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What sovereignty are we talking about?
Our dignity we lined up against a wall and shot. Our honour we are currently prosecuting for a spelling mistake.
sami.shah@tribune.com.pk
Maybe we should ask America to aim their drones towards minorities. If a few unmanned aerial vehicles began raining destruction down on Christians, Hindus and Shias, it might give us a reason to value their lives. Instead, we are wasting all our limited concern on a network of brutal terrorists. Being forced by America to act against the Haqqani network has gotten our hackles up as we boldly stand face to face with Uncle Sam and refuse to blink until we see his whites. It is an action that will probably result in a great deal of brinkmanship on the part of the armed forces and all sorts of opportunistic hypocrisy by the political parties. We civilians will sit here biting our nails as we wonder whether we are going to be the next Iraq or Afghanistan, while backdoor deals and last-minute manoeuvrings will result in continued drone attacks and increased credibility for the players involved.
What exactly are we making this bold stand against the US for anyway? To protect our sovereignty? Sovereignty requires us having an effective and independent government within our territories. According to that definition, prescribed to by the United Nations and all its members, we have no such claim to make. Our government is about as effective as a single mosquito coil being waved over all of Lahore to fight against dengue. Its independence is slightly more credible, once you take away the addictions to foreign investment, military dictate and fear of public opinion. Our territories are overrun with militant extremists who would massacre us all to prove a point of religious debate. It is for them that we are willing to invoke honour and dignity. Meanwhile, none of this will bring back the busloads of Shias massacred, nor will it save an innocent Christian girl who made a spelling mistake while writing about a religion that she never should have had to consider in the first place.
We lost our sovereignty ages ago. Traded it for short-term gain, with all the foresight of a Native American tribe handing over huge tracts of land for a few beads and snacks. Our dignity we lined up against a wall and shot. Our honour we are currently prosecuting for a spelling mistake.
If the only thing we can be united on is that America is evil and is probably breeding mosquitoes to kill us all with illness, then let us be bombed into nothing. We have lost the rights to sovereignty already. For centuries past, the idea that a state could be sovereign was always connected to its ability to guarantee the best interests of its own citizens. There is no evidence of any such ability.
Maybe the problem is the lack of honest dialogue. If we do indeed have links to the Haqqani network, then there is legitimate fear to be found in cutting those connections. Sleeping with a monster tends to leave your back exposed when you turn to walk away. A well-funded and resourceful militant organisation like that can wreak havoc on us if it feels betrayed. It’s asking for a re-run of most of the troubles of the previous decade. But to admit to that fear would mean admitting to having contact with the network. The fact that the Haqqanis have yet to take credit for any attacks in Pakistan, could be evidence of such. On the other hand, if we don’t have any contacts with them, then what is to be lost by allowing the drone attacks to continue? It’s not like the drones are landing in Islamabad and driving up Constitution Avenue. We have freely given them airspace before. The civilian casualties matter little to us as well. It saves us having to kill those people ourselves, once we get done with the minorities.
All we have learned is that our government is capable of taking a stand. Unfortunately, it’s not against anything that matters.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2011.
Reader Comments (52)
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Army take over is the only solution. Great Khair is coming.
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The US would serve itself better if it used some reverse psychology: They should start singing praises about the Haqqanis and thank them for their support, Pakistan will go ballistic, brand them traitors and that would be it. Instead, we have replaced the two-nation theory, with do not do what America wants theory, even if it is in our interest. Well that depends on who dictates whats in our interst..
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Shoes on ground violate soveiginity , but missiles, drones, black-hawk helicopters don’t.
Asking and living on foreign aid, re-sceduling of loans and write-offs , is a birth right. Foreign office will complain if those are not given and then there are strategic assets from Haqannis to LeT , who are waiting for instructions.Recommend
It is the sovereign right to allow the terror network Inc to operate in PAK soil and use them for black mailing is at stake. It had sustained PAK this long, why give it up now!
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Afghanistan condition is more worst than Pakistan in every field, Still they are fighting for their sovereignty… Than WHy Not Pakistan??
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@ Izzat mahab Sami shah
can you suggest what islamic republic should do after one another demands to continue
and what about mejority dying is there any thing can u do for them too in this situation
who gonna remeber minority.
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Dear Sami, thanks for making sense. People like you give me hope about Pakistan.
We had sold our soveiginity, dignity and freedom the day we started the madarsas and terrorist camps. What the Mumbai attackers could not achieve (an all our war) the Haqqanis are achieving now. Pakistani army has repeatedly surrendered when encountered an organized opposition, and the potential humiliation is an open secret. The question is, what the terroristis are offering the army/ISI that the whole West cannot? Or we simply are in love and a part of those terrorist networks.
