Parliamentarians in India

August 28th, 2012

An understandably emotional delegation of Pakistani parliamentarians returned from India saying good things that may help in sorting the bad atmospherics created by some elements that form the political orthodoxies in India and Pakistan. In Patna (Bihar), Pakistani Anusha Rehman said: “We have crossed borders to bring forth the message of love”, after which, it is reported, “all eyes in the room welled up”. This has happened in the past, too, with no realistic follow-up. The pattern is repeated so often that the world outside South Asia has stopped taking these samples of emotional hyperbole seriously.

At the risk of being proved wrong once again, one may look at the latest sample with some optimism for the reason that the Pakistan Army is in a mood to relent with India in order to better fight the Taliban. The Pakistani delegation was a cross-party affair and one could hear certain variations on the theme even in what looked like a uniform strain of good will.

The more important representatives of the powers that be in Pakistan’s democracy were delegation leader Senator Jahangir Badar, Haji Adeel of the ANP and Khurram Dastgir of the PML-N. From the Indian side, the major interlocutors were Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha and Congress politician Mani Shankar Aiyar.

The main emotional thrust was behind the demand from both sides for the easing of a tough visa regime between the two countries. They repeated the same concessions leaders have voiced in the past — this was the fourth visit by the delegation — allowing cross-border travel in personal vehicles, discontinuing police reporting to avoid harassment of travellers and visa-free access to educationists and senior citizens. We know that plans for a liberal visa regime have been scuttled in the past by the Pakistani side, while India continues to make granting of visas more difficult through tough procedural measures. One way of not allowing any meeting to decline into the past jurisprudence of negative relations is by avoiding reference to the bilateral disputes that have emerged either from wars or have been manufactured to trigger more wars. But the conservative element in the Pakistani delegation had to touch base with the party line on India.

Mr Dastgir, who is easily the most educated man in his party, played safe by reiterating a view that may have been superceded by his leader Nawaz Sharif’s more open-minded approach to India. Mr Dastgir stated: “Besides the issue of visa regime, health, education, economy, trade, Sir Creek, Wullar Barrage, Kashmir, Indian’s infiltration via Afghanistan (sic!) were also discussed in detail.” Remember, elections are around the corner and you don’t want to lose the conservative vote. There is no doubt that the conservative PML-N will clinch the final peace with India. Aware of this, Mr Sharif took the brave step of recommending unilateralism on the question of Siachen amid a howl of protest from his supporters. The truth is that if you want to remain stuck in the rut of confrontation, try to front-load disputes in any discussion with India.

The West will call this exchange of delegations a confidence-building measure (CBM). It may fund such visits in hopes of getting India and Pakistan to agree to a process that has unfolded successfully in Europe after two bloody world wars. People in the West, who set a lot of store by CBMs among rival states, are bemused by the fact that they simply have not worked in South Asia.

The fact is that the so-called disputes have been created around the core issue of Kashmir to prevent a direct approach to dispute resolution. The accretions to the core issue have become so solidified that they have assumed a life of their own. It is, perhaps, too late to adopt a disputes-first approach. The freshly added dispute over waters, earlier reflected in the Wullar Barrage quarrel, can only be resolved if India and Pakistan first become close through free trade and treat the water crisis as a regional crisis, not a bilateral dispute.

The case of the Swiss letter

August 28th, 2012

Ever since being elected, the Pakistan Peoples Party has been haunted by the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and the fallout of the mass amnesty granted by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. By now, there can be no doubt that it will be unable to contend with an increasingly stubborn Supreme Court during its remaining few months in power. The Supreme Court’s hearing on the Swiss letter case on August 27, with Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf appearing in the Court, may have ended in a stalemate with the prime minister given until September 18 as his next date before the judiciary. But no one should mistake that for a reprieve. The only thing the Supreme Court wants is for the prime minister to write the letter and if he is unwilling to do so, he will be removed from power, just as Yousaf Raza Gilani was before him.

Some would say that, perhaps, the Supreme Court should have recognised the perfect face-saving measure that the PPP had provided to it in order to end this long-standing constitutional morass. In explaining its refusal to write the letter, Prime Minister Ashraf specifically cited the president’s immunity from prosecution and claimed that asking for the Swiss cases to be reopened would violate this constitutional provision. The Supreme Court, however, chose not to pay heed to this argument. The Swiss authorities have also said in the past that they would be unlikely to reopen any case against a sitting head of state. What is important now is that this matter be brought to a dignified close that allows the PPP to live out its remaining days in power without any further clash between institutions. The sanctity of the Constitution, the principles of democracy and political stability must be upheld by all stakeholders.

The PPP is now in a battle of time for its own survival. It is able to weather the dismissal of one prime minister; another forced removal may precipitate early polls. That may just be why Ashraf asked for a few more weeks to study the legal aspects of the case — a request that would otherwise be absurd given that the PPP has had more than two years to formulate its position in the matter. Running out the clock for as long as possible may be the only option the Supreme Court now has left for the beleaguered PPP.

Helmand incident

August 29th, 2012

In Afghanistan, the US and its Nato allies used to continually stress, not only the Taliban laying out a welcome mat for al Qaeda, but also the uniquely repressive nature of a regime that was merciless in dealing with those who strayed from its harsh interpretation of religion. This was a government that flogged football players, destroyed the non-Muslim heritage of its country and treated women like a lower form of a human being. Anyone who thought the Taliban might have learned a lesson from its original ouster from power was served a rude reality check this week as 17 villagers, including two women, were reportedly beheaded by local Taliban for the ‘crime’ of enjoying themselves at a ‘party’ in Helmand province.

The reaction to the incident by the Karzai government has been particularly galling. President Hamid Karzai himself said that the beheadings show “that there are irresponsible members of the Taliban”. Even though the Taliban themselves have denied any involvement in the incident, surely, President Karzai, who has had to deal with the Taliban for over a decade and is intimately familiar with its ideology, knows that this is actually perfectly in line with what the former rulers of the country believe and practice. The US, too, has been forced to face the harsh reality that the only way it can withdraw its troops is by negotiating with the Taliban and accepting some role for it in the corridors of power.

