Many of the first images of the world’s newest nation are those of celebration; faces painted with the design of a new flag, men singing their new national anthem, old women smiling, watching their new president in his improbable cowboy hat. There is cause to celebrate, to be sure. South Sudan has won the right to self-rule, a 50-year long fight that cost 3 million lives in a bloody civil war, followed by an official transfer of power that has taken place peacefully. On July 9, the world watched as two presidents stood side by side. Sudan was divided; South Sudan created.
In the days leading up to South Sudan’s independence, the news was filled with photographs of children practicing routines, standing and moving their arms in formation, and these pictures reminded me of PT displays, those dance-like arrangements of calisthenics set to music that every school-going child performs in India and Pakistan. In April, I watched a group of several hundred students practice for sports day at Nasra School’s Korangi campus, part of one of the largest low-cost private school systems in the city. Kids had gathered from far reaches of the city to participate in the event, moving in unison to the beats of a large drum, raising their arms up over their heads, some of them mouthing the words to their theme song “Pakistan hai humara”. Created for the country’s 63rd independence day in 2010, it is a song about the hope and promise of Pakistan, how the country belongs to its people. This is the song in my head as I read about South Sudan rejoicing at their new, independent future and again as I watch today’s news from Karachi: Shuttered shops, children crying, men in fatigues. Once, Karachi was a new capital the way Juba is. The largest metropolis of a new nation will naturally become a melting pot, a recipe for both cosmopolitanism and discord. Karachi’s fate as a ticking time bomb of ethnic rivalry wasn’t written, but it also wasn’t planned for.
South Sudan would be well served to learn from the mistakes of India and Pakistan, and resolve their disputes with Sudan now, not later. Crucial aspects of the 2005 peace agreement remain unresolved, such as the determination of final borders and how oil revenue will be shared between the two nations. Sudan and South Sudan should do what India and Pakistan didn’t: Create an open visa policy so that citizens can move freely between the two states, a joint defence pact to maintain their peace and establish how trade will work between their countries as soon as possible. As South Sudan creates its education system, leaders must ensure that history is taught responsibly, so that its young people will grow up with balanced views of classmates and neighbours who look different from them.
Pakistan, and in particular Karachi, has something to learn from South Sudan. Diplomacy and ballots can indeed succeed where violence has failed. Religious and cultural differences played a role in the partition of Sudan, but they do not mean that South Sudan has to be ruled by its identity politics, or oppress its minority populations. Like Pakistan, Sudan was formed as a secular state for a religious minority, and it should fight to remain that way, with equal rights for all citizens. It is a powerful reminder of how Pakistan began.
Addressing his new citizens on July 9, President Kiir said: “We should have a new beginning of tolerance where cultural and ethnic diversity will be a source of pride… Remember we are all South Sudanese first.” It is a statement reminiscent of Jinnah’s famous first address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan: “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state.” In the last 64 years, the overlapping cultures of Karachi have been eroded and polarised to the point that one’s ethnic and religious affiliation is a liability, something that can get you killed. Jinnah’s vision has been compromised beyond recognition. Let us hope that Kiir’s vision can sustain his new nation.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2011.
COMMENTS (15)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
A very good article. Karachi has become a melting pot for the reason that it is part of a country with huge ethnic diversity across the country, and very different people living in same country with different backgrounds. Also that it is a port city makes it more a lucrative city for everyone to flock to. I hope what is written in this article is implemented, and people in Juba realize that they've to learn from others' mistakes ...
New nation? We were also a new nation once. Did we deserve it? No. How about African countries? Did they deserve it? No. It will not be long when the new nation will also join the ranks of old nations like Congo, Zimbabwe, Angola, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia etc.etc. all ruled by corrupt agents of the European Colonial Parasites. Secessions by splitting into smaller nation, coming out on the street by the masses, bloody revolutions, civil wars etc. have never achieved anything for the masses, except piles of dead bodies. Coming together to join hands with the people of the locality to unite and to work to achieve the just rights for every human soul, is the only way to bring the welcome change people need most. People owe it to themselves to work to bring the welcome change they need badly. The people who brought the welcome change previuosly, brought a change in their habits and characteristics first. They made upholding of “Justice and Compassion”, their every day habit. They never encountered any tyrant as they never allowed any man to become their idol, leader or ruler. Instead they all came together to join hands together to create a society of the people, by the people, for the people. Anything else will lead people to "SLAVERY". The slavery people endure the world over because of their slave mentality.