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Well written piece once again that will fall on too many deaf ears…
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@Mirza
Agree 100%.But sadly the sovereignty was lost almost at the birth, when we signed upto US as our god father.And why did we do that?
Just to assert that we are different from India. If India is non-alligned, we have got to be alligned with someone. And US needed us as watchman in south asia to counter communist USSR and China.
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A country is truly sovereign only if its citizens are able to protest against an injustice and be listened by the elected government & fellow citizens, irrespective of his/her cry being true or false.
Hating other countries and burning their flags is certainly not a sign of sovereignty. Rulers in Pakistan, trained their citizens just to burn foreign flags, but, by using religion they made it a taboo for them to ask questions about rulers’ own deeds!
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Pakistan lost/gave away it’s sovereignty to US in 50s when Ayub Khan approsached them and told them that they can fight America’s War anywhere for a FEE.
If you want to be really free- get on your feet and throwaway your bagging bowl. This would require compromise with India and Military and many Pakistanis will not accept that. So there is no way you can be sovereign.
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Possibly your best article yet. Bravo for that closing. and the native american analogy.
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Mr. Shah: You are so completely wrong. You are attacking everything that makes Pakistan such a grand Caliphate. You make too much sense to be a Pakistani. Are you an Indian agent, or from the CIA? Surely you are reflecting views of the Mossad. Why else would you go about badmouthing such patriotic activities as killing off the dumb minorities? They should have known better and chosen some other place to practice their kafir religions. Pkistan was created for the sole benefit of bearded mullahs, burkae’d women (I still wonder how they can reprodue), and teenaged suicide bombers. Now come on, give up pretenses, and subject yourself to flogging, and then beheading.
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We do not control the badlands of the NW. Nor do we control balochistan. We dont even Abottabad where our Army graduates from! But we want to control Afghanistan with proxies that were our’s a decade ago – not now. In the process we want to take on the USA and give up billions in aid, arms and potential investment! Ghairat has no bounds.
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@Author: Maybe the problem is the lack of honest dialogue.
You may have a point there, Mr. Shah. But do you think there are people left in Pakistan who are willing to engage in an honest dialogue? I mean Taseer’s assassination happened not too long ago. The priest who performed the last rituals has had to flee the country.
Honest dialog? Great idea. The million dollar…. I mean the million yuan question is – who is going to bell the cat?
Sincerely
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Great, truthful piece but it leaves me feeling like s* :(
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Wrong analysis. This issue is too complicated to be discussed in a comic article. All problems we have within us as a nation put aside. The question here is “what makes someone in America’s eyes a good terrorist and what makes a bad terrorist?” Haqqanis are Afghans too, very powerful ones, and an occupying force has no right to decide who makes up the political governing body of Afghanistan. Why take some terrorists off the terrorist list and put others who were not on the list on the list. Just because the Haqqanis do not want Americans occupying Afghanistan is no reason to brand them as monsters. All the other Afghans who America is making deals with are also monsters. So ordinary Pakistanis should be asking themselves, what’s the real issue here.
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We lost sovereignty when we racked up billions of dollars in debt. Aid always comes a price. This current chest thumping is so completely pointless that it seems like nothing more than an image do-over in the face of upcoming elections.
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Well said…Mr. Sami Shah.
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this article is a slap on the faces of those lunatics who are encouraging Pakistan to go for war with USA. Do they even know the consequences ??
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i might agree to your point but the thing is brother we need to realize “what entity has the right to be sovereign???”
is it the state which is meant to be sovereign….???
if it is, then what are we….???
aren’t we the citizens of the state about which you are saying that “it has lost the right to call itself sovereign”
if we are a part of the state then what role have we played to be called SOVEREIGN?
All we do is to look up to others to help us instead of moving ourselves…..
being dependent on on others… it is our national aptitude…..Recommend
I’m a sunni but I didnt like your mentioning Christians, Hindus and Shias in the same sentence
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@Zaid Hamid:
i agree
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The author has hit the nail on the head. Exact, precise & direct. A Nation which does not have the peoples best interest at heart & practices the same cannot be called one in the true sense of the term, more so if a Democracy.
It is late in the day, but still things can be changed & retrieved if will is there. People have to force Change of attitude of Govt. Leaving everything else the Govt has to work for the good of the people… ensure food, education, health care, development, jobs etc first. Try & develop good relations with neighbouring countries without meddling. Have Zero tolerance for Terrorism which is telling upon the health of the Country.