Just because the US has decided on this face-saving course of action does not mean that the rest of us have to whitewash the Taliban’s actions. The group remains as committed as ever to its retrograde ideology and the only reason actions like the one in Helmand are relatively rare is because the Taliban is biding its time. It is opportunistically taking part in negotiations but is patiently awaiting the day it returns to full power, only to strike with full force again. As much as the US is trying to overlook that, there can be no hiding from the fact that the decade-long war will end up putting back in power the monsters who ruined Afghanistan.

Uninterrupted death

August 29th, 2012

Quetta has turned into a city of death. Targeted killings based on sectarian and ethnic factors take place without an end in sight. Entire communities live in fear and people hesitate to leave their homes. When they do, they can never be certain whether they will return safely or not. The three Shias who were shot down in the latest sectarian attack in a drive-by shooting, certainly did not make it back home. It is unclear who their killers were but it can be assumed that the men wielding guns had been sent out by one of the Sunni extremist forces which have set up base in Quetta over the last decade or so. Thousands of sectarian deaths have occurred in the province since the 1990s due to their actions, with Quetta’s small and traditionally peaceful Shia Hazara community most frequently being targeted in recent months.

On August 27, sectarian killings alone did not bring death to the province. A day of mourning had been called by the Balochistan Republican Party, led by Brahmdagh Bugti, to mark the death anniversary of his late grandfather, Nawab Akbar Bugti. Other nationalist parties supported the call with strikes observed across towns in the province. Sadly, there was also violence, with five bus passengers shot dead in Bolan. Whatever motives may underpin the killings, the end result is the same: death and agony.

Is there any way to end the murders in Balochistan, restore sectarian harmony and dampen rage? Certainly, right now there appear to be no answers in sight. The question for the province is whether these answers can ever be found. If this does not happen, there can be no guarantee for what the future will hold or how things will develop in our largest territorially federating unit. The sectarian strains running through Quetta alongside other kinds of violence have destroyed the once harmonious flow of life that existed there. If the current trend continues, there will only be a worsening in the situation, taking Quetta and the rest of the province closer to the breaking point.

Killing conservation

August 29th, 2012

It should have been clear by now to authorities involved in conservation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) that efforts to save endangered species there are failing. In the second incident in just over three months, another leopard was shot dead by villagers in the Khadorda Village near the town of Bhimber. A similar incident involving the killing of a leopard took place in May this year. There have also been other cases before this, including one in 2010 when a snow leopard, one of the few rare species left in this world — was killed. AJK houses both, the snow leopard — with its distinctive white coat, and the common leopard.

In the latest incident, villagers say a pair of leopards was attacking their cattle. The male was shot dead, while the female escaped. The existing threat from leopards to the villagers is something that has to be considered. Humans have been killed by them in various mountain areas. But this suggests that the conservation strategy needs to be reconsidered and adjusted. Experts say a key reason for the leopards moving into villages is the loss of their habitats as a result of large-scale deforestation and with this, also the loss of their natural prey. Deforestation is visible everywhere in AJK where huge tracts of land have been denuded, in many cases, as a result of the efforts by timber mafias. The conservation problem has to be looked at with a wider perspective; ways have to be found to allow humans and wildlife to live harmoniously in proximity with each other — especially as human populations expand. To achieve this, we need to reforest land and restore the destroyed natural order of things. At the same time, there is a need to build respect for wildlife among people and educate them about the need to protect species such as the leopard, which is in danger of vanishing from our land. So far, efforts have failed completely in AJK, where leopards continue to be killed at periodic intervals by villagers and people alike who have come to perceive them as enemies rather than as creatures in need of protection and help.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

New provinces

August 30th, 2012

Carving out more provinces in Pakistan is not a new demand. The PPP-led government has been rallying for the formation of a new province in southern Punjab for Seraiki speakers. President Asif Ali Zardari had directed that a commission be formed in light of the resolutions passed in the National and provincial assemblies on the issue. As far as administrative purposes and the wishes of the local people are concerned, more provinces can be considered, but the way to do that is to have a national consensus and take everyone on board. Regrettably, the PPP-led government is moving ahead with the newly-convened commission on new provinces in a manner that seems to suggest it is bulldozing the issue, perhaps with the next election in mind.

In the case of Punjab, the PML-N is not just important by virtue of being the country’s second largest mainstream party but because it also runs the province’s government. Thus it was disconcerting to see the centre’s dismissive attitude vis-à-vis the PML-N, with one federal minister indicating that the process would continue “even if the PML-N does not participate in the process and if the Punjab Assembly does not nominate its members (for the newly-convened commission)”. Another federal minister has said that the commission was formed in light of the Punjab Assembly’s own resolution on the matter. However, it can have little value if the PML-N does not nominate members to it because any decision made by it will not have wide backing, something that is essential for a matter as sensitive as forming a new province.

It is worth mentioning that the PPP seems to be banking on gaining votes in southern Punjab, and to perhaps undercut even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf , by strongly backing a new province there. That said, it is also fair to say that any other party would have done the same, prior to an election year, but that doesn’t justify the approach. If the government approaches the PML-N again and takes their reservations into consideration, the PML-N may end its boycott. In a democracy, it is integral that an important decision like making new provinces is made through parliament and by taking all sides on board, especially the opposition.

A concert banned

August 30th, 2012

The fight between extremism and moderation is an unequal one. On one side, you have a tiny but vocal minority that deploys threats and violence as a primary tool in the battle, while on the other side, there is the vast majority that simply wants to get on with life with minimum fuss. It is precisely this urge to avoid conflict which led authorities in Bhurban to cancel an Eid concert that was denounced by local clerics. While no one would want attending a concert to be a life-threatening experience, we have to be careful not to cross the line from caution to appeasement. By giving in to the most extremist elements in society, the government is announcing that it has no will to stand up for the rights of its citizens. Already, too many concessions have been given to those relying on mob rule to enforce their version of morality.

