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Sow the wind ...
Let every institution understand ‘United we Stand, Divided we Fall’ against extremism whirlwind reaped by sowing wind.
The writer is a columnist, a former major of the Pakistan Army and served as press secretary to Benazir Bhutto [email protected]
As the Pakistani ship of state drifts on perilous seas, unaware of the fast approaching freak wave (yes, as in the film, The Poseidon Adventure) that is about to hit it amidships and sink the whole damned shoot, it was good to read Ahmad Rashid’s take on the actual reasons of the drift at the ‘Policy Discussion on Pak-US relations’ held at the Jinnah Institute recently.
He put his finger right on the problem itself: serious discord among the various institutions that have their fingers in the Am/Af pie: the powerful Deep State that arrogates to itself the right to have the final word; the Foreign Office that should be actually drafting and implementing foreign policy; and the democratic government, which should oversee the formulation of the policy after receiving input from all of the organs of the state.
In the citadel of Islam, of course, and as per usual, everything stands right on its respective head. The Deep State will not countenance a view contrary to its own oft-failed one on how this country should behave with its neighbours; the ISI reports principally to the army chief and perfunctorily to the prime minister; the elected government (and therefore, the Foreign Office) are too petrified of the next rabbit the Deep State will pull out of its magician’s top-hat, the government even meekly allowing parliament to be used as a fig-leaf by the brass hats whenever their chestnuts need to be pulled out of the fire (Osama, Salala, whatever!), just in case the ultra-right Ghairat Brigades are not unleashed on it in the name of ‘the national interest’.
Let us immediately add that the elected government is not really very much in control of the situation anyway, fighting a rearguard action for its very survival, trying to stay another one, no two, no three months (pretty please) in elected office.
Sounds pretty dire, what, reader? But is there a glimmer of hope that there is some little self-confidence seeping back into the body of a much-pummelled government? Does FM Hina Rabbani Khar’s statement to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that Pakistan did drag its feet on re-opening the Nato truck routes (oh all right! GLOCS! Ground Lines of Communications!! See, I know my abbreviations!) mean that she is asserting herself as Pakistan’s rightful foreign affairs spokesperson and manager?
Does committee chairman Haji Adeel of the ANP asking why Pakistan did not accept the United States’ first apology in December, delivered by President Barack Obama using the word ‘regrets’ and condoling our soldiers’ deaths, mean that the Senate is henceforth going to show more spine?
Which, be as it may, we have to very quickly change our belligerent stance against Afghanistan to one that I have so often advised: that of the big brother who looks after and is solicitous towards his younger sibling. We must be big-hearted and help the Afghan government as best as we can to stop infiltration from our side into Afghanistan.
Otherwise, we will continue to get tit-for-tat responses as we got in Dir recently where the barbarian Maulana Fazlullah killed 17 and beheaded seven of our soldiers. We must remember, too, that allowed him to escape into Afghanistan for reasons known only to the ‘agencies’.
What was that adage again? If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind? Well there it is, then.
So, what do we do about the very possible capsizing/whirlwind that is about to hit us? Let us all get together and put our shoulders to the rather heavy wheel we have to turn if we are to survive. Let no institution think that only to it belongs all wisdom. Let everyone understand that after the Almighty, sovereignty belongs only to the people of this country who elect their representatives and send them to parliament.
Let every institution understand that the much-hackneyed saying ‘United we Stand, Divided we Fall’ is staring every Pakistani right in the eye for we are a house bitterly divided. In which religious extremism, particularly against our minorities, both religious and ethnic, has scaled new heights of savagery and utter, cold, cruelty.
I have often told the story of how in my grandmother’s house in Wah village where there was not a single Shia house, we were not allowed to play the radio (and later the television) during Muharram. And now we get people off buses and shoot them dead in front of their own wives and children just because they have Shia sounding names? I mean my own daughter, may my life be hers, is Zainab. So?
Indeed, may I ask My Lords who sit on the Supreme Court with a wary eye out for any chance to take suo motu action, why none has been taken on the far too many Shia and Hazara cold-blooded and cruel massacres in Kohistan and Quetta?