@Feroz:
Your words are nothing more than a fantasy. NO TO SECULARISM, YES TO ISLAM.
@Ba Ha
Nice take.
There is only one mistake made by Nations at independence. Its the mistake of identity. A placard carrying the following summarizes the dilemma of southern Sudan. "Our identity is Southern and African- not Arabic and Islamic. We are not worst Arabs -but better Africans"
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WE DID WRONG?? This is serious food for thought
Secular nations will survive and prosper, Religious Republics will falter spill copious blood and eventually fail. One system represents tolerance the other fanaticism. The reason Religion should be kept a private matter out of the purview of the State is because every individual's opinion varies from another. Pakistan is an excellent example - people are willing to kill in the name of Religion even commit suicide, both Haram in Islam. Whose Islam will be followed when the interpretation of every sentence in Quran has a million opinions ?
"Sudan was formed as a secular state for a religious minority"... Err this doesn't make much sense.
The Sudan split is more similar to Bangladesh and Pakistan split. It is a stretch too far of the imagination to compare with India Pakistan.
The South Sudanese have split from the ruling North which oppressed and killed millions in their attempts to control the South. This is exactly similar to West Pakistani atrocities over East Pakistanis in the attempt of the West wing to rule over the east wing.
Moreover in both the cases the atrocity of directed mainly from one party to the other , officially.
@Abbas from the US
While I agree with the underlying message of your post, I don't see it happening any time soon. The "..............return to its former self at the time of its creation" in itself may not bring the desired result because 1) The creators of Pakistan was by no means "......secular liberal people'" and 2) The mental thought process then was not much different from ".....the mental thought process lost to the current madness" that you refer to.The only difference was in the rationale behind and the articulation of that madness.
Pakistan was more ethnically diverse than Sudan at the time of its birth. 22% of its population were Hindus and 3% other non-muslims. What happened to them? How can Pakistan compare itself to any civilized country after all that has happened to its minorities?
You have rightly pointed out some of the similarities between partition of India and Sudan, but in Sudan divide between two partners is not religion. Its an ongoing conflict between Arabs and Non Arabs. South Sudan has also a considerable Muslim, non Arabic speaking population. The same conflicts has taken lives of thousands in Darfur in recent years. The outstanding issues in Sudan are demarcation of Border and Abyei, but not sharing the revenues. South Sudan Governement has refused plainly to give any share to North from their oil wealth. Another major issue which has turned the border areas of South Kordofan in a battle ground recently, is a huge poplulation of local tribes which stood by South during Sudan's protracted civil war and now are part of North. Recents conflict on ethnic lines have displaced thousands from South Kordofon and Blue Nile State. It will be unjust to find similarities between statements of President Kiir and Quaid-e-Azam, as the later laid foundation of a secular nation state and enjoyed full support of the entire nation. On the contrary, as some analysts have pointed out, there is no tribe in South which call itself as South Sudanese and at the same time there are 7-8 resistance movements against the Juba Government in different states and Sudan Peoples Liberation Army is in state of war against these groups. South Sudan Government's unwillingness to accept UN Police Commissioner from a Muslim country, Pakistan, and its refusal to accomodate peacekeepers from Arab states and Pakistan are quite contrary to its claim of being a Secular State.
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING ARTICLE Ma'm KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
AWESOME ARTICLE MA'M - after reading your book the girl from foreign im your new fan in town whatever you write is just superb! keep up the good work ma'm
Very interesting observations and comparisons to the beginings of Pakistan. In order for Pakistan to return to its former self at the time of its creation, the secular liberal people in Pakistan need to coalesce around a new political grouping and make their contribution to the revamping the mental thought process lost to the current madness.
Your youth is the only mitigating factor, dear author, otherwise you are as ignorant as any your age about matters you are talking about especially the comparison of Sudan-South Sudan relationship on the one hand and India-Pakistan relationship on the other at the time of their birth. A little more research would have given some credibility to your authorship.