Although the case of Rimsha Masih, who was arrested for ‘blasphemy’, is far more worthy of outrage than the cancellation of a concert, a connection can be drawn between the two events. In both cases, the state should know better than to simply capitulate to those who seek to marginalise and threaten anyone who angers them. In both cases, authorities have erred on the side of fear. For the rest of us, silence should not be an option.

By granting religious obscurantists their every wish, we are rapidly acquiescing to the shrinking of public space. The elite will always have their parties behind closed, heavily-guarded doors, but for everyone else, there is simply no avenue for entertainment left. In public parks, we have to be careful of vigilante TV anchors demanding marriage licences. At concerts and theatres, there is worry that the content will be deemed un-Islamic and raided by vigilante mobs. The end result will be a country that is repressed, without culture and increasingly insular. This may be the Pakistan that the mullahs may want to create but it is not the Pakistan we should want to inhabit.

No justice for Rachel Corrie

August 30th, 2012

On August 28, an Israeli judge gave the final verdict in the case of 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, the young American woman who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer, while she tried to protect the demolition of the home of a six-year-old Palestinian girl and her family, in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli judge’s verdict ruled that Israel did not bear responsibility for her death and that it was her own fault for not pulling out of the way. The judge further said the incident was an accident and that the driver of the bulldozer was not able to see Ms Corrie. Prosecutors argued that she was wearing an orange vest, as visible in pictures, and also carried a bullhorn with her — signs that the driver of the bulldozer could not have missed.

The ruling in Ms Corrie’s case epitomises the neglect of the Israeli state in dealing with its rulings fairly and in a manner that critically examines reasons for both the Israeli military and Ms Corrie to react in the ways they did. The state turned a blind eye to Ms Corrie’s request of protecting the home of the Palestinian family and consequently, to her fight for human rights; a move that should not be excusable in any country’s court of law.

This ruling by the Israeli court should alert Pakistan’s own government for its negligence in providing justice to its people in a court of law. Does the state of Pakistan wish to emulate Israel, which failed to provide justice to a person who was fighting for human rights or should we begin adhering to stricter means in order to attain justice in our court rooms, so as not to mirror such governments? It is time to turn an analytical eye towards our own injustices and dishonesty. While Ms Corrie’s lawyer said the family will appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court within 45 days, there is no doubt, in the words of Ms Corrie’s mother, that “the diplomatic process between the United States and Israel failed us”. It failed the whole world, Mrs Corrie.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

Conflict of interest

August 31st, 2012

As a result of its verdict in the Arsalan Iftikhar-Malik Riaz case, on the directives of the Supreme Court, a one-man commission has been formed to probe the corruption allegations levelled against Dr Arsalan, after taking away the case in question from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The Court ruled that it was not satisfied with NAB’s inquiry into the matter. After allegations were levelled against the chief justice’s son by business tycoon Malik Riaz, the chief justice had stepped down from the bench hearing the suo-motu notice over Dr Arsalan’s alleged corruption, so as to avoid a possible situation of conflict of interest. There are implications of the Court’s setting up of a commission to investigate the allegations against Arsalan Iftikhar by Malik Riaz. With due respect, the first is that the perception, even if that is not in fact the case, being given is that the son of the chief justice is being afforded special treatment. How many other litigants are treated in this manner and wouldn’t this particular case give rise to a situation where those involved in other but similar cases could expect such a concession? Furthermore, the fact that the bench expressed disapproval of NAB’s investigations and directed that a commission be set up, indicates quite clearly that it is dictating the investigation of the allegations, despite there being a clear conflict of interest, since the main accused happens to be the chief justice’s son.

If the Court was not satisfied with NAB’s investigation in Dr Arsalan’s case, it could have asked it to work more diligently instead of taking the case away from it altogether, or it could have asked the government to hand it to another investigating body. The argument here could also be that what of those others whose cases pertaining to allegations of corruption or impropriety are pending before a superior court. Can they also expect to be afforded such treatment? The judiciary’s task is not to investigate cases itself, unless in the most pressing of circumstances where the public interest is served and when no situation pertaining to a conflict of interest exists. All institutions have to perform their duties within their requisite mandate. It is hoped that justice will be served in Dr Arsalan’s case and no preferential treatment will be given to him because of who he may be related to.

State of the arts

August 31st, 2012

The state of the arts in Pakistan is decidedly mixed. On the one hand, there is good news in the form of the Pakistani film Seedlings (Lamha) winning the People’s Choice Award for Best Film and the Best Actress award at the New York City International Film Festival. Then, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a Hollywood movie made by Indian director Mira Nair but adapted from the novel of the same name by Mohsin Hamid was just released worldwide. These triumphs, however, should not distract us from the fact that the arts in this country continue to face many existential threats. Just a few days ago, a concert in Bhurban was cancelled because of threats from clerics and militants determined to stamp out all culture in the country that does not conform to their interpretation of religion.

Other than the militant threat, there is a serious lack of cultural facilities in the country. Institutions like NAPA, which are serious in their commitment to culture, remain the exception rather than the rule, with the government showing no particular interest in taking up promotion of the arts. Lollywood continues to wheeze on but no longer seems capable of churning out fare for mass audiences the way it used to. Interestingly, Pakistan is now more recognised for its artistic output in English rather than local vernaculars. Our English-language novelists have even received recognition in the prestigious literary magazine Granta, which dedicated an entire issue to them.

As much pride as we should take in these achievements, it is not enough to rest on the laurels of a few individuals. In order for culture to take prominence in the country, it requires an engaged citizenry and a government that is willing to devote sufficient funds to the arts. The Mohsin Hamids and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoys of the future have to be nurtured, encouraged and harnessed. A country’s health is measured by its artistic output. On that front, Pakistan still needs to do a lot more to get off the deathbed.

