Rehman Malik does not deserve a PhD

Awarding Rehman Malik the PhD lessens the value of this prestigious degree in all Pakistani's eyes.

Our Interior Minister Rehman Malik has been awarded a PhD degree for his remarkable efforts in bringing peace to the country, specifically to Karachi. He now joins the ranks of 5,300 PhD scholars in Pakistan and sits amongt the top rung of the educated population. Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, who is also the Chancellor of the University of Karachi, conferred the degree on Senator Abdul Rehman Malik in a special convocation held at the Governor House. 

The degree was awarded by the syndicate of Karachi University who justified this award with the words:

“(for providing) matchless services to the country in the war on terror and particularly in restoring peace to the citizens of Karachi.”

When accepting the award, Rehman Malik expressed his resolve to rise up to the expectations of the nation and serve the country in an effective manner. In his speech, he told the audience (which included Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellors and senior faculty of Karachi University) that his father had advised him to always respect the teachers.

“I paid heed towards this advice and throughout my life I remained successful in every sphere,” he remarked.

Rehman Malik who did his Masters in Statistics in 1973 from the University of Karachi, stated that when he was a student he witnessed a united Pakistan, with no division between Sindhi, Punjabi, Baloch, Pakhtoon and Muhajir communities. He went on to state that there is a crucial need to foster the spirit of ‘Pakistaniat’ as we are all Pakistanis.

Having watched the ceremony, I was left wondering, is this a moment of rejoice or mourning?

What exactly has Rehman Malik done to deserve an honour which hard-working students strive for many, many years to achieve? How hypocritical is it to award a man a degree for peace in a country where hundreds of people are dying by the day?

In order to justify my rhetoric, I have compiled a list of facts which highlight just how much peace Rehman Malik has brought in to this country, especially in the 'City of Lights':

1. From 2003 – 2007 the total casualties from suicide and terrorism incidents were 6,800. However, after the PPP came in to power and Rehman Malik took charge, the number of casualties rose much higher.

In 2008 alone 6,715 people were killed.

In 2009, 11,585 people and in 2010 7,435 people were killed.

Up until till  February 2011, 708 people have been killed in Pakistan due to terrorism related incidents and attacks.

 Some peace Dr Rehman Malik has brought us. This number is a staggering 26,443, almost four times the amount of people killed during from 2003 to 2007. If the award were for quadrupling the death toll, Malik certainly deserves it.

Below is a tale which contains the breakdown of terrorist violence in Pakistan between 2003 and 2011:

 

Year	Civilians	Security Forces (SFs)	Terrorists	Total
2003	140	24	25	189
2004	435	184	244	863
2005	430	81	137	648
2006	608	325	538	1471
2007	1523	597	1479	3599
2008	2155	654	3906	6715
2009	2307	1011	8267	11585
2010	1796	469	5170	7435
2011*	226	98	384	708
Total	9620	3443	20150	33213

 

(Source: SATP * Data till February 20, 2011)

2. Target killing in Karachi has worsened and hundreds of people have died during Malik's tenure.

In 2008, 777 people lost their lives in Karachi. Over the years this number has increased.

2009: 272

2010: 1.339

2011: 1495 (so far)

3. The situation in Balochistan has worsened and if proper steps are not taken we might loose another part of Pakistan.

4. US drones have been entering Pakistan and have killed civilians almost every day.

5. It was under Malik's reign that US forces entered our territory to capture and kill Osama bin Laden

These are just the top five facts I have compiled which clearly reason that awarding Remhan Malik a PhD degree for peace is a joke to say in the least.

In my opinion, this degree has only been conferred on him for his 'matchless' efforts of bringing the MQM back in to government time and again and his 'matchless' patience in listening to the accusations constantly levelled at him.

I feel Rehman Malik does not deserve the honourable title of 'doctor' next to his name. In my opinion, he has brought us only pain, misery and shame. In fact, awarding him the award of a PhD lessens the value of this prestigious degree in all Pakistani's eyes. It is such a tragedy that the leaders of our country reward people based on their connections rather than their achievements.