<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jun 24 2008, 01:57 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 24 2008, 01:57 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Now they want Sahrif out of election, what they will gain or lose? Either make him President or pack him to Jiddah or give company to BiBi. Now Unkle is saying utility of Mushy is over, Sharif they never liked only they want to keep Saudi in good humor. Should we expect another round of happy hours?
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<b>Mudy Ji :</b>
My "Few" Bits :
1. Nawaz Sharif has always âbuckedâ against the You Knighted States - the Testing of Chinese made Nuclear Devices was the last straw between NS and the USA - but he has always been the âLap Dogâ of the Saudis.
2. Mush has always had Bush Push & Rush into his Tush. Thus he is the USAâs Point Man in Pakistan.
3. Zardari the âMr. Ten Percentâ who eventually had raised himself to the Exalted Rank of âMr. Thirty Percentâ is in place only as the so-called successor to BB. Mush was forced by Bush to âQuashâ all cases of Bribery, Stealing, Murder etc. on Zardari and Sharif.
4. However, Zardari has become Mushâs âSupporterâ for the simple reason that if the Judges are Restored then the NRO may be declared invalid and Zardari will be back where he belongs - in Jail.
Thus with Zardari in firm control - as per the support of the You Knighted States - NS has been sidelined and has been Disqualified and found Ineligible to Contest the by-elections.
You will note that Shahbaz Sharifâs case is still pending but he has been allowed to stay as Chief Minister of Punjab.
I think even Shahbaz will be eventually âRemovedâ so that Zardari can control Punjab through the PPP.
In response to Nawaz Sharifâs being Disqualified and found Ineligible to Contest the by-elections the Karachi Stock Exchange Index has âshot upâ by about 800 Points.
Happy Days are Here Again!
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Pakistanâs exports face greater barriers : WB</b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ISLAMABAD, June 23: Pakistanâs exports face much greater barriers than other South Asian economies because of a less favourable governance environment and a weak control on corruption, says the World Bank.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
[center]<b><span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>Kama Sutra in Lahore</span></b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->[/center]
Contrary to the general impression, Kama Sutra, the ingenious 8th century treatise, ][size=4]is not entirely and explicitly about eroticism and sexuality. The narrative and the text of the book deals with multi-faced lifecycle phenomena and carefully examines the nature of events in the external world and how those events affect the inadvertently induced imagination of human conduct, including spirituality, wealth and pleasure.
Kama Sutra is an imaginative expose of human behaviour by which mortals seek the pleasure of the body and soul and attain psychological self-gratification. The concept, in itself, is as much about erotic ecstasy as a source of physical pleasure and emotional power as well as about human relationships in a wider context - the socio-psychology of pleasure and power combined together as one.
Carried to a curiously metaphoric interpretation, Kama Sutra is about control and the attainment of the ultimate human pleasure (indeed for some only) - the existentialist experience of the ecstasy of having power over others. The greater the dimension of this control, the stronger is the sense of pleasure - the higher is the experience of ecstasy!
"The ecstasy of power" once experienced can be miraculous, a mesmerising mirage: it can induce a permanent sense of blissful exaltation of oneself, the possible intoxication of the human mind, the ebullient, excited and hyperbolic state of one's own existence in which "power over others" becomes the erotic, spiritual, psychological and the only acceptable norm of life - nothing else then matters. The acquisition of "power over others" becomes synonymous with one's existence.
"Such is the endowment and capability of experiencing the ecstasy of power." The initial experience of the "power ecstasy" has a mystifying, magical and transformational impact on one's personality. Those who experience it (indeed not everyone - only the very ambitious) undergo changes in their posture, language, appearance, body language, facial gestures, attitudes, self-perceptions, worldly orientation and, above all, in their views of the sociological and political realities of the world in which they exist - they develop a messiah complex. They tend to believe they are "all-knowing" and the entire world of existence of all others will suddenly and surely crumble without them.
