From Failed State to Failed Society

Which comes before which? I mean to say whether our state failed us first and then society as a whole degenerated or vice versa. But then I think we are at such brink where this distinction does not make any difference. People say that Pakistani society has split in the middle into two mutually exclusive groups after the cold blooded murder of Mr Taseer, but I refute this argument no sirs there is no division an over whelming majority of ‘ordinary’ Pakistanis are supporting Mr Qadri’s violent act and they either consider Mr Taseer as ‘Wajbul qatl’ or blame Mr Taseer for his own murder. So allow me to say there is no split in the society only few ‘miss fits’ are trying to raise their genuine concerns and by and large everyone has endorse this violent act. What I see in tomorrow’s Pakistan, Mr Taseer’s murderer will become a hero and most likely he will walk free with his ‘head held high’.

Honestly speaking I never thought there would such a day in my life where I would see people would refuse to condemn a cold blooded criminal. If a society refuses to honour sanctity of human life, fair play and helping the weak amongst itself for the sake whatever, it does not deserve to exist. Those who are showering flowers on Mr Qadri will soon be at the receiving end of another Qadri’s bullets.

Today I feel ashamed to be associated with such a society and lost all hopes that there could be improvement. With such heavy heart I salute the courage shown by Mr Taseer Shaheed as he was a ray of hope in total and pitch darkness. I also advice all other ‘miss fits’ to be very careful if you have to live in this land of extremism because forces you are voicing against are cannibals. When they will have no one else to kill they will start killing one another. They kill their own children and siblings and call it ‘honour’. So they would stop at nothing because they do not believe in dialogue or mutual co-existence on the basis of self respect and freedom. This is a hypocritical gathering that hates and hurls abuses on the USA and early in the every morning form queues at the US Embassy Islamabad to leave Pakistan for good.

A word of extreme care for ‘miss fits’, you should refrain from pinning any hopes on glitz and glitter of media that feed only few urban centres of right wing middle class in Pakistan. This mushrooming growth of irresponsible TV anchorpersons provide majority of their air time to right wing hate mongers with highly retrogressive and crude views. That is why when you ‘miss fit’ lot came out of your homes disregarding all threats to your lives and livings in solidarity with Mr Taseer in Karachi they completely blacked you out.

Today with exception of very minute few ‘miss fits’, Pakistan is a failed society because there is no sanctity of human life. People have been taught on distorted histories and false pride with absolutely no sense of fair play. A society that has failed criminally to protect its weaks in fact it allows them to be cleansed ‘legally’. A hypocritical society where Mr Taseer’s murder is termed as an act of God and his murderer has a right of fair trial.

I am hoping against hope that this time around Mr Taseer Shaheed’s murder might start a social evolution in Pakistan and left this society from sub-human level to human society.

No Country for Sane Men

One by one, extremists are silencing every sane voice in Pakistani society. The cold blooded murder of Salman Taseer is another warning for people who are harbingers of sanity and tolerance and crude reminders for them that they are not welcome in this land of fundamentalists and extremists. I was astonished at the hypocrisy of people when after witnessing harrowing violence at the hands extremists to their fellow countrymen, women and children they still have galls to say that it is not Islam. When a lady anchor person on Geo TV asked a religious leader whether he would condemn Mr Taseer’s murder he blatantly said “No”. And this religious leader happens to be the leader of movement for the protection of current blasphemy laws in Pakistan. He further commented that murder of Mr Taseer was an act of God but fate of his murderer should be decided by courts. I am sure he was a true representative of Islam yet lady anchor person finished her programme by saying Islam is religion of peace nothing else. I do not know who she was trying to fool herself or people listening to her hypocritical remarks. Anything that discourages sense of fair play and helping the weak should be vigorously discouraged.

Watching various Pakistan TV channels one cannot help feeling that everyone was trying to be apologetic for Mr Taseer’s murderer by giving qualifying statements about what Mr Taseer said on blasphemy laws and motives behind such a violent act. As if Mr Taseer was himself to blame for his murder. When extremists killed innocent people of Pakistan in mosques, in market places or even in hospitals everyone proclaimed they were not Muslims and foreign hands were involved because a Muslim could not kill a fellow Muslim. I am still waiting for what would they say about Malik Mumtaz Qadiri. He is surely an ordinary Muslim. I am sure now everyone in unison would proclaim that Malik Mumtaz Qadiri is not true representative of ordinary Muslims. Ordinary Muslim is tolerant and peace loving.

