imperial Eye on Pakistan- Pakistan in Pieces, Part 1 (Global Research: 5/30/2011) spells out the context:

“America has, in recent years, altered its strategy in Pakistan in the direction of destabilization. In short, Pakistan is an American target. The reason: Pakistan’s growing military and strategic ties to China, America’s primary global strategic rival. In the ‘Great Game’ for global hegemony, any country that impedes America’s world primacy – even one as historically significant to America as Pakistan – may be sacrificed upon the altar of war………. Pakistan will very likely continue to be destabilized and ultimately collapse. What is not mentioned in these assessments, however, is the role of the military and intelligence communities in making this a reality; a veritable self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Is there a way out of the Pakistani sell out to the US? The Pakistani military Generals and political rulers are part of the problem; they cannot be part of the solution. The traitors are boxed-in, fair or foul. They will deny being on the wrong side or ever having committed treason against the very people and nation that fed them. The solution must come out of the NEW THINKING and NEW VISIONS of the young people and new generation of Pakistani scholars and intellectuals who are able to THINK independently and out of the box curtailment. This approach deserves an inward EYE on the objectivity and purpose of political change and reformation of the neo-colonial dominated governance, an eye not merely to change the political faces but to be FOCUSED on the PURPOSE and clarity of political change institutionalized development, holding the current rulers including General Musharaf accountable for their crimes and treason to the nation, and rebuilding new political institutions with an instinctive recognition, gradually transforming the obsolete governance and rebuilding unto new and responsible system of political governance. Surely, history will judge the Pakistani rulers by their actions, not by their claims. The HOPE for change and reshaping ANEW Pakistan rests with the ideas and optimism of the new, educated and intelligent young generation of Pakistanis. Are there any Thinking and Rational PEOPLE available within the body of the Pakistani nation and open to listening to the voices of REASON to comprehend the monstrous challenges to the future of Pakistan and be able to articulate people’s movement for a navigational change?

(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution and comparative Western-Islamic cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest one: Arabia at Crossroads: Arab People Strive for Freedom, Peace and New Leadership. VDM Publishers, Germany, September 2011. Comments are welcome at: kmahboob@yahoo.com)

The article is contributed to pkarticleshub.com

April 03, 2013
Roedad Khan



In 1959, Professor Arnold J. Toynbee was invited by the Peshawar University to spend a month on the campus to deliver a series of lectures on a subject of his own choice. I was Deputy Commissioner, Peshawar. Once a week, thanks to my friend, Abu Kureshi, who was his guide and constant companion, Professor Toynbee would do me the honour of coming to my official residence on Fort Road.

Professor Toynbee was a very simple, unpretentious and unassuming man. His company was a treat and his friendship an honour to enjoy. Meeting him was like meeting history. Having a conversation with him was a little like getting to volley with John McEnroe. Trying to keep up was hopeless, but it was exhilarating just to be on the court with him. Of Toynbee, Allan Nevins wrote: “Standing on his Everest, he is more than a historian; he is a great deal of a Prophet.” He would survey the past, produce a bird’s eye view of mankind’s history with a view to gaining greater insight into the present.

Pakistan was under martial law. Democracy had been derailed by power-hungry generals. Talking about democracy, Toynbee said: “Asians and Africans had constructed a syllogism, which Aristotle would certainly have disallowed as being illogical. ‘The West European peoples live under democratic political regimes; the West European peoples are powerful; therefore, democracy is a source of power; therefore, we Asian and Africans must become democratic if we are to attain our objective of getting even with the West in competition for power and for the advantages that power brings with it’.” This argument, Toynbee said, is obviously unsound. The truth, perhaps, is that democracy, so far from having been one of the sources of the Western peoples’ power, has been one of the luxuries that their power has enabled them to afford. The source of their power has been their marriage of technology with science, the opportunity for their democracy has been the margin of strength, wealth, and security that their power derived from applied science has created for them. Unlike the belief that science has been a source of Western power, the belief that democracy has been a source of Western power is a fallacy. Democracy had been a Western amenity that Western power has brought within the West’s reach.

Election, Professor Toynbee said, is not the answer. The idea that you can just hold elections while everything remains colonial, feudal and medieval, means you won’t get democracy, but some perversion of it. Elections are necessary, but not sufficient; they alone do not make a democracy. Creating a democracy requires a free and independent country, an inviolable constitution, a sustained commitment of time and money to develop all the necessary elements: a transparent executive branch accountable to Parliament, a powerful and competent legislature answerable to the electorate, a strong neutral judiciary, and a free press.

To assume that a popular vote will automatically bring about a democratic metamorphosis would be to condemn the country to a repeat of the cycle seen so often in Pakistan: a short-lived period of corrupt, civilian rule, a descent into chaos and then army intervention.