People Supreme in Democracy. Use the power to — Change for good of People / Country.
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@Mirza:
My friend it is up to People ( Saner elements like you, author & millions ) to raise your voice against this neglect of the People their rights etc. force Govt. to ‘Change’ for the good of country.
People are the rightful owners of a country ( Democracy ) political leader & army etc.. just servers of the People / Country. Let them feel it & work for the good of People.
Time running out fast, so act fast. Pakistan has to come up fast, improve lot of People not fanatics / terrorists & anti people elements.
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@Nadir:
Great Satire !
Good, take the path that leads to good of the People.
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did the US know the consequences for their attack on Afghanistan?
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Pakistan’s perpetual fear of India has brought them to a stage where their sovereignty is violated by their so-called allies/friends with impunity and Pakistan cant do anything about it
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@B:
Why should an average Pakistani be worried about what is happening in Afghanistan? Do they have less of their own worries?
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@Jay-C:
What is wrong in putting Hindus, Christians and Shias in same sentence?
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As a well wisher I hope the innocent folks in Pak do not suffer more, if this stand off turns hotttt!!!
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Inter Services Intelligence is the solution, bring the commander to power
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Writing such articles is very very easy by sitting in a chilled room,using Apple products and living in a “Posh” area of Karachi.
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@W.H.Ocares: L O L
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@ Adnan
At least he is playing his part as a citizen and he has got the right to have an opinion as everyone should have…you got the right to differ too…
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@Adnan: Actually, I wrote this while sweating it out in my underwear because there hadn’t been any electricity for 6 hours and I didn’t have money to put fuel in the generator. The apple product is a laptop that I bought second hand 5 years ago and gasps and wheezes when I work on it. Oh and I live in the Mohd. Ali Society area of Karachi, which anyone from here can tell you is far from posh.
Maybe it’s easier to dismiss someone’s opinion using preconceived notions born of bias, ignorance and base stupidity.
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@Talha Khan:
Suck kind of “Role” is being played by many babblers around the country.
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@Sami Sha
I can clearly understand your frustration. What good is honor if our children are dying out of hunger, poverty and disease.
This is the quote about the foreign minister of Pakistan.
She apparently loves her Birkins, which can cost as much as $100,000.
Hina belongs to one of Pakistan’s landed elite, is enormously wealthy, and owns Polo Lounge, an upscale restaurant in Lahore. In 2010, though, she — along with 25 other ministers of Yousaf Gilani’s cabinet — didn’t pay income tax. Over the past few years, she has paid agriculture tax of (Pakistani) Rs 7,500 but nothing under the head of income tax.
What more to say ! Don’t look outside for reason for your ill fortune. If this is the way your ministers are behaving there is no choice but beg aid from US and other countries.
If Pakistan don’t see the light but keeping blaming every one else for its ills.
God help them.Recommend
@Sami Shah:
Sir,
Please do not give out your identity too much. I fear we will have one less sane voice in Pakistan.
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Hats off to you!! Drives the point home!!
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If Pakistan is to survive in the family of civilized nations, everyone so concerned will have to step up to the plate and make his or her contribution. Sami Shah is repeatedly making his.
The TTP is proof that accepted norms of behaviour, civilized values, and furthermore the value of life mean nothing to these thugs living in the middle ages and hoping to take Pakistan back a melenium. The rejection of the US, its aid and progressive values will surely add to the chances of creating a whole generation of Jihad loving, anti progress, women hating, minority hating Pakistanis, who the world will draw away from.
Stop and think. Do the young people on this forum want to live a life in a Pakistan that is out of sync with the rest of the global societies? Accept poverty as their fate. While nations trade, build prosperity and build a better economic future, the same proxies that we intall in Kabul will permeate Pakistan with their ideas and drag Pakistan down.
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Very well written. Bravo!
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Brilliant article. Sadly, they dont understand logic. They have been raised on a steady feast of lies, delusion, and extremism.Recommend
Problem with people like Sami is that they can always run away from Pakistan in case of any conflict/war between Pakistan and US. Such people should realize that NOT every Pakistani is on payroll of US whose bread and butter depend on opposing anything related to Mullahs,Islam or Talibans.Recommend
@B:
Alright, lets borrow your words … Haqqanis are Afghans too, very powerful ones, Then Why is their postal address Waziristan, Pakistan. If they are not Pakistani then, they need to be kicked out asap. If they are Pakistanis but meddling in Afghan affairs then again their back needs to be kicked twice harder.