This is a murder most foul. It brought forward the nakedness and emptiness of Pakistani society. A society bent on killing every sane element amongst itself. A totally deranged and dysfunctional society where only those people holding guns in their hands have monopoly over everything from political discourse to basic human rights. I hope Mr Taseer’s murder would not go in vain and the debate he started should be brought into its rightful conclusion. But I have a very little hope and I am also concerned about the safety of all those people who are trying their best to break the status quo in whichever field they work because it seems Pakistan is a country where there is no place for sane people.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (2011)

The Only Way forward

Image via Wikipedia As someone who has somehow modest experience in management, I can say without an iota of doubt that the survival of Pakistan lies in unbiased and frank assessment of current state of affairs and then taking a rational course of action. In management whenever we come across any challenge we confront it by taking account of strengths and weaknesses within our organisation. As managers our efforts are almost entirely based upon understanding our immediate and remote environments in which we operate. If we have strengths then we take all important measures to turn this new situation into an opportunity and maximise profits. If we do not have necessary attributes to confront new situation, then we try to either neutralise threat or to make necessary changes to minimise its negative impacts on our business. But an important thing to remember is as managers we have to evaluate our environment without any bias or prejudice. As we know it very well that tempering with evaluation by replacing facts with fictions or personal whims and prejudices render it inaccurate and biased. If implemented it would be a disaster for any business.
Pakistan as a society has failed to assess its environment realistically and result of which it has been repeating same mistake over and over again. And they are bent on making same mistake on the issue of Wikileaks revelations. Irrespective of its contents majority of Pakistanis think it is west’s conspiracy against Pakistan in particular and Muslim world in general. Because their assessment is biased therefore either they dismiss it altogether or make a wrong decision to tackle it. Decision would be wrong because it is A- based upon personal biases and prejudice and B- has failed to incorporate operational or inherent strengths and weaknesses. And this is not limited to Wikileaks unfortunately this unrealistic approach can be seen in every other situation such as terrorism, blasphemy, sectarianism, violence, women rights issues, natural disasters so far and so forth.
The best way forward is to take a break from old ways of assessing situation and make a fresh start. Some basic rethinking is involved in making fresh start. These include:
1- Pakistan is not centre of this world.
2- World is not against us.
3- We are part of this world and do not and cannot live in isolation.
4- Every Pakistani is equal irrespective of class, creed, sex or religion.
5- We have to work along other countries to achieve our national goals.
6- We should recognise our size and power before making any decision.
7- Fully aware of our strengths and weaknesses.
8- Anyone having different point of view cannot necessarily be an Israeli, Indian, American or foreign agent. He/she is as patriotic as anyone else.
9- Do away with anything that stops or hinders progress either by making it private or reject it altogether.
10- Sanctity of human life should be given prime importance.
I certainly believe that if Pakistanis start taking unbiased and realistic approach towards any political or social issue they will start making good decisions which in turns leads to the path of bright and successful future.