Can you think of some political actors who might have undergone such a personality transformation in the post-December 2007 politics of Pakistan? If you try, you might be able to identify some of them - it would not be hard to locate a few in this altered state of mind. Just try - the ecstasy of power phenomenon is on the rampage in the corridors of political power in Pakistan these days!
Kama Sutra as a political ideology and a formidable political force has already hit Lahore more than once - just in case you have not noticed!
It made the first hit quite recently on the plush lawn of the Governor's House in Lahore when the co-chairperson of the People's Party's mocked the Lawyers' Long March and categorically informed the dancing, singing, chanting jayalas that soon a PPP stalwart will take over the presidency in Islamabad.
Read between the lines : Is Asif Zardari eyeing the presidency for himself? Mind it, the co-chairperson will not relinquish party leadership. So, in one sense, the question is irrelevant because so much concentration of political power in one individual is dictatorship, not democracy. In another sense, the question is gravely relevant because Zardari's presidency would have far-reaching consequences for Pakistan's democratic future.
Already the elected Prime Minister of Pakistan awaits the party chief's orders to reinstate the 60 deposed judges of the apex courts. The entire political establishment runs on the instructions of the co-chairperson.
The political Kama Sutra has made the second mighty hit in Lahore in the Halls of Justice where Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified from contesting by-elections on the charges of hijacking the plane in 1999. Ironic, isn't it? The NRO, November 3 and a number of other unconstitutional actions have been given legal cover - and yet an unproven allegation is legally used against one of the most important political players in the nation. Sad...and, indeed, a deplorable state of affairs...! A nation hijacked, blindfolded!
Gradually and consistently, the People's Party's leadership have adapted an almost ecclesiastical manner, notwithstanding the day-to-day rhetoric, when they talk about democracy and constitutionalism - it gives an eerie feeling of despotism mixed with absolutism and an abysmal determination.
Nice work so far!
Welcome to Pakistan's nascent democracy...!
<b>Welcome to political Kama Sutra in Pakistan...!</b>
Let us await where it hits next...!
The writer is a professor and political analyst. E-mail: hl_mehdi@hotmail.com
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad
Posted by jagoindia on June 24, 2008
Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad
Praveen Swami, Friday, Jun 20, 2008
Religious right wants end to war against Taliban and new campaign against India
âBy fighting the war on terror, we only compounded our miseriesâ
âRestore the trust of the Kashmiris by adhering to the policy of jihadâ
NEW DELHI: Pakistanâs Islamist press has thrown its weight behind a group of mid-level and senior officers in the armed forces, who have been pressuring Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani to terminate counter-terrorism operations in the North West Frontier Province and resume support for the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir.
Last weekâs air-strike on a Pakistan border post in the Mohmand Agency, in which several soldiers were killed, led jihadist leaders and commentators to call an end to Islamabadâs cooperation with the United States and to demand that it wind down the détente process with India, which they claim is working to exterminate Pakistan.
Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, chief of the Lashkar-e-Taibaâs parent religious body, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, called on June 12 for Pakistan to give a tit-for-tat reply to the United States. It could do this, he suggested, by dissociating itself from the war on terror and joining the mujahideen to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Saeedâs deputy and key Lashkar military tactician, Abdul Rehman Makki, speaking to a congregation at Islamabadâs Jamia Masjid Quba the same evening, went one step further, asking that the Pakistan government should snap ties with the U.S. and Europe and wage an open jihad against them.
In similar vein, the Daily Jasaratâs Friday Special released on the same day as Mr. Makkiâs speech called for Pakistan to abandon the war on terror and concentrate on the liberation of Kashmir through jihad. âThe money that the U.S. provides us for fighting the war on terror,â the newspaper editorially argued, âis nothing compared to the losses we have suffered. By fighting the war on terror, we only compounded our miseries.â
Hostility against India
Pakistani jihadists have been telling their audiences the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir is essential to the nationâs survival. Nawa-i-Waqt, for example, complained that India was seeking to choke Pakistanâs water sources, India has eaten the mother of our rivers Kashmir, it said. âWe should stop talking peace with India, it proceeded, We should strengthen the mujahideen. We should wage jihad against India, otherwise it will turn Pakistan into a barren land.â
Positions like these are not new. Just last month, for example, Saeed claimed that the enemies of Islam are giving India unlimited resources so that it can construct dams on Pakistani rivers. He asserted that the Crusaders, the Jews, and the Hindus all have united against the Muslims, and launched the war on terror which is in fact a pretext to impose a horrible war to further the nefarious goals of the enemies of Islam.
