The battle for Punjab - Jag mere Punjab ke Pakistan chala
I feel like writing so much on Lahore attack - but that I will, in true Pakistani spirit hold on to, till the investigations come up with a conclusion.
For now I will focus on what is happening in Punjab and why, in my view, is it happening now. Current Supreme Court verdict at least had a silent node from President Zardari. With this action, President Zardari has taken the biggest gamble of his 12-year political life. The outcome of it will determine not only Mr. Zardari's own political future but the future of Pakistan and our society. The stakes have never been higher and options never so limited.
Mr. Sharif and his brother got disqualified by the SC from holding any public office. Personally, I am a hawk on PML-N and from day one my position has been that PPP should not let N form govt. in Punjab but rather should form a govt. of its own. On the other hand however I personally think, this should have been done more overtly rather than planning things around a court verdict. Having said that I think PML-N govt in Punjab is at least an infection stopping the cure of cancer of terrorism if not the cancer itself. PPP, even Benazir Bhutto, thought they could bring N to national fold and away from their fundo stance. Just to give one example of N's ties with fundo nexus - after disqualification of Sharif's all the violence has been in constituencies of ex-Jamat/Jamiat MNAs of N.
Nawaz Sharif on one hand says that he does not want to destabilize the government, on the other hand his party's govt was to provide a protected and safe passage to agitators till Faizabad to besiege the parliament (2-3 miles from there) and paralyze the government. If this is not destabilizing the government, I wonder what is? And what option Mr. Zardari had if not to do what he did?
Mr. Zardari probably still is willing to reconcile with Sharifs (and I would say naively - for N's masters are the perpetrators of Islamization drive and he once was and probably still is the top contender for the spot of Amir-ul-Momineen). The problem with Sharifs is that they are not willing to show any flexibility. They want all their demands to be fulfilled, to be fulfilled in exactly the way they want to, and they are third in terms of vote bank, have only 90 seats, and have a constituency in 1/3rd of one province of Federation of Pakistan. This inflexibility does not make sense. Unless of course your aim is to disrupt the system.
People who are calling on reconciliation with PML-N to combat terrorism are trying to treat low blood pressure with Viagra. PML-N and terrorist fundos have been in bed for ages. Even today, I don't know for whatever reason, whenever asked to clarify their position on Taliban, they sidestep the question (this happens with Imran Khan too). N knows Taliban has no support among masses, so openly supporting them will isolate them politically. At the same time, it seems they cannot stop supporting Taliban ideology. Whether it's genuine support or fear of being killed - Sharif's and other right-wing politicians have to answer this.
This brings me to the larger point - why what happened in Punjab, happened now? To me, there are three reasons for it. First of course is threat from long march - and the destabilization drive N is bent on since February last year. On one hand, N was forming an alliance with PPP. On the other, its information cell was giving files to its men in media to mud-sling Rehman Malik, Siraj Shams Ud Din, Salman Farooqi, many others and Mr. Zardari. N has not missed a single opportunity to undermine the present system. Second reason of course is PPP's desire to rule Punjab which has been denied to them by hook or by crook for last 31 years.
But the biggest reason is not local. It is the manifestation of International Politics that has led to this action. On one hand are the Saudi funded Islamists, through whom a proxy war has been waged against the rest of the world, and on the other is the modern civilization. It is a battle which is forcing America to reconcile with Iran. It is a battle which has converged the strategic interests of US and China and have brought them closer than ever. And it is a battle which is making the religious parties of Pakistan trying to distance themselves from N and Taliban and insurgents. The choices could never be clear except in Pakistani media and pep talk of retired Generals (who by the way are founders of this mess in our country).
I came across a scenario planning exercise some time back which projected that the Islamic fundamentalists are going to move to Punjab soon. It is now evident that Islamists and N are comfortable with each other and so they did not want to move in full blown in Punjab as long as a friendly government was in place and was preparing for their stronghold in Punjab. Talibans unofficial spokesperson, Hamid Mir, threatened a few weeks back that if Sharif's are removed from Punjab, Taliban will come to Punjab.
