LEAVE MY COUNTRY ALONE!!!

This is an article I wrote back in 2007 just after the conclusion of the Lal Masjid debacle. Consider it a test blog as I enter the sphere of self expression!!! I know its long, but its liberating :-)

LEAVE MY COUNTRY ALONE!!! – by Sheikh Adil Hussain

I am shamed at the state of affairs of my beloved country today as it lies in wake of yet another suicide attack. Yet I can’t help but wonder that a far greater foe than just the extremist militants are posing a threat to Pakistan, and that foe is sadly from within.

Pakistan’s politics has followed a cycle ever since the country’s inception. A democratic government beginning to handle the country’s affairs, an ambitious young politician gets visions of ascending to the throne and starts plotting against the ruling government. This leads to unrest being created in the country often leading to military intervention or the government being dissolved by the president for fresh elections. If a military ruler takes on the premiership, the rule usually lasts close to a decade and then falls prey to another ambitious politician. And so the story repeats itself ever since the Quaid-e-Azam became the first leader of the nation.

Since Musharraf’s government came into power in October 99, it has been beset with one gigantic challenge after another. You may argue that this is true for any government taking up office for the first time, however, one look at the list of challenges faced by the present government, and anyone would agree that these surely have been out of the norm, and even if they don’t, the sheer relentless and continuous nature of them should be in consensus.

No head of state has ever had to fight on so many fronts or face so many crises both personal and national and yet come out with the country’s pride intact:

• inheriting an almost bankrupt and failing state
• bringing some semblance of hope and order to the running of the country’s affairs
• 9/11 2001
• The fall out of 9/11 and becoming a front line state in the war on terror
• 2 assassination attempts
• a devastating earthquake
• the chief justice’s suspension
• the red mosque situation
• the fall out from the red mosque operation
• the politician’s constantly conspiring against him

And all of a sudden, the so called politicians of our country have started hailing “true democracy” as a panacea of all ills, doling out statements like “the red mosque crisis would never have happened had there been a true democracy running affairs”, “the chief justice would never have been suspended had a true democracy been at the helm”, “the common man would not be dying if true democracy was leading the country”, “the country needs leadership and only true democracy can deliver”.

Have these people got amnesia, or are they just plain stupid? Do they even know the meaning of a “true democracy”? How can we have true democracy in Pakistan when hundreds of thousands of people vote because their feudal lord “asks” them to cast their vote and for whom. Is this the opinion of the masses? Most of these people are illiterate and cannot even read the mandates of various parties, most of them don’t have time or access to TV sets so that they see or listen to what these politicians have to promise, frankly they don’t give a damn as long as they get their two square meals a day, which is a luxury for most of them by the way. So how can we ever have a “true democracy” in our country where half of them don’t know what it means and the other half don’t bother. We as a nation need a kick on our back sides and constant supervision to work, that’s just the way it is, mind you, once we put our minds to it we work as hard and as smart as anyone else in the world, but today, as a nation we lack the discipline to do that continuously on our own. We need the strong face of leadership, someone who can keep his calm when all hell breaks loose around him, for me that someone is Musharraf for the foreseeable future.  

It would be the saddest day in Pakistan’s history if either one of Nawaz Sharif or Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister again. Why are we even contemplating them? Why is our media even talking to them? Haven’t we had enough of them? When both of them were leading the nation in “true democracies” throughout the late 80s and most of the 90s, did we not see enough blood shed in Karachi? Were we not conned enough by schemes such as the yellow cab? Didn’t true democracy lead us to near bankruptcy in 98? Didn’t a true democracy support the Taliban government in Afghanistan during its nascent stage? How can we forget so quickly? Why don’t both of these personalities realize that they had their chance, twice, each of them to suck our national coffers dry, why do they want to return again? What makes them think they can do a better job now? More importantly, what makes them think anyone wants them back except for their own party goons, hired hands and their brain washed villagers? My conscience makes me stop just short of asking God for their death, but I have a strong belief that if Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Fazlur Rehman and Qazi Hussain Ahmed were to be locked away some place far far away and the keys thrown away, Pakistan would be a much better place to live in. If these people have the interests of their country at heart, which they so vehemently claim they do, then why do they repeatedly call people to take to the streets? Do they not know that gathering people on the streets has only led to loss of lives and property? As soon as we have a crowd on the streets, all it takes is one hired hand to fire a single gun shot and all hell breaks loose. This too is the doing of these parties themselves so that they create a situation of unrest, thereby building a base for mounting opposition against the ruling government. If they truly cared about the people’s well being they would not ask them to come out on the streets and would pursue their cause without causing agitation and in a peaceful manner.