Saeed demanded that Pakistani rulers should restore the trust of the Kashmiris by adhering to the policy of jihad. âKashmir is not an integral part of India. It is an integral part of Pakistan! The nation will not allow the sacrifices of more than a hundred thousand Kashmiris to be disregarded and overlooked.â
Nida-i-Millat, another influential Islamist newspaper, called in its May 22, 2008, issue for an end to the growing popular culture exchanges which have characterised the détente process. So long as India does not end its âillegal occupationâ of Kashmir, the newspaper said, there should be no trade, economic and cultural ties with it, a criticism of Peopleâs Party of Pakistan chairman Asif Ali Zardari, who has made clear he wishes to enlarge bilateral trade and people-to-people contact independently of dialogue on the conflict.
India has been subjugating Kashmir for the last 60 years, the Nida-i-Millat argued, and is committing atrocities against our Kashmiri brothers. âAround 52 dams are being constructed on the waters of occupied Kashmir. This will turn our land into a barren desert. India is conspiring to destroy us, but we are importing their cheap culture.â
Targeted polemic
Islamist polemic of this type is targeted at mid-level officers in the Pakistan army, who have been worn down by their gruelling counter-terrorism campaigns in the North West Frontier Province. Products of the new-model army constructed during the regime of General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, with the aid of neoconservative religious organisations, many of the officers see themselves as guardians not just of the state of Pakistan, but Islam itself.
Tactical support
President Pervez Musharrafâs decision to side with the U.S. after the events of September 11, 2001, was seen as a betrayal of the anti-India, pro-jihad postures which bound the army to him during his coup against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Islamists within the Pakistan army also have the tactical support of influential old-school nationalists, including several retired Directors-General who believe President Musharrafâs policies have opened up existence-threatening fault-lines which can only be healed by an accommodation with the religious right.
<!--QuoteBegin-acharya+Jun 26 2008, 08:36 AM-->QUOTE(acharya @ Jun 26 2008, 08:36 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad
Posted by jagoindia on June 24, 2008
Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad
Praveen Swami, Friday, Jun 20, 2008
Religious right wants end to war against Taliban and new campaign against India
âBy fighting the war on terror, we only compounded our miseriesâ
âRestore the trust of the Kashmiris by adhering to the policy of jihadâ
NEW DELHI: Pakistanâs Islamist press has thrown its weight behind a group of mid-level and senior officers in the armed forces, who have been pressuring Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Pervez Ashfaq Kiyani to terminate counter-terrorism operations in the North West Frontier Province and resume support for the jihad in Jammu and Kashmir.
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<b>Acharya Ji :</b>
Is it part of your âEsteemedâ Psyche or below your âDignityâ to âattach the URL Linkâ to the Article that you post?
The advantage to the other members of the Forum is that by âClickingâ on the link they can get the benefit of the other related Articles which are linked to the Article.
I trust you will fulfil my âHumbleâ Request.
Many thanks in advance.
FYG : Here is the link to the Article :
<b>Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad</b>
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
What has added a twist to this tale of Pakistani duplicity and deceit is the publication of a report by American auditors that shows how the huge amounts of money being provided by Washington to Islamabad, ostensibly to help the Americans root out the evil called Taliban and Al Qaeda, has been virtually disappearing down a black hole.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?m...t&counter_img=2
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<b>Acharya Ji :</b>
Is it part of your âEsteemedâ Psyche or below your âDignityâ to âattach the URL Linkâ to the Article that you post?