Let Us Join Human race

Image via Wikipedia If there is anything positive that has come out of current public debate on death penalty of Aasia Bibi on blasphemy charges, it ruptured the ostensibly thick and immutable veneer of rightist argument that there was unanimity among all sections of religious elements on death penalty of blasphemy. Now a very sizeable and serious section of religious elements has come forward with challenging views on present state of blasphemy laws in Pakistan. Interestingly, all those who are opposed to any change or repealing of this inhuman and obnoxious act from the statue book belong to politico-religious parties. And those in favour of changes or repealing of this act have no vested interests or have little or no political stakes.
Apart from that Pakistani media especially electronic media with exceptions of few have been dominated by rightist views. People with orthodox, out-dated and oft-repeated views have been given more air time and have never been taken to task by asking strong probing questions. It seems it is an exercise to strengthen the status quo and stifle any voice which prompts someone to think out of the box. If you want to win an argument it has been the most effective and common practice to quote some Hadith or Quaranic verse in favour of your argument and nobody would dare to oppose you. It would normally not because he/she does not want to oppose you but only because of fear of his/her life. It is because rationality and religion are mutually exclusive. Or should I say sanity and religion do not mix very well.
I have always been of the view that if you bring something in public you must accept the public scrutiny. If you want to protect or preserve something then keep it safely away from public domain. Therefore if you bring your religion in to political or public sphere then you must have strong defence. Religion should be subject to same parameters that we normally use to dissect any other social phenomenon. Anywhere in the world when societies tried to stop the clock of evolution on religion after making it political it morphed into a source of great destruction.
Religion is a human experience and let it be this way. It was a great event in common history of human beings but clock did not stop there. It has moved on, we are evolutionary beings our economics, our science, our industry, our culture, our language in fact every facet of our life is evolutionary. There is nothing constant in this world and religion is no exception. Therefore let us embrace big wide world and become the part of human race that is our true identity. Let us preserve human race by preserving human life.

Let Us Make a Difference

Yet another Aasia Bibi convicted of blasphemy and condemned to death by hanging. While reading this news piece I was looking for a surprise. Something unusual, extraordinary and thought provoking debate followed by concerted efforts from all sections of Pakistani society to make a difference. To stand up and say good bye to old ways, shun the past bigotries and march in a new and refreshing direction. But as usual there is not a single voice of change. Not even a feeble one. Pakistani media particularly television anchors who claim ad nauseum to be the harbinger of change could not muster courage to ask right probing questions. Some days back when ‘true Muslims’- according to Minister of Tourism- Taliban butchered Ahmadi Muslims in Lahore in the middle of their Friday prayer in their mosque no one bothered to question the validity and usefulness of the concept of an Islamic state. You will not be able to get to any where if you are keep on asking wrong questions. It does not matter how many times or in how much louder tone. It would only generate more confusion and chaos.
You want to develop a society based on the concept of equality then how on earth you can achieve such a lofty goal if your underlying principle discriminates people in ‘us’ and ‘them’. This is as simple as I said. For the last sixty odd years we have been treading on beaten path. Repeating mistake after another mistake and finding ourselves foolishly surprised to have same dreadful outcomes. How many more years do we need to know that in order to develop a peaceful society we need to have a concept that is inclusive not exclusive. A concept that can bring people together. A principle that does not divide people in ‘us’ and ‘them’ but says ‘we the people’. This can only be achieved if we decide to change our direction. If we make a resolve that we are not going to repeat that same foolish mistakes. We are committed to select a different path. Let us say once and for all that survival of Pakistan is in secularism as it is the only concept that is inclusive. It treats everyone equally and without any discrimination. Everyone is equal in the eyes of law and honour is for those who contribute towards the economic well being of his/her fellow citizens. If we managed to do this we can get our rightful place among humanity and that decision will make all the difference.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
(The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost, 1915)