According to that scenario planning exercise, Taliban will move in by killing the local community influentials in Southern and Western Punjab. Then will begin the killing of Shias, Qadiyanis and Barelavi clerics. And will try to spread throughout the Punjab. In some ways, Taliban-friendly government's assault on local badmashs and innumerable police encounters were also an attempt to break the possible resistance in the way of Islamists takeover.
I hate to be in a position where I would be sympathizing with goons but some how I think at some point, part of local goons is one line of defense against Taliban takeover. Karachi is considered one of the strongest AlQaeeda basis, but having MQM there helped stop them from taking over the city.
Some of us have apprehensions about Zardari. Even those who are not bitten by Hate-Zardari syndrome have a genuine concern that vesting too much power in the government might make it autocratic. Till now there has been no sign of it and I do not see it happen any time in future either. But even if, at all and I do not believe it suits Zardari with popular vote and the platform he represents to do this, it happens - we can fight the autocracy. For now, it is time to realize that our biggest threat is these fundamentalists. We can fight all else later but right now we need to be focused on this single threat.
And those politicians who cannot denounce Taliban and fundos and are supporting them overtly or covertly - let us give them a message - be with us or be left out. It must also be conveyed to Saudis that based on our own experience, the monster they are creating will very soon come to bite the Saudi Monarchy too. So it's better that they be on our side and not keep feeding the monster.
Nawaz Sharif can still play a role in Pakistani politics. But he needs to come out and stand for this fight of Pakistan. It is a fight for our country, our society, our culture, our way of living. We need to answer a few questions as a society;
Can we let someone stop us from shaving or having haircut?
Can we let someone dictate to our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives, what to wear and how to behave?
Can we let someone dictate to us what entertainment we deserve and what we don't?
Can we let someone run a spree of beheadings and lashings in our streets and keep acting as a moral watchdog?
Can we let our freedom be taken over by fanatics?
Can we let someone stop us from praying at the shrine of local saint?
Can we let someone take away our Data Sahabs and Shahbaz Qalandars?
Can we let someone ban Qawali and Heer?
Can we let an 18-year old brain washed child beat our elder on the streets for "improper conduct"?
Can we let someone stop our women from working in the fields and going to markets?
These are serious questions. It is an issue we need to deliberate on as society transcending politics. This is the biggest issue facing us. Not only our state but our society. For if these forces succeed, it will not only be end of Pakistan but will also be end of our social fabric.
We might hate Zardari. We might hate PPP. But the challenge facing us is bigger than that. We can fight Zardari later. Let us for once put our foot down and save our land, our culture and our way of living. Other battles we will fight later. We are a resilient nation - and I am more hopeful than ever that we can defeat this menace faster than anyone can think of. Just be united till we eradicate this menace. Let us stand behind the government and security forces in fighting this menace and let us besiege sympathizers of terror in the media, polity and society. All of us need to shelve our difference and unite - and we will triumph. It's going to be hard, it's going to be long - but we have no other option but to fight this. All of us, good or bad, educated or uneducated, honest or dishonest, hardworking or crook, our way of living is under attack - and unite we must to fight the attackers.
Let us eradicate this menace of extremism. If MQM or corrupt judiciary or Zardari will need to be fought then, we will. It is also the time for Mr. Sharif and other right-wingers to decide whether they are with us or they are with Taliban. If they opt us, welcome. If they opt Taliban, show them where they belong.
For Mr. Zardari, in the move he has made, his only salvation is to have his CM through majority of Punjab Assembly. Reconciliation with N will make the clock tick for him. Extension of governor rule will incentivize disruption of system. He has burnt all his boats now - it is the toughest time of his leadership. Either he triumphs or everything fails.