The advantage to the other members of the Forum is that by âClickingâ on the link they can get the benefit of the other related Articles which are linked to the Article.
I trust you will fulfil my âHumbleâ Request.
Many thanks in advance.
FYG : Here is the link to the Article :
<b>Pakistani Islamists call for renewed jihad</b>
Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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Hope you understand.
I have on the average around 100 posts to make every day in many forums in the wide internet world.
I sometimes do not have the links and will be unable to post it immediately. Sometimes I have to post 500 posts every day. You can understand my position with this kind of workload.
To make sure that the message and the post is not lost since I only post what is relavent I had to post without URLt. When ever I get some links I would not miss posting the links in the posts.
My apology if it has caused inconvenience to you that you had to find the URL yourself. I would be try my best to satisfy your request in the future.
Regrets of an old Mohajir - "what have we done"
The article has a few gems including this one:
Quote:
The Diaspora of Indian Muslims who migrated to Pakistan is found all over after their remigration. Even highly placed officials, after retirement, are joining their children abroad who left earlier. During my travels I have come across Pakistani Canadians who have retrieved the ancestral property their parents have left in India. They prefer to spend their holidays in India rather than Pakistan which was their last country of abode.
The article ends thus
Quote:
What one needs today is what was lost in the 1940s: the prospect that India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh should enter into a close relationship that may ultimately lead to a Federal state.
But, earlier in the article the author points out the following 4 points:
1)
Quote:
was born in the united province of British India (now called Utter Pradesh) which was the center of Muslim civilization in South Asia. Muslims comprised 14% of the population but their influence was greater than numbers imply
2)
Quote:
the Quaid-i-izam (âgreat leaderâ) declared in a Lahore speech on 27 March 1940: âThese are not religions in the strict sense of the word, but are in fact different and distinct social orders, and it is a dream that the Hindus and Muslims can ever [become] a common nationality.â
3)
Quote:
I myself believe that Jinnah did not really want Pakistan as such; rather he was fighting for the rights of Muslims in an Indian federation
4)
Quote:
Soon after the death in 1948 of Jinnah, a strictly secular leader of a secular Muslim state, I found, disturbingly, that Pakistan began to edge perceptibly towards a more religiously defined state. This trend was unwelcome, if perhaps predictable from a political view.
In case there is anyone who has NOT understood the sub text here, let me make it clear.
1) (Some) Muslims felt they rule India
2) These Muslims did not feel part of the culture of India
3) These Muslims wanted special privileges in India unsuitable for a one man one vote democracy
4) After Jinnah died even the pretence of secularism that existed vanished leading to a "Islam comes first" attitude of the Muslims of Pakistan
This author now has the following wish (repeat)
Quote:
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh should enter into a close relationship that may ultimately lead to a Federal state.
This will be possible ONLY under the following circumstances directly related to the 4 points made by the author himself
1) No more can "Muslims rule India" to the detriment of non Muslims
2) Muslims will have to join and respect Indian culture
3) Muslims cannot have any special privileges over and above what anyone else gets merely for being Muslim
4) Islam cannot come first over and above allegiance to the land and its people, whether Muslim of non Muslim
This may be a tough call - buy hey it's tough sh1t. Paki/BDesh Muslims who have any doubts about this need to recall that what i have written here is far more fair to them than they wanted to be to me and my kind. If we were to do a tit for tat behavior towards Pakistanis as they show towards India it would be: All Muslims are free to get out of India to Pakistan or Saudi Arabia or wherever and leave India to the people who ruled it for 4000 years before Mohammad.
After Iraq, Pakistan?
Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Should Invoke International Law
over Iraq to prevent a holocaust in the Middle East
By Brigadier ® Usman Khalid
In a speech at the Governor's House in Lahore (on 18 January) President Musharraf said that he feared that Pakistan could be a target (of American War on Terror) after Iraq. For once he was spot on. The General, after a review of the situation, is expected to produce a new plan. But General Musharraf prefers tried and tested methods. Like one of his predecessors General Yahya Khan - who dashed off to Moscow when he realised that attack on East Pakistan was imminent and his American friends were not going to help, President Musharraf is also on his way to Moscow. But his cynicism is as bad as his judgement. He is using the 'American threat' to tighten his hold over power. He openly interferes in grant of party tickets (of PML-Q) and makes appointments to the Cabinet and other high offices, which are the prerogatives of the Party and the Prime Minister. There is unrest and disquiet in Pakistan as power continues to be exercised by the same old American moles. One could sympathise with the Prime Minister for surviving on a diet of political crumbs but he is expected to uphold the sovereignty of the parliament and integrity of his own role as the Chief Executive. It is pathetic to see ministers taking turns to praise the General for transferring power while he has done no such thing. Prime Minister Jamali has even adopted the mantra of 'Pakistan First' as if that is adequate justification for inaction when Iraq is invaded. Pakistan faces a much bigger threat than in 1971. That is not a mantra; that is a fact. Obeying America or the General would not make the threat disappear.
In the same speech he said he could take off his uniform any time but he would not do so because it is national interest. He did not reveal what that interest was? According to the law and rules of Pakistan, he should have retired a long time ago when he completed his tenure of three years as COAS.
If any national interest is served by the retired not retiring, he should let us know; the rest of us (retired generals) are just as eager to discard the civvies if it serves a national interest. The fact is that his continuing in uniform makes it possible to demonise Pakistan as a military dictatorship. If he believes that he is the sole interface with America and serves national interest in consequence, he labours under two misconceptions. One, America has many interfaces but he is the one with the Army that the enemies of Pakistan have sought to demonise as the 'rogue army' in the past and would do so again. General Musharraf provides local rationale and support for the future international demonisation campaign. Two, America never hesitates to betray its erstwhile friends when it does not need them. The list of 'betrayed by the US' is long; Saddam Hussain is only their latest victim.
I am reminded of late General Shaukat Riza who used to say: when a military dictator comes to power he says, " the people do not know what is good for them; I know what is good for them" ; but they all end up saying, " I am good for them". I was one of those who welcomed the take over by General Musharraf after a pathetic game of musical chairs between BB and NS. I say with regret that Musharraf is no different to the proverbial dictator characterised so well by the late soldier intellectual. In every speech he makes he praises himself for saving Pakistan in (three) crises. The first two crises, he says, were economic and he saved Pakistan by deploying Shaukat Aziz. In the third crisis he saved Pakistan himself by violating the international law, allowed the use of Pakistan's territory to invade Afghanistan that installed an anti Pakistan government in Kabul. The 'ungrateful' nation is begging him to stop saving Pakistan and step down. He is already showing signs of having caught the 'foot in the mouth' disease. In an address to the troops, he said that he forced India to withdraw without a fight by threat of use of 'unconventional' war. This led to an uproar in India. He should know better than anyone else that India deployed its armed forces on our borders on America's suggestion and withdrew when it was denied permission to invade.
Apart from Israel, Zionists and Neo-Conservatives in the US, every human being on our planet is alarmed that the invasion being planned by the USA and UK would not be a war; the disparity of strength between Iraq and the forces being assembled against it is so great that it would be a massacre on an unprecedented scale. It is bow and arrow against guns once again that made Indian race extinct in North America. Comparing the coming conflict with War with Communism or even the Crusades is grossly misleading. It is not a religious or an ideological conflict; it is a genocidal war to empty countries of people whose territory is coveted. It entails bombing at such an extensive scale that even those with nothing more lethal than a stare are legitimate targets. It is not an accident that the only allies of America in this war are India and Israel. America did not include the freedom fighters of Palestine, Kashmir and Chechnya in its list of targets as terrorists in a fit of stupor or rage. Zionists and Neo-Conservatives are still a minority in America and they have to enlist the countries where genocide of Muslims is ongoing with majority support for it to be sustained world-wide.