Que Cera Cera: Haan Magar Tere Siwa Tere Siwa Tere Siwa

Que Cera Cera: Haan Magar Tere Siwa Tere Siwa Tere Siwa

Haan Magar Tere Siwa Tere Siwa Tere Siwa

Let us be honest with one another. We are a nation who has been taught distorted histories. We have been inculcated with absurd notions of religious pride. For us the source of honour and pride is not based upon once contribution towards humanity but how religious one can be. Everything we see around the world we see it with religious angle and more often we see a plot and conspiracy against our religion. In our social values we attribute great value to so called family pride. In our social values we hardly debate why there is complete lack of sanctity of human life in our society? We kill our daughters and sons in order to save our family pride. We destroy public and private business to protect our religious pride. We protest vehemently against foreign invasion and killing at the hands of foreign solidiers but keep a criminal silence when we kill our own people. Whole country protested angrily at the killing at Data Darbar but there was deafening silence at brutal murder of 95 Ahmedis at Ahmedi Mosque in Lahore.
Let us be honest there is ‘something’ within us which robbed sense of fair play and honesty in us. That ‘something’ has reduced us to mere hypocrites. This ‘something’ has deformed our thinking faculties and we strive and act only to protect this foreign ‘something’ in us. Over the years this ‘something’ has grown bigger and bigger and its appetite for human blood is now insatiable. Unless we recognise this evil within us this madness and bloodshed will never ever be stopped. This evil is religious extremism. This extremism so pervasive, it crept into our ordinary life. It forced us to change how we value our fellow citizens, how to greet them, how to share our sorrows and happiness with them. We forgot to help the fallen one in the time of their needs all because those fallen ones happened to be Ahmedi Muslims. We fail to register our anger when Christian villages were being torched and people were being burnt alive. We turned away when Imam Barghas were being bombed and mourners of Hazrat Imam Hussain were being slaughtered in broad day light. Now this extremism turned Data Nagri in to valley of death and still we are unable to locate the problem. We point fingers towards outsiders sometimes calling them ‘Pakistan ke dushmin’ and sometime labelling them ‘Islam dushmin’.
Let us be honest for our own survival and accept categorically that this problem exist inside ourselves. We are the problem and only we can solve it. Unless we change ourselves we cannot change anything. First and foremost thing that we have to do is accept the notion that all Pakistanis are equal. Honour is only for those who contribute towards the scientific, economical or social well being of fellow Pakistanis. From now on sanctity of human life will be given prime importance in our society. We will never entertain any kind of violence legal or illegal in our society. Pakistan as country is for Pakistanis not only for Muslims. State of Pakistan should be renamed into Democratic Republic of Pakistan and religion must be a personal matter.
If we could do this then I can see a ray of light at the end of tunnel. On the other hand I dread the day when we will be telling this story . First they came for secular and rationalists I did not object because I was not a secular or rationalist. Then they came for Hindu it did not bother me as I was not a Hindu. Then they came for Christians I kept my quiet because I was not a Christian but an ordinary Pakistani. After sometime they came for Shias. I did not stop them as I was an ordinary Pakistani not a shia. Recently they came for Brelivis. I did not do anything because I was not a Brelivi. Then they came for ordinary Pakistanis and when I looked around there was no one to defend me.
Tere Azar ka chara nahin nishtar ke siwa
Aur ye suffaaq maseeha mere qabze mein nahin
Is jahan ke kisi ze roh ke qabze mein nahin
Haan magar tere siwa tere siwa tere siwa

Hum Jo Tareek RahooN pay Ma-ray Gaiy

Hypocritical Mourners

If you have seen Taliban apologists like right-wing media outlets and Islamic parties in Pakistan, you must have seen them justifying Taliban atrocities by claiming them as justified reactions to drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan. Therefore according to their flawed arguments if Ahmedis decided to take up arms against Sunni fundamentalists Ahmedis would justified to do so.

Recognition of a problem is first step towards solution

It is universally accepted reality not restricted to any particular domain of human knowledge and humans over the centuries have overcome many seemingly impossible tasks by putting this dictum into practise. Like for example political tensions in Ireland. British government tried and failed in their every effort to bring situation in Northern Ireland under control until they realised that they had a problem. After this recognition they set back and devised a peaceful way out of this crisis before it could turn from bad to worse.
As things stand now in Pakistan we do not have this luxury because every other commentator you listen to instead of making situation understandable they on the other hand make it more complex and confusing. Like for example the issue of Taliban of Pakistan. For last two and half years Taliban have killed more than 1000 Pakistanis both civilian and security personals yet Pakistanis are yet to come up with any clear cut and unified position on Talibans. It boggles mind that whenever Taliban kill innocent people in Pakistan their barbaric actions have always been condemned with qualifications like drone attacks, the US war on Afghanistan as if Talibans were bunch of peaceful people. As if they had a civilised administration in Kabul where civil liberties are well protected and women had freedom like any civilised society in the world. As if they morphed into present state of ruthless, barbaric and inhuman beings only after the invasion of the US led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Nobody in his sane mind would argue the fact that Pakistan is facing an existential threat and present administration in Pakistan is in a state of denial. And things are getting more and more confusing because almost every important organ of state has been infiltrated by Taliban apologists who were nurtured over the years by successive military regimes since late seventies. Media particularly electronic have been dominated by rightists and they give more space to views of people like born again Muslim Imran Khan, General Hameed Gul and Ansar Abbasi and Shareen Mazari etc. These people try insanely to provide rationale to Taliban brutalities. This is a recipe of disaster for the state of Pakistan. Today the state of Pakistan is trying to re-establish its writ in North West Frontier Province and Balochistan but if things did not change it may neither have land nor power to exist beyond few miles radius of Islamabad.
Therefore it is important for every Pakistani not to underestimate the destructive powers of Taliban and they need to show political maturity to stand up for protecting their civil rights enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan. No matter how much appeasing we do we cannot guarantee any protection for our civil liberties. These extremists are a cancer we cannot make peace with cancer, we fight it and try everything to expel it out of our body if we want to have a health living. And it is the only way we can actually defeat extremist onslaught and save the future of our children.