May I also point out to Their Lordships that not content with their gory deeds, the beasts recorded and uploaded them on YouTube too. Surely if Mansur Ijaz’s BlackBerry could be found to have been forensically kosher long-distance, these murderers can also be found through IP addresses and so on?
And who are these monsters: the ‘assets’ of our great strategists, who will be used when our country expands its borders across Central Asia!
You know what, reader? Much as I advise the powers to do this or do that to improve our country, I find no reason to hope that things will change. I mean, who can reduce the ‘defence’ budget from Rs10 to Rs8, and increase the education budget from Paisas 4 to Paisas 6? That Mai ka Laal is not born yet.
P.S. Could the Pakistan Navy please clarify if the shaadi ghar abutting the Mehran airbase, and through which the terrorists gained ingress and destroyed most of our naval air-arm, is still in business?
P.P.S. I have mentioned this link to the SC in this space before. Here it is again: Sh. Rashid ‘Tully’ being rude about the CJ himself.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2012.
Reader Comments (57)
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Sir, don’t know if my comments will be allowed as in the past they haven’t as truth hurts the moderators despite the comments not being and derogatory but factual. You unfortunately time and again hit the nail on the spot and hopefully there will be some listeners to you and like minded people such as yourself in Pakistan who will strive for a fundamental change. Having been in Pakistan for almost 4 years until very recent unfortunately humbly I must say that Pakistan is heading to be the next North Korea. I hope I am wrong but all indications in my personal opinion are pointing in this direction. Which is of the most unfortunate.
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Just a minor literary point. When you feel the need of an exclamation to indicate that you’re trying to be witty you’ve already made the point moot. And one exclamation point can be forgiven to a non-native English speaking tyro, but two are indefensible, what?
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Good one..I don’t know what a sane person like you is doing in Pakistan…
BTW…For my Pakistani friends, I am not in favor of reducing the defense budget of Pakistan, but ever increasing it, even at the cost of education budget…
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It’s unbelievable but true that our great strategist Hamid Gul told in camera session to the parliament that through these militant groups we would conquer Central Asia and link up with Turkey!
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Putting the cart in front of the horse yet again is K. Shafi. Good governance and competence some before ‘civilian assertiveness’, but then again no article of Mr. Shafi is complete without a cleverly worded apology for the PPP’s actions.
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Karman Shafi Saheb!
My Solute to you for writing with such honesty and clarity. God Bless You!
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Respect to Kamran Shafi Saheb.
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Shafi, You are the man to lead the nation, please step up to the plate and lead the nation against deep state and enemies domestic and foreign.
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No matter how many times you mention about Sh.Rashid tuli…CJ will not take suo moto…he only see’s PPP..and tht’s it,,,all others enjoy,,,
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the best ,kamran sahib you have done it again .
you are master in diagnosing and you have diagnosed a surgeory.well time is running out and no surgeon is availble how terrible!!
its now a deep state or a main state.it seems our fate is being finalised in heaven.OH Allmighty save our main state we have sufferd a lot
kudus for this honesty and bravery may Allah be with you.
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@Ex Swiss Diplomat to Pakistan:
The root cause of all the problems related with extremism and terrorism in this region is Kashmir. The day this problem is solved in a fair manner acceptable to the people of Kashmir, the problem of extremism will vanish. Instead of closing eyes, the world and people like you need to face the problem and force India to agree to implement the UN resolutions.
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bravo kamran
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@Author:
“May I also point out to Their Lordships that not content with their gory deeds, the beasts recorded and uploaded them on YouTube too. Surely if Mansur Ijaz’s BlackBerry could be found to have been forensically kosher long-distance, these murderers can also be found through IP addresses and so on?”
I know through your writings how much you detest the current judiciary for their activism, especially the CJP, for their trying to prevent the loot and plunder of the public exchequer and to bring the laundered graft money back to country, and also the ‘deep state’ where you spent 11 years of your own life. Your dislike (read sickness) has now reached to a level where you have started distorting the facts – insulting the intellects of the informed – in order to justify your criticism.