Upholding Kasab’s death penalty

August 31st, 2012

The Indian Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the death penalty verdict against 26/11 gunman Ajmal Kasab is likely to reignite arguments over terrorism between Pakistan and India at the ongoing Non-Aligned Movement conference in Tehran. The leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet on the sidelines and there is every chance that India will press Pakistan to speed up its own cases on the Mumbai terrorist attacks. The question of Pakistani state involvement will also cast a shadow over the talks as India bolstered by testimony in the Kasab trial, is convinced that we were involved in the planning of the attacks. The best reaction to these accusations is not petulance and anger but an agreement that we need to move forward quickly in our own trial of 26/11 being conducted in Rawalpindi.

India, too, can lend us a helping hand by allowing us to cross-examine prosecution witnesses. Much of the heavy lifting, however, will have to be done by Pakistan. The alleged mastermind of the attacks, Hafiz Saeed, roams free while his outfit, the Jamaatud Dawa, operates unimpeded across the country, despite having been classified as a terrorist group by the United Nations. These are not the actions of a state that is serious about bringing to justice those responsible for the 26/11 attacks.

While India has a right to be aggrieved about our lethargic response to the Mumbai attacks, the peace process should not be hindered. It is better to concentrate on issues like a liberalised visa regime and freer trade, where agreement can be sought. The spectre of terrorism will always hang over the two countries’ relations but should not be allowed to consume them. The Pakistani judicial system is notoriously poor when it comes to convicting alleged terrorists for a variety of reasons, including poor evidence gathering, fear of militant reprisals and interference from lawless intelligence agencies. Though this frustrates India, punishing the civilian government for these problems will only end up strengthening those who have no desire for peace.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

Talking alignments

September 1st, 2012

International attention has switched to Iran as it hosts a major conference, bringing together 29 heads of government and state. The 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran has produced its moments of drama, with Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi — the first leader from that nation to visit Iran — backing the Syrian opposition and thus standing against the host country in that conflict. The UN chief also sought an easing of tensions between Iran and Israel. In a unipolar world where one superpower, the US, dominates the UN, one gets the impression that the NAM Summit has lost relevancy and is surviving only on ideals. However, the Summit does give leaders from developing countries an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of mutual concern. In this sense, it removes, for a time at least, the domination of the West and allows other schools of thought to be put forward, although their effectiveness in a US-dominated world remains to be seen.

The Summit gave an opportunity to Pakistan to demonstrate where it stands. Defying its key ally Washington, with whom relations have been uneasy of late, President Asif Ali Zardari backed enhanced trade with Iran, better bilateral ties and also the gas pipeline project running from Iran to Pakistan. While the US will obviously not be pleased with these pronouncements, there is much scope in this for Pakistan, which needs to find friends to help it in economic, social and political terms.

The two heads of state during their meeting on the sidelines of the Summit also discussed the wars in Afghanistan and Syria. While this may have been a little more than symbolic, it indicated a readiness to work together and adopt a perspective on the world different than that beamed out from Washington. The Summit was also significant in that it provided a valuable opportunity for Mr Zardari to meet India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two leaders discussed the trial of those held for the Mumbai attack of 2008, as well as other matters. Such discussions among various world leaders can help patch over divides and even if the Summit does not produce long-lasting solutions to problems plaguing countries, it may provide some hope that conflict between nations can be resolved through dialogue.

Gwadar goes to China

September 1st, 2012

There used to be a time that the Gwadar port project was championed as the solution to many of our woes. Having a new deep-sea port away from Karachi, we were told, would make Gwadar a hub of commerce. It was also claimed that the resulting prosperity would trickle down to the Baloch people and damp the separatist sentiment. Now, it seems, these promises were significantly overblown. The Port Singapore Authority, which was supposed to develop the Gwadar port over a 40-year period, has decided to pull out only five years in, ostensibly because the Pakistan Navy refused to vacate a crucial bit of land that was required to make the port operational. Now, it is being rumoured that the Chinese will be given the port at no cost, to do with it as it pleases.

The justification that the piece of land being occupied by the navy is important for security reasons holds no water since the entire port will become strategically vital once it is operational. Pakistan’s military already has vast tracts of prime land in its possession all over the country and surely a solution can be found in this case, especially when it leads to the cancellation of international contracts. It is in everyone’s best interests that the Gwadar port becomes operational and starts creating the kind of jobs and revenues that the Baloch people have been promised.

That the new owners of the port will likely be Chinese is sure to cause further headaches for Pakistan. For our other superpower ally, the US, China’s acquisition of Gwadar will be seen as a power play that gives China leverage in the event of future conflicts in the area. Already, Chinese aid and investment in Pakistan is generating US suspicion. Handing over our new port and with that a potential new Silk Route is not going to please the Americans. India will also be suspicious. For us, however, Gwadar’s promise has been squandered to the point where, right now, it is little more than a white elephant.

Our disregard for wildlife

September 1st, 2012

When we, as citizens, seek protection for something, we turn to our governments and our systems of law. However, if you live in Pakistan, it seems that you are quite out of luck. Often government employees are the ones found breaking rules and corrupting the system. A recent example is the hunting of deer, partridges and quails illegally partaken in by five men in Bahawalpur, three of whom were reportedly government servants.

Hence, a plea to our government agencies to seek protection for our beautiful wildlife seems piteous. From the illegal hunters, four deer, 28 black and 11 brown partridges and 20 quails were recovered. While the district coordination officer held a press conference and said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was taking special interest in wildlife protection, the hundreds of deer which inhabit the Laal Sohanra park in Bahawalpur, need more than mere promises in order to be protected. Earlier in August, a viral outbreak killed over 150 lambs and goats in Umerkot, and in Thar, over 100 peacocks died due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease, which is an acute viral bird disease. While the livestock department finally decided to investigate, the delay in the matter was frustrating. Stricter measures must be implemented when it comes to maintaining the health of livestock, upon which the rural population depends for its livelihood. We saw no follow-up reports on the conditions of these animals post-vaccination.