Perhaps no form of government, Toynbee said, needs great leaders so much as democracy. It is our misfortune that at a time when leadership is desperately needed to cope with matters of vital importance and put the country back on the democratic path, Pakistan is ruled by a corrupt, criminal syndicate. To no nation has fate been more malignant than to Pakistan. With few exceptions, it has long been saddled with poor, even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military dictators, political illiterates and carpet-baggers. No wonder, Pakistan is today no more than a poor, broken toy floating on an ocean of uncertainty.

The corrupt leadership ruling Pakistan has proved unable to govern a country rent by political, ethnic, economic, and social conflicts. Today, Pakistan is a nightmare of despair and despondency, and in doubt about its future. The rich are getting richer, while the poor, well, they are still dirt poor and are sinking deeper and deeper into a black hole of abject poverty. The country appears to be adrift, lacking confidence about its future. Disaster and frustration roam the political landscape. Look into the eyes of a Pakistani today and you will see a smouldering rage.

In Pakistan, nothing has so altered the fortunes of so many so suddenly as political power. Here money and power seek each other. No wonder, the business of politics attracts the scum of the community. These are practitioners of the art of grand larceny, loot and plunder in broad daylight with no fear of accountability. The rich are evading taxes, while the poor are searching the trash for food.

In these harsh and difficult political times, the question of leadership’s character is at the centre of our national concerns. For a person, party or nation, the element essential to success is character. “Fame is a vapour, popularity an accident,” wrote Horace Greeley, “riches take wing, and only character endures.”

“In a President character is everything,” Peggy Noonan writes in her assessment of Ronald Reagan. “A President does not have to be brilliant. Harry Truman was not brilliant and he helped save Western Europe from Stalin. He does not have to be clever, you can hire clever…....but you cannot rent a strong moral sense. You can’t acquire it in the presidency. You carry it with you.” If a President, Toynbee said, has integrity, if he has credibility and if he is believable, nothing else matters. If he has no integrity and no credibility, and if there is a gap between what he says and what he does, nothing else matters and he cannot govern.

Today, Pakistan stands in twilight, awaiting the seemingly inevitable descent of darkness. Is the dark long night about to end? And has the time come for us to leave the valley of despair and climb the mountain so that we can see the glory of another dawn? The darkest hour is just before the dawn and as generally happens in history, it is at the darkest hour that a bright star arises when you had almost given up hope. When a crisis comes, a kind of tidal wave sweeps the man of character to the forefront. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Today, we have both. The hour has struck. And the man has appeared. The hour has found the man, who has the will and the power to restore the Pakistan dream.

Today, Imran Khan incarnates all our hopes. He epitomises the national struggle. He embodies the nation’s romantic dream of itself. He presents himself before the nation as a glowing beacon against the forces of darkness. It seems that, as in the case of Churchill in 1940, the last 15 years or so he spent in political wilderness had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial. A window of hope has opened for Pakistan. All the men of yesterday and all the men of day before yesterday, who have ganged up against Imran, are destined for the dustbin.

Imran is the only truly national figure in the bleak, fragmented Pakistani landscape. In this atmosphere of gloom and doom, destiny is beckoning him. He is the right man, at the right time and the right place to shake up this stagnant nation’s sclerotic status quo and dislodge the corrupt leaders catapulted to the summit of power in tragic circumstances. It is our good fortune to have found the right leader whose character, integrity, credibility and ability fit the tide of history. He has courage, stamina, patriotism, idealism and habit of hard work that have become part of his being.

Now that the election schedule has been announced, a sense of high intensity chaos prevails in the capital. Pakistan is preparing for a showdown. It will be no ordinary election. It will be the defining moment for the destiny of the people and the country. The political parties will face an influx of young, angry, unpredictable voters. The stage is set for a collision between those who belong to the future and those who represent the forces of darkness and the dead past. In this Manichean struggle, you have to choose sides. Neutrality is immoral and is not an option.

We live in a profoundly precarious country; it is in deep, deep trouble. Sitting on the fence is no option. Attentistes (those who wait or fence sitters) must make up their minds. The moment has come to join the battle for Pakistan. Now that young people, men and women, in particular, have come out in support of Imran, the winds of change have begun to blow. Things will change. The status quo will shift, the corrupt regime will crumble. The long nightmare will be over. It will be morning once again in Pakistan. This is the last chance. The last battle.

The writer is a retired civil servant and senior political analyst. Email: roedad@comsats.net.pk Website: ww.roedadkhan.com

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...inions/columns

By:Malik Muhammad Ashraf


All over the world the public representatives, especially the parliamentarians, ministers, chief executives and presidents are expected to set and have high standards of morality and honesty because for the leaders to be able to discharge their public duties and carry forward the mantle of public trust, it is essential that they have an untainted past and an irreproachable integrity. Unfortunately these crucial human traits has been lacking among our parliamentarians and public leaders who – barring a few exceptions – have acted as carpet baggers dedicated to exponentially enhancing their fortunes through fair and unfair means rather than promoting the well being of the masses. Politics, for them is an industry and becoming a member of the parliament is a license to expand their profits. This materialistic bent of mind is a contributory factor to their attempts to circumvent the laws through corrupt practices to become a member of the parliament that confers on them the political power and the fortune that comes with it.