The ‘Memogate Scandal’ case involving Mansoor Ijaz and Husain Haqani was not a ‘Suo Moto’ case altogether as you are implicitly suggesting but a petition filed by PML(N) – second largest political party – and others in which COAS and DG ISI has testified that the allegations look true. I fail to understand how one can criticize Supreme Court for taking up that case. And what are you implying by ‘long-distance’? How could you honestly forget the public statements of the Interior Minister that “his (MI) safety cannot be assured” and “he (MI) will come on his own will but go back when we allow him”, the reason SC accepted MI’s request to conduct commission’s proceedings in London. I am amazed how biased one can get.
Now tracing of the IP addresses of the killers of the Pakistani soldiers, how on earth you can assume that this is the responsibility of Supreme Court, not the law enforcement agencies under direct control of the civilian government which you are defending so vehemently in this article. At one hand you are sarcastically criticizing Supreme Court for pursuing a genuine petition (implicitly suggesting it to be a ‘Suo Moto’ notice) while at the other hand complaining for not taking a ‘Suo Moto’ notice of a matter for which the first responsibility falls with the government and should be the one criticized for not doing her job.
You also need to note that dislike in not your sole prerogative. Others may do the same (me for sure).
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@Lala Gee:
Thank you for saving me a lot of typing :) Am glad K. Shafi is allowed to write in ET so we can all know to what lengths he will go to apologise and plead on behalf of the glorious Pakistan People’s Pary. I guess he has been spared from the democratic revenge enacted upon the rest of his countrymen, of whom he least cares about.
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Yes, the Deep State will not rest until it has completely sucked the soul and spirit out of the 180 million it is paid to ‘serve’
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@Lala Gee: “The root cause of all the problems related with extremism and terrorism in this region is Kashmir.”
Not true. We do not want to speak the truth. The first decision Pakistan made was to invade Kashmir in 1948 through the waziri jihadis and we chose to lie about it then. We have been lying ever since. We are on the verge of disintegrating Pakistan, but cannot accept the fact that Kashmir will be solved by the Kashmiri and not us. We sabotaged the Kashmiri uprising in the late eighties by introducing jihadis and assassinating the Kashmiri leaders that did not toe our ISI’s line. We destroyed the freedom movement of the Kashmiris, not the Indians. The goal of people like Gul is not only to incorporate the central asian states but also to fly the Kalima Tayyiba flag over the red fort in Delhi. Will Pakistan survive such strategies? I guess you think it will and be successful. I do not.
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@Lala Gee:
You have taken air out of the baloon (op-ed)
Thanks
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@lalagee,”The root cause of all the problems related with extremism and terrorism in this region is Kashmir” .. So Pakistan will burn continuously to get Kashmir ? Sane Idea!! . Here in India ask any kid (next generation) they will say if only pakistan is lifted up and placed somewhere near latin america India would be so trouble free! ..Thats another perspective from India.
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@Ex Swiss Diplomat to Pakistan:
You would think an ex-Swiss diplomat would be better spoken than you. But this is the internet we can pretend to be whatever our little heart desires.
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@Ex Swiss Diplomat to Pakistan:
im guessing you got the real cause of pak problem.
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@ Lala Gee,
Have you read the 1st page of the UN resolution No 47? ( point 1 paragraph 1 and 2)
This is the obligation required by Pakistan to fulfil prior to the implementation of the resolution. I guess have a look and then let me know if Pakistan has any intention of implementing it. Probably not however Pakistan and Pakistan’s conveniently or sheer ignorance forget about their own obligations before Tom Toming this resolution.
By the way this particular resolution was brought to the table by Mr. Nehru.
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@@plarkin:
As I am not in any official position any more and moreover I am allowed to exercise my fundamental right i.e. freedom of speech and opinion which is guaranteed at least by my country on the internet or otherwise
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A daring exposition, I wish it would have significance in making of public opinion. But, unfortunately, though my intentions are not to disregard public opinion, minds of masses have become so contaminated with biased attitudes now reason has no room to sustain in public discourse. Lala gee’s comment vindicates the argument. Author even not implicitly, mentioned sou moto action of Supreme Court over memo gate. Memo gate followed by sou moto or through filed petition is not the point. The moot is why sectarian massacres in Quetta and Kohistan could not get the attention of wary eye of Supreme Court?
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This is a sarcastic but good attempt at examining the very complex state of affairs existing at present in Pakistan. The effort is not likely to bear fruit because a large majority of Pakistanis will not even be able to read it. Besides, what one sees today are the symptoms of a serious malady that is at least 64 years old.