It is not surprising that wildlife receives little protection in Pakistan because for a country where human rights are routinely violated, how can we expect animal rights to be protected? However, we must keep fighting for animal rights. At some point, the government and wildlife protection agencies, both local and international, will have to listen. Otherwise, we will be left with barren land as our people and wildlife are neglected and killed, receiving no respect or regard.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

A wrong perception of the enemy

September 2nd, 2012

Just as Pakistan is preparing to deal with its internal contradictions about tackling the Taliban in North Waziristan, it is losing its security personnel to an enemy it doesn’t know how to identify. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released another video that shows a terrorist commander posing with the heads of 12 Pakistani troops saying, “Praise be to God that the mujahideen in Bajaur Agency have managed to kill the infidel soldiers of Pakistan”. The carnage took place in the tribal agency where the Pakistan Army is supposed to have pushed back the militants.

Hardly a month ago, the TTP proudly claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of a brave leader of Pakistan’s paramilitary force known for his performance against the terrorists. Pakistan has acknowledged that “15 troops were missing following fighting with militants in Bajaur three days ago”. The operation during which the 12 went missing was mounted to “repel Taliban militants who had crossed over from Kunar province in Afghanistan and occupied a village in Bajaur”.

On the same day, the TTP attacked Peshawar killing 11 people including “an officer of the North Waziristan political administration, his brother, son and cousin” with an explosives-laden Alto parked in the centre of a bazaar. In Quetta, five more Shia Hazaras were cut down by bike-riding Taliban killers near Sabzi Mandi, notching up the total number of Pakistanis killed by the Taliban to 35,000 since 9/11, which most Pakistanis believe was staged by the Americans themselves. They also believe that the Taliban are our own ‘offended’ brothers who will calm down once the Americans are defeated in Afghanistan.

Pakistan is acting more effectively against the Americans than against the Taliban. Its last act of derring-do was the arrest and conviction of Dr Shakeel Afridi through a jirga for “looking after the Taliban wounded” (sic!) while his real ‘crime’ was that he had helped in tracing Osama bin Laden to Abbottabad and thus facilitating the American commando attack that killed the father of terrorism. Pakistan has shown misplaced bravado by refusing to consider the idea of exchanging Dr Afridi with Dr Afia Siddiqi. The new ISI chief has said that “the US should consider the chapter of Dr Shakeel Afridi, who helped the US locate al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, as closed”.

It is clear that Pakistan sees America as its enemy, not the Taliban whom everybody now believes to be the dominant factor in Karachi. The ‘logic’ that shifts the onus of terror from the Taliban to the Americans is the assertion made by Pakistani officials that the TTP is being sheltered and funded by the US from Afghanistan. To make the case more convincing, they add India to the ‘evil conspiracy’ against Pakistan even as we make efforts to normalise ties with India.

Pakistan has been subjected to a massive misdiagnosis of the disease of terrorism that it suffers from. The people of Pakistan are now more or less totally anti-American in response to these official concoctions about who the real enemy of Pakistan is. They look askance at any realistic move made by the Pakistan Army to end the country’s international isolation by negotiating a common strategy against terrorism with the US and its Nato allies. So intense is the public self-deception that when the army chief said the war against terrorism was Pakistan’s war, no one accepted it. Pakistan is wriggling in the vice of its self-deceptions.

What is coming next is the people’s choice of government in 2013 when the country goes to polls. Anyone who does not depict himself as an enemy of America will not get their vote. Pakistan is fast moving to the state of popular mind in South America where leaders are putting their countries at risk by posing as anti-American warriors: Venezuela and Bolivia are now followed by Ecuador in what looks like an unrealistic pantomime as the lives of the people they lead are endangered by faltering economies. Pakistan has even fewer choices because, unlike South America, its people are at risk from its own terrorist gangs.

Visa matters

September 2nd, 2012

Pakistan and India are finally getting down to signing that bit of paper which will make it easier for visitors from either side to cross into each other’s countries. The more relaxed visa regime had been expected in May, when the foreign secretaries of the two countries had reached an agreement on it. However, a spanner in the works was rather unexpectedly thrown in by interior minister Rehman Malik, who stated at the time that he sought a more ‘political’ dimension to the visa deal. Malik cited the need for ‘internal’ agreements, leaving both the Indians and all onlookers rather befuddled.

However, after the delay of some three months, the deal is now to be signed, during the visit by Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna to Islamabad next week. Ahead of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar the foreign secretaries of the two countries will be meeting to lay down the groundwork for the ministerial talks. The new visa regime will include group visas for tourists for the first time, visas on arrival for senior citizens and children and multiple entry visas for businessmen. This is a big step forward. We must also hope that the deal will help save the people wishing to travel across the border from long hours of waiting outside high commissions and the complex processes involved in the submission of documents.

Easing cross-border entry restrictions is crucial for many reasons. It enables the person-to-person contact vital for developing a better understanding and the wiping away of myths and prejudices. We are badly in need of this. Ideally, the relaxed visa set-up should further move forward step by step and be combined with other measures aimed at removing bias in both countries. At present, these issues influence mindsets and determine the problems, which in many ways hamper the building of a genuinely friendly relationship. This is what both countries must strive towards, both for the sake of the region as a whole, and the people of both nations, who would benefit greatly from more spent on development rather than defence. This, then, should be the prime consideration as talks continue at various levels.

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Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

An ill-considered decision

September 3rd, 2012

The United Kingdom Border Agency’s (UKBA) decision to cancel the London Metropolitan University’s right to admit students from outside the EU — an action that may see at least 2,500 students fighting to avoid deportation — will have far-reaching repercussions, with the UK’s reputation as the premier destination for acquiring higher education bound to suffer. According to the UKBA, many of the university’s international students did not possess valid visas, had “attendance problems” and limited English-speaking skills. The decision has sent shockwaves through the international student body, as well as the country’s higher education sector, which relies significantly on its international students for revenue.

Admittedly, there are thousands of illegal immigrants who have entered the UK pretending to be students. Mounting security concerns and increased fears among sections of the local population of being swamped by foreigners seem to be bearing fruit. Many lower-tier UK universities are known to have engaged in dubious practices that enable the enrollment of foreigners without valid visas. However, making life difficult for students possessing valid documentation — who have spent thousands of pounds on their education — will not solve the problem.