The fake degrees scam is a shameful example of their dirty machinations and a ranting proof of their immorality that portrays them as the worst kind of scoundrels and cheaters. Nevertheless it is heartening to note that finally their day of reckoning has come for some of them and they would find it difficult to escape the dragnet cast by the SC and ECP. The SC has rightly taken a very strong position on the issue and fifty four former parliamentarians whose degrees have already been found fake are surely going to miss the bus besides facing legal action for their acts of forgery. Another 189 who have not presented their degrees and educational certificates for verification have been advised to get their documents verified within three days. To help the process to be completed, reportedly, the offices of ECP, HEC and controllers of examinations of all universities will remain open till mid night of 5th of April. Who knows how many more will join the list of cheaters as a result of this scrutiny. Thanks also to the media which unearthed this scandal, kept it alive and built public pressure for punitive action against these unscrupulous elements and the so-called public representatives.

The sordid aspect of this disgraceful conduct is that the leadership of the political parties has knowingly looked the other way and even attempts have been made to protect the wrongdoers. In a system of numbers game their primary concern has been to have as many winning horses as possible to clinch political power. Though the efforts of the SC, ECP and the media, to ensure that only people with unblemished character and reputation get into the assemblies, are very encouraging but they are not going to bring any substantive change in our political culture unless a change is effected in the way we elect our public representatives. The feudal character of our political system that promotes politics of graft and entitlement is the real culprit and needs to be changed. It is pertinent to note that majority of the 342 constituencies for electing federal parliament is in the rural areas, a bastion of power for the feudal lords. They have a vested interest in the perpetuation of the colonial system of governance and electing public representatives.

The culture of corruption and horse trading are the hallmarks of this brand of politics. Democracy is the only option for this country. The political parties deserve appreciation for ensuring the continuation of the democratic process. However, the democratic dispensation has to be responsive to the ground realities and geared to promoting the national interest and the well being of the people rather than serving the interests of the elite. The system in vogue has brought untold miseries on the hapless masses and done nothing, except for creating islands of affluence among the oceans of poverty. There is a general consensus that we need a change in the political system.

The political parties must learn from history and feel the pulse of the masses. If they fail to cleanse the mess and affect necessary changes, they will become irrelevant to any future arrangement of governance in this country. The best way to break the hold of the feudal lords on the political power in this country is to adopt the system of proportional representation. Under this system people vote for the parties rather than the individual candidates in a single constituency system and the parties get representation in the parliament on the basis of the percentage of votes that they poll.

The advantage of this system is that it reflects the real support for the political parties among the masses and also ensures the presence of smaller and regional parties in the parliament making the legislature a truly representative body. The party leaders are spared of the blackmail of the winning horses and they can nominate really competent and educated people from different walks of national life to represent the party in the parliament. The system also eliminates the possibility of horse trading and floor-crossing for personal gains. The biggest advantage of this system is that it eliminates systemic corruption. To make this system really workable voting will also have to be made compulsory so that every registered voter can exercise his right of franchise.

To effect these changes, amendments in the constitution will have to be made and it will be in the interest of all the political parties and Pakistan that these reforms are given top priority. Now that the parliament stands dissolved there is no possibility of carrying out these reforms before elections. However, after the elections, the parties winning the public franchise must get together and bring the required systemic reforms within six months and hold fresh elections under the new system. One can genuinely hope that through the combined efforts of the SC, ECP and non-partisan caretaker setups committed to holding free and fair elections, we will have good stuff coming to the parliament.

The political parties have already shown commitment to the national causes by unanimously carrying out 18th, 19th and 20th amendments in the constitution and also by adopting the 7th NFC Award with consensus. They must show the same zeal and dedication in changing the system on the foregoing lines to put the country on the course envisioned by the founding father. He must be turning in his grave to see what we have done to his and our Pakistan.

The writer is an academic.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/columns/

By:Munir Ahmad Khan

On April 4, 2013, the nation is observing 34th anniversary of Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto with grief and sorrow along with following the path of true democracy. Executing political leaders for whatever reasons doesn’t serve the cause of democracy in anyway.

The PPP leaders and workers have faced many difficult periods during military regimes, particularly those of Zia-ul-Haq and General Pervez Mushrraf. But the party remained intact and sustained itself as the major popular party of Pakistan. This was possible only because of the futuristic vision of the party’s founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had a mission to change the exploitative system and give the poor and the neglected equal rights and share in the national fortunes. But he was not allowed to succeed in his ambitions and was executed for pleading the cause of the poor and guarding the national sovereignty.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave the people awareness and courage to speak for their rights. He brought politics out of drawing rooms and attracted the teeming millions much against the wishes of the hidden forces which have always undermined the people’s rule. Holding the Lahore Islamic Summit, which brought the Pakistanis on one platform, declaring Friday as weekly holiday and banning liquor were among his important contributions to Pakistan.