Why is the current setup not good enough for Pakistan? Take away 9/11 and this government would have done wonders for the country. True they keep blowing their own trumpets on the fantastic, and they are outstanding, macro economic indicators, truth is, they now need to focus on improving the distribution of the record wealth being created. As long as the divide between the rich and poor keeps increasing, no government can hope for strong public support, but my point is to give them a chance. They started something good, let them complete it. Again, the patriot in me stops me from wanting Musharraf to form a true dictatorship and end this sham of a parliament and politicians parading around as if they really care. But I know that’s not the solution, however, in order to achieve the results and ultimately reach to a stage where the people can responsibly elect true leaders, and when we have leaders capable of electing, then and only then should we revert to a “true democracy”.

This brings me to the role our media is playing in portraying Pakistan’s image as it is today in the eyes of the world. I’m very sad to say that our media has done nothing but bring despair to our country men and tarnish Pakistan’s image beyond repair abroad. I have no qualms in naming the Geo network as a prime culprit in this and will go on to accuse Kamran Khan and Hamid Mir for spreading terror on their own account in the hearts and minds of the Pakistani people. The media in any country has a huge responsibility for it holds the power to sway the moods of the people. Don’t get me wrong, I am not one for seeing the world through rose tinted glasses, or for hiding the truth, but a little common sense and balance in our reporting is what is required. I strongly disagree with the claim by Geo news that they present a fair and balanced view to the public, that is not true. Is it not their responsibility as a powerful national medium to safeguard the public’s interest and the nation’s morale? Do they really have to show body parts and blood baths again and again, isn’t once enough? Do they have to be excited about being the first to bring bad news to the people?

Please stop sensationalizing your reports, and trim your coverage to somehow minimize the damage caused by these unfortunate events. Tone down your presentation styles, I mean sitting here in the Gulf and watching Kamran Khan, it just seems like Pakistan is on the brink of collapse, they paint such an appalling and depressing picture, that you think there’s no hope left. No wonder Pakistani expats never want to return to their homeland, and more and more people want to leave Pakistan. I spent 8 years in Karachi from Oct 98 to 2006 and I never once thought this was an unsafe place to live, however, ever since I’ve moved back to the UAE, all I see is carnage and keep calling back home to check if everyone’s fine. When I was in Karachi, there were my fair share of bomb blasts and strikes and disturbances but you never thought the city was on the verge of anarchy or anything like that. So please Geo news, control your selves.

Another reason why I think the media is not living up to their role is the way they interview the self proclaimed saviors of our country. I’ve seen numerous interviews our celebrity broadcasters have taken and not once have I heard them asking the questions that need to be asked. Isn’t it commonsense, or is it only I who remembers that the nation was no better when we had the so called “true democracies” in charge? Why don’t they ask them to answer to the nation why their governments got dismissed on corruption charges? Why are there numerous cases of varying degrees of atrocities filed against them in the courts? Are all these cases wrong? Is there no truth to any of them? There has to be some truth to the old saying that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I would ask these self proclaimed leaders to explain in detail what they would have done differently in the same situations faced by Musharraf? How would they rectify their mistakes? Do they think they have repented for the gross crimes that they committed against the nation when they were in power? Were they not responsible for unemployment, inflation, low forex reserves, poverty? All the broadcasters keep asking about is the opinions of these self proclaimed leaders about the current affairs and the handling of the government of the prevailing situations. Obviously they’re going to speak against the government and spread more poison against them. Why are they not asked to come back to the country and fight for what they think is so crucial to our country’s survival and our people’s salvation? Nelson Mandela spent 28 years in jail for his cause, these so called leaders can not even spend 28 hours in jail for the love of their country. IS that not evident?

Moving on to another important problem plaguing Pakistan of late, the suspension of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. What’s so different about Nawaz Sharif trying to change Chiefs of Army Staff because he felt threatened vs. Musharraf changing the Chief Justice? I am not trying to justify abuse of power, but does Nawaz sharif forget that he used the office to forward his personal goals and influence doing exactly the same thing? And who is Iftikhar Chaudhry? Is it not plain to see that the political parties are funding this man’s so called crusade across the country in yet another attempt to destabilize the government? Who was this man? Did anyone even know his name before this whole episode? How has he suddenly gained so much popularity that the “nation” is behind him and supporting him to the hilt? Isn’t it obvious that the lawyer community is being egged on and that the rallies are being filled by paid crowds? What does the common man stand to gain by supporting this man. It pains me to see that something so obvious is not being reported on by the media. The opposition is looking for any event to politicize and use it as an excuse to plot the government’s downfall. The red mosque situation is another prime example. Why can’t the media do a special report on how much money is being spent on the ARD’s meetings in London and the massive rallies of one Iftikhar Chaudhry when that money can be spent for the welfare of the cyclone victims? Why are such expensive meetings being arranged in London, just because one man cannot come to Pakistan? Why does Iftikhar Chaudhry not realize that his rallies are only leaving a bloody trail and nothing else? If he has the welfare of the people at heart, why does he not sit at home? Why don’t all of us see this?

Alas, as a true and loyal Pakistani citizen, I implore, nay, I beg Messers Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Madam Benazir Bhutto to please leave MY country alone!!!