A State Of Terror Still Prevail In Pakistan
Muhammad Khurshid
October 06, 2007
Rluers have put the very ingetrity of Pakistan in stake. Now the terrorists have been trying to disintegrate the country, which is a frontline state in the war on terror. If some things wrong happen to this country it will have effects on the whole world. There is confusion.
According to a comment, with the deaths reported on Thursday of three of the 230 or so soldiers still being held hostage in the tribal areas, time is running out for the government to save the lives of the remaining hostages. Bullet-riddled bodies of the three men were found by local police near the town of Jandola in South Waziristan. The bodies were found a day after the militants holding them captive said that they would kill three soldiers a day unless the government accepted their demands, which include the release of several militants presently in government custody and stopping military operations against them. The hostage-taking initially was itself controversial because questions were raised about the numbers involved and whether the soldiers had surrendered to the militants. The government then used the services of a tribal jirga to negotiate with the kidnappers and this resulted in the release of at least 30 soldiers. Nowadays, anything one writes on Pakistan tends to get outdated or is rendered obsolete by the time one has pressed the save button. Events are moving and unfolding at a dizzying speed. A presidential election with uniform or a presidential election without. A parliamentary election with Bhutto and Sharif participating or without.
Take this “amnesty” thing for instance. One minute an amnesty is on the table and the next — well, you guessed it — its not! One party wants it but can’t get it. The other can have it but doesn’t want it. Don’t ask Barrister Aitezaz Ahsan to render an opinion on this. He is likely to want amnesty for the whole country. Way to go, Chaudhry Sahib!
With both elections now imminent, one would think that the politicians would be putting forward their manifestos, debating issues and telling the people how they are going to alleviate their suffering and where they would like to see Pakistan in say the year 2012. But, that is not happening. Instead, the entire preoccupation is still with General Musharraf’s sartorial preference. His uniform.
Senator Mushahid Hussain keeps telling everyone how “dapper the General would look in designer suits”. It has never occurred to Mushahid of course that army officers, particularly generals, have a proclivity to bespoke clothing and not necessarily to off the rack garments with dubious designer names. You never hear anyone say, “check out his uniform”. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. That is why it’s called a uniform. Given General Musharraf’s unapproachability — to say nothing of his irreproachability, I doubt that you will hear someone going up to him and saying: “Cool suit, General! Armani?” Ask Mr Shaukat Aziz instead. He has spent enough time in New York to tell the difference between Tripler and Brooks Brothers.
Bankers traditionally show a conservative bias towards shades of grey and black preferring to dress down rather then dressing up. But not Mr Aziz. Ever since General Musharraf made him prime minister, he seems to have gone somewhat awami and started patronising things indigenous. Not quite GQ, but neat, nonetheless.
You can’t blame anything on Mr Aziz. He is the original Teflon man. He is hardly forthcoming on any issue. Preferring to stay well clear of any sticky ones. Like this nugget. When asked about Nawaz Sharif’s arrival and departure, he is famously supposed to have replied, “You mean he has already come and gone? I had no idea!”
Mr Aziz does seem to have this complicated business of managing Pakistan’s economy down pat though. How many other prime ministers can you think of who have brought as many contacts to the job as Mr Aziz has? He not only knows anybody who was or is somebody, but knows everything about that somebody! A friend of mine the other day said: “This man has probably the best Rolodex in this part of the world!” For the uninitiated, a Rolodex is a telephone and address device rolled into one. The comment was overheard by a pretty thing who was quick to remark: “Rolodex? It’s so eighties!” Probably true. But in New York, in the eighties a secretary’s desk was considered ill equipped regardless of her own assets without the ubiquitous Rolodex. But that was when Mr Aziz lived in a swish duplex at the St James’ Tower and worked out of a corporate tower internationalised by Janet Jackson. As prime minister, Mr Aziz does not need a Rolodex now. He has a “hotline’! I wonder if Mr Aziz is also going to write a book when he leaves office. Most ex prime ministers do. Unless as an ex banker his work ethic restrains him from doing so. Imagine the stories he could tell!
The opposition has its own set of personalities. But no one perhaps is as media savvy as Ms Bhutto. Now there is a politician who can put a spin on anything. Try improving on her dancing between the raindrops. Like all political leaders she has her own spin patrol, headed up by a very clued-in loyalist in the shape of a lady called Sherry Rahman. I have no doubt that Ms Rahman has many attributes but the one that impresses me is the reading material she carries around. Ms Rahman counts Noam Chomsky — one of the foremost intellects of our time — in her must-read list. A choice she coincidently shares with some other people nowadays, whom the CIA may have more than a passing interest in. A fact that should have no bearing whatsoever on Ms Rahman’s own intellectual equipment, except that she came across on Hamid Mir’s “Capital Talk” the other night as somewhat feisty and spoiling for a street fight if things did not go their way. Maybe I am reading too much into this Noam Chomsky thing!