Al Ain Castle, UAE

DSC00188
Originally uploaded by imranbhatt

The Listeners

'Is there anybody there?' said the traveller,

Knocking on the moon lit door,

And his horse in the silence champed the grasses

Of the forest's frony floor.

A bird flew up out of the turret,

Above the traveller's head;

And he smote upon the door again a second time:

'Is there anybody there?' he said.

But no one descended to the traveller.

No head from the leaf fringed sill

Leaned over and looked into his gray eye

Where he stood perplexed and still.

But only a host of phantom listeners

That dwelt in the lone house then

Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight

To that voice from the world of men;

Stood thronging the faint moon beams on the dark stair,

That goes down to the empty hall.

Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken

By the lonely traveller's call.

And he felt in his heart their strangeness.

Their stillness answering his cry,

While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf,

'Neath the starred and leafy sky;

For he suddenly smote on the door, even

Louder, and lifted his head:

'Tell them I came, and no one answered,

That I kept my word,' he said.

Never the least stir made the listeners,

Though every word he spake

Fell echoing through the shadowines of the still house

From the one man left awake:

Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup,

And the sound of iron on stone,

And how the silence surged softly backward,

When the plunging hoofs were gone.

(Walter De la Mare)

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On Kenyan Path

Economically speaking Kenya was one of the few success stories in Africa. It was galloping in fast forward gear towards becoming a developed country leaving behind a stigma of named as third world economy. Then on 27 December, 2007 elections were held to choose between incumbent president Mowai Kabaki and opposition leader Roala Odenga. Large scale rigging were reported but Kenyan election commission under the influence of President Kabaki declared Mr Kabaki as a winner. However opposition refused to accept the results and started agitation against incumbent Kabaki. Agitation soon engulfed Kenya and Mr Kabaki banned television networks, radio stations and newspapers and ordered law enforcing personnels to fire at demonstrators with live ammunition. Up until now 1500 Kenyans have lost their lives and 250,000 rendered homeless. Violence has not shown any signs of abetting and economy has taken a nose dive. There have been no trading in stock exchange, massive devaluation of national currency and factories and other business centres are closing down. Kenya is facing a severe crisis of its survival as a country and people are fearing a break up of Kenya into two entities. Economic pundits are warning against Kenya becoming bankrupt if no further measures were taken to bail out its economy. It all started with one man's desire to rig elections in his favour.
Kenyans who are forced to see their prosperous country disintegrating in front of their own eyes do not deserve this. They are suffering for a crime they did not commit. This calamity has befallen upon them because one person thinks he is indispensable and his hunger of power is insatiable.
If we compare Pakistan with Kenya, the similarities are alarming. Today Pakistan is facing same political crisis. There are three major players in our politics PPPP, PMLQ and PMLN. All national and international think tanks have been warning incumbents that survival and sovereignty of Pakistan hinges upon free and fair elections. But it seems incumbents are wittingly downplaying reports of pre-pool rigging and not heeding to consequences of their complacency. All parties except PMLQ warned against the possibility of large scale rigging in forth coming elections. Even MQM have now started complaining about rigging indirectly.
If authorities failed to ensure free and fair elections the post election scenario does not carry a good picture for Pakistan. When I envision this scenario I could only see hate, violence and destruction. If we were unable to stop Gen (retd) Musharraf interfering with election results then it will be impossible to stop Pakistan from marching onto Kenyan path and we will find ourselves in a black hole of destruction and lawlessness.