If UK universities have been lax in their policies, one fails to understand the logic behind punishing numerous bonafide students unfairly, instead of setting up systems that identify those not possessing valid visas. The UK government needs to review the way the UKBA functions. The agency’s inefficiency has been well reported, as it has been known to hold thousands of passports for long periods of time when processing visas. A more efficient and transparent system is needed to carry out this task. This latest measure by the UKBA seems to be more of a cop-out as it appears that the agency does not want to make a concerted effort to identify illegal immigrants, relying instead on sweeping measures that will have negative repercussions for all stakeholders. Thousands of Pakistanis are currently studying in the UK and our government and high commission in London would be well advised to help those affected by this action so that they can stay in the UK to complete their studies.

Malik Ishaq and the state

September 3rd, 2012

The scourge of Pakistan’s Shia community, Malik Ishaq of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) — an offshoot of ‘renamed’ Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), which is in a legal penumbra of state ban — has been arrested upon his return from Saudi Arabia, where he could have gone to perform a religious ritual but could also have touched base there with the ‘donors’ who finance the massacre of the Shia in Pakistan. The charges against him of hate speech followed by sectarian killings are quite serious. He was acquitted of the same category last year and let out of jail after remaining there for 14 years.

He was wanted in connection with a case at a housing colony under Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The speech was against the Shia sect in Kamahan village on August 9 and he had avoided arrest by going underground. He had done this in many places in the country; in Chiniot, an incident of firing on a mosque followed a speech by Ishaq.

Police officers don’t want to be named when they offer information about Ishaq, even the bit about Ishaq leaving the country without informing the police — in violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Clearly, the officers are scared of getting killed by SSP activists as well as the state hierarchy, which is alleged to have a ‘special relationship’ with him as a warrior of the sectarian organisations based in Punjab. One officer let it be known that “Ishaq had remained in touch with a couple of provincial ministers”. The man was involved in over 40 cases relating to sectarianism and terrorism in which 70 people, most of them Shias, were killed.

He is now being reported as a member of the SSP, probably to remove him from the heat produced by a recent video released by his LeJ gang announcing that almost all of the Shia killed so far in the length and breadth of the country were its victims. The LeJ proudly claims affiliation with the Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Omar — who the world says is living in Karachi — and al Qaeda, whose Egyptian leader Aiman al Zawahiri the world suspects could also be living somewhere in Pakistan. This means Ishaq is a part of the elements that have blown Pakistan’s internal sovereignty to smithereens and could be ruling the streets of Karachi.

In February 2012, a spokesperson for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Yahya Mujahid, told this newspaper that Ishaq was present on the stage of a Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) rally in Multan. An ex-ISI boss, Hamid Gul, who attended the rally denied that Ishaq was present on the occasion and charged that a photo revealing the truth was actually a ‘doctored one’. The DPC held long marches at great expense to the JuD’s chief Hafiz Saeed — with American bounty on him — to protest against the reopening of the Nato supply route and was rumoured to be supported by elements within the ‘deep state’. After the final retirement of ISI chief General Shuja Pasha and after the excessively threatening posture of the non-state actors in the DPC, the policy of fielding the extremists was modified, throwing the DPC in an eclipse which could actually be a lull before a big terminal storm in luckless Pakistan.

Malik Ishaq is today the symbol of the state’s surrender to terrorists. He has re-embraced the SSP because it represents one of the centres of power spawned by the state policy of proxy jihad. Provincial governments are vying with one another to reach a modus vivendi with these power centres to save their politicians from being assassinated. In Punjab, where such a new ‘relationship’ has been set up to ‘sanitise’ the elections in south Punjab, police chiefs are in the habit of blaming terrorism committed by these centres of power on Israel and India. Malik Ishaq is a challenge to Pakistan’s sovereignty that Pakistan may be reluctant to face.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

Turn in the tide

September 4th, 2012

With the situation being as bad as it is in our country, it is even more unfortunate to see the terrible evil in our midst. The case of Rimsha Masih, the minor girl suffering from Down’s syndrome, accused of having committed blasphemy in the Mehrabad suburb of Islamabad, is one such example. The girl is in jail today because she was accused of burning pages that contained verses of the Holy Quran. Christians in the area live in a constant state of fear with hundreds of families having fled. Now, we hear that Rimsha was almost definitely framed. The evidence, consisting of burnt pages with Quranic verses inscribed on them, was allegedly planted on the girl by the local mosque cleric Khalid Jadoon Chishti, apparently because he disliked Christians. It is hard to imagine hatred so strong that it could lead to such malicious victimisation of a mentally-challenged child, completely unable to defend herself.

Chishti has now been arrested for blasphemy himself. Perhaps, as this case turns on its head, an important precedent will be set. Other elements of good have also been seen, pushing away at least some of the clouds of evil. Testimony against Chishti came from another man of religion, who gave Quranic lessons to children in the same area. His demonstration of morality and courage, seen so rarely in cases of blasphemy — given the frenzy and hysteria quickly whipped up around them — has shed new light on the plight of the accused. Perhaps, the brave example he has set will persuade others to act according to their conscience when other similar cases of blasphemy emerge.

As hearings continue in the matter, we also see right before us a demonstration of just how the blasphemy law is misused in the country. Although her bail plea has been adjourned to September 7, it is hoped that Rimsha may soon be released from police custody. Meanwhile, we must hope that Chishti is duly punished under the law for his malicious deed. This may in fact go some way in preventing others from acting in a similar manner, and perhaps, also build opinion against a law that has been misused again and again to victimise people who are weak, often over the most petty issues or prejudices created by decades of intolerance.

Suicide attack

September 4th, 2012

It seems as though there has been a renewed fear of Taliban attacks in urban centres. This fear was first raised by the Kamra attack and has now been cemented by a suicide blast near the UNHCR office in Peshawar that apparently targeted a US consulate vehicle on September 3, killing at least two people and injuring two US Consulate personnel. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) knows that its safe haven in North Waziristan may soon become the site of a bloody battle and it intends to inflict maximum damage in the interim. The indiscriminate violence that is a hallmark of the TTP appears to be back in full force.