There is much more to the subject which a Muslim Pakistani will not permit himself to examine. Like so much concerning religion, history, Jinnah etc. that is unmentionable. For those who may be interested I will recommend a conversation between three knowledgable Pakistanis, two Muslim and one Christian, in Canada on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBikPpC7T4&feature=related
and between two Muslims in this one:
http://www.siasat.pk/forum/showthread.php?118185-Bilatakalluf-15th-June-2012-Tarek-Fatah-Questions-Memogate-Commision-Report-amp-Pakistan-Ligitimacy
Both are boldly frank, well reasoned and in Urdu.
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we reap whirlwind or some thing else but i do not think that the so-claimed wise men will allow this country people to think for their own future.
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@Lala Gee:
Still dreaming about Kashmir? Wake up man before it is too late. Soil is moving very fast below your feet try to do something about it first. Even Obama has expressed his helplessness regarding Kashmir. Dont leave in a fools paradise
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@Lala Gee:
“The root cause of all the problems related with extremism and terrorism in this region is Kashmir. The day this problem is solved in a fair manner acceptable to the people of Kashmir, the problem of extremism will vanish. Instead of closing eyes, the world and people like you need to face the problem and force India to agree to implement the UN resolutions.”
Ha ha Ha Ha!! Expect the world to act. Pakistan will continue sitting on its haunches and do nothing to help itself extricate itself out of this mess. Kashmir obsession has ruined pakistan, and even as pakistan is sinking, it cant let go of its obsession.
Incidentally, world cares two hoots for pakistans kashmir obsession. World actually cares two hoots for pakistans survival. Who wants to be friends with a rogue terrorist state??!
BTW, extremism is killing pakistanis on a daily basis. the genie is devouring its creator. World is happy doing nothing. let pakistan sink if it wishes!
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@Lala Gee:
It is very easy to solve the Kashmir problem according to UN resolutions. First of all you have to read the resolutions. I am sure you have not read them; otherwise you will know it is Pakistan which is responsible for rendering them useless.
For the UN resolutions to be implemented, the first requirement is for Pakistan to vacate what you call as Azad Kashmir. Vacate it and then talk about UN resolutions.
About Plebiscite, you should read UN Security Council Resolution No.47. India-Pakistan Question, 21 Apr.1948 – Go to this link:
http://www.kashmiri-cc.ca/un/
Then open Resolution No. 47 and read A – RESTORATION OF PEACE AND ORDER Para 1. (a), and (b) carefully. This will show you that Pakistan refused to comply with its responsibility as per the resolution, and thus no further action could be taken to make Plebiscite possible. If you still want a plebiscite, get out of J&K first. Is Pakistan willing to fulfill its promise?
Arey Bismillah to karo.
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Ramzan Mubarakh to all…………………and life goes on, getting gloomier by the day.
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I am a retired diplomat, who served in Islamabad for five years & first time posting my comments on ET. Firstly I give credit to free media of Pakistan in projecting all the opinions. I admire Mr. Shafi in pin pointing the problems faced by this country. We as diplomats wanted to see this country prosperous & economically viable country which can survive in 21st century but sadly what we see is very disappointing. Till such time 180 degree shift is not made in foreign policies nothing will change. Its high time that Pakistan Army should hand over decision making activities to the elected governments. Asif Zardari, Nawaz Sharif & Imran Khan are sincere to Pakistan. Good luck to Pakistan & Pakistanis. Loved our stay in your beautiful country. My family still misses the warm hearted people of Pakistan.
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Hats off to you KS! You are truly the HERO. Take care please.
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KS
Do you really think that CJ will take suomoto on this video clip? CJ at least has little honesty left in him. He knows himself and knows the truth whatever sheikh rashid is saying is correct. No suomoto for truth.
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@Lala Gee:
You have unintentionally given Pakistan’s future in India’s hands by saying “unless India does X, Pakistan will not improve”.
All India has to do is not do X and Pakistan will suffer. Awesome how it works, isn’t it!
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So hired Indian cyber army used to write using Pakistani names, American names, and now, calling themselves Swiss! Go on Indians. See if you can mislead Pakistan or weaken its resolve. You will fail miserably as you have all these years.