The countries in the Triangle of Evil are joined by their objective as well as methods. They have concluded from the failure to crush resistance in Palestine and Kashmir that the use of force was too little. Afghanistan has established the precedence for the use of precision bombing from high altitude to fight terrorists that cannot be located or found. Iraq would set the precedence that any reason is good enough for invading a country that cannot fight back.
Most Western political observers believe that the invasion of Iraq is inevitable. They say if Saddam Hussain was spared once again, Iran and Iraq would both become nuclear powers able to deter the invasion of their territory. From the security of invulnerability, they would threaten Western interests in the region. The opposite argument is equally convincing. The invasion of Iraq would not eliminate threats to Western assets and interests. On the contrary, spread of asymmetrical war into new areas with new weapons and tactics would lead to massive increase in insecurity. The elimination of WMD from Iraq and later other countries like North Korea through the UN would be more thorough and less destabilising and costly. Many countries Argentina, Brazil and South Africa - have abandoned their nuclear weapons programmes upon elimination of threats or obtaining self-determination. That is the route to irreversible nuclear disarmament. Naming countries as the Axis of Evil (Iraq, Iran and North Korea) has the opposite effect. This was seen as a sort of an ultimatum that made a powerful case for the three states to equip themselves with nuclear weapons. Most European countries, particularly Germany, believe that the strategy of the Bush Administration has been counter-productive; it has destabilised the vital region of the Middle East and increased tension and insecurity world-wide.
The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, endorses the Neo-Conservative view of war in Iraq. He asserts that the invasion is justified because it would set a new precedence to recognise the right of the super power to eliminate WMD pre-emptively to allow it to secure the submission of any and every state by the use of the awesome power of new precision guided conventional weapons. He believes that diplomacy should be used more effectively so that the need to wage war should be reduced as much as possible because it is economically destabilising. He believes that diplomacy (threats and blackmail) should be employed to keep the Muslim World divided and unable to articulate an effective response. He believes that Muslim public opinion should be assuaged with promises to address popular causes and reiterating that their war is not against Islam - merely against terrorists and rogue states. He has initiated action to shorten the list of rogue Muslim states and hosted Syrian President Asad (ex rogue) at an official visit to the UK. He has also been promoting the two-state solution for Palestine. As Robert Fisk pointed out, it is not because of a change of heart, it is because he feels it is vital to have a few Arab states in the force invading Iraq.
Carrots are being hung out to help Arab and Muslims rulers to assuage their people. This is only temporary. Sticks would be out as soon as the fighting phase of the invasion is over. Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - the targets of America after it has dealt with Iraq - have the need as well the ability to articulate the response of the Ummah. Iran is active but is hemmed in by its being named in the Axis of Evil. The role assigned to General Musharraf is to keep Pakistan out by giving an internal focus to the response of the Ummah. The clout of Pakistan would be focussed inwards dealing with the popular outrage by shooting at 'fundamentalist troublemakers'. Saudi Arabia has been put on the defensive by allegation of 'hijackers' being Saudi citizens and threat of a trillion-dollar lawsuit. In this environment, Prince Abdullah was invited to visit the US. He was feted in Washington as an ally in war on terrorism while the American press was in frenzy portraying Saudi Arabia and its Wahabi Islam as the most anti-West and extremist. The Prince was encouraged to offer his 'peace plan' for Palestine (short of UNSC Resolution 242) and doubly humiliated when it was rejected by Israel and ignored by every one else. After putting him in his place, the emirates of the Arabian Peninsula were coerced to fall in line. They merely requested that their consent to allow the use of their territory for the invasion should not be made public. Jordan is taken for granted and is not even asked. Turkey is still holding out but one cannot be sure, how long?