Bhutto, the man who awakened and led the masses throughout his political career, the man who befriended the poor, exercised moral leadership and transformed Pakistani politics, was executed on April 4, 1979. His achievements can’t be forgotten. He was minster of commerce, informational and national reconstruction, fuel, power and natural resources from 1958 to 1960. He led Pakistan’s delegation to the United Nations in 1959, 1960, 1963 and 1969. He gave a statement in support of Algeria against French imperialism at the UN in 1959. He led Pakistan’s delegation to Moscow to negotiate agreement on oil and gas exploration with Soviet Union in 1960. He also differed with the US by not voting against China’s membership of the UN in 1960. He served as foreign minister of Pakistan in 1963-1965.

He gave PPP its manifesto with the slogan of “Islam is our faith, democracy is our policy, socialism is our economy, all power to the people”, in October 1966. Later, on November 30, 1967, he founded Pakistan Peoples Party. He also led Movement for Restoration of Democracy in 1968.

His other achievements include land reforms of 1973, Simla Agreement, Pakistan’s first nuclear Power Plant at Karachi, Establishment of NDFC, National Book Foundation, Port Qasim Authority, Allama Iqbal Open University and Quaid-e-Azam University. And of course who can forget that he was the person who gave Pakistan its constitution in 1973.

He was elected prime minister of Pakistan on August 14, 1973, and soon afterwards he made an agreement for repatriation of 93,000 prisoners of war from India in Bangladesh. He instituted Administrative Reforms Order of September 1973 and laid foundation stone of Pakistan Steel Mill on December 30, 1973. He also held Islamic Summit at Lahore on Feb 22, 1975.

Due to his daring work for his country, Henry Kissinger warned him that if Pakistan continued with its nuclear programme “the prime minister would have to pay a heavy price”.

Following are some excerpts from ‘Daughter of the East’, written by Benazir Bhutto in which she has highlighted the last moments she spent with her father:

“Why are you both here? My father says from inside the inferno of his cell.

My mother doesn’t answer.

Is this the last meeting? He asks.

My mother cannot bear to answer.

I think so, I say

He calls for the jail superintendent who is standing by. They never leave us alone with papa.

Is this the last meeting? My father asks him.

Yes, comes the reply. The jail superintendent seems ashamed to be the bearer of the regime’s plans.

Has the date been fixed?

Tomorrow morning, the superintendent says.

At what time?

At five O’clock, according to jail regulations.

When did you receive this information?

Last night, he says reluctantly.

My father looks at him.

How much time do I have with my family?

Half an hour.

Under jail regulations, we are entitled to an hour, he says.

Half an hour, the superintendent repeats. Those are my orders.

Make arrangements for me to have a bath and shave, my father tells him. The world is beautiful and I want to leave it clean.

Half an hour. Half an hour to say good bye to the person I love more than any other in my life. The pain in my chest tightens into a vice. I must not cry. I must not break down and make my father’s ordeal any more difficult.

He is sitting on the floor on a mattress, the only furniture left in his cell. They have taken away his table and his chair. They have taken away his bed.

“Take these,” he says handing me the magazines and the books I had brought him before. “I do not want them touching my things.”

Time is up. The superintendent says. Time is up.

Tonight I will be free, he says. A glow suffusing his face. I will be joining my mother, my father. I am going back to the land of my ancestors in Larkana to become part of its soil, its scent, its air. There will be songs about me. I will become part of its legend. He smiles. But it is very hot in Larkana.

I will build a shade. I manage to say.

The prison authorities move in.

Good Bye Papa, I call to my father as Mummy reached through the bars to touch him.”

Today both the leaders are not with us. They have left forever physically but their memories and guidance will remain with the people of Pakistan in general and the workers of the PPP in particular.

PPP, following the path of its leaders restored the 1973 constitution in original form, ensured independence of judiciary, freedom of press and sovereignty of the parliament. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the parliament completed its five-year tenure. The PPP also made historic amendments to the constitution.

The PPP will follow the slogan of Shaheed Zulifkar Ali Bhutto “roti kapra aur makan”, with the addition of education and health in the forthcoming elections.

The writer is in-charge policy, planning and media, PPP, Punjab.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/columns/

April 04, 2013 Farzana Raja



Great and true leaders live eternally. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was truly one of the greatest visionary leaders of modern era whose political philosophy and democratic constitutional polices are logical, providing basis and guiding principles for all times to come.

Shaheed Bhutto, by virtue of his statesmanship qualities, steered the nation towards the destination of peace, progress and stability under extremely challenging and difficult circumstances. He provided the nation an insight and the leadership to counter the looming threats to the very existence of the country.

After the tragedy of East Pakistan, in a historic speech in the year 1971, Shaheed Bhutto summed up his vision about the future of Pakistan by saying: “My dear countrymen, my dear friends, my dear students, labourers, peasants, those who fought for Pakistan. We are facing the worst crisis in our country's life, a deadly crisis. We have to pick up the pieces, very small pieces, but we will make a new Pakistan, a prosperous and progressive Pakistan, a Pakistan free of exploitation, a Pakistan envisaged by the Quaid-i-Azam.”