Then there is Mr Imran Khan. The problem with Imran Khan is that he genuinely believes that he is the only true blue honest player in Pakistani politics, to the exclusion of everyone else. He may be forgiven such outdated beliefs because what Imran lacks in political niceties or wisdom he probably makes up for with his humanity. What I cannot understand are his rather vociferous and unrelenting tirades against President Musharraf every time he is near a television camera or a microphone. Maybe he is spending too much time with the Sharif Brothers. Speaking of the Sharif Brothers, one of them is certainly writing a book. It is just that a few chapters, in all probability, have yet to be written. So expect their PR team to go into overdrive mode anytime now.
Like its politics, Pakistan’s cricket is having its defining moments too. The spirited performance of its young team during the Twenty20 World Cup can be summed up in two words. True Grit. That they lost to Team India — decidedly, a better team of young braves in the final — does not in anyway alter the fact that they gave their country some memorable moments and a reassuring glimpse of how a pride of young lions can play as a team. They may not have had the “Chak de” welcome that their victorious counterparts from India received on their homecoming this time around but until the next clash of the titans they can practise to the rhythm of “Sanoo ek pal chaen na awey”. The visiting Cricketing Springboks might even learn to enjoy the beat. No cheerleaders, though. Pity.
Pakistan is a country that has always had the ability to laugh at itself. In its most difficult moments, its people have shown remarkable resilience, fortitude and, more importantly, a sense of humour.
Lately, however, the country has not had much to laugh about. This is an attempt to bring out that enduring trait by indulging in some good natured and light-hearted scrutiny at the vulnerability of some public figures in the not so public areas of their domain. Naturally, it is not about how they see themselves but as others see and observe them. No offence is intended and none should be taken.
A political writer Mehmud Sipra while discussing the situation in Pakistan wrote that
Thursday's tragic development is bound to come across as a setback to the government's plan to fight militants and extremism. Already, there has been at least one report in recent weeks of paramilitary personnel deserting their positions (six men did this in an area close to Shawal). The government needs to resolve this hostage stand-off as quickly as possible and without any further dead bodies. Of course, saying this is much easier because ideally one wouldn't want any of the militants to be exchanged either. Giving in to the demands of the militants is only going to embolden them further and send a message that its pays to kidnap and kill soldiers. However, the government has to be tough in dealing with the extremists because any other approach will only increase their power and area of influence. At the same time, work needs to be expedited on the economic and social reforms that the government has planned for FATA, to eliminate poverty and deprivation and to hasten its economic integration with the rest of the country.
The End
According to a comment, with the deaths reported on Thursday of three of the 230 or so soldiers still being held hostage in the tribal areas, time is running out for the government to save the lives of the remaining hostages. Bullet-riddled bodies of the three men were found by local police near the town of Jandola in South Waziristan. The bodies were found a day after the militants holding them captive said that they would kill three soldiers a day unless the government accepted their demands, which include the release of several militants presently in government custody and stopping military operations against them. The hostage-taking initially was itself controversial because questions were raised about the numbers involved and whether the soldiers had surrendered to the militants. The government then used the services of a tribal jirga to negotiate with the kidnappers and this resulted in the release of at least 30 soldiers. Nowadays, anything one writes on Pakistan tends to get outdated or is rendered obsolete by the time one has pressed the save button. Events are moving and unfolding at a dizzying speed. A presidential election with uniform or a presidential election without. A parliamentary election with Bhutto and Sharif participating or without.
Take this “amnesty” thing for instance. One minute an amnesty is on the table and the next — well, you guessed it — its not! One party wants it but can’t get it. The other can have it but doesn’t want it. Don’t ask Barrister Aitezaz Ahsan to render an opinion on this. He is likely to want amnesty for the whole country. Way to go, Chaudhry Sahib!
With both elections now imminent, one would think that the politicians would be putting forward their manifestos, debating issues and telling the people how they are going to alleviate their suffering and where they would like to see Pakistan in say the year 2012. But, that is not happening. Instead, the entire preoccupation is still with General Musharraf’s sartorial preference. His uniform.
Senator Mushahid Hussain keeps telling everyone how “dapper the General would look in designer suits”. It has never occurred to Mushahid of course that army officers, particularly generals, have a proclivity to bespoke clothing and not necessarily to off the rack garments with dubious designer names. You never hear anyone say, “check out his uniform”. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. That is why it’s called a uniform. Given General Musharraf’s unapproachability — to say nothing of his irreproachability, I doubt that you will hear someone going up to him and saying: “Cool suit, General! Armani?” Ask Mr Shaukat Aziz instead. He has spent enough time in New York to tell the difference between Tripler and Brooks Brothers.