Of Prisons and Prisoners

Heart bleeds to see and hear news about unending imprisonment of all those who said no to authoritarianism and dictatorship.I dedicate following stanza from Richard Lovelace to Mr Atizaz Ehsan, Mr Ali Ahmed and Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood particularly and all other honourable judges who have been put under forcible detention since the imposition of second martial law on the land of pure.

Stone walls do not a Prison make,

Nor Iron bars a Cage;

Mindes innocent and quiet take

That for an Hermitage;

If I have freedom in my Love,

And in my soule am free;

Angels alone that sore above,

Injoy such liberty.

(To Althea From Prison)

Hai Uss Zood Pesheymann Ka Pesheyann Hona

Listening to these yesteryears' collaborators of every dictatorial regime presents a new low for Pakistani society. It is highly diabolical to see people like Mirza Alam Baig, Hameed Gul and Majeed Malik etc to give us lessons in democracy and democratic movement. I for one will never ever believe in their sincerity with democratic ideals. Look for the timings; they only came out when they were ridiculed by their former master. Had he not made fun of them they would have been happy living in their plush discounted estates. All I can say about them

Ki merey qutl ke baad uss ne jafa se toba
Hai uss zood pesheymann ka pesheymann hona

All I can sense is that they are trying to steal the limelight from lawyers and civil society’s movement for democracy and contitutionalism. If they are genuinely desire for return of democracy they first and formost unreservedly apologies to people of Pakistan and give back all titles and rewards showered over them by former dictators for their services in destroying democratic and judicial institutions in Pakistan without any further ado. Even when they do this lawyers and civil society must keep their movement away from these born again democrats because of their dubious past.

As far as new COAS’s oft repeated letter to army personals is concerned it is nothing but a lip service or may I put it like less matter and more art. Look how sincere our new COAS is with his new commitment that former COAS General Musharraf still occupies the Army house even when he reluctantly retired from army and occupied the presidency illigally. Perhaps our new Army Chief thinks that once in army is always in army and therefore his new directive does not apply to General (retd) Musharraf and he is allowed not only to meet with army officials but to reside with them even though he claims to be the president of Pakistan. Or may be in General Pervaiz Kiyani’s definition a president can not be a political personality.

Common Thread/Threat

With his every appearance on national network to address his ‘aziz humwatan’ I always cherish a wishful idea of something good like his resignation, would come out of those lips so prone to produced a twisted and sexed up version of events enfolding before us in order to perpetuate his rule on the land of pure. Dear readers I am sorry to inform you that we have to wait little longer for this good news of his resignation.
However, going back to his last missed-opportunity our embattled General appeared once again in rage against himself. He criticised prevailing law and order situation in Pakistan and renewed his unflinching commitment to deal miscreants with firm resolve by using this opportunity to postpone forth coming elections as demanded by Q league.
During his speech he expressed his anger on murder of Benazir Bhutto and pledged to complete her mission. About investigation in to her murder he allowed Scotland Yard to carry out their investigative work when all forensic evidences have been carefully washed away from crime scene and government employing fulltime staff to confuse the situation by promoting different theories about causes of BB’s death. On the top of all this our General in greater national interest (read nation as General Musharraf) disallowed Scotland Yard to carry out investigation against any individual merely on allegations.
He looked very agitated when he claimed that intelligence agencies have nothing to do with BB’s murder. Taking stock of events in Pakistan it is evident that those elements that changed Pakistan from a welfare state to a security state would go to any lengths to keep their stranglehold on power. One common thread or threat between sacking of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudary and BB’s murder is their criticism on the activities of intelligence agencies.
Musharraf who appears to be a representative this murky world of intelligence agencies of Pakistan sacked Chief Justice on trumped-up charges when CJ took up missing persons cases. Look how far Musharraf has gone to get rid of CJ when he was later reinstated by Supreme Court of Pakistan. He ransacked and destroyed Supreme Court with his second coup in first week of October, 2007 at the behest of intelligence agencies. Remember those scenes when CJ was surrounded by intelligence chiefs on PTV demanding his resignation.
BB with all her defects was the most popular politician in Pakistan and she had personal experience of dealing with intelligence agencies and their modus operandi. Well before her return she criticised the role of intelligence agencies in Pakistan and she was well aware of threats to her life. She even mentioned the name of one intelligence chief who wanted to kill her. She was a direct threat to those murky elements in Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus and these elements are real power base of General Musharraf.
My thesis is that any prominent personality from any field who criticises the role of intelligence agencies will never be tolerated in Pakistan. And if this personality inspires ordinary people in Pakistan he/she will either be put under house arrest or six feet under. And therein lies the common thread or threat between sacking CJ and BB’s murder.
So when General Musharraf denies the involvement of intelligence agencies in BB’s murder there are only two possibilities. Firstly he knows but he conveniently lies about their involvement. The second scenario is even more disturbing and dangerous if he is telling the truth that agencies are not involved in the murder. That means that he himself has no control over intelligence apparatus in Pakistan and they can do whatever they want at their will. As I said earlier General Musharraf has acted up till now to strengthen and promote the interests of intelligence agencies. Remember his allegations while declaring his second coup against Supreme Court of Pakistan. He appeared very annoyed when he mentioned that CJ demands explanations from intelligence agencies about whisking away of ordinary citizens of Pakistan. Therefore he would do whatever he could to block free, fair and wide ranging investigation into BB’s murder.
Now we are living in a changed environment and with their desperate actions these murky forces exposing their nervousness at the prospects of losing their grip on power. People now are not afraid to ask questions which are once considered taboo. Let this most tragic and foul murder of all murders becomes a final blow to dwindling corrrupt regime of General Musharraf and his collaborators.