Many people are making fun of Pakistan’s grand strategic vision using its strategic assets under the umbrella of its strategic weapons. Clearly, you have never fought a war, nor know of the ways long-term wars are fought and won.
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I hope Democracy will strengthen in Pakistan after the next elections. Let us focus on Free and Fair elections, as this is the key to stronger Pakistan. In absence of such elections, current status of Pakistan will continue and even further deteriorate. It is unfortunate that there is no harmony between various pillars of Pakistan, however, the reason perhaps is one that is AAZ who got to highest power because of NRO. Who is responsible for NRO ?
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Being an ex-serviceman, I used to take pride in phrases like “military is the only institution in Pakistan that has some structure, rigour and integrity”… then I grew up. With the country going down the tube, I still hear senior (current and former) military officials and the red hat defenders of Pakistan muttering these words, in complete denial of the following,
1. if the military is the only such institution, where does it get its base (personnel) from, I guess the same Pakistan which is going down the tube. So how are they so confident that this feed has not yet contaminated the military
2. With the military having held the helm for almost half of country’s existance, this statement implicates them in either complicity or incompetence leading to the current state of affairs.
We have a tough task ahead of us. Build institutions, make them respect one another and know their own place, do their own job and do it well. All organs (and I mean ALL) need to be kept healthy to have a healthy and functioning body.
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Love the way you write Sir. God Bless.
[ Baat tu sach hai par baat hai ruswai ki ]
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@Ex Swiss Diplomat to Pakistan:
Indeed you do, but also allow me the same privilege to express my opinion that you’re a head-wagger from south of the border.
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Kudos to KS for his independent thinking and countering the rightwing. Kashmir has nothing to do with the killing of minorities in Pakistan. How can any freedom fighters kill on the basis of religion and what do Pakistani minorities and other sects have to do with keeping Kashmir occupied? In fact the perpetrators are not Kashmiris and the victims are not occupiers. Recommend
mirza ,
kudus for raising some very valid and crucial points.
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@kaalchakra:
I have never fought a war like you but could you please enlighten me how many wars have you won.
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@Lala Gee: “The root cause of all the problems related with extremism and terrorism in this region is Kashmir. The day this problem is solved in a fair manner acceptable to the people of Kashmir, the problem of extremism will vanish”
SO Lala Gee, if the Kashmir problem was solved according to you there would be no more
– bombing of girls school in Swat?
– target killing in Karchi?
– oppressions of Ahmadis?
– Hazaras getting killed?
– beheading soldiers heads?
Is it oppressed Kashmiris who arre doing this?
You know what the answer is and you know the answer is NOT “Yes”.
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ks
i grew up in the same atmospher with same feelings as your’s.but contradictions in our society only multiplied my confusions,this ultimatly led me to english news paper dawn where great writers such as Ardeshir cawas jee,Ayaz amir,and many others honest journalists changed my perceptions .though in the begining it was difficult for me to digest harsh realitis as it would hurt my immaginatios.
and now when i see people like kamran shafi najam sethi nadeem f paracha and off cource ET my hopes are raised about the futur of this country.my humble advice to fellow pakistanis who find such articls against their egos pls read them without being biased as they are articulated with great pain and honesty.
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@sabi:
You Sir, are a very rare Pakistani. I wish there were more like you. In fact Pakistan needs thousands of people like you if it must get out of the mess it is in. I am glad to suggest to you some of the links I have posted above in my earlier comments in this blog.
These will let you come to know some Pakistanis who live abroad, and are thus fearless about being completely truthful. Hope you will enjoy all this.
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wonderer,
thanks a lot and sure i will check these links.may Allah be with you.
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@sabi:
What you went through is called natural evolution. I grew up in a family close to JI and extreme rightwing atmosphere. However, with the time, education and thinking I have cleansed myself of the prejudices that were instilled in me. I could have been a Whabi/Salafi and could have committed all atrocities if I did not open my eyes on time. Now I am returning “mitti ka karz” and waging a jihad against the terrorists.
Cheers,
MirzaRecommend
mirza,
that’s right .and let me add that one has to knock at different doors to get the truth it’s a very precios gem.and it’s worth knocking at diiferent doors.it needs a thurst however. how many of us have that!
thanks.