Shaheed Zulfikar resolved all the external threats to the integrity of the nation. He introduced a wide range of reforms in political, economic, social, industrial, educational and administrative arenas, aiming to change the fate of common man in Pakistan.

The political career, struggle and policies adopted by Shaheed Bhutto during his democratically-elected government suggest that the leader of masses was born to serve the people of Pakistan and to accomplish great deeds for the nation. It was his able leadership that had infused new spirit in the nation and thus gave the people courage and momentum to rise from the ashes.

Shaheed Bhutto, during the process of nation building, paid special attention to bring about positive changes in the lives of poor and downtrodden segments of society. Besides, he was able to boost the image of Pakistan in the comity of nations by exhibiting unprecedented mastery in international diplomacy. Securing the release of 90,000 prisoners of war and vacation of 5,000 square miles of Pakistani territory back from India through negotiations is a remarkable example that depicts the abilities of great Quaid-i-Awam.
A democratic process cannot be complete without providing relief to each and every segment of the society. The zeal and commitment of the Shaheed towards serving the underprivileged of society made him iconic person with regard to securing the rights of the people of Pakistan. Hence, the forces that did not want to empower the people perceived Quaid-i-Awam as the biggest threat for their vested interests based on the abuse of the rights of common man.

In another historic speech, he elaborated this vision in categorical terms and said: “For all those who have been the victim of most inhuman exploitation known to contemporary times, this intolerable state of affairs have to be brought to an end. It is our moral duty to lift the people of Pakistan from the quagmire of poverty. We consider the end of inequalities, the achievements of the fair distribution of wealth, and the establishment of a welfare society as a proper function of the state."

While being fully aware of the consequences of empowering the common man, our Shaheed leader decided to live in the history, rather than making compromises with retrogressive elements. Hence, the daring leader of the masses scarified his life to empower the people and to make Pakistan a modern progressive democracy.

The adversaries of Quaid-i-Awam were, in fact, the enemies of a stable modern Pakistan. Such anti-people elements were afraid of the power of the masses, sensing that the process of development and progress ushered by Shaheed Bhutto would ultimately end all sorts of oppression and exploitation from the society.

A careful analysis of the measures and interventions taken by the democratic regime of Shaheed Bhutto, especially in the social sector, suggests that his socio-economic agenda was based on the well being of the people of Pakistan. This socio-economic agenda has been aptly described by the slogan “roti, kapra aur makan”, a true reflection of his economic agenda, which is quite relevant today and would remain so in the future.

Quaid-i-Awam infused a ray of hope in the people during extremely difficult time and guided the nation clear of various looming internal and external threats. He preached greater national harmony among the nation as the only way forward to become a stronger federation. He bestowed the nation the gift of a unanimous constitution to ensure the protection and provision of the rights of every Pakistani.

The democratic government of Shaheed Bhutto introduced various measures, aiming to provide basic amenities of life to the marginalised segments of society. Keeping in view the importance of education, new scholarships for the students were introduced to bring about a revolution in the field of education to serve as an effective tool to combat poverty.

Today, the socio-economic vision of Quaid-i-Awam is being promoted through the platform of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The initiative was given a task to alleviate the economic troubles and hardships of the masses. It is a matter of immense pleasure and satisfaction to me that the stated objectives of the programme are being remarkably achieved under the guiding principles laid down by Quaid-i-Awam and in accordance with the vision of his great daughter, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

The BISP is first ever comprehensive social protection net introduced in Pakistan, which has won recognition from credible international institutions. The programme is being expanded further consistently by extending new interventions to deserving families, including health and life insurance facility, micro-financing, vocational technical training and, most importantly, by imparting education to non-school going children of the registered families. Inshallah, BISP will continue the vision of Shaheed Quaid-i-Awam.

Today, while marking 34th Martyrdom Day of Shaheed Bhutto, every Pakistani that believes in democracy is paying tribute to Quaid-i-Awam for the great sacrifice he has made for the better future of coming generations. April 4, 1979, would always be remembered as a black day, as it was the day when the judicial murder of our great leader was committed at the behest of a dictator. By the grace of God, in the light of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s democratic and constitutional vision, Pakistan will achieve its goals, including sovereignty, welfare, prosperity and success.

The writer is former federal minister and founding chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...inions/columns

April 04, 2013
Munir Ahmed Khan



Today, the nation observes the 34th death anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), the founder Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former Prime Minister, with great respect and reverence.

The PPP that was formed in 1967 has been empowered to rule the country by the people of Pakistan twice by Shaheed Bhutto, twice by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and currently by Asif Ali Zardari. Despite the fact that PPP leaders and workers faced several difficulties during military regimes, they managed to establish the party as the largest political party in Pakistan. This was possible only because of Bhutto’s vision; a vision to change the exploitative system and give the poor and neglected equal rights. However, he was not allowed to succeed in his ambitions and executed for pleading the cause of the poor and guarding national sovereignty.