‘Truth will come to light; murder can not be hid long.’
(11.6.36-7)

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My Favourite poem

While I was reading a news peace about the destruction of Robert Frost's house in the USA by drunken hooligans celebrating new year's night reminded me one of my favourite poems. I want to share it with my readers. Regardless we interpret this poem portraying individualism or a hesitant traveller it is no doubt a poetic master piece of all times.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

(1915)

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New Year Resolutions

From ordinary citizens' point of view the year of 2007 was one of many other tragic years since the inception of Pakistan. A scheme to murder judiciary that started in March culminated with broad day light killing of Supreme Court in November at the hands of a military dictator. Keeping with its traditions Pakistan witnessed the most tragic of deaths when Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi at fateful Liaquat Bagh. But this is only a citizen's perspective on year 2007 and we have been told since our birth that citizens of Pakistan are nothing but stupid. Recently our dictator with absolute wisdom brought us to our senses by saying that we are not even humans.

From our dear dictator's point of view it was year of great successes with only few small failures such as July carnage in Karachi, sacking of 63 senior judges, October carnage in Karachi again and killing of BB in Rawalpindi. The successes included putting derailed democracy train back on tracks, getting rid of terrorist judiciary, imposition and lifting of emergency both in the interest of nation, delegation of power from General Musharraf to General (retd) Musharraf and last but not least solving BB's murder case within 72 hours with irrefutable evidence of an audio tape and a press conference by nervous and agitated Brigadier (retd) Cheema. A country where we are still unable to indentify murders of first prime minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan identifying BB's murders within 72 hours is no mean achievement in any respect. In order to appreciate these successes you need to be in ‘National Interest’ mode. Just the way our holy fathers claim that it is impossible for ordinary muslims to understand and appreciate all the wisdom stored in holy Koran likewise ordinary citizens can never ever understand why military dictators are indispensible for Pakistan.

This is what you get when you have unrepresentative and mediocre people at the helm of affairs. BB with all her defects had something that can be said as hope for Pakistan. After her return she travelled all four corners of Pakistan and tried all her best to unite people divided by tin-pot dictators. What her murder told us that military establishment can not understand any political figure that can unite people and has ability to bring politics from drawing rooms to streets. Any political leader making people as a source of power and can negotiate intelligently towards his/her political goals can not be tolerated at any cost. Lets be sure that military establish can go any length to preserve this status quo even at the cost of killing millions of people or disintegrating Pakistan. Only way to save Pakistan is to get Pakistan rid of military dictators once and for all. This could one and only new year’s resolution for all patriot Pakistanis if we want to save this beautiful country.