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@Kaalchakra
So hired Indian cyber army used to write using Pakistani names, American names, and now, calling themselves Swiss!
For someone who can not even find a nice ‘Pakistani’ name like Timur, Ghouri, Ghaznavi, Abdali or even Mao Tse Tung, you should be the last person to object to ‘name mongering’.
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@Ex Swiss Diplomat to Pakistan:
@All Indian Friends:
“Have you read the 1st page of the UN resolution No 47? ( point 1 paragraph 1 and 2)”
Yes I have and I would suggest that you to read this article “Does India have a case in Kashmir?” by an Indian writer Mr. Aakar Patel. This will answer most of your questions. Here are a few lines from his article.
“The Pakistan case is straight: Let Kashmiris decide whether they want to live as Indians or as Pakistanis. This is supported by the United Nations Security Council resolutions beginning with No 38 in 1948 and going on to No 123 in 1957. The resolutions seek a direct vote, what is called a plebiscite, among people in Jammu & Kashmir on their future. The UN said it would administer this vote, and called for India and Pakistan to demilitarise the state.”
“Though Nehru agreed to the plebiscite plan at first, he later backed off. India’s case on the plebiscite is defensive, and rests on technicalities.”
You also need to know that India annexed Indian Occupied Kashmir as early as 1953 while the last UNSC resolution was passed in 1957. Is denying the people their right to decide and keeping them at gun point on any pretext is in accordance with the democratic principles. You should seriously think about that.
All other Indian friends who think that Pakistan and Pakistani people because nowadays are facing some serious problems, they should forget about Kashmir else Pakistan will disintegrate (because of the Indian agencies sponsored clandestine war imposed on Pakistani people through TTP and BLA etc.) they can continue with their wishful thinking. Someone foretold that Pakistan’s ship was sinking, I can assure him that we will have some company on the sea bed too. Another friend wished Pakistan should be moved to some other planet, well I would tell him that Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh also wanted the same but Pakistan is not that country.
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@gp65:
“You know what the answer is and you know the answer is NOT “Yes”.
In fact the answer is YES. How? After the resolution of Kashmir dispute, a peaceful and friendly conditions will prevail in the region that will allow Pakistan to focus all its energies and resources to fight against those menaces you mentioned. There would be no reason for LeT and JeM type organizations to exist, hence half the problem of extremism will vanish spontaneously.
So, my answer is definitely “YES”.
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Excellent as always, Kamran Sahib.
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@Lala Gee:
I’ve never seen someone so determined to be wrong and somehow takes pride in it.
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Lala Gee,
Your quote from Aakar Patel does not answer any of the questions I had asked. Can you please review them and respond?
Thank you.
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@Lala Gee:
By the way, Aakar patel is not a writer but a columnist of ET, based in mumbai. He writes for a pakistani audience. The last time he wrote about India, one rtealised he knows nothing about the country , outside mumbai.
Would it not be better for pakistan to first concentrate its energies in sorting out karachi/balochistan, daily bombings, closing of girls schools, beheadings of soldiers,stopping atrocities on minorities and killings of shias/hazaras/ahmedias(and demolishing their religious structures), and then figure out their kashmir obsession?
It seems to the world that kashmir is just an excuse for a country which is failing and sinking.
@ Imran Con;
I second Imran Con. Never seen someone( La la Gee) so determined to be wrong, take pride in it and be so driven by an obsession that he is willing to gamble his country to failure!
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@ every blogger
Please read todays column in ET by Amina Jilani titled ” The sleepwalkers walk”
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@LalaGee, Not sure if India is morally right or wrong in holding on to Kashmir. But it sure is effective in keeping Pakistan destabilised. Probably this is one of the reasons for India to hold on to Kashmir. It reminds one of the story of a monkey which tried to pull out a fruit from a bottle and got its hand stuck. The only way it could get its hand out of the bottle, was by releasing the fruit. But the monkey did not want to let go of the fruit and so remained stuck.
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Dear Mr Shafi,
The hopeless situation in Pakistan is so accurately explained by you that it sends chills down my soul.Please list in order of import what all must be done to help save Pakistan .Thank you
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