@Sami:
Thanks bunch for such taking some time out to speak the truth ..Don’t forget Musharraf made computer and internet compulsory in Madrassahs, poor chap thought they might get some education and become software developers and programmers.Recommend
Sometimes I wonder that how come an author in a newspaper becomes so intellectual that he starts writing on every issue? I mean if you see every writer in all the newspaper, except some, writes articles about every issue, even those on which he is not an expert. This ranges from topics on security to sports, from politics to economy, and from medicare to entertainment. Who gives them the certificates of expertise on every issue. Moreover, most of the writers sit in an airconditioned room and make analysis of what is reported in media, which they sometimes themselves consider irresponsible and bias. They dont know what has been happening on fields. This is specially the case of this war on terror, which i would now call the war of intelligence agencies. What is happening in Afghanistan and in the tribal region, on the field, none of you even has a clue about this. What is being presented in media is very different from what is being going on behind the scene. Secondly, i found more of the commentor here very biased agianst pakistan. Did any one of them have ever asked what the hell the US so called diplomats doing in Peshawar and in so many numbers.? If they are being stop at any checkpost why they refuse to give search their vehicles? Why is that whenever these diplomats pay a visit to peshawar, there is blast in peshawar? Who and why gave safe hideout to Baramdagh Bughti in Afghanistan, of which the proofs have been provided to afghan govt and US? Why the check posts on the other side of the boarder were left vacant by US forces at the time of operation in waziristan? Who is helping the TTP to launch attacks on Chitral and Dir from KUNAR and Noristan provinces of Afghansitan? Who was the haqqani network and who made it? there are alot of questions like these which need answers. And these are facts, not the conspiracy theories, which our so called liberals are so found of calling others who try to question the US presence in Afghanistan.
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@Khan
Internet is COMPULSORY in Medical colleges, law colleges and other non-computer schools as well, did they generate software developers or produced doctors and lawyers? When you intellectuals give a chance to others to laugh at you people when make such lame arguments? Can you please tell me what non-Madrassah students have done so far so remarkable that you can use them as examples to prove madarassah guys wrong? I mean, come on! please try to make sense when comment online.Recommend
I have always wondered who is the greator violater of our sovereignty ? The freshman sitting in CIA Headquarter pressing the button to launch Drone attack or the our countryman lining innocent passengers and shooting them point blank in broad day light. Atleast the former can be given the benefit of doubt as he presumably if incorrectly thinks he is targeting a terrorist, whereas the latter knows the victim has nothing to do with war on terror, nor asssociated in any way with Govt. forces.
Whereas we have country wide processions against drone attacks, I challenge all readers to provide a single instance of a large rally taken out against killers of man, women and children in markets, hospitals, funerals, mosques etc. If they are enemy agents (as some apologists claim), what stops us from branding them and their facilitators as KAFIR and Wajib-ul-Qatil?
Why we do not demand their ruthless elimination whether they are muslims, circumsized Hindus, CIA agents, our own misguided brothers, traitors etc etc. Instead of fighting over their identity, lets say whosoever they are need to eliminated. Even if an identifiable person such as Muslim Khan of TTP takes responsibility we do not codemn him by name. PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME FOR GOD’s SAKE.
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@B:
“Haqqanis are Afghans too”.
Let me mention some additional facts:
1. ISI says they do not control the Haqqanis.
2. Haqqanis are based in Waziristan
3. Pakistan says it is a sovereign state and will not allow terrorists to use its land to attack neihbours.
4. Haqqanis are armed and attack NATO forces and then hide back in Pakistan
So are the Haqqanis not violating Pak sovereignty? Either the answer is that they ARE violating the sovereignty OR that though Pakistan claims that it will not allow its land to be used to attack neighbouring countries, it is lying when it says so. You tell me which of these options is true. Neither one reflects well on pakistan though.Recommend
@Adnan:
You have not advanced a single argument where you differ with Sami’s ideas. You simply continue to make personal accusations. First you implied that he was super affluent and disconnected from reality. He then clarified that this was not so. Then you go on to accuse him of being an agent of US and on US payroll? On what evidence are you doing this?
Do you know what Quran says about making false accusations without evidence?
By all means disagree with the athor’s idea if you like but do ot make unsubstantiated personal accusations.
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Last time I checked the title to Pakistan sovereignty has been transferred to China. Dear fellow Pakistanis, according to recent Pakistan Government information we are financially broke and the country is operating on borrowed money- be the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, IMF, USA, UK, Europe or China. our brothers and sisters are yet to recover from the last flood and struggling with the present flood. We are naked, homeless and hungry. May be we should increase our sovereignty rent to cover our basic needs.Recommend
@Adnan
I hope none else would like to be the part of those babblers…
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