For now the message to him is - we have saved you this time around. Collaborate with us from here on. May we the people of Pakistan triumph - may the grace of God be with us.
For now I will focus on what is happening in Punjab and why, in my view, is it happening now. Current Supreme Court verdict at least had a silent node from President Zardari. With this action, President Zardari has taken the biggest gamble of his 12-year political life. The outcome of it will determine not only Mr. Zardari's own political future but the future of Pakistan and our society. The stakes have never been higher and options never so limited.
Mr. Sharif and his brother got disqualified by the SC from holding any public office. Personally, I am a hawk on PML-N and from day one my position has been that PPP should not let N form govt. in Punjab but rather should form a govt. of its own. On the other hand however I personally think, this should have been done more overtly rather than planning things around a court verdict. Having said that I think PML-N govt in Punjab is at least an infection stopping the cure of cancer of terrorism if not the cancer itself. PPP, even Benazir Bhutto, thought they could bring N to national fold and away from their fundo stance. Just to give one example of N's ties with fundo nexus - after disqualification of Sharif's all the violence has been in constituencies of ex-Jamat/Jamiat MNAs of N.
Nawaz Sharif on one hand says that he does not want to destabilize the government, on the other hand his party's govt was to provide a protected and safe passage to agitators till Faizabad to besiege the parliament (2-3 miles from there) and paralyze the government. If this is not destabilizing the government, I wonder what is? And what option Mr. Zardari had if not to do what he did?
Mr. Zardari probably still is willing to reconcile with Sharifs (and I would say naively - for N's masters are the perpetrators of Islamization drive and he once was and probably still is the top contender for the spot of Amir-ul-Momineen). The problem with Sharifs is that they are not willing to show any flexibility. They want all their demands to be fulfilled, to be fulfilled in exactly the way they want to, and they are third in terms of vote bank, have only 90 seats, and have a constituency in 1/3rd of one province of Federation of Pakistan. This inflexibility does not make sense. Unless of course your aim is to disrupt the system.
People who are calling on reconciliation with PML-N to combat terrorism are trying to treat low blood pressure with Viagra. PML-N and terrorist fundos have been in bed for ages. Even today, I don't know for whatever reason, whenever asked to clarify their position on Taliban, they sidestep the question (this happens with Imran Khan too). N knows Taliban has no support among masses, so openly supporting them will isolate them politically. At the same time, it seems they cannot stop supporting Taliban ideology. Whether it's genuine support or fear of being killed - Sharif's and other right-wing politicians have to answer this.
This brings me to the larger point - why what happened in Punjab, happened now? To me, there are three reasons for it. First of course is threat from long march - and the destabilization drive N is bent on since February last year. On one hand, N was forming an alliance with PPP. On the other, its information cell was giving files to its men in media to mud-sling Rehman Malik, Siraj Shams Ud Din, Salman Farooqi, many others and Mr. Zardari. N has not missed a single opportunity to undermine the present system. Second reason of course is PPP's desire to rule Punjab which has been denied to them by hook or by crook for last 31 years.
But the biggest reason is not local. It is the manifestation of International Politics that has led to this action. On one hand are the Saudi funded Islamists, through whom a proxy war has been waged against the rest of the world, and on the other is the modern civilization. It is a battle which is forcing America to reconcile with Iran. It is a battle which has converged the strategic interests of US and China and have brought them closer than ever. And it is a battle which is making the religious parties of Pakistan trying to distance themselves from N and Taliban and insurgents. The choices could never be clear except in Pakistani media and pep talk of retired Generals (who by the way are founders of this mess in our country).
I came across a scenario planning exercise some time back which projected that the Islamic fundamentalists are going to move to Punjab soon. It is now evident that Islamists and N are comfortable with each other and so they did not want to move in full blown in Punjab as long as a friendly government was in place and was preparing for their stronghold in Punjab. Talibans unofficial spokesperson, Hamid Mir, threatened a few weeks back that if Sharif's are removed from Punjab, Taliban will come to Punjab.