The USA is not depending entirely on General Musharraf to deny Pakistan a role in leading the fight back. They have the support of the Benazir and MQM. With PML (Q) happy with chanting the Musharraf mantra of "Pakistan First" Benazir accuses it being half hearted in crushing Kashmiri 'terrorists' and hunting Al-Qaeda members allegedly hiding in Pakistan. She is focussed on outdoing Musharraf in loyalty to the US. At the same time, she seeks to underline her party's credentials as superior to that of the MQM as an Anti Islamist party by not joining the 'right wing' government. No wonder the alarmed nation is flocking to the ranks of the MMA. Even that has failed to prevent General Musharraf from blatant efforts to tighten his hold over power. The nation is numb with fear - of dangers that are so obvious and the realisation that its new civil government is powerless. Pakistan courts the danger of slipping into anarchy and instability at a time when the Muslim world needs it to provide clear objectives and viable plans to fight the fight that is being imposed upon us. But miracles do happen! PML (Q) could find the courage to respond to public opinion and join the MMA in challenging the LFO. The military could force the President to submit to the law and get out of uniform and step down.
If the miracle did occur and the Prime Minister acted like the Chief Executive he is, what must he do? In fact, he can unite the nation and transform its morale in a week. He could: 1) sack the American moles in his administration, 2) declare opposition to the invasion of Iraq without a second UNSC Resolution, 3) ask the US to relocate the FBI teams to within the premises of the US Embassy and vacate the four bases in Pakistan that have no use except as 'red rag to the bull', 4) call for a Summit of OIC to pass a Resolution to deny the use of territory and air space of one member state for the invasion of another member and, 5) add the voice and argument of Pakistan to world-wide outcry against invasion of Iraq. Many would argue that such actions would earn the ire of America. Nothing could be farther from the truth. President Bush is not America. We would be acting as the true friends of America if we took action to preclude violation of international law.
We need to join the rest of the world in bringing home to America that invasion of Iraq would lead to protracted asymmetrical war. The UN route is the only viable route to elimination of WMD. America has to distance itself rather than embrace India and Israel. Their expansionist policies and projects are the main cause of conflict and war as well as the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It serves nobody's interest to make dire predictions of clash of civilisations or wars over oil and other natural resources. The world is too interdependent to sustain protracted asymmetrical war without courting the risk of the collapse of the economic system of the world.
General Musharraf is now a part of the problem, not the solution. His personal unpopularity provides the vehicle as well as the rationale for destabilising Pakistan. His continuing in uniform is against the national interest; his quiet exit from power is the dire need and the interest of Pakistan. The recent elections have brought unity and focus to the country. The General is threatening that. Pakistan is ready and able to play its part to fight the dangers faced by the Muslim Ummah. Instead of wasting time in answering accusations by Jewish and Indian media (which is the main tactics of the enemy) we should concentrate on the issue of war and peace. The peace of the world is in danger from USA and the UK threatening to invade Iraq. In international law, war is justified when a country is invaded or invasion is imminent. USA and UK have not been invaded by Iraq; no one sees an imminent
threat to them from Iraq. It is the interest of the whole world that no new precedence is set. It is not a problem of the Muslim World; it is the problem of the entire world. USA and UK threaten the whole edifice of international law on which peace and prosperity of the world is founded. Now that threat to Pakistan is manifest, we should drop the pretence of 'everything is fine' and seek the protection of International Law for Iraq and by implication for Pakistan as well as Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Independent Kashmir Movements Endorse Indian View Point
by
Brigadier Usman Khalid
One wonders how and why organisations emerge from time to time and try to
make a case for Jammu and Kashmir as an independent state. Since the right of
national self determination is the inalienable right of every nation,
Kashmiris have as much right as any other nation to that right. The question,
therefore, is not whether a nation has right to self-determination but
whether the people of Jammu and Kashmir a separate nation.
Most of the political parties of India subscribe to "One Nation Theory". They
assert that everybody from the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan to Mekong
Delta in Thailand is a Hindu and Indian. The BJP even insists that both words
underline a single identity - every Hindu is an Indian and every Indian is a
Hindu. They also insist that conversion to Bhuddism, Islam or Christianity
does not change or divide the people that are united by History and
Geography. There are indeed similarities of race and culture that can be seen
as a scarlet thread throughout that region. But does that make them one
nation?