Bhutto gave people the courage to speak for their rights. He brought politics out of the drawing room and attracted the teeming millions against the wishes of the undemocratic forces, who have always undermined the people's rule. Bhutto - the man who had awakened and led the masses throughout his political career and the man who befriended the poor, exercised moral leadership and transformed Pakistani politics - was hanged on April 4, 1979. Undoubtedly, his efforts and achievements for Pakistan cannot be forgotten. Some of them are:

i His famous speech at the UNSC: “We will wage a war for a thousand years” - September 22-23, 1965.

i The PPP manifesto with the slogan: "Islam is our faith, democracy is our policy, socialism is our economy, all power to the people" - October 1966.

i He laid the foundation of PPP at Lahore - November 30,1967.

i He led a mass movement for the restoration of democracy – 1968.

i Landslide victory for PPP in the elections in present-day Pakistan - December 7, 1970.

i The signing of Simla Agreement. Pakistan to get back 5,000 square miles of territory occupied in 1971 war.

i Inaugurated Pakistan's first nuclear power plant at Karachi. - November 28, 1972.

i Constitution of Pakistan passed unanimously - April 12, 1973.

i Agreement for repatriation of 93,000 PoWs - August 28, 1973.

i Laid the foundation stone of Pakistan Steel Mill - December 30, 1973.

i Islamic Summit at Lahore - February 22, 1974.

i Inaugurated Pakistan's First Seerat Conference March 3, 1976.
The list goes on. However, while recalling some of Bhutto’s sacrifices and achievements, I also benefited from the memoirs of Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto with whom I have had a good working relationship. She remembered her father every day, at every moment and even before taking any decision. She not only wrote about the last moments she had spent with her father, but also followed in his footsteps. On April, 3, Benazir, along with her mother Nusrat Bhutto, had their last meeting with Bhutto whose legacy as a mass leader will live on forever. Here are some excerpts from Benazir’s book, entitled “Daughter of the East”, about her last meeting with her father:

"Why are you both here?
My father says from inside
the inferno of his cell.
My mother doesn't answer.
“Is this the last meeting?”
He asks.
My mother cannot bear
to answer.
“I think so,” I say
He calls for the jail superintendent, who is standing by. They never leave us alone with papa.
“Is this the last meeting?” My father asks him.
“Yes,” comes the reply. The jail superintendent seems ashamed to be the bearer of the regime's plans.
“Has the date been fixed?”
“Tomorrow morning,” the
superintendent says.
“At what time?”
“At five o'clock according to
jail regulations.”
“When did you receive this
information?”
“Last night,” he says
reluctantly.
My father looks at him.
“You have both suffered a lot,” he says. “Now that they are going to kill me tonight, I want to free you as well. If you want to, you can leave Pakistan as the constitution is suspended and martial law imposed. If you want peace of mind and to pick up your lives again, then you might want to go to Europe. I give you my permission. You can go.”
Our hearts are breaking “No, no,” mummy says. “We cannot go. We will never go. The Generals must not think they have won. Zia has scheduled elections again, though who knows if he will dare to hold them? If we leave, there will be no one to lead the party, the party you built.”
“And you, Pinkie?”
my father asks.
“I could never go,” I say.
“Good Bye Papa,” I call to my father, as mummy reached through the bars to touch him.

Today, both the leaders are not with us. Even though they have left for their heavenly abode, their memories and guidance will always be remembered by the people of Pakistan, especially the PPP workers.

The PPP, following the path of their Shaheed leaders, restored the 1973 constitution in its original form, ensured the independence of judiciary, freedom of press and sovereignty of Parliament. It is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a democratically-elected Parliament has completed five years of its tenure. It has also made historic amendments to the constitution by the formation of independent Election Commission and caretaker governments with the approval of the leader of the house and leader of the opposition. Also, the PPP leaders followed Shaheed Bhutto slogan, “roti kapra aur makan”, with the addition of education and health for the forthcoming elections.

The writer is the in charge
of policy, planning and
media, PPP Punjab.
Email: munir_ahmad_khan@hotmail.com

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-ne...inions/columns

Margaret Hilda Thatcher embodied these words. To some she was an icon of assertiveness and conviction, to others, she was just a bossy old lady.

Perhaps no other prime minister in the history of Britain has been loved and reviled at the same time as she has been, but that is who Margaret Thatcher was. To judge her on her political and economic beliefs solely would be to overlook her love for her country and her superhuman steadfastness to stick to any cause she believed was right in undertaking. Maybe this is what irks her detractors.

I am not a British national and she wasn’t my prime minister, nor does my country have any happy memories of her (remember her support of Zia’s regime?), so what compels me to write about her?

