It was thanks, first to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s capitulation to the religious right, and then Ziaul Haq and his successors’ sustained campaigns of religious chicanery that have landed us in this thick soup. Jonathan Swift once said that when a true genius appears in this world, dunces form a confederacy against him. Unfortunately, the dunces in this country have formed a federation, not against any genius, but against common sense.
Common sense dictates that you do not light a match in an ammunition depot. We did just that by supporting an insurgency in Afghanistan in the name of jihad, while being fully cognisant of the fact that our country is packed with the seeds of radicalism. Today, despite repeated suicide attacks carried out in the name of faith, our political class is united in further indulging the monster that has become our religious right. Even though lasting peace still eludes us, the PML-N, the PTI, why even the PPP, all remain in favour of engaging in dialogue with the terrorists.
While we are too happy to talk to the terrorists, we develop speech impediment when it comes to talking to the Baloch dissidents. It seems that Pakistan has a roadmap for Afghanistan. I wish it had one for Balochistan too. We are experts on other countries and yet cannot master our own domain.
Our politicians seldom compute the consequences of their actions and choices. Today, the opposition is so united in the aim of ridding us of those abominable rulers that they will fraternise with any devil to achieve this goal.
While this tug of war continues, the terrorists plan to pulverise the very moorings of our nation state and transform it into a global jihadist movement. Our brothers in Balochistan inch away from the federation.
It is commonplace to blame the government for all the economic and social chaos. But have you thought that it could just as well be the state’s meltdown, as is evident from the malfunctioning of jet engines and railway locomotives to a police clueless about Osama’s presence in the country? A faulty industry and an illiterate human resource have to be someone’s concern. Where are the shadow cabinets, where are the party programmes to put an end to all this misery?
Perhaps, Brahamdagh Bugti is right. Perhaps, we are slaves of others and our own baser instincts. Balochistan is not the only occupied territory, the whole of Pakistan is occupied. Occupied by an inept, ethically corrupt political elite. This country could be freed of such oppression but unfortunately the liberals and the moderates who represent the masses are too busy saving their own small share of the spoils.
Why talk about an independent Balochistan or Sindh when we can have an independent Pakistan one day? Divided, this country, will at best, become another Afghanistan. United, we can build a great nation. But will anyone listen? Maybe not, because in the federation of dunces, madness is the only method that usually prevails.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2012.
COMMENTS (18)
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Wonderful article! Sir you are article is really superb.
So depressingly true.
Beautiful article! You are really superb. Time to "Wake Up" for Pakistanis to smell the Coffee before the world finally get's fed up with our crazy policies of pleasing the terrorists.
yesterday i was watching a song of Rahat Fateh Ali on youtube in the evening when i heard a loud explosion nearby (later found out that a police mobile was targeted in which a constable lost his life and a few people got injured) i immediately contacted my family members on cell phone and after finding out that they were safe i got back to listening to the song. later i was shocked to think about my behavior but sadly that's how life in pakistan is these days.
Impressive; he is speaking from his heart so guys read it unbiasedly and feel it.
Kudos Sir. Concise and well written
@Rajendra Kalkhande: I remember reading about Subhash Chander Bose in Pakistan Studies. However, I agree that they should also teach about the other luminaries as well.
you sir Farrukh Khan Pitafi have fallen victim to an element mentioned in your article namely;
"liberals and the moderates who represent the masses are too busy saving their own small share of the spoils"
by talking about the negatives you are again (much like everyone else) going through academics rather than actually contributing something positive (even theoretical if not practical) to the federation...
Spot on! Couldn't have been more lucid in thought and presentation. The only dissenter here in this forum - Ali Tanoli - needs to go back to elementary school ( if there is one, what with the Taliban busily blowing them up) to comprehend what ails Pakistan today. Ali- do you understand what it means to live in a " normal " country, going about your daily business without worrying about excessive religiosity and terrorism?
What an awful article indeed. These secularists are impossible.
"Why talk about an independent Balochistan or Sindh when we can have an independent Pakistan one day? "
Pakistanis fought only for a separate nation and never for independence from British. No wonder Pakistan is run by policies made in USA or UK. I wonder if School text books in Pakistan cover India's freedom movement from a non-religious angle? How many Pakistani school children know of Neta Ji Subhash Chander Bose and Lala Lajpat Rai or Bhagat Singh ? My understand is that for Pakistan children the freedom amounts only to the creation of Pakistan.
When has "religious right" been right about religion?Was Zia right about the religion? Do we know what is our religion, or what it teaches? We do not. We spend 18-20 years to learn our professions, but do we have 30 minutes a day to understa one page of Quran? If we had, we would not be misled by Zias of the world.
Reforming the current system seems useless. Perhaps it's time to build a new structure of democratic governance instead and let the old one wilt away. There are precedents: the USA's original Articles of Confederation was trashed in favor of the Constitution. Doing so was of doubtful legality under the Confederation, but nobody cared to continue with the old structure. The first president of the U.S. is remembered as George Washington, not Peyton Randolph.
Farrukh, Thank you for your wonderful analysis of issues related to federalism. I would like you and other columnists to write something about the plight of young Hindu ladies and their families in Sindh. What a shame are these religious monster bringing to us?
"SMALL share of spoils"?!
Surely that must be a mis-print?
Unless I misunderstand.
yesterday when those terrorist were fighting other infidels where were u guys s;leeping under the goose wings.
I think there is a strong emotional undertone to the article. However, putting that aside, I agree that it is us (people in the middle class and elite) who are the most capable of bringing change (because we the luxury of having less things to worry about); but that would require us to put our egos and small interests aside and get down to the business of nation building.
An absolutely phenomenal article. Bravo! Concise yet says so much. This needs to be made available in Urdu. Is this possible? Would you believe it, I am surrounded by people who have lived in England for longer than they have lived in Pakistan who read English so slowly that they simply do not read...anything. They think that Pakistani TV is a suitable alternative to literature. It's a sad state of affairs. I'm sharing this article. Thank you.