According to that scenario planning exercise, Taliban will move in by killing the local community influentials in Southern and Western Punjab. Then will begin the killing of Shias, Qadiyanis and Barelavi clerics. And will try to spread throughout the Punjab. In some ways, Taliban-friendly government's assault on local badmashs and innumerable police encounters were also an attempt to break the possible resistance in the way of Islamists takeover.
I hate to be in a position where I would be sympathizing with goons but some how I think at some point, part of local goons is one line of defense against Taliban takeover. Karachi is considered one of the strongest AlQaeeda basis, but having MQM there helped stop them from taking over the city.
Some of us have apprehensions about Zardari. Even those who are not bitten by Hate-Zardari syndrome have a genuine concern that vesting too much power in the government might make it autocratic. Till now there has been no sign of it and I do not see it happen any time in future either. But even if, at all and I do not believe it suits Zardari with popular vote and the platform he represents to do this, it happens - we can fight the autocracy. For now, it is time to realize that our biggest threat is these fundamentalists. We can fight all else later but right now we need to be focused on this single threat.
And those politicians who cannot denounce Taliban and fundos and are supporting them overtly or covertly - let us give them a message - be with us or be left out. It must also be conveyed to Saudis that based on our own experience, the monster they are creating will very soon come to bite the Saudi Monarchy too. So it's better that they be on our side and not keep feeding the monster.
Nawaz Sharif can still play a role in Pakistani politics. But he needs to come out and stand for this fight of Pakistan. It is a fight for our country, our society, our culture, our way of living. We need to answer a few questions as a society;
Can we let someone stop us from shaving or having haircut?
Can we let someone dictate to our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives, what to wear and how to behave?
Can we let someone dictate to us what entertainment we deserve and what we don't?
Can we let someone run a spree of beheadings and lashings in our streets and keep acting as a moral watchdog?
Can we let our freedom be taken over by fanatics?
Can we let someone stop us from praying at the shrine of local saint?
Can we let someone take away our Data Sahabs and Shahbaz Qalandars?
Can we let someone ban Qawali and Heer?
Can we let an 18-year old brain washed child beat our elder on the streets for "improper conduct"?
Can we let someone stop our women from working in the fields and going to markets?
These are serious questions. It is an issue we need to deliberate on as society transcending politics. This is the biggest issue facing us. Not only our state but our society. For if these forces succeed, it will not only be end of Pakistan but will also be end of our social fabric.
We might hate Zardari. We might hate PPP. But the challenge facing us is bigger than that. We can fight Zardari later. Let us for once put our foot down and save our land, our culture and our way of living. Other battles we will fight later. We are a resilient nation - and I am more hopeful than ever that we can defeat this menace faster than anyone can think of. Just be united till we eradicate this menace. Let us stand behind the government and security forces in fighting this menace and let us besiege sympathizers of terror in the media, polity and society. All of us need to shelve our difference and unite - and we will triumph. It's going to be hard, it's going to be long - but we have no other option but to fight this. All of us, good or bad, educated or uneducated, honest or dishonest, hardworking or crook, our way of living is under attack - and unite we must to fight the attackers.
Let us eradicate this menace of extremism. If MQM or corrupt judiciary or Zardari will need to be fought then, we will. It is also the time for Mr. Sharif and other right-wingers to decide whether they are with us or they are with Taliban. If they opt us, welcome. If they opt Taliban, show them where they belong.
For Mr. Zardari, in the move he has made, his only salvation is to have his CM through majority of Punjab Assembly. Reconciliation with N will make the clock tick for him. Extension of governor rule will incentivize disruption of system. He has burnt all his boats now - it is the toughest time of his leadership. Either he triumphs or everything fails.
For now the message to him is - we have saved you this time around. Collaborate with us from here on. May we the people of Pakistan triumph - may the grace of God be with us.
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