The simple answer is that our country’s leaders have much to learn from the life of Mrs Thatcher. In fact, below are a few lessons from her life that our next government should take note of and incorporate into its policies:

1) Never shy away from making unpopular decisions:

Margaret Thatcher was never one to shy away from unpopular decisions which she thought were for the greater good of the people. Whether, it was taking on the lethargic and unproductive bureaucratic apparatus or clamping down on the excessive power of unions, she withstood all assaults and intense criticism, and by the time she was forced out of office, she had taken Britain out of near economic collapse to a confident free market economy.

Many of our leaders had a chance to change our economy, make decisions that might have angered us at the time but could have saved our coming generations, but they didn’t. They rode on the wave of massive election wins, with heavy mandates and clear parliamentary majorities, but their love of power held them back from instituting desperately needed reforms, regarding discriminatory laws, land distribution, dam construction and so on.

2) Less government and more power to the people:

In her view the government should not legislate and provide for everything. She made the citizens stakeholders in policies, reduced the size of civil services to spend more money on basic amenities and set strict goals and targets for government agencies to achieve.

And what does our government do?

They increase the number of ministers and cabinet members and place no checks and balances on the funds being used for public services.

Perhaps the incumbent government might want to take a leaf out of Thatcher’s handbook.

3) Come out of our national delusions:

When Margaret Thatcher came into power, Britain was in shambles, it was on the road to irrelevance in the global scenario because it was still latching on to the memories of the once glorious empire. Of course, somebody was needed to shake them out of the resultant torpor and initiate reforms that were taking place in other economies. And she with an iron will and dogged determination achieved them, even though the odds were heavily stacked against her.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said,

“The real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn’t just lead our country, she saved our country. And we should never forget that the odds were stacked against her.”

And what is our situation?

We see the world as a menacing scheming, conspiring entity that is out to destroy Pakistan (as the ghairat brigade made us believe). This grand delusion has hampered our path to progress many times. We need a leader of Thatcherian realism to shake us from our collective paranoia induced lethargy and reassert us on the global map.

There will be a time to debate on Thatcher’s policies but now not the time to do so. Now is the time to take notes from her life and works, and integrate them into ours to better ourselves.

She will always remain a global beacon of hope, not only for the women, but for those who face adversity and remain true to their goals and never bow down to unjust demands.

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/16...gret-thatcher/

‘Iron Lady? Rust in peace’
By Irfan Husain

OVER a week after her death, Margaret Thatcher continues to divide Britain much as she did during her 12 years in power. Against a backdrop of praise in Parliament, and hundreds of newspaper columns and editorials, she is also being vilified by large sections of society.

Perhaps the best indicator of her divisive legacy is the popularity of the old song ‘Ding dong, the witch is dead’ from the old musical The Wizard of Oz. People are downloading the ditty at a rate that has put it among the Top Ten. Many see this as deeply disrespectful to a towering figure, widely accepted as being Britain’s most influential politician since Winston Churchill.

When news of her death first broke, every newspaper rushed out special supplements full of articles and photos depicting her life and times. The Iron Lady – the title given her by a Soviet journalist, and one that stuck – was admired and respected on the right for the way she transformed Britain. On the left, she continues to be reviled for her dismantling of unions and her destructive policies towards industry.

Another reaction to the news of her death were spontaneous parties to celebrate the occasion. As with Bhutto in Pakistan, the mere mention of her name still ignites furious arguments. A heroine to the well-off who flourished due to her policies, she is a hate figure to miners and factory workers who lost their jobs in her terms of office.

There is a debate on now over whether her liberalisation of the financial sector led to the current recession. It is certainly true that when she deregulated the city, she unleashed a tremendous amount of pent-up energy and greed. London’s financial district rapidly became a global centre for deals, trades and mergers. Millions were quickly made, and multinational banks from around the world set up shop here.

The downside to this feeding frenzy was a disregard for the normal caution that used to be the British banker’s hallmark. Hugo Young, in an obituary written before his death, described the hardness that came into British society due to Thatcher’s encouragement of individualism. He saw this selfish streak as being now embedded at the centre of British life, over 20 years after she was forced out of office by a rebellion launched by her Tory colleagues.

Ken Livingstone, the left-wing ex-mayor of London, writes in the Guardian:

“Thatcher’s destruction of industry, combined with financial deregulation and the ‘big bang’, began the decline of saving and accumulation of private- and private-sector debt that led directly to the banking crisis of 2008. The idea that bankers would allocate resources for all our benefit was always a big lie. Now the overwhelming majority are paying the price through the bailout of bank shareholders.”

In Margaret Thatcher’s long political career, two things stand out more than her other policies: one was to take on the miners when they went on strike in 1984, and the other was the decision to send in the Royal Navy to neutralise the Argentine threat to take over the Falkland Islands. By confronting the National Union of Miners when they resisted the job losses that would accompany modernising Britain’s subsidised coal mines, and went on strike, Thatcher responded with a firmness bordering on brutality.

Thousands of policemen were deployed to arrest striking miners who tried to prevent workers from outside from entering the mineshafts. Many miners were injured as mounted policemen charged their ranks. Thatcher had earlier ordered for coal to be stockpiled to minimise the impact of the strike, and for some powerhouses to be converted to oil. In 1985, when the strike finally ended, the entire industry had been devastated. Today, it is virtually moribund.