Bankers traditionally show a conservative bias towards shades of grey and black preferring to dress down rather then dressing up. But not Mr Aziz. Ever since General Musharraf made him prime minister, he seems to have gone somewhat awami and started patronising things indigenous. Not quite GQ, but neat, nonetheless.
You can’t blame anything on Mr Aziz. He is the original Teflon man. He is hardly forthcoming on any issue. Preferring to stay well clear of any sticky ones. Like this nugget. When asked about Nawaz Sharif’s arrival and departure, he is famously supposed to have replied, “You mean he has already come and gone? I had no idea!”
Mr Aziz does seem to have this complicated business of managing Pakistan’s economy down pat though. How many other prime ministers can you think of who have brought as many contacts to the job as Mr Aziz has? He not only knows anybody who was or is somebody, but knows everything about that somebody! A friend of mine the other day said: “This man has probably the best Rolodex in this part of the world!” For the uninitiated, a Rolodex is a telephone and address device rolled into one. The comment was overheard by a pretty thing who was quick to remark: “Rolodex? It’s so eighties!” Probably true. But in New York, in the eighties a secretary’s desk was considered ill equipped regardless of her own assets without the ubiquitous Rolodex. But that was when Mr Aziz lived in a swish duplex at the St James’ Tower and worked out of a corporate tower internationalised by Janet Jackson. As prime minister, Mr Aziz does not need a Rolodex now. He has a “hotline’! I wonder if Mr Aziz is also going to write a book when he leaves office. Most ex prime ministers do. Unless as an ex banker his work ethic restrains him from doing so. Imagine the stories he could tell!
The opposition has its own set of personalities. But no one perhaps is as media savvy as Ms Bhutto. Now there is a politician who can put a spin on anything. Try improving on her dancing between the raindrops. Like all political leaders she has her own spin patrol, headed up by a very clued-in loyalist in the shape of a lady called Sherry Rahman. I have no doubt that Ms Rahman has many attributes but the one that impresses me is the reading material she carries around. Ms Rahman counts Noam Chomsky — one of the foremost intellects of our time — in her must-read list. A choice she coincidently shares with some other people nowadays, whom the CIA may have more than a passing interest in. A fact that should have no bearing whatsoever on Ms Rahman’s own intellectual equipment, except that she came across on Hamid Mir’s “Capital Talk” the other night as somewhat feisty and spoiling for a street fight if things did not go their way. Maybe I am reading too much into this Noam Chomsky thing!
Then there is Mr Imran Khan. The problem with Imran Khan is that he genuinely believes that he is the only true blue honest player in Pakistani politics, to the exclusion of everyone else. He may be forgiven such outdated beliefs because what Imran lacks in political niceties or wisdom he probably makes up for with his humanity. What I cannot understand are his rather vociferous and unrelenting tirades against President Musharraf every time he is near a television camera or a microphone. Maybe he is spending too much time with the Sharif Brothers. Speaking of the Sharif Brothers, one of them is certainly writing a book. It is just that a few chapters, in all probability, have yet to be written. So expect their PR team to go into overdrive mode anytime now.
Like its politics, Pakistan’s cricket is having its defining moments too. The spirited performance of its young team during the Twenty20 World Cup can be summed up in two words. True Grit. That they lost to Team India — decidedly, a better team of young braves in the final — does not in anyway alter the fact that they gave their country some memorable moments and a reassuring glimpse of how a pride of young lions can play as a team. They may not have had the “Chak de” welcome that their victorious counterparts from India received on their homecoming this time around but until the next clash of the titans they can practise to the rhythm of “Sanoo ek pal chaen na awey”. The visiting Cricketing Springboks might even learn to enjoy the beat. No cheerleaders, though. Pity.
Pakistan is a country that has always had the ability to laugh at itself. In its most difficult moments, its people have shown remarkable resilience, fortitude and, more importantly, a sense of humour.
Lately, however, the country has not had much to laugh about. This is an attempt to bring out that enduring trait by indulging in some good natured and light-hearted scrutiny at the vulnerability of some public figures in the not so public areas of their domain. Naturally, it is not about how they see themselves but as others see and observe them. No offence is intended and none should be taken.
A political writer Mehmud Sipra while discussing the situation in Pakistan wrote that
Thursday's tragic development is bound to come across as a setback to the government's plan to fight militants and extremism. Already, there has been at least one report in recent weeks of paramilitary personnel deserting their positions (six men did this in an area close to Shawal). The government needs to resolve this hostage stand-off as quickly as possible and without any further dead bodies. Of course, saying this is much easier because ideally one wouldn't want any of the militants to be exchanged either. Giving in to the demands of the militants is only going to embolden them further and send a message that its pays to kidnap and kill soldiers. However, the government has to be tough in dealing with the extremists because any other approach will only increase their power and area of influence. At the same time, work needs to be expedited on the economic and social reforms that the government has planned for FATA, to eliminate poverty and deprivation and to hasten its economic integration with the rest of the country.
The End
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