There are some who will argue that this renewed violence is proof that a military operation will be counterproductive and do little but continue the cycle of violence. However, simply doing nothing will only strengthen the TTP and encourage the militant group to make further territorial inroads while continuing its bombing campaign. We are not in a position where we can treat militancy as a law and order issue. Arrests and trials are not enough. The ultimate goal must be to rout the TTP by taking the fight to them and ensuring that they have no area from which they can operate. This requires military, not police action. Simply clearing territory, as the military has done in the past, isn’t enough; our forces must also be able to hold it.

The job of the government and the judiciary is to ensure that those who died in terrorist attacks have not done so in vain. The perpetrators of this latest attack must be identified, arrested, charged and convicted. That a self-admitted TTP member was recently set free by the courts is not an encouraging sign. More commitment is needed in the fight against militancy. The government needs to minimise the damage from inevitable future attacks by doing a better job of collecting and acting on intelligence. The Kamra attack was a failure of intelligence and, with foreign organisations known to be on the militant hit list, this attack, too, should have been thwarted.

An Indian woman in Pakistan

September 4th, 2012

Human beings behave in strange ways. Their actions are sometimes inexplicable, lacking logic, and in certain cases, hideously cruel. One such case involves a woman of Indian origin, who has spent the last 13 years locked in a room on the top floor of a house in Karachi, alongside her daughters who are not allowed to attend school.

Shirley Ann Hodges, now called Shabnum Gul Khan, met and married a Pakistani money-lender in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in 1997. Three years later, he took her and their new-born daughter to his home in Karachi. Shabnum had no idea of the fate that would await her there. Though details are unclear, she seems to have been met with hostility by her in-laws, and also from her husband’s first wife and children. It is uncertain if she had known of their existence before agreeing to marry her husband.

Banished to a one-room prison, Shabnum has not been permitted to meet any outsider, with anyone making inquiries — including reporters from this newspaper — told that she is in “strict purdah”. It is unclear why this should extend to other women, as seems to be the case. Shabnum’s case has been reported to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which is making inquiries.

The story of Shabnum goes only to highlight the degree of suffering inflicted upon women. Perhaps, there are others in a position similar to hers, whose tales have not been heard. We do not know how many there may be in number. What is an unfortunate established fact is that the rate of domestic violence in our country has not fallen over the years. Past reports by international human rights groups have stated that a considerable percentage of women in Pakistan are subjected to violence in some form. The suffering Shabnum has borne for so long is just one small indication of what goes on in our country. We need to find a way to combat such atrocities — and also ensure that men like her husband are punished for their crimes and for destroying lives in the name of love.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

When will Rimsha be released?

September 5th, 2012

A 12-year-old daughter of Pakistan, Rimsha Masih, is in jail without bail for burning pages of Quranic verses even after the police found she was victimised through a trumped-up charge by a local cleric determined to oust the Christian community from the village of Mehrabad, near Islamabad. She suffers from Downs’s syndrome and may not understand why she is being maltreated. Even after the discovery that the cleric was indulging in a criminal plot against the Christian community, she has not been allowed to return home on bail.

A crowd was organised to oust the Christian community upon appeals from mosque loudspeakers. The mob went to the house of Rimsha and started kicking the door asking the parents to hand her over. They finally entered the house and gave a beating to the little girl and her mother. Following this, the police were informed, who immediately took the girl away and put her in jail under the ‘non-bailable’ black law. The Capital Development Authority has reassured those who were evacuated that they will be returned to their homes and their tormentors will be forced under law to relent. The displaced families were made to move to another place where the local inhabitants refused to let them stay temporarily because they feared ‘incidence of crime due to their presence’.

The shock administered by this case of blasphemy has been felt inside Pakistan. It has deepened the despair the outside world feels about our country; and the Christian Church is once again appealing to do something about a law that, as now proved beyond all doubt, is causing harm to Pakistan and its reputation.

This happened on August 16, on the 27th of Ramazan, thus further raising suspicions as to when Rimsha was put in confinement. A few days ago, even after a witness alerted the authorities that the cleric had cooked up the story of burning the Holy Quran by putting scarred pages in a bag that Rimsha was carrying, the police have still not released her. The judiciary is silent so far but the Supreme Court should take suo-motu notice and get the girl placed in a better environment which her age, her health and her innocence deserve.

What people have always said about the law and are still saying is this: “In blasphemy cases, the state institutions just try to defuse the pressure of accusers by registering a case against the accused”. Both the police and the judiciary take the side of the accuser. During the last two decades or so, more than 1,000 cases of blasphemy have been registered and it is believed that a vast majority of these cases were fake. Not even a single accuser in these fake cases has been convicted, implying that the state patronises the accusers at some level.

Laws are usually made after criminal acts are observed in society. In this case, criminal acts have followed the enforcement of the law. The victimisation follows a familiar pattern. In February 1997, the twin villages of Shantinagar-Tibba Colony, 12 kilometres east of Khanewal, in Multan division, were looted and burnt by 20,000 Muslim citizens and 500 policemen. The police first evacuated the Christian population of 15,000, then helped the raiders use battlefield explosives to blow up their houses and property.

In November 2005, the Christian community of Sangla Hill in Nankana district in Punjab experienced a most hair-raising day of violence and vandalism. Three churches, a missionary-run school, two hostels and several houses belonging to the Christian community were destroyed by an enraged mob of some 3,000 people.

The Supreme Court must act to save Rimsha Masih and, thereafter, declare the blatant misuse and abuse of the blasphemy law against the spirit of Islam and against the ‘grundnorm’ of the Constitution. Or, is it true that like the politicians, the institutions of the state are too scared to act?