The definition of a nation that is generally accepted today is a "people with
a durable basis of solidarity founded on a principle that overwhelming
majority live by and are ready to die for". The region from the Hindu Kush to
Mekong Delta was populated by a caste based society that was characterised by
apartheid and separation and shunned solidarity. Until the introduction of
proselytising religions - (Islam and Christianity) in South Asia, there was
solidarity within each caste. The castes were indeed nations. After the
advent of Islam, religion as well as the castes became the touchstone of
national identity.
In South Asia today, there are two theories competing for attention that
already command substantial loyalty - the Multiple Nation Theory (also known
as the Two Nation Theory) of the Muslim League and the One Nation Theory of
BJP. It is necessary to outline the Two (more accurately Multiple) Nation
Theory. It consists of three concepts all of which are vital components of
the theory.
1) Identity by Birth or Belief. There are two kinds of nations in the Indian
Subcontinent - those who identify themselves by their belief (Muslims,
Christians and Sikhs, etc.) and those who identify themselves by their birth
(castes).
2) View of History. Muslims view History very differently to those of other
faiths. The heroes of Muslims are often a villain in eyes of others and the
Golden Age of Muslim rule is seen as the Dark Age in Brahmin eyes. History
does not unite the peoples of the Subcontinent, it underlines that they have
a wide variety of identities that give rise to very different perceptions,
mutually hostile aspirations and opposing objectives.
3) Sovereign Purpose. Every people with a separate identity do not ALL posses
a separate National Personality. Only those peoples who have a common purpose
that cannot be achieved without being sovereign, have a national personality
that requires being recognised as a separate nation in a sovereign country.
The principle of national solidarity of Pakistan is Islam. Its people
identify themselves by their belief, they have their own view of history with
their unique set of heroes and villains, and their sovereign purpose is to be
the vanguard of efforts for sovereign freedom and solidarity of all the
peoples particularly the Muslim Ummah. Clearly, non Muslims of the
Subcontinent do not share with us our sovereign purpose or our principle of
national solidarity. But many of the nations in the Sub Continent can follow
the example of Pakistan and crystallise their own national personality and
secure their own separate and sovereign nation states. It is now being
increasingly realised by the low castes in India that Pakistan is not the
enemy; it is their role model.
The BJP is nervous and afraid. Its machinery for propaganda and covert
operations is eager to discredit the Multiple Nation Theory on which Pakistan
is based, which also promises sovereign freedom for all the peoples of India.
It cannot attack Islam as a principle of our national solidarity. It,
therefore, seeks to undermine our solidarity by emphasising sub-national
identities. Let this be quite clear; the letter K represents Kashmir in the
name of our country. Kashmiris are an integral part of our nation. Since
Balarwaistan Freedom Movement was too blatantly anti Pakistan to have any
credibility as a genuine movement, UKPNP has come to the fore with the
difference that it attacks India as well as Pakistan. But it is just as
sinister in its make up as it is evil in its purpose.
The purpose of India in its propaganda and policy is to discredit Pakistan
and its Two Nation Theory. Since it would be too direct and perhaps
counterproductive to attack Islam as our polity, our enemies prefer to
emphasise ethnic identities that have played little role in building national
personality in the peoples of the subcontinent. Let this be quite clear; any
Muslim, particularly a Kashmiri, who challenges that Pakistan has a role and
a duty in Kashmir plays the same role as an earlier traitor and Indian agents
- Sheikh Mujib and his Awami League. I criticise the Government of Pakistan
more than most. But Pakistan, including Kashmir, is still mine; nobody can
change that. By criticising its policies I assert my right over it. But I
will also die for everything that it stands - Islam, Muslim Solidarity and
spirit of Jihad.
We make a mistake by ignoring Indian propaganda on the Internet under dubious
names and pretexts. We should condemn in the strongest possible words anyone
like UKPNP who seek to undermine Muslim solidarity by demonising a country -
Pakistan - where Islam as its polity underpins the unity of the people and
the viability of the state, and guarantees success in pursuit of more power,
more peace and more prosperity.
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