Terrorism will not succeed unless we fall into the psychopaths’ trap. “Samuel Huntington wrote of a clash between civilisations, but this clash is not inevitable unless we make it so,” Senator Raza Rabbani, said while addressing a congress of the Socialist International in Cape Town, South Africa on Friday.
The senator is heading the Pakistani delegation at the conference in place of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Rabbani elaborated on the point by quoting his slain leader Benazir Bhutto, who was killed in a terrorist attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, according to a copy of the Senator’s speech received by The Express Tribune.
“The precepts of Islam are part of the Judeo-Christian heritage. There will only be a clash of civilisation if we allow ignorance and fanaticism to take control, to shape the agenda, to shape the debate.”
Rabbani, who is also the deputy secretary-general of the Pakistan Peoples Party, spoke of how the roots of terrorism were sown in the soil in Pakistan’s northwest, reminding the audience that “during the war against Soviets in Afghanistan, Pakistan became the breeding ground for their political and religious manipulation” while chiding the message of radical leaders as one “that enslaves, not liberates, that teaches children to hate, that keeps people hopeless and desperate, bitter and paranoid”.
He reminded the audience that the extremists are biting the hand that once fed them. “The west nurtured, aided, trained and supported jihadi elements. It then left the region to suffer the consequences. Pakistan inherited the Kalashnikov, drug and terror culture.”
The veteran parliamentarian also spoke of extremists’ fear of an open society, while lauding his late party leader’s commitment to such a society. “The extremists’ greatest fear is the spread of information, social equality and democracy that are the principles of Socialist International, and it was to the clusters of information, social equality and democracy that the Benazir government gave attention.”
Expanding on the current government’s achievements, he said the PPP has established the concept of participatory federalism through the 18th Amendment and devolved powers to the federating units.
Pakistan in the fight against terrorism has internally been exposed to extreme acts of terror which have killed thousands of civilians and members of security forces.
On democratic values, he asked the assembly to “remember that building moderate, stable and democratic political structures can marginalise the extremists of this world before they unleash their war against the people of the world community.
He said the goal of the Socialist International must always be to simultaneously promote stability and strengthen democratic values, and that “these democratic values are critical to the future direction of my country”, while identifying the democratic future of Pakistan as being critical to regional peace and global security.
Rabbani was highly critical of western support for third-world dictators, saying, “The west has gambled for decades that dictators can impose stability, but the dictators have come back to haunt the world. The Shah of Iran created a backlash that resulted in the Iranian Revolution. Pakistan’s General Zia nurtured the fanatics in the Afghan Mujahideen, who became a Frankenstein’s monster.”
He explained his country’s position on the peace process by saying Pakistan believes defusing war is necessary through dialogue. “Therefore, it supports an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process which is multidimensional to ensure a lasting peace in the region.”
He finished by quoting Benazir Bhutto’s speech to the same forum a decade ago in Casablanca, when she said, “History has taught us the very hard lesson that when the world turns against democracy, it turns against itself. That is why it is critical that in the war against terrorism and in promoting peace in South Asia, we keep sight of democratic values.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2012.
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Democracy is growing in The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and there is a steady move towards a more moderate and liberal Pakistan. This development is off course being challenged by the hardliners and radical fundamentalist groups who have been a major influencing force in the past. The remarks or comments of the Deputy Secretary General of Pakistan People's Party Rabbani are most appropriate and relevant and must be given the required importance. The development is not an easy task as nurturing this plant of democracy in a nation like Pakistan in the present scenario has its own perils which need to be overcome. The citizens are tired of the continuous violence and ethnic unrest in the nation that has had a rather negative impact on their economy as well as society. However, there is a progress that is encouraging and must be appreciated to the core and sincere efforts are being made as is very much evident from what one can see towards developing democracy within the Islamic Republic and there is a fight against extremism which is yet another positive development. The path off course is long and hard nevertheless the people and the Government of Pakistan should be able to overcome the hurdles that challenge democracy within the country.