The SC on Balochistan

September 5th, 2012

The Supreme Court remains unamused by the unfolding sequence of events in Balochistan. At the latest hearing held by a three-member bench of the apex Court, on a petition regarding the law and order situation in the province, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, besides commenting on poor policing and impossibility of maintaining law and order in the province, also termed the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti “the biggest mistake”. The chief justice also gave directives for including Nawab Bugti’s family in the voters’ list. The chief justice quite rightly lamented the hopelessness of a situation where a sessions court judge could be killed on sectarian basis without the government being prompted into taking any sort of action. In addition, the wisdom behind handing police powers to the FC when it has been accused of extrajudicial killings in the province also raised eyebrows among those sitting on the bench. The Court rejected the government’s response that there had been no increase in the number of people who had gone missing and that the number of dead bodies turning up on streets had declined. The bench pointed out that ‘settlers’ from other provinces continued to flee Balochistan, which was hardly an example of a comforting law and order situation within the province.

The Court hearings on Balochistan have highlighted many of the wrongs that have been committed in Balochistan, including the assassination of Nawab Bugti. But the problem is that even though top law-enforcement officials have appeared in the Court, no solutions have emerged, with killings on sectarian and ethnic bases continuing. As the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has pointed out, not many of the people who had gone missing have resurfaced despite the apex Court’s efforts in this regard.

The Court has been able to identify issues — and sometimes culprits. What we need now is a means to fix the mess. Law enforcement alone is not the answer. The political forces enjoying influence in Balochistan need to be engaged in a process that can lead towards genuine order and be encouraged to begin a dialogue on this without further loss of time. Unless this happens, things will not improve.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga

PML-N and MQM talks

September 6th, 2012

The only thing certain before the upcoming elections is that neither of the two major parties, the PPP and the PML-N, will be able to secure an outright majority in the National Assembly. This gives smaller parties like the PTI, the PML-Q, the ANP and the MQM outsized importance in the formation of the next government. And the latter of those parties have added an extra wrinkle to the wheeling and dealing that is sure to accompany election campaigning. The MQM was seen as a reliable, if demanding, coalition partner for the PPP and that view was strengthened by an agreement by the two parties over holding local body elections. But now the MQM is also holding talks with the PML-N to discuss a possible pre- and post-election alliance.

The most likely explanation for this flirtation with the PML-N is that the MQM is trying to extract further concessions from the PPP. The agreement on local governments is not entirely to the MQM’s liking since it does not give control of the district police to the city government, a power which, if granted to the party, would add even more heft to its ironclad control of Karachi. If the PPP thinks there is a possibility that the MQM might bolt, it would be more likely to hand the party what it wants on a platter. In the past, too, the MQM has held measures like fuel price increases hostage as a condition of staying in government.

Although the MQM has now become a wild card, the other coalition partners — the ANP and the PML-Q — seem likely to stick around after the next elections. The only other party which is up for grabs is the PTI. So far, Imran Khan has steadfastly refused to countenance any thought of an alliance with either of the two major parties but may have to compromise if he wants to translate popularity into political influence. Ideologically, he shares more in common with the PML-N but seems to have a personal disdain for Nawaz Sharif. The next few months will be as crucial as the voting itself for the formation of a new government.

Another ODI series loss

September 6th, 2012

Trying to glean too much from a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series would be unwise, especially since Pakistan lost the close contest by only a 2-1 margin. But with the World Twenty20 just a couple of weeks away, all Pakistani cricket fans are justifiably eager to analyse the minutiae of this series as many of the players in the ODI team are also part of the Twenty20 squad. Ultimately, we learned little that was new and ended up only amplifying our few good and many negative traits. First, the good news: Saeed Ajmal is undoubtedly the finest spin bowler in the world, despite the International Cricket Council’s inexplicable decision to leave him out of its shortlist for the best cricketers of the year. Without Ajmal, we would have probably lost the one match we won and would have suffered heavier defeats than we did in the remaining matches. The other positives are the return to form with the bat of Mohammed Hafeez and the great promise that opener Nasir Jamshed showed.

The rest of the news is not as good. Misbahul Haq’s captaincy in ODIs this year has left a lot to be desired, this being the third consecutive series defeat of 2012. There is some justification for critics calling for his dignified exit from this format. The same, too, can be said for Shahid Afridi who is showing fewer glimpses of his match-winning performances. There are also justified question marks on the inclusion of wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal in the team as he continued to display his propensity to fluff simple chances. Meanwhile, his brother Umar, who is blessed with tons of talent, seems interested only in squandering it. Traditional Pakistani strengths like fast bowling are now missing, while traditional weaknesses like shoddy fielding still remain. It is hoped that the team will give a better show in the Twenty20 series against Australia and use it to iron out its weaknesses before the WorldTwenty20. It has the talent to win that event, but it needs to instill some level of discipline in its performance for that to happen.

Eye of the storm

September 6th, 2012

There is a general agreement across the world that Afghanistan lies in the eye of the storm. The events that unfold there affect everyone and eyes remain tilted towards that landlocked nation that has in recent years shaped much of the world’s geopolitical scenario. The talks in Berlin between German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar reflected this. Afghanistan remained the main focus of talks between the two ministers with both agreeing that they needed to cooperate to ensure stability in Afghanistan and within the territory occupied by its neighbours.

There was an important element to the talks during Ms Khar’s visit. Germany emphasised that it would not abandon Afghanistan after 2014 when the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), led by Nato, is due to withdraw from the country, handing over security to Afghan forces. This will, of course, be a critical moment. It is vital that Afghanistan is not abandoned again as happened after the withdrawal of the Soviets a little over two decades ago. While the country must receive support, it is also crucial that its affairs are not meddled with and that no attempt is made to gain a hold over Kabul. Pakistan must keep this in mind as well. In the past, its interventions in Kabul have led it into deeper trouble. All countries of the world must agree to allow the people of Afghanistan to determine their own future destiny and discover true democracy.

Sadly, even today Afghanistan remains a troubled nation. It needs to find a means to help it move towards development and progress. The German pledge to look out for it is welcome. Pakistan, as a good neighbour, must encourage other nations of the world to follow suit and ensure Afghanistan can resume its rightful place in the world, after so many years, as a country with much potential and ability to lift itself above its violent past. If this does not happen, there can be no hope of lasting peace in the entire region or in the world.

__________________
Kon Kehta hy k Main Gum-naam ho jaon ga
Main tu aik Baab hn Tareekh mein Likha jaon ga