In the Falkland war, Thatcher resisted the advice of her own cabinet colleagues, as well as counsel from Washington. Despite the dangers inherent in fighting a distant war, Thatcher prevailed, and her stock rose among a cheering British public that had witnessed the steady decline of their nation after the Second World War.

After her death, many of her ex-colleagues have spoken about her dogged determination to finish the task she set her mind to. With her grasp of the ways of the bureaucracy, she pushed and prodded until she got her way. Famously, she once remarked: “I’m the only man in my cabinet.”

Even those who opposed her policies at the time acknowledge her contribution in reviving the economy and putting Britain back among the ranks of significant players on the world stage. In this, she was helped by her friendship with Ronald Reagan, the US president in the 1980’s. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Thatcher encouraged the senior Bush to launch the first Gulf war.

In some ways, Thatcher was admirable in her total disregard for other people’s opinion of her. In an era when politicians resort to focus groups and opinion polls, and avoid unpopular decisions, Thatcher did what she thought was right, often dragging her cabinet behind her, kicking and screaming.

Her crackdown on IRA separatists made her deeply unpopular in Ireland. When some IRA prisoners went on hunger strike, she is reported to have callously said they should be allowed to starve themselves to death if they wanted to. One epitaph for the dead prime minister summed up these feelings in a graffito that appeared on a Belfast wall: “Iron Lady? Rust in peace.”

Thatcher’s rejection of the African National Council that was fighting apartheid in South Africa, and her dismissal of Nelson Mandela as a “terrorist” made her a hated figure around the world. In addition, her friendship with Pinochet, the Chilean dictator, raised questions about her democratic credentials. One brief letter in the Guardian expressed this loathing for Thatcher: “A friend of Pinochet. An enemy of Mandela. Enough said.”

__________________
"Nay! man is evidence against himself. Though he puts forth his excuses." Holy Qur'an (75:14-15)

On April 17, Margaret Thatcher or the Iron Lady, as she was dubbed by the Soviets, will be laid to rest. Whether we liked her politics or not, she was undoubtedly the greatest woman politician of the 20th century and a towering stateswoman of the post-war era. Several obituaries have been written about her and numerous people have commented on how she changed the face of Britain and impacted the world, and so, I will not write something similar, but reflect on why someone like her would have been ideal for Pakistan.
First, Lady Thatcher was a person of principles. Whether you agreed with her or not, you knew what she stood for and almost nothing could change her mind from what she resolutely believed in (not without thought and investigation). While everyone remembers her famous “this lady is not for turning” comment, one statement by her has been resonating with me since her death. Lady Thatcher one said: “If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.” And this is the crux of the problem in Pakistan. Politics in Pakistan is one of “liking” the leaders and there is little debate on policy. People vote not because Nawaz Sharif has a better economic policy, or because Imran Khan is sound on defence, but mostly on how much they “like” the person, mainly without much critical thought.

I was further struck by her comments on “consensus politics”, a familiar buzzword in Pakistan these days. In Pakistan, politicians see consensus as something of an achievement. However, speaking in Australia in 1981, Thatcher said: “To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects — the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead.” Doesn’t this quote aptly explain our politics of the last several years? In the name of “consensus”, all specific policies have been abandoned and the country left afloat with random ideas which no one owns. It is time to change.

Secondly, Baroness Thatcher believed in the free market. While I agree that some form of government regulation and support is needed, I do believe that she was right that the market should take its own decisions within a certain framework. In her time as prime minister, she privatised several state-owned organisations simply because the government did not have the ability to properly run them. As time has shown, privatisation not only saved these firms from bankruptcy but also improved efficiency and productivity. Just imagine if we privatise a number of the state-owned giants in Pakistan, like Pakistan Steel, Railways, Wapda, etc. Given the example of the successful de-regulation of the PTCL, similar positive changes could easily come in those organisations and for once, we might have trains running in Pakistan and maybe even get some electricity! Her reforms in opening up the City and allowing council house ownership were decisions which led to a great boom, and are policies that should be followed.

Thirdly, and ultimately, Lady Thatcher’s policies were based on self-responsibility. Having worked her way up through sheer hard work, she strongly believed in individual responsibility and work. Speaking in 1987 she said: “And, you know, there’s no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours.” This is the simplest, yet the most fitting way, of understanding society and how it works. No grand plans will work, unless individuals are empowered and can take the responsibility of first changing their lives and then of others.
Pakistanis are very good at “passing the buck”, blaming others for their misery, and we generally shirk from taking responsibility. However, without personal responsibility and action, no amount of good governance can improve the lot of the people and the country.

Lady Thatcher is no longer with us, but her ideals, sense of purpose, strength of character and her simple yet critical and accurate assessments, will always remain with us. I just hope that we Pakistanis, leaders as well as the people, can learn from her.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16th, 2013.